Latin American

Tequila and agave nectar come from the same place: the agave plant. This fun sweet and tart drink reunites them.

A vegetarian version of Brazil’s famous national dish, feijoada, this stew is abundant with nourishing ingredients. Serve with steamed fresh greens (you can dress them with garlic sautéed in olive oil) and slices of mango and/or papaya.

Modeled after the traditional cheese- stuffed, deep- fried green chiles that I adore so much at Mexican restaurants, this lighter, healthier version is almost as much fun to eat. I like to use a mixture of mozzarella and Spanish Manchego cheeses, but you should use what you like. Often, I’ll use soy cheese substitutes instead of real cheeses to make this a nondairy dinner that’s lower in saturated fats and easier to digest.

Feel free to make this recipe using ground turkey or pork instead of beef, or even meat-substitute crumbles. You could also use a tenderloin cut of meat. Look for peeled and chopped butternut squash in your supermarket vegetable aisle.

Adobo, or roasted, pork is a staple in Latin America and some parts of Southeast Asia. This is just one version of the Latin American-style dish, made easier as a Glorious One-Pot Meal. Replace the rice and broth with 3/4 cup of quinoa and 1 cup of broth for a more authentic South American meal. Ancho chiles are actually dried poblano chiles, which are rich in flavor and popular for cooking. They’ve been described as looking and tasting like prunes, though certainly with more of a bite. Anaheim chiles are a milder substitute. You can use boneless frozen pork chops without increasing the cooking time. However, if they are frozen with the bone in, you may need to allow ten extra minutes in the oven. You can also substitute flank steaks or chicken pieces with good results. I like to add a sliced fresh tomato to this recipe. Layer the sliced tomato on top if there is still space in the pot after adding the green pepper.

Throughout the 1980s, my family vacationed in Cozumel, off the coast of the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. This recipe was one of our favorite local dishes prepared by the descendants of the Mayan Indians. Corn, peppers, and limes are all native to the New World and were likely cultivated by the ancient Mayans much as they are today. Spice up this dish with red pepper flakes or chopped chiles. Try a white, flaky fish such as cod, flounder, or sole. Or try a slightly meatier white fish like Oreo Dory, tilapia, mahi mahi, or snapper. Either fresh or frozen fish fillets work fine. This recipe is also wonderful with seafood such as shrimp or with thin slices of flank steak or pork.

Brooke is a huge Mexican food fan. In fact, when Jack was one week old, Brooke had such a mean craving that we took him out to a Mexican spot near us. So it’s no surprise that Jack has become a big fan, too. And since quesadillas are pretty much Mexican grilled cheese, we make them just to give him a little variety, and use them as an opportunity to get a little avocado (which is chock-full of vitamins and has more potassium than a banana) into his diet.

This zesty salsa gets its flavor and green hue from tomatillos. Tomatillos have a tart, citrus-like flavor that works as a zingy accompaniment to fish (see Halibut Enchiladas with Salsa Verde, page 86). When choosing tomatillos, smaller is better. The smaller ones have a sweeter taste. Tomatillos should be green and about the size of a large cherry tomato. The inside is white and meatier than a tomato. They are covered by a papery husk that may range from the pale green to a light brown. The husks are inedible and should be removed before use.

We know that we wouldn’t be where we are today without the continued support and encouragement we receive from our customers. To thank them, we held a recipe contest for which the winner’s dish would be featured in our book. Cristiane Diehl (aka Chu Chu), that’s you! Take a bow. You deserve it. Your trifle is out of this world! (Well, at least out of this country—it’s from Brazil!)

One bite and you’ll know why this sweet and spicy corn is one of the most popular dishes at my Beso restaurants. The smoky Chipotle Aïoli (page 162) was created especially for this and it absolutely makes the dish. You can pour it on heavy, like they do at the restaurant, or pour it on lighter, like I do here, but don’t skip it! The optional tortilla strips add crunch and heft. To cook the corn, grill or boil it.

When I was a kid, chalupas were to us what PB&J is to other families. Whenever we were looking for a snack or needed a quick meal, the makings for chalupas were the first things to come out of the fridge. In fact, chalupas were the first thing my mom taught me how to cook. I know now that this is because it was all about assembling more than actual cooking. And they’re fun! Serve them family-style so that each person gets his or her own fried tortilla and can pile on beans, chicken, and any other toppings as high as desired. The effect is beautiful and dramatic.

