Mexican recipes - fajitas, chips/dip, tacos etc.

Alright guys...help me out a little here...I'm having a b-day party when I return from the States. I want to serve Mexican foods (fajitas, chips/dip, tacos and the like). I've found it very difficult to find proper ingredients for Mexican foods since moving to Germany, so...

Can anyone provide me with some good, tried and true, recipes that will be fairly easy to make from ingredients readily available at Mini Mall, Tenglemann, etc.?

I'll be hosting about 15-20 people. I would like to serve a good variety of foods but don't want to spend all day in the kitchen...any sugggestions would be much appreciated.

Don't forget the dessert recipes.

Why not bring what you need back from the states?

My one bit of advice...any salsa or guacamole that you make...remove the seeds and insides of the tomatoes. It makes it a thousand times better. Unless you make a hot sauce puree. Then skin the tomatoes by adding them to boiling water for a few seconds.

Try Tengelmann, they have quite a good selection of Mexican stuff (refried beans, taco shells, other stuff).

http://www.toytowngermany.com/search/?q=me...rch=Full+Search There is info in 3 of these links here, plus a recommendation to go to Mercado de Mexico in Neuhausen; they have fresh tortillas, and pre-prepare dishes too.

Hit next to Rosenheimerplatz has a large Mexican section.

Look at the selection here, and then get what you can't find when you are back in the states.

@ Rus - good idea. I will likely bring some things back with me. But as I will already be bringing a ton of other stuff, my suitcases can only hold so much

Edit: does no one cook these days...i'd like recipes people, ideas of what to cook...HELP!

I can only second the Mercado de Mexico which I received the tip from Katrina...authentic place!!

Ya could wait a little longer than ten minutes.

Cool your jets there, Keydeck...I can wait another ten minutes if that will help

I have a recipe from a Mexican friend but it's in Spanish:

Here it is:

Receta: Rajas con queso !!! (aprox. 4 personas)

Ingredientes:

* chiles poblanos (verdes y grandes)
* 1 cebolla grande
* 4 jitomates grandes
* aceite
* sal y pimienta
* un "vasito" de crema agria
* 1 paquete de queso "gouda"

Se asan los chiles y se les quita la primera capa, después se abren y se les
sacan todas las semillas (que es lo picante del chile), se cortan en tiras
largas.

También se pica en cuadritos pequenosla cebolla y los jitomates.

En una olla, se ponen 3 cucharadas de aceite y se pone a freir la cebolla.
Se sazona sal y pimienta al gusto y una cucharada sopera de consomé de
pollo. Ya que la cebolla se cristalizó, se agrega el jitomate y se deja
freir hasta que se hace un caldillo. Después se ponen las rajas en el
caldillo y se bate hasta que hierva todo, aproximadamente 10 minutos. Antes
de servir se le pone la crema y queso.

¡Que aproveche!

Barbara

Here you go AJ for your recipe translation
http://translate.google.com/translate_t

P.S.

it looks good

Do not buy guacamole or salsa at Minimal or Tengelmann. You would be sadly disappointed. The refried beans and tortillas are ok though.

Another vote for Mercado de Mexico -- if you want it easy, just go buy their frozen tamales, empanadas, and taco rolls.

Sounds like I'll be making a trip into town after my flight arrives back home that Saturday...easy is always good. Just hope the food is...or maybe I'll just take them all out to Sausilitos instead, may be the easiest of all (but a bit expensive)...

What style of Mexican are you interested in cooking? Generic American/Mexican? Real Mexican (which region?) Cali-mex? Tex-mex? New-mex? Even the recipes you mentioned in the thread title vary depending on the region.

