One of my all time favorite cookbooks is the Rebar: Modern Food Cookbook
enchiladas with chorizo, corn and zucchini
(adapted from The Rebar Cookbook)
3 chorizo sausages, uncooked
1 recipe “mesa red sauce”
2 T vegetable oil
1 red onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 t salt
1 t coriander
1 t cumin
1/4 t red chili flakes
1 red pepper, diced
3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
2 c zucchini, diced
3 c frozen corn
1/2 t cracked pepper
1/4 c cilantro, chopped
3 c cheddar cheese, grated
20 corn tortillas1. Begin by preparing the mesa sauce. Next crumble and fry up the chorizo sausage until cooked. Drain and set aside in a large bowl.
2. Heat oil in the skillet used for the sausage and saute the onion until soft. Add in the garlic, salt, coriander and chili flakes. Stir and cook for 5 minutes. Add the peppers, jalapenos, corn and zucchini and saute until tender. The goal is to keep the vegetables firm. Turn out the vegetables into the bowl with the chorizo and let cool. Add in 1/2 of the grated cheese.
3. Heat skillet over medium heat. Brush each tortilla with oil and place one at a time in the hot pan. Flip when small bubbles appear on the underside and heat the other side briefly. Transfer to a plate and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
4. Pre-heat oven to 350. Lightly oil a 9×13 glass baking dish. Ladle just enough mesa sauce into the pan to cover the bottom. Lay one or more tortilla out before you. Spoon about 1/4 cup filling into the centre of each tortilla and roll to form a cylinder. Place seam side down into the pan. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Spoon mesa sauce over the enchiladas, cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle with remaining cheese over top and bake until cheese is melted and golden. Serve hot.
Print This Recipemesa red sauce
(from The Rebar Cookbook)
2 T vegetable oil
1/2 onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
4 T masa harina (or flour)
4 T ancho chile powder
1/2 t cumin
1/4 t cayenne
1 t salt
1/2 t cracked pepper
1 T oregano
4 c vegetable stock, heated
2 T tomato paste
1 t brown sugar1. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute until translucent. Add garlic and cook 3 minutes. Sprinkle in the masa harina and stir constantly as it cooks and turns golden.
2. Add the spices and oregano and stir for another 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the warm stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and whisk in the tomato paste and sugar.
3. Simmer partially covered for 30 minutes, stirring regularly. Season to taste.
green rice
(from The Rebar Cookbook)
1 bunch spinach, stemmed
1 bunch cilantro,
1/2 bunch Italian parsley
2 jalapeno peppers, one seeded
1 t salt
2 1/4 vegetable stock
2 T olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 c long grain rice1. Carefully wash spinach, cilantro,parsley and jalapenos. Place in a blender with salt and 1 cup of stock. Blend to liquify and set aside.
2. Heat a rice pot at medium-high and add the oil. Heat and add onion with a pinch of salt; saute until translucent. Add the garlic and rice and saute for a few minutes, stirring often, until the rice turns lightly golden. Add the contents of the blender and the remaining stock to the rice; stir well to combine. Turn up th eheat and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to very low and cook for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let the rice stand covered for 10 minutes. Gently fluff the rice with a fork and serve immediately.
vegetable slaw with jalapeno-lime dressing
(from The Rebar Cookbook)
dressing:
juice and zest of 1 lime
3 T rice or cider vinegar
1 T honey
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 t salt
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
1/2 t coriander
1 c olive oilsalad:
1/2 head green cabbage
1/2 head red cabbage
1 small jicama, juilienned
2 carrots, grated
1 red pepper, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
1 red onion, diced
1 bunch cilantro, stemmed and chopped1. Blend dressing ingredients in a small jar, adjust seasoning and set aside.
2. Core the cabbages and finely shred them. In a large bowl, add in the cabbage, jicama, carrots, peppers, onions and cilantro and toss. Stir in the dressing, let sit for 30 minutes and then toss again before serving.
Lucky in-laws 🙂 for having such a fabulous meal – I hope they enjoyed it.
