Asparagus & Cheese Quesadilla

Guess what’s in season now? ASPARAGUS! Here is a delicious mexican quesadilla with tender little green asparagus and cheese,  this is absoluty one of my favorites.

Ingredients:

• 300 gr.  green fresh asparagus, cut into 2 cm pieces.
• 4 flour tortillas
• 150 gr. natural goat cheese
• ½ cup refried beans.
• ½ cup of mozzarella cheese
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 clove
• Olive oil
• Salt and black pepper to taste

 

Instructions:

Heat 2 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat, and cook the asparagus until tender and lightly browned, add the garlic and chili finely chopped. Season with salt and pepper, and remove from heat.

 

Place one tortilla in the skillet and heat it for about 30 seconds. Flip the tortilla with tongs or a spatula and heat on the other side for another 30 seconds.

 

 

Spread the refried beans onto a side of the tortilla and add the asparagus, on the other side scatter over the cheese and on the asparagus spread goat cheese. Brush the outsides of the quesadillas with a little bit remaining oil from the asparagus. Cook each tortilla  for 1-2 minutes on each side until are crisp and golden and the cheese is melting.

Serve warm, cut into wedges  with guacamole or your favorite  salsa for dipping.

Buen provecho.

 

Frijoles refritos – Refried mexican beans

 

 

No more buying canned refried beans, check this homemade recipe for authentic Mexican refried beans. Refried beans are rich in complex carbohydrates, protein, potassium, iron and magnesium.

Ingredients:

3 cups of homemade pinto beans.

3 tablespoons of canola or olive oil.

1 – 2 dried chiles de arbol or fresh chile of choice (optional).

Pinch of sea salt

Instructions:

In a large saute pan, heat oil over medium-high heat until it begins to shimmer, one it´s hot add the chills and cook  just until they brown a little bit about one minute. Add the beans, allow them to friend about 4 minutes.

Add about ½ cup of water let it cook for about 3 minutes more and then mash the beans with the back of a wooden spoon, until you have the desired texture.

Let it cook for about 5 minutes more, adjust the consistency by adding more broth to thin out. Add the salt and taste it.

Buen Provecho!

Salsa Pico de Gallo

Pico de Gallo, this salsa is called too bandera (flag) because it has the three colors of the Mexican flag and is served in Mexico as an appetizer or as side dish.

Ingredients

3 tomatoes diced
1 small white onion, chopped
2 tablespoon chopped cilantro
Juice of 1 lime
1 Chili stemmed and chopped
½  teaspoon salt

Instructions

Put chopped onion, tomatoes, chili and cilantro in a mixing bowl with the lime juice. Mix well and let it rest  for 30 min.

Add salt and taste it, you can add a little bit more if necessary.
Enjoy it with tortilla chips.

 

Pozole Rojo Jalisco Style

Red pozole soup is  a traditional Mexican stew made with dried chilis and hominy. This is satisfying, nourishing, hearty  recipe easy to prepare. Garnished with fresh lime juice, shredded lettuce and thinkly sliced radishesm makes this plate a super comforting in the rainy and cold winter days.

4 – 5 serves

Soup

• 3 Lt water ( 11 cups)
• 800 gr ( one can white hominy drained)
• 5 garlic cloves
• 400 Mushrooms sliced

Red sauce

• 3 guajillo peppers cleaned, seeded and deveined
• 2 anchos peppers cleaned, seeded and deveined
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 medium white onionchopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dry Mexican oregano

Garnishes

• 1 head of lettuce, finely shredded
• 1 1/2 cup onions, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cup radishes, thinkly sliced
• Fried or baked corn tortillas (tostadas) optional

Instructions

1. Heat the water in a large stock pot. Add the garlic, when the water is boiling add the rinsed hominy.
2. Boil the chiles in a separate small pot. I boil my ancho  and guajillo chiles in the same pot with the hominy because I prefer when the soup is spicy.

3. Transfer the chilis into the blender or food processor add garlic cloves, onion and oregano, adding some of the water in which they were soaking. Puree mixture until smooth.

4. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the puree and salt to taste, stirring constantly as it splatters. Reduce heat to medium, simmer about 10 minutes.

5. Add the red chili sauce to the pot, when the hominy wrapped up and is soft (about 30 minutes cooking) taste and add more red sauce, a bit at a time, to adjust the spice level your liking. Add another couple  Teaspoons of salt. Lower the heat and cook for about 30 minutes and add the mushrooms.  The mushrooms need about 10 – 15 minutes to cook when those are soft the soup ir ready to serve. If necessary, add warm water to maintain the same lever of broth in the pot.

 

Serve in large soup bowls and place garnishes on the side as shown above.

Buen provecho!

 

In Germany you can find mexican products in the online shops Hola Mexico  and Mex-Al.

For this recipe: Hominy,  ancho and guajillo chiles.

 

 

 

Traditional Guacamole

Guacamole is a delicious appetizer, fresh, healthy, easy to prepare. You can also eat it as side dish. There are many variants of Guacamole but this one a tradiotinal one and is so addictive! everyone I know who has tried it has fallen in love with guacamole.

Ingredients:

2 avocado peeled and pitted
1 tomato diced
½ cup chopped cilantro
¼ cup minced white onion
2 Tablespoon fresh Lime juice
1 Chili seeded, deveined  and chopped
Salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Put the avocados in a bowl and slightly mash with a fork.
2. Add the onions,  lemon and salt, taste it.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients.
4. Mix all the ingredients until well combined.
Add more salt, lime juice, or cilantro to your taste preference.

Enjoy  with tortilla chips.