Mexican Chicken Mole (mollay)

If you have ever eaten in a Mexican restaurant, then this dish was certainly on the menu! This particular mole sauce is made with chicken as the base and is loaded with different kinds of chilies, nuts, seeds, spices, dried fruit, and chocolate. The taste is best described as somewhat spicy, and bittersweet with earthy undertones. In fact, there are at least seven different types of mole depending on what state you are visiting. Personally, I prefer Oaxacan moles. Starting from scratch can take hours to perfect these sauces. The simplest way to enjoy mole is using a packaged sauce under the Dona Maria brand.  A small box is enough to try the first time, by following the directions below. Once your sauce is ready, pour it over your  boiled chicken.

Chicken Mole

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs. chicken pieces (boiled)
  • 1 box Mole sauce
  • 2 tablespoons peanut butter
  • 6 to 8 pieces bay leaves
  • 1/2 onion
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Place chicken and onion in a large pot and add enough water to cover the chicken. Bring it to a boil.

After the water comes to a boil and the release the scum, remove the scum with a ladle.

Add bay leaves and salt. Cover and let cook for 30 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked.

To prepare the Mole sauce, open the can carefully as the mole will stain your clothes. Use a sharp knife to cut a ‘X’ into the mole so that you can get the mole out easily. Sometimes, the mole can be rather hard.

Cut up the mole into smaller pieces.

Add water or chicken stock (from pot where the chicken is cooking) to the mole in the ratio of 4 parts of liquid to 1 part of mole. If you intend to store the mole in the refrigerator for a few days, then you should just use water.

Use a potato masher to mash the mole so that it dissolves in the liquid.

Once the mole has dissolved completely, add the peanut butter and mix well. The addition of peanut butter is Rosa’s twist in the recipe. The peanut butter makes the sauce nuttier and thicker. Place the sauce on the stove and cook on medium heat until the sauce thickens. You have to constantly stir the sauce while cooking to prevent burning.

Serve the sauce over the chicken with Spanish rice.

20200601_182236

 

 

Advertisement

Salsa Verde (Mexican)

Where have I been? Since mid January we have had the fortune of having many guests with us here in Yucatan. Between touring, etc. there has been little time to add to the blog. As a matter of fact we just got back from 5 days in Mexico City… talk about great food!

For many years now I have been following Pati Jinich on PBS. She is originally from Mexico but now lives in Washington, D.C. Her TV program is called Pati’s Mexican Table. Her cookbook, available on Amazon, is incredible if you are interested in Mexican cooking.

Recently we were invited to a Canadian friend’s home her in Yucatan where we enjoyed some great chicken enchiladas. She was unable to find the real sauce but managed to prepare an adequate salsa verde to serve with her recipe. This led me to Pati’s cookbook to see how she prepared her sauce. FYI…this sauce is served on almost everything in Mexico in one version or another. Enchilada recipes are widely available, but take the time to serve it with Pati’s version  of the salsa –

Pati Jinich’s Salsa Verde

Ingredients

  • 1-pound tomatillos, husks removed, rinsed (little green tomatoes)
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 2 jalapeño or serrano chiles, or to taste
  • 1/3 cup coarsely chopped white onion
  • 1 cup cilantro leaves and top part of stems
  • 1 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt, or to taste
  • 3 teaspoons vegetable oil

Place the tomatillos, garlic, and chiles in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a simmer and cook until the tomatillos change from bright green to pale green and are soft but not falling apart, about 10 minutes.

With a slotted spoon, transfer the tomatillos, garlic, and one of the chiles to a blender or food processor. Add the onion, cilantro, and salt and purée until smooth. Taste for heat, and add more chile if necessary until you have the desired amount of heat.

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Pour the salsa into the saucepan and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, 6 to 8 minutes. Serve hot or warm.

The sauce will keep a week in your refrigerator.

 

Perfect Lemonade

Time to make my annual limoncello drink, which takes 15 yellow lemons. The only problem is that I have the fruit of 15 lemons left after I remove the necessary peel. When life gives you lemons (or Costco), the only thing to do is to make lemonade, right? Pinterest to the rescue once again… It was great…you be the judge of how much sugar to add….

