cooking class #8 was mexican night. to be honest, i didn’t think i would like this night that much, but it turned out to be one of my favorite or my very favorite cooking class. overall there was a lot of variety to the food we made, A LOT of food (i mean, this one even left southern night in the dust), a good balance of veggies to meat, and some really great flavors.

check it out:

lots o’ food (about three tables worth i think). here you can see the chili verde on the way left and next to it the picante pincos and rice. beyond that is all the hard and soft tacos i think.

more food! (one of the other tables)

here’s my delicious plate:

in the bowl on the right: garden gazpacho. in the plate going clockwise starting at the bottom: soft taco with pork, picante pintos and rice, chile verde, chile rellenos casserole, fiesta beef enchiladas, black bean quesadilla, double duty taco in the middle next to some classic guacamole.

here are the recipes:

fiesta beef enchiladas
Makes 8 servings

16 oz. 93% lean ground beef
1 C sliced green onions
4 tsp fresh minced or bottles garlic
2 C cold cooked white or brown rice
3 C chopped tomato, divided
1 1/2 C frozen corn, thawed
2 C (8 oz.) shredded reduced-fat mexican cheese blend or cheddar cheese, divided
1 C salsa or picante sauce
24 (6-7 inch) corn tortillas
2 cans (10 oz.) mild or hot enchilada sauce
2 C sliced romaine lettuce leaves

1. preheat oven to 375. spray 13×9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. set aside. cook ground beef in medium nonstick skillet over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. add green onions and garlic; cook and stir 2 minutes.
2. combine meat mixture, rice, 2 cups tomato, corn, 1 cup cheese and salsa; mix well. spoon mixture down center of tortillas. roll up; place seam side down in prepared pan. spoon enchilada sauce evenly over enchiladas.
3. cover with foil; bake for 20 minutes or until hot. sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese; bake 5 minutes or until cheese melts. top with lettuce and remaining 1 cup tomato.

comments: i like enchiladas. so i liked this.

garden gazpacho
serves 6-8

2 3/4 C vegetable juice cocktail (V8)
1 medium cucumber, cut into chunks
3 medium tomatoes, cut into chunks
1 tbl sugar
1/4 C red wine vinegar
1/4 C olive oil
1 small red onion, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, diced
2 green onions, chopped (green parts only)
1 zucchini, chopped
1 small green bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 C cilantro, chopped and additional sprigs for garnish
7-8 drops hot pepper sauce
salt and pepper to taste
croutons and sour cream for garnish

1. in a blender or food processor, combine 1 1/4 cups vegetable juice cocktail, 1/2 the cucumber, 1 tomato, sugar, vinegar and olive oil. blend until smooth.
2. pour mixture into a large bowl and add remaining tomatoes, remaining cucumbers, red onion, celery, green onions, zucchini, green pepper, cilantro, pepper sauce, salt and pepper. stir to blend.
3. serve well chilled with croutons, a dollop of sour cream and cilantro sprigs.

comments: quite refreshing. we mixed all the group’s gazpacho together though, so i think one group put in way too many onions or something because that red onion was overpowering. when we were making it and i tried ours, it was perfect. maybe use more hot sauce though.

classic guacamole
makes about 4 cups

8 tbl finfely chopped white onion, divided
2 tbl plus 3 tsp coarsely chopped fresh cilantro, divided
2-4 fresh serrano or jalapeno peppers* (seeded and fully chopped)
1/2 tsp chopped garlic (optional)
4 large soft avocados
2 medium tomato, peeled and chopped
2-4 tsp fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp salt
corn tortilla chips or packaged corn tortilla chips
chilies and cilantro sprig for garnish

*serrano and jalapeno peppers can sting and irritate te skin; wear rubber gloves when handling peppers and do not touch eyes. wash hands after handling

