Chorizo Stuffed Chiles, No Ordinary Chile Relleno

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*Thanks for voting this recipe into the Foodbuzz Top 9 today!**

As a child my family moved to America. My immigrant Mexican family adopted many American traditions, we celebrated most of the American holidays along with a few Mexican holidays. We have the same values, worries, hopes and aspirations for our loved ones. You could say that besides being bilingual, and eating Mexican food my family was your typical suburban family living in America.

One of the biggest American holidays my family celebrates is Independence Day or the 4th of July. That means family gatherings, fireworks and cookouts. When I lived in the states I loved celebrating the 4th for those very reasons. Summertime also meant that there would be many outdoor fiestas to celebrate something or other. The warm weather fiestas were often celebrated at a local park, or someone’s back yard. My huge extended family and family friends would all gather to celebrate with a cookout or barbeque. The day started early and in true Mexican fashion it was an all day party with food, music, sometimes dancing, food, laughter and did I mention all the food ?

I still remember the first time my American husband attended one of his new Mexican family’s cookouts. Not so secretly I think he was in culinary heaven, secretly I was so proud of my guerito for loving everything. Everyone wanted him to try this and that until he couldn’t eat another bite, but still he was offered more. Those are Mexican mothers for you. No wonder he never wanted to refuse an invitation to a family gathering on his Mexican side of the family. Mexican food is his favorite and the opportunity to try something new is one he doesn't pass up.

There was always great food, both Mexican and some American. The list of foods and desserts were always extensive, since everyone brought a dish or several. But one of the foods served at our family cookouts always sticks in my head. Grilled chiles stuffed with chorizo and cheese. It was my eldest sister V. that prepared them and believe me when I tell you those are the best stuffed peppers ever tasted or cooked by anyone! Grand statement but that girl can cook and turn the most ordinary thing into a 5 star worthy dish. I’ve never prepared these stuffed peppers with my sister V. but I began recreating them from memory and I hope she approves. Sadly I do not have a charcoal grill so I will also be teaching you and indoors method.

These stuffed peppers or chiles rellenos are not the same thing as the cheese stuffed poblano peppers many think of when they hear chiles rellenos. The words chile relleno just means stuffed peppers, not specifying what kind of pepper. The peppers that can be used in this recipe are chiles guerros or yellow chiles. You could also use cubanelle, wax peppers, Anaheim, banana, or New Mexico peppers. One day I would also like to use fresh poblanos or jalapenos and can imagine how great they would taste.

Chorizo Stuffed Chiles
any fresh chile from the suggested list
Mexican chorizo (I use my homemade chorizo but store bought will do just fine)
Mexican Chihuahua cheese or queso fresco, as a substitute you can use Eidam for the Chihuahua or feta cheese for the queso fresco.

toothpicks if necessary
charcoal grill, flat griddle or indoor grill pan

1. Cook the chorizo and drain off all extra fat from the pan. Thoroughly rinse the chiles. Lay them flat on a baking sheet or cutting board.

Grilling Method: Slice a vertical slit large enough to stuff. If grilling outdoors I do not remove the seeds. Stuff with either chorizo or cheese, or try a mix of both. Do not over stuff as the contents will flow out. If need be use toothpicks to close the slit. Place on the grill and cook until they are soft and have charred skins. Allow to cool a few minutes before serving and remove toothpicks if used. To keep them warm when grilling outdoors just cover with aluminum foil.

Indoor Method: Heat the indoor grill pan or griddle over high heat. Place the clean chiles and allow to char. Turn now and then allow the skin to become evenly charred and softened. Once chiles have softened place on a cutting board to cool. Once cooled enough to handle slice a vertical slit large enough to stuff. Depending on my mood I will or will not remove the seeds, it's your choice. Stuff with either chorizo or cheese, or try a mix of both. Do not over stuff as the contents will flow out. If need be use toothpicks to close the slit. Place back on the indoor grill pan or griddle and cook for another 10 minute to allow the cheese to melt. Allow to cool before serving.

