Texas Cactus Fritters

Cactus: nutritious & delicious too!
Cactus or Nopal brought many a Texas rancher through a long hard Winter in the not too distant past. I have heard my Grandfather talk about burning the Prickly Pear Cactus all Winter long so they could keep cattle fed when grass was scarce in the 1930's. Texas A&M University has done extensive research on the benefits of Nopal for both people & animals. Early Spanish explorers were introduced to the Cactus as food source when they met indigenous peoples who used both the fruit produced by the plant as well as the green pads. In South Texas & Mexico the Nopal or tender pads of cactus are used in Salads, Soups & even scrambled into eggs...my personal favorite. The taste is similar to asparagus or a green bean. Nopal is both high in fiber, vitamins & claims to lower blood sugar levels, as well as help a hangover! For more information check here:

In many Latin grocery stores nopal is easily accessible. The cactus or nopal must be blanched in order to use it in salads or cooked so the texture is acceptable. This recipe simple & can be used as a side dish or appetizer. I made a dipping sauce from Sour Cream & ready made fire roasted Salsa Verde, mixing equal parts. The sauce is nice but by no means necessary.




















Texas Cactus Fritters
1 1/2 cups Yellow Corn (can be fresh, canned or frozen as long as it is drained & thawed)
1 cup of Nopal cut into small diced pieces (nopalitos), blanched & well drained
1/4 cup Red Bell Pepper, diced
1/4 cup Poblano Pepper, roasted, peeled & diced
1/4 cup onion, diced1 Jalapeno Pepper, seeded, diced
2 Eggs, beaten
3 - 4 Tbsp. milk
2 Tsp. Cajun seasoning
1 cup Corn meal
2 Tbsp. Flour
1 tsp. Sugar
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 tsp. Salt
Oil
Mix together corn, peppers, onion, nopal. Add dry ingredients, stir to coat all of the ingredients with the cornmeal mixture. Once this is done add the beaten eggs & then add in the Tbsp. of milk 1 at a time, making the mixture the texture of a sticky texture dough batter. Drop well rounded spoonfuls into hot vegetable oil in skillet & cook over med high heat. Turn them once making certain to brown well on each side. Drain any excess oil onto paper towels & serve at once.

Nopal scrambled into eggs with tomato & green onion.

Smoking Chipotle Brownies heat up my Valentine~

Love is an act of endless forgiveness, a tender look which becomes a habit. ~Peter Ustinov

Year after year I give the same Valentine gift to Mr. Texas2Mexico... this year I was determined to make something a different. Smoking, smoldering & some sizzle make this a Brownie with a South of the Border kick!

When I first arrived in Mexico I remember calling a friend in Texas for her brownie recipe & trying to locate Hershey's Cocoa in the town we were living in then. She told me that with as much history has Mexico had going for it with Cocoa I should be able to find some great alternatives. The Mexican Cocoa we use for making Mexican Hot Cocoa isn't normally used for brownies however I found this addition made a good Brownie recipe even better. The Chipotle Peppers in this recipe make a crisp new flavor added to this old standard. I'm still using the Hershey's cocoa but the new flavors certainly kick the savory Brownies up a notch or two.

The Chipotle Peppers packed in Adobo Sauce I use are ground into a paste which makes adding into the batter easy. 2 things to remember. Before adding to the recipe taste the Chipotle, some of it can be likened to drinking straight from Hell's firehose! The Chipotle Peppers I used were almost mild in flavor so I was able to use the entire 4 inch long pepper. The very small cans of Chipotle peppers found in the states are small cans & they tend to be of the hotter than hot variety. If this is the case measure out no more than 2 tsp. into the Brownie mix. Don't worry about the seeds. What would any dish with chili peppers be without the seeds?

The Chipotles date back to region that is now northern Mexico City, prior to the Aztec civilization. It is conjectured that the Aztecs smoked the chilies because the thick, fleshy, jalapeno was difficult to dry and prone to rot. The Aztecs used the same "smoke drying" process for the chilies as they used for drying meats.**

The Fischer & Wieser Raspberry Chipotle Sauce I use in the Brownie frosting is a Texas original & is now sold in many fine grocery stores throughout the US, we can even find it in Northern Mexico. If you cannot locate it, go to the Website: www.jelly.com



CREAMY CHIPOTLE BROWNIES

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon Mexican vanilla
2 eggs
1 Chipotle Pepper in adobo, blend or process until it becomes a paste.
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1, 2 oz. Round IBARRA or ABUELITA Mexican Chocolate, broken into pieces
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
RASPBERRY BROWNIE FROSTING(recipe follows)
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 9-inch square baking pan.

