Main Dishes

Garden Vegetable Tamales

Ingredients:

• 1 package dried corn husks
• 2 cups masa harina (cornmeal)
• 1-2 cups vegetable stock
• 12 tablespoons lard or vegetable shortening (or 6 table spoons lard/vegetable shortening and 6 tablespoons butter)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 5 green onions, chopped (white and green parts)
• 3-4 ears of corn on the cob
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon aji amarillo paste (optional)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/2 cups crumbled queso fresco (cheese)
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Place corn husks in a large pot and completely cover with hot water. Soak corn husks for 30 minutes to an hour to soften.
2. Carefully cut corn from the cob using a sharp knife or a corn stripper. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, mix masa haring with a pinch of salt and 1 1/2 cups of vegetable stock. 
4. Add lard and work lard into mixture with your fingers.
5. Add more vegetable stock in small amounts, kneading after each addition, until you have a smooth, soft dough. Dough should be moist and a little sticky, not stiff.
6. Add vegetable oil to a heavy skillet and sauté tomatoes, green onions, cumin, and sugar over medium heat. 
7. Cook until most of the water is evaporated and vegetables are sod and fragrant, about 10 minutes.
8. Stir fresh corn and sauté 2 more minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro leaves. 
9. Drain corn husks and spread them out flat. Place about 3 tablespoons of masa harina dough in the middle of the corn husk and use your fingers to press dough into a 2 inch by 3 inch rectangle. 
10. Top dough with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the corn and tomato mixture. Place another 2 table spoons of masa on top. 
11. Fold sides of corn husks in over the filling, then turn pointed ends up to the middle, then fold top fop down making a little package. Tie tamales with a strand of corn husk or twine to secure the corn husks around the filling. To make a larger tamale, you can overlap 2 corn husks and use them together to wrap the tamale.
12. Bring 1-2 inches of water to a boil in a steam pot, or in a large pot with a colander or steaming casket set into it. Fill the colander or basket with one layer of tamales ( you may have to steam them in batches). The tamales should be about the water- they are cooked by steam only. Cover the tamales with a dish fowl and the pot lid and steam them for 30-40 minutes, being careful to add water to the pot when necessary.
13. Remove tamales and serve warm. Tamales can be reheated in the microwave. They can also be frozen-reheat them by stem for 15-20 minutes, or by heating them in the oven, wrapped in foil. 

Makes: About 16 medium tamales

Three Sisters Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of hominy
• 2 cups of fresh green beans
• 2 cups of peeled and cubed squash
• 1 1/2 cups diced peeled potatoes
• 5 cups water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
• 2 tablespoons of melted butter 2 tablespoons of all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon of pepper

Directions:

1. Put hominy, green beans, squash and potatoes into a pot. 
2. Add water and chicken bouillon.
3. Bring that to a boil then reduce the heat to a low until vegetables are soft. 
4. Blend the flour and butter together and then add it to the pot. 
5. Turn the heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes or until it is think.
6. Add some pepper on top then serve to your guests. 

Nopalitos con Chile Rojo

Ingredients:

• Prickly Pear
• Red Pepper
• Garlic cloves
• Salt
• Lard

Directions:

1. Take the Prickly Pear cactus flesh pads and scrape off the thorns.
2. Wash the pads off and cut them into small square pieces.
3. Put them in a pot to boil for about an hour. While they boil being preparing the sauce
4. Remove the stem and seed from the red peppers and boil them in water till they become soft.
5. After they are done blend the red peppers with the water, 4 garlic cloves and a pinch of salt together till it becomes creamy.
6. Drain the nopalitos.
7. In a pot put the red pepper sauce and a bit of lard to cook.
8. When lard is mixed in well with the sauce mix in the nopalitos.

Fresh Corn Salad

Ingredients:

• 5 ears of corn, shucked
• 1/2 cup red onion, diced
• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into thin slices

Directions:

1. In a large pot of boiling water cook the corn for 3-4 minutes
2. While the corn is cooking, combine the diced onion, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper in a salad bowl.
3. When the corn is done, drain them and immerse in ice water to stop the cooking.
4. When cooled, use a sharp knife to cut the kernels off the cobs. 
5. Toss the kernels with the other ingredients in the salad bowl.
6. Taste for seasoning and serve chilled or at room temperature.
7. Add basil just before serving

Serves: 6

Trinidad Stewed Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1 "4 pound " whole chicken, cut into pieces
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped green onion
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup canned coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoon ketchup
• 1 tablespoon butter

 (makes 8 servings)
Directions:

1.  Place chicken on a plate. Sprinkle the green onion, cilantro, garlic, onion, salt and pepper over it. Cover, and marinate for 30 minutes.
2. Heat the vegetable oil on a deep pot over medium heat. Stir in the sugar, and cook until the sugar has melted into a nice golden brown syrup. Add the chicken pieces, and brown quickly while turning continuously. Cover the pot, and let cook for 2 minutes.
3. Pour in 1 cup of water, coconut milk and pepper flakes. Replace the lid, and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Stir in the ketchup and butter. Continue cooking until chicken is tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if needed. Serve chicken with sauce in the pot.

