Agua Fresca De Tamarindo (Fresh Tamarind Drink)
Agua Fresca de Tamarindo (Fresh Tamarind Drink)
This is the perfect drink on a really hot summer day in the Southwest
Agua fresca is thirst-quenching, has more nutritive value than tea or water, &, with no caffeine or alcohol, you can drink lots of it without worrying
Kids love it, & it goes great with hot & spicy food, too!
1 lb whole tamarind pods
Hot water
2 quarts water
1 to 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar or honey
Cover tamarind pods with hot water
Let st& 5 min; drain
Rinse & drain
Remove pods, stems & strings from tamarinds
Place pods in 2 quarts of water
Let st& 4 hrs; strain, reserving liquid
Press as much tamarind pulp as possible through a sieve
Mix pulp, reserved liquid & the sugar or honey
Heat just until the sugar or honey melts
Cover & refrigerate until chilled
Serve over ice
Albondigas Con Chipotle (Meatballs In Chipotle Sauce)
Albondigas con Chipotle (Meatballs in Chipotle Sauce)
6 fresh, ripe tomatoes, halved
1 lb ground beef
4 Tbsp bread crumbs
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 whole cloves garlic
3 eggs
2 1/4 tsps ground cumin
Sea salt, to taste
Freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
4 chipotle chiles in adobo
1 cup chicken stock
1 tbsp dried Mexican oregano
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
To roast tomatoes, grill or broil them as close to heat as possible, turning as needed, until skin is blackened in spots, about 3 min on each side
Cool
When cool enough to h&le, remove skins
Reserve
Combine beef, bread crumbs, chopped garlic, eggs, 2 tsp cumin, salt & pepper
Cover mixture, & let chill in refrigerator
In a blender or food processor, blend reserved tomatoes with chipotles, stock, whole garlic cloves, remaining cumin & oregano
Heat the oil in a heavy skillet
Add the tomato sauce, season to taste with additional salt & pepper, & bring mixture to a boil
Meanwhile, make uniform medium-size meatballs from meat mixture
Add meatballs to simmering sauce & cook about 25 min
Serve as an entr
Mexican Cocoa Recipe
Mexican Cocoa
This is the traditional accompaniment for sweet tamales
2 cups milk
3 (1-inch) cinnamon sticks
4 ozs bittersweet chocolate, broken into small pieces
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
Ground cinnamon (optional)
Heat milk & cinnamon sticks over low heat until steaming
Do not boil
Place chocolate & sugar in warm, small bowl
Discard cinnamon sticks
Pour milk over chocolate & sugar & let st& 1 min
Whisk until dissolved
Serve in mugs with a sprinkling of cinnamon, if desired
Makes 2 servings