Tag: Mexican

Frijoles

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Is it a dip? (yes). Is it a delicious beany topping to a jacket potato? (yes). Is it brilliant on a Mexican rice bowl? (yes). Is it actually the nicest way to eat black beans? (yes!)

  • 40g butter (I know it sounds like a lot, but it’s worth it)
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 1 red chilli, chopped
  • A handful of coriander stalks, chopped
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 400g tin black beans (decent quality is important here)
  1. Heat the butter in a medium saucepan over a low heat
  2. Tip in the onion, garlic, chilli, coriander and salt and cook for 8-10 mins until soft but not browned
  3. Pour in the beans and the liquid from the tin
  4. Stir together and heat gently, then use a hand blender to whizz it into a rough puree
  5. Serve at room temperature with a scatter of fresh coriander leaves

Arroz verde

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

aka Mexican green rice. A more interesting, flavourful and vivid green accompaniment to a grilled steak with chipotle butter, a Mexican sweet potato bowl or burritos made with chicken pibil. Feeds 4

  • 250g long grain rice
  • 120g spinach
  • A small bunch of coriander
  • 2 fat garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 500ml chicken stock 
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Pinch of salt
  1. Soak the rice in cold water for 10 mins
  2. With a hand blender or mini food processor, whizz up the spinach, coriander, onion and garlic with 100ml of stock to loosen it into a vivid green puree
  3. Heat a large, deep frying pan (with a lid) over medium heat and add the oil
  4. Add the greens and fry, stirring constantly, for a minute or two
  5. Drain the rice and add to the pan, stirring well
  6. Now add the other 400ml of stock, season (depending on how salty your stock is) and bring to the boil
  7. Stick the lid on, turn the heat down and simmer for 10 mins
  8. Turn off the heat and leave the pan covered for a further 5 mins
  9. Then open it up, smell the delicious green waft that comes from the pan, and fluff it up with a fork before serving

Chicken pibil

~ Sophie ~ 1 Comment

Richly spiced and delicous. Serve with soft wheat tortillas, this salsa (or one of these 3 salsas!), pickled jalapenos and guacamole. Or just pop it on top of some rice. Or use to make enchiladas. Yum! Feeds 2 generously.

  • 4 chicken thigh fillets
  • 1 tsp salted butter
  • 2 tsp veg oil
  • 1 onion, finely sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ tsp ground allspice
  • Generous pinch ground cloves
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 heaped tsp paprika
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tbsp tomato puree
  • 1 tsp chipotle paste
  • Juice of 1 orange
  • Juice of ½ lime
  • 2 tsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Salt and pepper
  1. Heat the oil and butter in a heavy-bottomed lidded pan over a high heat
  2. Put chicken thighs in the pan and brown on both sides, then remove from the pan
  3. Turn the heat down to low and add the onions and garlic
  4. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5-8 mins until soft
  5. Add the spices, tomato puree and chipotle paste and stir in for a minute
  6. Add the orange juice, lime juice, vinegar and 150ml water
  7. Bring to the boil, add the chicken and any juices back to the pan
  8. Tuck in the bay leaf and season with salt and plenty of black pepper
  9. Stick the lid on and turn to the lowest possible simmer for an hour, stirring once or twice
  10. Take off the heat and, using 2 forks, shred the chicken
  11. Serve warm with as many sides as you can fit on the table

Fresh tomato salsa

~ Sophie ~ 2 Comments

Zingy, pingy mouth-feelings! Tortilla chip-dunking, burrito-topping, grilled steak-accompanying deliciousness.

It’s really lovely to use a combination of tomatoes if you can. Some big juicy ones, cut up small; some tiny sweet cherry tomatoes, simply quartered; and perhaps even a flavourful, knobbly green or yellow one, cut up to match.

  • 400g tomatoes, diced
  • ½ small red onion, finely chopped (I like to leave the cut up onion to soak in cold water for an hour – or more – and then drained to remove the raw sting of them)
  • Large handful fresh coriander, chopped
  • Juice of ½ lime
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp garlic oil
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt
  1. Just mix and serve. Zero complication, maximum yum.

