A Taste of the World | Recipe of the Month

CONGA

Serves 4

This non-alcoholic drink is a favorite amongst locals and turists alike in resort areas along both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of Mexico. The juices are blended together and then served in embellished individual glasses.

You will need:

1 cup of fresh orange juice

1 cup of red grapefruit juice

1 cup of pineapple juice

1cup of granedine syrup (1/4 of a cup per person)

Optional:

Lime, orange or grapefruit wedges

Cherries

Brown or colored sugar to coat glass rims

Straws

To prepare, mix together the juices.

If you plan on coating the glasses with sugar, do so at this time by moistening the rim with a small piece of lime and then placing the inverted glass on the sugar.

After coating the glasses, place 1/4 of a cup of granadine syrup in each and then proceed to fill each one with the juice mix.

Add the finishing touch by placing the citrus fruit wedges, the cherry and the straw.

*Cool Tip: Serve in clear glasses to enjoy the bright color of this beverage.

CHILES EN NOGADA

Serves 8

This dish originates in the City of Puebla in 1821. It was created by very thankful citizens who presented a banquet in honor of Agustin de Iturbide, who had led the final revolt against the Spanish. This exquisit dish was created to resemble the mexican flag: the green chiles, the white sauce and the red pomegranate. They are served as a main course accompanied by tortillas. Nothing else goes on the plate.

Although the recipe might seem lenghty (it is), once you have all the ingredients you need it is not complicated, just a bit time consuming but very, very worth it! Try preparing it as a Christmas dish, you will delight your guests. E-mail me and let me know if you enjoyed it!

What you will need:

Ingredients for the chiles and filling:

12 oz. of ground tenderloin of pork

2/3 cups of water

3 tablespoons of pork lard or butter

6 oz. of tomato

1 slice of white onion

1 garlic clove

1 lb. of peaches, cubed finely (about 1 1/2 cup)

1 lb. of apples, cubed finely (about 1 3/4 cup)

1 lb. of pears, cubed finely (about 3/4 cup)

1 ripe plantain, cubed finely (about 1 cup)

1/3 cup of raisins

1/3 cup of peeled and slivered almonds

3 tablespoons of sugar

Salt & Pepper to taste

8 large Poblano Chiles, charred, peeled, devained and seeded

Ingredients for the batter and for frying the chiles:

Vegetable oil, enough for frying all the chiles

4 large eggs, separated

1/4 teaspoon of salt

Flour for dusting the Poblano Chiles

Ingredients for the Walnut Sauce:

144 fresh walnuts, shelled, peeled

1 cup of whole milk

1 1/3 cup of medium dry Sherry

1/2 teaspoon salt

Topping Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup of pomegranate seeds

1/2 cup of chopped parsley leaves

To make the filling and stuff the chiles:

Place the pork meat in a large, heavy skillet. Add the water, salt and cover. Cook over low-medium heat until tender, aprox. 25 minutes. (You may need to add a little bit of extra water depending on how tender the pork is). When the meat is moist, add the the lard/butter and fry over medium heat for about 3 minutes.

Blend the tomato with the onion and garlic and add to the frying pan. Cook over high heat until almost dry for about 5 minutes. Stir in the rest of the ingredients except the chiles and cook over low heat covered for the first 10 minutes stirring from time to time to avoid sticking. Uncover and cook for another 10 minutes stirring constantly. The fruit should be tender but not mushy. Set aside to cool.

Stuff the chiles well, each with about a half a cup of meat filling. Set aside and prepare to coat and fry them.

To make the Walnut Sauce:

*Just before frying the chiles, blend the walnuts with the milk and mix in the Sherry and salt. The sauce should be somewhat textured.

To make the batter, coat and fry the chiles:

Heat the oil in a deep skillet. Beat the egg whites until they are firm but not too dry. Continue beating while you add the salt and then the egg yolks one at a time until batter looks smooth and all ingredients are well incorporated.

Prepare one chile at a time: Pat the chile dry (or the batter will not adhere). Sprinkle with flour and then coat with batter. Fry in the hot oil turning from time to time until batter turns a golden color. Drain the chiles of the excess oil on a paper towel.

To serve: after frying all the chiles, arrange them in a serving platter. Add a big spoonful of walnut sauce to each of the chiles and then top that off with the pomegranate and the parsley.

We hope you love them!

CANDIED PUMPKIN

Calabaza en Tacha

5 lb. of pumpkin, cubed corsely and unevenly

5 cinnamon sticks

2 tablespoons vanilla

The zest of 1 lemon

The zest of 2 oranges

The juice of 2 oranges

1 1/2 cups of dark brown sugar or grated piloncillo

3 cups of water

Accompaniment suggestions:

Sour cream or evaporated milk

To make:

Place the water, orange juice, orange zest, lemon zest, vanilla and dark brown sugar in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat and whisk well until all sugar is diluted. Then, add the pumpkin pieces, mix around to ensure coverage and put the lid on. When liquid starts to boil, uncover, mix one more time, reduce heat to medium low and cover again until all liquid has evaporated and the pumpkin pieces are all fully glazed. You can gently mix from time to time to ensure full coating.

Remove from heat and transfer to serving platter. Allow to cool. It is best when served at room temperature.

Serving Suggestions:

You can eat it as is, or eat it accompanied with sour cream or drizzled with evaporated milk.

Enjoy!