Good better best beginner Mexican cooking
October 1, 2023 3:46 PM Subscribe
What are your best beginner recipes for making for Mexican cuisine at home?
I live in France and have been in Aurora, Illinois visiting for the last week — which made me realise how much I miss Mexican food. Your previous advice on beans changed my life, so I'd love to know the best Mexican recipes that you make at home. My criteria is generally what do you think is worth making at home, semi regularly, vs just waiting to have on my next trip out here to a restaurant. I can get most ingredients nowadays, thank you internet.
I would also appreciate any book/site pointers and any tips for getting great flavour!
I live in France and have been in Aurora, Illinois visiting for the last week — which made me realise how much I miss Mexican food. Your previous advice on beans changed my life, so I'd love to know the best Mexican recipes that you make at home. My criteria is generally what do you think is worth making at home, semi regularly, vs just waiting to have on my next trip out here to a restaurant. I can get most ingredients nowadays, thank you internet.
I would also appreciate any book/site pointers and any tips for getting great flavour!
enchiladas like this are best made at home. Infinitely variable, although the difference winds up subtle once there's enchilada sauce and cheese on it.
posted by fingersandtoes at 4:25 PM on October 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by fingersandtoes at 4:25 PM on October 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: First of all, tortillas. Freshly homemade corn tortillas are on a completely other level than anything you can buy in any grocery store. I have no idea if you can find Maseca or some other masa harina in France, so in your situation I would be bringing back a 5-lb bag every time I visit the US. It is worth having a tortilla press for flour tortillas, but not required. With masa harina you can make any of the masa shapes: tortillas, sopes, gorditas, chochoyotes — see the Masa cookbook to explore the possibilities. Seconding Diana Kennedy books too.
Flour tortillas are also always better homemade, and can be made with easy-to-find ingredients: the trick is to roll them out thin (thin enough that you can see your counter through the dough) and cook them in a pan hot enough that they'll puff and cook in 30 seconds per side.
Salsa en molcajete is a remarkably easy, classic salsa: just scorch tomatoes and green chiles (serrano if you can find them, or jalapeño, or experiment with what you can find), salt, garlic, onion, and blend coarsely. I think serrano is the ideal pepper for salsa and also for guacamole.
With homemade refried beans (puree tasty cooked beans, add fat, simmer until thickened) and homemade flour tortillas, you can make a simple bean burrito that is heartwarming and lovely — I like them with diced raw onion and cheddary cheese for the full Taco Bell experience.
I can't vouch for this specific recipe, but po(s/z)ole is a magnificent soup-with-a-salad-in-it, if you have access to hominy and dried chiles like arbol, ancho, pasilla (all of which are also worth bringing through customs IMO if you don't).
I take it you're still vegetarian, so I won't suggest carnitas, but they're another high-payoff DIY Mexican standard.
posted by xueexueg at 4:27 PM on October 1, 2023 [4 favorites]
Flour tortillas are also always better homemade, and can be made with easy-to-find ingredients: the trick is to roll them out thin (thin enough that you can see your counter through the dough) and cook them in a pan hot enough that they'll puff and cook in 30 seconds per side.
Salsa en molcajete is a remarkably easy, classic salsa: just scorch tomatoes and green chiles (serrano if you can find them, or jalapeño, or experiment with what you can find), salt, garlic, onion, and blend coarsely. I think serrano is the ideal pepper for salsa and also for guacamole.
With homemade refried beans (puree tasty cooked beans, add fat, simmer until thickened) and homemade flour tortillas, you can make a simple bean burrito that is heartwarming and lovely — I like them with diced raw onion and cheddary cheese for the full Taco Bell experience.
I can't vouch for this specific recipe, but po(s/z)ole is a magnificent soup-with-a-salad-in-it, if you have access to hominy and dried chiles like arbol, ancho, pasilla (all of which are also worth bringing through customs IMO if you don't).
I take it you're still vegetarian, so I won't suggest carnitas, but they're another high-payoff DIY Mexican standard.
posted by xueexueg at 4:27 PM on October 1, 2023 [4 favorites]
Best answer: If you can read Spanish, Larousse actually has a pretty good site for Mexican food, which seems appropriate given your location.