Stuffed Poblano Peppers in a chipotle sauce

Ingredients:

• 4 large poblano peppers
• 2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped chipotle chile in adobo
• 1 garlic clove
• coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped, plus more for garnish
• 1/3 cup quinoa
• 8 ounces small mushrooms, such as white button or cremini, trimmed and quartered
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 1 can (15 ounces) black soy beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup crumbled fresh goat cheese (4 ounces)

Directions:

1. preheat oven to 475. On a baking sheet rub pepper with 2 teaspoons oil. Roast until slightly blackened and softened, 15 to 20 minutes, turning once. When cool enough to handle, remove skins. Make small slit in each pepper and carefully remove seeds, keeping stem end intact.
2. In a blender, combine chipotle, garlic and 3/4 cup water; season with salt and pepper and blend until smooth. Add cilantro and pulse once to combine.
3. In a small saucepan, bring 2/3 cup water to a boil. Add quinoa, cover and reduce heat to medium- low. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes; fluff with a fork.
4. meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add mushrooms; season with salt and pepper. Cook until mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes; add corn and beans and cook until heated, about 2 minutes. Stri in 1/2 cup cheese and quinoa.
5. Pour sauce in a 9- by- 13 inch baking dish. Stuff peppers with filling and arrange in dish; dot with 1/2 cup cheese. Bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes before serving.

Mexican Chicken Pozole Verde

Ingredients:

• 7 cups chicken stock or low- sodium broth
• 2 cups water
• 4 chicken breast halves on the bone, with skin
• 1 pound tomatillos, husked and halved
• 1 small onion, quartered
• 2 poblano chiles- cored, seeded and quartered
• 2 jalapenos, seeded and quartered
• 4 large garlic cloves, smashed
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon oregano leaves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 
• Three 15- ounce cans of hominy, drained
• Finely shredded iceberg lettuce, sliced radishes, chopped onion, diced avocado, sour cream, tortilla chips and lime wedges, for serving

Directions:

1.       In a large, enameled cast-iron casserole, bring the chicken stock and water to a boil. Add the chicken breasts, skin side down, cover and simmer over very low heat until they're tender and cooked through, about 25 minutes. Transfer the chicken breasts to a plate and shred the meat; discard the bones and skin. Skim any fat from the cooking liquid and reserve.
2.      In a blender, combine the halved tomatillos with the quartered onion, poblanos and jalapeños, smashed garlic, chopped cilantro and oregano. Pulse until coarsely chopped, scraping down the side. With the machine on, add 1 cup of the cooking liquid and puree until smooth. Season the tomatillo puree with salt and pepper.
3.      In a large deep skillet, heat the vegetable oil until shimmering. Add the tomatillo puree and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce turns a deep green, about 12 minutes.
4.      Pour the green sauce into the cooking liquid in the casserole. Add the hominy and bring to a simmer over moderate heat. Add the shredded chicken to the stew, season with salt and pepper and cook just until heated through. Serve the pozole in deep bowls, passing the lettuce, radishes, onion, avocado, sour cream, tortilla chips and lime wedges at the table. MAKE AHEAD The pozole verde can be prepared through Step 3 and refrigerated, covered, overnight.

Tacos de Papa con Verdura

Ingredients:

• 5 large potatoes
• 8 cups of flour
• Olive oil as needed
• 1 jalapeno diced
• ½ tomato diced

• ¼ whole onion dices
• 1 lime
• Teaspoon of salt and pepper
• Lettuce, carrots and cucumbers diced

Directions:

1. Boil 5 large potatoes in a pan with water that covers all the potatoes. After the potatoes become soft, strain the water and mash the potatoes. To make the tortillas, mix 8 cups of flour with 4 1/2 cups of water. Once the ingredients mix, it will become dough. Then, with a tortilla iron grab enough to cover ¾ of your hand. Roll the dough into a ball and place into the tortilla iron and press down and lay on a hot tortilla pan (comal). Once the tortillas are cooked, prepare a pan with enough olive oil to cover the surface and roll the mashed potatoes in the tortilla and place in the oil until they harden. Place in a flat plate with a napkin to strain the oil. After the tacos are done, the salsa should be prepared.  Take 1 jalapeno diced, ½ a tomatoes diced, ¼ whole onion dices, teaspoon of salt and pepper, one whole lime squeezed and mix. Then, if you want to add vegetables to the tacos, add the mixture of lettuce, carrots, and cucumber all diced.
2. Note: If you like you can also serve with sour cream.    Every 3 scoops of sour cream it needs on teaspoons of garlic salt.