Vegetarian Posole with Mole

Anyone who knows me knows of my love of posole.
Or is it pozole?
Regardless, this is the single best thing about coming home to Phoenix. And not just any pos/zole. No, no. It must be made by Maria, goddess of Mexican cuisine, chef and owner of El Conquistador Mexican Restaurant. As is only right, she makes posole (both red and green) only on weekends, giving the broth time to marinate and thicken and become, in a word, wonderful.
Now, my personal favorite is her green variety. Made with pork, topped with slices of avocado and chicharrones (pork scratchings), and a healthy sprinkling of oregano, this soup is the stuff of dreams. Literally.
Because I'm unable to make the pilgrimage to the homelands very often, I'm always on the lookout for a posole recipe that could rival Maria's. And I have yet to find one. Too often they are thin watery things, with none of that fabulous deep rich flavor that makes Maria's so more-ish. Think more of a tortilla soup than a true hearty posole. And so I have been disappointed time and again when making them myself.
So when I saw a recipe in Bittman's Vegetarian cookbook, I was sure I was in for another let down. Yet my mother (who was a similar devotee of Maria's soups) has recently turned vegetarian, which has meant a sad new lack of posole in her life. I had to take pity and make this vegetarian version for her. We both knew it couldn't rival the Maria's, but still, we had to try.
And surprise, surprise! This may be the best homemade posole recipe I've found. Granted, there was a stunning lack of pork and thus it missed the rich meatiness to the original, but still, the thick broth, flavored with pumpkin seeds and tomatillos was spot on (also the addition of pork scratchings for my helping didn't hurt either). If I had a mind to make this for a non-vegetarian crowd, the addition of pork might send this recipe over the top to even rival Maria's version. I know this to be heresy, but still, Bittman deserves his credit for creating a vegetarian version of a soup that I thought to be solely within the realm of the meat-eating population.
Kudos, Bitty.
Kudos.

Makes: at least 8 servings

Ingredients
6 cups precooked hominy (i.e. canned)
1 1/2 cups freshly toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds, just toasted in a dry pan until lightly brown and popping)
4-6 cups vegetable stock (or chicken stock for the non-vegetarians)
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
4 medium poblano or other mild fresh green chiles, roasted and cleaned (I did mine under the broiler in the oven for about 5-10 minutes, remove the skin and seeds)
2 serrano or other hot green fresh chiles, roasted and cleaned (see above)
1 lb tomatillos (16-20 depending on size), husked and rinsed (canned are okay, but include their juices)
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped epazote or radish greens (optional, I couldn't find any so mine was without)
1 tablespoon fresh oregano or marjoram leaves
salt and black pepper
1/4 neutral oil, like corn or grapeseed

Optional Toppings:
Sliced avocado

Chicharrones (pork scratchings/rinds)

Method
Place the pepitas and 1 cup of the stock in a blender or food processor; puree until smooth; transfer to a large bowl. Put the onion, garlic, chiles, tomatillos, herbs, and a large pinch of salt and pepper in the blend or food processor and puree until smooth (I had to do mine in batches, also add a bit more stock or water if necessary). Mix the tomatillo puree with the pumpkin seed puree.

Put the oil in a large pot over medium high heat; add the mixed puree and cook, stirring frequently, until it's dry, 10-15 minutes. Gradually stir in another 3 cups of the remaining stock; reduce the heat to a gentle bubble and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, another 15 minute or so.

Add the hominy. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Serve hot with various garnishes.

Mexican Bean Burgers

 You will forgive the slightly "artiness" of the burger photo. When approaching how to document my recent cooking venture, I was a bit flummoxed as to how to present a "bean burger" with any kind of photographic...shall we say, grace? Anyway, carefully positioned cilantro and limes helped the entire arrangement making it look as delicious as it tasted.

