The Perfect Enmoladas

 

Hi everyone!  So excited to be back on the blog with yet another one of my favorite Las Palmas collaboration recipes.  This one comes right in time for the holidays and pot luck season.  Whether you are hosting a dinner party, taking a dish to your office holiday party or just taking a little something to your kids’ school potluck, these enmoladas are the perfect dish for all of this and more.  Of course I used our Guelaguetza mole negro paste, but adding the Las Palmas sauce for an extra kick and authentic Mexican flavor made them absolutely perfect.  I hope all of you enjoy.  If you make it for dinner tonight or take it to your next pot luck dinner, don’t forget to tag me and Las Palmas Sauces using our hashtags, #laspalmassauces #moleandmore.  Happy holidays! 

P.S. This dish also works beautifully with shredded turkey, so feel free to make it with any leftover turkey you may have this Thanksgiving weekend!   

INGREDIENTS

Serves 6

2 lbs. red tomatoes

1 cup water

8oz Guelaguetza’s Black Mole Paste           

8oz Las Palmas Mild Enchilada Sauce

1 cup chicken broth

½ tsp salt

½ tsp brown sugar

21 corn tortillas

Shredded cooked chicken

Oaxaca cheese, shredded 

½ white onion, thinly sliced rings

1 cup finely chopped parsley

1/2 cup cotija cheese

PREPARATION

Boil tomatoes with water over medium heat.  Allow to cook, covered, for 20 minutes.

Remove from heat, remove the skin and use the food processor to blend the tomatoes. 

In a stock pot, pour the tomato puree and Guelaguetza’s Black Mole paste.  Stir until fully dissolved.  Add Las Palmas Mild Enchilada Sauce and chicken broth.  Allow to simmer for another 15 minutes, stirring occasionally

In a skillet, heat up the tortillas, until lightly crispy on both sides and set aside

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread 1/2 cup of the sauce in the bottom of a 9- by 13-inch baking dish. Next, one at a time, lightly dip each tortilla into the sauce.

Set the sauce-soaked tortilla on a plate.  Place the shredded chicken and cheese on each tortilla and wrap over.  Place the tortilla seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas and pour the remaining sauce over the top.

End with a sprinkling of cotija cheese, onions and any remaining chicken you may have.

Bake the enchiladas for 10 minutes. 

Sprinkle chopped parsley, and another sprinkle of cotija over the top and serve

 
Posted on November 23, 2016 by Bricia Lopez.

Garnachas con #LasPalmasSauces

 

I'm baaaaaaackkk!!!  My goodness, it has been so so long since I was in the kitchen with a camera.  Things sure do change.  I have to say that I missed it dearly.   And I must thank my friends at Las Palmas Sauces for re-igniting that fire inside of me and allowing me to get creative in the kitchen once again.  I recently partnered with them to create three recipes that bring an authentic Mexican flavor and encourage us to prepare other types of dishes outside of the Enchilada - Not that there is anything wrong w a good enchilada dinner here and there, they are always a favorite - BUT there are soooooo many other things one can do with can of Las Palmas Enchilada sauce at home.  Don't you think?  

One of my favorite dishes in the collaboration has to be these Garnachas, typically from the Isthmus region of Oaxaca.  I first had them at Zandunga (one of my favorite spots in Oaxaca) and I absolutely fell in love with the dish.  I could never say they are as good as theirs, but they sure came pretty close.  I actually served the garnachas pictured above to my husband and baby when they both got home tonight, everything was gone in minutes.  I suggest you enjoy with a cold beer if possible.  These little things are addictive and perfect for when entertaining guests.   

If you do choose to make the dish, don't forget to tag me on IG with #moleandmore and #laspalmassauces.  Provechito! 

INGREDIENTS:

For the curtido:

1 Cabbage, cored and thinly sliced

2 carrots, finely sliced

1 tsp salt

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

4 ounces of one 28-ounce can of Las Palmas® Original Style Enchilada Sauce  

for the meat:

2 Lbs. beef flank steak, cut into two equal pieces

¼ onion, thickly sliced

3 garlic

2 bay leaves

½ white onion, finely chopped

1 tbs. dried oregano

¼ cup olive oil

salt

for the sauce:

8 red plum tomatoes, smoked and roasted, peeled

24 ounces of one 28-ounce can of Las Palmas® Original Style Enchilada Sauce 

4 garlic cloves, roasted

1 tsb salt

garnachas:

2 Lbs fresh corn masa for tortillas

1 cup high heat oil, like Safflower or Peanut

1 cup cotija cheese, finely grated

PREPARATION:

Combine the cabbage, salt, vinegar and ¼ cup of Las Palmas Hot Enchilada sauce in a large bowl and mix together.  Allow to sit for at least three hours, stirring occasionally.