1. combine 4 tbl onion, 2 tbl cilantro, peppers and garlic, if desired, in large mortar. grind with pestle until almost smooth. mixture can be processed in blender, if necessary, but it will become more watery than desired.
2. cut avocados lengthwise into halves; remove and discard pits. scoop out avocado flesh; place in bowl. add pepper mixture. mash roughly, leaving avocado slightly chunky.
3. add tomato, lime juice, salt and remaining 4 tbl onion and 3 tsp cilantro to avocado mixture; mix well. serve immediately or cover and refrigerate up to 4 hours. serve with corn tortilla chips. garnish, if desired.

comments: mmm… guacamole. tom said the secret is the mortar pestle step to combine all those flavors. very tasty.

double duty tacos
makes 8 servings
serving suggestion: serve with refried beans or spanish rice

mexicali chili rub
1/4 C chili powder
3 tbl garlic salt
2 tbl ground cumin
2 tbl dried oregano leaves
1/2 tsp ground red pepper

tacos
2 pounds lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
3 tbl mexicali chili rub
3/4 C water
2 tbl tomato paste
16 packaged crispy taco shells
2 C (8 oz) shredded monterey jack or taco seasoned cojack cheese
2 C shredded lettuce
1 C chopped tomatoes
1 C diced ripe avocado
1/2 C light or regular sour cream
prepared salsa

1. for rub, combine chili powder, garlic salt, cumin, oregano, and ground red pepper in small bowl. mix well. transfer to container with tight-fitting lid. store in cool dry place up to 2 months.
2. cook beef and onion in large deep skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink. pour off drippings. sprinkle chili rub over beef mixture; cook 1 minute. reduce heat to medium. add water and tomato paste. cover; simmer for 5 minutes.
3. spoon beef mixture into taco shells; top with cheese. arrange lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, sour cream and salsa in bowls. serve tacos with toppings desired.

comments: this is your kind of classic hard taco recipe. pretty good. but at heart i am a soft taco person so i found the next recipe more up my alley.

soft tacos with pork
makes 8 tacos

8 (6-7 inch) corn tortillas
2 tbl butter or margarine
1 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 C shredded cooked pork
1 can (4 oz) diced green chilies, drained
2 tbl chopped fresh cilantro
1 C (1/2 pint) sour cream
salt
black pepper
1 1/2 C (6 oz) shredded monterey jack cheese
1 large avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
green taco sauce

stack and wrap tortillas in foil. warm in 350 oven 15 minutes or until heated through. melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. add onion, cook until tender. add pork, green chilies, and cilantro. cook 3 minutes or until mixture is hot. reduce heat to low. stir in sour cream; add salt and pepper to taste. heat gently; do not boil. to assemble each taco, spoon about 4 tbl pork mixture into center of each tortilla; sprinkle with 2 tbl cheese. top with avocado; drizzle with 1-2 tsp taco sauce. sprinkle tacos with remaining cheese. roll tortilla into cone shape or fold in half to eat.

comments: i loved these tacos. i think this pork was cooked for like 5 hours by tom/kitchen/TAs so it was nice and soft and tender. meanwhile, i am completely crazy about green chiles. i love the sourness and flavor they have. the sour cream also made them nice and creamy and delicious. this dish and the chile verde were my favorites (i talk about that near the end).
now here a bunch of salsa recipes. each group made one of the recipes.

classic salsa:
makes about 2 1/2 cups
4 medium tomatoes
1 small onion, finely chopped
2-3 jalapeno peppers or serrano pepper*, seeded and minced
1/4 C chopped fresh cilantro
1 small clove garlic, minced
2 T lime juice
salt and pepper to taste

*serrano and jalapeno peppers can sting and irritate te skin; wear rubber gloves when handling peppers and do not touch eyes. wash hands after handling

cut tomatoes in half; remove seeds. coarsely chop tomatoes. combine tomatoes, onion, jalapeno peppers, cilantro, garlic and lime juice in medium bowl. add salt and pepper. . cover and refrigerate 1 hour or up to 3 days for flavors to blend.

