1/4 lb Fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 sm Head cauliflower, cut into florets

4 md Red or white potatoes

1 c Chopped yellow onion

1 c Sliced celery

1 Finely minced jalapeno pepper (see note)

1 tb Finely minced fresh cilantro

2 ts Ground cumin

2 ts Curry powder

1 Or 2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 To 1 teaspoon salt

1/4 To 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 ts Cayenne pepper

1 ds Ground cinnamon

3 c Canned and/or homemade chicken broth

6 To 8 flour tortillas

2 c Shredded Monterey jack cheese, optional

3 Tomatoes, diced

1 c Sour cream

I’ll make amends with this Indian “peasant” dish… Be warned, though. This is from an article about “ugly” food–stuff that looks wretched but tastes great. Don’t take the list of ingredients and amounts too seriously, although the potatoes and cauliflower are essential. But the main idea with Sub-Jee is to use what vegetables you have or truly love. And play with the seasonings a bit to strike a balance between fire and flavor. In a large heavy pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and saute until they release their juices and begin to brown. Stir in cauliflower, potatoes, onion, celery, jalapeno, cilantro, cumin, curry, garlic, salt, coriander, cayenne, cinnamon and broth. Cover the pot and braise the mixture over medium heat for about 20 to 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are very tender. To serve, heat the flour tortillas one at a time in a dry skillet until they are soft and pliable, turning once. Sprinkle with a little of the grated cheese and keep the tortilla in the pan until the cheese begins to melt. Have each diner spoon some of the vegetable mixture down the center of a tortilla, then top with diced fresh tomatoes and a dollop of sour cream. To eat, roll the tortilla around the filling, burrito fashion. Wonderful! Note: When preparing fresh chilies, wear rubber gloves for protection against oils that later can cause burning sensation on skin. Jan Roberts-Dominguez writing in the Oregonian’s FOODday, 1/12/93.

3 tb Salt

1 c Mild vinegar

For the garnish:
2 c Guacamole

3 tb White onion, chopped

1 c Tomato, finely chopped

3 tb Cilantro, finely chopped

3 tb Chiles serranos, finely chopped

1 Recipe Frijoles de Olla, mashed

1 1/2 c Mozzarella OR Monterey Jack cheese, freshly grated

16 Totopos (crisply fried tortilla wedges)

From Nuevo Leon. For the kid: Put kids in a large stockpot, and cover with water. Add salt and vinegar. Set aside for 2 hours. Meanwhile, build a pile of mesquite wood on the ground, and burn down to white coals. Remove kids from water and thread on spits. Arrange over the hot coals, and roast for 2 to 3 hours, depending on the kids’ weight, basting occasionally with a little salted water. Turn spits continuously so that the meat cooks evenly, or use a rotisserie. Add more white coals if necessary. To serve, cut kid in pieces, and place on plates. Garnish with guacamole, onion, tomato, cilatro, and chiles. Serve withj Frijoles de Olla sprinkled with cheese, totopos, and Pico de Gallo sauce. The kid may be shredded and used in fried tacos. Makes 8 servings. From: THE TASTE OF MEXICO by Patricia Quintana, Stewart, Tabori & Chang, New York. 1986.

1/2 C. orange juice

1/4 C. brown sugar

2 Tbsp. butter

1 C. shredded coconut

Peel and split bananas lengthwise. Arrange the halves in a well buttered baking dish. Mix orange juice and brown sugar and pour mixture over bananas. Dot bananas with butter and spread coconut over all. Bake in 400 degrees oven for 10 to 15 minutes until coconut is crisp and golden brown.

Directions:

Boil vegetables for about 5 minutes. Add yogurt and powder to vegetables. Bring to boil.

1 c Grated parmesan cheese

1 cn (4-oz) green chili peppers chopped

1 c Mayonnaise

Tortilla chips for dipping

In a small mixing bowl combine artichokes, cheese, peppers and mayonnaise. Transfer mixture to an 8 inch round baking dish. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Serve warm with tortilla chips.

3 Green chillies

3 tb Coconut

1 ts Tamarind paste

1/2 ts Mustard seeds

Jaggery/sugar Turmeric; to taste

Salt; to taste

SEASONING

Mustard seeds Fenugreek Red chilli Curry leaves Oil Cut squash into inch square and 1/4 inch thick slices. Wash and in about a cup and a half of water, add tamarind paste and sliced squash. Add turmeric, salt and cook on low heat till done. Grind coconut, green chillies, 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds and stir into cooked squash. Can wash out blender and add this water too. Let mustard seeds splutter in oil, add fenugreek, red chilli, curry leaves and in a couple of minutes pour onto pachadi. Variations: Instead of tamarind paste can use yogurt at the end. Can use cut okra or, okra and eggplant pieces, instead of squash.

