Ingredients:

2 pounds ground chuck
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
12 (6 inch) corn tortillas
12 ounces queso asadero (white Mexican cheese)
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream
1 large tomato, diced
2 cups shredded lettuce

Procedure:

Place the ground chuck in a large skillet, and season with chili powder, paprika, cumin, salt, garlic powder, and garlic. Pour in enough water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer 1 hour. Add more water as necessary during cook time, and break the meat into small pieces. Mix the bell pepper and onion into the skillet, and continue to simmer 30 minutes. Drain and reserve juices. Skim the fat off the juices(or, if not preparing the tacos right away, place juices in the freezer until fat may be easily removed from the top). Mix 5 tablespoons of the remaining juices back into the skillet with the beef, and cook until heated through. Serve the beef on the tortillas. Garnish with queso asadero, sour cream, tomato, and lettuce.

Ingredients:

For the sausage:

12 ounces lean ground pork
12 ounces ground turkey
5 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons dry red wine
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons sweet paprika
2 teaspoons ancho chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt

For the chili:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups diced onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
3 chipotle chiles canned in adobo sauce, minced
4 -15 ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained, divided
3 cups chicken broth, divided
2 14.5 ounce cans fire roasted diced tomatoes
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup minced cilantro

Procedure:

To make the sausage: In a large bowl, mix together pork, turkey, garlic, red wine, vinegar, paprika, ancho chili powder, cumin, oregano, coriander, pepper and salt until combined. Cover and set in the refrigerator overnight.

To make the chili: In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add sausage mixture and cook until browned, stirring to crumble - about 7 - 10 minutes. Stir in onions, cumin, garlic, oregano and chipotle chiles - cook until the onions are tender, about 4-6 minutes. In a food processor, add 1 1/2 cups black beans and 1 cup broth - process until smooth. Add the processed beans, whole beans, remaining 2 cups broth, tomatoes and water into the saucepan - bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until the chili becomes slightly thick - about 45 minutes. Stir in lime juice and cilantro. Makes 6 servings.

“This is a highly nutritious and wonderful Mexican soup, called a ‘caldo.’ It is too dense to be a soup, and is almost a stew, except the liquid hasn’t been thickened. The flavors are deep and rich. I almost never use ‘cubed beef’ any more, unless it’s truly necessary as I think these thin slices are far better. Try this caldo, and you’ll see why!”

Ingredients:

vegetable oil for browning
1 pound beef round, thinly sliced then cut into 1 inch pieces
1 medium onion, diced
6 roma (plum) tomatoes, chopped
4 new potatoes, quartered
2 cups tomato puree
1 bunch fresh spinach, rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces
1/2 cup red wine
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
1 (14.5 ounce) can beef broth

Procedure:

Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir meat until well browned on all sides, then transfer to a large stock pot. Cook and stir onions in the same skillet in the fat remaining from the meat. When lightly browned and tender, stir in tomatoes. Continue cooking until some of the tomato liquid has evaporated, then transfer to the stock pot with the meat. In a separate skillet, brown the potatoes in a small amount of oil over medium-high heat, turning occasionally. Add the potatoes to the meat, along with the tomato puree, spinach, red wine, garlic, and oregano. Add just enough beef broth or water to cover meat and vegetables, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for one hour. Makes 6 servings.

Note: Optional vegetables cut into bite size pieces may include mushrooms, carrots, zucchini, or chayote, and may be added to the soup just before covering and simmering.

Ingredients:

1 package of El Monterey taquitos
1 package of Spanish rice mix
1 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup purple onion, chopped
1 tablespoon jalapeno, minced
1 tablespoon lime juice

Options:
1 avocado, peeled, seeded and sliced
1/2 cup of sour cream

Procedure:

Prepare rice according to package directions. Combine cilantro, onion, jalapeno and lime juice to prepare a salsa. Heat El Monterey Taquitos according to the packaging, keep warm. When rice is ready, gently fold in salsa. Serve with burritos and taquitos. Garnish with avocado and sour cream, if desired. Makes 6 servings.