2. In food processor or blender grind the 2 oz. broken Mexican chocolate pieces with 1/2 sugar & then add to total cocoa & sugar mixture then proceed with rest of recipe. (Do not use more than 1 cup of Sugar total.) For Chipotle Pepper; drain, remove stem & process into a paste in the blender, adding water if needed to attain consistency of a paste. Stir together butter, sugar and vanilla in bowl. Add eggs; beat well with spoon. Add Chipotle Chili pepper, mix well distributing the pepper paste well through the mixture.. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually add to egg mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in nuts, if desired. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan.

3. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.Do not over bake, these are best when moist. Prepare RASPBERRY BROWNIE FROSTING; spread over brownies. Cut into squares. About 12-16 brownies.

RASPBERRY BROWNIE FROSTING

3 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
3 tablespoons HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1 tablespoon Fischer & Wieser Raspberry Chipotle Sauce or Raspberry Jam
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons milk
Pecan halves for garnish

Beat butter, cocoa, Raspberry Chipotle Sauce (or Raspberry Jam) and vanilla in small bowl until blended. Add powdered sugar and milk; beat to spreading consistency. About 1 cup frosting. Frost Brownies when cooled & garnish with Pecans.

**Online info for Chipotle Pepper info. http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/chipotle.htm

Cooking Shepherd's Pie for the masses or the family!

Childrens homes in Mexico are a place of both great blessing & great need. More often often than not they operate on little more than Faith & Hope. The opportunities to help & be of service at these homes can be endless for Expats right here in Northern Mexico. The Newcomer's Group here helps with food, clothing & educational needs. It is a great pleasure to help on Saturdays when the group provides a Saturday meal for the kids which we both prepare the food as well as actually serve it. Saturday meals give the house parents & over burdened workers a chance to rest & be served along side the kids. There is always enough for second helpings & of course desert is a must. This past Saturday we served Shepherd's Pie, Salad, Bread & homemade Brownies. The smiles were thanks enough even if it was hard not to have a lump in the throat when the blessing was said. Last Friday several of us met in my friend Tresa's kitchen to mix, stir, chop & blend the many Shepherd's Pies we served the following day. Feeding 100 isn't so hard when friends are doing the work. Not only was it satisfying but the food tasted great & interested me in cooking a repeat version for less than 100....in my own kitchen. I've scaled it down but kept the same seasons & flavors alive in my version of the Tresa Amrani's Shepherd Pie. *I have to say she did surprise me by telling me how many recipes of meals for crowds are offered online.










Cottage Pie, also known as Shepherd's Pie, refers to a meat pie with a crust made from mashed potato. Cottage was a term referring to modest working class dwelling.

The term Cottage Pie or Pye is known to have been used as early as 1791, when potato was being introduced as an edible crop affordable for common people. Although the potato was introduced to Europe in 1520 by the Spanish from the New World it wasn't mainstream for several hundred years. Shepherd's Pie can be made with endless meat & vegetable varieties & even with only vegetables. In the 1990's my children were more than likely worn out on my vegetarian version of Shepherd's Pie...






Tresa's Shepherd Pie
4 large potatoes, peeled
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 med. onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 pound ground chicken
2 large carrot, shredded
8 oz. fresh sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. Tabasco
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chicken or beef bouillon powder
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup shredded Monterrey jack & or cheddar cheese
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste

Boil potatoes until tender, drain.
Mash potatoes with butter or margarine and milk. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside. Add as little or more milk to get the potatoes rather soupy since they dry slightly as they cook on top of the Shepherd Pie.
Saute onion & bell pepper in olive oil until soft. Stir in ground chicken, carrot, mushrooms, parsley, Worcestershire sauce,Tabasco, garlic, and chicken bouillon. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook and stir until meat is broken up and cooked through. Drain. Stir in flour.
Transfer meat mixture to a casserole dish sprayed lightly with cooking spray. Evenly sprinkle cheese over meat mixture. Spread potatoes over meat, don't pack potatoes too hard, keep fluffy.
Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 30 minutes, or until potatoes are golden brown on top.

Super Soup Bowl Weekend!

I'm not standing up & screaming about a team this Super Bowl Sunday...the reasons are simple. A.)The Cowboys~aka: Americas Team, will not be playing (next season,please?? I might have to start a letter writing campaign to Cowboys owner Jerry Jones!!) B.) Don't have the patience to listen to a Super Bowl game here in Mexico with Spanish voice over. For the Cowboys yes... but that is about the limit for me. Imagine Latin Soccer game style sportscasters. I did it 2 years ago & never again. Podcast are less painful here South of the Border. C.) I just don't care this year, no halftime show(hopefully, minus a clothing malfunctioning) or quarterbacks I really care about; so there! The game will be going on regardless & I can enjoy a slow weekend here of warm soups. We are experiencing a cold snap here in Northern Mexico & warm, nourishing meals are fine fare for our rather slow introspective weekend. At my kitchen it's the Super Soup Bowl weekend. In the spirit of cross cultural dining & pleasing a crowd try out the recipes for Italian Ciabotta, Hot Chicken Salad Sandwiches or the Mexican Green Chili Posole Soup.

Broccoli & Zucchini Ciambotta
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 med. onion, diced
5 stalks celery, sliced on diagonal
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 28 oz. can of tomatoes, undrained
3 med. zucchini, sliced
small head broccoli, cut into small florets, slicing some stems very thin
3 cups vegetable stock
1 Tbsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. fennel seeds
Salt & Pepper to taste
In Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, pepper, celery; saute until vegetables are lightly browned & tender. Add tomatoes, zucchini, broccoli florets, stem slices, vegetable stock. Bring to simmer over medium heat & add oregano, fennel seeds, salt & pepper. Reduce to medium low heat & simmer 25 to 30 minutes or till the vegetables are tender. Serve with garnish of fresh sliced basil leaves.





















Hot Chicken Salad Sandwich
2 large cans Chicken, drained & shredded with fork
1 can artichoke hearts, drained & chopped
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup diced onion
Mayonnaise, Tabasco sauce, Salt & Pepper
Manchego or White Cheddar Cheese, shredded
Mix Chicken, artichokes & parsley. Mix in an amount of mayonnaise to bind the ingredients together but not mask the flavors or make overly moist. Add Tabasco, salt & pepper to taste. Toast Bolillo halves then place a mound of Chicken Salad on the bread, top with Manchego cheese & broil till bubbly & serve immediatly.



















Green Chili Posole

2 large cans of Hominy (Juanita's) or fresh bagged from Latin market* yield approx 4 cups of hominy.
1 large yellow onion, sliced and cut up
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon dry oregano (Mexican oregano if you can get it)
3 Tbsp. menudo spice seasoning, Bolner's Fiesta brand is my favorite
*See above photo of my favorite San Antonio Texas spice brand.
3 canned green chiles, diced, preferably hot or medium strength
1, 2 to 3 lb. pork tenderloin, trimmed & cut into cubes.
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper to taste

In a large stock pot combine the hominy, onions, garlic, oregano, and green chile. Fill with water to cover the ingredients. Salt and pepper the heck out of it, and plan to do so again later. Turn on the heat and bring to a boil while preparing the meat.

Cut the pork up & heat a small amount of olive oil and brown the pork slowly, adding some salt and pepper to the meat.

After browning the pork, add it to the stock pot and stir the meat in.Once it boils, turn the heat back to simmer the stuff. Simmer for about 15 minutes, stir, and boil again. Do this twice, then simmer again on low heat.

Stir about every 30 minutes. Keep it on low heat, just at a simmer, keep stirring now & again. Continue to cook down, hominy will get softened. Add some water as needed to keep the stock covered. It will thicken & broth will become richer. Add salt and pepper to taste, adjust after the Posole cooks, salt might be needed again as the hominy soaks up the salt.
Serve with tortillas, I serve with diced avocado, lime, cilantro & onion. Buen Provecho!
**Total cook time on this dish is 2-3 hours. Do not rush, the hominy must not retain a crunchy texture. My husband had eaten crunchy Posole...not recommended!