Serve as an appetizer, side dish or for a complete meal alongside refried beans or frijoles de olla and tortillas of your choice. Don't forget some fresh salsa too.

Tip: Select chiles that have smooth skin or if ones with grooves and wrinkles that can lay flat on one side. This makes it easier for the contents to stay inside. If you have neither an outdoors or indoor grill you could also use the oven to cook the chiles.

Have a beautiful and sunny weekend!

Great Summer Posts From Around The Web This Week:
- Mango Crab Gazpacho Soup by 6 Bittersweets

- Dragonfruit-Basil Mascarpone Ice Cream and Mochi Ice Cream by Foodiva's Kitchen

- Blackberry Honey Butter by Gourmande in the Kitchen

- How to Make Ice Cream Without a Machine by Jules Clancy via Honest Cooking

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Pork with Green Chiles (Part Mexican Part Czech, CzechXican)

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Article previously published on Honest Cooking, The FOOD Magazine.

Pork with Mild Green Chiles

Those of you that follow my blog have heard me mention the lack of fresh spicy chiles in Prague. But what they lack in fresh spicy peppers they make up with a fantastic variety of mild and sweet peppers. Peppers like banana peppers, wax pepper, Kapia or pimento peppers, and a spicy green Slovak variety. As a Mexican I cannot live without my chiles, I need a little kick in my food. Over the past couple of years more and more exotic products are to be found here. On some rare occasions I have found fresh Jalapeños and fresh cayenne chiles. In the last month I was lucky enough to have found an online shop selling a variety of Mexican ingredients. It is called Viva La Vida, so if you live in Czech Republic look them up. Can't tell you how happy that has made both my husband and I. Even though more authentic ingredients are becoming available I have to admit that experimenting with local ingredients and coming up with CzechXican salsas has been quite fun.

Today I have a super simple recipe that incorporates a hint of flavors from Mexican cuisine with a bit of Czech. But what is so fantastic about this simple recipe is that it can be made with Pork, Chicken, Turkey, Beef or even chorizo. It can be served on top of white or Mexican rice, as a taco filling or used as any type of Mexican filling you may need. Wait there's more great reasons why you need to make this dish, it's healthy and low in fat. The chorizo would be the fattier choice but if you use a lean cut of meat it will stay low in fat. So you'll get a very flavorful dish lower in calories. Now that summer is here most of us are looking to cook and eat lighter meals that wont expand the waistline nor leave you feeling bloated afterwords. This is one of those dishes. Okay I think I've convinced you so now I'll give you the recipe. Buen Provecho!!

Ingredients:
400 g or 14 oz. pork medallions or pork tenderloin, sliced in thin strips
4 green mild chiles, stemmed and seeds removed and sliced into rounds*
1 green cayenne chile or any hot green chile, finely chopped **
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium white or yellow onion, finely chopped
1 small tomato, finely chopped
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 tbsp. olive oil or vegetable oil

white rice to serve
corn tortillas, optional
cilantro to garnish

* You can use banana, wax or Cubanelle chiles, Do not use bell peppers.
** For a milder version remove the seeds and center vein.

1. Heat 1 tbsp. of the oil, once warm saute the onion until soft and translucent. Add the round green cubanelle chiles and hot green chiles to the pan, saute for 2 minutes. Next add the minced garlic, sprinkle some salt and ground black pepper to the vegetables and stir to combine. Saute another 2 minutes, then remove the vegetables from the pan and set aside.

2. In the same pan heat the remaining 1 tbsp. of oil, add the pork to the pan and sprinkle some salt and ground black pepper to taste. Cover the pan and fry until the pork strips are cooked all the way through, about 10 minutes. Drain any fat or liquid in the pan and add the previously cooked vegetables back to the pan. Next add the ground cumin seed and chopped tomato to the pan. Stir to combine all ingredients well. Cover and continue cooking until the cubanel chiles have soften.

Serve with or over white rice or Mexican rice and corn tortillas on the side, if desired.

I'm curious, what are your favorite peppers or chiles ?

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Tacos Al Pastor, The Best Tacos In The World!

