Mole

Mole

This is “somewhat” traditional Mole. I say “somewhat” because even though it is made using a Mexican product, the real deal is done much differently (dry the chiles, ground them with other spices and chocolate, etc). But it is safe to say that growing up in a very Mexican household my mom only used “mole Doña Maria” when making mole, so it is traditional (at least to me!). Now, the flavor is NOT spicy at all (some moles are). This is sweet and yummy. You can serve it with rice (red) or make it into burritos. I am sharing my mom’s secret ingredient: peanut butter!

You can find mole in the Mexican/ethnic/international aisle in most grocery stores.

1 small jar of “mole Doña Maria” (the red kind, sarves 4)
1 whole chicken, cooked, shredded. Strain and reserve the stock.
Peanut butter (creamy, not crunchy)
Flour tortillas (see my recipe below), or red rice as a side.

-Mix the contents of the jar of mole with twice as much peanut butter (I usually just eyeball it) and 4 times as much chicken stock (mixing is much easier if the stock is still warm)
-Combine to make asauce, making sure all the mole is very well dissolved.
-In a pan combine the mole/PB sauce with the shredded chicken and bring sauce to a boil.
-Add more stock if necessary (you want it to be “saucy”)
-Taste and add more PB if needed. It should not taste bitter.

(sorry the amounts are so vague, I usually just eyeball it, but it is very easy to make and very hard to mess it up)
(also, give it a try! dont discard it just because you think chicken and PB dont go together... they DO! in MOLE)

Churros

Churros
These are not like Mexican “street” churros, and are more like soft “doughnut sticks”, but they are yummy and fast and easy to make for a quick sugar/flour craving!
Churros in Mexico are sometimes filled with cajeta (caramel) or strawberry jelly, but these are perfect with just the sugar/cinnamon sprinkle. Best if enjoyed warm.

1 c. water
2 tbs. Brown sugar (regular sugar works)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 c. butter
1 c. flour
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Separately mix:
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon (or more!)

-Heat oil for frying (on a steady 7)
-mix eggs and vanilla. Set aside.
-Heat water, brown sugar, salt and butter until it boils.
-Remove from heat and add flour. Stir well.
-Add egg/vanilla mixture to dough. Stir well. (this is a workout!)
-Place the “batter” in a piping bag with a star tip. I just used a ziplock bag and cut off the corner. (its got to be a sturdy bag, or it will “explode” when you try to squeeze it)
-Pipe the batter into the hot oil in 4” pieces, and fry until golden brown.
-Sprinkle the HOT churros with the Sugar/cinnamon powder GENEROUSLY!
-enjoy with a cup of hot chocolate.

Tortillas de Harina / Flour tortillas

Tortillas de Harina
Flour Tortillas (wheat)
(this are NOT to be confused with CORN tortillas. Corn tortillas are made with MASECA, this are made with plain wheat flour, or you can use whole wheat also. Flour tortillas are rolled with a rolling pin, NOT pressed with a tortilla press)

These tortillas are great for quesadillas or burritos (I guess you could even do “wraps” with them, as long as you use them warm, otherwise they’re not very flexible). They are moist and buttery, and even if they don’t come out perfectly round (mine never do!), you can wow your friends and family! They are not as good as my mom’s, but they’re pretty close.
UPDATE!(july 2012). I wrote this post 5 years ago. We had recently moved to Switzerland (still here), and I was trying to a)do something with my time (now I have an almost 4 year old to keep me busy), b)bring some familiarity back to my life, it was overwhelming to be in a new country living a new life.
I pinned this (and a couple other posts) on pinterest, just trying it out, and I am super surprised to see how many visits it brought. I will read the comments and try to update the recipe to answer questions. Thanks!

revisions/comments in red


(makes about 35 tortillas about 6 inches in diameter)

1 kilogram of Flour (all purpose OR whole wheat) + 1 cup for rolling surface (=2.2 lbs, OR 8 cups)
1 1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used oil because it was easy to find in a Swiss supermarket. I had just arrived to Switzerland and I did not know the language or the products. Please feel free to use vegetable lard. Lard is actually the "traditional" ingredient) (Also, I've had good results using less oil/lard, so feel free to experiment)
1 tbsp. Baking powder
2 tbsp. Salt (or less)
1 1/2 cup warm water (as hot as you can handle to mix with your hands)

