Pati Jinich shares recipes from new cookbook 'Foods of La Frontera'
Chef Pati Jinich is back with a new cookbook, "Foods of La Frontera," highlighting 125 recipes celebrating both American and Mexican cuisine found along the border or "la frontera" of both countries.
Jinich joined "Good Morning America" on Thursday to share recipes from her cookbook, including fish tacos, empanadas and more.
Try Jinich's recipes from "Foods of La Frontera" in your own kitchen!
Fish Tacos with Apple Slaw and Chipotle Crema
Yields 10 to 12 tacos (4-6 servings)
Ingredients
For the slaw:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons crema, creme fraiche, or heavy cream
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
Juice of 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon celery seeds
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and cut into 2- to 3-inch matchsticks
1/2 green cabbage (about 1 pound), cored, cut into quarters, and thinly sliced
4 to 6 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
For the chipotle cream
1 to 2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, minced (optional), plus ¼ cup of the adobo sauce
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons crema, creme fraiche, or heavy cream
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, or more to taste
For the batter and frying the fish:
2 large egg whites
1 cup beer of choice
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus ½ cup for the fish
1 teaspoon Colorado or guajillo chile powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 pound skinless halibut fillets (1 inch thick), cut into 2-x-3-inch pieces (can also substitute with any firm white fish, such as cod, snapper, or haddock fillets)
Vegetable oil for cooking the fish
10 to 12 warmed corn tortillas
Directions
Put the mayonnaise, crema, vinegar, mustard, lime juice, celery seeds, salt, and pepper in a large bowl and mix well. Add the apple, cabbage, and scallions and toss well. Set aside.
Mix the chipotle chiles (if using; I do) and adobo sauce, mayonnaise, crema, lime juice, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.
Whisk the egg whites in a medium bowl until very frothy, 3 to 4 minutes. Pour in the beer and stir. Stir in the 1 cup flour, the chile powder, salt, and cumin.
Put the remaining 1/2 cup flour on a plate. Turn the fish pieces in the flour to coat.
Heat about 1/2 inch of oil in a large heavy skillet or wide casserole over medium heat until hot, 3 to 4 minutes. Meanwhile, set a cooling rack on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Set the floured fish and the batter near the stove. To test that the oil is ready, dip a piece of tortilla in it; the oil should happily bubble all around it.
When the oil is hot, dip the fish, a few pieces at a time, into the batter and then gently slip it into the oil; don’t crowd the pan. Fry until crisp and lightly golden, turning once, about 2 minutes. Remove the fish with a slotted spoon and drain on the rack.
To assemble the tacos, tuck a few of the fish pieces into each tortilla, top with some of the slaw and as much chipotle cream as you want. Serve as soon as assembled.
Pumpkin and Apple Empanadas
Yields 18 to 20 empanadas
Ingredients
For the pumpkin-apple filling:
1 (8-ounce) piloncillo cone or 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 (2-inch) canela or cinnamon stick
1 pound Granny Smith apples (2 large), peeled, cored, and cut into small dice
Juice of 2 limes (about ¼ cup)
2 whole cloves, stems removed, buds crushed between your fingers
15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the empanada dough:
3 2/3 cups all-purpose flour (about 1 pound)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup vegetable shortening or lard
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
Directions
Combine the piloncillo or brown sugar, water, orange juice, and canela or cinnamon in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the sugar dissolves, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the apples, lime juice, and cloves and stir. Raise the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the syrup thickens and the apples turn amber.
Add the pumpkin puree and stir well, cover partially (the mixture will get bubbly and spatter), reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Stir in the vanilla. Fish out and discard the canela stick. Set aside to cool, uncovered. As it cools, the mixture will thicken a bit more.
Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add the fat and work it into the flour with your fingers or a fork until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Mix in the sugar.
Lightly beat one of the eggs in a small bowl. Add the milk and beaten egg to the dough, stirring lightly with a fork until it comes together. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, with the racks in the upper and lower thirds. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl for the egg wash.
