This is the week of holiday baking and planning that special Christmas dinner in a few days.
This is the week of holiday baking and planning that special Christmas dinner in a few days.
Decisions need to be made as to whether your menu will be traditional or like we do annually, ethnic, choosing a country’s food to celebrate Christmas.
Will your main dish be a baked ham, roast chicken or turkey, prime rib, crown roast of pork or lamb?
Side dishes could include garlic mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes, wild rice blend, dinner rolls, hot vegetables in season and a green salad or dishes from a country your family chooses.
Our family decided on Mexican this year.
The menu could be tamales, empanadas and a variety of salsas with corn chips.
To start, how about a Mexican salad?
Ensalada de Navidad
(Mexican Christmas Salad)
Serves: 6
In a 3-quart pan, add 3 cups water, bring to boil over high heat and reduce heat, simmer until beets are tender, 15 minutes:
2 large beets, peeled and sliced
1/3 pound piloncillo (semi-processed Mexican sugar) or 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
6 whole cloves
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Allow to stand until green apple turns pink:
1 medium-size tart green apple, cored and sliced
Drain and discard juice.
Cover platter with:
8 romaine leaves, washed and dried
Arrange the following, including the pink green apples, on a platter:
2 cups peeled, shredded jicama (called chop sui potato here)
1 medium-size red apple, cored and sliced
2 medium-size oranges, peeled and membrane cut off, quartered and thinly sliced
1/2 small pineapple, peeled, cored, halved and thinly sliced
1 large banana, sliced
Scatter platter with:
2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds
2 tablespoons roasted unsalted peanuts
2 tablespoons roasted pine nuts
Sprinkle with tequila dressing.
Tequila dressing:
Mix together:
1/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons tequila (you might want to eliminate this if you have children and grandchildren)
4 teaspoons sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
•••
Salsa with corn chips will make a great pupu dish.
Roasted Tomatillo Salsa
Makes 2 cups
Pull off and discard tomatillo hulls:
3/4 pounds tomatillos
Rinse off and set aside one tomatillo. Place remaining tomatillos in 12 inch frying pan over high heat, and:
1/4 pound small onions, unpeeled
1 to 2 mild fresh green chiles, such as poblano or Anaheim peppers
Shake pan frequently until the vegetables are charred all over, 15 minutes. Tomatillos should be soft when pressed. Allow to cool.
Peel onions, pull loosened skin from chili and discard, cut out and discard stem and seeds. In a food processor, mince the one uncooked tomatillo, roasted tomatillo, onions and chili, add:
1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro
Season to taste with:
2 to 4 tablespoons lime juice
Salt
Cover and chill for up to 4 days.
•••
Here is an easy chicken recipe for chicken with a chile sauce.
Chicken with Chili Sauce
Serves 4
Combine in medium saucepan, bring to boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes, until chiles soften:
2 ounces dried New Mexico chiles, stemmed and seeded
2 shallots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
Allow to cool, place in blender and blend until very smooth.
Rinse, pat dry:
3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
Reserve 1/2 cup chile sauce.
Get the barbecue grill ready, grill chicken for 10 minutes, then brush sauce on chicken, continue to grill and baste with sauce until chickens are browned and meat at thigh bone are no longer pink, about 35 minutes total cooking time.
•••
An easy dessert would be Mexican flan.
Flan Mexicano (Mexican Flan)
Serves 8
Place in heavy saucepan over medium-high heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar melts and turns a golden amber color, 10 minutes:
1 cup sugar
Carefully pour melted sugar syrup into flan mold, let cool.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Pour into a blender, blend for one minute:
1 cup whole milk
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
3 eggs
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Pour in:
1 cup heavy cream
Pour mixture into flan mold. Line a roasting pan with a damp kitchen towel. Place the flan mold on the towel, inside roasting pan, and place roasting pan on oven rack. Fill roasting pan with boiling to reach halfway up the sides of the baking dish.
Bake in preheated oven until the center of the flan is set but still slightly jiggly when moved, about 45 minutes to one hour.
Let the flan cool, then refrigerate for at least four hours.
To serve, run a sharp paring knife around the inside of the mold to release the flan. Invert a plate on the mold, flip the mold over, and gently remove the mold to unmold the flan and reveal the syrupy caramel topping.
•••
Merry Christmas to all my readers! May you have a great Christmas meal with family and friends.
Email me at audreywilson808@gmail.com if you have questions.