The most important ingredients for Mexican cooking that you'll want to have on hand are dried chiles (at a minimum, guajillos, anchos and arboles or another hotter chile, but there are many more options) and nixtamalized corn in some form (either tortillas, masa harina or dried corn, cal, a mill and patience). With those, plus standards like tomatoes, onions, cilantro, fresh chiles, mushrooms, squash, etc, you'll have a lot of options.
posted by ssg at 4:48 PM on October 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
The most important ingredients for Mexican cooking that you'll want to have on hand are dried chiles (at a minimum, guajillos, anchos and arboles or another hotter chile, but there are many more options) and nixtamalized corn in some form (either tortillas, masa harina or dried corn, cal, a mill and patience). With those, plus standards like tomatoes, onions, cilantro, fresh chiles, mushrooms, squash, etc, you'll have a lot of options.
posted by ssg at 4:48 PM on October 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
I was going to say what xueexueg said, but then they got there first, so instead I will say that a molcajete can make a real difference by itself as long as you take the time to treat it right (there are guides online). It's a subtle difference, but I do believe it makes a difference in the complexity of the flavors (I find the same to be true with Thai pastes when ground properly vs. blenderized).
Grab every dried chili you think you can get through customs, because they are actually different and it does matter.
When back in France, buy lard if you're willing to bend on that point. IIRC, the correct type is referred to as "saindoux" (pork fat, not beef fat). Substitutes work, but they're not the same, and quite a lot of Mexican food relies on pork fat in the background somewhere.
Rick Bayless has some videos on Youtube that are reasonably approachable, although he does lean toward using the blender (which, OK, is defensible because almost every North American has a blender).
posted by aramaic at 4:55 PM on October 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
Grab every dried chili you think you can get through customs, because they are actually different and it does matter.
When back in France, buy lard if you're willing to bend on that point. IIRC, the correct type is referred to as "saindoux" (pork fat, not beef fat). Substitutes work, but they're not the same, and quite a lot of Mexican food relies on pork fat in the background somewhere.
Rick Bayless has some videos on Youtube that are reasonably approachable, although he does lean toward using the blender (which, OK, is defensible because almost every North American has a blender).
posted by aramaic at 4:55 PM on October 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
The only tip I have is: toast your cumin (powder or seeds).
Just put it in a dry pan over low heat and shake it around a bit. Be careful not to burn it. You will smell the nice fragrance coming from it. Then pour it into a little dish ready to be added when the time comes.
I like to immediately pour oil into the pan the cumin was in to start the onions.
posted by Pallas Athena at 5:45 PM on October 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
Just put it in a dry pan over low heat and shake it around a bit. Be careful not to burn it. You will smell the nice fragrance coming from it. Then pour it into a little dish ready to be added when the time comes.
I like to immediately pour oil into the pan the cumin was in to start the onions.
posted by Pallas Athena at 5:45 PM on October 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
I make carnitas pretty regularly because they're easy. Slow-cook a pork shoulder with onions, garlic, oranges, salt/pepper and spices (mostly cumin and oregano) and a flavorful liquid (e.g. white wine and beer) for several hours.
When the pork tears easily with a fork, fish it out, put it in shallow baking pans, and continue reducing the liquid. Later, re-introduce the pork to the reduced liquid and hit it under the broiler until crispy. There's no shame in taking off the crispy top layer and hitting it a second time. You will probably have a lot of remaining liquid that you can do fun stuff with.
Put everything into homemade tortillas with homemade pickled onions and jalapenos and maybe some cojita cheese. This would also be a great time to add your homemade roasted tomatillo salsa.
posted by credulous at 5:52 PM on October 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
When the pork tears easily with a fork, fish it out, put it in shallow baking pans, and continue reducing the liquid. Later, re-introduce the pork to the reduced liquid and hit it under the broiler until crispy. There's no shame in taking off the crispy top layer and hitting it a second time. You will probably have a lot of remaining liquid that you can do fun stuff with.
