Should have sworn off tamales...

I love my church. I love the Guadalupanas. I love tamales. I dont love the Guadalupanas tamales.

Off to soak hojas, prepare the masa, and make a few dozen of my own.

Makeshift Albondigas Wows Husband...Story at 11.

First of all, I want to say that in my last blog post, I swore off tamales until Easter. I guess I lied. I have had a few at my favorite Mexican deli a few times since then, but I took the full plunge back into tamale paradise today. The "Guadalupanas" were selling them after mass in the church parking lot tonight. We came home with a dozen and are planning on eating them tomorrow morning with scrambled eggs and beans that I have cooking as I type. Turns out I cant wait for major holidays to enjoy tamales, and apparently I never truly get tired of them.

Back to albondigas.

Hubs says in the store the other day that he really wants something with hominy in it. Pozole, he says, because he knows I wont eat menudo. Just cant do it folks. No offense to you die hard menudo fans, and none to you "I only eat my grandma's menudo" purists either. Its just not my thing.

So we buy a can of hominy. A big can. A really big can.



We also bought a hundred dollars worth of other things, but no meat other than some ground turkey, a package of bacon and a small package of pepperoni for my persistent first born who refuses to eat anything else. Its the first week of lent this week, which means two meatless days. I saw no reason to buy a ton of meat considering where we are in the liturgical calendar.

I should have considered the request for something with hominy, however. Oh yeah, the request from my husband who very rarely ever requests anything more than "whatever you want" for dinner. Whoops.

So last night he brings up the hominy. I say that I would love to make him something with it, but I only bought ground turkey.

Lightbulb!

I suggest albondigas (meatball soup) with hominy instead of whatever other veggies I would typically add. He responds "sounds amazing, but make it spicy." I think I can handle that!

Here is how it came together:

One package ground turkey (1.25 pounds)
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 cup raw white rice
1 TBSP Mexican oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1 egg
1/4 cup bread crumbs ( I used panko)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Combine all ingredients until mixed well. Form into ping pong ball sized meatballs. Sear in soup pot in approximately four tablespoons oil over medium heat. one a nice toasty color is developed, add two small cans (or one large can as I did) of tomato sauce. Follow with about 2 quarts of water, 3 bay leaves, 1 tbsp mexican oregano, 1/2 of an onion cut into rings, 2 jalapenos, pinch of crushed red pepper, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste, and dash of cumin. Bring to a boil, cover, and turn heat to low. Simmer for 1 to 2 hours. Test broth for flavor...Mine always needs salt at this point. Season as needed, then add 4 cups of hominy. Heat until hominy is hot. Dont overcook as it makes the hominy squishy (My husbands advice.)

Ladle soup into bowls, top with fresh chopped cilantro, and serve with hot tortillas.

The result? A really tasty hearty broth with some pretty decent meatballs. They definately dont taste like the ground beef ones I usually make, but I really like the color they are. Aesthetically speaking, they are much prettier. Better for you too, I am sure. It was also surprisingly spicy. Usually my husband drowns everything in hot sauce...but I noticed he was hot sauce free tonight. I must have done something right. The hominy was as nice addition. It has such a mellow flavor that is reminicent of corn masa, so it really blends well. The cilantro at the end freshens up the dish, and the bay leaf is crucial for depth. Before I start to sound too sophisticated, I should say that I only wished I had an orange fanta to compliment our meal. Beverage pairings are important you know.

The beauty of Mexican food is its simplicity. Having a few ingredients on hand can turn just about anything into a tasty mexican meal. Even ground turkey. It worked well tonight, but dont count on ground turkey tamales any time soon. ;)

In Guera's Kitchen this weekend: 12/29/11

I say weekend because the hubs is starting this holiday weekend early! He rarely ever takes time off so this is a big treat for us. To celebrate, I am making several yummy things to eat off of for the next four days or so.

Tonight, I am soaking pinto beans to make "frijoles borrachos" tomorrow. This translates to "drunken beans". Put simply, they are pinto beans, soaked, cooked until tender, and then stewed with jalapeno, onion, and tomatoes that have been sauteed in lard. Lots of fresh cilantro makes this pot of beans extra yummy. A few cups of beer makes them drunken.

They are really good WITH beer, by the way...or after too much of it.

Go here to see a really easy, basic recipe.

Also on the cooking agenda this weekend is tamales. More tamales. I have already made about 12 dozen this season, and will probably only do another six-ten tomorrow. It all depends on how much meat I get out of my chicken. :) I am out of pork, which is my favorite meat for tamales but I had a chicken in the freezer that will make some pretty tasty tamales del pollo. I am trying to compile my tamale recipe, but its easier said than done. There is a certain element of instinct and practice that goes into preparing tamales, and I cant simply include those aspects in a written recipe.

With New Years Eve coming, I will also be making some bunuelos. If you havent eaten bunuelos before, let me be the first to tell you how sorry I am. Then let me tell you that they are too good to have never eaten before. They are the yummiest fried cinnamon and sugar coated treat next to churros. (Churros are awfully hard to beat!)Bunuelos are a traditional New Years treat, so we will not be missing out on making this recipe like we do every year. :)If you look here, you will find just one of many versions of bunuelos. This, like many "latin" recipes varies by region, so each one may be a bit different from the next. One cook might serve them simply dusted with cinnamon sugar while another might make a caramel type syrup to drizzle over them. Put simply, a dough is made, fried, and tossed in cinnamon sugar. Essentially, what you end up with is a Mexican fritter. I have only seen them rolled out flat and circular (like a flour tortilla), but the recipe above is formed into little balls before cooking. I like this idea for serving purposes. I think the kids will enjoy the bite-size appeal.

I hope your holiday weekend is a safe and happy one...and tasty too. ;)

Prospero Ano Nuevo! (Goodness I need to figure out how to type the tilde on this computer!)

They aren't pretty, but they taste like heaven

recipe to follow, but here's a teaser: