Mancha Manteles Recipes

MANCHAMANTELES WITH ARROZ BLANCO (STEW THAT STAINS THE TABLECLOTH)

Steps:

• To prepare the meat, bring the water to a boil in a large stock pot. Add the onions, carrots, garlic, marjoram, thyme, salt, and pork and return to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer gently for 1 hour, or until meat is tender. Add the chicken breasts and cook for 15 minutes more.
• Remove the pot from the heat and allow the meat to cool in the broth until lukewarm. Remove the meats and vegetables from the broth. Reserve the broth. Slice the meat thinly and, if you wish, bone the chicken breasts. Place the meats and vegetables in a large cazuela or ovenproof casserole and cover loosely with foil to keep warm.
• To prepare the stew, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the yams, pineapple, and plantains in a ovenproof dish large enough to hold them. Roast them for 1 hour, then peel the yams and plantains and cut them into chunks. Set them aside.
• Remove the veins and seeds of the chiles and wipe them clean. Soak them in hot water for 25 minutes and drain. In a blender, puree the chiles, pine nuts, garlic, tomatoes, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, thyme, marjoram, oregano, and cumin with a little of the soaking liquid.
• In a large saucepan, over a medium high heat, heat the oil. Pour in the chile mixture a little at a time. Add the salt, pepper, and sugar. Cook 5 minutes or until the mixture changes color and thickens. Add the reserved broth from the meats and simmer until slightly thickened. Add the thickened sauce to the reserved cazuela with the sliced pork and chicken breasts. Bake for 20 minutes. Add the yams, pineapple, plantain, apples, and prunes. Bake for another 10 minutes.
• Serve piping hot from the cazuela, accompanied by freshly made tortillas and Arroz Blanco.
• The Original Manchamanteles (Stew that Stains the Tablecoth):
• Take some ripe tomatoes, and remove the seeds. Grind them with soaked toasted dry chiles, cinnamon and pepper. After grinding, fry in lard, mix with warm water, add the chickens or pork, cooked sausages, olives, vinegar, salt, a lump of sugar, yams or peanuts.
• Pour hot water over the rice and let it stand for about 10 minutes. Drain the rice and rinse well in cold water. Let the rice drain for a few minutes.
• In a medium size saucepan with a tight fitting lid, heat the oil over a medium low heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until translucent, stirring constantly. Add the rice and cook just until the grains are coated with the oil.
• Add the water and cook, uncovered, over a medium heat until the liquid has been absorbed and small air holes appear on the top of the rice. Do not stir.
• Wrap the lid of the saucepan with a small terry cloth dish towel. Place the lid tightly over the saucepan so that none of the steam can escape. Set aside in a warm place for about 20 to 30 minutes, so that the rice can continue to cook and the grains expand.
• Stir the rice well before serving.

MANCHA MANTELES - MEXICAN TABLECLOTH STAINER

Steps:

• Put the chicken and pork into a large pan, cover with water and simmer for 1 hours Drain and reserve the stock.
• Heat the oil in a large pan and cook the onion, garlic and chillies until lightly browned.
• Add tomatoes and continue to cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
• Add peanuts, bay leaf, cinnamon, chilli powder, whole cloves and sesame seeds.
• Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
• Process mixture in an electric blender until smooth then return to the pan.
• Add tomato puree, green pepper and the stock from the meat until the sauce is the consistency you prefer.
• Add the chicken, pork, plantain, pear and apple.
• Simmer for 10 minutes then serve.

MANCHA MANTELES

Steps:

• Prepare mancha manteles
• Preheat oven to 350°F
• On parchment-lined sheet pan, place tomatoes, onions, and sweet potato and put in oven. Roast tomatoes until blistered, about 25 minutes, then remove from oven. Roast onions until beginning to caramelize, about 35 minutes, then remove. Cook potato until knife easily slides in, about 45-55 minutes, then remove.
• In 10-inch, dry skillet over moderately low heat, toast ancho, guajillo, and mulato chiles, turning once, until slightly darker and beginning to puff, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Once chiles are cool enough to handle, halve lengthwise, then remove and discard seeds, stems, and ribs. Transfer chiles to medium bowl, cover completely with water, and let stand 20 minutes.
• In small, dry skillet over moderate heat, toast unpeeled garlic, turning once, until starting to turn golden brown, about 10 minutes total. When cool enough to handle, remove skins and set aside.
• In small, dry skillet over moderate heat, toast sesame seeds, stirring to prevent burning, until starting to turn golden brown, about 5 to 6 minutes. Set aside.
• In small, dry skillet over moderate heat, toast almonds, cinnamon, cloves, and peppercorns until light brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside.
• Drain chiles well and place in blender. Add 2 cups chicken stock and purée until smooth, about 2 to 3 minutes. Strain and set aside.
• In 10-inch skillet over moderate heat, heat 2 tablespoons oil until hot but not smoking. Add raisins and cook until puffed up, about 2 minutes. With slotted spoon remove raisins, place in small bowl, and set aside. Do not clean skillet.
• In same skillet, using oil leftover from cooking raisins, cook plantains, turning once, until golden brown, about 6 minutes total. Place in bowl and set aside.
• When tomatoes are cool enough to handle, remove skins, then quarter and remove seeds. Coarsely chop and place in blender. Add onions, toasted garlic, and 2 cups chicken stock, then purée until smooth. Strain and set aside.
• Rinse blender, then purée toasted sesame seeds and 1 1/2 cups chicken stock until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Strain and set aside.
• Rinse blender, then purée raisins, half of plantains, almonds, cinnamon, cloves, salt, and pepper until very smooth. Strain and set aside.
• In 6-quart, heavy pan over moderate heat, heat 2 tablespoons oil. Add chile purée and cook until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Add tomato purée, sesame purée, and raisin purée, then cook 30 minutes, stirring constantly. Keep over low heat, adding remaining 1/2 cup stock if mixture gets too thick.
• Poach chicken
• In heavy, 6-quart heavy pot, place chicken stock, carrots, onions, and celery and bring to a simmer. Add chicken and cook, uncovered, at bare simmer, until cooked through, about 14 to 18 minutes. Remove chicken from pot, place in bowl, and let cool. Discard cooking broth.
• To Serve
• Add chicken, sweet potato, remaining plantains, apple, pineapple, salt, sugar, orange juice and zest, and prunes to mancha manteles pot and simmer 10 minutes.