Pepitas

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Seedy, munchy and spicy. And they’ve got the cutest name of any snack!

  • 150g pumpkin seeds
  • 1 tsp garlic oil
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 tsp chilli flakes
  • 1 tsp caster sugar
  • Wedge of lime
  1. Heat a small heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat
  2. Dry fry the pumpkin seeds, stirring as they swell and get a lovely toasty flavour
  3. Add the garlic oil and salt
  4. Stir and cook for a couple more mins
  5. Add the chilli flakes and stir in
  6. Then sprinkle the sugar over and stir constantly until it starts to melt
  7. Tip out onto a plate to cool slightly
  8. Serve straight away with the lime wedge to squeeze over

Quinoa, avocado and black bean salad

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A tumble of vivid flavours and textures, gorgeous alongside grilled steak marinated with chilli, cumin, garlic, paprika and lime. Feeds 4.

  • 200g cooked quinoa (80g dry weight)
  • 4 spring onions, finely chopped
  • 1 red pepper, finely chopped
  • 1 large avocado, peeled and diced
  • 1 large green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
  • 1 tin black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 small tin sweetcorn, drained
  • Bunch fresh coriander, chopped
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 3 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • Salt
  • ¼ tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ clove garlic, grated or minced
  • Toasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds
  1. In a large bowl, mix together the quinoa, spring onion, peppers, avocado, chilli, black beans, sweetcorn and coriander
  2. Whisk up the lime juice, oil, paprika, garlic and a decent pinch of salt in a small bowl or jug. Tip over the salad and mix well
  3. Serve at room temperature, sprinkled with toasted seeds

3 salsas

~ Sophie ~ 3 Comments

Some salsa ideas, all zingy enough to make your mouth throw a party. Bonus lovely colours and textures. Plus endlessly adaptable with more or less of anything you like.

GRILLED TOMATO AND CHILLI SALSA

  • 4 large ripe tomatoes
  • 2 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
  • 1 large jalapeño chilli
  • Handful fresh coriander, chopped
  • 2 spring onions, finely chopped
  • Juice of ½ lime
  • Pinch salt
  • Large pinch sugar
  1. Pre-heat grill to its highest setting
  2. Halve the tomatoes and place, cut side up, onto a baking tray with the garlic and chilli
  3. Turning occasionally with tongs, grill them until they’re all blackened, blistered and soft. (They may cook at different rates, so remove each one as it’s done)
  4. Remove and discard the stem from the chilli and the skin from the garlic, and chop finely (or use a pestle and mortar to make a paste)
  5. Peel off the tomato skins and chop them roughly on a plate so you don’t lose any of the juice
  6. Slide the tomatoes into a bowl, and stir in the chilli and garlic, coriander, spring onion, lime juice, salt and sugar. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed

SWEETCORN SALSA

  • 2 cobs sweetcorn, stripped of husks and silk threads
  • Veg oil
  • ½ red pepper, finely chopped
  • ½ small red onion, finely chopped and soaked for 10 mins in cold water then drained
  • 2 large firm tomatoes, skinned, de-seeded and chopped
  • Handful fresh coriander, chopped
  • Juice of ½ lime
  • Pinch of salt
  1. Pre-heat the grill to its highest setting and rub the corn cobs with a bit of oil
  2. Place under the grill and toast them for roughly 8 mins, turning occasionally so that they cook evenly
  3. When they’re cool enough to handle, stand up on a chopping board on the stem end and slice down the cob with a sharp knife, scraping off the kernels
  4. Mix the corn with all the other ingredients. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed

MANGO SALSA

  • 2 ripe mangos, diced
  • 1 red chilli, finely chopped
  • ½ small red onion, finely chopped and soaked for 10 mins in cold water then drained
  • Small bunch fresh coriander, finely chopped
  • Zest and juice of 1 lime
  • Pinch of salt
  1. Mix all ingredients. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed

Black bean and avocado quesadilla

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Spicy, cheesy and beany. Crunchy and toasty on the outside, oozy and soft on the inside. Also very quick and very simple to make – the perfect midweek lunch. Make as many as you like, this recipe makes 1.

