(6 servings)
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
I consider Cajeta or goat’s milk caramel an elevated version of dulce de leche which is made with cow’s milk. The taste is rich and concentrated and the flavor profile more complex. It took me about an hour and half to reduce a quart of goat’s milk. A pinch of baking soda added at the start of the process will lower the temperature at which the milk can brown and develop the flavor.
(8 servings)
Preparation Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours (includes time to cook goat and steam tamale)
Total Time: 2 hours 40 minutes
I absolutely love cooking with goat. In taste similar to lamb but more fragrant and fatty!! Growing up my mom always cooked goat curries over weekends. I loved taking all the pieces of with the bone marrow for myself. I remember fighting with my sis for the last piece and mostly coming away with my prize on account of me being the youngest.
A few weeks back I put my name on the “goat list” at my neighborhood local and sustainable Hudson & Charles butcher shop on the Upper West side in NYC. Got lucky when they called me last week saying they had a beautiful goat shank for me. I used this for my goat tamales recipe. The goat recipe has an Indian flair to it, but I substituted dried red chilis with pasilla negro dried chilies I found in the supermarket. These chilies are not spicy but they have a deep flavor and impart a rich dark color to the sauce.
The other very important ingredient for tamales is lard. This is what gives tamales that unique taste that reminds me of the small little pop up stores you find on the corner of the street in Mexico serving up homemade tamales!
This recipe definitely needs time but hey – Food tastes even better when cooked with love and patience ☺
(5 servings – 16 tacos)
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 3 hours 30 minutes (Includes time for braising pork belly)
Total time: 4 hours
Nothing equals making fresh tacos. Right from the dough for the tortillas, hand pressing and then heating over a pan to get the best taste possible. It really does not take much time. The dough for instance does not need much kneading. Two minutes is enough as compared to a pizza or pasta dough this is short change. If you have a good strong hand press then it takes a few quick seconds to press each tortilla flat and heating 2 minutes on each side is enough.
(1 Serving)
Preparation Time: 7 minutes
Aloe Vera is well known for its cosmetic benefits and is used regularly in skin lotions, cosmetics and for minor burns. In general it’s great for skin and can be consumed directly too. It grows wild in tropical climates and requires very little care which makes it a great addition to your home or backyard! I bought fresh Aloe Vera cactus from the market and decided to use it in a Margarita recipe.
(4 servings)
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
This is the first recipe for our Mexico cuisine month. For the longest time I didn’t know that avocados grew on big trees and was really surprised when I actually saw them at a farm in Mexico! This fruit has a much higher fat content than other fruits & can serve as a good source of fat for people who are vegan or those who eat little meat. The most commonly created dish and one of the most popular in any Mexican restaurant – Guacamole is a very fresh recipe and can be used as a dip or spread. The most common ingredients in any guacamole are onion, tomatoes, cilantro and lime. I added a few ingredients of my own to this recipe to add some texture and flavors not commonly paired together. Hope you all love it!!
(8 servings – 2, 14 inch pizzas)
Preparation Time: 90 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
I guess Italian cuisine month deserves its pizza! And as usual I provided a touch of our own with a chicken tikka topping. What I love about pizza is you can get so creative with the toppings and even the style and type of crust you want. I went for a thin crust here with traditional pizza flour I picked up from Chelsea market. For the chicken tikka, if you do not want to make the ‘masala’ or spice mix from scratch, no worries. Buy a pack from the supermarket. I have seen these readily available in neighborhood groceries. If you are in NYC, Fairway has a few options.