I have recipes for New Mexican food and Mexican food from the area near the border with NM--calabazitas, enchiladas (sooo many different kinds), flautas, tacos, fajitas, tostadas, nachos, chile con queso, guacamole, chile rellenos, tortilla soup, green chile stew, chimichangas, burritos, tamales, chalupas, carne adovada, posole, huevos rancheros, stuffed sopapillas, frrijoles pintos, frijoles refritos, quesadillas, flan, sopa, queso nuevo mexicano, salsa with fresh corn tortilla chips, menudo if you're feeling brave . . . I think I need a few moments to return from this pornographic food fantasy . . .

Pretty much anything can be done if you have the ability to bring ingredients back from the US.

If you are more specific in your request perhaps you will be rewarded for your specificity.

just ask Saan for her 4 favourites, cos she's a fab cook, and they are *bound* to be truly lecker

Well since I'll be entertaining most Germans, the recipes can't be as spicy as I would like. I'm more looking for the generic American/Mexican that I'm used to from home, but I am open to suggestions at this point...thus the post.

I think Topsy has the right idea...what are your 4 favs? Maybe I'll be feeling adventurous.

Thanks for the compliment, Topsy.

My four favorites would probably all include green chile (not just any green chile, THE Hatch green chile), which is possibly going to be a bit difficult for ajohnson to bring back from the states. The good news is that there are several shops online that ship Hatch chile internationally.

Hey Saan, I would like to know how you season your fajitas, and a recipe for tortilla soup!!

I make mexican here all the time! Hit at Rosenheimer Platz really is a great place to shop- I can generally get everything I need there. Here is a recipe that I sort of made myself for chicken enchiladas:

(you will need to bring some corn tortillas back from the states though)

20-30 corn tortillas
4 med/lg chicken breasts (or 2 of those roasted chickens from the döner stand if you're feeling lazy )
1 kg cheddar cheese (behind the cheese counter at hit -& not the wax covered sharp stuff)
1/2 cup flour
2 cups chicken broth
2 jars of green salsa (sold in the mex area of hit)
1/2 cup oil divided
dash of garlic powder
fresh cilantro (coriander) also (usually) sold in the produce area of Hit (if not Hertie's grocery has it)
black olives
salt & pepper

(all amounts are approx)

start by boiling the chicken breasts until cooked, whilst dipping the tortillas into hot oil for about 5 sec per side, then add a bit of oil to a frying pan and fry flour until thick. add fried flour to a bowl and mix with chicken broth & garlic powder, salt & pepper & green chili salsa. allow cooked chicken to cool, and then tear into shreds, then mix with 1/3 of broth sauce. roll up chicken in tortillas, pour remaining sauce over all. top with cheddar cheese mixed with snipped fresh cilantro & olives. bake at about 200° C for about 20-30 min or until cheese is nice & bubbly.

as a side, you could also buy a few cans of "wachtelbohnen" near the mex area (which are actual pinto beans, not that refried crap in a can) and fry with some oil for about 10 min.

salsa:

seeded plum tomatoes
fresh cilantro
chopped white onion
lemon juice
chopped jalapenos

I'm from San Diego- this should be authentic tasting, and even my german husband likes it, so bon appetit!

I've made all the following recipes and they're simple, easy, and have been well-received. You can get all the ingredients pretty easy in Munich (Mercado de Mexico is a great tip, but a bit expensive). I think the most important and hard to get item for Mexican recipes in Munich is the tortillas. I've read MdM makes them, but I haven't tried theirs. Bring some good tortillas back from the states if you can, as the German versions suck (especially flour tortillas), and tortillas make a world of difference in how well the entire meal goes over.

Pico di Gallo - Big 'ol bowl

Plenty of recipes on the net for this, and it's impossible to screw it up. The basic ingredients are green onions, cilantro, lime juice, tomatos, garlic clove, salt, sugar, white onion, seeded jalapeno or serrano chiles. Useful with chips, or toppings on other dishes, like burritos.

Tortilla Chips

10 corn tortillas
Cooking oil

Cut tortillas like a stack of pancakes, into the standard triangle shapes. Fry in cooking oil (deep fryer preferred), drain, dry & serve warm.