 

Perfect Lemonade Recipe (Simplyrecipes.com)

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: Serves 6.

For more intense lemon flavor, grate the zest from one fresh lemon and add the zest to the simple syrup as you are making it. Once the sugar has dissolved in the water remove from heat and let the zest seep in the simple syrup for several minutes, then strain out the zest when you add the simple syrup to the lemon juice.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup white, granulated sugar (can reduce to 3/4 cup) I used 1/2 cup
  • 1 cup water (for the simple syrup)
  • 1 cup lemon juice
  • 2 to 3 cups cold water (to dilute)

Method

1 First make a “simple syrup”. Place the sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Stir so that the sugar dissolves completely and remove from heat.

2 While the water is heating for the simple syrup, juice your lemons. Depending on the size of the lemons, 4 to 6 of them should be enough for one cup of juice.

3 Pour the juice and the simple syrup sugar water into a serving pitcher. Add 2 to 3 cups of cold water and taste. Add more water if you would like it to be more diluted (though note that when you add ice, it will melt and naturally dilute the lemonade). If the lemonade is a little sweet for your taste, add a little more straight lemon juice to it.

Refrigerate 30 to 40 minutes.

Serve with ice, sliced lemons.
Read more: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/perfect_lemonade/#ixzz4BwfxF5jH

Substitutes for Alcohol and Wine in Recipes

Came across this on the weekend while I was looking for a substitute for the Guinness in my steak marinade recipe. Thought I would share it with you. www.whatscookingamerica.net

Following is a general list of non-alcoholic substitutes that can be used when cooking with alcohol is simply not an option. Choose the option that best matches the flavor of the dish you are making:

Amaretto – Non-Alcoholic almond extract. Substitute 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon almond extract for 2 tablespoons Amaretto.

Anisette – Anise Italian soda syrup or fennel. Also use the herbs anise or fennel.

Beer or Ale – Chicken broth, beef broth, mushroom broth, white grape juice, or ginger ale.

Bourbon – 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons of non-alcoholic vanilla extract.

Brandy – Water, white grape juice, apple cider or apple juice, diluted peach or apricot syrups. Substitute equal amounts of liquid.

Champagne – Ginger ale, sparkling apple cider, sparkling cranberry juice, or sparkling white grape juice.

Coffee Liqueur – To replace 2 tablespoons of liqueur, use 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of chocolate extract mixed with 1 teaspoon of instant coffee, which has been mixed in 2 tablespoons of water. Can also substitute expresso, non-alcoholic coffee extract, or coffee syrup.

Cognac – Juice from peaches, apricots, or pears.

Cointreau – Orange juice or frozen orange juice concentrate.

Creme de menthe – Spearmint extract or oil of spearmint diluted with a little water or grapefruit juice.

Grand Marnier or Orange-Flavored Liqueur – Unsweetened orange juice concentrate or orange juice. Substitute 2 tablespoons unsweetened orange juice concentrate or 2 tablespoons orange juice and 1/2 teaspoon orange extract for 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier.

Kahlua – Coffee or chocolate-flavored liqueur. Substitute 1/2 to 1 teaspoon chocolate extract or substitute 1/2 to 1 teaspoon instant coffee in 2 tablespoons water for 2 tablespoons Kahlua.

Kirsch – Syrup or juices from cherries, raspberries, boysenberries, currants, or cider. Substitute equal amounts of liquid.

Peppermint Schnapps – Non-alcoholic mint or peppermint extract, mint Italian soda syrup, or mint leaves.

Port Wine, Sweet Sherry, or Fruit-Flavored Liqueur) – Orange juice or apple juice. Substitute equal amount of liquid.

Rum (light or dark) – Water, white grape juice, pineapple juice, apple juice or apple cider, or syrup flavored with almond extract. Substitute equal amounts of liquid.

Sake – Rice vinegar.

Sherry or Bourbon – Orange or pineapple juices, peach syrup, or non-alcoholic vanilla extract. Substitute equal amount of liquid 1 to 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.

