Oyster CocktailCoctel de Ostiones
Seafood cocktail is popular in the coastal areas of Mexico. This recipe was inspired by a dish served at La Serenata de Garibaldi in Los Angeles. Thomas Schnetz, chef at Doña Tomás in Oakland, Calif., serves it as an appetizer. You can substitute 1 pound shrimp or other seafood for the oysters, and the broth complements any type of seafood. Serve in glass bowls or martini glasses. From “Doña Tomás: Authentic Recipes and Traditions,” serves 6.
Ingredients
1 scant quart vegetable broth, chilled
1/2 cup seeded and diced cucumber
1/3 cup chopped green onion
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon chopped serrano chile
1/2 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
About 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
18 medium fresh oysters, shucked with juices reserved
Chopped cilantro for garnish
Directions
Place vegetable broth in a bowl and add cucumber, green onion, tomatoes, chile, ketchup and lime juice. Taste and add salt if necessary. Cover and refrigerate until well-chilled. This broth can be held in the refrigerator about 3 days.
Place oysters and their juices in a small sauté pan and cook over high heat 2-3 minutes, until slightly firm but not rubbery. (The oysters also could be baked at 350 degrees 3-5 minutes.)
Place 3 oysters and some of their liquid in each glass bowl and cover with a ladle of cocktail broth. Garnish with cilantro and serve.
Wine ideas: For a match to oysters, follow the coast – the Pacific Coast, in this case. If you follow it south, you’ll come to San Antonio, Chile, which is putting out some of South America’s best sauvignon blanc. From vines grown near the sea come crisp examples such as Casa Marin and Matetic. They’re more expensive than many other Chilean wines ($14 to $40) but you’ll gain complexity and quality. -Tara Q. Thomas
Shrimp Cocktail with Avocado and Chipotles
Coctel de Camarones con Chipotle y Aguacate
Mexican cooking teacher Daniel Hoyer tried to duplicate his first taste of shrimp cocktail but couldn’t get it right. “I finally listened to my Mexican friends and tried ketchup in the recipe. That was it!” A friend from Veracruz helped him develop this recipe, which uses chipotle instead of the classic jalapeño. From “Culinary Mexico,” makes 8-10 servings.
Ingredients
Shrimp:
2 teaspoons whole allspice
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
3-4 bay leaves
3 quarts water
1 tablespoon salt
Juice of 1 lime
1 1/2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
Cocktail:
1 cup peeled, seeded and diced cucumber
1/2 cup diced red onion, rinsed (see note below)
2-3 tablespoons finely chopped chipotle chiles en adobo, plus 1 tablespoon juice from chiles
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
3 ripe avocados, diced
Salt and lime juice to taste
Directions
Toast allspice, peppercorns, coriander and bay leaves . Place in a cheesecloth sachet or tea ball. Bring water to a boil, add salt and spices. Boil 8-10 minutes. On high heat, add lime juice and shrimp and return to a boil. Remove from heat and let sit 1 minute. Drain immediately, reserving and cooling 3/4 cup of the cooking liquid. Discard spices.
Spread shrimp out on a tray or lage pan and refrigerate until cool. Mix all cocktail ingredients (including reserved shrimp-cooking liquid), except avocado, salt and lime juice, and chill 30 minutes to 2 hours.
Mix in avocado. Season with salt and lime juice. Serve immediately.
Note: Decrease the strong flavor of raw, cut onions by placing them in a strainer and rinsing them while shaking strainer under hot water 20 to 30 seconds. Switch to cold water and rinse 30 seconds more until they are cooled completely.
Wine ideas: The same sauvignon blanc chosen for the Oyster Cocktail will fit in well with this dish, though, with the avocado and sauce, this could take a richer wine, like a chardonnay. Look for versions from the Casablanca Valley, one of Chile’s cooler growing regions, like Santa Rita, Caliterra or Errazuriz, which all run $15 or less.-Tara Q. Thomas
Northern-Style Shredded Beef
Machaca Norteña
This way of preparing beef is the basis of many dishes including burritos, empanadas and soups in Chihuahua and the rest of Mexico. From “Culinary Mexico,” makes 6-8 main course servings or 12 appetizers.
