5 de Mayo Fiesta

I have to admit I have never really celebrated 5 de Mayo, I was born and raised in Mexico and to me it was just a free day from school and work, sure, I know the history about the Battle of Puebla and what it means for Mexico, but we just never really celebrated it, in fact I believe it is more celebrated abroad (specially in the USA) than in my own country. 

But now that I have a little one it is a great excuse to share with him a bit of mexican culture and traditions, as well as some nice mexican food. So here are some recipes to get into the mexican mood, enjoy and provecho! 

Sopes de Chorizo

Mexican sopes are some sort of cousins to the tortillas. Sopes are made with the same ingredients as tortillas. However, their size and thickness is much different. Sopes are smaller that tortillas in diameter. In fact, the are only about 7.6cm across. Furthermore, they are significantly thicker than tortillas. Despite their difference in shape and scale, sopes are used in a manner that is quite similar to tortillas. Like tortillas, they can be filled with cheese, beans, avocado, guacamole, salsa, pico de gallo, chorizo, and chicken, to name a few of the most popular fillings. They are great for lunch or snacks for a mexican themed party, but you can also have them as side dish. 
You will need a tortilla press to make the sopes, but if you cannot find one you can the bottom of use a glass jar to flatten the dough. 

Ingredients:

For the sopes:

• 2 cups corn flour or masa harina
• 4 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• Vegetable oil (canola) for frying

For the filling:

• 1 can fried beans warmed
• 100g chorizo cooked and drained
• 75g Queso fresco (or low salt feta) crumbled

Directions:

1. Mix the masa harina, all-purpose flour, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl. 
2. Gently add the warm water and mix slowly until the masa is consistent and without clumps. You may have to add more warm water if you find that it is difficult to form the sopes with your hands.
3. Start rolling the dough in your hands and make each of the sopes from a ball of dough around the size of a walnut. Make all of the balls in advance and cover them with plastic wrap to avoid drying out.
4. Place a damp towel on your kitchen counter. Place each ball of dough in your hand and gently press it flat until it is the size of a golf ball. Put the ball of dough on the damp towel when you are finished.
5. Flatten each ball of dough further with the bottom of a glass bottle or a tortilla press until the sopes are roughly 6-7cms in diameter. Raise a little border around the sopes to hold the filling in.
6. Heat a frying pan over a medium heat and add enough canola oil so that the bottom of the pan is coated completely.Place each of the sopes into the frying pan and cook them for about a minute on each side, or until they are golden brown. 
7. After you have cooked each of the sopes, place them on paper towels or a clean towel to soak up the excess oil.
8. Wait until the sopes are cool enough to handle and spread a thick layer of beans on them, sprinkle with some chorizo, cheese and lettuce. Serve with salsa and guacamole.

Tortilla Soup

Tortilla Soup or Aztec Soup is one of those WOW dishes for me, it is so rich and tasteful, not to spicy but with some kick, with crunchy tortillas and nice creamy avocado: I just love it! It is a really old recipe that has managed to still be present at mexican tables. The original version has no chicken, carrot or zucchini but I added it to make it richer and yeah, to "hide" veggies for the kids. (but you can leave them out to make it more traditional)

Ingredients:

• 4 medium tomatoes
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 4 teaspoons canola oil
• 1 boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 kilo corn tortillas 
• 2 tablespoons chopped carrot
• 2 tablespoons chopped zucchini
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons tomato puree
• 1-1/2 teaspoons chopped seeded jalapeno or ancho pepper
• 1 bay leaf (if you can get some epazote use it instead)
• 1/4 cup cubed avocado
• 1/4 cup shredded Fresco cheese or some monterrey Jack
• Sour cream for garnishing

Directions:

1. Brush the tomatoes, onion and garlic with 1 teaspoon oil. Roast close to the heat for 3-4 minutes on each side or until tender. Peel and discard charred skin from tomatoes; place in a blender. Add onion and garlic; cover and process for 1-2 minutes or until smooth.
2. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper to taste; bake for 5-6 minutes on each side. 
3. Cut the tortillas in fine strips.
4. In a large saucepan, heat remaining oil. Fry tortilla strips until crisp and browned, careful not to burn them; remove and set aside on a paper towel.
5. In the same pan, cook the carrot, zucchini, cilantro, cumin and chili powder over medium heat for 4 minutes. 
6. Stir in the tomato mixture, chicken broth, tomato puree, jalapeno and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
7. Cut chicken into strips and add to soup; heat through. Discard bay leaf. Add the tortilla strips.
8. Garnish with the avocado slices, sour cream and cheese before serving.

