Mexican Feast Part 5: Fajitas de bistec/Steak Fajitas

Umm, steak fajitas. As I said before, the steak was good, but the warm tortillas were definitely the star of the show. I used a marinade that came from two different websites. It mainly consisted of cilantro, lime juice, salt, chili powder, and other ingredients. It was still lacking in flavor for my taste. I'm not going to bother posting the recipe for the steak since it didn't taste all that great, but I've included the link to one of the marinade varieties I used below. Following tradition, I used skirt steak and then grilled the steak on a cast-iron skillet for about 5 minutes per side. I prefer almost well-done to burnt meat, so I wasn't happy to see the red inside. However, I've noticed that most foodies like their steak that way. Next time I will add more seasoning to my marinade and while it's in the skillet. I will also cook the meat for 6 to 7 minutes.

When you have to depend on the side ingredients for a good fajita (or would you technically just call this a steak taco since I don't like red or green peppers?), then something is wrong.

The chicken fajitas I made a few days later were a whole 'nother story. I will talk about those next. YUM!

One of the marinades I used for the fajitas de bistec (recipe in Spanish).

Mexican Feast Part 4: Pico de gallo/Rooster's Beak

I bet you didn't know that "Pico de gallo" literally translates as "beak of a rooster"! Okay, maybe a few of you did know. No matter how strange the name may seem, pico de gallo is yummy and refreshing. I can't believe I forgot to mention that it was included in my Mexican Feast! It's very easy to make, and there are many recipes out there for this stuff.

A basic, traditional pico de gallo just involves cutting up roma tomatoes, green onions (or regular onions for the non-traditional version; I used the latter because I was out of the green stuff), serrano (or jalapeño) peppers, and lime juice.

I made a very small version for this feast, so I only needed one serrano, one lime, and two roma tomatoes. I had some onions already cut up in the refrigerator, so I just grabbed a small handful. Many people take the seeds out of their tomatoes before placing them into the salsa, but I really don't care if they're there or not. Make this stuff with fresh ingredients; it's the only way. :)

Mexican Feast Part 3: Arroz mexicano/Mexican Rice

The day I took this picture, it was a rainy, dreary day. So, I tried taking more photos of the rice the next day, but it was almost just as dreary as the previous day. Oh well, the rice still tasted really good.

I've made this recipe three times now. It is my go-to recipe for Arroz Mexicano. It is so easy to make that I didn't need to look at the recipe the second time I made it.

You will need a blender and a saucepan to make this dish. However, if you don't have the former, it is still doable with a can of crushed tomatoes, which is how I made it this time around. If you want to see better, brighter pictures of this yummy dish, make sure you click on the link to the source of the recipe. (Note: I think the site is down temporarily. Check back later.)

Arroz Mexicano/Mexican Rice
adapted from What's Cooking
(can be doubled easily)

2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 cup of white or brown rice
2-3 roma tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped onions
1-2 cloves of garlic
salt to taste (start out with 1 tsp)
small handful of cilantro
1-2 cups of chicken broth

Pour about 2-3 Tbsp of oil in a saucepan. When hot, place the rice in the saucepan and allow it to brown. While the rice is cooking, blend the tomatoes, onions, garlic, salt, and cilantro in a blender for a few seconds. Once blended, pour in the chicken broth until you reach 2 cups. Then blend the mixture again.

Once blended, pour the tomato mixture in the saucepan over the rice and stir. Cover the rice mixture and allow to cook for 15 minutes. Sprinkle some more chopped cilantro on top (optional). Enjoy! ¡Buen provecho!

*UPDATED* Mexican Feast Part 2: Tortillas de harina/Flour Tortillas

The other day, I introduced the first part of my Mexican Feast, which were cheesy frijoles refritos or refried beans. In that post, I promised to present these flour tortillas next.
Ummmmm, flour tortillas. I wish I could make another batch of these babies. They are so good. In fact, they were the star of the entire Mexican Feast (even more so than the steak and the chicken!). They were soft and flavorful. They even tasted just as good the next day after spending the night in the refrigerator. They were so good that I would sneak out a tortilla, put butter on it, roll it up like the ones pictured, and gobble it up. So freaking good!

