Tag: salsa

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Recipes

enchiladas suizas

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I’ve been thinking about making these enchiladas for months. Correction, I just looked at the issue of Saveur from whence this recipe came and it was the August/September 2012 issue.  So I’ve been dreaming of these enchiladas for a year. I saw their picture in the magazine and knew I had to eat them. When we discovered a few weeks ago that there was indeed a latino market in our neighborhood (I cannot explain why this discovery took three years), my dream was realized.

Enchiladas suizas are a specialty originally served in a Mexico City department store called Sanborns. Their recipe is apparently the best and while there are stateside renditions, those supposedly pale in comparison. Chicken-filled tortillas blanketed in a creamy tomatillo salsa, topped with salty, melted cheese. Ya, I can see how those would win an enchilada contest.

And so I made them. And they are indeed amazing. They make all the other enchiladas feel sad and inferior with their spicy, tangy, creamy, cheesy majesty. Now every time I have enchiladas, I will wish they were these enchiladas. If that doesn’t convince you to make them, you cannot be saved.

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Enchiladas Suizas, adapted from Saveur Magazine, Aug/Sept 2012
2 lbs tomatillos, husks removed and rinsed
2 serrano chilis, stemmed
2 poblano chilis
1 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
1 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon cumin
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
kosher salt, fresh black pepper
8 corn or flour tortillas
3 cups cooked shredded or chopped chicken
1 1/2 cups grated queso Oaxaca (or mozzarella)

The first question is, do you have shredded chicken sitting in your fridge? You do, you lucky duck. You don’t, no problem. Heat your oven to 425° F. In a small baking dish, bake four boneless, skinless chicken thighs for about 20 minutes, until the internal temperature is 165°. Take them out of the oven, let them cool and chop or shred with a fork, depending on your preference.

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Arrange your oven rack to be four inches from your broiler and heat broiler to high. Line a baking sheet with tin foil. Broil tomatillos, serranos and poblanos, until blackened, turning occasionally to brown all sides. Let cool for about 10 minutes and discard any skins. I did a half-hearted job of removing the skins and it turned out just fine. Remove the stem and seeds from the peppers and chop into rough chunks. Transfer tomatillos, serranos and poblanos to a blender or food processor. Add the cilantro, cumin, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Plus to combine. Add the sour cream and whizz until smooth. Taste for seasoning. Season with more salt and pepper.

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To assemble, coat the bottom of a baking dish with about 1 cup of the sauce. In a large bowl, combine chicken with 1 cup of the sauce. Toss to coat all the chicken. Grate the queso Oaxaca. If using corn tortillas, you’ll need to fry them for a minute or two in some vegetable oil so that they are pliable enough to roll into tubes. If you’re a gringa and have an undying love for flour tortillas, you’re good to go.

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Divide sauced chicken evenly among the tortillas. Sprinkle with a little bit of cheese and add to the sauce-coated pan. After you’ve rolled all the enchiladas, cover the dish with the rest of sauce and sprinkle with a healthy dose of cheese.

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Heat your oven to 375° F. Bake enchiladas until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted, about 25 minutes. Take care not to bake the enchiladas too long, you don’t want that luscious sauce to evaporate. Remove from the oven and let cool 10 minutes. Serve with plenty of sauce, crema and the salsas of your choice.

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Pico de Gallo
1 lb fresh tomatoes, chopped
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
1/2 – 1 jalapeño, stem and seeds removed, diced (depending on how spicy the pepper)
2 – 3 limes, juiced
salt

In a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, cilantro, jalapeño and lime juice. Season with salt.

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Roasted Corn Salsa
2 ears of corn, roasted over a gas stove, broiled or grilled
1/2 red onion, diced
1 – 2  limes, juiced
salt

Roast your ears of corn over a gas flame, until they are browned in parts, but still uncooked in others. Cut the corn off the cob. Combine in a medium bowl with the red onion and lime juice. Season with salt.

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Quick and Easy Black Beans
2 cans black beans
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
olive oil
salt, pepper
ancho chili powder

In a medium sauce pan over medium-low heat, saute the onion until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and saute another minute more. Add the cans of black beans and their juice. Reduce heat to low. Season with salt and pepper. Add a good pinch of ancho chili powder. Ancho chili powder is great in this recipe. It adds smokiness and depth, and because black beans have such a mild flavor, the ancho is able to really shine. Simmer until about half of the liquid has evaporated. Serve topped with crema.

