Batter for Chiles Rellenos
3 lg eggs
1/4 tsp salt
Flour for coating
Beat whites till firm, beat in salt and yolks 1 at a time. Flour chiles and dip in batter supported by a palette knife. Lower chiles gently into pan with 2 deep oil.
Turn gently as required till all sides are a deep golden colour.
Caldo Palpena
2 large chickens
1 onion, roughly diced
2 carrots
2 celery sticks, roughly chopped
10 peppercorns
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Place all ingredients in a large pot, cover with water and bring to boil. Simmer till chickens are very tender. Remove the birds, shred meat and reserve. Strain stock.
250g green beans, chopped
125g carrots, 1 inch cube
1 large tomato – roughly diced
1/2 cup cooked rice
2 chiles chipotles (strips)
Add per 1.5 litres stock – Cook till veg are tender. Return chicken meat to soup when all cool. To serve put 1/2 cup rice into soup bowl. Fill and serve with a tortilla, lime wedge and avocado.
Achiote Paste
4 rounded tbsp achiote seed
1tsp oregano
1 tsp cumin seed
1/2 tsp mild peppercorns
12 whole allspice
Salt to taste
This is very nice Mexican recipe for marinating steaks or roasting beef.
Grind all spices as fine as possible. Blend with 20 garlic cloves, 3 tbsp water and enough orange juice to make a paste.
That Groovy Fish Dish
1kg Fish, portioned
La Marinade de Fishy (pardon my french)
¼ cup olive oil
1 tbsp vinegar
3 tbsp lemon juice
3 shallots, sliced
1 tomato, thinly sliced
½ lemon, thinly sliced
Pepper
Plonk the fish in a box, mix all ingredients together and slosh them on top. Close box. Agitate box occasionally. Fish can be quite sensitive, so agitating too harshly might end up with your fish falling apart and not being able to deal well with the later stages of the cooking process.
Seal in a hot oiled pan, then carefully remove to the oven and bake at 180 until the fish is cooked through.
If the fish is sliced quite thin and left in the marinade until all the pinky bits have gone grey, no further cooking will be required and it will make a fantastic salad for the braver soul.
Vegetables for the Fishy
1 capsicum
1 onion
5 squash
200g mushrooms
1 zucchini
Marinade for a few hours in soy, vinegar, fish sauce and sesame oil. Stir fry. Serve vegetables, fish and some softened rice noodles with a side of lemon wedges, yogurt and a groovy garnish.
You may even decide to make some
Often Forgotten Garlic and Dill Compact Butter,
which has as yet never been served with this dish.
Hokien Noodles with Beef
300g diced beef
1 small onion, chopped
2 sticks celery, sliced finely
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 small bunch broccoli
1 small handful coriander, chopped
1 tbsp garam masala
400g coconut milk
200g Chicken Stock
100g butter
pinch of chilli
salt and pepper to taste
Fry the onions and garlic in butter and add the celery. When soft, turn pan up high and seal the beef. Combine all other ingredients except noodles and simmer for about 15 minutes.
Add the noodles last and cook until they are just nicely soft.
Lamb Shanks
2kg lamb shanks
1 carrot
1 celery stick
1 large onion
2 cups Chicken Stock
2 cups water
2 tbsp tomato paste
Parsley
Peppercorns
Cloves
Bay leaves
Butter
Salt and pepper
Chop all vegetables and sautee with lamb shanks in butter. Add all other ingredients and simmer until lamb shanks are almost falling off the bone.
Sushi Nori
2 cups sushi rice
5 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
Rinse rice well and allow to drain. Place in a saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and leave for about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stand for 10 minutes. Dissolve sugar in warmed vinegar.
Remove cooked rice to a large bowl. Fan rice with a piece of paper or cardboard as you turn it gently with a wooden rice paddle to allow steam to escape and to help the rice cool to room temperature. Gradually add seasoned vinegar mixture to rice, turning the rice gently with the paddle to distribute the vinegar evenly. When rice has cooled to warm room temperature, it is ready to use.
Cut all ingredients into long strips.
1 carrot
1 celery stick
1 cucumber
250g hard tofu
1 capsicum
100g smoked salmon
2 avocado
1 packet seaweed paper
100g mayonnaise
50g pickled ginger
Wasabi
Assemble.
Cajun Chicken
1kg flour
2tsp oregano
1tsp thyme
1tsp marjoram
1tsp tika masala
1tsp basil
1tsp cumin
1/2 chilli powder
2tsp vegetable stock
Salt and pepper
Mix all well.
Chicken pieces
Soy
Oil
Clean chicken pieces, leaving the skin on and marinade for at least an hour. Allow to drip dry, then pat down with paper towel.
Roll in the dry mix, pressing the mixture into every hollow and gap. Shallow fry to seal the outside, then bake on a draining tray.
Mole Poblano De Dos Chiles
6 pasilla chiles
500g pork loin, cubed
4 tbsp lard
½ cup almonds
½ cup peanuts
1 tortilla, coarsely chopped
4 tbsp sesame seeds
¼ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp anise
500g tomatoes, seeded, chopped
30g unsweetened chocolate
Salt and pepper
1 tsp sugar
6 mulato chiles
3kg turkey, in pieces
¼ tsp ground cloves
Grill chillies, soak and deseed. Place the turkey and pork in a large kettle with enough salted water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook, covered, for 1 hour. Drain, reserving the stock. Dry the turkey and pork pieces thoroughly with paper towels.
Heat the lard in a large, heavy skillet. Brown the turkey and pork pieces, a few at a time; then transfer to a flameproof casserole. In the electric blender, blend the almonds, peanuts, tortilla, 2 tbsp of the sesame seeds, cloves, cinnamon, anise, tomatoes, and the prepared chiles, and reduce to a coarse puree.
Heat the lard remaining in the skillet, adding a little more if necessary, and cook the mixture for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add 2 cups of the reserved stock, the chocolate, salt and pepper to taste, and sugar. Stir until chocolate has melted.
Pour the sauce over the turkey and pork in the casserole; cover; and cook over very low heat for about 1 hour, taking care not to let it burn. Sauce should be the consistency of heavy cream, so, if necessary, thin with more stock. Sprinkle with remaining sesame seeds just before serving.
Macadamia Fish Coating
3 tbsp macadamia nuts, chopped
½ cup bread crumbs
½ cup black olives
2 spring onions, diced
½ tsp tarragon
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
Mix well. Spread on the fish that needs cooking.