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*This article and recipe was featured on "Mexico On My Plate" column at Honest Cooking.*

(The Spanish word Pastor means shepherd, so these tacos translate to shepherd style tacos.) Have you ever tried Tacos Al Pastor? If you have then I'm sure you'd agree that they are the best tacos in the world! Those of you that have never tasted Tacos Al Pastor have been missing out. These tacos are unlike any other tacos both in taste and origin. First let's talk about their origin, tacos al pastor are the new world cousin to the Lebanese Shawarma. Lebanese immigrants, to Mexico, introduced the method of cooking meats on vertical spits, like Shawarma or kebabs as is typical in the middle east. And this is how tacos al pastor were born. The Lebanese immigrants cooked lamb that was marinated with local Mexican herbs and spices then pineapple was placed a top the spit. The meat is cooked on the spits and thinly sliced to be served on top of corn tortillas as tacos. Over time the meat changed from lamb to pork, more typical of Mexican cuisine.

The popularity of these tacos grew and overtime spread around the country. Different regions of Mexico will incorporate or change the recipe to use ingredients typical to the region. Tacos Al Pastor are one of those dishes where everyone has their own guarded personal recipes. In fact taquerias ( taquerias are restaurants specializing in tacos ), highly guard their secret recipes and will never share what makes their tacos taste better than or unique from the taqueria down the street. The tacos can have an array of ingredients such as oregano, cumin, cloves, chile guajillo, chile ancho, vinegar, pineapple juice, or fresh pineapple, orange juice, soda and/or achiote paste. It is these combinations of herbs, spices, juices, and cooking method that give tacos al pastor their unique taste. They are mild, tender with a hint of sweet pineapple and guaranteed to satisfy every palette.

My recipe is a slightly evolved recipe that I was given by one of my sisters. This is a 2 day process and I highly recommend that you do not cut the marinading time short. The flavors of the chiles and spices will be best absorbed by the pork. Also allowing for the long marinading time will allow the the Bromelain in the pineapple to tenderize the pork. Since the tacos are mild I will, depending on my mood, add a couple/few chiles de arbol to spice it up. I've also read some recipes where people have used chipotle chiles to make the tacos spicier. I wouldn't recommend the chipotles because while they taste great, they will overpower the other chiles and spices. Another ingredient I will occasionally add is achiote paste for a more vibrant color. This is completely optional and will not affect the taste either way. You all know that Mexican tacos are always topped with finely chopped cilantro and onion, the same applies here. Some people also like to add fresh finely chopped pineapple to the tacos, I never do but it's your choice. Oh yes and don't forget to serve a salsa on the side, green will go great. What the heck add an ice cold Corona for a truly heavenly experience.

Tacos Al Pastor Ingredients :
Serves 4-6
1 kilo or 2.2 lb pork, boneless, skinless and extra fat removed, chopped into bite size pieces
3 chile guajillos
2 chiles anchos
2 chiles de arbol, extra spicy optional
1 tomatoe
1 tsp whole cumin seed
3 garlic cloves
1 small white onion, peeled and halved or 1/4 of large onion
pinch black pepper
1 tsp sea salt or salt
1 cup fresh pineapple, finely chopped

Corn Tortillas, (they are gluten free)

Toppings:
fresh finely cilantro
fresh finely white onion
lime wedges
salsa

*All chiles are dried.

1. Soak chiles in hot water for 15 minutes. In mean time blacken the tomato, onion and garlic cloves on top of a hot griddle or grill. Peel the tomato skin and remove seeds, place in blender. Add the onion and garlic cloves to the blender as well as the spices. Remove the chiles from the hot water and reserved the water. Remove the stems and seed from the chiles then place in blender. Add about 1/3 cup of the boiling water to the blender. Blend into a smooth salsa.

2. Place the bite size pork pieces and pineapple inside a container. Pour the salsa over the meat and add the pineapples. Stir until well combined, cover and place in the refrigerator overnight.

