Corn & Zucchini

This is a great side dish when you're having Mexican food!

Makes: 4 servings

Cost per serving (Heidelberg): ~€0,96

Calories per serving: ~97

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 large zucchini (yield about 2 cups when chopped), cubed
• 1 small can (140g dry weight) corn, or fresh corn if you can get it!
• 1 jalapeño, fresh or pickled, seeded or not seeded depending on how spicy you want it, finely chopped
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• salt
• pepper

Fry the onion and garlic in the oil for one minute.  Add zucchini and cook covered for 5 minutes.  Add corn and jalapeño, stir while cooking for 3 minutes.  Add tomato.  Cover and cook until zucchini is tender.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Tamales

Filling

• 600g pork roast
• 2 onions (cut in half length-wise)
• 4 cloves garlic, whole
• 2-4 Tblsp. ancho chili powder (to taste)
• ground cumin (also to taste)

Masa

• 3 cups masa harina for tortillas (e.g. Maseca)
• 3/4 cup lard
• ~2 1/2 cups pork broth (reserved from making the filling)
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• ancho chili powder

Day 1:
Put pork roast into a pan with onion and garlic and cover with water (be sure to use plenty of water because you will need it for preparing the masa later. Having a little left over is OK, too--it can be used to make beans.). Lightly salt the water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer for >2 hours--until pork can be easily pulled apart with a fork. Remove and shred pork. Remove garlic cloves, smash with a fork and mix with pork. Reserve broth. Discard onions (onions can also be blended and added back to the broth, but we don't have a blender so this isn't an option). Mix pork with chili powder and cumin to taste. Keep in refrigerator overnight.
Soak corn husks in water overnight. You will need ~24 of medium size for the tamales plus several to line the bottom and the top of the steamer insert while cooking the tamales (the latter can be of a more dubious quality, i.e. very large or small or have tears in them).
Day 2:
Masa: mix masa harina, baking powder, salt, and enough chili powder to turn mixture pink. Cut lard into masa harina mixture using fingertips. Add enough of the pork broth from day 1 to give the masa a spreadable consistency (~2.5 cups, considerably more or less depending on how damp your masa harina is).
Assembling the tamales: with the pointed end toward you, spread a thin (1/8"-1/4") layer on the ~2/3 of the corn husk furthest from you (the broad end), also leaving a narrow strip (~1/4") free on the left and right sides of the corn husk. Place a line of meat down the center of the masa-lined husk, fold the left 1/3 over the filling, then fold the right 1/3 over, and finish by folding the empty portion of the husk (the pointy end) up over the filled portion. (This sounds really complicated, but there are lots of videos on YouTube demonstrating this technique.) Place the tamal on a plate with the folded side down to keep it from unfolding and move on to the next tamal.
Cooking the tamales: use a pot with a steamer insert that is large enough to fit the tamales standing on their ends. We used a large IKEA pot with the pasta insert. Fill the bottom of the pot with enough water that it doesn't come through the bottom of the steamer insert. Line the bottom of the insert with corn husks. Place the tamales in the pot, standing on their ends, open end up (if your pot is too big enough or, more likely, you have too few tamales, there are other methods of stacking the tamales so that you won't lose the filling on the internet). Line the top of the insert with more corn husks. Finally, place a damp kitchen towel on top and cover with a lid. Steam the tamales over medium-high heat, adding water when necessary, until the masa easily comes away from the corn husk, around 1 hour and 15 minutes.
This recipe is a combination of the recipes here (mostly for making the masa from mara harina for tortillas) and here (mostly for the filling). Both links contain a number of helpful photos and tips.
Makes: ~24

Cochinita Pibil

• 600-750g pork roast or pork shoulder
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 25g (1/4 bar) achiote condimente
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• juice from two limes
• 1 Tablespoon concentrated white vinegar (4 Tblsp. wine or cider vinegar)
• 1 Habenero or jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and finely chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Cut pork into large cubes, cover with lightly salted water, and cook for 1-2 hours until pork can easily be shredded. In the mean time, mash the onion some with a mortar and pestle. Mix in garlic and achiote. Then, add orange and lime juice and vinegar, and mix well. (Alternatively, put everything in a blender and blend.) When the pork is done, remove broth and reserve. Shred the pork with two forks, and return to pan. Add the achiote mix and enough broth to barely cover, and cook, partially covered, for 1.5-2 hours--until pork has absorbed most of the cooking liquid.  For spicier pork add habenero or jalapeno to achiote mix.
Adapted from here and here.

Horchata

• 1 cup rice
• 5 cups water
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 Tblsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup sugar

Crush rice a little with a mortar and pestle. Poor water over rice and let soak overnight. The next day, filter the rice water, and add the other ingredients. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Serve cold or over ice.

If I were to make this again, I would probably soak the rice a little in just enough hot water to cover first, then crush the rice, then add the rest of the warm water and let soak overnight. The original recipe contains 2/3 cups sugar, but this would have been far too much for me.

Adapted from: Lola's Horchata at Food.com.

