Mexican Cooking

[Spiesy]

This sounds pretty good, although I must admit I'm a little wary of coffee and chocolate in the recipe, but I'll try to keep an open mind:

http://www.homesicktexan.com/2009/02/more-precise-texas-chili-recipe.html

 

[aussiechucka]

I just got this book and it's a dead-authentic, great little book if you're already keen on Mexican cooking. I'm really looking forward to cooking these recipes as I have little experience with food from this particular region of Mexico. Plus aussiechucka is a truly awesome bloke judging from my experience. Thanks!

Hope you enjoy the book and are able to propagate some plants from those seeds. Just let me know if you need help with any of the ingredients. Probably the only one you will have a hard time tracking down is chilmole paste but Fireworks Foods has it http://www.fireworksfoods.com.au/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=243&category_id=10&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=53
This is the best with home made tortillas.

If anyone else is keen on the book it is available for $15 includes shipping. Just PM me and I will pass on details.
Cheers
Mardoo and enjoy the book.
PS the Queso relleno is also one of my favorites. A bit fiddly but worth it.

PPS
For any one that is looking for true Mexican ingredients we buy ours from Fireworks Foods. ( no marketing ties to them) Just vey happy customers.

 

[bum]

Fireworks Foods.

Chipotle in adobo? SOLD!

Also, webrings still exist?

 

[Airgead]

*grin* actually Fireworks host with us. Yes webrings do still exist. Kind of.

We are working with the guy to upgrade his site and make it a little less... you know... early 90s. He likes it just fine the way it is though *sigh*.

He pays partially in chilli though which is very cool.

Cheers
Dave

 

[Airgead]

Actually guys... if you do hop onto the fireworks site, can you shoot me a quick PM with anything you like/don't like about it. It might help us convince him to do a refresh if we have some feedback from his customers...

At the moment he wants us to rebuild it on a new platform and make it look exactly like it is now. This makes my wife (who does our design work) very sad.

Cheers
Dave

 

[bum]

Honestly, it doesn't look that bad. Yeah, it is dated and a bit cookie-cutter looking but it is cleanish and inoffensive.

A bit of font consistency and flattening of the background would really be all I'd ask for (also that fire at the top is a bit whatevs but is thematically sound). I honestly think the kinda homemade-iness works in its favour - gives a very approachable, small family-business kind of vibe.

 

[Airgead]

Yeah... consistent fonts. That you can read. Top of our list already.

Number two is convincing the owner not to animate the fire at the top (yes really... geocities circa 1995).

A template that will render on a mobile device and stay readable is up there too.

 

[Mardoo]

Okie, I'm not vegan btw, a friend who turned tried to turn me but I like butter and cheese too much
I'm always wanting to come down, will be definitely going there whenever next.

I kinda had the same feeling about both SE Asian food and South American food, it's a rich land with lots of vegetation and poverty, but restaurants are amazingly boganised... Hence why my try at mex is that 2 spice n basics bean fry. I'd be glad if you link me up, looked up tamale mentioned above, would be trying my hand at that.

OK, sorry mate, been busy but here are some pretty Vegetarian Mexican good recipes/recipe sources.

When they talk about nopales they're talking about the cactus paddles from prickly pears, which you will see at fresh markets sometimes here in Oz. I freakin' love nopale burritos and still think regularly about the ones I used to get in my hometown. Here's a description of how to prepare them. Note that you don't slice them until AFTER you cook them. Otherwise you can end up with a goopy mess. http://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/view?recipeID=113 They make great fillings for burritos, enchiladas and tacos.

When they talk about chayote they are the same thing as chokos, which you will find here in most asian stores/market stalls that sell fresh vegetables.

It will not be easy to find fresh poblanos, and other fresh chiles referred to, in Australia. The poblano is a not very hot but really flavorful chile used a lot in mexican cooking. Might be worth it to find some seeds and grow some if you're so inclined. Dried ones will work but will taste quite different.

Honestly, good mexican salsas will turn just about anything Mexican so here is Rick Bayliss' page on salsas. He's a good source for recipes. http://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/category?categoryID=7

Here is his vegetables page which has a few things http://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/category?categoryID=12

And his tacos and tamales page, particularly the sweet corn tamale recipe and an couple others, although mostly meaty recipes http://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/category?categoryID=11 Try the Yucatecan tamales towards the bottom.

There are some good ideas on this page http://www.treehugger.com/easy-vegetarian-recipes/how-have-vegetarian-cinco-de-mayo.html

Here are a crapload of vego Mexican recipes. You'lll notice a heavy amount of salsas but there's other stuff salted in there as well http://www.amazingmexicanrecipes.com/recipes/vegetarian-recipes/#.UfrA-FOWCmx

Here's a good article from the LA Times. It's not so much recipes as it is ideas but it's a good article http://articles.latimes.com/2011/apr/07/food/la-fo-mexican-vegetarian-20110407

Hope all that helps.