3. Next day, drain extra liquid from the meat. Heat a little bit of corn or vegetable oil in a large pan. Cook the pork until it has cooked all the way through. About 20 minutes. Allow to simmer under low heat until ready to serve.

4. Scoop a small amount into the middle of a corn tortilla, top with finely chopped onion, cilantro and lime wedges on the side. Please notice that a standard Mexican taco tortilla is smaller than a more common commercial sized corn tortilla, if using the smaller tortillas two can be/are stacked on top of each other before topping with the filling.

Buen Provecho!

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Picadillo and Cinco Recipes for Cinco de Mayo

Tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo or the 5th of May, a Mexican holiday. Last year I gave you a small history lesson about the holiday, and you can read the full post here. But to give you a brief summary , "Cinco de Mayo or 5th of May is a Mexican holiday celebrating the victory of the Mexican army over the French army in the battle of Puebla on the 5th of May 1862. Contrary to popular belief in America and other parts of the world, this is not the celebration of Mexican Independence from Spain..." I also told you that my family does not celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Regardless I thought I share an new Mexican recipe for those of you looking to celebrate.

Picadillo. Picadillo is a dish popular all over Latin America with slight variations and twists. It is made with ground/minced meat, tomatoes, spices and depending on the area different vegetables and seasonings are added. It's one of those dishes well known among Mexicans, other Latin Americans, and Filipinos but perhaps not as common to other people. Growing up my Mom made it often and I hated it. It wasn't that it wasn't appetizing looking, it was. It wasn't that the sauce and seasonings didn't taste good, they did. It was because I used to be really grossed out by minced meat. I don't know why but I just was. Ground/minced meat is still not my favorite meat but I'll eat it from time to time. However I do have to tell you that not having had Picadillo for so long made me really enjoy it and even go up for seconds.

I wanted to share an authentic Mexican recipe for Cinco de Mayo that is less common but muy delicioso. Plus Picadillo can be used as a main course or used as a topping or filling for any Mexican recipes. My version is different from many you will find online but it's my way and similar to my Mom's. I hope all of you my non-Mexican amigos enjoy my Picadillo as much as my American esposo and I did. Buen Provecho!!

Ingredients:

500 g or 1 lb. ground meat, pork or beef
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 large carrots, halved and sliced
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 hot chile or more adjust to taste, finely chopped
Or substitute with Cayenne powder
2 large tomatoes, finely chopped

1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. salt, adjust to taste
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. paprika, for color

1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 cup beef broth

White rice to serve (or use as a filling)

1. Heat the oil in a large pan, once warm saute the onion until soft. Add the ground pork/beef to the pan and cook all the way through. Drain off most of the liquid fat, reserve only a little bit to prevent burning. Add the minced garlic, fresh chile if using and cook for two minutes. Next add the potato and carrot pieces and cook for another 4 minutes. Next sprinkle all of the spices into the pan, stir to well combine. Add the chopped tomatoes, again stirring well. Pour the broth into the pan, cover and allow to simmer for 20 minutes under medium low heat.

Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. If serving the picadillo as a meal, it can be allowed to have a bit of broth. If using the picadillo as a filling, remove the lid and allow all of the liquid to evaporate.

Need more Mexican recipe ideas for Cinco de Mayo? Check out my archives or these top 5 :

~ Top 5 Spicie Foodie Mexican Recipes ~

1- Arroz ala Mexicana, Mexican Rice

2 - Zanahorias en Escabeche, Spicy Pickled Carrots

3 - Guacamole

4 - Taquitos

5 - Tostadas de Tinga

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Slavic Cabbage Rolls (My First Attempt) and The Huffington Post

I hope everyone is starting off their weekend well. I just found out that I'm on the Huffington Post (again), and that's a pretty neat way to start off the weekend. The feature this time is for "Ten Recipes To Jazz Up Your Weekend Breakfast." and mine is the Strawberry Banana Soy Breakfast Shake. Their selection (made by Honest Cooking) is a great collection of recipes so do make sure you check it out. Congrats to all the other featured bloggers too!! Now on to my recipe, hope you enjoy it.