Beef Burritos - 8 servings

2 cups shredded cooked beef
1 cup refried beans
8 10" flour tortillas
2 cups shredded lettuce
2 medium tomatos, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Heat beef and refried beans separately. Warm the tortillas. Lay everything out on the table, and teach your guests how to make burritos. Enjoy.

Fried Ice Cream - 6 servings

1 pint vanilla ice cream
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 box sweetened corn flakes, crushed
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Cooking oil
Honey
Whipped cream

Take about 6 scoops of ice cream, and form into small-medium balls. Put on a plate, and freeze for an hour. In a small bowl, beat the eggs and vanilla together. In a pie pan or equivalent, crush the corn flakes, and mix the cinnamon together.

Remove ice cream balls from the freezer. Dip each ball in the egg mixture, and then roll it in the cereal mixture. Put ice cream back in the freezer for an hour. Repeat the dipping/mixing procedure a second time. Again, put ice cream in freezer, now for several hours or overnight.

Fry the balls in deep, hot oil at 350F (175C), one or two at a time, for 10-15 seconds. Drain on paper towel, and serve immediately in a small dessert dish, topped with a little bit of honey and whipped cream.

Alternately, you can fry a flour tortilla quickly, sprinkle lightly with cinnamon, and serve each ice cream ball on an individual tortilla on a plate.

Those will fill you up for the next two days, and garner 2+ engagement proposals, in my experience.

Not Mexican, but goes well generally with some Mexican food - you can fry up some plantains as a side dish. Get 4 of them ripe (Viktualianmarkt sells kochbanane), chop of the ends, and slice each in half, lengthwise, then peel. Take a couple cloves of crushed garlic, a tablespoon of salt, a teaspoon of ground cloves, and mash together to a paste. Add the paste to a quart of water and mix well. Take your cut plantains, and cut again into 1" pieces. Soak in the garlic/salt water for 10 minutes. Remove, wash, and dry the soaked pieces. Pan-fry the pieces in a bit of butter and rum and a pinch of brown sugar until golden.

Mercado de Mexico also sells (when I last looked) pre-made churros for dessert. Fry them up for a few minutes, and roll in cinnamon afterwards.

Great tips Randy! Where do you get the corn tortillas?

Don't take them to Sausalito's - it sucks, really. If it's Sunday, bring them to Tijuana's in Schwabing on Leopoldstrasse. They have an all-you-can-eat Fajitas night on Sunday nights and it's really, really good.

I think the only batch of corn tortillas I've bought in Munich were from Mercado de Mexico, but I can't really remember. Usually I just bring a bag or two back with me from the states.

Oh my last tip would be to bring back a big bottle of chipotle tabasco, ajohnson. That stuff is delicious and goes well with anything. If you bring back an extra bottle, I'll happily buy you a a beer or four as well, since I recently ran out.

Tortilla Soup

1/2 cup each: yellow onion, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, tomato, all cut into 1/2 inch pieces
about 3 cloves garlic (or to taste), minced
1/2 cup roasted green chile, chopped (or to taste)
4 cups chicken broth (homemade if possible)
1/4 tsp. fresh ground cumin
2 cups cooked chicken (see below)
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
salt to taste
about 1 cup crushed corn tortilla chips
6 yellow corn tortillas cut into 1/4 inch wide strips
6 blue corn tortillas (or more yellow) cut as above
2-3 cups vegetable oil, for frying

Chicken for tortilla soup, or enchilada or burrito filling

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken meat
1/2 cup diced yellow onion
1/2 cup green bell peppers, diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
2 tsp. fresh oregano
garlic, minced, to taste
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
4 cups water

Put everything in a big pot and bring slowly to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1-1.5 hours. The meat should be tender to the point of shredding. The leftover liquid can be saved to use in the tortilla soup.