  • 2 large plain wheat tortillas
  • 3 tbsp tinned black beans
  • Cheddar cheese
  • 1 tsp chipotle ketchup – try the one from Pitt Cue’s book, it’s a game-changer
  • ½ avocado, sliced – squeeze over a tiny bit of lime after you cut it up
  1. Cut around 8 thin slices of cheese, enough to distribute across the wrap, spaced out evenly with some gaps in between
  2. Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat. Don’t add any oil
  3. Spread a substantial tsp of chipotle ketchup onto one wrap, add the cheese and avocado slices and evenly scatter over the black beans
  4. Lift the wrap into the pan and top with the other one, pressing down lightly
  5. Leave to toast underneath until it turns golden round the edges – it only takes a couple of mins – then use a fish slice to flip it onto the untoasted side
  6. Give it another couple of mins and it should be done. The outside crunchy and brown, the cheese all melty and gooey, sticking the 2 sides and all the fillings together
  7. Leave it to sit for a minute before cutting it into quarters and scoffing it all up

Stick some pickles and slaw on the side to make a meal of it

Carnitas in the slow cooker

~ Sophie ~ Leave a comment

Juicy, intensely flavourful pork, just begging to be wrapped in a torilla and put into your mouth. Incredibly easy to make, amazing for a party. This will fill your house with mouthwatering smells all day – then it’s just a quick 15 mins to pull it all together when you’re actually ready to eat. Feeds 6 generously

  • 1.4kg boneless pork shoulder, cut into large cubes
  • 180 ml orange juice
  • Juice from ½ lime
  • 7 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 small onion, grated
  • ½ tbsp salt
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • 1 tbsp paprika
  • ½ tbsp dried oregano
  • Small bunch coriander, chopped (incl the stems!)
  • 60ml chicken stock
  • Ground black pepper
  • Veg oil
  1. Place all the ingredients except the oil in the slow cooker and stir to combine
  2. Set slow cooker to high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours
  3. Once the pork is done, it should be tender enough that you can shred it with a spoon.if its not quite there, give it a little longer
  4. Heat a large, ideally non-stick, frying pan with 2 tbsp oil over a high heat
  5. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat from the slow cooker to the pan and fry it until the edges go brown and crispy, breaking it up as you fry it. For best results, cook it in batches so you don’t crowd the pan

Serve with flour tortillas and any combination you desire of salsa, chopped tomato, jalapenos, diced avocado, finely chopped onion, sour cream, slaw, fresh coriander, black beans and lime wedges to squeeze over.

(If you don’t want to waste the cooking juices, deglaze the frying pan with stock or a slosh of Corona and combine with the pork cooking juices for an excellent tortilla soup base)

Mexican sweet potato bowl

~ Sophie ~ 2 Comments

Less a recipe, more a construction job. An ideal mid-week meal and an excellent way to use up leftovers, which I’m mildly obsessed with. Feeds 2 people. Tasty, satisfying, adaptable.

  • 1 large sweet potato
  • 2 tbsp veg oil
  • Paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, pinch of cinnamon
  • 1 packet pre-cooked basmati or long grain rice
  • 1 tin black beans
  • Chipotle chilli sauce (or regular chilli sauce with ½ tsp smoked paprika)
  • 1 avocado
  • Lime juice
  • Toppings – including pickled jalapenos, fresh coriander, sour cream, diced tomatoes
  1. Peel and dice the sweet potato. Mix the spices with the veg oil and then tumble in the sweet potato. Roast on a tray at 180C fan (200C) for 30-40 mins
  2. Drain the tinned black beans. Warm in a pan with the chipotle chilli sauce and a bit of the liquid from the tin
  3. Cook the rice according to the directions on the packet
  4. Dice the avocado and sprinkle with lime juice and a pinch of salt
  5. Construct the bowl with rice, then black beans, then sweet potatoes. Top with the avocado and any other toppings which appeal

By all means pre-cook the sweet potato to save time at dinnertime, use up leftover chicken, add grated cheese, substitute in brown rice, add fresh chilli. Munch on tortilla chips while you cook. So many options!