Cinco de Mayo Mexican Tortilla Stack

This is a rough interpretation of a dish I made tonight for Cinco de Mayo. It has the flavors of an enchilada in stackable form . . . think Mexican lasagna.
Since I made it for just two, I used small tortillas. I did just three layers of tortilla and two of filling but it could be stacked higher.
Ingredients could vary -- I used green enchilada sauce but red would work. I used ground pork seasoned cooked with onions and seasoned with chili powder and cumin but ground beef or turkey combined with taco seasoning would work, or leave out the meat and go with just beans . . . any kind including refried. Use Mexican cheeses or blends or just stick with Cheddar. I added some green chilis as I had a can open, leftover from another recipe. The ideas are endless!
A springform pan is not essential, a round cake pan works if you want to stick to a round shape.

Cinco de Mayo Mexican Tortilla Stack
3 or more flour or corn totillas
Green or red enchilada sauce
Cooked ground pork, beef or turkey seasoned with chili powder & cumin or taco seasoning
Cooked beans -- black, pinto, or refried
Grated cheese -- Cheddar or Mexican
Corn -- frozen or canned
Other possibilities: green chilies, sautéed red peppers
Topping Ideas: Lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro, salsa, sour cream, avocado slices

1. Brush both sides of a tortilla with enchilada sauce and position in the bottom of a springform or cake pan.
   
2. Add a layer of toppings such as seasoned cooked meats, beans, cheese, corn, chilies, etc.
   
3. Add a 2nd tortilla and brush top with enchilada sauce. Add another layer of topping.
   
4. Finally top with a 3rd tortilla (unless you wish to build a higher stack) and brush liberally with enchilada sauce. 
   
5. Cover top loosely with foil and bake for about 30 to 40 minutes removing foil the last 10 minutes and adding more cheese to the top.( I set the springform pan on a baking sheet in case of seepage.)
6. Garnish with the toppings of your choice and serve extras on the side. Cut in wedges to serve.
   

Recipe without photos . . .
Cinco de Mayo Mexican Tortilla Stack
3 or more flour or corn totillas
Green or red enchilada sauce
Cooked ground pork, beef or turkey seasoned with chili powder & cumin or taco seasoning
Cooked beans -- black, pinto, or refried
Grated cheese -- Cheddar or Mexican
Corn -- frozen or canned
Other possibilities: green chilies, sautéed red peppers
Topping Ideas: Lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, cilantro, sour cream, avocado slices

1. Brush both sides of a tortilla with enchilada sauce and position in the bottom of a springform or cake pan.
2. Add a layer of toppings such as seasoned cooked meats, beans, cheese, corn, chilies, etc.
3. Add a 2nd tortilla and brush top with enchilada sauce. Add another layer of topping.
4. Finally top with a 3rd tortilla (unless you wish to build a higher stack) and brush liberally with enchilada sauce. 
5. Cover top loosely with foil and bake for about 30 to 40 minutes removing foil the last 10 minutes and adding more cheese to the top. ( I set the springform pan on a baking sheet in case of seepage.)
6. Garnish with the toppings of your choice and serve extras on the side. Cut in wedges to serve.

Stack & Bake Mexican Meal-in-One

     We had our first Mexican Meal-in-One is a restaurant in Salina, Ks. It started with a fried shell that was topped with refried beans, seasoned beef or pork, lettuce, tomatoes, and lots of cheese. 

     It an attempt to create a healthier version that captures similar flavors, I experimented with this baked version, cutting down on the cheese in the process. Of course, all of the amounts are variable. 

     I stacked it all up in a springform pan for easy cutting. By the way, I  wrote the recipe for a standard size springform pan . . .  but for the two of us I actually used a smaller size that I fitted with 6-inch tortillas, and I halved the amount of ingredients  listed below.