Dehydrating Fruits & Strawberry Scones

Dehydrated doesn't mean dried out. Quite the opposite actually while preserved/dried foods from the grocery store might contain additives like sulfites, you can eliminate that issue completely by dehydrating food at home. Always the kitchen gadget fiend I was thrilled to be gifted with a dehydrator for Christmas. Fruit & produce dried at low settings, loses almost none of its nutritional value. We are fond of fresh & dehydrated mangoes so naturally it was my first fruit of choice to stick into the dehydrator. Great as that was just like anyone with a new toy we have now dehydrated strawberries & kiwis too! Just like a Ronco commercial..."but no, that's not all". We have also made a round of jerky in the fun new machine. While it would be easy to snack on all of our goodies I did manage to make up a batch of scones with the dehydrated strawberries we had recently made.





















Strawberry Scones
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
5 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup chopped dehydrated strawberries
1 tablespoon half-and-half
Colored sugar crystals

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a bowl, whisk together flour, 5 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in 2/3 cup half-and-half until just moistened. Gently fold in dried strawberries.
On a lightly floured surface, knead dough gently, 5 to 10 times. Pat into a 1-inch-thick round. Cut into 8 wedges; place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, 1/2 inches apart. Brush tops with remaining tablespoon half-and-half; sprinkle with about a tablespoon of colored sugar crystals. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.
Yield: 8 servings
This was based on a Martha Stewart recipe which used fresh currants, yum! I myself am a big fan but was looking for a suitable use for my dehydrated strawberries.

Inauguration Menu Remix & Ex Pats throwing a party!

No A-list celebrities here in Mexico but the Ex Patriot community partied & celebrated as the United States had the 44th President sworn into office. Anytime, in any country there is a peaceful transition of power it should be cause for celebration & joy. Politics & cultural differences aside there were 5 nations represented at the fun event hosted at Tresa Arami's home. The food, beverages & company was truly outstanding. I took a Lemon Dried Cherry Cake as well as some Star Sugar Cookies decorated with blue royal frosting & blue sugar crystals. **late night cookie decorating is horrible on Mexican tiled floors, those sugar crystals seem to have multiplied!

The official Inaugural menu was published this week & the 2009 Presidential Inauguration Luncheon Menu included a recipe for Herb Roasted Pheasant with Wild Rice Stuffing. To see the menu, china & related items go here~http://inaugural.senate.gov/While most of us don't have Pheasant close at hand chicken breast is a suitable substitute. Not wanting to stuff the breast with the pulverized tenderloin mixture (on the official menu)I made an adjustment in that area. The size of a Pheasant breast would warrant a modest addition of protein but chicken breast is much more substantial & held very well with the rice mixture minus the extra tenderloin. I'll admit my version is more of an "average Joe" recipe. I've also included the cake recipe I baked in the "American Star" Bundt cake pan. Buen Provecho!

I leave you with these words from Inauguration Day poet, Elizabeth Alexander. "I need to see what's on the other side; I know there's something better down the road."
Tomorrow morning in Washington D.C. the real work begins~




















Herb Roasted Chicken with Wild Rice Stuffing (*No pheasant here)
Yield: 4 portions
Ingredients
5 Chicken breast, boneless, skinless, cut small pocket in side of breast for stuffing
½ cup Olive oil with chopped rosemary, thyme and sage *1 round Tbsp each herb
1 cup Wild rice, long grain mixture
2 cups Chicken stock or canned chicken broth
2 Carrots, diced
½ Onion, diced
½ cup Dried apricot, small diced
1 cup dried bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
1 Tablespoon Salt and pepper mix
2 Tablespoons Garlic, roasted
Directions
1. Boil the rice with the chicken stock, cook until soft and most of the liquid is gone.
2. Add the onion, carrot, garlic and apricot. Cook until the vegetables are soft and all liquid has been absorbed. Refrigerate rice mixture until cool.
3. When rice is cool, add bread crumbs & 1 egg to the rice until well mixed. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and return to refrigerator until ready to stuff.
4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
5. Make 5 small football shaped patties of the rice mix, stuff inside the chicken breast, being careful not to over stuff. Rub herb/oil mixture on top & season with salt and pepper. Place the chicken in a roasting pan and then in a preheated oven for approximately 20 minutes. (test chicken to make certain juices run clear & chicken is done) Remove from oven and cover with lid or foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

