Mexican Food Recipes

Ok well I am a huge fan of Mexican Food and theres these tacos that I had before I just can not think of the name well ill explain what they are and you can tell me! =)
-Made of mash Potatoes (I Think)
-Made of a small tortilla hard shell it is cooked ontop of a stove to get crispy.
-The ends are held together by a tooth pick so they will stay held together.
-And there are delicious.

they are taquitos de papa. you just put mashed potatoed on a heated tortilla and deep fry them with the tooth picks on so it doesnt spill out. after have them with sour cream, guacamole, or some tomato sauce and lettuce…yum

Tortilla Recipes

Flour Tortillas

Ingredients:

3 cups of white all purpose flour
½ tsp of salt
1 tsp baking powder
½ cup of lard or vegtable shortening
1 cup of hot water
Instructions:
Mix the flour and salt. Mix in the lard by hand until the mixture resembles small peas. Add the water slowly until you have a soft elastic ball. You may need to add a little more or less water, but do it slowly. You may not really need as much water as you think you do. Knead until smooth. Cover with a damp towel and then let rest 15 minutes.

Make about 7-9 equal size balls. Flatten and roll each ball into a flat round disk. Cook on a very hot cast iron skillet. No oil is necessary. Flip when bottom side is golden, the top should be bubbling slightly when ready. Use a spatula to lift the edge and check for doneness before flipping completely. Keep the cooked tortillas warm by covering with a damp towel while you continue to cook.

Wheat Tortillas
To make wheat tortillas, use the above flour tortilla recipe and substitute wheat flour for 1/4 to 2/3 of the white flour. Wheat flour is a little tougher, so the amount used is based on your personal taste. You may substitute, all the white flour if you wish but use less than called for.

Corn Tortillas

Unlike four tortillas, corn Tortillas usually do not contain any added oil. They can be made with corn flour, but the traditional recipe uses something called masa harina or masa flour.

Masa harina is made from corn soaked in lime and then dried and ground into a powder. I know it doesn't sound very appetizing, but masa is a traditional ingredient in many dough containing Latin American dishes, such as tortillas and tamales. Masa can be found in any Hispanic neighborhood and some larger supermarkets as well. The brand I usually buy is made by Quaker, an American company. Many hot sauce catalogs also sell masa, though usually at an exorbitant price. If you can not find masa, try the recipe with regular corn flour (not corn meal or corn starch). The results are acceptable, but they are not authentic in taste and usually tougher in texture than tortillas made with masa.

Ingredients:

2 cups masa harina or corn flour
1 ¼ cups hot water
Instructions:

Mix masa and water by hand until all of the tortilla mix is moistened and a dough forms. Add more water if necessary. Cover with damp towel and let rest 10 minutes.

Make about 12 one inch balls. Flatten and roll each ball into a tortilla. Cook on a very hot cast iron skillet. No oil is necessary. Flip when the edge starts to stiffen and the top looks dry. Use a spatula to lift the edge and check for doneness before flipping completely. Keep the cooked tortillas warm by covering with a damp towel while you continue to cook.

Some tortilla cooking hints:

Practice making tortillas before you make them for guests. Its not difficult, but it does take a few times before you get the "feel" for the dough.
Only flip once. For some reason, they do not taste good at all if flipped several times during cooking.
Don't worry about a few burnt spots, they actually add flavor. Trust me on this. But remember I did say a few.
I have never had good results cooking tortillas on something other than cast iron.
If the only tortillas you are familiar with come from taco bell, you may not be aware that not all tortillas are paper thin. You may roll your tortilla to about ¼ inch thickness. Any thicker than that and the outside burns before the inside cooks. Thin tortillas are used in fajitas and similar dishes. Thicker tortillas are common in soups and other dishes where they will be soaked.
Don't have a rolling pin? I use a wine bottle. My neighbor swears she uses an old clean broomstick.
When rolling out your tortilla, some people find it easier/neater to put the dough ball in between two sheets of wax paper. Another alternative is to put it in a small plastic bag and then flatten it out.
Old stale tortillas go great in soup.

Savory Corn Flatbread (Tortillas)

yield: 4 servings.

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato pesto (optional)
2 tablespoons cold water, or as needed

DIRECTIONS:
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Mix in the sun-dried tomato pest until evenly distributed. Add water 1 teaspoon at a time so that the mixture is just moist enough to form a ball.
Heat a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Form the dough into a ball. On a lightly floured surface, flatten the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness, or about as thick as a very thin pizza crust. Place the flat dough into the preheated pan, and fry for about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. When done, each side should have several browned spots. Serve immediately, or store at room temperature. It keeps very well.