We've entered the timely fall term period at Oxford, which means everyone's schedules speeds up exponentially and there is sadly little time to spend luxuriating in the kitchen over 4 hour meals. I was looking for a quick post-class fix and these bean burgers were definitely the way forward. I will say, the more your refrigerate these bad boys, the better the taste. I also modified the original recipe (From Delicious Sept 2010) to make it a bit more zesty and, well, Mexican. Which meant adding achiote, cayenne pepper, and chipotle tabasco sauce to the mix. The end result was a nice "back of the mouth" heat but of course, feel free to tone down (or up) the spiciness as your taste buds will allow.

Makes about 6 generous burgers

Ingredients 

 

3 Tbs. olive oil
1 red onion (chopped)
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions (both white and green parts)
1/3 cup finely chopped red chile (1 small chile)
3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 400g cans of mixed beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup toasted whole-grain breadcrumbs (about 1 slice of bread)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp. pure chile powder, such as ancho or New Mexico
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
dash of tabasco sauce
1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper
Kosher salt

Optional:
Halloumi cheese for topping
Burger buns
Guacamole

Preparation

---

Heat 1 Tbs. of the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat.

Add the red onion and scallions until beginning to soften, 3-5 minutes.

Increase the heat slightly and add the garlic and chile and other spices and cook for another 1-2 minutes

Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the beans and mash together to form a rough lumpy texture.

Gently mix in the cilantro, breadcrumbs, egg, and 3/4 tsp. salt. Adjust for spiciness here.

Shape the mixture into 6 equal 3/4-inch-thick patties. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours. (This mixture also freezes well)

Heat the remaining 2 Tbs. oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the burgers until nicely browned on both sides, flipping carefully, about 5 minutes total.

If adding cheese, put a slice on top of each burger and then stick under the grill/broiled for about 5 minutes until the cheese has melted slightly and turned a nice golden color. 

Pork Tamales

Well, we've crossed another marker in the Mexican food exploits of UK living. Pork tamales. This is something I've wanted to make for years. But if I've moaned about sourcing ingredients before, try finding dried corn husks in the UK. This was a necessary Arizonan import. Intent on my goal, I brought a bag back with me last time I visited home, where a bag of about 50 are on sale for less than $1. Because honestly. They're corn husks.

Tamales are the ubiquitous Mexican New Year's Eve food. Usually complemented with red and/or green salsa, most families will gather around a large bowl of masa and set up an assembly line for making them. The trick is to get the balance between the filling (pork in this case) and masa just right. You set grandma up with making the masa, Mom gets working on the pork (or whatever filling) and then everyone grabs a corn husk and starts making these little parcels of deliciousness. Pork is traditional, but you can even make dessert tamales by stuffing the masa with chocolate, dried fruit, or really whatever your heart desires. You will need a steamer for these guys and about a day free for cooking. The recipe I used (from this website) actually advised spending two days on the project. Now I can justify a day of cooking as thesis procrastination, but even I have to draw the line at two. I started cooking the meat in the morning and it was falling apart (perfect tamales consistency) by 3 or 4 in the afternoon. The masa took minutes to make. So worry not, delicious tamales can be yours in less than 24 hours.

Ingredients

2 pounds pork lean steak (fat trimmed and cut into 2'' cubes)
1 onion, thickly sliced
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
1/4 cup chili powder (I used a blend of ancho and achiote, very smoky and not too hot)
salt and pepper to taste
3 tbsp cumin
4 cups masa harina (dried masa for tortillas)
1 cup lard (or vegetable shortening but good luck finding it!)
corn husks

Preparation

Cook the pork in a large pot of water (or in a slow-cooker filled with water) with an onion, 2 garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon of chili powder, salt and pepper. Cook for the day, 4 hours minimum.

After the meat is cooked (so that it falls apart and shreds easily), remove from pot, set aside to cool, and puree the onion and garlic with the broth. Season broth mixture to taste with chili powder and salt.

Shred meat finely with two forks (you can even chop it after shredding), and store covered in refrigerator separately from broth.

Soak your corn husks in a bowl of boiling hot water for about 30 minutes or until they are soft and pliant.

