Cultural Assignment

Mexico

           I chose to do my cultural assignment on Mexico, I have always wanted to travel to Mexico and I hear the food is delicious. The Spanish introduced quite a few different types of food. They introduced us to (beef, pork, chicken, goat and sheep). Mexico is also known for the chili pepper, some of the hottest Chile peppers known to man can be found in Mexico, So a lot of their meals are very spicy. The peppers are mainly used to add flavor and taste not just for their heat that they give off.In most of Mexico, much food, especially in rural areas, is still consumed in the home with the most traditional Mexican cooking still done traditionally. Mexican food is often elaborate and many recipes have been passed down through families. I really wanted to learn a bit about Mexico and this assignment was a great way to do here is the stir fry I made and the recipe so someone else who likes Mexican food can try something new like I did.

Mexican Stir Fry Recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 lb skinless chicken breast half
• 2 tablespoons chili powder, Mexican seasoned
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 2 tablespoon olive oil divided
• 1 cup frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
• 2 medium tomatoes seeded and diced
• 1 cup canned black beans drained
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1/4 cup green onion sliced
• cilantro to taste

Directions:                                                            My Mexican Stir Fry

1. Cut chicken into thin strips; toss with chili powder, coating well. Marinate for 10 minutes.2. Combine cornstarch and chicken broth. Set aside.3. Pour 1 tbsp oil around wok or skillet, coating sides. Heat at medium high for about 2 minutes. Add chicken, stir fry 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from skillet and set aside.4. Pour remaining 1 tbsp oil into skillet. Add corn, tomato, garlic, and green onions. Stir fry for 2 minutes.5. Return reserved chicken to the skillet. Add broth mixture, beans, and salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened.6. Enjoy!

The Mexican stir fry I made turned out delicious the chicken was cooked to perfection and the green onions and black beans really added flavor. It was a little spicy for my liking's but amazing all the same, I would recommend this to anyone who likes a little kick of taste buds bursting, because it really got my taste buds going. Even the presentation of it still make my taste buds jump.

Recipes Common To Mexico

Flan Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup of white sugar
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweeten condensed milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 cup milk
• 5 eggs
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a small nonstick saucepan, heat the sugar over medium heat. Shake and swirl occasionally to distribute sugar until it is dissolved and begins to brown. Lift the pan over the heat source (4 to 6 inches) and continue to brown the sugar until it becomes a dark golden brown. You may slightly stir while cooking, but continually stirring causes the sugar to crystallize. Pour caramelized sugar into a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish or a large loaf pan, and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan evenly.
3. In a blender, combine sweetened condensed milk, cream, milk, eggs and vanilla. Blend on high for one minute. Pour over the caramelized sugar.
4. Place the filled casserole dish into a larger pan and add 1 inch of HOT water to the outer pan. Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until set

Chile Relleno

Ingredients:

• 4 pasilla chiles
• 1 pound queso fresco cheese
• Toothpicks
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 cup oil

Tomato sauce:

• 4 medium Roma tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup water
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• 1 tablespoon chicken broth powder
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon chopped oregano leaves

Directions:

Rice and beans, for serving, if desired

Heat grill to medium.

Grill and char the chiles on both sides. Once blackened put in a plastic bag for 10 minutes to sweat out any moisture. Remove from the bag, slit them down the middle and remove the seeds. Stuff the peppers with the queso fresco and use toothpicks to hold them together.

Separate the egg yolks from the whites. Add the egg whites to a large bowl. Reserve the egg yolks. Beat the egg whites with an electric beater until the whites fluff up. Add in the flour and the egg yolks and mix until completely incorporated.

Add the oil to a frying pan over medium heat. Dip the stuffed peppers into the batter and fry until golden brown on both sides. Remove from the oil to a serving platter.

Tomato sauce:

Add the tomatoes and water to a small pot over medium heat. Simmer the tomatoes until soft and stir in the garlic and chicken broth powder.

Add the 1/4 cup of oil to a frying pan, over low heat, and stir in the flour to make a roux mixture. Cook the flour until browned, then add the tomato sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes and then add the oregano.

Pour the tomato sauce over the cooked chile rellenos on the serving platter and serve.

If desired, serve with rice and beans.

This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The FN chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.