Whenever I make Mexican dishes, I take advantage of my multilingual abilities by looking at recetas (recipes) from Mexico. I have made flour tortillas before, but they weren't nearly as good as these were. I don't know why these tasted so much better since the ingredients were basically the same. The procedure was slightly different, though.

I didn't find this recipe on a blog or a cookbook; I found it on YouTube! The recipe is written in Spanish, so I translated it below for the non-Spanish speakers out there. You're welcome. :)
With this recipe, you don't have to cut in the lard or shortening. Also, you don't need to use much flour to roll out the masa (dough). Using a Silpat makes the process even easier. Enjoy!

Tortillas de harina/Flour Tortillas
Translated recipe from Blanca Díaz

(I highly suggest you watch the detailed video of her making the tortillas.)

*UPDATE* I've been making these tortillas quite often now, and sometimes they come out perfectly, and sometimes they came out just okay. Here are some tips, if you're planning on making these:

The tortillas should be soft and bubbly. I think the key to a good tortilla is to mix/stir the dry ingredients (even though she stated not to do so), and break in the shortening. Next start the mixer and then add the hot water as it mixes. The dough should be wet but not too wet (I usually use all of the water in the recipe). Don't forget to let the dough sit for 30 minutes before rolling the dough. You should be able to roll it in a ball easily. I also add an extra 1/2 tsp of baking powder to ensure rise. Also, don't let it heat up too long the first time you put it on the comal or skillet. The first exposure to heat is the most important part, I think. Flip it over as soon as you see a few bubbles.

Make ahead: Roll out all the dough balls and place between wax paper. Then place the wax papered tortillas in a freezer bag for later use. When ready to make them, just take them out and heat them on the comal or skillet. *UPDATE OVER!* Go HERE for make-ahead photos and more information!

3 ½ cups of AP flour
1 tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
100 gr (7/8 cups or a little less than 1 cup) of lard or shortening, cut into small pieces (I didn't cut it into pieces, and it was fine)
¾ to 1 cup of very hot water (almost boiling)

1. Place the flour in a bowl.

2. Add the salt, baking powder, and fat without stirring.

3. Little by little, pour the very hot water over the ingredients and mix them with your hands (or dough attachment in your stand mixer), measuring the quantity of water until you reach the desired texture. It should be moist and soft, but not sticky.

4. Knead/Mix the dough for approximately 5 minutes, and form a ball.

5. Cover the dough with a kitchen towel, and allow it to rest inside of the bowl for 15 to 20 minutes.

6. Form small balls weighing approximately 40 grams each (if you don't have a scale, the balls should be more or less the size of a ping-pong or golf ball). Cover the little balls again with the towel as you roll each one out.

7. Place one of the balls on top of a clean surface, and press down on it lightly with your fingers.

8. Roll out the little ball until you form an oval. Lift up the oval and turn it to the right 45 degrees, and roll it out again. Turn it 45 degrees again to the right until you creat a circle of the desired size.

9. Place the tortilla on a hot comal, griddle pan, or cast-iron skillet until it forms small bubbles on the uncooked side of the tortilla. Turn over the tortilla, and wait until it inflates a bit. Turn it again and with a spatula, press on it until the air inside goes out and stops inflating (I didn't do this last part because it stops puffing up once you remove it from the heat).

10. Store the tortillas in tortilla holder, covered container, or wrapped in a towel. You could also keep it warm in a low-temperature oven. These tortillas can be reheated the next day; store them in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Yields 18-20 tortillas; this recipe can be halved easily.

Mexican Feast Part 1: Frijoles refritos/Refried Beans

I decided to make a full, savory, "authentic", Mexican meal this weekend. So, for a few days, and depending on how well the photos come out, I will try to post everything I made. To start off, I made Steak fajitas, Mexican rice, flour tortillas, and refried beans. Surprisingly, I didn't make dessert. I guess I could do that later. I did make lemon/lime curd with cream cheese (will blog about this much later), but I didn't make it for the purposes of this feast. Anyway, everything came out almost perfectly. With the exception of the steak, I had made all of these items before. I did try a new recipe for the flour tortillas, and it will now forever be my go-to recipe. I will blog about them next.

