Mexican recipes
Mexican food. What can you say about mexican food? It's tasty, it's spicy,
it's delicious, it can burn a hole in your stomach and anywhere else. Actually there seems
to be so much to say about mexican food that I'll let some other people say it and just
share some of my favorite recipes.
Taco Sauce
Use as a sauce, topping, dip or as an ingredient.
Ingredients
1 tbsp oil
1 onion, diced
1 green pepper,diced
1-2 red or green chilli pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 clove garlic, crushed
Pinch salt, pepper and sugar
400g/14oz tinned and crushed tomatoes
Tomato puree or ketchup (optional)
Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan and, when hot, add the onion and pepper. Cook slowly to
soften lightly. Chop the chilli and add with the cumin, coriander, and garlic. Cook a
further 2-3 minutes. Add sugar, seasonings and crushed tomatoes. Cook for 5-6 minutes over
moderate heat to reduce and thicken slightly. Add tomato paste for colour if necessary.
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Tacos
Ingredients
packaged taco shells, about 12 of them
Beef filling
1 tbsp oil
450g/1lb minced beef
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tsps ground cumin
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tsps chilli powder
Pinch paprika
Salt and pepper
Chicken filling
45g/3 tbsps butter or margarine
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small red pepper, seeded and diced
2 tbsps flaked almonds
340g/12oz chicken, skinned and chopped
Salt and pepper
1 piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
90ml/6 tbsps milk
2 tsps cornflour
140ml/quarter pint sour cream
Toppings
shredded lettuce
Grated cheese
Tomatoes, sliced and diced
Chopped onion
Avocado
Sour cream
Jalapeno chilli peppers
Taco Sauce
Heat oil for the beef filling in a large frying pan and brown the beef and the onions,
breaking the meat up as it cooks. Add spices, garlic and seasonings and cook about 20
minutes. Set aside.
Melt 2 tbsps butter or margarine in a medium sauce pan and add the onion. Cook slowly
until softened. Add the red pepper and almonds and cook slowly until the almonds are
lightly browned. Stir often. Remove to a plate and set aside. Melt the remaining butter
in the same saucepan and cook the chicken for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Season and
return the onion mixture to the pan along with the ginger. Blend together the cornflour
and the milk and stir into the mixture. Bring to boil and stir until very thick. Add the
sour cream and stir. Do not boil.
Heat the taco shells in an oven 180 C/350 F.
Fill the shells with sauce and toppings according to your taste.
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Prawns Veracruz
Ingredients
1 tbsp oil
1 onion, chopped
1 large green pepper, sliced and diced
2-3 green chillies, chopped
Double quantity of Taco Sauce recipe
2 tomatoes, chopped
12 olives, sliced
2 tsps capers
1/4-1/2 tsp groun cumin
Salt
450g/1 lb prawns, cooked and shelled
Juice of 1 lemon
Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the onion and green pepper. Cook until soft but
not coloured. Add chillies, taco sauce, tomatoes, olives capers, cumin and salt. Bring to
the boil and then simmer for 5 minutes. Add the prawns and heat up. Add lemon juice
to taste. Serve with cooked rice.
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Chili Con Carne
Ingredients
1 tbsp oil
450g/1 lb minced beef
2 tsps groud cumin
2 tsps chilli powder
Pinch oregano
Salt, pepper and pinch sugar
1-4 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 tbsps flour
450g/1 lb tinned and crushed tomatoes
450g/1 lb tinned red kidney beans (or white beans will do just fine)
Heat the oil in a large saucepan and brown the meat, breaking it up as it cooks.
Add the cumin, chilli powder, oregano, seasonings, sugar, garlig and flour. Cook stirring
all the time for about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their liquid and let simmer for
about half an hour. Mix in the beans and heat through for about 5 minutes.