• Mix your dry ingredients
• Make a “hole” in the middle of your “mountain” of flour.
• Add oil (or melted vegetable lard) and water and start mixing .
• When the dough is firm enough to handle, knead it a bit on a flat surface.
• “break” pieces off the dough (about the size of a golf ball) by squeezing it with your thumb and index finger (like you’re choking it :))
• Make several round balls (called “testales”), and place them on a floured surface (cookie sheet works great).
• Let the testales rest for about 30 mins. covered with a damp towel. (comments say 1 hour works best, I will try that, although it's just too long for me to wait :)
• Place a testal on a floured surface. Flour your rolling pin and roll. Whatever technique you use for rolling… just spread them enough so they are bout 6 inches in diameter. (do not try a tortilla press for flour tortillas :)  It just doesn't work)
• Cook your tortillas on a “comal”, flat griddle or skillet at medium heat (mine was on 6 on an electric stove). You don’t need to oil the skillet (there’s enough oil in there). 
• Just like with pancakes, the 1st one is never good, but the rest are delicious.
• You can pile up the uncooked tortillas, they won’t stick. (but not more than 5, and keep them far from the hot stove, otherwise they DO stick together)
• My process is usually: flatten, place in comal, flatten another one, turn the one in the comal, flatten another one, remove the one from the comal and repeat!
• It takes about 1 minute to cook on the 1st side (you will see some bubbles appear on the surface, this is normal), then you turn and press with it down with a flat turner to make a bubble again it takes about 30 seconds on the second side. Do not overcook or they will turn hard like cookies. delicious cookies, but not good for burritos. 

Eat them warm with butter, avocado, queso, or refired beans, but to freeze or refrigerate, make sure you cool them spread out on a flat surface before bagging them.

(on the photos I had henna in my hands… they’re not dirty! Hehe)

thanks to all those who have taken the time to comment and give tips and feedback! I don't know why I cannot reply on each of your comments individually... but I read them and I appreciate them!

Tacos al pastor

Updated October 30, 2008:

This recipe has attracted a lot of readers to this blog. I was surprised to see the numbers!! Thanks to all who read it, and please feel free to post a comment.

Since i posted this recipe, i started making big batches of the sauce and freezing it for weeks with no problems.

Tacos al pastor (also known as Tacos de Trompo)
These tacos are traditionally cooked in a kebab-like vertical rotisserie with a pineapple on top. You can also make quesadillas (with soft flour tortillas) and add some of the meat and make what is known as a “Gringa”.
Enough for 15-20 tacos (enough for 3 or 4 people)

let me know if you try this! its super easy and SUPER good!

Sauce:
5 Pasilla chiles
5 Guajillo chiles
4-6 cloves of garlic
1 cup white vinegar
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt

15-20 soft corn tortillas
1 kg pork meat (boneless, cut into 1/2 in. pcs)

Garnish + serve
Pineapple (fresh or canned)
Finely chopped onion
Coarsely shopped cilantro
Limes

1- Gather ingredients (notice the chiles are dried, and can be found in any Mexican grocery shop)
2- Clean the chiles: remove stem, cut open and remove seeds and veins.
3- Boil chiles + vinegar + a bit of water (about 1/2 c) until soft (about 15 mins). WARNING: eyes will water, and you’ll get the sniffles with the chile/vinegar fumes, so work in a well ventilated kitchen.
4- Blend chiles (with liquid), garlic, cumin and salt
5- Strain chile blend and cook again for about 5 minutes (it will bubble and jump and if you get it on your skin, it burns!)
6- Let the mix cool and marinate pork meat for at least 4 hours (6-8 is best). Use a plastic bag or a glass container, the chile will stain plastic!
7- Add a bit of oil to the skillet and cook the meat (marinade and all). The juices will reduce, and the flavor will concentrate. Do not cover, but I do recommend you use one of those mesh covers for oil splatters, because this stuff jumps!
8- Remove the meat from the skillet and keep warm. In the same skillet, sautee the pineapple until it caramelizes a bit.
9- Warm tortillas in a skillet (or comal). Serve tacos with onion, pineapple and cilantro on top. (photo is sasn-cilantro because I don’t like it). Add salsa* (optional) and lime juice right before eating.

*”Salsa Taquera” is good to use, also available at Mexican food stores. (please don’t use any of that chunky el paso salsa for this!!)