Yes! You can eat at Mexican food if you’re on a diet!
Thanks to Tex-Mex, all Mexican food has gotten the reputation of being greasy, heavy and fattening at least among those who haven’ t traveled in Mexico or haven ‘t dined at restaurants such as Zarela and other fine Mexican dining establishments around the country.
This is especially unfortunate at this time of the year when everyone is trying to take those holiday pounds off and few people know they can add the bright, exciting flavors of naturally light Mexican food to their repertoire.
Here are three recipes for some of the most popular dishes that were on the menu at my restaurant Zarela on our regular menu that are virtually fat-free yet delicious.
Recipe: Escabeche de Pollo Oriental
Summary: When now disgraced ex-governor of the state of Quintana Roo (think Cancun) first took office, he hired Isabel Arvide, a well-known political forecaster, to arrange a presentation of the marvels and investment opportunities of his home state. The twin towers were still standing and the Winter Garden had just opened and was THE place to stage a fabulousy successful event. Isabel in turn hired me to cater the dinner and we turned the Winter Garden into a tropical paradise. But before that could happen I had to learn how to make the food. The governor’s office arranged for the best cooks to not only give me the recipes but show me how to make the classic Mayan dishes. This is one I learned from sexy, saucy Yara of the restaurant Lol Be in Chetumal.
Ingredients
- Recipe: Zarela Martínez
2 3 pound chickens, quartered
1 carrot
3 bay leaves
4 garlic cloves
1 small onion
Water to cover
1 cup Recado para Escabeche (recipe follows)
4 heads of garlic
3 tablespoons vinegar or more to taste
4 habanero chiles
1 large red onion, cut in fourths
Instructions
- Place chicken, carrot, bay leaves, garlic , onion, pepper and salt to taste in a large saucepan with water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat, and then lower heat to low, to maintain a low simmer. Cook chicken for approximately 15 minutes, reserving the broth (you should have about 8 cups). Remove the chicken from the broth and pat dry with paper towels. Spread about 2 tablespoons Recado para Escabeche on the chicken pieces and let rest for 1/2 hour. Sprinkle with salt to taste.Roast the garlic heads on a griddle or heavy cast iron pan until softand blackened on all sides (about 15 minutes). Roast the habanero chiles until somewhat blackened (about 5 minutes). Set aside.Light charcoal in grill or turn on a gas grill and let heat (this should
take about 30 minutes.)Bring the reserved chicken broth to a boil and add 1/2 cup Recado para Escabeche and vinegar, more or less to taste (broth should be peppery and vinegary.)
Grill the onion until somewhat blackened on all sides. Reserve. Grill the chicken pieces for about 3 minutes on each side.
To serve chicken: Divide broth into 4 deep bowls, add grilled chicken, 1 habanero chile, 1/4 of the roasted onion and the blackened garlic head. Serve immediately.
Serves 4
Quick Notes
RECADO PARA ESCABECHE
Escabeche Spice Paste
Recados are the soul of the cuisines of the Yucatan Peninsula. This
recado was taught to me by an earthy sensual woman, Yara
who owns Lol-Be (flower of the road, in Maya) the best restaurant in
Chetumal, Quintana Roo.
1 large head garlic, peeled, (about 18 cloves)
1 cup whole black peppercorns
1/2 cup Mexican oregano, preferably from Quintana Roo
1 teaspoon cumin
1 1/4 teaspoons whole cloves
1 2-inch piece of canela
1 small onion, about 2 ounces
1 3/4 cup white distilled vinegar
Place garlic, peppercorns, oregano, cumin, cloves, canela, onion
and 1 cup of the vinegar in the container of the blender. Process,
scraping down sides with a rubber spatula, until thoroughly pureed,
adding the remainder of the vinegar a little at a time as needed to
facilitate the process.
Yield: about 3 cups
This is Yara who taught me much about the food of Quintana Roo.
Recipe: Camarones Tia Cuquita
Summary: I met Dona Cuquita, an old-fashioned matron with three unmarried older daughters, while I was studying in Guadalajara. Dona Cuquita was stern-looking, with hair in a bun and little glasses on the tip of her nose, but this belied a heart of gold. Her oldest daughter, also named Cuquita, took a liking to me and welcomed the opportunity to practice her English. They often invited me to their family comidas, and what delicious lunches they were! Dona Cuquita was a fabulous cook, and kind enough always to give me her recipes for the dishes we ate. These langoustines were part of a memorable meal. Unfortunately, it is hard to get fresh langoustines. You might need to substitute either very large shrimps or prawns (like the Asian freshwater prawns widely sold in U.S. fish stores). The Italian parsley is used a lot in Mexican recipes; we call it “perejil.”