Pork fajitas

• ~1 lbs. (400-500g) lean pork cut (e.g. pork loin)
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 large or 2 medium onions
• 2 green bell peppers
• ~1 tsp. olive oil

Cut pork into bite-sized strips. Mix with lime, cumin, and salt, and marinade for 15 minutes-24 hours. Cut onion and pepper into thin strips. Heat oil in frying pan over medium heat. When pan is hot, add pork and fry for 2-3 minutes, stirring once. Add peppers and onion, stir, and fry until done (~5 minutes), stirring occasionally. Serve with flour tortillas and choice of condiments.

Adapted from Eat Better America.

Salsa

• 3 medium tomatoes
• 1/2 medium onion
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 jalapeno
• ~1/4 cup water
• 1 Tblsp. olive oil
• juice from 1/2 lime
• salt and sugar to taste

Peel and chop tomatoes. Peeling can be made easier by placing tomatoes for ~5s in boiling water and then shocking cold water. Finely chop onion and jalapeno. Mince garlic. Heat oil in medium sauce pan. When hot, add onion, garlic, jalapeno, and tomatoes. After about 1 minute, add enough water to achieve desired consistency. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes. The mixture should change colors from a orangey-red to a deeper red color. Add lime juice and salt and sugar to taste. Pour into a clean jar and let cool to room temperature before placing in refrigerator. Makes ~1 pint.

Pickled Jalapenos and Carrots (Escabeche)

• 150-200g jalapenos
• 2 large carrots
• 1/2 medium onion
• 5-7 cloves garlic
• cauliflower florets (optional)
• apple cider vinegar (or diluted white vinegar)
• 1 tsp sea salt or kosher salt

Slice jalapenos into rings (alternatively, if whole peppers are preferred, cut a deep cross into the tip of the pepper to let the vinegar enter, or use a mix of sliced and whole peppers). Peel and slice carrot into rings. Peel garlic cloves, but leave them whole. Cut the half onion into quarters. Mix everything in a small sauce pan and add salt and enough vinegar to cover. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for ~2-3 minutes--until the peppers are done (they will begin to take on a translucent quality). Divide vegetables between two one-pint (0.5 liter) jars that have been washed with hot water and add enough of the cooked vinegar mixture to cover. Let the mixture come back down to room temperature and then move to refrigerator. Alternatively, process hot jars for 10-15 minutes in a hot water bath.
Source: adapted from Simply Recipes.

Chipotle Chicken Soup

Makes: 4 servings

Cost per serving (Heidelberg): ~€1,84

Calories per serving: ~235 (excludes chips)

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 3 chipotle peppers
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 avocado
• 1 lime
• 5 green onions, sliced
• tortilla chips

Soak the chipotles in hot water for 30 minutes or until softened.  Remove stems and seeds and slice into thin strips.  Set aside.

Simmer the chicken in 6 cups salted water for 20 minutes or until done.  Reserve the broth and shred the chicken.

Add garlic and chipotles to the broth and bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer.  Meanwhile, cube the avocado and toss with the juice of half the lime to prevent browning.  Cut the rest of the lime into four wedges.

In four bowls, arrange equal portions of chicken, avocado, and green onions.  Ladle soup over the chicken and serve with lime wedges and tortilla chips.

Flour Tortillas

Once we figured out how easy it is to make delicious flour tortillas at home, we haven't gone back to the mediocre variety available in the grocery stores in Germany. One side benefit of making them at home is that the dough can be used to make sopapillas for dessert.

Adapted from a recipe at Epicurious.com.

• 2 C all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 50g lard
• 1 Tblsp. vegetable oil
• 1/2 C warm water

Mix the flour and salt. Cut the lard into smaller pieces and cut it into flour using finger tips (alternatively, it may be possible to use two table knives, a pastry knife, or a food processor) until it has the consistency of meal. Mix in vegetable oil and water and knead on a floured surface until smooth and elastic (about 4 minutes). Form into a ball, wrap in baking paper (or plastic wrap), and let rest for ~1 hour. After rest, divide dough into 12 equal-sized balls. Roll out into tortillas on a lightly floured surface (the recipe says they should be ~7 inches in diameter, but it is possible to roll them out a bit thinner). Cook on dry skillet that has been preheated over medium heat. Tortilla should bubble and be lightly browned (but not burned)--about 45-60s per side.

Makes 12 flour tortillas.

Corn Tortillas

Only one store in Heidelberg used to sell corn tortillas. That store has now closed. Thus, we've had to learn how to make our own. They're really easy to make (especially with a tortilla press), and they taste better anyways.

Source.

• 2 C masa harina corn flour (e.g. Maseca Corn Masa mix)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/8 C water

Mix ingredients very well so that they form a thick paste that isn't crumbly. It will probably be necessary to add extra water, one tablespoon at a time, to get the right consistency. Divide the dough into 16 equal sized balls, and cover them with a damp kitchen towel to keep them from drying out. Either (1) roll the balls out between two sheets of durable plastic (e.g. plastic baggies) or waxed paper or (2) press the balls between two sheets of plastic (or waxed paper) using a tortilla press. In the mean time heat a skillet over medium heat. If using an uncoated pan, using a napkin or paper towel that has been dabbed in oil to spread a very thin sheen of oil over the surface of the pan. Fry tortilla briefly on both sides (about 40-60s per side). Prepare tortillas according to recipe

Makes 16 corn tortillas