For the soup, start with a large pot over medium-high heat. Add about 2 Tbsp. oil and sauté the veggies until they soften. Then add the garlic and sauté about a minute more. Add the broth and dry seasonings and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, add the chicken, and let the soup simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile (or beforehand) fry the corn tortilla strips in 180 C oil for about 2 minutes or until crispy. Drain on paper towels.

Put the cornstarch in a small bowl and, stirring with a fork, add just enough cold water to form a thin paste. Bring the soup back to a boil. Stir with one hand and slowly pour the cornstarch into the soup with the other. Boil another minute, then turn the heat back down. Stir until it is thickened a bit and the cloudiness subsides.

Remove the soup from the heat and add the cilantro and lime juice. Fill 8-12 cups or bowls about 1/4 full of crushed tortilla chips. Ladle the soup on top. Place a handful of the fried tortilla strips on top of each and serve.

Now regarding fajitas, I haven't made them in ages. In New Mexico I used a bottled marinade. A quick search revealed these decently authentic-looking recipes:
http://www.recipegoldmine.com/swbeefpork/swbeefpork30.html
http://www.recipegoldmine.com/swbeefpork/swbeefpork81.html
http://santafeschoolofcooking.com/Recipes/..._Steak_Fajitas/

@ randy - thanks for the pic. I'm not a fan of regular Tabasco at all, but Chipotle I may be able to do. I'll add it to the list of things to bring back from the States which is getting quite long. If I can manage to remember, I'll grab an extra bottle or two for you. Maybe I should start a new thread..."Going to the States...who needs what?" and see what tons of requests I get. LOL. But a small bottle or two of Tabasco is the least I can do for good recipes.

Thanks Saan and Randy

that one sounds yummy, saan. will definitely be making tortilla soup for the crew. thanks!

I make my own flour and corn tortillas. It's surprisingly easy and they taste so much better than anything you can buy in a store!

You can get Masa mix for making corn tortillas at the Mexican shop at Viktualienmarkt.

Corn Tortillas

2 cups Masa Harina
1 tsp. salt
1 2/3 cup boiling water

Combine Masa and salt in a bowl. Add the water and stir until it resembles polenta. Wet your hands and form the dough into balls the size of eggs.

Place the dough between two moistened pieces of parchment (or inside a large ziplock bag) and flatten to 1/8 inch thick, using a rolling pin or your hands.

Heat a skillet or griddle over medium high. Place each tortilla on the skillet and cook about one minute per side. (You can make the next tortilla while it is cooking). I usually cook on two skillets at once to make it go faster. This makes about 12 tortillas.

My flour tortilla recipe is here.

I'll post a few more recipes later tonight.

Here is a quick red rice recipe

1 1/2 cup of rice
1/3 cup of oil
1/4 cup of tomato sause
4 cups of water
1 teaspoon of garlic salt

brown the rice in oil. Add tomato sauce then water. Let boil on high heat for 5 minutes. Turn heat down to meduim for 15 minutes until almost dry. Let sit covered for 5 minutes.

Mexican Rice

1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper (or mix green, red, and yellow)
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 tsp. vegetable oil
1 cup long grain rice
1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes with juice
1 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp.salt
1 1/2 cups beef broth

In skillet saute onion, green pepper, and garlic until onion is softened. Add rice to skillet and cook over medium-high heat until rice has browned. Add tomatoes, chili powder, salt, and beef broth. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer until liquid has been absorbed, approx 20 minutes.

Need Margarita help?

My four favorites (at the moment). Nothing in the world substitutes for the flavor of NM Hatch green chile but you can substitute a different kind of chile in these recipes and still get something tasty...just not authentic. As I mentioned yesterday, it is possible to have chile shipped from NM but I'm aware that if you're not already addicted, it probably seems like too much trouble.