Put everything into homemade tortillas with homemade pickled onions and jalapenos and maybe some cojita cheese. This would also be a great time to add your homemade roasted tomatillo salsa.
posted by credulous at 5:52 PM on October 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I'm so enjoying watching Rick Martinez on Food52/Youtube; for me he's that very good bridge between a home cook and some great pro tips that make a difference. I'm not a fan of the usual Stateside "sweet chocolate mole on protein" and I loved his NY Mole recipe.
He's sparkly and upbeat and his recipes are usually not super complicated (some are, but worth it), he explains and adapts to ingredient choices and equipment.
posted by winesong at 6:02 PM on October 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
He's sparkly and upbeat and his recipes are usually not super complicated (some are, but worth it), he explains and adapts to ingredient choices and equipment.
posted by winesong at 6:02 PM on October 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
Some of my favorite go-to relatively simple Mexican recipes:
posted by dorothy hawk at 9:38 PM on October 1, 2023
- This simple chilaquiles recipe is a staple for me, I make it at least a couple of times a month. I'll make it with beans for dinner, or with eggs on top for a brunch.
- I also make carnitas frequently. credulous's instructions are great; here's a recipe if you want to follow one.
- Here's a good simple recipe for Mexican-style rice that you make directly in the rice cooker.
- This is my favorite enchilada recipe, though it's Tex-Mex rather than "authentic", if that matters to you.
posted by dorothy hawk at 9:38 PM on October 1, 2023
Best answer: Waving at you from Aurora, where I work... I don't have a recipe, but since you are in the area, I'll recommend Cermak Market (on Route 31 at Indian Trail) for a hispanic supermarket. I'm 99% sure you can find masa harina or maseca, along with a tortilla press; lots of veg and spices/chiles. They also have their own homemades salsas for eating while you are here.
posted by sarajane at 12:26 PM on October 2, 2023
posted by sarajane at 12:26 PM on October 2, 2023
I love the recipes from Pati Jinich and I just find her show, Pati's Mexican Table, so charming.
posted by poppunkcat at 12:28 PM on October 2, 2023
posted by poppunkcat at 12:28 PM on October 2, 2023
I probably have far too many ideas about this, but because I would have a hard time limiting myself, I'll just share one that opened my eyes to the simplicity possible for delicious Mexican food.
I think this enchiladas divorciadas recipe (enchiladas served with red and green salsas) is a great entry-level recipe both because it is easy and delicious, but also because it exposes you to some crucial Mexican salsa-making skills, getting you to roast spices, cook up the ingredients and then blend to make delicious sauces. Once you learn to make these specific sauces, the skills more more or less for any Mexican salsas you want to make.
The chicken approach itself - poaching a whole chicken in water with a few spices - is also great because it's really useful for all sorts of other applications, demonstrating that Mexican food can be complex, like making carnitas, or it can be just a lightly flavoured chicken.
I also love David Lebovitz's pickled red onions and his pickled jalapenos. They both go great on all sorts of Mexican foods.
posted by urbanlenny at 1:29 PM on October 2, 2023
I think this enchiladas divorciadas recipe (enchiladas served with red and green salsas) is a great entry-level recipe both because it is easy and delicious, but also because it exposes you to some crucial Mexican salsa-making skills, getting you to roast spices, cook up the ingredients and then blend to make delicious sauces. Once you learn to make these specific sauces, the skills more more or less for any Mexican salsas you want to make.
The chicken approach itself - poaching a whole chicken in water with a few spices - is also great because it's really useful for all sorts of other applications, demonstrating that Mexican food can be complex, like making carnitas, or it can be just a lightly flavoured chicken.
I also love David Lebovitz's pickled red onions and his pickled jalapenos. They both go great on all sorts of Mexican foods.
posted by urbanlenny at 1:29 PM on October 2, 2023
I'm spending some time on Mexican Please recently. The site's author discovered Mexican food living in Cozumel for two years and the recipes are very approachable.
posted by kingless at 4:33 PM on October 2, 2023
posted by kingless at 4:33 PM on October 2, 2023
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posted by Ideefixe at 4:14 PM on October 1, 2023 [3 favorites]