Caldo de Res (Mexican Beef Stew)

Delving deeper into my authentic Mexican recipe repertoire, we find another very popular soup that I serve quite often. Caldo de res is a great crowd pleaser; it is very easy to make enough for a large number of people without having to do so much work. This soup is not at all spicy and is very versatile. In addition to or in substitute of any of the vegetables that I used in the recipe, you can use any of your favorite vegetables. I have also used cabbage, mushrooms, garbanzo beans, yucca, and some people even add a little bit of hominy. People from El Salvador add in plantains. In order to successfully use plantains in this soup, you must cut them into 1 inch pieces and leave the peel on. The person eating the soup would then need to fish out the plantain and peel it in order to eat it. This is perfectly fine in Hispanic cultures as many soups and stews are made with bone in meat and other vegetables or seafood that must be deboned or peeled. That is why many soups in the Hispanic culture are served with tortillas; the tortillas are used to handle the items in the soup that must be peeled or deboned.

I normally use roast beef without a bone for this recipe. Today I used stew beef because it was on sale. But I have also used chuck roast and other types of roast beef. The key to having tender, falling apart meat is cooking it low and long. In other words over low heat for a long time. You can even cook the meat in the slow cooker and then transfer to a soup pot when you're ready to do the vegetables. It's a good tip for on the run cooking. Let's get started:

Here is what you will need:
4 pounds stew beef or a 4 pound roast beef (look for red, marbled meat)
1 large onion, quartered
2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 potatoes , peeled and roughly chopped
2 Chayote squash , peeled and roughly chopped
2 Mexican zucchinis , roughly chopped
6 ears niblet corn on the cob
10 to 12 tortillas
Salsa verde (recipe below)

Cilantro and onion, chopped for garnish

Lime wedges

In a soup pot over medium high heat,  bring the beef and the onion to a boil in plenty of water . Once it has come to a boil, let it simmer on medium low heat for about 2 hours minimum. I usually put the lid on the pot crooked so that its not completely covering the pot.

When the meat is very tender and falling apart, remove all of the onion with a slotted spoon. Now it is time to add the vegetables. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring to a slow boil. Cook until the vegetables are tender.

Serve with warm tortillas and salsa verde. Provide chopped onion and cilantro to sprinkle over the top of the soup. Also lime wedges should be available for those who enjoy a spritz of lime juice in their soup.

Hints and tips:
1. The chayote squash should be fairly easy to find. If it is not you can just add in more potatoes if you would like. The squash has a core in the center which you can take out if you like , but I just leave it in because it softens up quite well in the soup. It does however need to be peeled.

2. If you cannot find Mexican zucchini, you can just use regular zucchini. They taste about the same. Just like zucchini, this vegetable does not need to be peeled but it does need to have the ends cut off.

3. You can use corn or flour tortillas, but it is most common to use corn tortillas. To heat these you can use a Comal or just a regular non-stick pan heated over medium low heat. The comal simply adds to convenience of being able to heat up more tortillas at a time. You can get comal at just about any Mexican store or flea market. For my local readers, I got mine at Pendergrass flea market. To keep the tortillas warm, you can wrap them in a cloth napkin or in aluminum foil. If you serve tortillas often, you can also get a tortillera (tortilla keeper) which is just basically a container in which you put a cloth napkin to wrap the tortillas in and serve them.(see photo below)

When eating, you can either roll your tortilla and take a bite of it along with your soup, or you can fish out some of the beef and eat it on the tortilla with salsa verde as a taco.

4. When I made my salsa verde, I did not feel like doing the picture thing for the blog so I apologize for not having a real blog entry for this. But it is quite simple:

Here is what you will need:
5 tomatillos with husks removed
1 medium jalapeno, stem removed
1 small onion, chopped
A few sprigs of cilantro, chopped
A small clove of garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 Hass avocado, optional

Just add the tomatillos and 1 medium jalapeno pepper to a half pot of water. Boil until the tomatillos and jalapenos are soft. Add these into a blender with a small chopped onion, a few sprigs of cilantro finely chopped, a small clove of garlic chopped, and a teaspoon of salt. Blend to a nice puree. In order to make this authentic guacamole , just use a fork to mash up a avocado into the Salsa. Whether you add the avocado or not, this salsa is a very good addition to this meal.