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh langoustines, lobsterettes, Asian freshwater
prawns, or “colossal” (l0 or fewer to a pound) shrimp
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
l/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
6 garlic cloves
l/4 cup Italian parsley
l/2 cup dry white wine (more or less as needed)
3 tablespoons olive oil or butter
Instructions
- Leave langoustines in the shell; rinse well under cold running water. With a small sharp knife, slit open the belly enough to hold a small amount of stuffing. Sprinkle the inside of the belly with a little salt and pepper, then with lime juice.Mince garlic and parsley together very finely and place in a small bowl. Gradually add just enough white wine to moisten them. Stuff a little of this mixture into the incision in each langoustine.In a saute pan or saucepan with tight-fitting lid and large enough to hold the langoustines comfortably in one layer, heat the butter over high heat until fragrant and sizzling. Arrange langoustines shell side down. Cook covered, adjusting heat as necessary, just until langoustines are opaque, 5 – 6 minutes.
Copyright © Zarela Martinez.
Recipe by on.
Microformatting by hRecipe.
Pico de Gallo con Tortillas a las Brasas
Pico de gallo is the tomato salsa that you get when you come to the bar or have dinner and has few calories, lots of vitamisn C and D and is delicious. However, it comes with a basket of chips that can be quite caloric if you don’t control yourself. Order our grilled corn tortillas and save yourself lots of calories.
The beauty of salsa is that it can also be used as a cooking base. You saute a little, add shrimp, spinach, zucchini, eggs or whatever strikes your fancy and you have an easy, delicious dish. Watch my video on youtube which was just chosen as a quick pick.
Recipe: Pico de Gallo (uncooked tomato salsa)
Summary: This is an example of a salsa fresca or salsa cruda — “fresh” or “raw sauce,” meaning an uncooked sauce to be used as a condiment at table or street stall. There are many variations on salsa cruda, but this simple version is known everywhere. Pico de gallo (rooster’s beak) is what we call it in northern Mexico — but don’t confuse it with the salad eaten under that name in Guadalajara and Mexico City. It can be served with almost any kind of dish — beans, eggs, tortillas and various antojitos, or meat, fish, or poultry. The two imperatives are that the tomatoes must be truly ripe and sweet and that the sauce should be eaten at once. If you must, you can hold it for up to two hours refrigerated and tightly covered, but it loses its magic fast. But all is not lost if some is left over; it can be quickly sauteed in a little lard, butter or vegetable oil to be served in a more durable reincarnation. In fact, it’s probably the sauce I use most in this manner. For the right slightly coarse texture, the ingredients should be chopped separately by hand. The only thing I sometimes do by food processor is the chiles. Try to find fresh ones, by the way; canned jalapenos will work but aren’t ideal in a sauce supposed to be sparkling fresh. In a pinch, I have used the chiles from Asian markets or the South American ajis. All these vary in hotness and must be added to taste.
Ingredients
- 2 – 4 jalapeno or serrano chiles or use more or less to taste, tops trimmed but not seeded
l medium garlic clove
4 large, ripe fresh tomatoes, peeled but not seeded (about 2 l/2 pounds)
6 – 8 scallions with part of green tops
l/4 cup ( not packed down) fresh cilantro leaves, stripped from stems
Juice of l large lime
Salt to taste
l teaspoon Mexican oregano, or to taste
Instructions
- With a large sharp knife, chop chiles very fine and reserve. Mince the garlic. Coarsely chop the tomatoes. Finely chop the scallions and cilantro. Place all fresh ingredients except chiles in a large bowl. If tomatoes are very dry and juiceless, gradually add up to l/2 cup cold water to give a light salsa consistency. Stir to mix ingredients. Add chiles a little at a time, tasting, until it is as hot as you like. Add l teaspoon (or to taste) crumbled oregano. Squeeze lime juice into the salsa; gradually add salt to taste. Use at once.Yield: about 4 cups.
Quick Notes
For Tortillas a las Brasas:Simply take commercial corn tortillas and toast slowly on a griddle, heavy pan or griddle. If you happen to have a gas grill, you can toast them there. Watch them carefully.
Copyright © Zarela Martinez.
Recipe by on.
Microformatting by hRecipe.
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