Lemon Dried Cherry Cake
3 sticks butter, softened
3 cups sugar
5 eggs
3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice*
3/4 cup chopped, dried cherries

heat oven 325* Grease & flour bundt cake pan, set aside. In lg. bowl beat eggs & sugar until light & fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. In medium bowl sift together flour, baking powder & salt. Add flour mixture to the butter mixture alternately with milk, beginning & ending with flour mixture. Stir in vanilla & lemon juice, fold in cherries. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 325* for 1 hour 10 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes in pan. Remove from pan & cool, glaze or sprinkle with powdered sugar. *In Mexico real lemon juice is hard to locate so I used lime juice. This was still very nice. This recipe came with the Nordic Ware American Star Bundt Pan.

Politics, Meatballs & keeping something warm on the stove!

Molly Ivins the late & sharp witted Texas writer was quoted as saying:
"Good thing we've still got politics in Texas -- finest form of free entertainment ever invented."

As I watched the news about the Obama transition to the White House & see the newscasters gearing up for the upcoming Inauguration activities, I see Ivins was not far from wrong in her statement. However entertaining Texas Politics can be; it's entertaining on a much larger scale in D.C. How can it ever not be entertainment on some level in the high speed digital age of CNN & Fox News? I shudder to think how the transition from one Presidential administration can ever be truly painless or lacking in entertainment. Food likes & dislikes alone from one Presidential administration to the next no doubt can be staggering. Take Ronald Regan's favorite Jelly Beans, Bill Clinton's love of Mango Ice Cream & Big Macs, Jacqueline Kennedy's adoration of the refined French cuisine or LBJ's chili (my own personal favorite). I imagine the White House staff will be most eager to please the two youngest Obama children. The palate of a child can be far easier to please than adults in most cases. Can't wait to hear if the girls will enjoy Mac & Cheese or PB&J while they ease into life in the nation's mansion. I seriously doubt the likes or dislikes will impact my life here in Mexico but it should be interesting in the very least...

In the spirit of Presidential politics, food & favorites here are a couple of faves we've had here South of the Border. A much warmer version of the Kennedy French Onion Soup & a slimmed down Meatball as Meatballs were supposed to be a favorite dish in the Truman White House. My Wilted Spinach recipe is my daughter's favorite & a very healthy dish at that! At one time there was a tradition of the outgoing Presidential family to leave something warm on the stove for the next first family. I do wonder if this tradition still continues?

**A shout out to my niece who will be working on the big day in D.C. with Fox News~stay warm Sweetie & capture it all!




















French Onion Soup or Onion Soup with a kick!
1 1/2 lb red onions
3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
4 Garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. fresh Thyme & extra for garnish
2 Tbsp. chopped & crushed chili Ancho
2 Tbsp. flour
1/2 cup dry white wine
6 cups vegetable stock
Black pepper & salt if needed.
6 slices of toasted french bread or whole wheat bread
10 oz. shredded Oaxaca cheese

Heat oil in large, heavy bottomed stock pot & cook onions over med-low heat till they are beginging to brown. Stir in garlic, sugar, thyme, Ancho chili, reduce heat & continue cooking over low heat for 30 min. or till the onions are slightly golden brown.

Sprinkle in flour, stir in wine. Gradually add stock & bring to boil. Reduce & heat for 30 min. Remove from heat, ladle soup into bowls float a piece of toast in soup & top with cheese. Garnish with sprig of thyme & serve.




















Chipolte Chicken Meatballs
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb ground chicken
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 cup dry chipotle seasoned breadcrumbs*
Sesame seeds to roll the meatballs in (approx 1/3 cup)

Mix all of the ingredients together well incorporating all of the breadcrumbs then form the meatballs into balls the size of golf balls & roll in sesame seeds. Place on baking sheet & bake @ 375* for 20 minutes. Serve hot with yogurt sauce or as is.

*Chipotle Breadcrumbs are easy to find in Latin grocery stores but using regular breadcrumbs & adding 1/2 tsp. of cayenne pepper is a good substitution.


Wilted Spinach
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 pound well washed spinach, stems removed
1/4 teaspoon grated fresh nutmeg
Coarse salt and black pepper
Sesame Seeds for garnish

Add oil and garlic to a large skillet. Cook over low heat, until garlic is cooked through. Remove garlic. Add spinach to pan, turning to wilt. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper, sesame seeds. Serve immediately.