Cabbage rolls, or stuffed cabbage, are one of those dishes that span many countries all with unique variations. To many of you cabbage rolls (stuffed cabbage) are a very common dish, perhaps even one you grew up with. To me it is still a fairly new one. I don't have any childhood memories of my mother making cabbage rolls for us. Now that I think about it I've never seen cabbage rolls on any authentic Mexican menus. Perhaps they do exist but I've never had the pleasure of eating one. The first time I ate one was about 5 years ago in Berlin, Germany. The first time I saw them on the menu I knew immediately what I was having for lunch. The waitress set down a cabbage roll the size of my head with a light and creamy white sauce over it, I wish I would have taken a photo. With huge anticipation and a big smile on my face I took my first bite, I loved it! My husband having grown up with cabbage rolls also agreed that they were fantastic. From that day forward every trip we made to Berlin we went to Joe´s Wirtshaus Restaurant right down the street from the Zoologischer train station. On several trips we even had both our lunch and dinner there, much to the amusement of the staff. Sadly I just learned that after 15 years they have closed down. I will greatly miss Joe's and all of their fantastic German cuisine. Auf Wiedersehen und danke Joe's.

The only times I have eaten cabbage rolls have been on our trips to Berlin, maybe because I felt no others could compare. Czechs also eat cabbage rolls but so far I've only found them in the frozen food section and I rather have them fresh. A couple of weeks ago while reminiscing about Joe's cabbage rolls I made it my mission to learn to make them. I searched high and low for a recipe that sounded or looked similar to Joe's. I wasn't able to find one so instead I settled for a standard regional version. In Czech they are called Holubky, in Russian Golubtsy, and in Polish Golabki. Both the names and ingredients are quite similar. Over the days I decided to wing it and experiment with my own take of a slavic variation. I used a local variety of white cabbage, typical Czech spices, the meat is a commonly found mix of ground pork and ground beef mixture. I didn't really follow a specific recipe, instead I read through many to get the idea of the standard ingredients used. So you could call these a Mexican girl's take on Slavic cabbage rolls, sounds kinda funny.

Ingredients:
Makes 12 rolls or 3-4 servings

1 head of white cabbage (700 grams)
1.75 lb. (or 800 g) ground pork and ground beef mix, or use just beef
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup raw long grain rice, or 2 cups/400 grams cooked
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. dried marjoram
1 tsp. sweet paprika
handful finely chopped fresh parsley

Tomato sauce to pour over the rolls before baking

1. Boil the rice and set aside to cool down. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Remove any damaged or bruised outer leaves from the cabbage and discard. The first thing to be done is to soften the cabbage leaves in order to make them soft and bendable enough to roll up. Peel away the cabbage leaves from the cabbage and place in boiling water for upto 10 minutes or until soft and bendable. Remove each leaf from pot with a pair of thongs then set aside to drain.

2. Preheat the oven to 200C or 392F. In a large mixing bowl combine the meat, rice and all of the spices. Mix until all ingredients are well incorporated and spices are well distributed. Grab a softened cabbage leave and spread some meat mixture towards one end of the leaf. Tuck, fold and roll the cabbage then set the roll aside. Repeat until all of the meat filling is used up, this recipe made 12 medium rolls. Place the rolls inside a deep baking dish. There will be extra leftover cabbage that can either be placed on the bottom of the baking dish to form a bed on which the cabbage rolls are placed over to bake. In addition I also used some of the remaining cabbage to add to the tomato sauce. Finely chopped the extra or remaining cabbage and mix with the tomato sauce.

3. Pour the tomato sauce over the cabbage roll. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil, place the baking dish in the center of the of oven. Bake for 45 minutes, then remove aluminum. Look at the cabbage and use a fork to test the softness of the cabbage leaves, making sure they are soft and wilted. Once cabbage rolls are soft bake uncovered a further 10 minutes to allow the tomato sauce to thicken.

In honor of Joe's I served with them with mash potatoes. To add to the whole slavic theme I also served a small bowl of Ukrainian Borscht,beet soup, as an appetizer. These may not be Joe's cabbage rolls but if I do say so myself, not bad for a first attempt.

