La Platicona Habla: Tastes, Passions and Pursuits

I came across this recipe in Rick Bayless' cookbook, Mexico, One Plate at a Time.  I modified it a bit because I didn't have a few ingredients.  Overall, you are poaching chicken, and separately, making a sauce using the blender.

For chicken, take 4 pieces of chicken, breasts preferred, and place them in a pot of boiling water that contains half an onion, 2 cloves crushed garlic, 1 tbsp majoram and thyme each, 3 bay leaves, and 1 tsp salt.  Poach for 10 minutes, and turn down heat to low, keeping pan covered.  You will use the poaching liquid for the sauce. If you are worried about the dryness of the chicken, remove it from the pan, cover tightly in a bowl, set aside.

For the sauce, toast 1 and 1/4 c of green pumpkin seeds in a pot over medium heat, stirring, for 5-8 minutes.  Remove and let cool.

In a blender, combine 1 c seeds, 4 tomatillos, chopped, 1/2 chopped onion, 2 peppers, handful cleaned cilantro, 2 cloves garlic, 1 c broth.  Blend until smooth.  Pour into pot with 2 tbsp oil over medium-high heat.  Stir constantly for 10 minutes, reduce to med-low and add 2 more cups of broth.  Simmer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, place 1 chopped chayote squash, and 1 zucchini, sliced, into cooking broth and cook veggies for 4 mins.  Scoop out and add to mole, and add chicken at this point.  Cook for another few minutes until warmed.  Serve chicken mole with side of rice and more seeds for garnish.

Also, add salt to taste while cooking!

I headed to Avaza Mex grocer today and picked up some ingredients to make a delicious shrimp cocktail.  I suggest adding 1 ripe avocado, as this was not available to me, I improvised.  Just chop everything finely and properly drain the shrimps.  Serve with tostada shells.

1 cucumber, diced
3 limes, juiced
1/2 onion, diced
1 tomato, diced
1 clove garlic
1 serrano pepper
Handfuls of parsley and cilantro
Salt
1/2 c ketchup
A couple good plugs of hot sauce like Valentina

Just stir with a pound of precooked shrimp.  Eat immediately!