Wheat-Free Tortilla's

1 c Brown rice flour + additional for dusting -loaves
1 1/2 ts Granulated yeast
2 Tesapoons sugar
1 1/2 c Warm water (110F)
1 c Corn flour
1/2 c Cornstarch
2 ts Xantham gum powder
1 To 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 lg Eggs, at room temperature
1 tb Corn oil

Combine 1/2 cup of the rice flour, the yeast, sugar and 1/2 cup of the warm water in a 2-cup glass measure; stir to combine, then let rest in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 10 minutes. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and draw two 8-inch circles on it. Combine remaining 1/2 cup rice flour, corn flour, cornstarch, xanthan gum powder and salt in a large bowl; mix to blend. Beat eggs lightly; set aside 1 tablespoon for brushing tops of loaves. Add remaining 1 cup warm water and the corn oil to beaten eggs. Using a wooden spoon, stir egg and yeast mixtures into flour and beat until smooth. Using a rubber spatula, spread soft dough into circles on marked parchment paper, heaping it up slightly in the center. Cover loaves lightly with greased plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 425F. Beat a few drops of water into the reserved beaten egg and brush over loaves. Dust lightly with rice flour. Using a razor blade, slash tops of loaves into a large diamond grid pattern. (Use an up-and-down cutting motion rather than dragging the blade through the soft dough.) Bake for 20 minutes, until well browned.

Makes two 8-inch diameter, 11-ounce loaves. PER SERVING (1/8 of a loaf): 90 calories, 3 g protein, 16 g carbohydrate, 2 g fat (0 g saturated), 26 mg cholesterol, 142 mg sodium, 1 g fiber.

When I go to any of the traditional Mexican restaurants in the Denver area, they always send out corn (or flour) tortillas with the dishes I order. While I know what to do if I order fajitas, I don’t know what to do with them when I order other dishes or soups. Am I supposed to make everything into a fajita or what?

Hi! I’m Mexican and can’t eat without tortillas. For other dishes like soups, roll up the tortilla and you can take a bite after you just had some soup or you can even dip it in the soup to get the tortilla wet and then take a bite. You’ll usually get tortillas when you CAN use tortillas on that dish. For example, you might not get tortillas for dishes that already have a lot of tortilla.. such as tacos, enchiladas, tostadas, etc. Any other dish that does not have tortilla, you can pretty much make into a taco. It doesn’t look good to clean your plate with a tortilla, it’s like getting your bread and swiping it all over your plate. It’s bad manners but hey, my dad does it! So when you get tortillas, just remember to make your own tacos of whatever you ordered.

True Mexican tacos are simply a rolled up tortilla with filling. Tortillas are flat cakes of corn dough, or flour. Making them is tricky but you would need Agroinsa or Maseca tortilla corn flour and a tortilla press. Simply follow the instructions on the flour package and roll into balls that you then place in the center of the tortilla press, between to sheets of plastic and press down, then take off the thin cake off the plastic and cook on a hot griddle. Flour Tortillas can be made with a brand of flour especially for that purpose known as Selecta, the process is basically the same. On the other hand Wal Mart and HEB carry these products if you wish to avoid the hassle.

A few pointers about Mexican cuisine, always try to use the real product, not American substitutes or you will end up with a quasi Southwestern attempt at Mexican.
Ground beef filling is known as picadillo, it is made with ground beef, and onions browned a bit, garlic, and a sauce made from pureed fresh tomatoes (not canned) you can do it in the blender, then poured over the browned beef, throw in cubed potatoes and carrots and let cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, if you like it hot add some jalapeño, serrano or chipotle chilies to the tomatoes in the blender. Avoid using commercial boullion cubes, preferably add herbs like oregano, or cumin in moderate quantities although with the garlic, chilies and tomatoes it should be enough. You can spoon portions of that filling into tortillas, roll them up and eat them. Taco shells are an abomination to Mexican cooking definitely a no no. If you wish to add a hot sauce it can be prepared like the sauce for the meat only cooked by itself in oil until it turns an dark red, this cooked sauce can last longer than fresh sauce and it is poured sparingly over the filling before you roll up the tortilla into a taco.
Basically anything will do for a filling, tacos are eaten by everyone in Mexico you would be surprised at what you can use. Shredded chicken in green sauce or pork rinds in green sauce are great too. Plain refried beans also taste pretty good.

Steer clear of any recipes with mozarella, cheddar or Monterrey jack, they are not used in Mexican cooking, oaxaca, asadero and manchego cheeses are best. We use a lot of cream too and consider Tostadas which are Flat Baked Tortillas with refried beans, shredded chicken, avocado strips, tomato slices, shredded lettuce, cheese and cream, topped with some salsa, really heavenly, the equivalent of a drippy burger because you will need plenty of napkins to stay relatively drip free.
Another favorite is deep fried shredded chicken tacos, eaten with guacamole, cream and salsa, simple and delicious.