Southern Comfort – Peach flavored nectar combined with a small amount of cider vinegar.

Tequila – Cactus juice or nectar.

Triple Sec – Orange juice concentrate, orange juice, orange zest or orange marmalade.

Vermouth, Dry – White grape juice, white wine vinegar, or non-alcoholic white wine.

Vermouth, Sweet – Apple juice, grape juice, balsamic vinegar, non-alcoholic sweet wine, or water with lemon juice.

Whiskey – If a small amount is called for, it can be eliminated.

Vodka – White grape juice or apple cider combined with lime juice or use plain water in place of the vodka.
Wines:

Claret – Diluted grape juice or cherry cider syrup.

Gewurztraminer – White grape juice combined with lemon juice.

Grappa – Grape juice.

Port Wine – Concord grape juice with some lime zest added, cranberry juice with some lemon juice added, or grape juice concentrate. Substitute orange juice or apple juice for lighter ports.

Red Wine – Red grape juice, cranberry juice, chicken broth, beef broth, vegetable broth, clam juice, fruit juices, flavored vinegar. Substitute equal amount of liquid.

White Wine – Water, chicken broth, vegetable broth, white grape juice, ginger ale, white grape juice.

Sweet White Wine – White grape juice plus 1 tablespoons Karo corn syrup. Substitute equal amount of liquid.

 

 

Aunt Edna’s Equivalents

If you are like me you are always looking to figure out how many this and that’s there are i.e How many cups of cornflakes are needed to equal 1 cup of crushed flakes. I recently came across this site which although not complete, may be of help.

Aunt Edna’s Equivalents
http://www.auntedna.com/utils/equivalent.html

INGREDIENT         QUANTITY            EQUIVALENT
Active Dry Yeast        1 package             1 cake compressed
Apples                          1 medium            1 cup sliced
Bananas                       3 medium            1 cup mashed
Beans                           1 cup dry               2 1/2 cups cooked
Bread Crumbs            4 slices                  1 cup dry crumbs
Bread Crumbs            1 slice                    3/4 cup soft crumbs
Butter                           1 pound                2 cups
Butter                           1 pound                4 sticks
Butter                           1 stick                    1/4 pound (113 grams)
Butter                           1 stick                    1/2 cup
Cabbage                       1 pound                4 cups shredded
Cheese, American      1 lb. shredded     4 cups
Cheese, Bleu               1/4 lb. crumbled 1 cup
Cheese, Cheddar        1 pound                4 cups grated
Cheese, Cheddar        4 ounces               1 cup grated
Cheese, Cottage          1 pound                2 cups
Cheese, Cream            1/2 pound           8 ounces
Cheese, Cream           6 ounces               3/4 cup
Cherries                       1 quart                  2 cups pitted
Chocolate                    1 ounce                 1 square
Chocolate Chips        6 ounces               1 cup
Corn Flakes                3 cups                   1 cup crushed
Crackers, Soda           28 crackers          1 cup crumbs
Crackers, Graham    14 squares             1 cup crumbs
Cranberries               1 pound                   3 cups sauce
Cream                        1 cup unwhipped   2 cups whipped
Dates                          1 lb. whole               1 1/2 cups pitted & cut
Eggs                            5 medium                1 cup
Egg Whites                8 to 10                      1 cup
Egg Yolks                   12 to 14                     1 cup
Fat                               2 cups                       1 pound
Flour, Sifted              4 cups                       1 pound
Flour, Cake                4 1/2 cups                1 pound
Flour, Whole Wheat 3 1/2 cups               1 pound
Horseradish              1 Tbsp. fresh           2 Tbsp. bottled
Lemon                        1 medium                3 Tbsp. juice
Macaroni                   1/2 pound                4 cups cooked
Marshmallows         10 miniatures          1 large
Mushrooms              1 lb. fresh                 6 oz. canned
Onions                       1 medium                 1/2 cup chopped
Orange                      1 medium                  1/3 cup juice
Peanuts                     5 ounces                    1 cup
Pecans, chopped     4 1/2 ounces             1 cup
Pecans, halves          3/4 ounces               1 cup
Rice                            1 cup uncooked       3 1/2 cups cooked
Sugar, Granulated   2 cups                       1 pound
Sugar, Powdered     3.5 to 4 cups            1 pound
Sugar, Brown           2 1/4 cups packed  1 pound
Spaghetti                  7 ounces                    4 cups cooked
Vanilla Wafers        22 wafers                   1 cup crumbs
Walnuts, chopped  4 1/2 ounces             1 cup
Walnuts, halves       3 1/2 ounces             1 cup
Walnuts                    1 lb. unshelled          1 1/2 cups shelled