Calabacitas
This dish was developed in Northern New Mexico to be eaten during Lent (no meat). It works well as a side dish. Or to turn it into a main dish, one of my favorite things to do is Calabacitas Burritos--make the calabacitas, roll them as filling into flour tortillas, line the burritos up in a baking dish and cover with shredded cheddar (or half cheddar and half monterey jack, but jack isn't available in Munich)...then bake at 180 C until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Yum!

4 Tbsp. oil
4-6 zucchini or a mix of summer squash
1-3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 tsp. fresh ground cumin
1/2-1 tsp. dried oregano, crushed
2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
1/2 cup chopped, roasted green chile
juice of 1/2-1 lime
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste
fresh ground pepper, to taste
grated cheddar cheese

Heat the oil in a large skillet and add the zucchini, onion and garlic. Sauté over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until the zucchini begins to wilt. Add the corn, green chile, spices, lime juice and salt and cook, covered, over low heat for 10 minutes. Add the cilantro and cook, covered, another five minutes. Remove from the heat and mix in the cheese and salt and pepper to taste.


Green Chile Spinach Enchiladas
I've been eating these since I was a child and I'll never get tired of them.

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. butter
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 lbs. fresh spinach
salt to taste
3/4 lb. Swiss or Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (I prefer Jack but you know the situation)
10 fresh corn tortillas

Sauce
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp flour
1 cup milk, heated
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup chopped, roasted green chile
1/4 cup shredded Swiss or Monterey Jack

Preheat oven to 180 C. Heat oil and 1 Tbsp. butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté onion and garlic until golden. Add spinach and stir until the liquid is evaporated and the spinach wilts. Add just a little salt to the spinach.

Spread a heaping Tbsp. shredded cheese in a line down the center of each tortilla. Then add a heaping Tbsp. of the spinach mixture. Roll up the tortillas and place them seam side down in a baking dish.

Melt 1 Tbsp. butter in a saucepan. Add flour, whisking to form a roux. Add heated milk slowly, whisking to avoid lumps. Once sauce is creamy and has thickened, stir in the sour cream and chile then remove from heat. Season with salt to taste.

Pour sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake, covered, for 25 to 30 minutes. Just before serving, remove the lid and place the dish under the broiler to brown the top.

Green Chile Stew

1 lb. pork stew meat, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/4 cup flour with salt and pepper
2 cups (fresh if possible) roasted and peeled green chile, medium diced
3/4 cup yellow onion, diced
1/3 cup green bell pepper, diced
1/3 cup red bell pepper
minced garlic, to taste
2-3 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
8 cups chicken broth
salt to taste
2 or more medium-sized potatoes, peeled and diced
5 Tbsp. cornstarch
2-3 Tbsp veggie oil

Dredge the pork in seasoned flour and shake off excess. Heat a large heavy pot on high, add the oil, let it heat, then add the pork. Cook until browned on all sides, then remove from the pan. Add more oil if necessary, then add the green chile and veggies. Cook about 5 minutes, or until they soften. Add the garlic and cook a minute more. Add the pork back to the pot along with the broth. (At this point you can also add cooked posole, if desired). Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer then cook covered for about 35-45 minutes or until the meat is tender. Add the potatoes and continue cooking for 15-20 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

To thicken the stew, make a paste of the cornstarch and a little cold water (as in my tortilla soup recipe). Add the paste to the stew while stirring, let it boil a minute, turn down the heat and continue to stir until the cloudiness goes away and the stew thickens a bit.

Serve this soup with flour tortillas and/or sopapillas for dipping and to cut the heat. Beer is another good accompaniment.

Sopa
Sopa is either a broth soup or a bread pudding...this is the pudding.

12 cups (about 1/5 loaves) baguette, cut in cubes
1 cup raisins
6 eggs, beaten
1 quart milk
2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 cup melted butter
Rum Butter Sauce (see below)
Chocolate Syrup

Preheat oven to 180 C. In a large mixing bowl combine the eggs with milk, vanilla and cinnamon. Toss in enough bread to soak up the liquid.

