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Mexican Cooking Tips (2 Of 6) Recipe

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Ingredients

1 x Dictionary of MEXICAN Cookin
1 x

Directions

Step #1 ====================================================== ==== GLOSSARY OF INGREDIENTS OF MEXICAN & SOUTHWESTERN COOKING ======================================================= === ACHIOTE SEED: The dried reddish seeds of the annatto tree give food a bright orange-yellow tint when they are cooked first in hot fat; then, the seeds themselves are discarded.
Step #2 Sometimes they are ground to a powder & stirred into such foods as butter for color.
Step #3 They impart a flavor that is gentle & hard to describe; like that of saffron, it has an earthy quality.
Step #4 ADOBO: A piquant sauce of tomato, vinegar & spices.
Step #5 ANISE SEED: This small, elongated seed tastes sharply of licorice.
Step #6 ATOLE BLUE CORNMEAL: This is blue corn that has been dried, & ground specifically to be used in make ATOLE, roasted, a cornmeal gruel.
Step #7 Blue corn, unlike ordinary field corn, is always dried & ground before use.
Step #8 Cornmeal, yellow, blue, or white, can be used as a thickener.
Step #9 AVOCADO: This fruit is ripe when the flesh under the leathery skin yields to light pressure.
Step #10 A hard avocado will ripen if left at room temperature for two or three days.
Step #11 The Haas or California type is smaller & darker green than the emerald type grown in Florida, and some say it is more flavorful as well.
Step #12 Keep avocado flesh from discoloring by brushing it with lemon juice as it is peeled.
Step #13 BEANS: It takes time to prepare dried beans, but the result is a tender bean that is still firm.
Step #14 Canned beans are sometimes mushy, but they are convenient to keep on hand & are packed in liquid that adds flavor to many recipes.
Step #15 Dried beans keep almost indefinitely.
Step #16 Before cooking dried beans, rinse them well & pick them over for stones or inferior beans.
Step #17 TYPES OF BEANS: BLACK BEANS: (frijoles negros, turtle beans) though small, have a hearty flavor.
Step #18 South American cooking makes great use of them.
Step #19 With their dramatic dark purple-blue color, they lend themselves nicely to garnishes.
Step #20 BLACK-EYED PEAS: (cowpeas) are the seeds of the cowpea, an annual vine.
Step #21 They are tan with a blackish stain, hence "black-eyed".
Step #22 GARBANZO BEANS: (chickpeas) are Spanish in origin.
Step #23 These rounded beige beans have a nutty flavor.
Step #24 NORTHERN BEANS: are white, relatively large & mild.
Step #25 PINTO BEANS: (frijoles) are charmingly speckled with brown on a pale or pinkish background.
Step #26 RED BEANS: are favorites in the southern states.
Step #27 Pinto beans may be substituted.
Step #28 BUFFALO: This commercially raised red meat is lower in cholesterol & fat than beef.
Step #29 Unlike beef, it isn't marbled with fat.
Step #30 Accustomed as we are today to tender cuts of meat, buffalo is best enjoyed ground rather than steaks.
Step #31 CAPERS: These are the pickled, green buds from the prickly caper bush.
Step #32 They are somewhat smaller than raisins & are bottled in brine.
Step #33 CAYENNE: See Chile.
Step #34 CHAYOTE: (christophine, mirliton, vegetable pear): Related to gourds, chayote squash have none of their brilliant decoration.
Step #35 Light green skin encases firm flesh of an even paler green.
Step #36 Chayote may be baked, steamed, stuffed & sauteed.
Step #37 A 1 lb Chayote makes a nice serving for two or three people.
Step #38 CHEESE: Traditional Mexican cheeses were mad with goat's or sheep's milk.
Step #39 The following cheeses are used in this style of cooking: TYPES OF CHEESE: CHEDDAR: is a mild firm cheese of English origin that becomes more sharp with age.
Step #40 It melts beautifully.
Step #41 CHIHUAHUA: (Asadero Or Oaxaca) is white, creamy & tangy.
Step #42 Sometimes it is sold braided.
Step #43 Mozzarella or Monterey Jack may be substituted.
Step #44 CO-JACK: is an American invention.
Step #45 Block cheese marbled with Colby & Monterey Jack.
Step #46 COLBY: is a slightly sharp cheese with a flavor similar to that of Cheddar.
Step #47 This American cheese has a rather soft open texture.
Step #48 MONTERY JACK: is a mild cheese usually sold in blocks.
Step #49 It softens at about room temp.
Step #50 QUESO ANEJO: is an aged, hard grating cheese.
Step #51 It ranges from pale cream to white in color & is quite salty.
Step #52 Romano or Parmesan may be substituted.
Step #53 QUESO FRESCO: (Ranchero seco) can be compared to a very salty farmer's cheese.
Step #54 A reasonable substitute for this crumbly cheese is Feta Cheese.
Step #55 SIERRA: is another rather dry sharp cheese that grates easily.
Step #56 Romano or Parmesan may be substituted.
Step #57 --.
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