Do you guys have any tips or recipes for cabbage rolls similar to the ones served at Joe's?

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Broiled Horsey Chops with Savory Apples, A Meal For Your Man

What a weekend it's been, once again I am a proud Tia (auntie) of a beautiful baby boy! And yesterday my gorgeous little sister celebrated her birthday. Felicidades (congratulations) to both of my beautiful and wonderful sisters, I love you guys. Plus tomorrow is Valentine's day, an anniversary of sorts for my hubby and I. Because of the holiday everywhere you look you see sweets and dessert ideas for that special someone. But you can't just eat cookies and chocolate, you've got to make him a special meal he will love. This recipe is guaranteed to satisfy any man in your life! How can I guarantee this to you? Well, a wonderful man created this recipe, my husband. He is a fantastic cook and he taught me many things about cooking and also introduced me to world cuisine and to many "exotic" ingredient (like in this dish). I say exotic because to an immigrant Mexican girl horseradish IS exotic. I don't recall my mother ever making us tacos or tamales with horseradish... nope don't think so. Maybe we should try that sometime, you never know.

In our previous flat we had a large kitchen in which we used to cook together. It was our way of catching up and a great opportunity for me to learn his recipes. Our current kitchen is smaller than a closet, so nowadays I do the majority of the cooking. Not because he doesn't like to cook, but because it's my way of paying him back for all of those years he cooked. Ok, maybe it's also because he can't get enough of the Mexican food that I cook :) Sometimes we'll both squeeze into our tiny kitchen to cook together and I love it. Cooking with your special someone is something that I highly recommend, it is fun and a great way to let go of the day's stress.

Horsey Pork Chops Ingredients:
Bone-in pork chops, I make 2 per person
prepared horseradish, use as much as you like
salt
ground black pepper
vegetable oil to lightly coat

TIP* to prevent too much mess in the oven, cover a baking sheet with aluminuim foil and place right underneath the oven rack with the pork chops. Then just remove after broiling is done or easy cleanup.*
1. Preheat broiler for 10 minutes, Pat dry the pork chops and brush with a little bit of vegetable oil. Rub the pork chops with a little bit of salt and black pepper on both sides. Place the pork chops directly on oven rack right underneath broiler. Cook for 10 minutes then flip and continue cooking for another 10 minutes. Pour some prepared horseradish onto a small bowl. Use a spoon to spread a thick layer of horseradish ontop of each pork chop. Slide the coated pork chops back under the broiler and cook until the horseradish is dark and charred. Check on them often to prevent smoking and burning. **For more tips on broiling times and distance please read this article : Grilling and Broiling Pork on recipetips.com. **

My husband says he got the idea for these pork chops from his mom's pork roast that is rubbed with a little bit of horseradish coating. The name Horsey Chops, it seems that he got the inspiration from Arby's Horsey sauce. Typically we serve it with mashed potatoes and steamed Brussels sprouts. This last time I made the Horsey Chops I decided to serve them with some savory baked apples, and it was a great combination of flavors.

Savory Baked Apples Ingredients:
3 small apples, (I used a local variety of Jonagold)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tbsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tbsp. ghee (clarified butter) or 1 tbsp. sunflower oil

1. Preheat oven to 200C or 392F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or baking mat then set aside. Core the apples and cut into even sized wedges. Mix all ingredients until apple wedges are well coated with the spices and oil. Spread the apple wedges on a baking sheet, bake in the center of the oven for 10 minutes or until tender.

This meal is super easy to make, fast, you won't have to wash many dishes, inexpensive, and so delicious. You could call it the perfect meal for your man but you'll also love it. Delicious enough for a special occasion and easy enough for any night of the week.