Homemade Caramel Apples

I would say that I tried out several different recipes in search of the perfect one, but actually this is the first one I tried and it turned out really good. These caramel apples were much easier to make than the candied apples that I made earlier this week. They are also, in my opinion, tastier and easier to eat. However, if you have any dental work you may want to reconsider! This recipe is rather easy to make and easy to clean up after following the easy tips that I will be including. I actually enjoyed making these!

Here is what you will need:
1/2 cup butter or margarine
 2 cups packed brown sugar
 1 cup light corn syrup
 Dash of salt
 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 popsicle sticks
8 medium apples, washed, dried, and destemmed

Destem all of the clean apples and make sure you get all the stickers off that come from the grocery store. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

So pretty much all you do here is combine all of the ingredients, except the apples and the sticks of course, and bring it to a boil over medium low heat. You'll want to use a heavy pan like stainless steel. This will need to be stirred constantly. 

Tip: If you use a stainless steel spoon to stir with, you can simply dip it into boiling water when you're finished and wipe it clean with no problem.

Using a candy thermometer, watch until the mixture comes up to 245 degrees which is softball. Make sure the thermometer does not touch the bottom of the pan. This will take about a half hour and yes you do need to stir it the whole time. As the caramel reaches the correct temperature, you will notice a change in the color. It will begin to get darker as you can see in this photo:

When the caramal is up to the correct temperature, work quickly dipping the apples and rolling them in the caramal. I don't turn the heat off until I'm almost done with only a few apples left to go. In my experience if you turn the heat off too soon the coolness of the apples will begin to cool down the caramal and you will not be able to get the last apples fully coated. Just be careful not to let the caramel burn. I used my stainless steel spoon to help coat the entire apple getting caremal up on the top part. If you want to dip these and nuts or sprinkles now is the time to do it.

When they are coated, set them on a tin foil lined baking sheet to cool. Mine turned out a little ugly. So when they were cool enough to handle, I smoothed them out with my hands covering the areas that lacked caramel and smoothing out any ugly places. (This is what you have to do with the store bought wraps anyway.)

Tip: For easy cleanup, simply boil water in the pan in which you cooked the caramel. As the water comes to a boil, grab a toothbrush and just scrub away all of the caramel as it begins to get soft. Then you just pour it out and your pan is all clean. Please note that my toothbrush has never melted in the hot water. I cannot guarantee that yours will not melt though! o_O

Now, since you have been really good and you have tried a recipe from Mel's Kitchen Adventures, you get a special treat! You get the privilege of eating any of the leftover caramel! If there's any left in the pan just lay it out onto the tin foil and let it sit for a little while. Don't let it cool off all the way just eat it as soon as it cool enough to eat. I have a guilty confession: I put a glob of leftover caramal into my cup of coffee! I then enjoyed a marvelous caramel latte! :-P

Milanesa (Mexican Breaded Steaks)

This is an authentic Mexican recipe that I got from my mother-in-law. My husband loves these steaks. His mother served them with mashed potatoes and a salad of lettuce and cucumbers dressed with lime juice and salt. You can also make some killer Milanesa sandwiches topped with refried beans, lettuce, queso fresco, tomato, jalapenos, and mexican cream, which is something that is on many menus at Mexican restaurants.

Here is what you will need:
1/2 cup cooking oil
3 thin steaks
1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 eggs

Heat the oil over medium high heat in a large, heavy pan. While waiting for the oil to heat, sprinkle each steak with salt and pepper. Pound out the steaks until they are super thin.

Dredge each steak in egg and then in the breadcrumbs. Put each steak directly in the hot oil. Don't prepare the steaks until you are ready to fry them as this will make the breadcrumbs soggy.

Depending on how big your steaks are, you may need to do one at a time. Cook until brown on each side, approximately 4 minutes per side.
Remove the steaks to a plate lined with paper towels. This makes enough for three people.

