Mexican Goods

Authentic Mexican Recipe-Quesadillas

You don’t have to be Mexican to enjoy the fun, food and festivities of Cinco de Mayo. The holiday (meaning May 5), commemorates the victory of the Mexican army over French forces in the battle of Puebla in 1862. Try these fantastic Mexican recipes for Cinco de Mayo or anytime you want good Mexican food.

Mexican Quesadillas

Stephanie Gallagher

With just five ingredients, this Cinco de Mayo recipe is super simple to prepare. And it’s ready in a flash. Serve these quesadillas withtomato salsa. .Mexican Quesadilla Recipe-

These Mexican quesadillas are a terrific quick and easy dinner or snack for kids. Serve with tomato salsa, chili con queso and guacamole.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 8 flour tortillas
• 1-1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 can diced green chiles, drained

Preparation:

1. Spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat.
2. Spread butter on one side of each tortilla. Flip over.
3. Divided cheeses and green chiles among four tortillas, buttered side down. Top with remaining four tortillas as if making a sandwich, buttered side facing out.
4. Place quesadillas, one at a time, in hot skillet. Cook, flipping once, until cheese is melted and quesadillas are golden brown, 1-2 minutes per side.

Serve with guacamole, tomato salsa, sour cream and chili con queso.

Enjoy this authentic Mexican recipe of Quesadillas.

Authentic Mexican Recipe-Mexico’s margarita tequila cocktail

When you think of Mexico and its hot summer days, think of a cool, and flavorful cocktail with the national drink, tequila. This drink has basic three basic ingredients: tequila, triple sec, and lemon or key lime juice.

Many legends surround the margarita, but all of them affirm that this drink was created for a special lady who — in most of the stories — stole the heart of its creator. In all of these, the name of that special lady was Margarita. And just like the lovely lady, this cocktail has made its way into people’s hearts.

In fact, it has made its way all around the globe and people ask for it even in some of the most remote places in the world.

This drink has basic three basic ingredients: tequila, triple sec, and lime juice. Many versions of this very Mexican cocktail are icy frappes, which are served with a salt on the rim of the margarita glass and a lemon wedge. There are versions made with sugar or with a basic syrup.

Due to its popularity, this drink has all the alterations imagined and some of the best ones are the fruit flavored ones, which can range from the cherry margarita to mango, tamarind and even passion fruit.

But you can’t forget the most important and the most Mexican ingredient of this drink — the tequila with a denomination of origin in only five states of the country. The one most recognized is Jalisco with the lovely Pueblo Mágico of Tequila.

This recipe is for the most basic frappe tequila. It’s perfect for a hot summer day or just to get the party started.

Authentic Mexican Recipe – Tres Leches Cake

This version of Pastel de Tres Leches or “Three Milk’s Cake” (known in the U.S. as “Tres Leches Cake“ is not quite as rich and dense as traditional Pastel de Tres Leches is. This fluffy cake is soaked in three types of milks in the typical style, and topped with decadent fresh whipped cream.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder- aluminum free
• 6 large eggs- carefully separated into yolks and whites
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Cream Syrup for Soaking (see recipe below)
• Whipped Topping (see recipe below)

Preparation:

Sift (or mix thoroughly) the flour and baking powder. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks until they become frothy. Whisk the sugar, milk and vanilla into the yolks. In a chilled mixing bowl, begin to whip the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Using a large spatula, begin to fold the yolk mixture into the egg white mixture a little at a time. Do this carefully as to leave the batter as fluffy as possible. Immediately pour into a greased and floured 9×13 baking dish and bake for 30-40 minutes at 325 degrees. If you insert a toothpick into the center, it should come out clean.Let the cake cool until it feels room temperature. Pierce the cake with a fork 20-30 times. Let it cool in the refrigerator for an additional 30 minutes.

Cream Syrup

• evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon rum or brandy (optional)

Whisk together the three milks and the rum or brandy if you are using it. Slowly pour the liquid over the cooled cake. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Occasionally, spoon the milk runoff back onto the cake.