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Mexican Chicken and Pepper Salad
Ingredients
450g/1 lb cooked chicken, diced
140ml/quarter pint mayonnaise
140ml/quarter pint natural yogurt
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp paprika powder
Pinch cayanne pepper
1/2-1 tsp tomato puree or 1 tbsp ketchup
1/2-1 onion, very finely chopped
1 green and 1 red pepper, seeded and sliced and diced
200g/6oz frozen sweet corn, defrosted
Mix the mayonnaise, yogurt, spices, tomato puree and onion together and leave to stand briefly.
Add the sweet corn, diced peppers and diced chicken. Mix gently until all the ingredients are
coated with dressing. Serve with cooked rice.
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Empanadas
Meat filled turnovers.
Ingredients
Pastry
360g/12oz wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
12 tbsps butter or margarine
30-60ml/2-4 tbsps cold water
You can also use packaged short crust pastry.
Filling
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 small green pepper, chopped
225g/8oz minced beef
1 tsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp oregano
Salt and pepper
1-4 chillies, chopped
2 tbsps tomato puree
1/2dl /3 tbsps water
2 tbsps flaked or chopped almonds
2 tbsps raisins
Mix the flour and salt. Rub in the butter until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the
water gradually, adding enough to form the pastry into a ball. Chill in the fidge for about
half an hour.
Cook the onion, garlic and green pepper in the oil until soft but not coloured. Add the meat
and fry quicly until well browned. Add the spices and seasonings, stir well and cook briefly
before adding chillies, tomato puree and water. Simmer 10-15 minutes. Add almonds and raisins
and allow to cool.
Roll out the pastry on a floured surface. Cut out squares or rounds 10-15cm/4-6in. across.
Place cooled filling on one side of the rounds of pastry and dampen the edges with water. Fold
over and press to seal the edges. Place on a baking sheet and brush with beaten egg. Prick a
couple of times with a fork and bake at 220 C/425 F for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
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Albondigas
Meatballs with taco sauce
Ingredients
450g/1 lb minced meat
1-3 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 tbsps dry bread crumbs
1 chilli pepper, chopped
1/2 tsp ground cumin
Salt and Pepper
1 egg, beaten
Oil for frying
Full quantity Taco Sauce recipe
2 spring onions, chopped
Mix together the meat, garlic, breadcrumbs, chilli pepper, cumin and seasonings until well
blended. Add the egg. Mix well.
Shape the mixture with floured hands into balls. Fry the meatballs in hot oil in a frying pan
for 5-10 minutes until brown on all sides. Turn frequently while cooking.
Drain the meatballs on paper towels. Place in an ovenproof dish and pour over the taco sauce.
Heat in an oven 170 C/350 F for about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with spring onions to serve.
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Leg of Lamb with Chilli Sauce
Ingredients
2 1/4lb leg of lamb
Marinade
1 tsp cocoa powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground oregano
140ml / 1/4 pint water
140ml / 1/4 pint orange juice
140ml / 1/4 pint red wine
1 clove of garlic, crushed
2 tbsps brown sugar
1 tbsp cornflour
Pinch salt
Orange slices and coriander to garnish water
If the lamb has a lot of surface fat, trim slightly with a sharp knife. If possible, remove
the paper-thin skin on the outside of the lamb.
Place lamb in a shallow dish. Mix together the marinade ingredients, except cornflour and
garnishes, and pour over the lamb, turning it well to coat completely. Cover and refrigerate
for 12-24 hours, turning occasionally.
Drain the lamb, reserving the marinade, and place in a roasting tin. Cook in a preheated
180'C/350'F oven for about 2 hours, until meat is cooked according to taste. Baste
occasionally with the marinade and pan juices.
Remove lamb to a serving dish and keep warm. Skim the fat from the top of the roasting tin
with a large spoon and discard. Pour remaining marinade into the pan juices in the roasting
tin and bring to the boil, stirring to loosen the sediment. Mix cornflour with a small
amount of water and add some of the liquid from the roasting tin. Gradually stir cornflour
mixture into the pan and bring back to the boil. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and clear.
Add more orange juice, wine or water as necessary.
Garnish the lamb with orange slices and sprigs of coriander. Pour over some of the sauce
and serve the rest separately.
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