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-Emily

 

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Recipes

corn chowder with tomato salsa

It might be chilly and foggy here in SF, but that doesn’t stop us from enjoying summer produce. Those 100+ degree days in the Sacramento valley are good for something, and that something is corn and tomatoes. Nothing tastes more like summer.

This soup combines both of those flavors, plus a little southwestern flare thanks to a tomato and corn salsa. It is great for a summer day because it is quick to make and doesn’t require turning on your oven. I haven’t lived in San Francisco long enough to forget what that is like.

Corn Chowder with Tomato Salsa
For the soup
1 small onion, diced
2 leeks, sliced
1 carrot, diced
1 T butter
4 ears of corn, removed from the cob
1 sprig of thyme
1 bay leaf
4 cups broth (we used vegetable, but chicken would also be good)
1/4 cup cream
salt and pepper

In a large stock pot or dutch oven, melt the butter over low heat. Add the onion, leeks and carrot and saute until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the corn, thyme and bay leaf and saute two minutes more.

Add the broth and simmer for 10 minutes. Puree the soup in a blender and return to the pot. Bring back up to a simmer and add the cream. Season well with salt and pepper.

If you find that your soup is too runny once you’ve pureed it like I did, make a quick roux in a small saucepan. Melt two tablespoons of butter over medium heat. When the butter is foamy, add two tablespoons of flour. Stir to combine.  Cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture is light brown. Whisk into the simmering soup to thicken.

For the salsa
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 ear corn, removed from the cob
zest and juice of one lime
chipotle or cayenne pepper – we used dried
salt and pepper

If you’re feeling up to it, grill the corn (or char it over your gas burners) before you shave it off the cob. The smokey flavor of charred corn plus the chipotle pepper would be great in contrast with the sweetness of the soup. In a small bowl, combine cherry tomatoes, corn kernels, lime juice and zest. Season with a pinch of cayenne or chipotle. Season with salt and a bit of freshly ground pepper. Set aside.

To serve, ladle the soup into the bowl and top with a few spoonfuls of the salsa. We also made a grilled cheese on some of my sourdough. Soup and grilled cheese is a special type of satisfying.

-Emily

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Recipes

pico de gallo salsa

This was the fresh tomato salsa that I served with my tamales. It was wonderful, mostly because of the quality of the tomatoes. Pico de gallo is absolutely a summer salsa, and not advisable with flavorless hot-house tomatoes in the winter. Get it while you still can!

Pico de Gallo
4 – 6 large tomatoes, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 jalepeno or serrano chili, seeds removed and diced
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
2 limes, juiced
salt

Dice the tomatoes and onions to about the same size pieces and put in a medium bowl. Finely chop the garlic and chili, taking care to not touch your eyes or face while handling the chili. Add to the tomato mixture. Add the cilantro and lime juice. Season with salt. You can make this salsa ahead and it will keep for several days.

Fresh and easy!

-Emily

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Recipes

tomatillo salsa

Thanks to Isabel Caudillo and the Simple Salsa class at La Cocina, I now know the basics of making a variety of fresh and cooked salsas. I was super excited when we received tomatillos in our CSA this week and decide to make a salsa verde. Tomatillos are small green fruit that grow in a non-edible papery skin. They have a tart flavor and the texture of an unripe tomato. They make absolutely awesome salsa! I imagine they would also be wonderful breaded and fried … I might have to try that next week.

Tomatillo Salsa 
1 lb tomatillos, dehusked
1/2 onion, cut into large chunks
1 serrano chili, seeds removed if you want a mild-medium salsa
3 cloves garlic
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 lime, juiced
salt, to taste

For this salsa I used a mixture of cooked and raw tomatillos because I wanted two distinct flavors in my salsa—the tartness from the raw and the sweetness from the cooked tomatillos. I chose to make a salsa hervida—a boiled salsa— because it is easy and quick, but you could also dry roast the tomatillos, saute them in a little vegetable oil or grill them.

In a small saucepan combine half of the tomatillos, onion, chili and garlic. Add water to just cover. Simmer for 10 minutes. Strain out the water and put in a food processor. Add the raw tomatillos, lime juice, cilantro and a large pinch of salt. Process until almost smooth. Taste for seasoning. It is that easy! Enjoy with chips or with carnitas tacos like we did!

-Emily

Categories
San Francisco

la cocina: simple salsa with el buen comer

On Wednesday I attended and photographed the Simple Salsa cooking class at La Cocina. A while back I wrote about the amazing work that La Cocina does in San Francisco, but here is a quick synopsis before we get to the photos.

