I know that there is real Mexican food, and then there are meals that incorporate Mexican flavors. This set of recipes qualifies for the latter. They’re all good, hearty meals for chilly days.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This recipe scales beautifully, and can be made to feed a family on just one night, or packed to freeze for future nights. Like most of my soup recipes, the proportions change with each preparation; I chop until I’m tired of chopping.

Ingredients

• olive oil
• onion, chopped
• celery, chopped
• carrots, chopped
• fresh ground pepper
• chicken, cut into chunks
• cumin, cayenne to taste
• 1 can diced/chopped tomatoes (15 oz)
• 1 can crushed tomatoes (15 oz)
• 1 small can green chiles
• 1 can corn
• 1 can black beans
• 1 can kidney beans
• 1 large container of chicken broth
• 2 cups water

Directions

Saute the onion, celery and carrots in some olive oil.  Add the chicken, season with cumin and cayenne.  Brown chicken chunks.

Add all remaining ingredients.  Bring to a boil and simmer for an hour until the chicken is cooked through.  Serve with crushed tortilla chips, shredded Mexi-cheese or whatever calls to you.  I like to throw on a little bit of avocado when I have it, and sometimes some chipotle Tabasco sauce.  Cornbread is my favorite side dish.

Yucatan Pork

I cook this pork all at once, then freeze into single-meal servings (this makes four meals for our family of three). Serve with tortillas, pickled onions (recipe below), shredded cabbage and hot sauce.

Ingredients

• 6 pounds pork butt, trimmed and cut into small chunks
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 white onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cups orange or tangerine juice – I like the added sweetness of the tangerine
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar

Directions

Season pork with salt and pepper; set aside. Heat oil in a large pot over high heat. Add pork in batches so as not to crowd the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 2 minutes per side. Using a slotted spoon, transfer pork to a large plate as done.

Discard all but 1 tablespoon fat from pot. Reduce heat to medium low and add white onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to brown, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and bay leaves and continue stirring until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Return pork to pot and add orange juice, lime juice and vinegar. Bring to a simmer and season with salt and pepper. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until pork is very tender and can be easily pulled into shreds.

Divide into bags and freeze.  Thaw overnight, then warm on the stovetop.

Pickled Onions

Personally, I think that the onions really make the dish. Make these fresh.

Ingredients

• ¼ cup white wine vinegar
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions

Separate red onion slices into rings in a large bowl and season with salt. Let stand for about 10 minutes, then toss with vinegar and oregano. Set aside for another 30 minutes. Discard bay leaves, then serve warm pork with pickled onions.

Chicken and Black Bean Enchilada Casserole

Whenever I make beer can chicken, I make at least two so that I have extra meat for recipes like this.  I also do the same with the leftover meat from rotisserie chicken.

Ingredients

• 2 cups diced chicken
• ½ tsp cumin
• 1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can corn niblets, rinsed and drained
• 1 can (15 ounce) petite-diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 can (4.5 ounce) diced green chiles, drained
• 1 large can red enchilada sauce
• corn tortillas
• 2 cups lite (2%) shredded Mexican blend cheese
• 1 (8 ounce) container sour cream

Directions

Mix corn, beans, tomatoes, chiles and cumin in a medium bowl.

Coat the bottom of an 11×17 baking dish (or two square baking dishes) with enchilada sauce.  Cover with tortillas, overlapping if necessary.  Cover the tortillas with half the diced chicken and a thick layer of the bean mixture.  Sprinkle with half the cheese and dot with sour cream.  Cover the cheese with enchilada sauce, reserving a small amount for later.

Repeat tortillas, chicken, bean mixture, cheese and sour cream.

Use the remaining enchilada sauce to “paint” along the inside edge of the banking dish to prevent the edges from burning in the oven.

Bake for 30 minutes in a preheated 375-degree oven.  Remove the cover and bake for an additional 10 minutes, until the cheese melts.  Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.