It's Munchtime

Antojitos

Tlacoyos de Plátano Macho

Ingredients

Preparation

  1. Cut the plantains in three large pieces. Do not peel them. Boil them with enough water until soft.

  2. Peel and mash the plantains. Add enough corn flour to make a soft dough. The final amount of flour varies depending on the size of the bananas and how ripe they are.

  3. Make balls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Press each ball with your thumb and add a tablespoon of refried beans. Very slowly seal them so the beans don't spill out.

  4. Flatten the balls into quarter inch oval patties and cook them on a pan over medium-low heat until cooked on both sides. When they are almost cooked add a teaspoon of lard to the pan turn them on both sides.

  5. Serve with cream fraiche, añejo cheese and salsa campechana on top.

Empanadas

Ingredients

Preparation

  1. In a bowl mix the flour with the salt. Make a well in the center and add two eggs. Mix with your hands until well integrated.

  2. Add the vinegar to 1/4 cup of water and add this to the egg/flour mixture. Knead with your hands adding more water as needed. When you think it needs just a bit more water, add the oil instead of more water.

  3. Keep kneading until the oil gets integrated completely and the dough doesn't feel oily. Let the dough rest for at least one hour before using.

  4. Divide the dough in 16 parts. Form small circles with each ball of dough using a rolling pin.

  5. Place the filling in the center of each circle. Fold in half and seal with a bit of water.

  6. Beat one egg and brush over the empanadas just before baking them. With a toothpick make a few holes on each empanada so the vapor can escape.

  7. Bake at 350F for fourty minutes until golden brown.

  8. Allow them to rest a few minutes after taking them out of the oven.

  9. The filling could be almost anything: ground beef, chorizo, fish, veggies, etc. Yield: 16 empanadas.

Gorditas de Chorizo

Ingredients

Preparation

  1. Remove the husks from the tomatillos and wash them thoroughly. Remove the seeds from the peppers. Roast the tomatillos along with the unpeeled garlic cloves and the peppers until all of them are nicely browned.

  2. In a blender put the tomatillos, peppers, peeled garlic. Add salt to taste. Reserve.

  3. Mash the avocados and combine with the onion and lime juice. Add salt to taste. Reserve.

  4. Take the chorizo our of the casing and stir fry on a pan. Reserve.

  5. Little by little add water to the nixt' corn flour to form a soft dough.

  6. Take balls of dough about the size of a golf ball and using your hands form patties about 1 cm thick.

  7. Cook them on a non-stick pan for about 2 minutes on each side over medium low heat. Brush them with lard on both sides and cook for 30 more seconds on each side.

  8. On each patty put a layer of mashed avocado, a layer of chorizo and top them with the tomatillo sauce. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Molletes

Ingredients

Preparation

  1. Julienne the onions, potato skins and jalapeños.

  2. Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil on a heavy skillet over medium high heat.

  3. Add all the vegetables. Stir sparingly to allow for caramelization and browning.

  4. Add salt to taste.

  5. Keep cooking until all the ingredients have caramelized and they are golden brown.

  6. Slice each bun in half. Spread some refried beans on top of the bread. Top with the jalapeños and shredded cheese. Broil for a few minutes until the bread is crispy and the cheese has melted and browned.

Enfrijoladas Oaxaqueñas

Ingredients

Preparation

  1. Soak the beans in five cups of water overnight.

  2. Put the beans with the soaking water, half onion, one garlic clove and one teaspoon of salt in a large pot over high heat.

  3. When the beans start simmering remove all the scum with a spoon. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for one hour stirring occasionally.

  4. Add the avocado leaf and pasilla chile and simmer for one or two more hours stirring occasionally.

  5. Turn the heat off and let it cool down for a few minutes. Transfer everything into a blender (you might have to work in batches) or use an immersion blender to blend everything down to make a sauce.

  6. Add the lard in a heavy bottom pan over medium heat. Once the lard is hot pour the sauce and stir constantly to prevent it from burning. Keep simmering until the sauce thickens.

  7. In a separate pan over medium heat add two tablespoons of lard. One by one fry the tortillas in the hot lard, first on one side then the other. Just for thirty seconds or so. Let the excess lard drip before transferring to a plate.

  8. Submerge each of the tortillas in the bean sauce and put them on a plate folding them in half.

  9. Add more bean sauce on top if desired. Garnish with crumbled cheese and sliced onion.

Enchiladas Verdes

Ingredients

Preparation

  1. Put the tomatillos, garlic and pepper in a pot over high heat, cover with water and bring up to a simmer. Continue simmering for three to five minutes.

  2. Transfer the tomatillos, garlic and pepper to a blender. Add the cilantro and blend. If the sauce is too thick add a splash of the simmering water.

  3. One by one, fry the tortillas in hot oil for 30 seconds on each side. Make sure they don't brown or become crispy.

  4. Fill tortillas with chicken and roll them up. Put them in a baking dish and cover them with the sauce.

  5. Add grated cheese on top and put them in the broiler for a few minutes until the cheese has melted and browned.

Tortas de Sardina

Ingredients

Preparation

  1. Slice sardines in half and remove the bones.

  2. Place the sardines with the tomato sauce in a bowl and add the onion and cilantro. Mix well.

  3. Cut the buns in half and spread mayonnaise and mustard.

  4. Fill the buns with sardines and slices of avocado.

  5. Add salt to taste and a dash of olive oil.

  6. Put some olive oil in a pan and heat the sandwiches until golden brown on both sides.

Tortillas de Maíz

Ingredients

Preparation

  1. Put the corn flour in a bowl and add 250ml of water. Mix well until all the water is absorbed. After doing this you will end up with a dry dough.