Before you actually get the cabeza (beef head), understand that it won’t look very nice -in fact it will look pretty gruesome. Therefore, I suggest purchasing the thing the day you cook it.
In the Rio Grande Valley, barbacoa de cabeza is traditionally eaten on Sunday mornings.

Ingredients:

1 cabeza, beef head
4 large Texas yellow onions
3 heads garlic
2 bunches cilantro
salt
pepper
corn or flour tortillas
Pico de gallo and your favorite salsa(s)

Procedure:

Clean the cabeza, removing eyes, ears, etc. Discard the tongue. Leaving it will impart an odd taste to the meat. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the whole cabeza. Wrap the cabeza in a paper sack,along with onions, garlic, and cilantro. Wrap that in burlap. Dig a hole 2 feet deep and build a driftwood fire in it. Wait until the fire goes to coals, then cover them with ashes, followed by the cabeza, then about 2 inches of dry dirt or sand. Fill up the hole. Add 6 to 8 inches of dirt or sand over it. Build a fire on top of the ground. Use slow-burning wood such as oak or mesquite. Leave the cabeza in the hole 12 to 18 hours. For example, if you begin cooking it at 4:00 p.m., it should be ready by the next morning. Serve with tortillas. If your spouse objects to the digging the hole in the backyard, then wrap the cabeza in foil and bake it in an oven or over a charcoal grill. Using foil in place of the paper bag keeps the cabeza slightly moisten while cooking.
If you cannot get a fresh cabeza, use a large chuck roast (10-12 lbs.) nd follow the same directions. Not as ‘tasty’, but a good substitute and less work to prepare.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds cubed pork stew meat
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 (4.5 ounce) can diced green chile peppers, drained
1/2 (3.5 ounce) can chopped jalapeno peppers
1/2 medium onion, chopped
5 tablespoons tomato sauce
3 1/2 cups water
onion salt to taste
garlic salt to taste
salt and black pepper to taste

Procedure:

Heat oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in cubed pork, and cook until nicely browned and cooked through, about 15 minutes. Remove skillet from heat, and allow to cool briefly. Sprinkle flour over pork. With a wooden spoon, stir pork to coat, scraping the bottom of the skillet to loosen browned bits. Add chile peppers, jalapenos, and onions. Stir in tomato sauce and water. Season to taste with onion salt, garlic salt, and salt and pepper. Return skillet to medium heat. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove cover, and cook 10 minutes more. Makes 6 servings.

Ingredients:

5 pounds roast beef chopped into cubes
1 large potato
1 medium sized onion
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 quarts chicken broth
1 clove of garlic
2 teaspoons of salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup corn starch

Procedure:

Dice the garlic, chop the roasted green chili, chop the onion, chunk the potato. In the sauce pan heat the 1/3 cup of Vegetable Oil. Then using this pan sauté the chopped onions and garlic. Combine in a plastic bag and shake until evenly distributed, 1/3 cup corn starch, 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. After shaking this, add the chunks of beef and shake it again until all the beef is evenly coated.Now add the beef to the sauce pan. Let this cook until the beef is slightly brown. Add the green Chili and let the beef continue to cook until it is completely browned. Now add and stir in, 2 quartz of chicken broth, potato chunks. Bring your beef green chili stew to a boil. Then turn the heat to medium low and place the lid back on top. Let this cook for 4 hours or until the meat is tender.

Ingredients:

3-4 lbs. meat with or without bones
4 guajillo chiles
3 ancho chiles
3 cascabel chiles
1 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground thyme or 2-3 sprigs
6 garlic cloves, peeled and finely diced
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1 onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 cup of water
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped cilantro
corn tortillas

Procedure:

Chile Paste:
Toast the chiles on a hot pan until browned, but not burned. Remove the seeds and veins and cover with hot water for 15 to 20 minutes. When done soaking, process in blender with the vinegar to make a paste.

