World Recipes

South of the Border Fish

1 1/2 pounds cod fillets
1 cup salsa
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced
1/4 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Lightly grease an 8 x 12-inch baking dish.

Rinse fish fillets under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Lay fillets side by side in the prepared baking dish. Pour the salsa over the top and sprinkle evenly with the shredded cheese. Top with the crushed corn chips. Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until fish is opaque and flakes with a fork.

Serve topped with sliced avocado and sour cream.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Mexican-Style Baked Fish

1/3 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 pound orange roughy or red snapper fillets
1 1/4 cups crushed corn chips
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
Avocado slices (optional)
Tomato slices (optional)

Combine sour cream, lemon juice and chili powder. Dip fillets in this mixture and dredge in corn chips, coating well. Place fillets in a lightly greased 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Drizzle with butter. Bake at 450 degrees F for 12 to 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

If desired, serve with avocado and tomato slices.

Serves 4.

Cactus in Red Chile Sauce with Shrimp Patties

This is a very old recipe which still uses dried shrimp even though fresh shrimp are in great supply.

Red Chile Sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large yellow or white onion,
    peeled and finely minced
5 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced
1/2 cup ground dried red chile*
1 cup cold water
3/4 cup fresh nopalitos, cut into 1/4-inch
    strips and boiled for 15 minutes

* use mild, medium or hot chiles

Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Saute onions and garlic in oil until golden, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add ground red chile, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute. Take care not to inhale the vapors from the chile. Stir in the water to make a sauce, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Fold in nopalitos and cook the sauce, stirring once or twice, for 5 minutes. Do not add salt to the sauce, since the shrimp patties are somewhat salty. Cover and keep the sauce warm.

Shrimp Patties
4 large eggs
1/2 cup ground dried shrimp
Vegetable oil, for frying

Separate eggs by putting the yolks in a small dish and the whites in a large mixing bowl. Beat egg whites with an electric mixer until they are stiff. Continue to beat the stiffened egg whites as you add the ground shrimp and then the egg yolks to make a batter. Beat only until all the ingredients are blended.

Heat 1/2 inch of vegetable oil in a small skillet over medium heat to approximately 400 degrees F. Ladle 1/4 cup batter into the skillet. It should float and begin to sizzle immediately. Fry the shrimp patty, turning once with a spatula, until golden, about 1 minute per side. Remove the patty with a slotted spoon to a large plate lined with paper towels and drain. Repeat the procedure until all the batter is used. This makes about 9 or 10 patties.

To serve, pour red chile sauce with the nopalitos on each of 4 plates to make a pool. Place 2 shrimp patties in the center of each pool. Serve at once with rice and beans and warmed flour or corn tortillas, if desired.

Serves 4 to 5.

Raspberry Empanadas

1 (16 1/2 ounce) can raspberries
1 cup finely chopped pared tart apple
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dash salt
Pastry for double crust pie (ready-to-use, mix
    or homemade pie crust dough may be used)
Cinnamon-sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Drain berries. Combine berries, apple, walnuts, sugar, flour, cinnamon, vanilla extract and salt; mix well. Roll out pastry and cut into 5-inch rounds. Place 3 tablespoons berry filling on half of round, leaving about 1/2-inch along edges. Fold the other half of pastry over filled half, moisten edges and seal by pressing with fork. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake on greased cookie sheet 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

To make cinnamon sugar mix 2 tablespoons sugar and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon.

Arroz con Coco Frito y Pasas

In a skillet heat coconut cream, made from 1 coconut, with 1 tablespoon brown sugar over moderate heat until the oil separates from the grainy, golden residue. Stir the mixture occasionally. Put 2 cups rice in a heavy saucepan, add the coconut mixture, and stir the rice until the grains are well coated with the oil. Stir in 1/2 pound raisins, 1 1/2 cups coconut milk, and salt to taste. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook the rice, covered, over very low heat until it is dry and fluffy.

Coconut Milk
Pour 1 cup scalded milk over grated coconut and let it stand for 20 minutes. Drain the mixture through a damp cheesecloth, squeezing it to get out all possible liquid.

Coconut Cream
Let coconut milk stand for several hours and skim off the cream as it rises to the surface. The remaining watery milk can be used as coconut milk, although it is less rich in flavor.

Mexican Fried Chocolate Bananas

Makes 4 servings.

1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 flour tortillas
2 very ripe bananas, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
6 ounces Mexican chocolate, grated
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
Sweetened whipped cream, for garnish

In a bowl whip the cream until soft peaks begin to form. Add the sugar and cinnamon and whip until it just forms stiff peaks. Place in a decorative bowl.

Place a tortilla on a work surface. Lay half a banana down the center of the tortilla and top with 1/4 of the chopped chocolate. Paint the edges of the tortilla with water on your finger. Fold the edges tightly toward the center, and seal with wooden picks. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and fillings.

Heat the oil in a deep saute pan to 360 degrees F.

Carefully slip the filled tortillas into the oil and cook, turning, until golden brown on all sides, about 3 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels.

Serve the dessert tortillas with the sweetened whipped cream on the side for dipping.

Fruit Tacos

Yield: 6 servings

5 cups assorted chopped or sliced fresh fruit (apples,
     bananas, seedless grapes and/or strawberries)
1 box (12) ORTEGA White or Yellow Taco Shells, warmed
2 tablespoon orange juice
1 (8 ounce) container low-fat strawberry yogurt
1/2 cup toasted coconut (optional)
1/2 cup sliced almonds (optional)

Combine fruit and orange juice in large bowl. Fill taco shells with fruit mixture. Top with yogurt, coconut and almonds.

Dulce de Leche Rice Pudding

2 1/2 cups whole milk, divided
1/3 cup long-grain white rice
1 cinnamon stick
3 large egg yolks
1/2 cup dulce de leche
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted

Mix together 2 cups of the milk, the rice and the cinnamon stick in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer over medium-low heat until the rice is tender, 40 to 45 minutes.

Discard the cinnamon stick and set the pan aside.

Whisk the remaining 1/2 cup milk with the egg yolks in a large bowl. Add a little of the rice mixture at a time, whisking constantly. When all the rice has been added, return the pudding to the pan and cook over low heat, stirring, until the temperature of the pudding reaches 160 degrees F, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the dulce de leche and vanilla extract. Stir until incorporated. Pour the pudding into a bowl, cover and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours or overnight.

Serve cold, sprinkled with almonds.

Serves 4.