Cut cleaned, uncooked nopales into French fry style strips 3/8-inch wide. Dip into a mixture of milk and eggs then roll through flour, cornmeal or a combination of both. Fry in a skillet or deep fryer. Serve immediately.

Large artichokes
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly-ground black pepper
Lemon halves

Prepare the artichokes by trimming them. In a small stockpot, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil.

Cook the artichokes in the boiling water for about 20 minutes, or until the outer leaves will pull away easily with a sharp tug.

Drain the artichokes and rinse them in cold water.

Cut the artichokes in half lengthwise. Brush them with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the artichokes on the grill, cut sides down. Grill them for about 10 minutes, or until the cut sides are browned.

Coat the artichokes liberally with more olive oil, then squeeze the lemons over them. Serve along with a bowl of kosher salt for sprinkling over the artichokes.

4 bone-in chicken breasts
3 cups chicken stock
1/2 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 bay leaves

Put all ingredients into a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer and cook the chicken about 25 to 30 minutes, or until it is very tender.

Let the chicken cool for about 10 minutes in the liquid.

Remove the breasts and let them cool a bit for easy handling.

Shred the chicken into bite-size pieces. Save the cooking liquid for sauces or soups.

Simple Deshebrado
Simmer chicken or turkey breasts in water to cover until just done. Remove the meat, reserving the broth for another use.

When the meat is cool enough to handle, remove it from the bones, cut it into 1-inch pieces, and shred it in a food processor fitted with the plastic blade.

1 pound dried pinto beans
3 quarts water
1/2 pound bacon, cut into pieces
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons dried red chile powder

Wash the beans thoroughly, removing any stones or bad beans. Soak overnight in cold water, changing the water at least once.

Cook the bacon for a few minutes, then add onion and cook until transparent. Put the beans into a large pot with the bacon and onion, cover with water and simmer, covered, for four hours or until beans start to soften. Add garlic powder, salt, pepper, and chile powder, and cook for 30 minutes. Serve hot.

Serves 6 to 8.

2 pounds lean ground beef
1/4 cup onion, chopped
3/4 cup sliced celery
1/3 cup green pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 dash cayenne pepper
3 cups dry bread crumbs
2 eggs
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles
1 cup Monterey jack cheese, shredded
1/4 cup black olives, sliced
1/2 cup tomato juice
Water (to mix)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Saut? beef, onion, celery, green pepper and garlic in a small amount of butter. In a large bowl, combine the ground beef mixture with salt, cayenne pepper, bread crumbs, eggs, chiles, cheese, olives and enough water to mix. Mix well with your hands. Place into a greased 9 x 5-inch loaf pan and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 15 minutes.

Mix tomato juice and 2 tablespoons melted butter. Pour half this juice over the meat. Bake 15 minutes more, then pour remaining half of juice mixture over the loaf. Bake for about 45 to 60 additional minutes, until meat is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Makes 8 servings.

Posted by Darlene at recipegoldmine.com 1/31/2002 10:38 am

1 tablespoon oil
1 1/2 cups long grain rice
3 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon cumin seed
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 can tomatoes
4 teaspoons chicken bouillon

Drain and chop the tomatoes reserving the liquid. Add enough water to equal 3 1/2 cups of liquid total. Dissolve the bouillon in the liquid.

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large frying pan. Add the rice and saut? until it puffs up and turns a light golden color. Add the cumin, garlic, and onion. Fry for about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and fry until any remaining liquid has evaporated stirring constantly. Add the liquid and stir to mix the rice.

Lower the heat and simmer the rice until the liquid level is just below the surface of the rice and holes begin to form in the rice (about 10 – 15 minutes). Cover the pan and continue cooking on very low heat until all the liquid is absorbed (approximately another 15 minutes).

2 cups macaroni, uncooked
1 1/2 cups milk
3 tablespoons light cream
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup tomatoes, chopped
3 tablespoons green chiles, diced
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt, to taste

Cook the macaroni according to package directions; drain well.

Meanwhile, warm the milk and cream in a small saucepan over medium heat, or in a glass measuring cup in a microwave oven for about 2 minutes. Do not boil.

In another saucepan, melt the butter and add flour, stirring until a paste forms. Pour the warmed milk into the butter mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until thick and creamy. Add cheese a little at a time, stirring until melted.

Stir in tomatoes, chiles and seasonings. Combine the hot macaroni and the sauce, blending well. Pour into a buttered, 2-quart casserole dish. Bake uncovered at 400 degrees F for 35 to 40 minutes, or until top is nicely browned.

7 peaches, peeled and pitted, or 8 plums, pitted
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup water
6 (2-inch) sticks canela
2 pods star anise
2 teaspoons finely diced seeded Guajillo chile
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Cut peaches or plums into wedges about 1/2 inch thick. In a small non-reactive saucepan, combine all ingredients except for peaches. Bring to a simmer over moderate heat and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until brine is well infused. Add half of the fruit to the simmering brine and cook for 2 minutes until the fruit softens slightly.

Using a slotted spoon, remove peach or plum wedges to a bowl and repeat the process with remaining fruit. Let cool, then cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.

To serve, drain fruit. If desired, leave the star anise and canela sticks for an inedible garnish. Reserve brine for the next batch, if desired.

1/2 cup peanut oil
12 flour tortillas
3 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 pound Monterey jack cheese, grated
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup finely chopped scallions
1 1/2 cups chopped Mexican green tomatoes
    or tomatillos verde, fresh or canned (drained)
1 cup chopped cilantro
1 (4 ounce) can peeled green chiles, drained and chopped
1 1/2 cups sour cream

Heat oil in a skillet. Put each tortilla into the hot oil for a few seconds, turning it over so it softens. Stack the tortillas in a pan.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Oil a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.

Put some chicken, cheese, 1 teaspoon of cream, a sprinkle of scallions and salt to taste down the center of each tortilla. Roll them loosely and set side by side in the baking dish with ends overlapping. Cover the dish snugly with foil and bake for 30 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. Finely chop the tomatoes, cilantro and green chiles. These can be run through the food processor briefly so that the texture is in chunks instead of pur?ed. Stir in the sour cream until it is well blended. Remove the enchiladas from the oven and spoon a little of the green sauce over the top.

Serve remaining sauce with enchiladas.

6 cups saguaro cactus pulp
Water

Gather saguaro cactus fruit. Put 6 cups of the pulp in a pot and add water until half of the pulp is covered. Soak the pulp for 1 1/2 hours. Stir every now and then. Put the pot over low heat and cook for 30 to 40 minutes.

Separate the pulp from the liquid, saving the pulp. Boil the liquid very slowly, stirring constantly, until it turns into a syrup. Then mash the pulp and put through a strainer to remove the seeds. Combine the remaining pulp with the syrup until the mixture is the consistency of jam. When it looks like jam, it is jam. Serve over warm fry bread.

NOTE: Do not add sugar to this recipe.