So, when I do shredded chicken tinga, I usually throw together the following (click headings for recipes):
[details=Cilantro-Lime Rice (Yes, just like that one place)]Ingredients
- 2 cups Basmati Rice
- 12 cups water
- 2 tsp Kosher Salt
- Lime Juice (2 small or maybe 1 large)
- 3-4 tbsp Cilantro, chopped
In a large pot, bring the water and salt to a boil. Add the rice and cook for 11-12 minutes, until the grains are fully cooked and tender. Drain through a colander, and rinse briefly with hot water until it runs mostly clear. In a large bowl or container, combine the rice with the lime juice and cilantro. Check for salt before serving.[/details]
[details=Mexican-Style Black Beans]Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Fat (ideally Bacon Fat, but Olive Oil or Butter’ll do)
- 1 White Onion, diced
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1-2 Jalapenos, minced
- 1 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt (less, if using broth)
- 1 tsp dried Oregano (Mexican, ideally)
- 1 tsp Cumin Powder
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 1 lb dried Black Beans, picked through
- ~8 cups Chicken Broth or Water
Heat your cooking fat in a large pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add in the onion, garlic, and jalapeno and saute for 5-8 minutes, until the veggies are softened and fragrant. Add in the dried spices and seasonings (salt, oregano, cumin, pepper, and bay leaves), stir together, then add in the beans and cooking liquid (water or broth). Bring it to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for 1-2 hours. Stir occasionally–more frequently near the end, as the mixture thickens–and begin checking the beans for doneness at around 60-70 minutes’ cooking time.[/details]
[details=Sauteed Veggies]Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil or Butter
- 1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 1 Yellow Onion, cut into thin half- or quarter-slices
- 1 Green Bell Pepper, cut into thin strips
- 8 oz Button or Portabella Mushrooms, sliced thin
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper,
- 1/2 tsp dried Oregano (Mexican)
In a wide skillet, heat the oil or butter over medium-high heat. Add in the cumin seeds and let them splutter for 10-15 seconds, then add in the veggies. If you have a lot of veggies, or a not-particularly-large pan, you may want to cook them in batches to avoid water-logging them. In any case, these days, I tend to add mushrooms first, then onions a couple of minutes later, and then bell peppers near the end. Saute, stirring frequently, long enough to dry out and brown the mushrooms a little and just start getting a little color to the onions and peppers. Add in the salt, pepper, and oregano before serving.[/details]
Gives you a good base of stuff to build burrito bowls, actual burritos, tacos, quesadillas, etc., from, to keep any one dish from getting old. I’d also usually make guac, but opinions re: guac are divisive enough that I’ll let you do it your way and try to side-step the tomatoes-or-no argument here on Qt3 ;)