Grape and Asian Pear Slaw Salad

This delicious and fruity slaw salad is great for accompanying fish. For a healthier version you can substitute the mayo for plain Greek yogurt.

Here is what you'll need:
2 cups Shredded Cabbage
1 Asian Pear, chopped
1 small carrot, grated
6 radishes, chopped
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1 cup grapes, quartered
1/4 cup slivered almonds or chopped pecans
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp celery salt

In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, Asian pear, carrot, radishes, celery, grapes, and nuts. Add in the mayo and sprinkle the celery salt over the entire salad. Mix well.

French Onion Chipotle Fish

This is the best fish recipe I have come up with so far. This time I fried the fish but it can also be baked. Please note if you bake the fish instead of frying it, you will have to turn the fish halfway through cooking. It should be cooked on 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. Additionally, I used flounder fillets in this recipe, but you can also use tilapia.

Here is what you will need:
1/2 cup cooking oil
1 pound flounder fillets
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup Hidden Valley Ranch chipotle dipping sauce
1/2 mayonnaise
1 pack onion soup mix

Heat the cooking oil over medium-high heat in a large frying pan not prone to sticking. I used red palm canola oil because it is a healthier option. However you can use any kind of cooking oil. 

While the oil is heating, make and assembly line for the fish. Pour the breadcrumbs into a large shallow bowl and whisk together. Into another large shallow bowl, combine the mayo, Chipotle dip, and onion soup mix. 

Make sure the cooking oil is hot. Coat one piece of fish with the mayonnaise mixture, and then completely cover the fish and bread crumbs. Put this directly into the hot oil. Do not prepare the fish before you are ready to fry as this will cause the breadcrumbs to become mushy.
Fry fish until completely done on each side, probably about 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

Homemade Candied Apples

No matter how easy a recipe for candied apples claims to be, I will be honest with you- they are a little bit hard to make in my opinion. I guess that's because I seriously lack the kind of patience it takes to stand at a pot for such a long time. Nevertheless they are a fun fall treat and I will probably keep making them even though they are a pain. Here is my recipe:

You will need:
6 Gala apples
6 popsicle sticks
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup water
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons red food coloring

Add the sugar, corn syrup, and water to a heavy saucepan (like stainless steel) and bring it to a boil over medium heat (I use the setting 4 on my stove dial). You must continually stir this until it begins to boil.

Tip: use a stainless steel whisk to stir this with so that when you are finished all you have to do is dip it into boiling water and all of the hardened candy will just dissolve right off.

Once it has begun to boil, put the tip of a candy thermometer into the sugar mixture. Be sure the thermometer is not touching the bottom of the pan. You want to boil this until the candy thermometer reads 285 degrees or soft crack. Don't make the mistake of walking away from this. Although you don't need to keep stirring, it does need to be monitored. This will take a while. In my experience, about 30-45 minutes depending on the depth of your saucepan. 

While you're waiting on the mixture to to achieve the correct temp, prepare your apples. Be sure and remove all stems and take off all stickers from the grocery store. Stick popsicle sticks into the center of the apples about halfway down. 

Also prepare a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil which has been greased.
When your sugar mixture reaches 285 degrees, add the cinnamon and red food coloring.

Now begin working quickly to coat the apples. Roll each apple in the mixture and then allow them to drip over the pan until the excess mixture has dripped off. Put each apple on to your greased aluminum foil lined cookie sheet.  If you want to add any nuts or sprinkles now is the time to do it. 

This recipe is easy to double, but be aware that you will have to work very quickly so that the mixture will not cool off while you are still rolling the apples. You can leave the heat on under the apples while you do the first few, but it is not advisable to leave it on the whole time because the candy could burn. Room temperature apples work best.

Tip: For easy cleanup, simply boil water in the pan you used to make the candy, and use a toothbrush to brush away any excess hardened candy as the water begins to boil. I personally have never had a toothbrush melt as I was doing this, but I cannot assure you that this would not happen! o_O

Warning: if you have dental work you are going to want to be very careful when you eat these! They do get pretty hard! Just be very careful.