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Taqutios, the taste of home

Taquitos (ta-key-toes) are small Mexican tacos that are made with a corn tortilla , a filling is added then rolled up and fried into a crunchy taquito. In Spanish when you use a word ending in "ito" or "ita" it can means that something is being called little, cute or even sweet. ( For example my love is mi amor but using this diminutive form one would say mi amorsito.) Spanish lesson aside, you may also know these taquitos as flautas ( which means a flute -because they resemble one) or even as tacos dorados which means golden or fried tacos. The typical or most common filling for these taquitos is shredded beef or shredded chicken, well at least in the area of Mexico I am from. I've heard of other fillings being used like potatoes, which sound yummy to me. The taquitos are usually served quite simple with some salsa maybe even some guacamole and shredded lettuce, simple yet delicious.

The day before making these I wanted to defrost the beef so it would be ready to boil in the morning. Well I somehow made the mistake of not really looking at the label of the frozen package and I accidently grabbed pork. I didn't notice until the next day when I went to the refrigerator to grab the meat. I decided to continue anyways and see what happened , how bad could they be right. Well let me tell you these were so so so delicious that I'm glad I made the mistake. Both my husband and I were like yum, yum stuffing our faces, hehe. It was a quiet dinner because we were too busy chowing down to speak a word, only looks and smiles of satisfaction were exchanged. We can't wait to have these again, soon! Well on to the recipe then.

Your Ingredients:
400 grams boneless Pork/Beef or Chicken
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 Roma Tomato
1 or 2 green chillies
1 small yellow onion
3 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. ground cumin seed
12 corn tortillas
toothpicks
oil for frying

Toppings:
shredded iceberg lettuce
sour cream or crema
salsa
crumbled Mexican Queso Fresco or feta cheese
avocado


1. The Pork needs to be boiled allowed to cool and then shredded. Once the pork is ready to be used prepare the rest of the ingredients. Finely dice the onion,chillies, mince the garlic and roughly dice the tomato. Heat 1 Tbs. of vegetable oil and saute the onion until transparent then add the chillies and garlic and saute for another 3 minutes then add the tomatoes and again saute for another 3 minutes. Next add the shredded pork to the pan and sprinkle the spices over the pork, mix to well combine all ingredients. Cook the pork mixture for 10 minutes then set aside to cool down.

2. It's important to set up a smooth assembly line to prepare and cook your taquitos in order for the process to move along fast and smoothly. In a deep pan heat about 1/2 cup of vegetable to fry the taquitos. Next place half of the tortillas on top of a clean kitchen towel or paper towels and wrap the towel around the tortillas to cover. Heat the tortillas in the microwave for 1 minute on medium heat. You want them only warm enough to be flexible enough to work with and roll up with out cracking.

3. Grab one warm tortilla and place some of the shredded pork towards one end of the tortilla and spread in a horizontal line. Tuck in the tortilla , as in the photo below, and roll up to form the taquitos. Use toothpicks to hold the shape for frying. ( Make sure to not over stuff the taquitos or the filling will fall out. ) Place the taquito in the hot oil and fry for a few minutes on both sides or until it turns brown and is crispy. Drain them on top of paper towels. Repeat this process until all of the tortillas and meat have been used up.


Once all of the taquitos are fried and ready to serve you can begin topping them.


Simple Tomato salsa:
4 Roma tomatoes
1 red chili ( more or less according to your taste)
1 small yellow onion
handful fresh cilantro
pinch salt
pinch black pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. dried oregano

blender

1. Clean and quarter the tomatoes,chili and onion then place inside blender. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until you have a smooth salsa.

This very simple salsa is great as a topping or to enjoy with corn chips for dipping.

When I lived at home and my Mom or Sister would make taquitos for dinner my belly was always very happy. I haven't had these in such a long time and had forgotten how scrumptious these really are. As I took my first bite and tasted the salsa and crunchy taco I was instantly reminiscing of many a diner night in my parent's house. They may have been a little bit of work but well worth all the effort. By the way these are fried which in my house is not a very common occurrence but due to the inferno I mean heat wave we are having turning on the oven was completely out of the question, so we had to endure the extra fried calories. As soon as the weather cools down I will try these out in the oven and keep you updated.




I am participating in Penny's ( Jeroxie -Addictive & Consuming) International Incident Party. This challenge theme is Tacos!

