Cookbook Project, Books #57 and 58

[ladysprite]

"Favorite Brand Name Mexican Fiesta," Publications International, Ltd

This isn't a glossy checkout booklet, I promise. It is, however, shiny and full of pictures. I picked it up at a fundraiser book sale, mostly because it was cheap, I felt like supporting the fundraiser, and I do really like Mexican food. And while it may not be the most authentic collection of Mexican recipes, there are at least a handful of recipes in there that look good. Alas, this also falls into the category of 'books that I bought but never actually got around to using.'

So last week we made Fiesta Beef Enchiladas. I don't know what makes them fiesta enchiladas instead of regular enchiladas, but they were... okay. I've made enchiladas plenty of times, never with a recipe, and these were slightly different from my standard recipe - it didn't call for frying the tortillas and dipping them in the sauce first, and instead of filling them with meat and veggies, it called for... well, Mexi-Glop. A mix of rice and meat and tomatoes and cheese that can fill almost any tortilla-based dish. It was okay enough that I'll try some of the other recipes in here, but for enchiladas in general I think I'll stick with my make-it-up-as-I-go format.

Incidentally, does anyone reading this have any suggestions for working with corn tortillas? I like the flavor better than flour tortillas for a lot of dishes, but even when I warm them up to soften them, they tend to tear or crack....

"Breads," Sunset Publishing Co.

And back to the collection of Sunset booklets. Like all of the others, this was a hand-me-down from my mom. I've never used it, just like I don't think I've ever used any of the Sunset books, and I'm starting to accept that maybe that was an error on my part. So far, all of them have turned out to be pretty good.

I didn't have any plans this morning, and I need to start tackling cookbooks for things other than dinner, so I decided to poke through this one in hopes of finding an interesting breakfast recipe. I'll admit I tend more towards quick breads than yeast breads, but the recipe for "Pull-Apart Coffee Cake" (better known to me as Monkey Bread, although that may be a regional thing) was just too tasty-sounding to pass up. And it had a make-ahead option that meant actually eating less than four hours after waking up, so I went for it.

It was a lot easier than I had expected - if nothing else, kneading bread is a lot easier now that I have a stand mixer with a dough hook. And most of the work was done last night, so this morning I just had to wake up and stick it in the oven. And... cinnamon, butter, and sweet bread. There is nothing bad there. Even if I never make anything else from this cookbook, it's worth keeping for this alone.

Comments

[kitanzi.livejournal.com]

off the top of my head suggestion for the corn tortillas - steam them? Might be as easy as microwaving with something containing water. Dunno.

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

*nod* Mist them with water or wrap in a damp kitchen towel and microwave for a minute or two. Or pop them in a steamer.

(Also, whee, random unexpected meeting. :D)

[kitanzi.livejournal.com]

Unexpected random meeting? How so? (As for less random meetings, are you going to Concertino?)

[browngirl.livejournal.com]

Oh, that was me combining two replies in one. This afternoon, teddywolf, tigerbright and I ran into ladysprite and two nifty friends of hers.

I am contemplating Concertino.

[felis-sidus.livejournal.com]

Corn tortillas: Make sure they're fresh,fresh,fresh. Ideally, they'd be made that day, but that isn't realistic for most people; just don't buy them days ahead of time. Have them at room temperature before starting to work with them. Have the sauce hot, then dip the tortillas one at a time into the hot sauce, allowing a moment for the the tortilla to soften. If they're very fresh, this may soften it enough that it doesn't crack. If not, then fry it briefly in oil after dipping in the sauce. If you fry it too long or at too high a temperature, it'll become crispy and rolling will be out of the question. Fill and roll immediately. Don't try to roll too tightly; the sides should overlap only slightly. It's more like "fill and fold". If the tortillas are fresh enough, steaming shouldn't be necessary, but if they're still cracking after following the procedure above, it's worth trying.

[gmkieran.livejournal.com]

microwave steaming has worked for me with tortillas that are 2-3 days old; more than that, they seem to be too dry to recover, though an actual steamer might do better. I usually do no more than 3 at a time with a dampened paper towel laid over them and 45 seconds seems to be optimal, at least in my microwave. yrmv

[curmudgn]

The microwave stunt is a total crapshoot, IMO. Instead, I crank up the comal (or a big skillet if you don't own a comal) and tickle them up that way. The method described in Diana Kennedy's The Cuisines of Mexico is good; it's how I first learned about tickling tortillas.