One year when I was very young I wanted to give pan de polvo, also called Mexican wedding cookies, as Christmas presents to my teachers at school. My mom taught me “her” recipe. In fact, it was this one—Aunt Elsa’s! I went to the flea market and spent my allowance on a collection of cookie cutters. I returned home and set out to make about 15 dozen in different shapes. Unfortunately, many of them broke because, as I discovered to my great frustration, pan de polvo is a very delicate cookie that doesn’t hold shapes well—especially intricate ones like snowflakes. Those cookie cutters were probably my first purchase of kitchen equipment—but far from my last. They were so cheap that when I washed them for the first time, they rusted the next day! Polvo means “powder,” an apt description of a delicate cookie, generously rolled in sugar, that shatters on your tongue. I roll these very thin, just like Aunt Elsa used to, so they practically melt in your mouth. They are often rolled a little thicker, to about 3/8 inch—if you do so, just bake them a little longer.

Churros are basically Mexican doughnuts: a lighter, fluffier version of the fried dough served at county fairs all over the country. We serve this to great acclaim at the Beso restaurants and they are heavenly eaten warm.

The corn tortilla was first made many thousands of years ago. Today it usually begins with masa harina, a powdery meal made from fresh corn dough that has been dried and ground to a powder. Full of sweet and earthy corn flavor, homemade corn tortillas are very different from store-bought. The moment you pull off the lid from the tortilla warmer or the napkin covering a basket of warm tortillas, a sweet, corn aroma fills the air. Serve these with Chili-Rubbed Skirt Steak Tacos (page 102) or in any recipe that calls for corn tortillas.

I think leeks are underappreciated by most and even intimidating to some people. They are featured in many recipes and restaurant dishes as an aromatic base flavor, but until my Brazilian friend Paolo served them to me this way, I’d never seen them as a proper side dish standing all on their own. They are part of the onion family and, as with onions, slow cooking will bring out their natural sugars. Patience is a real virtue here. Cook them too fast, over heat that’s too high, and they will burn. Slow, gentle heat will produce meltingly soft and sweet leeks that can be twirled on a fork like spaghetti. I love these with beef dishes such as Filets Mignons with Sweet Balsamic Reduction (page 108) or Flank Steak with Lime Marinade (page 105).

In terms of its role in my life, this may well be the most important recipe in this chapter. It is without exaggeration that I say that there were always borracho or refried beans in our house. Barely a day goes by that I don’t have beans; my favorite breakfast is refried beans and egg whites. They can replace or be added along with any meat in tacos (page 102), chalupas (page 87), or enchiladas (page 94). These should be stiff, not runny. Authentic refried beans are made with bacon grease, but vegetable oil is an excellent alternative.

I love to pull out my slow cooker and let these beans simmer all day, filling the whole house with their amazing aroma. The key to a good bean dish is carefully picking over the dried beans before you cook them, discarding any that are discolored or shriveled. Use any chunky tomato salsa you like; it adds color and heat, so choose accordingly. I usually save the fat that comes from frying the bacon for these beans and use it to make unbelievably good Refried Beans (page 130). Sofrito is a combination of aromatic ingredients that are cooked slowly to release their flavor. It is used as the base of many dishes in Latin American and Caribbean cooking. I usually buy prepared sofrito seasoning paste sold in individual packets and located in the spice or Latin food aisle at the grocery store.

Also known as Spanish rice, Mexican Rice is very difficult to make well. Once you add the tomato sauce and water, you can’t really touch it or you’ll ruin the texture. The hard part is knowing how much spice to add, because the rice won’t properly absorb any seasoning once the water is absorbed. This makes it nearly impossible to perfect, and once it is done, it is done. There’s a saying in my family: “When you perfect the rice, you are ready to get married. But not until then.” Follow my recipe and your Mexican Rice will be fabulous, too. Include the chicken to serve it as a main course.

When I was growing up, enchiladas were a family affair. On enchilada night, my sisters and I knew we would be called upon to take our positions alongside our mom in the kitchen: one sister fried the tortillas, another dipped them in the sauce, another (usually me) stuffed them, and the last rolled and transferred them to the pan. I can never think about enchiladas without remembering all those happy times in the kitchen. Not everyone in the house loved onions as much as my dad did, so Mom had us add the onions to only half of the enchiladas. She’d stick a toothpick in the pan with the onions to mark it, and everyone could sit down to enjoy the same meal.

A giant platter of flautas is a stunning sight on a table, and the contrasting flavors and textures make it a fabulous eating experience as well. Chicken is rolled in corn tortillas and fried until crispy. The flautas are arranged on a platter, topped with a beautiful, pale green sauce that is at once silky and tart, drizzled with luscious Mexican sour cream, and sprinkled with creamy queso fresco. The result is a crunchy, creamy, and chewy burst of divine flavor. Mexican sour cream or crema is the Mexican version of crème fraîche, and both are milder versions of American sour cream. You can find crema in the refrigerated section of grocery stories that carry Latin ingredients. Crème fraîche is thicker, so if you use it instead, stir it well to loosen the consistency before drizzling.