Pastel De Tres Leches

This Friday my workplace is holding a 'Mexican Fiesta' themed cocktail drinks, complete with mariachi band, which i have the dubious honor of organizing. Despite my protests for authenticity, the evening will be catered for with nachos and mini burritos. However i did my own research, and came across, for the umpteenth time, the recipe for tres leches or 3 milk cake.

Let me say, this cake is amazing! The three milks involved are evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and regular whole milk- with a good bit of cream for measure. This is not a cake for: a) people with heart conditions b) people who are lactose intolerant c) people who do not care much for sweets! It is rich, heavy, and utterly delicious.

Homemade Tacos with Spicy Pulled Beef

I'm back on the Mexican bandwagon, with tacos galore and soon to make a black bean soup. Normally i think of tacos, burritos and the like as an awesome fast food. Grill up a chicken fillet, or even just combined refried and kidney beans, stuff them into a tortilla and you have an easy meal. But this time, i tried something different...

I made my own corn tortillas. And it was interesting to try. But i sure as heck wouldn't wanna do it for a hoard of people without my own tortilla press and staff of assembly line workers. But, if you're interesting in cooking as much as i am, give it a shot. You can experiment with extra ingredients too, or even get a hold of blue masa.

Carnitas with Salsa and Salad

 Summer and Mexican food go so well together. The spice and freshness of the cuisine, made properly, is so light and yet satisfying. Don't be fooled into thinking of your local Taco Bill as Mexican fare. That's Tex-Mex and there is a substantial difference. Do away with stodgy! But keep the margarita :)

Carintas is a shredded crispy pork that is often used as a filling for tacos and burritos, similar to the shredded beef we're all accustomed to here in Australia. The thing i love about this version of carnitas is the crispiness achieved on the outside of the chunks of pork, begging to soak up the tangy salsa and creamy sour cream sides.

This salsa is pretty close to the stuff you get in jars, old el paso style. Although i tend to prefer the fresher, zingy salsas, this one paired well with the carnitas and side salad.

Ingredients

Carnitas

• 1kg boned pork shoulder, cut into 15cm chunks
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp chili pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• Olive Oil
• Water
• 1 tbs salt

Salsa

• 5 tomatos, seeds removed, and diced
• 1 green capsicum, pith removed, and diced
• 1/2 brown onion, diced
• 1tbs olive oil
• 1tbs tomato paste

Method:

Carnitas

Rub the salt over each of the pork chunks, and refridgerate overnight

Place crock pot over medium heat with 1tbs of vegetable oil

Place pork chunks into the pot and brown well on all sides, moving as little as possible.

Remove pork chunks and set aside.

Add 1 cup of water to crock pot and scrape off the yummy caramelized bits off the bottom of the pot.

Add spices and stir.

Place pork chunks back into the crock pot, and fill pot with water until pork is 2/3 submerged.

Place in an oven at 180 degrees for 3 1/2 hours, turning regularly, or until pork is flaky and liquid is most evaporated.

Remove pork chunks and flake into bite sized pieces.

Place pork back into pot and into the oven, uncovered.

Turn pork regularly until all liquid is evaporated and desired crispiness of the pork is achieved.

Salsa

Bring a saucepan to medium heat with the oil.

Add the onion and saute for 3-4 minutes or until softened.

Add all other ingredients and bring to boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Refridgerate until cold.

Serve the carnitas hot, along with the salsa, a side salad, and a dollop of sour cream. Perfect summer fare. Alternatively serve into tortillas (if you don't forget to buy them like i did).

Holy Frijoles it's Chicken Mole!

Chicken mole utilizes one of those sweet-savory crossovers that seems to make alot of people go 'eh?' when they see it occurring. In this case it's the use of chocolate to create a sauce for chicken. It's works! A good bitter chocolate imparts a richness, and a glossiness to sauces that i've used on a variety of meats. It goes particularly well with kangaroo.

I don't think this dish is terribly authentic, but it's very easy to do, and mole is a versatile sauce used in countless Mexican recipes. To make the sauce alone just substitute the chicken pieces with chicken stock. Done! 

Ingredients:

• 1 size 16 chicken or 4 marylands if you can't be bothered chopping a chook yourself
• 2 sprigs coriander plus extra for garnish
  
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp clove powder or 3 cloves
• 1 tsp smoke paprika (a primary flavorant of this dish so use the best you can)
• 2 onions
• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
  
• 50gm dark bitter chocolate
• 2 chillies fresh or dried
• 1/3 cup sesame seeds plus extra for garnish
• 2 pieces day old bread.
  

Method:

Chop one of the onions coarsely and put into a large put with the chicken, crushed garlic and coriander. Cover with just enough water to submerge the chicken and bring to the boil. Reduce and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the chicken and set aside. Strain the stock. 

Toast the sesame seeds in a pan with no oil until they begin to brown. Transfer to a blender with the tomatoes, spices, chillies bread, and 1/4 cup of the stock. Puree into a place.

Chop the second onion finely and cook in a large saupan with 2tbs of oil on a low heat for 2-3 minutes, until they soften. Add in the paste and cook for 10 minutes. Return the chicken to this pot and cover with the stock. Simmer uncovered for 25 minutes.

Remove the chicken and place under foil to keep warm. Reduce the liquid until it's about 1/4 of its original quantity, or until it becomes slightly viscous. 

Place the chicken on a serving plate and ladle on the reduced sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining sesame seeds and a bit of coriander, and serve with steamed rice.