 Put the flank steak, the thickly sliced onion, garlic, salt and bay leaves in a large pot and add water to cover. Bring to a simmer and skim off any foam that forms on the surface. Let simmer until the meat shreds easily, 20 to 30 minutes.

When the beef is tender, turn off the heat. Remove the beef from the broth and let it cool, refrigerate the remaining broth for another use. Trim off any excess fat from the beef.  Add the meat to the food processor and grind until all the shredded pieces have been processed. Transfer the meat to a bowl and add the remaining onion, oregano, olive oil and salt to taste.

Combine the sauce ingredients in a blender (or food processor) and pulse.  Salsa must have a thick consistency.  Adjust salt for seasoning. 

Make slightly thick tortilla on the tortilla press, about 3-inches in diameter.  After the tortillas has been cooked on a comal or griddle, use fingers to pinch the outer edges to form a light rim.

Grab a separate sauté pan and heat up the high heat cooking oil, lightly fry the tortillas and set aside one by one.  After all tortillas have been fried, rinse the pan and place it back on the stove.  Grab some of the meat and carefully place it on top of each tortilla, then place the filled tortilla on the clean hot pan.  After a few seconds, carefully top off the garnacha with a couple tablespoons of sauce while still on the pan.  Make sure you are using a splatter screen.

Serve with the curtido and cotija on top  

 
Posted on October 17, 2016 by Bricia Lopez and tagged Las Palmas Las Palmas Sauces.

SALSA DE CARNE FRITA

 

Last month when my mom and dad were in town, they invited my husband and I over for lunch.   Originally my mom was planning on making her delicious caldo de pollo, but the day before I got a text from my dad asking if I instead wanted salsa de carne frita.  I believe my answer was "YESSS!!!".  The next day when I woke up, my first though was "OMG, today I'm having salsa de carne frita."  I am not exaggerating when I say I had four servings that day (blame it on the pregnancy).   In the four years of knowing each other, I don't think my husband had ever see me devour a dish like that.  To say that I love this dish, is an understatement.  Even this time around when I tested the recipe with my girlfriend Paola, we both (almost) finished the entire pot

 I called my mom to ask her for the recipe a couple of weeks ago, and I finally got to making my own version at home.  I say my version because even though I followed her recipe step by step, it will never be as good as my moms.  I hope all of you enjoy and share it with your families.  It is really very easy and a super inexpensive meal to make.  I visited two stores to find all the ingredients, El Super and Felimex in Highland Park (shout out to my new hood NELA!) and spent a total of $17.06.  The trick to this dish is browning the meat down to its core, and this takes a bit of patience.  It took about 40 minutes of stirring and waiting, but the end result was worth every second.  Also don't forget the frijolitos, tortillas and cheese.  They were meant for each other! 

Provechito

-Bricia 

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs pork spare ribs (the fattier, the better) cut in 3 inch strips

8 garlic cloves, smashed

1/4 small onion

1 lb tomatillo milpero

4 small tomatoes, cut in fours

4 chiles morita

Salt

PREPARATION:

Place the ribs in a stockpot, and cover with water, about 4 cups, bring to a boil over medium-high heat.   When the water begins to boil, skim all brown foam off with a fine strainer.  Discard the foam. 

When the water no longer has any foam, add the garlic and onion.  Allow the ribs to boil for 5 more minutes and add salt, about 1 tablespoon.  Lower heat and allow simmering for 20 minutes.  Remove 1 cup of liquid and reserve.  Continue to cook over high heat and stir to combine the garlic flavor onto the ribs, until all the liquid has evaporated and the ribs are thoroughly browned on each side.  Remove the ribs piece by piece and place on a separate dish.  Do not discard the pot, as you will be using it again.

In a separate pot, boil the tomatillos and tomatoes with 3/4 cup of water, stirring occasionally, and cover for 10-12 minutes.  Place the chiles morita on a comal, or griddle until toasted and fragrant and add them to the tomato pot, until soften.   Once the chiles are soft, place the chiles and tomatoes in a blender and blend until finely pureed. 

Remove any excess grease from the pot you used to brown the pork (if necessary), but leave just enough to fry your sauce, about 1 tablespoon.   Do not remove any brown bits, this will allow for a deeper flavor of the sauce.   Add the tomato puree, cup of liquid you reserved plus 1/4 cup of extra water to the pot.  Allow cooking for 5 more minutes under low heat.  Add the ribs to the sauce and allow simmering for 5 more minutes.  Serve in a bowl with warm tortillas on the side. Pairs great with a bowl of black beans. 

 
Posted on January 22, 2015 by Bricia Lopez.