Whipped Topping

• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon Mexican vanilla
• 2 tablespoons sugar

In a chilled mixing bowl add heavy cream, vanilla and sugar. Beat on high speed until peaks form. Spread a thin layer over the cake.

Top with a sprinkle of cinnamon or garnish with fresh berries.

Tres Leches Cake Chelsie Kenyon

I just know that this tres leches cake recipe is going to become one of your favorites. Enjoy!

Authentic Mexican Recipe- Easy Enchiladas

Authentic Mexican Recipe – Spicy Pozole

Mexican Pozole by Chelsie Kenyon

Authentic Mexican Recipe-Red Enchiladas with Chilacate

Enchiladas Chilacate by Ana María Flores Sánchez

There is a very large variety of Mexican enchiladas but this authentic Mexican recipe of red enchiladas with chilacate is one of the best.

Unlike the Americanized version, these Enchiladas are not baked, but served freshly made on the spot. In Mexico we buy special tortillas which are made thinner in order to absorb less oil and not break when being rolled. If you can’t get thin tortillas, don’t worry, the regular ones (corn, of course) will work just fine.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 C. oil
• 1 kilo thin corn tortillas
• 1 garlic clove
• 15 chilacate peppers, slit open, seeds, veins and core removed, cooked in 1 C. of water.
• 1 1/2 C. vinegar
• 2 1/2 C. crumbled farmer’s or Cotija cheese
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 8 small tomatoes, cooked
• 1 head iceberg lettuce,washed and thinly sliced
• 12 radishes, washed and thinly sliced
• Salt
• 1 tsp. oregano

Preparation:

Grind the cooked chilacate peppers in a blender with a little salt, the garlic and the vinegar. Pass them through a sieve and place them in a deep dish or large bowl.

In a blender, grind the tomatoes, with the oregano and salt to taste. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a deep frying pan. Slide the tortillas through the chilacate sauce and then fry briefly (5 or 10 seconds) in the oil. Fill the tortilla with some cheese and some onion, roll up and serve immediately. Repeat for the remaining tortillas.

Top these enchiladas with lettuce, radishes and the tomato sauce.

If desired, serve picante sauce on the side.

Serves 10

Until next time enjoy this authentic Mexican recipe of red Enchiladas with Chilacate.

Authentic Mexican Recipes-The Mexican Lime:a Double Duty Fruit

The Mexican Lime

In Mexico, the lime — known as alimón — is everywhere, served with nearly all food except coffee and dessert (and some desserts are made with them) and sold in even the smallest neighborhood stores. Here, limes are considered a necessity, and almost no kitchen is without them.

Wedges of lime accompany everything from morning plates of fruit to late night tacos, and are served with salads, seafood cocktails, fish dishes, grilled beef, soups, and even snacks like roasted peanuts. Many years ago, when I first had cocktails with new friends here in Mexico, I was somewhat surprised when the waiter brought lime wedges with the peanuts, and even more surprised when one of the group squeezed liberally, dousing the peanuts, skin and all, with the aromatic juice. He didn’t ask whether anybody didn’t want lime, because apparently everyone did.

And speaking of cocktails, it seems like most of them either have lime in them or come with a lime garnish. They are an important element in the beer beverage called michelada, in the rum and coke drink cuba libre, and of course in margaritas. A non-alcoholic drink called limonada preparada is made with lime juice and club soda, and then there is agua de limón, made with either the fruit juice or leaves.

The Mexican lime, Citrus aurantifolia, is prized for its special bouquet and unique flavor, but here in Mexico, it has many medicinal uses. Limes in the kitchen do double duty, used in both cooking and home remedies. This smallest member of the citrus family is taken internally and applied externally to treat a wide range of ailments.

Years ago, when I was still commuting by bus from Cholula to the university in Puebla, I bought a small paperback from a vendor who got on board hawking something called the Antigua Formulario Azteca, a collection of home cures using all manner of fruit, vegetables and herbs, from boiled celery compresses for varicose veins to radish peels to treat anemia. A fairly long section of this little gem, which I still have, is entitled “Lime Is the Best Medicinal Gift.”