  2. Little by little add the remaining water until you get a dough with the consistency similar to playdoh. You might not need all of it or you might even need a bit more.

  3. Make a ball about the size of a golf ball (may be smaller or larger depending on the size of the tortillas that you want).

  4. Put a sheet of plastic (cut out plastic bags from the supermarket's produce section work great for this) on your tortilla press, then a ball of dough and a second sheet of plastic on top. Close the tortilla press and press hard until you get a tortilla of about 1mm thick.

  5. Peel the top plastic sheet off and then put the tortilla on your hand. Peel the second plastic sheet off.

  6. Gently place the tortilla on a preheated comal or a non-stick pan. Cook for 15 to 20 seconds then turn.

  7. Cook for one and a half more minutes or until the tortilla starts to brown, then turn it again. The tortilla should puff.

  8. Keep cooking while it puffs until it browns a bit on that side.

  9. Remove from the pan and put in a basket or between two kitchen towels. This will keep the tortillas warm while letting them breathe at the same time. Tortilla containers that are fully sealed are not good since they don't let any moisture out.

Cemitas Poblanas

Ingredients

Preparation

  1. Dissolve the yeast and the sugar in lukewarm water and let it rest for about 10 minutes.

  2. Add the salt to the flour and with your hands mix in the lard until well incorporated. Slowly add the water to the flour and mix. Knead the dough for about 15 minutes until it becomes soft.

  3. Cover the inside of a bowl with a few drops of olive oil and put the dough in. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rest overnight.

  4. Punch the dough down and knead it for a few minutes. Cut the dough into four pieces and form them into balls. Let them rest for about half hour.

  5. Brush the tops with water and sprinkle the sesame seeds. Add a few drops of olive oil on a baking tray and evenly place the cemitas. Preheat the oven to 450F and bake until golden brown. Let them cool down before filling.

  6. Use a meat hammer to pound the pork chops as thinly as possible. It helps if you slice the chops first. I was able to get three or four slices from a single chop.

  7. Set out 3 shallow bowls. Add the flour to the first one. On the second one add the milk, eggs and salt and whisk them together. Put the breadcrumbs on the third bowl.

  8. Heat olive oil on a large skillet over medium heat.

  9. Dredge the cutlets first in the flour, then dip them in the egg mixture, and then into the bread crumbs. Sauté them for three or four minutes on each side. Once done, use a couple of napkins to remove the excess oil.

  10. Unroll the Oaxaca cheese and separate it into thin threads.

  11. Slice the cemitas in half. Add lots of avocado slices to the bottom half. Put the pork chop on top and then the cheese… as much as you can fit in there. Add more avocado slices on top of the cheese. Add salt, a few papalo leaves, chipotle and olive oil.

  12. Pápalo is indispensable for cemitas. I'm not able to find it at my local grocery store or farmer's market so I had to grow my own. You can buy the seeds from Johnny's Seeds.

Hummus

Ingredients

Preparation

  1. Soak the chickpeas overnight.

  2. Drain the chickpeas and rinse them with water.

  3. Put the chickpeas in a pan over medium heat. Add the baking soda and one tablespoon of water. Stir frequently until the water has evaporated. Rinse the chickpeas thoroughly to remove all the baking soda.

  4. Put the chickpeas in a pot over high heat and cover with water. Add the salt. Once the water starts to boil remove all the scum. Lower the heat and simmer for 45 minutes to one hour or until the chickpeas are extremely soft.

  5. Drain the chickpeas and let them cool down but don't let them get too dry. Put the cooked chickpeas, tahini, garlic, lime juice and salt in a bowl and blend with an immersion blender. Add water as necessary to get the desired consistency. Add more salt if needed.

Israeli Hummus

Ingredients

Preparation

  1. Combine beans, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 2 tablespoons salt in a large bowl and cover with 6 cups cold water. Stir to dissolve salt and baking soda. Let stand at room temperature overnight. Drain and rinse beans thoroughly.

  2. Place beans in a large Dutch oven or saucepan. Add remaining baking soda, 1 tablespoon salt, onion, celery, carrot, garlic, and bay leaves. Add 6 cups water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer, cover with lid slightly cracked, and cook until beans are completely tender, to the point of falling apart, about 2 hours. Check on beans occasionally and top up with more water if necessary, they should be completely submerged at all times.

  3. Discard onion, celery, and bay leaves. Transfer chickpeas, carrot, and garlic to a food processor or high-powered blender (such as a Vitamix, BlendTec or Breville Boss)(see note above) with enough cooking liquid to barely cover them. Cover blender, taking out the central insert on the blender lid. Place a folded kitchen towel over the hole in the center of the lid to allow steam to escape. Holding the towel down firmly, turn the blender to the lowest possible speed and slowly increase speed to high. If the mixture becomes too thick to blend, add cooking liquid until it has the texture of a very thick milkshake, always starting the blender on low speed before increasing to high. If your blender comes with a push-stick for thick purees, use it. Continue blending until completely smooth, about 2 minutes.

  4. Transfer hot chickpea mixture to a large bowl. Whisk in tahini sauce. Whisk in salt to taste. Transfer to a sealed container and allow to cool to room temperature. It should thicken up until it can hold its shape when spooned onto a plate.

  5. Serve hummus on a wide, shallow plate, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with za'atar, paprika, whole warm chickpeas, and/or chopped parsley. Leftover hummus can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Allow to come to room temperature before serving.