In Northern Mexico the equivalent of a BBQ cookout is called a Carne Asada basically a cookout where you grill cuts of meat, sirloin, fajita or skirt, chops with some salt, garlic powder and pepper then cut into strips and eaten in a taco with what they call pico de gallo which is just diced onions, tomatoes and chilies in equal quantities, some sort of dry salsa if you think about it, guacamole is a must as are beans, but prepared with sausage, dry spanish sausage, cilantro, onions, tomatoes and beer. They are called frijoles borrachos and they are pretty good. This cookout is the perfect excuse for a friendly get together in Northern Mexico. A taquiza is more common in Central and Southern Mexico it means preparing your tacos from a buffet of stews and fillings accompanied by rice (white or red, no Spanish rice or stuff like that) and beans. The variety of ways you can prepare beans is also endless, if you really love Mexican food get Diana Kennedy's books she is the only American who really knows what she is talking about and she does know Mexican food.

Try them, and as we say in Mexico Buen Provecho (bon apetit)

SERVINGS & SCALING
Original recipe yield: 1 dozen
US METRIC

INGREDIENTS
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup shortening
3/4 cup hot water
DIRECTIONS
Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Either by hand or with a pastry cutter, cut in the shortening till the mixture is crumbly. If the mixture looks more floury than crumbly, be sure to add just one or two more tablespoons of shortening till it is crumbly. Add about 3/4 cup hot water to the mixture, or just enough to make the ingredients look moist.
With your hand or a large fork, knead the mixture making sure to rub the dough against the sides of the large mixing bowl to gather any clinging dough. If the dough still sticks to the side of the bowl, add a couple more tablespoons of flour until the dough forms a soft round shape. The dough is ready to roll out now, but it is best to let it rest. Cover it with a dish towel, and let it sit for about an hour or so.
Take the dough, and pull it apart into 10 to 12 balls. Lightly flour your rolling area, and roll each ball with a rolling pin to about 1/8 inch thickness.
Place each tortilla on a medium hot cast iron skillet. Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes on each side, or until the tortilla does not look doughy.

So if you know what it is called, or better yet know the recipe (and could type it) of which Im talking about that would be great.

I am having trouble remembering how it goes, but I want to make it propaly. So heres what I remember…

Ingredients:
.guacamole
.possibility more tomato/s
.fair bit of cheese
.Capsicum
.Coriander

Method:
Put a tortilla on a frying pan with all (or some?) of the ingredients on top, plus another tortilla to cover the ingredients.
Fry for a while untill the cheese has melted and the tortilla is light brown.
Cut into tortilla into triangle pieces. Add sour cream afterwards.

Thanks..

I think your talking about QUESADILLAS. A Quesadilla is two flour tortillas with cheese melted between them, or cheese and meat or refried beans, or whatever you like. The possibilities are many. I begin by laying a flour tortilla in a skillet that has been brushed with oil. On medium heat. Place some grated or sliced cheese on top of the tortilla, along with thin slices of tomato or avocado (a thin layer that almost covers the tortilla). Then place a second flour tortilla on top and cover the pan, so the cheese will melt. Press on the top tortilla to help them “melt” together. Turn over and lightly toast the other side of the “tortilla sandwich”. Remove and cut with a pizza cutter into pie-shaped wedges and enjoy with salsa. You have just made a quesadilla (pronounced: kays-a-dee’-ya).

Where can I buy (at the stores) authentic Mexican tortilla chips?

A mexican grocery store
If there are no mexicans around ur area u aren't going to find authentic mexican things. Mission Brand is NOT authentic and is the crappiest tortillas and products i've ever tried.

10 points to best answer

Make a white sauce of medium thickness and then add your cheese to it. Make sure it is grated. Stir well. I would use a sharp cheddar or a cheddar/jack with hot peppers. About 2 cups.
This is also a good base for mac and cheese.
If you have a block of velveeta that would also make a good cheese dip, but it is not as good unless you add a can of rotel and a lb of cooked breakfast sausage to it. I did not think I would like that but it is really very good…not plain, but good.

I bought some really queso but I hate eating queso and hot sauces with salted chips. I've tried many different brands and the chips are always smothered in salt, which makes the queso and hot sauce taste waaaaay too salty and not very good. What are some good nonsalty chips? I thought Mission was supposed to have just a bit of salt but their just as bad as the other types ive tried

well phone your Mexican restaurant
They get their products from the same warehouses as your local grocery store…
Your grocer may not have a request for unsalted chips..
ASK people you have at hand This is an international forum..

Ingredients:
1 medium onion chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. Oil
2 pounds stew meat, optional
1 14oz. can tomatoes
1/2 jar Tejano salsa
1 10 1/2 oz. can beef broth
1 10 1/2 oz. cans water
1 10 3/4 oz. can chicken broth
1 10 3/4 oz. can tomato soup
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. lemon-pepper seasoning
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. Tabasco sauce
4 tortillas, cut in 1" squares
1/4 cup grated Cheddar cheese

Directions:
Saute the first 5 ingredients in a large skillet.
Add remaining ingredients, except tortillas and cheese, and simmer for 50 minutes.
Add tortillas and cook 10 minutes.
Pour into mugs and sprinkle with cheese.
With your first sip you will leave your chair, but quickly sit down and continue to sip. HOT but so good!
Serves 6-8.