Hamburger Steaks and Mushroom Gravy

This is my absolute favorite meal! I love hamburger steaks and this is my very easy version of mushroom gravy. It also happens to be the most tasty version that I have ever come up with. This is comfort food at its best. I hope that everyone else will enjoy this recipe as much as I have!

Here is what you will need:
1 pound of ground chuck made out into quarter pound patties
1 medium onion , sliced into half rings
4 cups sliced white mushrooms
6 tablespoons brown gravy mix
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon margarine

In a large, heavy pan, cook the hamburger patties over medium-high heat. 

Meanwhile slice  the medium onion into half rings. Also slice the white mushrooms. You should have 4 cups of mushrooms once they are sliced. I bought two packages of the whole mushrooms at the store. Of course you can buy them sliced, but they cost a little bit more so I usually buy them whole.

Once the hamburger patties are completely cooked on both sides, remove them to a clean plate. Add the margarine to the rendered fat that is in the pan. If you use a good ground chuck, there should not be that much fat in the pan. The margarine gives a better flavor to the gravy and is not quite so cholesterol unfriendly. Once the margarine is melted, add in the half onion rings and saute them until they just begin to turn translucent. 

At that time, add in the mushrooms and drizzle the soy sauce over the mushrooms. Cook these on medium heat until the mushrooms are done, about 8 minutes. 

Now make a hole in the middle by moving around the mushrooms and onions. Add the 6 tablespoons of brown gravy mix to the pan in the little hole that you made. Immediately add 2 cups of hot water and begin to whisk the brown gravy mix around. Whisk it until there are no more lumps; usually there are no problems with lumps as the gravy mix is made to dissolve.

Now add the hamburger patties back to the pan and simmer over medium low heat until bubbly and thick.

This will make enough for 2 hungry people. In my opinion, these hamburger steaks must be served with mashed potatoes. That is why I make so much extra gravy with these. There must be plenty of gravy for the mash potatoes!

Chipotle Chicken with Rice and Vegetables

I love a hint of chipotle! But just a hint, because it can get hot! This dish has just the right amount of Chipotle flavoring giving it a nice smoky flavor without too much heat. It is a easy meal perfect for a busy weeknight utilizing one pot.

Here is what you will need:
4 chicken thighs
1 medium onion or 1 half large onion, diced
One lg can of whole tomatoes
2 Chipotle chiles in adobo
1 teaspoon cumin
3 carrots, cut into sticks
3 stalks of celery, cut into sticks
3 small potatoes, cut into sticks

3/4 cup rice

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Cilantro and limes for garnish

Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium high heat. Salt and pepper the chicken thighs and brown them skin side down in the hot oil. 

When the skin side is brown turn them over and brown the other side as well.  

Meanwhile put your can of tomatoes your Chipotle chilis with the adobo that they come in and the cumin into a blender and puree all of this together. 

When the chicken is brown, take it out of the skillet and put it onto a clean plate. Reduce heat to medium low. Add your coarsely chopped onion to the pan and cook until translucent scraping the bottom every now and then to loosen the pieces of chicken that were left.

Once the onions are translucent, add the garlic and stir around with the onion. Strain the tomato mixture through a sieve into the pan. You can use a spatula to help get all of it through the sieve. This will get out the chili and tomato seeds and I did not get blended up.

Turn up the heat to medium. Simmer until the tomato sauce is bubbly (about ten minutes) and then add the chicken back in. Now take your potatoes carrots and celery which have been cut into sticks, and arrange them around the chicken and on top of the chicken. Cover and simmer on medium heat for about 25 minutes.

Take the chicken and vegetables out of the pan and put them on a plate, add one cup of water to the skillet, and raise heat to medium-high. Bring the water and tomato mixture to a boil and add the rice. Reduce heat to medium low. Make sure that all of the rice is submerged in the liquid. Put the chicken and vegetables back on top of the rice and put the lid on the skillet. Cook on medium low heat for 25 more minutes.

Serve with torn cilantro and lime wedges. Makes enough for two hungry people.