Ingredients
Roast: 1 chuck roast, 3 1/2-4 1/2 pounds
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon Mexican oregano, toasted in a dry pan over medium-high heat
1-2 tablespoons New Mexican, chipotle or ancho chile powder, lightly toasted, or 4-5 fresh jalapeño chiles, sliced in half lengthwise (optional)
2 carrots, peeled and thickly sliced
1 onion, sliced
6 cloves garlic, peeled
6 bay leaves, toasted
4-6 sprigs fresh thyme (optional)
2 cups water
Seasoning:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or lard
1/2 onion, sliced in thin strips
3-4 roma tomatoes, quartered, seeded and sliced in 1/4-inch strips
Pan drippings from the roast
Dash of mild vinegar or lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional additions:
Toasted cumin, toasted Mexican oregano, chopped chiles of your choice, cooked potatoes, chopped cilantro
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Season roast with salt and pepper, oregano and chile powder (if using).
In a preheated heavy skillet, pour in a little oil and sear meat well on all sides. Place meat in a roasting pan and distribute vegetables and herbs under and on top of roast. Add water to pan, cover tightly and place in oven. Roast 2 to 2 1/2 hours until very tender. Check the meat halfway through the process, turn it over and redistribute seasonings and vegetables. Reserve pan drippings. Cool roast and shred with fork or by hand.
Seasoning: In a preheated heavy skillet, add oil and sauté onion until it starts to brown. Add tomato strips and cook 1 minute while stirring gently. Add shredded meat and any optional additions, and fry until hot. Add pan drippings and vinegar or lime juice to moisten meat to desired consistency. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.
Wine ideas: The tannic, earthy flavors of a Uruguayan tannat will cut through the rich beefiness of machaca. Look for wines from Carlos Pizzorno and Pisano; good examples run less than $20. -Tara Q. Thomas
Swiss Chard or Spinach Tacos with Caramelized Onion, Fresh Cheese and Red Chile
Tacos de Acelgas o Espinacas con Cebolla Caramelizada, Queso Fresco y Chile Rojo
Rick Bayless first tasted these tacos in Toluca, in the highlands outside Mexico City: “I discovered a fresh-baked blue corn tortilla rolled around the almost meaty texture of the local greens (qulites), crunchy caramelized onion, bitey salsa and salty cheese.” For a heartier meal, he adds chicken, steak, salmon, tuna or smoked firm tofu cubes. From “Mexican Everyday,” serves 4.
Ingredients
12 ounces Swiss chard (or collard, mustard or beet greens), thick
lower stems cut off or 10 ounces cleaned spinach, lamb’s quarters or
amaranth greens (about 10 cups)
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil, olive oil, fresh pork lard or bacon drippings
1 large white or red onion, sliced 1/4-inch thick
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped or crushed
About 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup chicken broth, vegetable broth or water
Salt
About 3/4 cup salsa of your choice, for serving
1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled Mexican queso fresco or other fresh cheese such as feta or goat, for serving
12 warm corn tortillas
Directions
Cut chard crosswise into 1/2-inch slices (small spinach or other leaves can be left whole). In a 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown but still crunchy, 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and chile flakes and stir a few seconds, until aromatic, then add broth or water, 1/2 teaspoon salt and greens. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover pan and cook until greens are almost tender, 2 minutes for spinach to 7 or 8 minutes for thick collards. Swiss chard needs about 5 minutes.
Uncover pan, raise heat to medium- high and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is nearly dry. Taste and season with salt if necessary. Serve with warm tortillas, salsa and crumbled cheese.
Wine ideas: Spinach and chard have a hearty-enough flavor to match red wines, especially when they are sweetened with caramelized onions and enriched with cheese. Argentina’s malbec has gentle tannins and rich flavor, making a it good choice here, especially if you put a light chill on the bottle before serving. Familia Zuccardi and Terrasaz de los Andes make great options at less than $15.