And if you are looking for more taco recipes have a look at my other tacos.

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Giveaway and Mexican Chorizo

I'm happy to announce my first giveaway to go along with this recipe. First we'll talk about the recipe then the giveaway. Chorizo, when Europeans hear this word they think of a fermented cured red sausage. But when North Americans hear chorizo they think of a crumbly meat red sausage. Spanish chorizo and Mexican chorizo are very different from each other in looks, texture and taste. And no matter what you may find on the Internet the two are not interchangeable. I love both types of chorizo but for very different reasons and to enjoy in different ways. Today I want to share my recipe for home made Mexican chorizo that you can use in any of your favorite Mexican recipes. I will share some ways to use this chorizo in the coming weeks as I use it up, so stay tuned.

Your ingredients:
1.10 lbs or 500 grams of ground pork
1 Tb. cumin seed
1 tsp. coriander seed
5 whole cloves
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp. ground Cinnamon

1/2 Tb. oregano
1/2 tsp. thyme
1 Tb. garlic powder
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper or 5 whole peppercorns

3 Tb. Apple cider vinegar or substitute red wine vinegar

2 Tb. Ancho chile powder or substitute with a combination of
2 Tb paprika mixed with 1 tsp. red chili powder or 1/2 tsp. cayenne powder

1. In a mortar and pestle grind the cumin seed, coriander seed and cloves. Break up the bay leaves with your hands as much as possible and add them to the spices in mortar and pestle, grind until you have a fine powder. Next add the remaining spices to the mortar and pestle and grind/ mix until everything is well combined.

2. In a large glass bowl using your hands break up the the ground pork . Next you may want to put on some plastic gloves to prevent burning and staining to your hands. Pour in the vinegar and half the spices, spread them evenly on the pork, and start working it into the ground pork. Adding more of the spice mixture until it has all been used up. Keep working the meat until it turns red (from the chili) and all the spices have been well combined.

It's best to let the chorizo sit overnight before using it because this will allow all of the flavors to come together and make for a better tasting chorizo. Alternatively you can freeze the chorizo until you are ready to use it. Since this chorizo doesn't have casings you can form or shape sausages or patties and keeping their form by wrapping them in plastic kitchen wrap. Another way to store the chorizo in the freezer is by portioning out amounts and storing it inside plastic bags to put in the freezer. This way you defrost what you need or want without having to use the whole large batch.

Now you are ready to use the chorizo in all of your favorite Mexican recipes like tacos, sopes, frijoles charros, chiles rellenos or any of your other favorite fusion recipes.

And now I'm really excited to be doing my first giveaway!! You can all tell that I really love my mortar and pestle and use it quite often , so I thought the perfect thing to give away is a mortar and pestle. But not just any ordinary mortar and pestle it's a cherry red Le Creuset Mortar and Pestle Set. I'm also really excited to tell you that I am able to do this giveaway thanks to the fantastic CSN Stores. CSN has over 200 stores that carry any thing and everything you would want or need for your home. I really loved their House wares store collections and the Home Decor store. But my favorite thing was these beautiful cooper back barstools, they have the best and most unique barstool collection I have ever seen. What's also great is that they have stores in the US, Canada and the Uk, and they ship to all these places. You can check out CSN at http://www.csnstores.com

The rules:
- You must live in the US or Canada.
- Comment to be included in the draw, no anonymous comments will be considered.
- Follow me on Twitter / Facebook / Google Follow ( every time you follow me at any of these sites come back to comment again letting me know you have done this so you can have an additional entry count towards the give away.)
- If you tell your friends on Twitter / Facebook or your own blog know about this giveaway come back and comment again with a link to the post to let me know you have done this and again you'll have another entry count towards the giveaway.

Deadline :
April 11th at 11:00 p.m. EST ( 3:00 a.m. GMT, my blog is set to GMT time)

The winner will be announced on April 13th in a separate post here on Spicie Foodie. I will also invite the winner to do a guest post sharing with us one of their recipes using their new mortar and pestle.

Good luck everyone!!

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