1/3 c Safflower oil, melted chicken fat, or melted lard

3 tb Finely chopped white onion

1 Garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped

3 1/2 c Light chicken broth, approximately

1 c Fresh corn kernels or 1/3 cup carrot rounds

Plus 1/2 cup fresh peas (optional)

1 Parsley sprig

2 Whole chilies serranos

Sea salt to taste White Rice Put the rice into a bowl and cover with very hot water. Stir once and leave to soak for 10 minutes. Drain, rinse in cold water, and drain again. Heat the oil in a heavy pan. Give the rice a final shake and stir into the fat. Fry over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring almost continuously. Add the onion and garlic and continue frying until the rice is just turning a pale gold and the onion is transparent – about 3 to 5 minutes longer. Pour in the broth and, if used, the vegetables and parsley or fresh chilies, add salt to taste, stir once again for the last time, and cook over fairly high heat, uncovered, until all the broth has been absorbed and air holes appear in the surface. Cover the surface of the rice with a towel and lid and continue cooking over very low heat for 5 minutes more. Remove from the heat and set aside in a warm place for the rice to absorb the rest of the moisture in the steam and swell – about 15 minutes. Dig gently to the bottom and test a grain of rice. If it is still damp, cook for a few minutes longer. If the top grains are not quite soft, then sprinkle with a little more hot broth, cover, and cook for a few minutes longer. Before serving, turn the rice over from the bottom so that the flavored juices will be distributed evenly. The Art of Mexican Cooking From the collection of Jim Vorheis

Wash, stem and remove seeds from the chilies. Put chilies in 3 cups cold water and bring to a boil. After about 45 minutes to an hour the skins should slip off easily. Mash the pulp into a paste. If this seems too difficult, you can substitute chili powder
at the ratio of 1 tablespoon chili powder to a pod of chili.

Read the instructions on the soy or TVP package to see if the product was soaked beforehand. If not, use some of the water to prepare this ingredient.

Saute the onions in the olive oil until translucent. Add the garlic and spices , then the 12 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then add the nuggets. Reduce to a simmer, cook for 30 minutes to an hour. If this seems too runny, you can thicken with masa, the cornmeal flour used in tortillas. When made in bulk, this chili can readily be frozen.

Total calories per serving: 163 Fat 4 grams

In small bowl, toss together cooked shredded chicken, scallions, and almonds. Sprinkle on salt. Mix and set aside.

To prepare chili sauce, heat oil in saute pan over med-high heat; add onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Saute until vegetables are soft. Stir in tomato paste, water, chili powder, salt and oregano. Blend well. Lower heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil bottom of shallow oven proof casserole dish.

Dip a tortilla in hot sauce until partially saturated. Then place tortilla in casserole dish; fill with 1/8 of chicken mixture, and top w/1 tablespoon sour cream; roll into an enchilada.

Place in dish seam side down. Repeat with remaining tortillas. When casserole is filled, drizzle remaining sauce over top.

Sprinkle with cheese and top with olives. Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese and sauce are hot and bubbling. Serve with additional sour cream and chopped scallions on the side.

1. Place the rinsed beans in a bowl, add 2 to 3 cups of water and soak overnight. Check the beans occasionally and add water as necessary to keep them moist.

2. Pour the beans and the water in which they were soaked into a heavy saucepan and add 2 to 3 more cups of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower heat and simmer, partially covered, for about 45 minutes, until the beans are cooked but still firm. Check occasionally and add water if necessary. Drain the beans, reserving the cooking liquid.

3. Melt the lard in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the beans and lightly fry them in the lard. Set aside.

4. Melt the drippings in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until it is translucent.

5. Combine the sausage and the beef with all the spices up through the oregano. Add this meat-and-spice mixture to the pot with the onion. Break up any lumps with a fork and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is very well browned.

6. Add the reserved bean-cooking liquid to the pot. Stir in all the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and cook, uncovered, for 1/2 hour longer. Stir occasionally. Add water only if necessary to maintain the consistency of a chunky soup.

7. Taste when curiosity becomes unbearable and courage is strong. Adjust seasonings.