California Mexican-Spanish Cook Book Part 2

No. 1, Red Chile Sauce, for Enchiladas or Tamales, etc.

Split red chile pepper, remove all seeds and veins, soak several hours in water, pour off, pour on boiling water, pour off and repeat again, the last water just enough to cover peppers when pressed down. Mash in this water and press through sieve, melt one-half cup pure lard, add heaping tablespoon flour, brown and add three cups of chile pulp, salt to taste, cook very slowly half hour.

No. 2, Green Chile Sauce for Enchiladas or Tamales, etc.

Split, remove seeds and veins from green chiles and boil in little hot water till tender; mash, press through sieve, melt one-fourth cup lard, add two tablespoons flour, teaspoon salt, brown just a little, add three cups green pulp, cook slowly half hour.

Prepared Spanish Sauce

Take equal parts red and green chile peppers, same amount green and red sweet peppers, split, remove seed from all, soak in water, drain, add enough water to barely cover, boil tender, mash in water, press through sieve, heat half cup olive oil, fry in it one-half cup onion, one-half parsley, three garlic b.u.t.tons, tablespoon aregano, two cups raw tomatoes, six cloves, two cups of the pepper pulp, salt to taste, cook, strain, may heat and bottle larger quant.i.ties, very fine.

Pickles and Relishes

Spanish Pickle

Heat quart apple vinegar, add tablespoon salt, twenty cloves, two tablespoons aregano, two of cominos, boil five minutes, let cool, pour over small red and green chiles, wild tamatillos (wild tomatoes) and put up in jars.

Green Chile Relish, No. 1

Remove seed and veins from twelve large green chiles, soak over night in water with little salt in it, chop and measure one quart green tomatoes, chop chiles, one cup cuc.u.mber, 1 garlic b.u.t.ton, cook altogether until a pulp, press through sieve, add one-half cup lemon or lime juice, tablespoon salt. Fine over cold meats, fish, oysters, eggs, croquettes, roast pork, mix with apple sauce; serve on fried apple fritters.

Red Chile Relish, No. 2

Make same as green, subst.i.tute ripe tomatoes and red chiles. You may bottle, seal tightly each sauce; will keep indefinitely.

Chile Con Carne

Mexican Red Hot Chile Con Carne

To each cup of raw or cooked, chopped or ground beef, one-half cup lard or suet, add one cup pulp of red chile pepper, two cups beef stock, salt, cook until a thick sauce is formed, serve with frijoles.

Chicken Giblet Chile

Cook chicken jiblets livers and hearts tender in small amount water; chop and add equal amount chile sauce No. 1 or 2, salt to taste, serve on Spanish rice put in dish, sprinkle with parmasan cheese or Mexican grated cheese.

Chile Con Carne (Mild)

Two cups cooked chopped beef, one-half cup green chile pulp, one-half cup suet, tablespoon lard, one cup tomatoes, one b.u.t.ton garlic, one-half cup chopped onion. Cook until thick, serve with frijoles.

Chile Con Carne

One-half cup chopped salt pork, one-half cup suet, add one-half cup chopped onion, one teaspoon aregano, one-half teaspoon safron, fry all together; add two cups cooked ground beef, two cups frijoles, two cups red chile pulp, one cup water or three cups water and four tablespoons chile powder, salt to taste and cook forty minutes.

Chicken Chile

Boil a fat chicken in small amount water with garlic b.u.t.ton, or slice of onion to flavor. When tender chop the meat in small pieces, heat some of the chicken fat skimmed from the liquor and cut from chicken, add flour, bit of onion, add one cup green chile pulp, two cups of water chicken was boiled in, salt; add chopped chicken, stew few minutes, serve on Spanish rice.

Chile Con Carne

Cook beef, veal or chicken with parsley, carrots, celery, onions, bay leaf. Let it cook very slowly until tender, then cut meat into small pieces, strain the juice, add to every pint one-half cup chile pulp and one cup of cooked and mashed frijoles, add tablespoon b.u.t.ter or lard, then meat, and if too hot add cup tomatoes, cook few minutes longer.

Tamales

[Ill.u.s.tration: Tamales

Chop one pound of beef, pork or chicken, add a little chopped tallow or one tablespoonful of lard and a little salt; fry in a pan until tender; chop again very fine; return to pan; add a little warm water and pulp of two red chiles; stir and fry few minutes. Add to one quart of cornmeal two tablespoonfuls of salt, two tablespoonfuls of lard, and boiling water to make a thick dough. Cut off about one inch of corn husk stalk ends and soak in hot water ten minutes; dry and rub over with hot lard.

Put a layer of dough on the husk about four inches long, one and one-half inches wide and one-fourth inch thick; along the center spread two teaspoonfuls of the prepared meat; roll and fold the small end of the husk; place them folded end down in a strainer over hot water. Cover and steam several hours. Serve hot.]

Chicken Tamales

Soak some trimmed corn husk (bought in Mexican stores) for several hours in cold water, then boil until soft, remove; dry on cloth, and rub with lard. Cut up a fat chicken, cook until very tender in just enough water to leave about four cups. Chop up cooked chicken, add corn meal or masa to boiling hot chicken broth until a thick dough; add salt to taste, one tablespoon chile powder, or chile sauce No. 1; add tablespoon of lard and knead all together until light and smooth. Now to all the chicken add enough chile sauce No. 1 to mix thickly together; add about one-fourth cup of sliced olives and a few whole ones and one-fourth cup seedless raisins, and a few whole ones, salt to taste and cook together for five minutes; spread corn dough evenly over shuck or husk about one-eighth inch thick. In center of one larger husk place a large kitchen spoonful of chicken; spread over this one tablespoonful of dough; place another husk spread with dough; continue placing husk around on all sides until about ten are used. Tie ends together with a strip of husk and place on end in a colander over boiling water for two or three hours, or place some corn husk in bottom of vessel, pile tamales on top, pour in about a quart of water, bring to a boil and steam slowly for three or four hours.

Tamale Pie

Make a crust of two cups of hot water, one-half cup lard, one teaspoon salt, and cornmeal to make thick dough. Spread on bottom and sides of pie tin. Mix beef, pork, veal or chicken with plenty of suet for shortening--any two of above meats will do--measure two cups of meat, add two tablespoons of cornmeal, one-half cup of chile pulp, one teaspoon salt, one-half cup meat stock or water. Cook for a few minutes, fill pie crust, spread more dough over top. Make little b.a.l.l.s the size of marbles set around edge. Pour a little melted lard over the top, sprinkle with chile powder; bake about thirty minutes.

Beef Tamales

Ground beef fried in lard and suet, add chile sauce No. 2 and cook until thick. Prepare cornmeal or masa by pouring on boiling hot water, salt to taste, add one cup of lard to four cups meal or masa, add few olives and raisins if desired. Prepare as for chicken tamale recipe. Steam. Texas tamales made as above with olives and raisins left out and spoonful put in one long shuck, fold ends over and press flat.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Corn Husk and Red Chile

There are firms in California putting up a specially prepared corn meal for tortillas. There are chile powders and canned red and green hot chile peppers; also the red sweet pepper, called pimiento, which makes it possible to cook Spanish dishes anywhere.]