Green Sauce Chicken Tamales

Tamales are a favorite comfort food in Mexico, eaten as both breakfast and dinner, and often accompanied by hot atole or champurrado, maize-based beverages of indigenous origin. Street vendors can be seen serving them from huge, steaming, covered pots called  tamaleras.

The most common fillings are pork and chicken, in either red or green salsa or mole. Another very traditional variation is to add pink-colored sugar to the corn mix and fill it with raisins or other dried fruit and make a sweet tamale (tamal de dulce). This recipe is for chicken soaked in a medium spicy green tomato sauce, and even when it does take some time (and patience) to prepare them, they are really worth it!

Ingredients:

For the Dough

• 1 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 2 cups masa harina
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup vegetable shortening or lard
• 1 cup dried corn husks (not sweet corn)
• 1 cup sour cream

For the filling

• 220g dried corn husks (outer shell of the corn to wrap the tamales in)
• 450g tomatillos rinsed (green tomatoes)
• 4 serrano chiles chopped
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 4 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 2/3 cup fresh cilantro chopped
• salt and peper to taste

Directions:

Filling:

1. Soak the corn husks in a bowl of warm water utnil they are completlty covered and allow them to get soft 9anything from 3 hours to a day).
2. Broil the tomatillos until they blacken in spots turning once, about 5 minutes per side. Once soft transfer them to a food processor or blender and mix until smooth (you can also use canned tomatillos, and mix them directly with a little bit of their water)
3. Add the chiles and garlic and mix well.
4. Heat oil, add the tomatillos and cook for a few minutes, reduce the heath and allow it to reduce to a thick sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Stir in the chicken and cilantro to the sauce, cover and set aside.

Dough:

1. Beat the shortening or lard using an electric mixer, add 1 tablespoon of broth until fluffy.
2. Combine the masa harina, baking powder and salt. Stir into the shortening mixture adding more broth to form a somewhat spongy dough.

Preparing the Tamales:

1. Spread the dough out over the corn husks to 3cm thickness.
2. Place one tablespoon of chicken mixture into the center.
3. Fold the sides of the husks in toward the center and place in a steamer (you can also tie the ends on both sides to prevent the filling from coming out).
4. Steam for an hour and serve warm.

Dutch Queen's Day Feast

Queen's Day is just around the corner here in Holland and this day is one of the few days of the year when you really see ALL dutch people wearing their Queen's Family name color proudly (Oranje -orange-) and showing their love for their country, so what better way to get in the Oranje mood than some typical Dutch snacks? 


Bitterballen 
Bitterballen are a savoury Dutch meat-based snack, typically containing a mixture of beef, beef broth, flour and butter for thickening, parsley, salt and pepper (this is also called ragout) rolled into balls and battered in a breadcrumb, milk and egg mixture and deep-fried. They are very popular on Dutch pub menu's, but also at birthday parties or pretty much any kind of reunion. For this day you can serve them with an orange dip sauce to match the outfits instead of the typical mustard. 

