When in Morelia, try Roma’s food…

We spent some time in Morelia Michoacan Mexico with a good friend of us, Octavio. He and his family were fantastic hosts and shared with us not just their love but their friends, food and traditions.

I collected couple of recipes while we were with them, here some of them…


Enchiladas de Morelia.
Enchiladas are typical in the entire country but the recipe may vary from state to state. In Morelia they make them as follows.

Ingredients:
10 Chiles guajillos
2 Medium size garlic
½ Onion
2 Tbsp white vinegar or apple vinegar
Oregano
2 Cloves
2 Peppers (spice)
A bit of cumin
A piece of ginger
Water
Salt
Tortillas
Oil
Sour cream
Potatoes
Carrots
Cheese
Onion
Lettuce
Tomato sauce: 3 tomatoes+¼ onion+salt+water
Vinegar jalapenos (in a can)

Preparation:
1) Chiles guajillos need to be cleaned up (no seeds no veins), soak them in water.
2) Blend the first 11 ingredients after step number 1 is completed (allow for at least 30 minutes but if possible all night).
3) Strain the mix, ensure a good consistency.
4) Soak the tortillas in this mix and fry them after, both sides. Try with couple at the time.
5) Fill the tortilla with cheese and slices of onion (if you prefer, you can dice the onion rather than slice the onion). Place the enchiladas on the plate.
6) On the side you place the fried potatoes and carrots (you can boil them before frying them). When frying the potatoes and carrots you can use a bit of the sauce that you use to soak the tortillas.
7) Once this is done you can add (on top of the tortillas) lettuce, sour cream, cheese, tomato sauce.
8) You can add vinegar jalapenos on top just for flavour.
9) In the picture you can observe fried chicken, this is optional.



Nieve de changunga.
Changunga is a common fruit in Mexico, it looks like a berry, yellow in colour and very sweet. We got an ice cream made out of this fruit for $15 Mexican Pesos, compliments of Octavio when we were in Patzcuaro.



Mole.
Mole looks like a curry and tastes like a curry but Mexican… It is spicy and sweet at the same time, very typical and involves a lot of work.

Ingredients:
15 Chiles negros
1 Tortilla
1 Slice of white bread
2 Pimentones (spice)
2 Peppers (spice)
2 Cloves
A bit of cumin
8 Almonds
12 Nuts
A bit of pumpkin seeds
A bit of cinnamon
½ Chocolate bar
3 Green tomatoes (Tomatillos)
3 Pieces of garlic
1 Small onion
Sugar and salt

Preparation:
1) You fry all the ingredients except for the cinnamon and the chocolate. These two ingredients are soaked in water.
2) Once you have fried the ingredients you can add them to the soaking cinnamon and chocolate. Then you blend all of the ingredients.
3) Fry this mix (again) and strain the product of it.
4) Add sugar and salt to taste.
5) This recipe maybe a bit hard because you need to find the right consistency in the mix but it is fun to try.
6) You can serve the mole on top of meat or make enchiladas out of it which at this point they would be called enmoladas.




Corundas.
Corunda is a Mexican food, similar to tamales, but wrapped in a long green corn plant leaf, and folded, making a triangular shape. Eaten with cream and red salsa, filled with masa mix and usually without a meaty filling. They're steamed till golden before being eaten, and then, one unwraps the leaf and out fall two pats of masa filling.
A common food in the state of Michoacan. Fantastic!!!



Naked chiles.
This is one of the simplest but tastiest recipes. Thanks Roma.

Ingredients:
Jalapeno peppers (as many as you desire)
Lemon
Salt

Preparation:
1) Take the little stem out of all the peppers, wash the peppers.
2) Roast the peppers.
3) Cut them in pieces; pick the shape of you choice.
4) Add lemon and salt.