Lime juice is enthusiastically recommended for an assortment of maladies from insomnia (drink the juice of 10 limes a day for three days, and sleep well on the fourth night) to tired eyes (boil the petals from a rose of Castille in a liter of water, allow to cool, and add five drops of lime juice to make eye wash.) I can’t say that I’ve tried either of these, but I can attest to the book’s lime and onion combination to treat respiratory problems.

A couple of years ago, one of my Cholulteca cooking gurus, Juana Perez, dropped by and found me in bed with what was becoming a case of bronchitis. She went to the kitchen and rounded up a half an onion, a couple of limes and some honey, put it all in the blender, lime peel included, and watched as I reluctantly downed the concoction. It doesn’t taste nearly as bad as it sounds, and works fast to eliminate congestion.

Limes are also recommended as a digestive aid, and this is one reason why they are served with so many other foods. Even before they enter the mouth, their aroma begins to stimulate salivary glands, and the acid in the fruit does the rest to breakdown macro molecules of food. Flavenoids in limes increase the production of digestive juices, making heavy meals easier to digest.

Long known as a cure for vitamin C deficiency, lime is also used to treat gout. In Mexico, those suffering from gota are advised to drink the juice of half a lime mixed into a glass of water twice a day. This helps combat the inflammation because citric acid breaks down uric acid, the buildup of which is the culprit in gout pain.

Limes are also beneficial for the skin, applied externally to scrub off dead skin cells and to help in the healing of rashes. Rubbing with a lime is the number one advice given by residents of the tropical regions of Mexico to relieve the sting and itch of insect bites. And its high content of vitamin C and flavenoids, both of which are antioxidants with antibiotic and disinfectant properties, means that consuming lime juice helps skin from the inside, too, protecting it from infections and reducing body odor.

One of lime’s most touted uses is as an aid in weight reduction. The landlady of a vacation home we rented in Baja California was in her eighties but had the face and figure of a much younger woman. Her “secret” was drinking the juice of a lime in a glass of warm water first thing in the morning and last thing at night. The weight loss connection is likely due to lime’s high potassium content, effective in flushing toxic substances out of the body.

The oil extracted from the lime’s peel is used in body oil, cosmetics and a wide array of toiletries. A study conducted a few years ago at the Smell and Taste Institute in Chicago found that citrus scents actually made people perceive the wearer as being up to ten years younger.

Originally from the Indo-Malay region and brought to the New World by the Spaniards, the diminutive fruit does so well in the tropical regions of Mexico that it is known even outside the country as Mexican lime. Another name for Citrus aurantifolia is West Indian lime and, according to information from the horticultural department at Purdue University, the Mexican lime and the Key lime are botanically the same.

The vigorous Mexican lime tree has the exotic history of many foods that came to this country with the Europeans, having traveled from the Indo-Malay region to North Africa with Arabs, and from there to the Mediterranean with the Crusaders. Limes continue to be cultivated on a commercial scale primarily in Mexico, India, Egypt and the West Indies, and on a lesser scale in other tropical parts of the world. There are two million seedling lime trees in Colima alone, and Mexico raises limes for fresh fruit sale as well as for the exportation of juice and lime oil.

Whether in beverages, soups, salads, main courses or desserts, lime adds a bright flavor and a Mexican touch to countless dishes. Here are some new recipes with lime and some from past columns.

I am able to enjoy Mexican lime as I am fortunate enough to have daily access. Hopefully you are able to find some where you live. Enjoy

Published or Updated on: July 17, 2010 by Karen Hursh Graber 2010 Resource: Mexconnect

Authentic Mexican Recipe-Pico de Gallo Salsa

Pico De Gallo Salsa By Chelsie Kenyon

Mexican Style Baked Chicken Casserole

Mexican Style Baked Chicken Casserole

Authentic Mexican Recipe – Horchata

This Mexican favorite of Horchatawas originally brought over by the Spaniards. Melon seeds or squash seeds were originally used, but rice became more popular and is the most common type of horchata today.