Meat Rub:
Mix the salt, pepper, cloves, oregano, cumin, cinnamon and thyme. Rub the meat well with this mixture. Then coat the meat with half of the chile paste. Let marinate overnight.

Cook the Meat:
Fill a Dutch oven with water. Add the chopped onion, bay leaf, garlic and the remaining chile sauce to the water. Place meat on a rack that sits just above the water. Place lid on and bake for 4 hours at 350 degrees.

Prepare the Dish:
Remove the meat and place into serving bowls. There are two ways to finish. The first way has no broth. Remove bay leaves from liquid. If liquid is too watery, reduce by boiling in a small pan. Coat the meat chunks with the reduced chile sauce. Use meat to fill tortillas and top with onions and cilantro. The second way is to let the liquid cool slightly and remove the bay leaves. At this point some people blend the liquid. Add enough hot water to make at least 2 cups. Ladle the liquid over the meat and top with chopped onion and cilantro. Serve with warm corn tortillas.

Ingredients:

4 pounds boneless chuck roast
4 cloves garlic
3 (8 ounce) packages dried corn husks
4 dried ancho chiles
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup beef broth
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon white vinegar
salt to taste
3 cups lard
1 tablespoon salt
9 cups masa harina

Procedure:

Place beef and garlic in a large pot. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil over high heat. As soon as water boils, reduce heat to a simmer and cover pot. Let simmer for 3 1/2 hours, until beef is tender and shreds easily. When beef is done, remove from pot, reserving 5 cups cooking liquid and discarding garlic. Allow meat to cool slightly, and shred finely with forks.. Meanwhile, place corn husks in a large container and cover with warm water. Allow to soak for 3 hours, until soft and pliable. May need to weight down with an inverted plate and a heavy can. Toast ancho chiles in a cast iron skillet, making sure not to burn them. Allow to cool and then remove stems and seeds. Crumble and grind in a clean coffee grinder or with a mortar and pestle. Heat oil in a large skillet. Mix in flour and allow to brown slightly. Pour in 1 cup beef broth and stir until smooth. Mix in ground chiles, cumin seeds, ground cumin, minced garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, vinegar and salt. Stir shredded beef into skillet and cover. Let simmer 45 minutes. Place lard and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whip with an electric mixer on high speed until fluffy. Add masa harina and beat at low speed until well mixed. Pour in reserved cooking liquid a little at a time until mixture is the consistency of soft cookie dough. Drain water from corn husks. One at a time, flatten out each husk, with the narrow end facing you, and spread approximately 2 tablespoons masa mixture onto the top 2/3 of the husk. Spread about 1 tablespoon of meat mixture down the middle of the masa. Roll up the corn husk starting at one of the long sides. Fold the narrow end of the husk onto the rolled tamale and tie with a piece of butchers’ twine. Place tamales in a steamer basket. Steam over boiling water for approximately one hour, until masa is firm and holds its shape. Make sure steamer does not run out of water. Serve immediately, allowing each person to unwrap their own tamales. Allow any leftovers (still in husks) to cool, uncovered, in the refrigerator.

Ingredients:

(1) 10-pack El Monterey beef n bean burritos
40 oz. can chile con carne
1 cup Water
1 lb. corn chips
2 cups cheddar cheese shredded

Procedure:

Heat up El Monterey Burritos according to packaging and keep warm. Heat up Chile Con Carne with the water added, and bring to a simmer. Hold on stove top until assembly. Place corn chips on large serving platter, pour half of the chile over the chips and sprinkle half of the cheese over the chile. Arrange the hot burritos over the chile and cheese and finish by pouring the rest of the chile and cheese over the burritos. Melt cheese under a hot broiler or in a preheated 375°F oven. Serve immediately.