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It has been freezing in LA (yes anything below 70 is freezing to me), and if you are anything like me than I bet you are craving a nice bowl of hot steamy soup.  Soups are one of my favorite things to cook in the winter and early spring. They keep in the fridge for a while and can be packed the next day for my son and husband’s lunch. I keep them warm by packing them in a thermos, like this one.  The recipe below I got from my mama. She makes an incredibly delicious sopa de elote for us everytime we visit her in Oaxaca. The sweetness of the corn and richness of the milk make this the perfect pairing (and because a glass of milk provides 8 grams of high quality protein, it makes me feel like I’m eating healthy ;)) Make sure you get great quality corn when you are at the market, these will make world of a difference when making the soup.  If you opt for lactose free milk, cook the milk for only 7 minutes after you’ve stir it in. Remove from heat and cover for another 5.

And do go that extra mile to fry up those epazote leaves, the flavor and crispiness of both the fried epazote leaves and croutons elevates the flavor of the soup to a whole other level.  

Hope you all enjoy this recipe.  It is definitely a classic that I grew up eating at home and reminds me of my childhood. Also, this post was created in partnership with the California Milk Processor Board. They asked I spread the great news a bout their new Moo Money consumer loyalty program .   Beginning January 28, 2019 and running through April 28, 2019, eligible California consumers who register online at www.moomoney.com can immediately begin earning valuable points for every $1 spent towards a qualifying purchase of real dairy milk. So whenever you buy real milk, all you have to do is snap a picture of your receipt and submit it to www.moomoney.com to receive points into your account. Once you reach enough points, you will be able to convert those points into Virtual Reward Cards, which will be delivered to you via a link to a Virtual Reward Card PDF. The Virtual Reward Cards can be used anywhere MasterCard is accepted at any time prior to June 1, 2019. YES! money for milk. So get to our local grocer and stock up for this and many more creations I will be sharing in the weeks to come! Oh, and please do not forget to tag me on your creations. Would love to see what your sopas look like!

DIRECTIONS

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add vegetable oil and butter until butter has melted and fully incorporated into the oil.  Add corn kernels, onion and garlic. Over medium heat, stir constantly until fragrant and kernels reach a semi translucent color and tender, about 10-15 minutes.  Stir in milk. Allow to cook for 15 minutes under medium heat, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper and allow to cool. Remove 3 tablespoons of corn kernels with a slotted spoon and reserve.

Pour the saucepan ingredients in the blender and puree until it has reached a smooth and creamy consistency.  Return to saucepan and simmer over medium heat. Mix in the reserved kernels. When serving, garnish the plate with fried epazote leaves and croutons.  

SOPA DE ELOTES

Serves 4


1 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 tbsp. unsalted butter

4 cups fresh off the cob corn kernels

½ yellow onion, finely minced

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

2 ¼ cups of milk

Salt and pepper to taste.

For garnish:

9 epazote leaves, fried

Cornbread croutons

Posted on February 20, 2019 by Bricia Lopez.

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Tamal season is upon us everyone! I don’t know about you, but I must put on a solid 5 lbs in the month of December just on tamal consumption alone. There are so many ways to make great tamales and the amount of filling recipes out there are endless. I like to think of tamales as tacos. The masa makes for the perfect soft and decadent vehicle to get creative. I had so much fun creating this recipe and have served it at both my Christmas PJ party and Vision Board Posada. I will have to say that they were the hit of the party. The filing recipe is quick and super easy to make. I will say that if you have an extra 20 minutes to spare, feel free to roast the tomatillos before putting them in the blender for an extra sweet and smoky flavor. But trust me, the recipe is still super delish just the way it is. Also, if you love the spice, feel free to add a serrano pepper in there. I opted for Tabasco’s green salsa because of its mild flavor. My son who is 3 LOVED them. Also, sometimes jalapeños can be a shot in the dart on the spice level, so using a sauce like Tabasco’s allows you to balance the acidity and heat perfectly. Feel free to buy already made tamal masa. you can find them at your local Latinx grocer (if you live in LA, Vallarta and Northgate are my faves). I can’t wait to see your recreations of this. Don’t forget to tag me on the gram!

INGREDIENTS:

Makes 15 tamales

1 lb Tomatillos, peeled and rinsed

½ cup onion, roughly chopped

3 whole garlic cloves, peeled + 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

1/4 cup Tabasco Green Pepper sauce

1/4 cup cilantro

8 oz chicken broth

1 tsp sea salt

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 cups cooked turkey, shredded (or rotisserie chicken)

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 tsp cumin, ground

2 tablespoons water

2 Jalapenos, seeded and julienned

1 ½ lbs Masa prepared for tamales

15 dried corn husks  

DIRECTIONS

Soak corn husk leaves for about 10 minutes in hot water until soft and pliable. You can use a plate or a mortar stone to weight them down.

To prepare your filling:

In a blender, put tomatillos, onion, 3 whole garlic cloves, tabasco green sauce, cilantro, chicken broth and sea salt. Blend until smooth. Reserve.