Stack & Bake Mexican Meal-in-One

1 lb. lean ground pork or ground beef

1 onion, diced

1 green pepper, diced

2 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning (or use a 1.25 oz. commercial pkg.) + ½ cup water

3 large (8-inch size) flour tortillas

1 (16 oz.) can refried beans

1 cup salsa

¾ to 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend

Topping could include: chopped tomatoes, cubed avocado, shredded lettuce, sour cream

1.  Add ground pork or beef to a hot Dutch oven or skillet. Also add diced onion and pepper and cook over medium heat until meat has browned and vegetables are tender. Drain excess grease if needed.

2.  Add in taco seasoning + water and let mixture simmer for about 10 minutes.

3.  Spray an 8-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray. While an 8-inch round cake pan will work, the springform pan with removable sides, makes it easy to cut the finished dish.

4.  For the 1^st layer, add ingredients in the following order:

a.     Place a flour tortilla on the bottom of the pan.

b.     Spread about ⅓ of the refried beans.

c.     Add about ⅓ of the taco meat filling.

d.     Add about ⅓ of the salsa.

e.     Sprinkle with ⅓ of the cheese.

5.  For 2^nd & 3^rd layers, repeat layering listed above.

6.  Bake in a preheat 350° for 20 to 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly, and cheese is nicely browned.

7.  Let stand about 5 minutes before cutting. Add toppings of your choice, such as chopped tomatoes, cubed avocado, shredded lettuce and sour cream.

Recipe without photos . . .

Stack & Bake Mexican Meal-in-One

1 lb. lean ground pork or ground beef

1 onion, diced

1 green pepper, diced

2 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning (or use a 1.25 oz. commercial pkg.) + ½ cup water

3 large (8-inch size) flour tortillas

1 (16 oz.) can refried beans

1 cup salsa

¾ to 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend

Topping could include: chopped tomatoes, cubed avocado, shredded lettuce, sour cream

1.  Add ground pork or beef to a hot Dutch oven or skillet. Also add diced onion and pepper and cook over medium heat until meat has browned and vegetables are tender. Drain excess grease if needed.

2.  Add in taco seasoning + water and let mixture simmer for about 10 minutes.

3.  Spray an 8-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray. While an 8-inch round cake pan will work, the springform pan with removable sides, makes it easy to cut the finished dish.

4.  For the 1^st layer, add ingredients in the following order:

a.     Place a flour tortilla on the bottom of the pan.

b.     Spread about ⅓ of the refried beans.

c.     Add about ⅓ of the taco meat filling.

d.     Add about ⅓ of the salsa.

e.     Sprinkle with ⅓ of the cheese.

5.  For 2^nd & 3^rd layers, repeat layering listed above.

6.  Bake in a preheat 350° for 20 to 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly, and cheese is nicely browned.

7.  Let stand about 5 minutes before cutting. Add toppings of your choice, such as chopped tomatoes, cubed avocado, shredded lettuce and sour cream.

Pork Burger with Onions and Fries

Burgers and fries were on our menu recently. But instead of beef, Barry used ground pork (from Zey’s Market of course), seasoned and fried it along with sliced onions. He even make homemade fries (twice fried so they were nice and crisp)!

Pork Burgers with Onions

Onions

   1 onion, sliced thin

   About 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil

   Kosher salt

Burgers

   1 lb. lean ground pork

   1 teaspoon dried sage

   1 teaspoon dried oregano

   ½ teaspoon dried basil

   1 teaspoon Kosher salt

   1 teaspoon pepper

   1 tablespoon olive oil

Whole wheat bread or buns

Onions 

1. Heat the olive oil in a large fry pan over medium high heat.

2. Add the onions and quickly cook, moving them around the pan with a wooden spoon or spatula. It should take no more than 10 minutes at the most for the onions to get nicely browned. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Pork Burgers

3. Combine above ingredients and form into patties. (Save any unused pork for another use or form into patties and freeze.)

4. Add patties to hot skillet. Barry just added them to the skillet with partially cooked onions, turning the heat up so the pan was hot when the patties were added (they should sizzle as they hit the skillet.)

