Camelot is the name for my parents home. It is my favorite place in the whole world. When I come home there is a sense of peace and calm that takes over me.
Perhaps it is the flowers found in every corner of the house, or the use of color in every room.
Perhaps it is my moms breakfasts or the gentle way my parents adopt my children as their own.
Coming home feels right in every way.
The next couple of recipes are devoted to just that. I have tried to write about recipes that warmed my childhood.
These recipes also won the love of my husband.
I try very hard everyday to get them just like mom does, which is the way my grandmother's did it!
Being around my mother inspires the very essence of creativity in me. Especially in the kitchen!
Here are some wondeful Mexican inspired recipes that I hope you all try.
They are easy, fun and full of flavor; the way we all should be cooking!
I wish I could say that when we cook Mexican food we start from scratch.
But we don't!
We just don't always find what we need in season for many recipes. Therfore we have found an array of Mexican cooking products and lines that we like to use in order to maximize flavor.
However, when we do find Chile Poblano, zucchini flower, fresh corn, fresh epazote and beautiful ripe avocados in the market stands, we get a little crazy and buy as many as we can! We make rajas, we make chiles rellenos, we grill, we roast, we fry for days! It's a lot of fun.
SALSA VERDE
4 medium tomatillos, husked, rinsed and quartered.
1 large garlic clove peeled and quartered.
1/2 onion roughly chopped (optional)
1 Jalapeno chili stemmed and roughly chopped.
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Combine tomatillos, garlic, chiles, cilantro and onion in a blender.
Add 1/4 cup water and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Process to a coarse puree.
Taste and season.
Serve within the hour to enjoy the freshest possible flavors!
We kept our in our fridge for up to a week and it was still delicious on day 7!
LA TORTILLA MEXICANA
Heat oven to 425 degrees.
2 tablespoons of olive oil
12 eggs whisked
1/2 cup yellow sweet corn(in the summer try and use fresh corn)!
1 cup chile poblano stemmed, seeded and skinned (from a can if you can't find fresh poblanos). Be careful not to rub your eyes after seeding the rajas. It's amazing how many times I have done it!
1 onion sliced
Mozzarella
salt
pepper
Whisk eggs and set aside.
In a large skillet gently heat corn, rajas, and onion with olive oil.
Add eggs to pan and cook as if cooking an omelet.
Cook for about 8 minutes.
Sprinkle mozzarella on top of the egg.
Transfer skillet to oven and finish cooking for about 8 minutes longer.
The top should be nicely browned and inside nicely cooked.
Transfer Tortilla to a large round plate and serve whole on the table.
Everyone can serve themselves.
Serve with warm bread or warmed tortillas.
RAJAS
4 chiles poblanos
Char the skin of the poblano over an open flame until it starts to crackle and blister. Be sure to burn all sides of the poblano.
If you are not using an open flame, roast in the oven at high heat 475 degrees until black.
Throw them in a ziploc bag when they are hot.
Allow them to cool.
Once cooled remove the poblano and remove the black skin, the core and the seeds.
Slice your poblano into thin strips.
To make Rajas with crema (cream)! This recipe is incredibly delicious and works as a side dish for any dish, meat, pork, poultry and fish.
Slice a large onion into slices.
Add the onion and sliced poblano to a frying pan with 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat.
Season with salt.
Heat until the onions become soft and translucent about 20 minutes.
Add 1 small container of sour cream.
Heat through.
We especially love this with steak for Patrick, Tuna steak for me!
Simple Scrambled Eggs with Tortillas
Olive oil
2 eggs
Heat oil in skillet on medium low heat
Gently fry tortillas about 2 minute each side, on medium low heat.
Set aside on plate with paper towel.
Scramble your eggs with salt and pepper.
Transfer eggs to Tortilla
Wrap and eat! So easy and so tasty.
This little meal makes a great kids breakfast, lunch or dinner! As a child I used to eat these with ketchup. My kids do the same thing!
Huevos a la Mexicana
Recipe for 2
4 large organic eggs
1/2 cup diced tomato-any kind you like. In the winter I always use cherry.
1/2 cup finely diced sweet onion
half a jalapeno finely sliced
if you don't like heat but would still like to add some green color, we often use diced green pepper.
In a pan saute onion, tomato, jalapeno, green peppers for about 2 minutes.
season.
Add eggs and scramble.
Serve with bread or tortillas.
Los Huevos Rancheros:
large organic eggs
Corn Tortillas
Salsa Verde or Salsa Roja
Cilantro
Sweet onion finely sliced
sour cream for garnish.
sliced avocado for garnish.
Warm salsa verde in frying pan or small pot.
Gently fry 4 tortillas on medium high heat.
Set aside on a plate with paper towel.
Crack 4 eggs and cook sunny side up.
Place sunny side up egg on tortilla.
Pour salsa verde on top of eggs.
Use sour cream and avocado for a garnish and eat with warmed tortillas.
Las Tostadas
We love these with Tuna but you can make them with just about anything. Cooked white fish, chicken, pork, beef. The possibilities are endless. So fast and so easy. Great for entertaining large groups!
Simple fresh ingredients allow for bold flavors that make any simple dish come alive.
Tostadas (baked tortillas that are crunchy and hard)
1 can of white tuna-even better if you use fresh tuna grilled and cut.
1 Finely diced sweet onion
1 Finely diced tomato seeds removed
Finely chopped Cilantro
Finely diced iceberg lettuce
1/2 teaspoon chipotle
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
For the tostada
Refried beans
For the Garnish
Avocado
Sour Cream
Place tuna and all ingredients in a bowl
Combine and mix well.
Spread a Tostada with beans.
Scoop a tablespoon or two of tuna mixture onto Tostada.
Garnish with Avocado and a dollop of sour cream.
Eat and enjoy!
