Itn Nogales Sonora Recipes

CHILES EN NOGADA

Steps:

• Make the picadillo: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over high. Spread pork in an even layer and cook, undisturbed, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Toss and continue to cook, breaking up meat with the back of a spoon and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until meat is crumbled and lightly browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the browned meat to a large bowl and set aside.
• Reduce heat to medium and cook onion, apple, pear, plantain, garlic and 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt, stirring occasionally, until tender but not browned, 10 to 12 minutes, adjusting the heat as necessary. Add 1 teaspoon pepper, the oregano, cinnamon and clove, and cook, stirring frequently, until very fragrant, 1 minute.
• Stir in sherry and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated and no longer smells of alcohol, 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and their juices, peach, raisins and almonds and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated, 5 minutes.
• Add the cooked pork, olives, lemon zest and 1 cup water, and cook, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid has evaporated, the vegetables and fruit are tender and the pork is cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the parsley and lemon juice, season with salt and pepper, and set aside until ready to use.
• Meanwhile, fry the poblanos: Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan fitted with a deep-fry thermometer on high until thermometer registers 375 degrees. Working in four batches, fry the poblanos, turning once, until skin is opaque and blistered, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer poblanos to a large, heatproof bowl, wrap tightly with plastic and let sit 15 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel skin from chiles, leaving stem intact. Chiles should still be firm and bright green. Using a paring knife, make a 2-inch cut (about 1 inch from the top) lengthwise down the side of each poblano and carefully remove seeds and ribs.
• Place the poblanos cut-side up on a rimmed baking sheet and fill each with about 1/2 cup picadillo, gently pressing the filling into the poblanos with the back of a spoon, until full but not bursting or splitting. Set aside.
• Make the sauce: Purée the walnuts, almonds, crème fraîche and queso fresco with 1 1/4 cups water and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a blender until creamy. Season with salt and thin with more water, if necessary.
• Serve stuffed chiles at room temperature topped with nogada sauce, pomegranate seeds and parsley leaves.

SONORAN-STYLE FLOUR TORTILLAS

Steps:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together flour, salt and baking powder. Place bowl onto mixer, and affix paddle attachment. Mix for 30 seconds at low speed, then slowly add lard in a thin stream. Allow fat to partly incorporate, then slowly pour water in a thin stream. Allow dough to come together, then increase speed to medium-low and knead for about 2 minutes. The dough will be somewhat wet, webby and shiny. Place dough in a plastic bag, and allow to rest at room temperature for 2 hours.
• Divide dough into 12 pieces the size of a golf ball. Roll into smooth balls, and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover with plastic, and allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Working on a very lightly floured smooth surface, use a rolling pin to roll balls into 4-inch circles, and place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer. Repeat with remaining dough, adding layers of parchment as needed to ensure tortillas do not touch or overlap. Cover last layer with parchment, and allow dough to rest 10 minutes.
• Heat a griddle or large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
• Working on a very lightly floured smooth surface, use a rolling pin to roll each tortilla into an 8-inch circle: Start with the pin in the center of the circle and roll out to the edge, rotating the tortilla after every roll. Roll until the dough is very, very thin and the edges begin to smear onto the work surface. Alternatively, stretch tortillas out by hand, rotating and pulling gently from the edges, until nearly transparent.
• When a few drops of water dripped onto the griddle or pan immediately sputter and evaporate, the cooking surface is sufficiently hot. Gently peel the tortilla off the work surface, and lay onto the griddle. It should immediately sizzle and puff lightly. Cook, rotating, for 20 to 30 seconds per side, until lightly golden in spots. Stack in a resealable plastic bag to allow to steam and soften. Continue with remaining tortillas.
• Serve warm or use to make tacos, quesadillas or burritos.

SONORAN CARNE ASADA TACOS

Steps:

• Start a charcoal or gas grill, and get it very hot. For gas, set to high heat. For charcoal, grill is ready when coals are red but entirely covered with gray ash, and you can hold your hand about 5 to 6 inches above the coals for only about 4 to 5 seconds before it becomes too hot.
• Clean and season the grill: Using a pair of tongs, rub a quarter of a white onion over the grill. Next, rub the beef fat over the grill to season it further. (Alternately, you can do this using tallow or vegetable oil.)
• Working in batches if needed to avoid crowding, place the meat over the hot grill. Season the meat generously with salt on top right before throwing it on the grill, salt-side up. (Alternatively, sprinkle the salt on top of the meat once it's on the grill.)
• Grill for 4 to 5 minutes, until the bottom has seared, deep grill marks have developed, and the meat juices have started rising and bubbling over the top. Flip to the second side and grill for another 3 to 4 minutes for medium. Remove the meat and place in a lidded dish or container. Cover the cooked meat while you grill the remainder. Allow the meat to rest for at least 5 minutes.
• One by one, take out the pieces of meat and cut into about ½-inch dice, placing them back in the same lidded dish and covering until all the meat has been chopped.
• Before the meat is brought to the table, make sure the refried beans are hot. Set them on the table along with the salsa and guacamole, in separate bowls.
• Reduce the heat of the grill to medium if using gas, or, if using charcoal, set the flour tortillas on a cooler part of the grill. Heat the flour tortillas about 1 minute or so per side, until puffed, lightly browned and completely heated through. Keep warm in a clean kitchen towel or tortilla warmer and bring to the table.
• To assemble the tacos, a common practice is to grab a warm flour tortilla, spread some refried beans on the middle, add a generous amount of meat, then add salsa and guacamole on top to taste - but everyone can choose how they want to build or eat their tacos. (If the taco doesn't easily close, your assembly was successful!)

SONORAN HOT DOGS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Wrap each hot dog in a slice of bacon from end to end diagonally until the whole strip of bacon is rolled around the hot dog, securing with a toothpick if needed.
• Heat a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon-wrapped hot dogs and cook, turning every 2 to 3 minutes, until browned on all sides. Transfer the skillet to the oven to render the bacon a bit more, about 5 minutes. Remove the toothpicks, if used.
• In a cast-iron skillet, heat the vegetable oil and add the diced white onion. Saute until translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the skillet and add to a small mixing bowl with the sliced raw onion. Set aside.
• Place one bacon-wrapped hot dog in a bun. Evenly divide the warm pinto beans, jalapenos, tomatoes and the onion mixture. Top with the hot sauce, mustard and mayonnaise. Repeat with the remaining hot dogs and serve hot.