Season shredded meat with chili powder, salt, and cumin (optional) to taste. As you season the meat, add a small amount of broth to moisten meat, but it should not be runny.

For every 2 cups of masa harina (meal), add ½ cup of shortening or lard, 1tsp. of salt, and enough chili powder to make a pink dough. Add broth mixture a little at a time to masa and mix with your hands to get a smooth, spreadable consistency. If you run out of broth, you can use hot water, but you will wish you had plenty of broth.

Assemble the tamales: spread masa about 1/8 inch thick on corn husk with fingers, leaving about ½ inch border along the sides and 2 inch border along the top and bottom of husk. Use about 2 Tbsp. of shredded meat to fill the tamal (like a cigar). Fold sides until they just overlap, fold narrow end under, and place tamal folded side down.

To keep the corn husk in place, I recommend making small strips of one corn husk, using each strip to tie a "belt" around each corn husk.

To cook, place about 1/2'' of water at the bottom of your steamer, allow the water to come to a boil and then reduce to a nice simmer. Place the tamales in the steamer so that they just overlap with each other (but don't crowd them!) and then steam for 15 minutes or until masa is no longer sticky.

Serves: about 8-10

Courgettes (Zucchini) with cheese and green chilies

I will not even deign to comment on the whole zucchini/courgette name debate but suffice it to say I was looking for a veggie side dish that was at least pseudo-Mexican and this one fit the bill. Delicious, but feel free to decrease the amount of cream cheese you put in.
Consider it dependent on your adherence to the credo that veggie side dishes should retain at least some nutritional value.

Ingredients

2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tomatoes
1/3 cup drained pickled jalapeno chili slices, chopped
1 1/4 lb (500g) courgettes (zucchini)
1/2 cup (115g) cream cheese
salt and ground black pepper

Preparation

Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the onion, garlic, and oregano. Fry for 3-4 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent.

Cut a cross in the base of each tomato. Place in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave in the water for 3 minutes, then lift out on a slotted spoon and plunge into a bowl of cold water. Drain. The skins will have begun to peel back from the crosses. Remove the skins and cut the tomatoes in half and squeeze out the seeds. Chop the flesh into strips.

Top and tail the courgettes, then cut them lengthways into 1/2 inch wide strips. Slice the strips into matchsticks.

Stir the courgettes into the onion mixture and fry for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until just tender. Add the tomatoes and chopped jalapenos and cook for 2-3 minutes more.

Add the cream cheese. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting. As the cheese melts, stir gently to coat the courgettes. Season with salt, pile into a heated dish and serve.

Serves 6 as a side dish

Shrimp Salsa

Because I was holding a party that would involve several noted pescetarians, I wanted to provide something as a substantial meatless dish. Behold, the shrimp salsa. I'm not quite on the bandwagon yet with calling everything that is cold and has a few chilies in it "salsa" (I mean, what's the difference between this and a salad?) but regardless this was a good treat and went down well with the non-meat eaters of our group.

Due to continuing ripeness issues with avocados, for this recipe, I made it a few hours early just so that the avocados might soften a bit as they sat in the lime juice. Worked like a charm. 

Ingredients

2 limes, halved
about 30-35 cooked shrimp
1/4 teaspoon achiote powder (optional)
2 cups seeded and diced tomatoes
1/3 cup minced red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapenos, or to taste
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
Ground black pepper to taste

Preparation

Use 1/4 cup of the lime juice and the achiote powder to soak the shrimp for about 1-2 hours if you want a really zesty salsa. Otherwise just skip to the next step.

In a large bowl, mix the shrimp with the tomatoes, onion, cilantro, avocado, lime juice, jalapeno, herbs, salt, and pepper. Mix thoroughly. Taste for seasoning and adjust with more lime juice, salt, or pepper.

Note: This dish can be made and refrigerated up to 3 hours before serving. It should be made the day it is served. Although it doesn't go bad, the vegetables become waters, and it isn't as good the next day.