The refried beans are so good. I usually put Monterey Jack on the beans to make them more authentic, but the little I had left was starting to mold. By the time I had scraped all the white film off of the cheese, there was nothing but a nob of cheese left. So, instead, I put some grated Colby and Monterey Jack cheese blend on top. I also added cumin in the beans to give off that more authentic flavor and smell.

I have made these beans three or four times now. The first three times were for my girlfriend who was born in Mexico City. She loved this dish, so I knew it was a keeper from then on.

I hope you make this dish soon. There is no need to soak the beans. If you don't have a pressure cooker (like me), you just boil the beans for 2.5 hours, and then transfer them to the grilled, translucent onions. It is really easy to make. Also, don't be afraid of the lard. It has less transfat than butter, so it really isn't as bad as some people think it is. I'm sure we've eaten a lot worse in restaurants since we don't know what is going on in some of those kitchens. If you're still hesitant to try lard, which makes the dish more authentic, there are other options mentioned in the recipe.

Refried Beans

adapted from Simply Recipes

• 2 1/2 cups of dry pinto beans (about 1 lb or 450gm)
• 3 quarts of water
• 1/2 cup chopped onion (optional)
• 2 Tbsp pork lard, bacon fat, or olive oil
• 1/4 cup water
• Salt to taste
• Cumin to taste (I put in about 1 tsp to a HALVED recipe)
• Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese (optional)

1. Rinse the beans in water and remove any small stones, pieces of dirt, or bad beans.
2. Cook the beans in water.
3. Pressure Cooker method Put beans into a 4 quart pressure cooker with a 15 lb weight. Fill up the pressure cooker with water, up to the line that indicates the capacity for the pot. Cook for 30-35 minutes - until the beans are soft and the skins are barely breaking open.
4. Regular method Put beans into a pot and cover beans with at least 3 inches of water - about 3 quarts for 2 1/2 cups of dry beans. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to simmer, covered, for about 2 1/2 hours. The cooking time will vary depending on the batch of beans you have. The beans are done when they are soft and the skin is just beginning to break open.
5. Strain the beans from the cooking water.
6. Add the onions and lard/fat/oil to a wide, sturdy (not with a flimsy stick-free lining) frying pan on medium high heat.
   
7. Cook onions until translucent.
8. Add the strained beans and about a 1/4 cup of water to the pan (I use the bean water by straining the beans and allowing its juice to pour into a liquid measuring cup).
   
9. Using a potato masher, mash the beans in the pan, while you are cooking them, until they are a rough purée. Add more water if necessary to keep the fried beans from getting too dried out.
   
10. Add salt and cumin to taste.
    
11. Add a few slices of Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese, or some (1/2 cup) grated cheddar cheese if you want.
    
12. When beans are heated through (and optional cheese melted) the beans are ready to serve.

Sweet & Sour Chicken

I was in the mood for Chinese food on Labor Day. Not burgers. Not BBQ. Just Chinese food. I think most Southerners would find that sacrilegious, but since I live alone, I can basically do what I want without anyone knowing...well, except for anyone who reads my blog :).

Anyway, I defrosted a package of already cut-up chicken breasts and decided to make Sweet & Sour Chicken. While I was in the mood for this dish, I wasn't in the mood to cook, especially something that requires frying chicken in oil. I'm not very crazy about fried food. I rarely crave it with the exception of Chinese food and french fries. I guess it's because I don't feel like the food is fried in Chinese dishes compared to the salient, fried taste I feel on my tongue when I eat fried chicken or fried mozzarella, for instance. I would guess that the use of cornstarch in lieu of flour lends to that "doesn't-taste-fried" feeling.

I have made this dish before using the same recipe from My Kitchen Café. In fact, this recipe is one of her most popular recipes on her site. I made the dish with Jasmine rice. The rice did not come out as fluffy as regular, white rice, but it was still good. I should have cut up the chicken pieces a bit more instead of just using them straight out of the package, but their sizes did not affect the yummy flavor of this dish.

Above and below: One of two beautiful pairs of chopsticks my girlfriend brought from Korea when she was in the military. I still haven't used the other pair (not pictured); I hope to preserve it in its unused state forever.

Yes, the wrapper is still on the top end of the sticks. I've used these sticks for years without taking it off. :)

I love this dish. I may not like frying the chicken, but I love the fact that I don't have to drive out for substandard Chinese food because this city is not known for good Chinese restaurants. Note: if you like the sauce, I suggest making a double amount, just in case. I halved this recipe, so I used the regular amount and divided it into two (one on top of the chicken before placing it in the oven; other half on the side).