In a mortar, place the oregano, cumin, garlic cloves and 2 tablespoons of water. Grind until you have a smooth paste consistency.  Set aside.

Heat oil on a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the spice mixture from the mortar until aromatic, about 2-3 minutes. Add the shredded turkey and combine with the mixture, stirring constantly until the turkey is well coated, about 5 minutes. Pour green salsa over turkey and add julienned jalapeños. Raise the heat to simmer and cook, stirring occasionally to slightly reduce the sauce, about 20 minutes. Season with ½ tsp salt or adjust to taste. Remove from heat.

To fill tamales:

Pat dry cornhusks. Set one cornhusk down at a time, smoother side up and spread about ⅓ cup of the prepared masa on each husk, spread vertically with a spoon or a masa spreader. Fill up the left and right side of the husk leaving about an inch, at top and bottom. Scoop about ¼ cup of the filling and place it in the middle of the husk.  Bring sides of the husk to meet over each other across and then fold the bottom part over the tamal.

Carefully place the tamales in a tamal steamer open side up, cover the tamales tightly with a kitchen towel to create steam and cover with a lid. Simmer for about 35-40 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave them covered for about 1 hour to allow the tamales to set.



Posted on December 12, 2018 by Bricia Lopez.

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So my family and I are writing a cookbook. Like a real one, one with a kick ass New York publisher and all. Sometimes I find myself asking if its real. Why do we do that to ourselves so much? - Question reality when good things happen to us - It would so much better if we owned our wins, felt proud and chose to celebrate ourselves, rather than question ourselves. I think people call this ‘impostor syndrome’ and it is something I am currently working on. It’s a daily fight, but affirmations and journaling are helping tremendously.

This entire cookbook process has been life changing and I will be sharing more with all of you as the book is released. For now, I will leave you with this chipotle pipian recipe to accompany some roasted butternut squash this fall season to make yourself these fancy-ass tacos. I served these to my husband last week when I was working on the recipe. He said that they taste expensive and something you could find at these trendy taco shops. I will let you be the judge of that.

I hope you enjoy, there are countless versions of Pipian out there, this is one fun version I worked with in partnership with Tabasco. The recipe makes about 2 cups of Pipian so you will surely have left overs. Keep it and pour it over anything and everything throughout the week. Enjoy and please let me know if you decide to make them. Love seeing your versions on the gram!

Pans Used: SCAN PAN CS+

USA Pan: Sur La Table Half Sheet Pan

Nonstick Griddle: All Clad Grande Griddle

Molcajete: IMUSA

INGREDIENTS

For Chipotle Pipian

2 dried guajillo chiles

1 cups boiling water

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 small white onion, peeled and thickly sliced

3 cloves garlic, peeled

1 cup unsalted pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup sesame seeds

2 plum tomatoes (or heirloom), charred

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 cloves, ground

3 allspice, ground

3 tablespoons TABASCO® Chipotle Sauce 

1/4 cup chicken broth

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon light brown sugar

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

 

For Butternut Squash

1 3-4 pound butternut squash, peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut in small cubes

5 thyme sprigs 

1 tbsp light brown sugar

2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp tablespoon freshly ground pepper

For Assembly

10 corn tortillas, warmed

Baby greens, such as baby arugula, for garnish

Queso fresco, for garnish

Roasted pumpkin seeds, for garnish

PREPARATION

For Chipotle Pipian

Remove the stems from guajillo chiles and discard seeds. Set a skillet over high heat and wait until skillet is hot, about 5 minutes. Add the chiles. Toast until they are darkened and fragrant, about 4 to 5 minutes. 

Place them in a bowl, cover with 1 cup of boiling water, and set aside to soak, for about 15 minutes until they have softened. Using a slotted spoon, transfer chiles into a blender.

In a skillet, heat two tablespoons of vegetable oil. Fry onion and garlic until onion is translucent and garlic has browned. Remove onion and garlic, and transfer into same blender

 In the same pan, add pumpkin seeds and stir constantly until seeds have popped and are lightly browned. Remove pumpkin seeds and add them to same blender. Add sesame seeds to the pan and fry slightly, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Remove add to blender 

In the blender, combine the chiles, cooked onion, garlic, pumpkin seeds, and sesame seeds. Add charred tomatoes, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, TABASCO® Chipotle Sauce, and chicken broth. Blend until smooth. 

In the pan, heat up the remaining tablespoon of oil and pour in the blended mixture. Stir until boiling. Lower heat and add salt, sugar and vinegar. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Keep warm.

For Butternut Squash

Preheat oven at 425°F. 

 While the sauce is simmering, place the butternut squash on a sheet pan, and sprinkle butter, thyme, brown sugar, salt, and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, checking halfway through to shake up the butter and sugar mixture. Once the squash becomes golden brown, set aside and discard thyme sprigs. 

 Serving Suggestion

Spread the Pipian sauce on a tortilla. Place roasted squash on top, and garnish with baby greens, queso fresco, and any leftover roasted pumpkin seeds you may have. 

Posted on October 10, 2018 by Bricia Lopez.