La Cocina is dedicated to expanding business opportunities for low-income women food entrepreneurs. La Cocina provides affordable commercial kitchen space, guidance to its participants for planning and growing their businesses and access to larger markets for their products. La Cocina helps local women become economically self-sufficient and contribute to the vibrant San Francisco economy doing what they love to do.  If you are interested in learning more about the wonderful work La Cocina is doing here in San Francisco, please visit them here.

Simple Salsa was taught by Isabel Caudillo of El Buen Comer. Isabel specializes in guisados—stewed meats in wonderful sauces—and her class covered both fresh and cooked salsas. I learned a lot about the different types of chiles used in mexican cooking and also about the different ways to prepare salsas. There are raw, fried, roasted and boiled salsas; each technique seeks to maximize the flavor of the ingredients it features. Isabel did an amazing job sharing the building blocks of salsa construction so that participants can create amazing salsas at home. I was so inspired by the class and cannot wait to try out Isabel’s recipes at home.

Here are some photos I took during the event.

If these salsas tempt you as much as they tempted me, you can try Isabel’s food at Sunday Suppers from 5 – 10 at Heart Bar on Valencia St in San Francisco. If you’re interested in taking a cooking class at La Cocina, find out more information here.

-Emily

Categories
Recipes

carnitas tacos

It is no secret that we love pork. It is also no secret that we love braised meats. You can imagine how much we enjoy carnitas. Luckily for us, Jordan makes mean carnitas and I’m here to share his secrets with you.

(Later this week, we’ll mention another amazing mexican pork dish and where you can get the best of it in San Francisco. Hint: pineapple).

Because they are braised, pork carnitas are inherently easy – just sear and then cook low and slow. The only caveat: you have to be home for a few hours to monitor the oven and make sure the apartment doesn’t burn down.

Pork Carnitas Tacos

2 lbs pork shoulder
1/2 onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
zest of an orange – the secret ingredient
2 cups broth
salt, pepper, chili flake
Diced onion, cilantro and salsa and corn tortillas for serving

Preheat an oven to 275 degrees. Season the meat with salt and pepper. Put some oil a dutch oven or other heavy pan and heat over medium high heat. Sear all sides of the pork shoulder and set aside. Saute the onions, carrot, celery and garlic until softened. Add the pork, orange zest and chili flake and fill the dish with about 2 cups of broth. You want the broth to go half way up the chunk of meat.

Place the meat in the oven. And let it slowly cook for 3 – 4 hours, flipping the meat half way through to ensure even cooking. After the meat is fork tender, remove it from the liquid and shred using two forks. Meanwhile, pour 1 cup of the braising liquid into a smaller sauce pan and reduce, until slightly thickened. Pour some of the braising liquid into the carnitas until they are moistened.

Serve these heavenly carnitas in hot corn tortillas with cilantro, onion and salsa. We also made a salad of jicama, radish and lettuce with a lime vinegarette to go along with the tacos.

-Emily

Categories
Restaurant Reviews

tacolicious

Nope, I’m not trying to be cute by titling my post tacolicious … the restaurant is actually called Tacolicious. Although a bit put off by such a silly name, I decide to take the plunge anyway and order tres tacos from the Tacolicious stand at the Thursday Farmer’s Market at the Ferry Building. I ordered one carnitas taco, one braised beef short rib taco and one bean and summer squash taco. $9 seemed a bit steep for three tacos, but I was eating at the Ferry Building after all.

Despite the sizable crowd, my order was ready within minutes, I sprinkled a little mild green salsa on my tacos and grabbed a seat in the beautiful sunshine. So nice to be out of the office and eating tacos! Gorgeous weather aside, my tacos were tasty and the portions generous. Each corn tortilla was bursting with filling then topped with a little chopped onion and cilantro. The pork carnitas were quite good, almost as good as the carnitas my favorite taquería in Sacramento, and definitely the best of the three options. The braised short ribs were also tasty. They had the dark, meaty, beefy taste that I love about short ribs and the acidity of the salsa complemented them well. (Bias confession: I love braised meats almost as much as I love pork, and honestly can’t believe I was ever a vegetarian. Thank you Katie Norton, Jordan Seliger and Argentina for steering me right!) The vegetarian taco with beans, summer squash and salsa was also very good. Well-seasoned, substantial, and I enjoyed it as a break from the meats. Finally, the salsas … I tried the mild green salsa and the medium roasted red salsa. Both were good, but I favored the balance of green salsa. They complemented my tacos nicely. My only want … chips for dipping and a Jarritos Mandarina soda!

Conclusion: I’m very picky about my mexican food, I know it pretty well, and I’ll be back.

-Emily