Sweet & Sour Chicken
adapted from My Kitchen Café

Tip : I suggest making the sauce first. You could also make the sauce ahead of time, and prepare the chicken around 45 mins to 1 hour before dinnertime. Enjoy!

Chicken:
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil (or any other neutral oil)

Cut boneless chicken breasts into chunks. Season with salt and pepper. Dip chicken in cornstarch and then in egg. Fry in a little oil until brown but not cooked through. Place in a single layer in a baking dish. Mix sauce ingredients (below) together and pour over chicken.

Sweet & Sour Sauce:
¾ cup sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup
½ cup vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Bake for one hour at 325 degrees. Turn chicken every 15 minutes (I do this only once). If you like extra sauce, make another batch of sauce and bring it to a boil on the stovetop. Stir constantly and let cook over medium heat until thickened and reduced - about 6-8 minutes.

Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream

O-M-G! This ice cream is so good. In fact, I think it is currently my favorite ice cream flavor. No. I'm sure it's my favorite. I was craving ice cream and was deciding between vanilla or chocolate ice cream. I then went to my "Ice Cream Recipes" bookmark on my computer and saw "Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream" from Simply Recipes.

Fortunately, I had some Ibarra chocolate leftover from a big batch of Mole I'd made for my girlfriend when she came over to visit.

This recipe calls for 6 egg yolks, so I will have to eat this yummy stuff sparingly. I didn't have anymore heavy cream, so I used half-n-half instead. It still came out very creamy and perfect. I don't think I'll ever use heavy cream in my ice cream recipes again since it's slightly lower in fat and still yields great results.

If you don't have Ibarra or any other type of Mexican chocolate, you can substitute Mexican or regular cinnamon with your favorite chocolate. I couldn't taste the cayenne or the instant coffee, but I'm sure it added to the intensity of the flavor. Please try out this great recipe very soon.

Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream
adapted from Simply Recipes

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream (I used half-n-half)
• another 1 cup heavy whipping cream (I used half-n-half)
  
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 disk and 2 triangles of Ibarra (or 4 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate)
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• (2 teaspoons cinnamon (ONLY if NOT using Ibarra))
  
• Pinch salt
• Pinch cayenne
• Pinch espresso powder or instant coffee (I used the latter)
• 6 egg yolks, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp brandy (I did not use this, and the ice cream remained "scoopable")

Heat one cup of cream in a small saucepan (1 qt). Whisk in cocoa powder. Bring to a simmer. Whisk until cocoa powder is well incorporated. Remove pot from heat. Stir in chocolate until completely incorporate.

Put mixture into a metal bowl and add the remaining cup of cream. Set that bowl over a larger bowl half-filled with ice water to help cool it down. Place a mesh sieve over the bowl with the chocolate mixture.

Put one cup of milk, the sugar, cinnamon, salt, cayenne, espresso powder (or instant coffee) into a saucepan and heat until steamy (not boiling), stirring to incorporate the spices and dissolve the sugar. Place egg yolks in a medium sized bowl. Slowly pour the heated milk and mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly so that the egg yolks are tempered by the heated milk, but not cooked by it. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

Stir the milk egg mixture constantly over medium heat with a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spoon so that you can run your finger across the coating and have the coating not run. This can take anywhere from 3 to 10 minutes, depending on how hot your burner is.

As soon as the mixture coats the spoon, remove it from the heat and immediately pour it over the mesh sieve into the bowl of the chocolate cream mixture. Stir into the cream mixture.

Add a teaspoon of vanilla. Let the mixture cool a bit in the ice bath and then chill in the refrigerator until completely chilled, a couple hours or overnight. (Right before churning, add 2 Tbsp of brandy to the mix. This is an optional step, but it will help keep the ice cream from getting too icy if it is stored beyond a day.)

Churn the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Store ice cream in an airtight container in your freezer for several hours before eating. The ice cream will be quite soft coming out of the ice cream maker, but will continue harden in your freezer. If you store it for more than a day, you may need to let it sit for a few minutes to soften before attempting to scoop it.

Makes 1 quart.