-Tara Q. Thomas
Black Bean-Bathed Enchiladas Enfrijoladas
This rustic Oaxacan dish combines fresh tortillas with an anisey black bean sauce. Bayless suggests using fresh fennel instead of avocado leaves, for the regional anise flavor. Though the flavor and color won’t be as nice, the beans could be replaced with 2 drained 15-ounce cans of black beans. From season four of “Mexico One Plate at a Time,” serves 6 as an appetizer, 4 as a main course.
Ingredients
1 cup (about 6 ounces) dry black beans, rinsed
2 avocado leaves OR 1/2 rib of fresh fennel, roughly chopped
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) chorizo sausage, casing removed
1 medium white onion, sliced
Salt, about 1/2 teaspoon
12 corn tortillas (plus a few extra, in case some break)
About 3/4 cup tomatillo salsa (optional)
3/4 cup (about 3 ounces) crumbled Mexican queso fresco, dry goat cheese or salted farmer’s cheese
3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
Directions
Black bean sauce: Place beans in a medium-size (2- to 3-quart) saucepan, cover with 3 cups water, remove any beans that float and heat slowly to a simmer.
If using avocado leaves, toast them for a few seconds per side (they’ll become aromatic and lightly brown) over a medium gas flame or heated griddle. Add avocado leaves (or fennel), 1/4 cup chorizo and 1/2 onion to beans, partially cover and simmer over medium to medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until beans are fully tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. If you see beans peeking up through liquid, add water to cover them by 1/2 inch.
Coarsely purée beans in batches in a food processor or loosely covered blender. Return to pot and add enough water to thin to the consistency of a medium cream soup. Taste and season with salt.
Tortillas and chorizo: Set up a steamer (a vegetable steamer in a large saucepan filled with 1/2 inch of water works well); heat to a boil. Wrap tortillas in a heavy kitchen towel, lay in steamer and cover with a tight lid. Boil 1 minute, turn off heat and let stand for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small (7- to 8-inch) skillet, cook remaining 1 cup chorizo over medium-low heat until done, about 10 minutes, breaking up any clumps as it cooks. Drain off rendered fat, cover skillet and keep warm over very low heat.
Finishing: Turn oven on to lowest setting and warm a serving platter in it. Pour out 1 1/2 cups of warm bean sauce onto a deep plate. One by one, dip both sides of warm tortillas into sauce, fold into quarters and transfer to warm serving platter, laying tortillas in 2 rows, slightly overlapping. Keep warm in oven.
Scrape any bean sauce remaining on plate back into pot. (If sauce has thickened, add a little water.) Quickly bring it to a simmer, spoon it over folded tortillas (there should be a considerable amount of sauce), strew with warm chorizo, splash with optional salsa, then sprinkle on crumbled cheese, parsley and remaining onion. Serve immediately.
Advance Preparation: The black beans can be prepared through Step 1 several days ahead; chorizo can be cooked, too. Store separately in refrigerator, covered. Reheat sauce slowly in a covered pan, thinning if necessary. Warm chorizo before heating tortillas and finishing dish.
Wine ideas: Bayless suggests cold beer or fruity red wine.
Grilled Bananas with Goat’s Milk Caramel and Ice Cream
Platanos a la Plancha con Cajeta y Helado
You don’t have to go to the Yucatán for this easy dessert. Look for cajeta in the Mexican food section of the grocery store, or in specialty markets. From Rick Bayless, fronterafoods.com, serves 4.
Ingredients
4 firm, ripe, bananas with stems
Vegetable oil for brushing or spritzing
8 small scoops best-quality ice cream, preferably dulce de leche flavor
1/2 cup Mexican cajeta (goat’s milk caramel sauce)
Directions
Heat a gas grill to medium or prepare a charcoal fire, letting the coals burn until they are covered with a gray ash and are medium hot. Cut bananas through the stems lengthwise in half. Brush or spritz the cut sides with oil.
Place bananas on the grill cut side down directly over the heat. Cover and grill until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Turn skin side down and continue grilling until tender and bananas have pulled away from their skins, 2-4 minutes more.
Arrange 2 banana halves on each serving plate. Top each serving with 2 scoops of ice cream. Drizzle each with about 2 tablespoons of the cajeta. Serve immediately.