Ingredients:

• 300gr trimmed beef brisket, cooked and shredded (you can also use steak- finely chopped-) 
• 2 dl. meat stock
• 1 tablespoon parsley chopped
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 2 eggs
• 150gr breadcrumbs
• salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Melt butter in large cooking pan, add the flour and mix together, allow to cook for a couple of minutes.
2. Add the COLD stock slowly to this mixture to get a smooth paste.
3. Stir in the meat and the parsley and cook for a couple of minutes, add salt, pepper and nutmeg.
4. Allow it to cool and settle in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
5. Whisk the egg in a bowl, add the milk and oil and mix together.
6. Shape the meat mixture into little balls, dip them in the egg mixture and then cover them with breadcrumbs and let them rest in the fridge until you are ready to fry them and serve them (at this stage you can also freeze them)
7. Fry the bitterballen in a deep fryer or in a deep pan for 5  minutes, until they are golden brown.
8. Serve with mustard or orange dipping sauce.

Orange Dipping sauce
Great dipping sauce for bitterballen but also for chips or raw vegetables but it works great with tortilla chips too!

Ingredients:

• 50gr mayonnaise
• 1 small carrot finely chopped or rasped
• 50gr yogurt
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cook the carrot in a little bit of water until tender, drain and allow it to cool. Once cooled mix it with a food processor until smooth.
2. Add the mayonnaise and yogurt and mix well.
3. Add the salt and pepper and serve.

Chilled Bell Pepper Soup
This soup is not really Dutch, it has more to do with the color (I say it is Orange but technically it is yellow) than with the ingredients. However, Dutch people do eat a lot of bell peppers (they call them paprikas) so, in the end it does fit really good with their celebration of everything Orange!

Ingredients:

• 4 yellow bell peppers
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 750g yellow bell peppers chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons paprika powder
• 5ooml chicken or vegetable stock
• 3 tablespoons sour cream
• Basil leaves for garnish
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cut the tops of the 4 bell peppers and remove the seeds, clean and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large pan, add the garlic and paprika powder, cook for a couple of minutes and lower the heath.
3. Add the stock and chopped bell peppers and allow it to cook on medium-low heath for 20 minutes.
4. Remove the bell peppers and place them on a food processor with a little stock and mix until smooth. 
5. Stir in the paprika paste back into the pan and  add the sour cream, add salt and pepper to taste. (You can sift the paste if you want to make it smoother).
6. Allow the soup to chill and serve on the hollowed bell peppers. 
7. Garnish with 1/2 teaspoon sour cream and basil leaves.

Oranje Tompoes


This are typical dutch pudding cakes, they are served pretty much on every occasion, from birthdays to every day desserts, but on Queen's Day they are Orange (of course!) and they are sold EVERYWHERE!

Ingredients:

• 2 egg yolks
• 25g all purpose flour
• 250ml milk
• 40g light brown sugar
• 100g powder sugar
• 1/2 vanilla pod
• 1 egg white 
• Pinch of salt
• Orange food color
• A couple of lemon juice drops
• 1 package frozen Puff Pastry (defrosted)

Directions:

1. Let the puff pastry defrost on flat surface, but don't let it dry out.
2. Warm the milk with the vanilla pod for 10 minutes making sure it does not boil. Once warm, take the vanilla pod out, take the beans out and place the pod back in the pan, stir well.
3. Mix the egg yolks with the brown sugar, add the flour and mix until smooth. 
4. Add 1/2 of the milk slowly while mixing and then add the rest of the milk and cook on medium-low heath until it thickens. Take the vanilla pod out and allow it to cool in the fridge, covered.
5. Mix the powder sugar with the lemon juice and egg whites for 3 minutes. Add the food color and mix well.
6. Preheat the oven to 220°C
7. Spread a little egg on the puff pastry and bake them for 10 minutes, take them out of the oven and peel the top layers of the pastry carefully.
8. Spread a thick amount of the pudding mixture on the bottom layers and cover them with the top layers. 
9. Spread the color mixture on the top to create a frosting effect. 
10. You can garnish with a little whipped cream and a dutch flag.

Tip: You can use the vanilla beans you scraped off and use them in any other recipe that requires vanilla:One vanilla bean equals roughly 2-3 teaspoons of vanilla extract, although if a recipe called for 1-2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, I personally would go ahead and use the whole bean! With the empty pod you can make vanilla sugar: allow the empty pod to dry, chop it and place it on a cup of sugar, you can enjoy some vanilla-flavored sugar anytime!