Divide the dough in half. Lightly flour a work surface. With a floured rolling pin, roll out one-half of the dough (keep the remaining dough covered) to a little less than ¼ inch thick. Using a 4- to 5-inch cookie cutter (or a similar-size plastic deli container), cut out rounds from the dough. Put a heaping tablespoon of the apple filling and 1 teaspoon of the chopped pecans in the center of each round. Brush the beaten egg lightly around the edges. Fold the dough over the filling to form a half-moon and seal the edges with your fingers. Crimp the edges with the tines of a fork. Put the empanadas on the baking sheets. Gather up the scraps, reroll, and cut out more rounds.
Brush the empanadas with the egg wash. Bake for 23 to 24 minutes, until lightly golden on top and browned on the bottom. Cool slightly or completely on a rack.
Serve the empanadas hot, lukewarm, or at room temperature. They will keep in a sealed container for up to 5 days.
Rio Grande Valley Beef Fajitas
Yields 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup brine from pickled jalapeno chiles
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
2 pounds skirt steak, flap (bavette), or flank steak
1 red bell pepper, cored, halved, and sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, cored, halved, and sliced
1 green bell pepper, cored, halved, and sliced
1 orange bell pepper, cored, halved, and sliced
1 white onion, halved lengthwise and sliced
4 jalapeno chiles, left whole, or more to taste
Salsa roja
Guacamole
Directions
Whisk the olive oil, jalapeno brine, lime juice, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, brown sugar, cumin, and 1/2 teaspoon each of the salt and pepper in a small bowl.
Put the steak in a baking dish and cover with about three-quarters of the marinade, making sure the meat is completely submerged. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, and up to 24 hours.
Meanwhile, put the bell peppers, onion, and jalapenos in a medium bowl, pour the remaining marinade over them, and toss. Cover and refrigerate.
Prepare a gas or charcoal grill. For a gas grill, set it to medium-high. For a charcoal grill, the coals should still be glowing red but entirely covered with gray ash, and you should be able to hold your hand 5 to 6 inches above them for only 4 to 5 seconds before it becomes too hot.
Remove the meat from the marinade, shaking off the excess. Sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon each of the salt and pepper. Grill for 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium, or more or less, depending on the desired doneness. Place the meat on a cutting board, cover with foil, and let rest for at least 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, grill the bell peppers, onion, and jalapenos in a grill basket or on a grill pan or in a cast-iron pan, in batches if necessary, sprinkling them with the remaining ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper and turning once or twice until soft and lightly charred, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a large platter.
Slice the meat across the grain and place on top of the vegetables. Heat the tortillas on the grill until warmed through and serve with the fajitas, along with the salsa and guacamole.
Tejano Red Rice
Yields 6-8 servings
Ingredients
1 pound ripe tomatoes, quartered, or one 14 1/2-ounce can tomato puree
1/3 cup coarsely chopped white onion
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
About 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups extra-long-grain white rice
3/4 cup diced peeled carrot (about 1 medium)
1/2 cup fresh or frozen green peas
1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 to 2 jalapeno chiles
Directions
Put the tomatoes, onion, garlic, cumin, and salt in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour the puree into a large measuring cup. Note the amount and set aside.
Pour enough chicken broth into another large measuring cup so you will have 4 cups of liquid total (tomato puree and broth), but keep the two separate.
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the rice and cook, stirring often, until it becomes milky white and makes a heavier sound in the pan, 3 to 4 minutes. Pour in the tomato puree, mix gently, partially cover, and cook until the puree darkens and thickens and has mostly been absorbed by the rice, about 3 minutes.
Stir, scraping the bottom of the pan, then stir in the broth. Add the carrot, peas, corn, and jalapeno(s). Stir and bring to a boil, then cover, reduce the heat to the lowest setting, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender. If necessary, add a couple tablespoons of water to the rice, cover again, and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes. Remove from the heat and let the rice sit, covered, for at least 5 minutes.
Fluff the rice with a fork and serve.
Recipes reprinted with permission from "Foods of La Frontera" by Pati Jinich.
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