chunky fresh tomato salsa
makes 2 cups

1 garlic clove
2 serrano chiles or 1 jalapeno chili, stemmed and halved
2 medium-large (about 1 lb total) ripe round tomatoes
1/3 C (loosely packed) roughtly chopped cilantro
1 large green nonion, roots and wilted outer leaves removed, chopped into small pieces
1 T fresh lime juice (or light-flavored vinegar)
salt

drop the garlic and chile pieces one at a time into a running food processor, letting each get finely chopped before adding the net. turn off the processor and remove the lid. cut 1 tomato into quarters and add it to the food processor, along with the cilantro. pulse 4-6 times, until you have a coarse puree. scrape the mixture into a bowl.

cut the other tomato into 1/4 inch pieces and add to the bowl, along with the green onion. taste and season with lime juice (or vinegar) and salt, usually a generous 1/2 tsp. this salsa is best if eaten within an hour or two, but it will keep for a number of hours in the refrigerator.

rustic roasted tomato salsa:
makes about 2 cups

2 fresh jalapeno chiles (or 4 serranos, 1 or 2 habaneros or practically any fresh chile)
3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1/2 C finely chopped white onion
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes in juice (preferably fire-roasted)
1/3 C loosely packed roughly chopped cilantro
a teaspoon or so of fresh lime juice or cider vinegar (optional)
salt

set a small skillet over medium heat. lay the chiles and garlic in the skillet and dry-roast until soft and blotchy black in spots, about 10 minutes for the chiles, about 15 minutes for the garlic.

while the chiles and garlic are roasting, scoop the chopped onion into a strainer and rinse under cold water. shake off the excess water and pour into a medium bowl.

pull the stems off the roasted chiles and peel the papery skins off the garlic. scoop them into a food processor and pulse until they are finely chopped. add the tomatoes, with their juice, recover and pulse a few more times, until the mixture is as coarse or smooth as you want your salsa to be.

pour the tomato mixture into the bowl with the onion. add the cilantro and stir thoroughly. thin with a little water if necessary to give the salsa an easily spoonable consistency. taste and season with the lime juice or vinegar, if using, and salt, usually about 1/2 teaspoon. if not using within an hour or two, cover and refrigerate

note: if you’re not planning to use the salsa within a few hours, wait until you’re ready to serve to add the onions and cilantro.

fresh tomato salsa
makes 1 1/2 cups
4 medium (about 8 oz total) tomatillos, husked, rinsed and quartered
1 large garlic clove, peeled and quartered
hot green chiles to taste (2 serranos or 1 jalapeno), stemmed and roughly chopped
1/2-2/3 C (loosely packed) roughly chopped cilantro
salt

combine the tomatillos, garlic, chiles and cilantro in a blender jar or food processor. add 1/4 cup water and a generous 1/2 tsp of salt. process to a coarse puree; if using a blender, begin on low, at first pulsing to get the mixture moving evenly through the blender blades. pour into a salsa dish and thin with a little more water if necessary to give salsa an easily spoonable consistency. taste and season with additional salt if you think necessary. serve within an hour.

comments on salsas: i think our group made the rustic salsa. that one is pretty spicy but in a really yummy way. i didn’t get a chance to try all the salsa since i was distracted by all the other yummy food. i’m sure they are all delicious though.
ok, i’m tired of typing. in our packet we also have a fajitas recipe (not made) and several recipes that the TAs/kitchen staff made for us (black bean quesadillas, chili rellenos casserole, picante pintos and rice, chile verde). if anyone wants those recipes, write me a comment and i’ll post it. or if i try out some of these in the future i’ll post the recipes.

anyway, i just want to say i have a very special place in my heart and stomach for the chile verde:

i love this recipe sooooooooooooooo much. in fact, i took home two containers of this stuff, but look how much there was still left after everyone had eaten and taken leftovers:

so much left!!!! this class is craaaaazy!
i love green chiles, and this chile verde had such awesome flavors. tom/the kitchen/TAs cooked the pork for 7 hours so it was super tender and yummy. then the sourness of the chiles was perfect, and the beans went well with all of it. this may be my favorite dish of the class (even though we didn’t even make it).

all the food was really really great for mexican night. my favorite night!