"Spread" the word

Weekends are usually lazy cooking days for me, I don't always feel like making a big dish or even spend more than 10 minutes in the kitchen: weekends were invented to relax and have some family time! But that does not mean we cannot have some yummy dish to enjoy. 

We are big fans of spreads and sauces, they are so versatile and great on pretty much all kinds on bread, crackers and pitas, but you can also eat them with some raw veggie sticks. They are great for luck or snacks but if you make a quick salad you have dinner!!

Here are some of our favorites, enjoy!!

Feta-Walnut Spread


This is a typical feta cheese spread combination of flavors but it remains one of the favorites at home.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups walnuts
• 2 cups feta crumbled 
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon basil chopped (can also use cilantro)
• cayenne pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. In a food processor, grind the walnuts. Add the crumbled feta, basil and the olive oil  and mix until a smooth paste forms. If it is too thick, add the water now, slowly until a smooth paste forms. 
2. The spread shouldn’t be too thick, nor too thin, so add the water slowly. You may need more than 1/4 cup. 
3. Add the cayenne pepper. Mix well.

Spicy Feta Spread


As a good mexican I wanted to try something with a little bit of punch in it and this turned out to be really tasty and spicy, just like I like my food!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups feta crumbled
• 1/2 cup greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 2 peperoncini chopped

Directions:

1. Mix feta, yogurt, vinegar, pepper and peperoncini in a food processor until smooth.
2. Slowly add the olive oil until all is mix and smooth (you might not have to use all the oil).
3. Spoon into serving bowl and sprinkle with pepper flakes.

Garlic-Sun dried tomatoes Feta Spread

Ingredients:

• 2 cups feta cheese, crumbled
• 3 garlic cloves crushed
• 2 tablespoon chopped oregano
• 2 tablespoon sun dried tomatoes chopped
• cayenne pepper and oregano leaves for garnish

Directions:

1. Mix together in a food processor the feta, garlic, tomatoes and chopped oregano, until it becomes smooth. 
2. Sprinkle with oregano leaves and pepper. 

Crack Dip (cheddar-bacon dip)


I came across this recipe on pinterest and I knew I had to give it a try, anything with bacon in it has me and this lived to my expectations. I found it a bit runny so I added more cheddar and it was great!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 cup Ranch dressing
• 1/2 cup  bacon bits or baked bacon chopped
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
2. Serve with chips and/or veggies

Hummus

This is one of my all time favorites, I just love hummus, I can eat it just with a simple spoon, no need for veggies, pretzel sticks or pita bread!!

Original hummus:

• 2 garlic cloves, mashed
• 2 cans garbanzo beans (chickpeas) drained and rinsed
• 2/3 cup tahini (sesame seed pasta)preferably roasted one
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Chopped parsley, paprika powder and pine nuts for garnish

Directions:

1. Combine the garlic, garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, water and olive oil in a food processor and mix until smooth.
2. Add salt little by little to taste.
3. Spoon into serving bowl and sprinkle with the pine nuts, parsley and a bit of paprika powder.

Creamy  hummus

This is a slightly variation of the original hummus, the greek yogurt makes it a bit creamier and soft.

Ingredients:

• 5 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can garbanzo beans drained and washed (save a couple of tablespoons of the liquid)
• 1 tablespoon greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika powder
• Fresh parsley for garnish

Directions:

1. On a hot pan roast the sesame seed until they become golden brown, set aside
2. Mix in a food processor the garbanzo beans (with the separated liquid), garlic, sesame seeds, yogurt and half of the olive oil and mix until smooth.
3. Add the lemon and mix once more.
4. Bring to taste with the sugar, salt, paprika and cayenne pepper.
5. Spoon into serving bowl and add the remaining oil and sprinkle with the parsley.

Peanut Butter Dip

This is great for kids but PB addicts like myself love it too! You can serve it with slices of apple, bananas, strawberries, pear or some pretzels.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

1. Mix all the ingredients and serve.