 

[OzPaleAle]

When they talk about nopales they're talking about the cactus paddles from prickly pears, which you will see at fresh markets sometimes here in Oz. I freakin' love nopale burritos and still think regularly about the ones I used to get in my hometown. Here's a description of how to prepare them. Note that you don't slice them until AFTER you cook them. Otherwise you can end up with a goopy mess. http://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/view?recipeID=113 They make great fillings for burritos, enchiladas and tacos.

Funny you mention that, we used to do an iron chef thing with mates and one of them bought s a big bag of these cactus paddles for the mystery ingredient......
Basically ended up with various flavoured dishes of slime, part of the challenge was that you couldn't look up recipes and we had no idea what to do with them. So cooking first is the trick, I'll know for next time!

 

[Mardoo]

Basically ended up with various flavoured dishes of slime, part of the challenge was that you couldn't look up recipes and we had no idea what to do with them. So cooking first is the trick, I'll know for next time!

They'll still be, uh, "slippery". The way I like them prepared is fried as in the recipe you mentioned (a little charring is nice in my book), then stewed with onion and garlic and Mexican oregano as in this recipe http://www.mexicoinmykitchen.com/2009/06/how-to-cook-cactus-pads-nopalescomo.html?m=1

The key is to drain off the liquid from the stewing. Then you can use them however you like.

 

[losp]

I've got a recipe that a Mexician friend got me on to. Cabrito Al Pastor.

http://www.goatworld.com/caprinecuisine/recipes/cabritoalpastorrecipe.shtml

I reckon its a real good one for brewers, because we already have the big stock pot handy. You just need a spit.

Its a great meat to have with a bunch of mates!

 

[mrTbeer]

Esquitas for dinner tonight at home, yum.
Noticed a New Mexican restaurant opening in my hood also. "Prickly Piñata" fingers crossed it works for them.

 

[punkin]

Funny you mention that, we used to do an iron chef thing with mates and one of them bought s a big bag of these cactus paddles for the mystery ingredient......
Basically ended up with various flavoured dishes of slime, part of the challenge was that you couldn't look up recipes and we had no idea what to do with them. So cooking first is the trick, I'll know for next time!

Ha ha you're a foodie.

 

[OzPaleAle]

Ha ha you're a foodie.

I guess so, is it a requirement of being a foodie that the meals you end up with taste good? Because they tended to end up a drunken cooking session trying to outdo each other with more and more strange mystery ingredients, many of the dishes were not what you would call edible......

 

[Liam_snorkel]

I just got home from the shops with a bag of mulito chillies, a couple of tins of black beans, and a bag of maize flour. Recipe ideas? I'm clueless.
Will have a look at that homesick Texan blog.

 

[Mardoo]

Black Bean tamales with mulato salsa (below). Use one of the tamale links I posted earlier. Mulatos make a great base for mole so you could do a tamale pie with mole chicken or black beans if you're vego. Homesick Texan will have a tamale pie recipe and its less of a pain than tamales. Let us know what you come up with.

Roast the mulatos in the oven at 150 for about 10 minutes. Watch them very closely, pull them out every minute after 5 ideally. You don't want them to get too roasted as they go bitter. Take them to the point that they smell nice and fruity and roasty. Soak them in water just to cover for a couple hours. Remove the stems and seeds and purée them, adding the soaking liquid as needed to help. Strain to get out any bits of skin. Add a touch of molasses, ground raw cumin seed, a touch of salt (too much salt can kill the subtler chile flavors), bit of cinnamon and some orange zest. See how it tastes. May or may not need garlic.

 

[Liam_snorkel]

Thanks Mardoo. The mulatos are dried, do I still roast them?

 

[Mardoo]

Yep. Dried chiles are almost always roasted before using in most Mexican cooking. It brings out the flavors more. Raw chiles you may or may not, roast but pretty much always for dried ones.

Again, keep a very close eye on them. They can go from just about, to too far very quickly. If you go too far they're still useable, but the flavors will drop and there's a bitterness that comes up. It's not so noticeable when you're using a little chile in a dish, but it's dogs balls when you're making chile based sauces.

 

[Liam_snorkel]

Cool thanks, been in the oven for 2mins

They smell amazing.

 

[Liam_snorkel]

Well I made the salsa recipe, it was nice, but I ended up adding some lemon juice and brown sugar to turn it into a fcking delicious BBQ sauce.