Pour some of the butter in a deep baking dish and run it around the bottom and up the sides. Pour the rest of the butter into the bread mixture along with the raisins. Mix well then press the bread into the pan evenly. Cover with foil and place in the oven, reducing the heat to 160. Bake 20-25 minutes then carefully remove the foil and bake another 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned and firm. Allow to cool a bit, then cut into 6-12 portions. Serve warm topped with Rum Sauce and Chocolate Syrup.

Rum Butter Sauce

1/3 cup dark rum
1 cup cream
1/2 cup brown sugar
3-4 Tbsp. water
1 tsp. cornstarch
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter

In a tall saucepan combine the rum, cream and sugar and bring to a boil. Cook on the highest heat possible without boiling over. After it has reduced by about a third (about 5 minutes), make a paste of the cornstarch and water and stir this into the boiling sauce. After a minute, remove from the heat. When it has cooled somewhat, whisk the butter in, a tablespoon at a time. You can make this ahead of time and reheat before serving.

Now I could just keep going and going but I have other things to do today. I did think of sharing my recipe for red chile sauce but I'm just going to assume it is too spicy (and anyway, again, you need NM chiles for it to taste authentic). But I did want to give you quick recipes for dips to serve with your chips. So, for dips:

-salsa (I love roasted salsas--so roasted tomatoes, roasted onions, roasted garlic, roasted chiles, fresh cilantro and salt to taste)

-guacamole (make your own by mashing avocados with a bit of lime juice, then adding minced yellow onion, garlic, a little chopped tomato and maybe a bit of crushed cumin and fresh cilantro along with salt and pepper to taste...you can make the guacamole creamier by adding a little sour cream)

-queso (I don't do this in an authentic manner at all! I use *shock!* velveeta cheese and a jarred salsa, possibly along with a little extra chile, warmed in a fondue pot...if you try this just be sure to use a good salsa...salsas in Germany verily suck, especially when they have, of all things, sugar added)

-plain sour cream

-pico de gallo

Salsa or pico de gallo, guacamole and sour cream should all be served as accompaniments to fajitas, tacos, burritos, etc.

Note: pretty much all measurements are approximations in these recipes, so feel free to adjust the amounts to your taste.

Fuego!?!?!?!? For shame! Prisoners in Texas get better Tex-Mex than that.

Somehow I forgot to mention that lime juice is an essential ingredient in salsa.

and orange juice for guacamole...gives it a better flavor than with lime juice

Isn't 98% of mexican cooking more origami than food preparation? Fold in one way, burrito, fold it another, fajita, fold it another, baby swan.

Looks like you should just hire Saan to cook

@ don_riina: shock and dismay of all the folks on the forum, i was looking forward to you chiming in with an awesome recipe

Hey, but great idea...Saan, ever considered a second career as a caterer?

@saan
Where do you buy the vegetable shortening in your flour tortilla recipe??

I've found Crisco (vegetable shortening) in the American section of Hertie, but the stuff they sell near the butter (palmin? or something like that) is the same thing, only refrigerated.

someitmes they sell crisco in sex shops

Hmmm...I think I could see myself as a caterer...something to think about.

I've never tried oj in guacamole but I certainly will; it sounds pretty tasty.

I have used this Palmin stuff; it's actually hardened palm fat (pretty evil stuff, really). It works great for tortillas. But lard is even better!

Palmin is saturated palm oil. Pretty thick stuff. For Crisco-like shortening, Biskin is the German equivalent. Same shit, different package and name.

woof.

thanks BadDoggie- I think it was Biskin I had in mind!

The Mercado in Neuhausen does Mexican cooking courses in English. They don't have any scheduled right now, but if you organize your own group then they will schedule something for you.

Anybody interested?

Yes! Something on Fridays or a weekend would be best.

mmmmm, i'd be interested in this.

Ohhhhhh me! I love mexican!