5. Press burger as it cooks to slightly flatten.

6. When nicely browned and caramelized on side, flip patties and repeat procedure on other side.

Bread or Buns

7. Remove onions and burgers from skillet, add bread or buns and lightly fry on both sides.

Twice-Fried French Fries

2 russet potatoes (about 2 pounds)

About 1 quart frying oil

1 to 2 teaspoons Kosher salt

About 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Peel potatoes and cut into thin strips.

2. Fill a large bowl with water and soak potatoes, submerged, for at least 30 minutes up to 24 hours. This will help remove the excess starch from the potatoes and keep them from oxidizing.

3. Add frying oil to a heavy pot; heat to 325°.

4. Remove potatoes from the water, and pat dry to remove ALL excess water.

5. Add a couple of handfuls of potatoes to hot oil. There should be at least 1-inch of oil above the potatoes. Par cook until potatoes are light brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove potatoes, gently shaking off excess oil and let drain on rack. Repeat until all of the potatoes are par cooked..

6. Raise heat of oil to 350°.

7. Cook potatoes again, a couple of handfuls at a time, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Remove from oil, shake off excess oil, and season lightly with salt and pepper.

8. Repeat if not all potatoes are cooked.

Cooking in Russia! Pelmeni

Assisting the ship's chef.

      Now I can actually claim that I’ve cooked in Russia! To be more truthful, I was on a pelmeni assembly line production. Barry and I celebrated our 44^th wedding with a river cruise in Russia – it was a fabulous trip. As our ship was cruising from Moscow to St. Petersburg, we attended a cooking class.

     Chef André Frischmuth demonstrated the preparation of pelmeni -- the Russian equivalent of tortellini that originated in Siberia. Family members, with the aid of babushkas prepare large batches of these filled dumplings using an assembly line method. The pelmeni are then frozen (outside in the snow in early times); to finish — simply drop in boiling water and cook until they rise to the top of the pot (in early times they were taken on journeys and cooked in water over an open flame).

Typically the little dumplings are filled with raw meats ground with onions and herbs. However sauerkraut and potatoes are other popular fillings. Sometimes they’re filled with fruit pastes, such as prune and one lady on board said she’s skipped the paste and simply inserted a prune in a round of dough.

     Although Chef André converted his recipe to standard U.S. measure, some of them are in ounces versus cups (actually a more accurate method of measurement) so I’ve done a rough conversion.

Pelmeni

14 oz. all-purpose flour – converts to a little less than 2 cup (I oz. flour = 1 cup)

2 eggs

5 fl. oz. cold water (most measuring cups designed for liquids have oz. measurements in addition to cup measures)

1½ teaspoon salt

7 oz. finely ground beef

8 ¾ oz. finely ground pork (or a total of almost 1 lb. ground beef & pork)

1 onion

5 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3 tablespoons stock or water

Salt & pepper

Egg wash – an egg mixed with a little water for brushing edges

Salted water or broth for cooking pelmeni

Sour cream or butter for serving

Pelmini Dough

1)   Combine flour, eggs, water and salt; knead until dough is smooth. Cover and let dough rest 30 minutes for best results.

The chef mixes the dough . . . 

and now he rolls it until it is extremely thin.

2)   Transfer to a floured surface and roll until dough is really thin (max. 0.08”).

3)   Using an upside down glass or pastry cutter, cut out rounds (each 2” in diameter).

Filling

4)   Combine meat, onions, garlic and 3 Tblsp. stock or water; stir until smooth and season with salt and pepper.

5)   Brush the edges of each round with egg wash; place small portions of the filling onto the dough rounds;  fold in half  (to resemble a half moon) and press together, preferably with a fork. Turn up the sides of the half moon pelmeni, so that they have little ‘ears’ (similar to tortellini).

Brushing the rounds of dough with egg wash.

Assembly line production.

Cooking

6)   Bring a large pot of salted water or broth to boil. Drop in the pelmini (a batch at a time); gently simmer – they are done when they rise to the top of the surface (they cook quickly.) 

Chef Andre´ folds over th pelmeni and then drops them in boiling broth,.

The pelmeni rise to the top of the pot when they are done.

7)   Serve with sour cream or melted butter.

Chef André rolls out pelmeni dough. Oh look – he found a babushka on board to help!