1,001 Best Hot and Spicy Recipes (55 page)

 

1.
In a large mixing bowl, place the chiles in the vinegar along with the garlic, cloves, peppercorns, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, oregano, lemon juice, orange juice, and salt. Mix well. Add the meat and stir well to combine. Cover and refrigerate the mixture for 24 hours.

2.
Clean the sausage casings well, then use a funnel to stuff them with the meat mixture. Refrigerate just the amount you plan to use in the next day or two, then freeze the rest.

Yield: 6-8 servings

Heat Scale: Medium

 

2 pounds (1.1 kg) pork, cubed
1 tablespoon (15 mL) salt
1 cup (236 mL) orange juice
6 ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed
1 pasilla chile, stem and seeds removed
5 cloves garlic, peeled
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon (5 mL) ground oregano
¼ teaspoon (1.25 mL) ground cumin
1 teaspoon (5 mL) freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup (59 mL) distilled white vinegar
½ cup (118 mL) beef broth
2 tablespoons (30 mL) pork lard (or substitute vegetable shortening)
1 small onion, peeled and sliced
2 yellow squash, sliced and lightly boiled

 

1.
Place the meat in a skillet with a little water, the salt, and the orange juice. Cook over medium heat, covered, until the meat is tender, about 45 minutes. Shred the meat and set it aside.

2.
Combine the chiles, garlic, onion, oregano, cumin, pepper, vinegar, and beef broth in a blender. Blend until smooth and set aside.

3.
In a separate skillet, heat the lard over medium-high heat. Fry the meat and chile mixture together until blended. Serve with the onion and squash.

Yield: 4-6 servings

Heat Scale: Mild

 

10 whole black peppercorns
¼ teaspoon (1.25 mL) cumin seeds
5 cloves garlic, peeled
3 tablespoons (45 mL) commercial achiote paste
1 teaspoon (5 mL) dried Mexican oregano
2 bay leaves
⅓ cup (79 mL) bitter orange juice (or substitute ⅓ cup [79 mL] lime juice,
fresh preferred)
2 pounds (1.1 kg) lean pork, cut in 1½- or 2-inch (4 or 5 cm) cubes
Banana leaves or aluminum foil
3 xcatic chiles, stems and seeds removed, cut in strips (or substitute banana or yellow wax hot)
1 large purple onion, peeled and sliced

 

1.
Place the peppercorns and cumin seeds in a spice mill or coffee grinder and process to a fine powder. Add the garlic and continue to grind.

2.
Combine the spice mixture, achiote paste, oregano, bay leaves, and orange juice. Pour this marinade over the pork and marinate for 3 hours at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator.

3.
Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C).

4.
If using banana leaves, cut them to fit a roasting pan. Soften the leaves by passing them over a gas flame or holding them over an electric burner for several seconds until they begin to turn light green. Remove the center ribs from the leaves and use them for tying. Lay a couple of strings (long enough to tie around the pork) along the bottom of the pan. Line the pan with the banana leaves or foil.

5.
Place the pork, including its marinade, on the leaves or foil. Top with the chiles and onions. Fold the banana leaves over and tie with the strings, or fold the foil over and press to seal. Cover the pan and bake for 1½ hours.

Yield: 4-6 servings

Heat Scale: Medium

 

3 tablespoons (45 mL) butter
3 tablespoons (45 mL) all-purpose flour
1 cup (236 mL) milk
1 cup (236 mL) chilorio (stewed and shredded pork, as prepared in Chilorio
Sorpresa, page 349)
½ cup (118 mL) grated gruyere cheese
¼ cup (59 mL) grated Parmesan cheese
4 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, seeded and minced
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 eggs, separated
1 egg white

 

1.
Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Grease a soufflé pan.

2.
Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat and mix in the flour. Once the flour is dissolved, remove the pan from the burner. Add the milk little by little until the mixture thickens. Return the pan to low heat and add the chilorio, cheese, chiles, salt, and pepper.

3.
Beat the egg yolks until they become foamy and pale yellow, then add them to the mixture in the saucepan.

3.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks, then add them to the mixture.

4.
Transfer the mixture to the prepared soufflé pan and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the soufflé has risen and is firm and golden brown. Serve immediately.

Yield: 6-8 servings

Heat Scale: Medium

 

8 guajillo chiles, toasted, stems and seeds removed (or substitute New Mexican)
1 pinch coriander seeds, roasted
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon (15 mL) chopped cilantro
1 pinch ground cumin
2 whole cloves, ground
1 cinnamon stick
½ teaspoon (2.5 mL) grated fresh ginger
¼ cup (59 mL) vinegar
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 pounds (1.82 kg) pork meat, cut into 1½-inch (2 cm) cubes
4 ripe mangos, peeled, pitted, and cubed
1 onion, sliced
6 radishes, sliced
Pineapple slices for garnish
Shredded lettuce for garnish

 

1.
Preheat the oven to 275°F (140°C).

2.
In a blender, combine the chiles, coriander, garlic, cilantro, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste and purée.

3.
Place the pork in a baking dish and pour the chile mixture over it. Scatter the mango cubes over the mixture. Bake for about 1 hour or until done. Garnish with the onion, radishes, pineapple, and lettuce.