Read the recipes? Download my favourite 150 to you device…

Ta dah! With the help of my friend, you can now download your own copy of 150 of my favourite recipes to your own computer or tablet, so you can have the recipes wherever you travel without lugging books along…FYI…I have published approx. 175 to date, so you are getting most of them in one place with an easy to follow index and photos from our many travels in PDF format.

IMG_0103

The complete collection is available by logging on to my web page at www.regdeneau.com

There you will also see links to my other blogs and a button where you can buy Travels With My Cookbook via PayPal for only $10USD.

A portion of the proceeds will be donated to one of the local Food Banks which we support here in Yucatan.

Thanks to all of those who follow my blogs. Your support and comments have been much appreciated!!!

Recipe Index

Thought it might be time to send you a list to date of the recipes which have appeared since I started this blog. So, here it is…

Veggies

Recipe Blog Index as of January 2014

Andrea’s Spicy BLT Soup

Arugula Salad with Fried Cheese Balls

Baked Beans (Frijoles canadienses)

Baked Eggs in Avocados

Baked Salmon with Mango Radish Salsa

Baked Tofu

Balsamic Glazed Carrots

Bananas Foster

BBQ Ribs with Coffee Marinade

BBQ Shrimp

BBQ Squash

Black Bean Chili with Sweet Potatoes

BLT Soup

Blueberry Buckle Dessert

Brandied Fruit and Nut Cookies

Cabbage Rolls

Caesar Salad

Cajun Bread Pudding

Carnitas de Michoacan

Carrots with Curry and Cilantro

Chaya Soup

Cheddar Penne

Cheese Ball

Cherry Tomato Salad

Chicken Quesadillas

Chili Con Carne

Chilled Avocado Soup

Chinese Chicken Hoisin Pizza

Chocolate Chile Ice Cream

Chocolate Fudge Cakes

Chocolate Nut Tart

Chuck’s Coleslaw

Coconut Chicken Stew

Cranberry Jello

Cranberry Orange Chutney

Cranberry Pistachio Salted Caramel Bars

Curried Carrots with Cilantro

Curried Fruit Sauce for Ham

Curried Pumpkin Soup

Date Squares with Cranberries

Di Saronno Chicken

Dijon Chicken

Dilled Carrots

Dutch Apple Cake

Easy Peach Cobbler

Egg Ribbon and Parmesan Soup

Emerill’s Funky Turkey

Escabeche de Cebolla (Pickled Red Onions)

Fantastic Grilled Sweet Corn

Flour Substitutions

Four Bean Salad

French Onion Soup

Fresh Strawberry Muffins

Garlic Chicken

Garlic Soup

Garlicky Mashed Potatoes

Ginger Cookies

Grapefruit Mimosas

Greek Salad

Hasty Christmas Pudding

Herb and Garlic Kabobs

Hot German Potato Salad

Jambalaya

Jamie Oliver’s Perfect Potato Gratin

Jane’s Lemon Chicken

Jill’s Cheese Ball

Joan’s Slow Cooker Porridge

Lime Cheesecake

Limoncello Liqueur

Mango Chicken Curry

Maple Mustard Wings

Marianne’s Pumpkin Cake

Marmalade Pork Chops

McIntosh Dark Fruit Cake

Mixed Fruit Crisp

Mock Garlicky Mashed Potatoes with Cauliflower

Molasses Pork Chops

Moroccan Chick Pea and Lentil Soup

One Jar Dill Pickles

Osso Bucco (Veal Shanks)

