Saturday, June 28, 2008

Authentic Mexican Recipe-Basic Salsa

Here's another example of Authentic Mexican Cooking. This basic salsa recipe is commonly found in taquerias and served with just about everything. It's easy to make and will keep about a week in the refrigerator.

Basic Taqueria Salsa
2 large tomatoes
4 tomatillos
1/2 sm. onion
8-15 dried chile de arbol (adjust to suit desired heat)
salt to taste

Cut tomatoes in half, remove core and place in a large saucepan. Remove husks from tomatillos and add to pan, add onion. You have two choices with the chiles. You can either remove the stems and add to the pan, or roast them over an open flame until blackened and save for later. If you do roast them, be sure to open a window and hold your breath or you will be coughing for hours. Trust me on this one.
After all ingredients are in the pan (not the chiles if roasted), cover with water and bring to a boil. Boil until tomatillos are soft, about 10 minutes. Place everything in a blender including salt and the roasted chiles and blend until liquid. That's it you're done! Enjoy your authentic Mexican salsa!

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Authentic Mexican Recipe- Mole Rojo

Welcome to Authentic Mexican Cooking. Our first recipe will be Mole Rojo. This recipe is from my mother-in-law in Arandas, Jalisco. This Mole differs from those you will commonly find in Mexican cookbooks, as they are mostly Mole Negro, or black sauce. We will be making a red sauce.

These recipes are translated for you here and adjusted somewhat to use ingredients available in the U.S. The measurements are not exact as the recipes have been handed down through many women, and most just use a dash or a handful of whatever. I will try my best to be as accurate as possible for this purpose however.

Mole Rojo de Jalisco

2-3 lbs. boneless pork (a fattier cut tastes better but you can use any type)
salt for water
2/3 c. flour
2/3 c. oil (traditionally corn oil, but I substitute canola sometimes)
1 large dried chile ancho
1 large dried chile guajillo
1/2 med. onion
2-3 cloves garlic
1-2 Tbs ground cumin
1 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. salt (or to taste)
3-4 whole cloves

Cut pork into cubes, about 1-2 inches in size. Place in a dutch oven and boil with salted water about 2 hours or until pork is tender and falls apart easily. Set aside WITH THE WATER.

Next take the 2 chilies, clean out the seeds and membranes, and place them in a saucepan with the onion and garlic. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Cook for about 10 minutes or until chilies are tender. Place chilies, onion and garlic in a blender with the remaining spices and blend until smooth. You may want to add some of the cooking water to this to make it blend easier. It should be the consistency of cake batter.

In a large frying pan, use the oil and flour to make a roux. when the mixture is hot, add your chile mixture and blend well. Next use a ladle and add the pork water bit by bit to thin the mole, being sure to blend well before adding more. I usually add water until the mole is the consistency of a creamy soup. Then just add the pork, simmer for about 20 minutes on low to let the flavors marry and your done! Serve with fresh corn tortillas and enjoy.

Thanks for visiting Authentic Mexican Cooking!

Monday, June 23, 2008

Authentic Mexican Cooking

Welcome to Authentic Mexican Cooking. This site will give recipes for authentic mexican dishes mostly from the state of Jalisco. I hope you enjoy these authentic mexican recipes.