Black Bean Chipotle Puree

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This exciting, thick soup marries the dark colors and flavors of the beans and chipotle chiles, but there’s quite a few other ingredients as well. Serve this with a hearty bread and your favorite sharp cheese. Note that this recipe requires advance preparation.

Ingredients

•    2 quarts water
•    1 tablespoon salt
•    3 cups black beans, cleaned and soaked overnight
•    ½ stalk celery, chopped with leaves
•    3 large dried chipotle chiles, approximately 3 ounces
•    3 cups dry red wine
•    1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
•    1 teaspoon freshly ground cinnamon
•    ½ teaspoon ground ginger
•    1 tablespoon finely ground white pepper
•    2 tablespoons Mexican leaf oregano
•    ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
•    1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
•    1 medium onion, chopped coarsely
•    3 tablespoons chopped garlic
•    1 cup domestic mushrooms, chopped
•    1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
•    1/4 cup peanut oil
•    1/3 cup tomato puree
•    2 ½ tablespoons red wine vinegar
•    3/4 cup raw honey
•    Lime wedges for garnish
•    Coarsely chopped cilantro for garnish

Instructions

In a large pot, combine the water, salt, black beans, celery, chipotles, wine, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, pepper, oregano, parsley and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a boil.
In a skillet, combine the onion, garlic, mushrooms, olive oil, and peanut oil and sauté until the onions are soft. Add this mixture to the pot and keep on a steady boil until the beans are soft, about 2 hours (but this can vary greatly, so check them as they’re cooking). Add water as needed, but by the end there should be little water in the pot.
Allow the beans to cool. In a bowl, combine the tomato puree, vinegar, and honey and mix with the beans. Puree this mixture in a food processor.
Reheat over very low heat (or use a double boiler), adding water to the desired consistency. Serve garnished with the lime wedges and chopped cilantro.

Enchiladas Verdes con Chile Pasado

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Here’s the recipe we served to our friends in Italy. In parentheses are the Italian ingredients we used as substitutes. I have adjusted the recipe to serve four to six. Serve with refried beans and guacamole.

Ingredients

  • 2 large chicken breasts

  • 1 cup chicken stock

  • 2 cups cream

  • 6 ounces cream cheese (mascarpone)

  • 3/4 cup finely chopped onions

  • 1 ½ ounces chile pasado, reconstituted to make about 1 ½ cups, chopped

  • 5 teaspoons minced cilantro (Italian parsley)

  • 1 egg

  • 1 ½ teaspoons salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • 12 corn tortillas

  • 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Place the chicken breasts and the stock in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover the pot, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the breasts and reserve the stock. Remove the skin from the breasts and shred the meat into small pieces. In a bowl combine ½ cup of cream, the cream cheese, shredded chicken, and the onions and mix well with a wooden spoon.

Place the chile pasado in a blender and add the cilantro and 1/4 cup of the reserved chicken stock. Blend at high speed to form a smooth paste. Add the remaining 1 ½ cups of cream, the egg, and the salt and pepper and blend briefly. Remove the puree to a bowl.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a skillet, heat the oil until hot. Using tongs, fry each tortilla in the oil for about 5 seconds a side so they are soft. If you overcook them, they will be tough. Drain each tortilla on paper towels. Place each tortilla on a plate and put about 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture in the middle. Smooth it out and roll up each tortilla into a thick cylinder. Place in a 8 by 12 inch glass baking dish, seam side down. When all of the tortillas are placed in a single layer, cover them with blended chile pasado puree and top with the Parmesan cheese.

Bake for about 15 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the enchiladas are slightly browned on top. Serve immediately.

Spicy Chicken Livers

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This is my husband Jeff’s favorite recipe for chicken livers. If liver doesn’t appeal to you, substitute cubed beef and turn the recipe into a spicy stroganoff.

Ingredients

  • 2 dried chiles or 2 chipotles en abobo
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons butter or margarine
  • 1 small onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup sliced mushrooms, such as portabello or cremini
  • 1 pound chicken livers
  • Flour for dusting
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 2 cups cooked egg noodles
  • Garnish: Chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

Toast the dried chile on a hot comal or in the oven, if desired. Cover the chile with very hot water and rehydrate until they are soft. Place the chile in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.

Melt some of the butter in a large skillet and sauté the onion and mushrooms until the onions are browned. Remove and keep warm.

Dust the livers with flour, shaking off any excess. Brown the livers in the onion pan, adding more butter if necessary.

Return the onion mixture to the skillet and stir in the chile puree and the broth, then season with the salt and pepper. Simmer the mixture until the livers are almost done, about 10 minutes. Mix a little of the hot broth into the sour cream and add this mixture to the livers. Gently simmer until the sauce has thickened and the livers are tender.

Serve the livers over the noodles and garnish with the chopped parsley.

Mexicali Flank Steak Fajitas

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Most of the calories in fajitas come from the toppings that we pile on, including cheese, sour cream, and guacamole. If you replace these condiments with a high-flavor salsa, you won’t miss any of the flavor.

Ingredients

•    1 pound lean flank steak
•    2 teaspoons ground chile, such as ancho or New Mexican Chimayo
•    1 teaspoon ground cumin
•    1 teaspoon ground coriander
•    1 teaspoon garlic powder
•    1 cup chipotle-based salsa, divided
•    Vegetable cooking spray
•    6 to 8 green or Mexican bulb onions
•    4 to 6 flour tortillas

Instructions

Trim the visible fat from the steak. Combine the chile, cumin, coriander, and garlic powder, then rub the steak with the spice mixture.
Place the steak and ½ cup of the salsa in a zip-lock bag.
Marinate the steak in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours or overnight, turning the bag occasionally.
Heat a barbecue until medium-hot. Remove the steak and discard the marinade. Coat the grill rack and onions with the cooking spray. Place the steak and onions on the grill and cook for 8 minutes. Turn the steak and the onions, and continue to grill for an additional 5 minutes or until desired degree of doneness.
Cut the meat diagonally across the grain into thin slices. Place a few slices of meat into a flour tortilla, add a couple of grilled onions, top with additional salsa and serve.

Vegetarian Enchilada Bake

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Corn tortillas need to be heated so that you can roll them without cracking and splitting. The traditional method for softening involves dipping the tortillas in hot oil, however, the same result can be achieved by lightly moistening the tortillas with water, wrapping them in foil, and placing them in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. You can also wrap the tortillas in a cloth towel and microwave them on high for 1 to 2 minutes.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 16-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 7-ounce can whole kernel corn, rinsed and drained
  • 2 teaspoons ground red New Mexican chile
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 cups Mexican-style salsa, divided
  • 8 corn tortillas
  • ½ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
  • Shredded lettuce
  • Chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F.
To make the filling, heat the oil in a heavy saucepan and sauté the onion and garlic until they are softened. Add the beans and coarsely mash them. Add the corn, chile, cumin and ½ cup of the salsa, then cook for 5 minutes.
Spread ½ cup of the salsa onto a baking dish.
Heat the tortillas to soften them, and spoon about 1/3 cup of the filling onto each tortilla and roll up. Place the tortillas, seam side down, in the baking dish. Top the enchiladas with the remaining sauce. Cover the pan with aluminum foil.
Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and sprinkle the cheese over the top. Bake, uncovered, until the cheese is melted, about 30 minutes.
Garnish with the lettuce and cilantro and serve.