Mexican Rice

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup uncooked long grain rice
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 2 cups chicken broth 

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until puffed and golden. While rice is cooking, sprinkle with salt and cumin.
2. Stir in onions and cook until tender. Stir in tomato sauce and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Salsa Mexicana

Ingredients:

• Tomatoes, seeded and chopped -- 2 or 3
• Jalapeños, seeded and minced -- 1 to 3
• Red onion, minced -- 1
• Garlic, minced -- 1 or 2 cloves
• Cilantro (optional), chopped -- 1/2 bunch
• Lime, juice only -- 2
• Salt and pepper -- to taste

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together. Chill for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to mingle.
2. Adjust seasoning and serve as a condiment for Mexican dishes or as a dip for tortilla chips.

Enchiladas

Ingredients:

• Grapeseed oil (or another high smoke-point oil such as peanut or canola oil)
• 12 corn tortillas
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 cup of salsa (Mild prepared salsa or make your own using cooked or canned tomatoes, roasted green chiles, onions, cilantro, oil and vinegar. Do not use salsa made with fresh, uncooked tomatoes for this dish.)
• 3 Tbsp of tomato paste

• 1 cup water

• 1 cup of canned crushed tomatoes (preferably fire roasted)

• Olive oil

• 1 lb of jack cheese, mild cheddar or longhorn or any mild yellow cheese, grated

• A handful of cilantro

• 1 cup of sour cream
• Half a head of iceberg lettuce

Directions:

1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2 In a large fry pan at medium-high heat add 3 Tbsp of grapeseed oil. Add a tortilla to the pan. Cook for 2-3 seconds, lift up the tortilla with a spatula, add another tortilla underneath. Cook for 2-3 seconds, lift again, both tortillas, and add another tortilla underneath. Repeat the process with all the tortillas, adding a little more oil if needed. This way you can brown and soften the tortillas without using a lot of fat. You do this process to develop the flavor of the tortillas. As the tortillas brown a little, remove from the pan one by one to rest on a paper towel, which absorbs any excess fat.

2 Sauté up the chopped onion and garlic, then turn off the heat. Add 1 cup of salsa. Dissolve 3 Tbsp of tomato paste into 1 cup of water, add to pan. Add 1 cup of crushed fire roasted canned tomatoes. Taste. If the sauce tastes too vinegary, add a teaspoon of sugar.

3 Put some olive oil on the bottom of a large casserole pan. Take a tortilla, cover 2/3 of it lightly with the shredded cheese, then roll up the tortilla and place it in the casserole pan. Continue until all tortillas are filled and rolled. Add sauce to the top of the tortillas in the the casserole pan. Make sure all are covered with the sauce. If not, add a little water. Cover the whole thing with the rest of the grated cheese. Put the casserole in the oven for 10 minutes or until the cheese melts.

4 Garnish with cilantro and sour cream. Serve with sliced iceberg lettuce that has been dressed only with vinegar and salt. See perfect guacamole for a great guacamole avocado side dish.

Tres Leches Cake Recipe

Ingredients:

For the cake:

• Vegetable oil
• 6 3/4 ounces cake flour, plus extra for pan
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
• 8 ounces sugar
• 5 whole eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the glaze:

• 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup half-and-half

For the topping:

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 8 ounces sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

For the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil and flour a 13 by 9-inch metal pan and set aside.

Whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.

Place the butter into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat on medium speed until fluffy, approximately 1 minute. Decrease the speed to low and with the mixer still running, gradually add the sugar over 1 minute. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl, if necessary. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and mix to thoroughly combine. Add the vanilla extract and mix to combine. Add the flour mixture to the batter in 3 batches and mix just until combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread evenly. This will appear to be a very small amount of batter. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cake is lightly golden and reaches an internal temperature of 200 degrees F.

Remove the cake pan to a cooling rack and allow to cool for 30 minutes. Poke the top of the cake all over with a skewer or fork. Allow the cake to cool completely and then prepare the glaze.

For the glaze:

Whisk together the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and the half-and-half in a 1-quart measuring cup. Once combined, pour the glaze over the cake. Refrigerate the cake overnight.

Topping:

Place the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, whisk together on low until stiff peaks are formed. Change to medium speed and whisk until thick. Spread the topping over the cake and allow to chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.