Tag Archives: mexican cuisine

Simple Guacamole with Scallions & Tequila

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scallion & booze guacamole

Hass avocados were on sale at Raley’s this week – 5 for $5.  There’s no way I was not going to make guacamole of some kind.

I often make a version I serve as a side dish at BBQs that doubles as a dip for chips.  It has no red onion, no cilantro and no tomato, and gets its character from scallions and a bit of tequila.  Very simple and works well as a leftover.  Standard guacamole is often unbearably oniony and soggy the next day.  The tomatoes – yuk.  This version is still pretty darn good.

I like it best with some grilled chicken and warm corn tortillas.

Be sure to tell your guests about the tequila, just in case.

Scallion & Tequila Guacamole
   Enough for 6 or so as a side dish or a bowl of dip for tortilla chips

5 small Hass avocados
3 scallions (green onions), green and white parts, chopped into small rings (use nice, fresh ones)
1/4 cup lime juice (squeeze from fresh limes, please!)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more, if you want)
2 tablespoons tequila (gin or vodka is OK in a pinch)
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1).  Combine all ingredients except avocados in a porcelain or glass bowl and whisk together
2).  Cube avocados and gently fold into liquid one at a time
3).  Correct seasoning, i.e., salt
4).  Place in fridge for an hour, covered
5).  Serve with whatever you like.  Good with scrambled eggs!

Good pupusas at Costco

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Casa Sanchez papusas

When I was in Costco last week I noticed a new product in the prepared food section:  Casa Sanchez pupusas.  A pupusa is a thick, closed tortilla made of masa that’s stuffed with various things, like beans, meat and/or cheese.  There are 10 griddle-ready cheese papusas shrink-wrapped in the package available at Costco.

According to most sources, Pupusas originated in El Savador, but are popular across Latin America, with numerous variants.  If you want to claim that pupusas originated in another country, I won’t be suckered into a fight.  The memory of something I wrote about the history of the chile pepper and its resulting warfare is still fresh in my memory.

I like some of the Casa Sanchez salsas, so I thought I’d give these a try, particularly because decent non-homemade pupusas are not easy to come by.

They’re good, but don’t microwave them.  Wipe a cast iron pan or griddle with a little canola oil and dry-fry the pupusas on each side until the cheese melts and they have some texture.  I also made them successfully on my baking stone in a hot convection oven.  Don’t overcook or the cheese will bake out.

I like the fact that they are plain, and work well as a quick side to something like chili or a salad; we even had them for breakfast one day. Casa Sanchez is generous with the mild, white melting cheese (Cotilla), and the masa is slightly salty.

If you don’t have access to homemade cheese pupusas, these will suit your needs at a cost of $9.99.

Chicken mole

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Chicken mole made with a whole chicken

I threw together a chicken mole the other day, loosely using a barbequed ribs recipe passed along to us in cooking school.  The base recipe produces a dark, sweet-hot result that needs only a bit of tweaking to turn out something most people familiar with mole would recognize.  Check out the recipe and see what you think.  I made some cornbread to go with it.  Though using a cast iron skillet yields an excellent product, it is also nice to use an earthenware dish.  It looks good when you serve it, too, if you are willing to give up some of the crunchy goodness.

Chicken Mole

Place the following, quantities to taste, in a large bowl or other receptacle that is hand-blender friendly, meaning deep enough not to splatter sauce when you turn on the juice:

Cilantro, stems and all, rough cut
Green onions (scallions to you, East Coast), rough cut
Parsley, stems and all, rough cut
Garlic, chopped
Soy sauce
Black bean paste
Chili paste
Dijon mustard
Maple syrup
Chilis in adobo sauce (careful – this canned product is HOT)
Dried chilis (I use an assortment – whatever I have on hand)
Orange juice
Dried figs, rough cut*
Apple cider vinegar
Unsweetened cocoa powder*
Lemon rind
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Cumin (ground or seeds)
Thyme (dried, ground is fine)
Marjoram (dried, ground is fine)
Mustard powder

Using a hand blender, bring mass to sauce consistency.  There should be some substance left – but no big chunks.  Add water if you need to but do not allow the sauce to become runny.  Rub sauce onto and into a whole chicken and roast.  I like to use a cazuela.  You can use chicken pieces, if you prefer. 

Omit the figs and cocoa and use pork butt to make fabulous carnitas.  Just be sure to slow-roast the meat in a heavy pan and press a sheet of foil on top – but do not seal the pan.  Remove the foil for the last hour of cooking.