Yield: 4-8 servings

Heat Scale: Medium

 

4 pasilla chiles, toasted, stems and seeds removed, soaked in hot water
1 large clove garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon (5 mL) oregano
1 tablespoon (15 mL) distilled white vinegar, or to taste
1 teaspoon (5 mL) salt
8 pork steaks (about 5-6 pounds [2.27-2.72 kg] total)
Oil as needed for frying

 

1.
Place the chiles, garlic, oregano, vinegar, and salt in a blender and blend until smooth.

2.
Pound the steaks, cover them with the chile sauce, and let them sit for about 2 hours.

3.
In a skillet, heat a little oil over medium-high heat and fry the steaks.

Yield: 6-8 servings

Heat Scale: Medium

 

1 (3-pound [1.36 kg]) arm roast
5 chiltepins, crushed
1½ cups (354 mL) chopped roasted green New Mexican chile
1 cup (236 mL) chopped, peeled tomatoes
½ cup (118 mL) chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

 

1.
Place the roast in a large pan and add water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the meat starts to fall apart, about 3 or 4 hours. Check it periodically to make sure it doesn’t burn, adding more water if necessary.

2.
Remove the roast from the pan and remove the fat from the roast. Remove the broth from the pan, chill it, and remove the fat. Shred the roast with a fork.

3.
Return the shredded meat and the defatted broth to the pan, add the remaining ingredients, and simmer until the meat has absorbed all the broth.

Yield: 4-6 servings

Heat Scale: Medium

 

1½ pounds (680 g) beef bones with meat; meat cut off the bones in 1-inch
(2.5 cm) cubes
2 quarts (1.9 L) water
1 onion, peeled and chopped
9 cloves garlic, peeled, divided
1 bay leaf
1 chile de arbol (or substitute 1 large piquin or santaka chile)
5 whole black peppercorns
2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 whole allspice berries, divided
2 whole cloves, divided
½ pound (224 g) pork butt, cut in 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes
5 chilhuacle negro chiles, stems and seeds removed, seeds reserved
(or substitute anchos)
6 guajillo chiles, stems and seeds removed, seeds reserved (or substitute
dried red New Mexican chiles)
1 corn tortilla, torn into strips
Leaves of 1 sprig fresh oregano
Leaves of 1 sprig fresh thyme
1 teaspoon (5 mL) cumin seeds
1 (2-inch [5 cm]) cinnamon stick (Mexican preferred)
4 large tomatoes, quartered
3 fresh tomatillos, husks removed, halved
1 small onion
2 chayotes, thinly sliced (or substitute zucchini)
½ pound (224 g) green beans, chopped
5 small potatoes, peeled and quartered
3 tablespoons (45 mL) lard or vegetable oil
2 to 3 avocado leaves, or substitute bay leaves
Salt, to taste
Sliced onion for garnish
Lime slices for garnish

1.
In a large stock pot, cover the beef bones with cold water and bring to a boil. Boil for 20 minutes, skimming off any foam that forms. Lower the heat and add the onion, 8 cloves of the garlic, the bay leaf, the chile de arbol, the peppercorns, the carrots, the celery, 1 of the cloves, and 1 of the allspice berries, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the beef and pork cubes, lower the heat, and simmer, covered, for 1 hour. Strain the stock and cool it in the refrigerator. Skim off any fat that rises to the top.

2.
In a large frying pan or comal (a smooth, flat griddle traditionally used in Mexican cooking), toast the chiles over high heat, turning once until darkened but not burned. Place the chiles in a bowl and cover them with hot water. Soak for 30 minutes to soften.

3.
Toast the tortilla strips on the comal until they blacken, remove. Toast the reserved chile seeds on the comal until they are blackened. Remove the seeds and place them in water to soak. Change the water after 5 minutes, and soak again for another 5 minutes. Drain.

4.
Drain the chiles and transfer them to a blender or food processor with the tortillas, blackened seeds, oregano, thyme, the remaining 2 allspice berries, the remaining whole clove, the cumin, the cinnamon, and a little water. Purée to a paste.

5.
Roast the tomatoes and tomatillos on the comal until soft, then remove them. Roast the onion and the remaining garlic. Place them all in the blender and purée.

6.
Bring 3 cups (708 mL) of the chilled stock to a boil. Add the chayote, green beans, and potatoes. Reduce the heat and simmer until the potato is easily pierced with a fork, about 10 minutes. Drain the vegetables and set them aside.

7.
Heat the lard or oil in a heavy pot or cazuela (clay pan) over medium heat. Add the chile purée and fry about 2 minutes. Add the tomato mixture and fry for a couple of minutes. Stir in just enough of the beef stock to thin the mixture and add salt to taste. Toast the avocado leaves and add them.

8.
Add the meat and vegetables to the mole and heat through.

9.
Garnish the mole with the onion and lime slices and serve.

Yield: 20 servings

Heat Scale: Medium

 

2 (5-pound [2.3 kg]) rump roasts
4 cups (.95 L) vinegar
3 ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed, toasted, rehydrated, and minced
3 poblano chiles, stems and seeds removed, roasted, peeled, and chopped
5 ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 head garlic, peeled, crushed, and chopped
1 cup (236 mL) white wine
Ground cloves, to taste
Ground cumin, to taste
Dried thyme, to taste
Dried marjoram, to taste
1 bay leaf
Dried oregano, to taste
Salt, to taste
4 ounces (112 g) ham, sliced
4 ounces (112 g) bacon or salt pork, chopped
Lemon juice, to taste
1 large onion, peeled and sliced
40 corn tortillas