I have never had green rice nor enchiladas before. Mexican food is not popular here in T.O. There aren’t many Mexican restaurants to explore. So this is all new to me. Except for the slaw.
I will definitely try out the enchiladas one day but not when my in-laws are coming over, as they aren’t too adventurous with trying unfamiliar foods. Bah!
oh my this looks really tasty, a bit too many ingrediants for me though… i’ll just have to admire from here!
looks and sounds really really good though!
Oh how I love the Rebar cookbook. However, the last thing I made from it, a vegetable risotto, was not good at all. I was so disappointed! Haven’t made the enchiladas yet, but I’ll move them up my list seeing how delicious yours look.
Sounds fantastic! I don’t eat red meat or sausage, but I know there are some chicken chorizos now that I might have to try. It all sounds so delicious!
Wow, a plethora of delicious sounding recipes! And something to do with Mexican chorizo. We just moved into a predominantly Latino neighborhood in Chicago. I recently went to a grocery store looking for Spanish chorizo or something like it–dried, cured, dense little links. Instead, I found the Mexican kind you used here. They were intriguing, but I didn’t know what to do with them. Now I do. Thanks!
Love your blog! the colour and content..ummm can almost smell some dishes. 🙂
I love making this type of Mexican food, almost as much as I love eating it!
Your enchiladas look magnificent, especially considering they’re leftovers. Man, now I’m hungry!
joanne, i can’t believe mexican food isn’t popular! aren’t there small salvadorean or other latin american restaurants in the tdot? i’m lucky with adventurous in-laws!
cara, it’s definitely a labour of love this meal, but worth it. if you want to start small, definitely try the salad! you can leave out the jicama if you don’t have it.
sara, it really is one of my favorites that cookbook!
max, you can totally make them vegetarian. the rebar cookbook is vegetarian and i added in the chorizo of my own choosing! but even chicken would be great in this!
terry b, yeah, i’m more familiar with the dried chorizo but was pretty excited when i found the fresh kind! so spicy and delicious!!
why thank you, antara!!
thanks william! i’ve never made enchiladas before and i was so impressed. the mesa sauce especially made the meal! yum!
onababy, yes the ingredient lists for rebar recipes are long but they are definitely worth it!
I love that cookbook! It came with me to Scotland! It’s introduced me to lots of new ingredients I had never tried before, like chipotle peppers, and the recipes are almost all very yummy and full of healthy stuff.
J,
Mexican food hasn’t caught on as much as say, Japanese, Chinese (& Dim Sum), Korean bbq, Indian, Italian, Greek, Vegan and Raw food and various fusion restaurants in T.O.
Yes, of course, there are a few ‘mom and pop’ hole-in-the-wall dive-y type places scattered throughout the city. There is “[The] Burrito Boys” canteena style eatery and “El Sol” which is a restaurant quite a distance from the downtown core. I’ve eaten at the latter a few years ago but can’t say that I enjoyed it. I left feeling hungry and unimpressed with the experience. And of course there’s a scattering of (dare i say it) Taco Bell franchises. Oh yeah, and there is Tacos El Sador which is in my neighbourhood and serves the local crowd, but there is limited seating. I’ve also eaten there twice before but haven’t been there in maybe 7 years(!)
Lately, I have been craving Mexican food so I’ll try to pop into the neighbourhood one soon – w/ hubbie in tow (who is always hankering for high protein meals).
joanne, it’s true here too…but i always seek it out! i love all the tiny little restaurants that i’ve found. they’re cheap and authentic and delicious! lucky (or not!) there aren’t any taco bells in vancouver.
That’s a mighty good-looking dinner you’ve got there! I love green rice, but you don’t see it around, much. I haven’t been to Rebar in years, but I fondly remember their blue corn quesadilla from “back in the day.”
The mesa sauce looks terrific – I’m always on the lookout for good Mexican sauces, ones that don’t start with a can of tomato sauce.
What a hit. I decided to go rogue this Christmas and have a Mexican feast. And this entire meal was aces. The slaw and enchiladas play off eachother so harmoniously. My friends were talking about this meal for weeks… Thank you Jeannette!