Oven Stew

Panna Cota with Strawberries

Parmesan Baked Potato Halves

Pavlova Dessert

Peach and Mango Clafoutis

Peach Pizza with Basil and Balsamic Glaze

Peach Streusel Pie with Ginger

Pesto Crusted Chicken Breasts

Pork Roast

Prime Rib

Pulled Pork

Rack of Lamb

Ratatouille

Rhubarb Dump Cake

Roasted Carrot Soup

Roasted Turkey with Mustard and Rosemary

Rose and Thistle Salad Dressing

Russ’ Shrimp Creole

Salmon with Crunchy Peanut Butter Sauce

Salted Caramel Brittle

Scallops

Seminole Coleslaw

Shellfish Bouillabaisse

Shrimp Alfredo

Shrimp Ceviche

Shrimp Scampi

Six Hour Leg of Lamb

Slow Cooker Caribbean Black Bean Chili

Slow Cooker Rosemary Orange Salad

Slow Cooker Salsa

Sopa de Lima

Spinach and Feta Stuffed Salmon

Stacked Tomato Salad

Steak and Bleu Cheese with Sage

Stir Fried Beef and Broccoli

Stir Fried Beef with Broccoli

Strawberry Banana Quinoa Breakfast

Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Stuffed Pork

Sweet Amish Macaroni Salad

Taco Seasoning

Thai Mussels

Tiramisu

Tuscan Style Grilled Tuna Steaks

Warm Brie Cheese with Blackberry Sauce

Yucatan Lime Soup

What’s for dinner?

This has been a standard line for many years, along with “What would you like for dinner?” Usually it is followed by “I have not decided” or “I don’t care.” I don’t know about you but this can drive you a little crazy. You check the the cupboards, the refrigerator, the freezer and then ask yourself “What can I make with this stuff today?”  The you go diving into your cookbooks or recipe box or as is more popular with many of us these days, check out one of a multitude of Internet sites. My favourite Internet recipes sites are the following –

Internet Food Sites

The Food Network provides thousands of recipes from various chefs with clear, easily searchable menus by chef, recipe, etc. There is also the ability to create your own online recipe box. I love this feature sine I can access it from any computer while travelling anywhere in the world!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/

Kraft Foods gives you the choice of creating  an online recipe box as well. One of the great features of their site is the ability to plunk in the ingredients you have on-hand and then they will give you a recipe for using those ingredients. It also features tips and seasonal menus.

http://www.kraftrecipes.com

Canadian Living Magazine has been around in Canada for many years. Besides the features, there are always lots of great recipes. They have craft projects, health information, recipes of the day and also a recipe box online.

http://www.canadianliving.com/food/

Food and Drink Magazine is produced by the Liquor Control Board of Ontario. Seasonally it distributes in their stores a magazine called Food and Drink. Of course, it advertises beer, wine and alcohol, but is has scads of recipes in every issue for foods and drinks. Each issue has a great index at the back. Normally there is a new issue for each season. You cannot buy or subscribe to this magazine, but it fully available online! The beauty of the online magazine is that it is fully searchable.  You indicate what type of dish you want to prepare and the main ingredient and they come up with several great recipes. My favourite Six Hour Leg of Lamb came from Food and Drink Magazine!

http://www.lcbo.com/fooddrink/recipes.shtml

ALL of the above are absolutely free, but of course you can subscribe by filling out your email address in the appropriate place on their website.

Food Blogs

You already know about these if you are reading this,but I find that there are many great blogs out there with incredible recipes!

A blog I subscribe to is called Back road Journal by a friend, Karen – http://backroadjournal.wordpress.com. Karen writes about life along the east coast and her various journeys, everyday life and features some great recipes! She lives in a small town in New Hampshire and writes about life there.

A more recent blog that interests me is  posted by a nutritionist in training in New York – http://learnnutritionwithme.com. While she bills herself as a “student dietician”, she shares a wealth of info about nutrition as well as some great recipes! The site is actually called “Learn About Nutrition With Me”.

So, readers these are just a few of my sources. It would be great if you could share some of your best online sites or blogs by posting them in the comment section.