Looking for Mexican restaurant (Sonoran) recipes?

Question

I have lived in Phoenix for years before moving east last year. Mexican restaurants here are terrible! I am looking for recipes and tips on how to cook Sonoran cuisine (enchiladas, burritios, tacos, etc.) Just looking for the basics- cheese enchilada, beef enchilada, rice and beans. Thanks!

Answer 1

You have to try these easy to make frijoles. You won't regret it.

Enchilada Sauce:
12 - 20 seeded dried red New Mexico chiles (hot) or
4- 6 tbsp New Mexico or American chile powder
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, quartered
2 (12 ounce) cans tomato sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

Stacked Enchiladas:
12 regular corn tortillas
1 cup corn or canola oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
3 tbsp butter
4 green onions, diced
1 3 1/2 ounce can sliced black olives
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 fresh avocado, diced

Remove stems and seeds from chiles. In a medium sauce pan, simmer chiles in 3/4 cup water for ten minutes or until tender. Puree in food processor with garlic and onion (If you're using powdered chiles, pour all ingredients including tomato sauce and an additional 1/2 cup water in food processor.) Return to sauce pan; add tomato sauce, salt and pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes to an hour.

Heat oil in small skillet. Fry each tortilla until slightly crisp. Dip each tortilla in enough enchilada sauce to lightly coat it. After you dip the first four tortillas, place them side by side in a large, greased pan. Sprinkle with a tablespoon of onion and l/4 cup cheese. Fry the next tortilla, dip in sauce and lay over the first tortilla and filling. Sprinkle on more onion and cheese. Fry, dip and lay on the third and last tortilla of each stack. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of each stack.

Top with minced green onion, olives shredded lettuce and diced avocado.

Chivichanga

20 Flour Tortillas
16 oz. sauce
7 cups cooked Chicken chopped
1 small Onion diced
2 to 2 1/2 tsp. Cumin ground
1 1/2 tsp. dried Oregano
1 tsp. Salt
3 cups Cheddar Cheese shredded

Toppings: guacamole, sour Cream, shredded lettuce and diced tomato.

Combine 1 1/2 cups sauce and chicken, onion, cumin, oregano and salt ingredients in a Dutch oven, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, 25 minutes or until most of liquid is evaporated. Spoon 1/3 cup mixture below center of each tortilla; top with 2 tablespoons cheese. Fold in 2 sides of tortilla to enclose filling. Fold over top and bottom edges of tortillas, making rectangles. Secure with wooden picks. Place, folded side down, on greased baking sheets. Coat chimichangas with vegetable cooking spray. Bake at 425 degrees F for 8 minutes, turn and bake 5 more minutes. Remove picks; top with remaining sauce and desired toppings.

Frijoles Pintos

To a large sauce pan add:
1 1/2 - 2 cups pinto beans
10-12 cups water
ham hock, or bacon or bacon grease, or a chunk of fat meat
3 bay leaves
several hot dry red chiles like tepine, pico de gallo, pequin or Tabasco

Wash beans well after picking out rocks ect. Soak all of above overnight, then bring slowly to a simmer. (A faster way is to bring all of above slowly to a simmer, turn off heat and let sit for an hour, drain, refill with water, then bring slowly back to simmer.)
Add:
Half a dozen cloves of garlic
1 Tbl. dry leaf oregano
1 tsp. whole cumin seed, crushed a bit
Good grind black pepper
1-4 Tbl. pure ground red chile powder
1 tsp. vinegar
Add to taste: More little dry chiles.
Simmer very slowly for several hours until beans are very tender. Add water as needed to maintain level and stir gently occasionally so they don't stick. When beans are quite tender, remove from heat and stir in:
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. sugar
bit of salt

Don't add salt until beans are done, it will make them tough. For frijoles refritos, fry up some beans and their juice in a bit of grease, mashing the beans and stirring them around until they are quite dry.

Answer 2

Carne Asada (Sonoran style)

8 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano (celantro)
4-5 lbs sirloin tip roast
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dry sherry
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
7 ounces canned roasted bell peppers or 2 fresh bell peppers, roasted
In mortar or heavy bowl, mash garlic, salt, cumin, and oregano; blend spices into vinegar and lemon juice and mix well.
Score meat in a cross-hatch pattern with deep cuts; rub spice blend into meat, making sure it gets into cuts.
Marinate meat 1-4 hours in spice marinade.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Drain marinade from meat and reserve.
Coat meat in flour and shake away excess.
In roasting pan over heat on stove, heat onions in olive oil.
Add meat and brown on all sides.
Add reserved marinade, wine, bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce, and roasted bell peppers.
Cover and roast in oven at 350 degrees F.
for 2 hours, basting occasionally, turning meat over several times.
Add a mixture of three parts water, one part wine to the pan if the meat starts to stick and the marinade gets low.
Remove meat from pan, slice, and roast for 20-25 minutes longer, until meat tests done.
Check sauce for seasoning; strain and serve over meat, if desired.

Answer 3

I think Nunya has a good start to the Pico de Gallo recipe. However, I'd swap out canned tomatoes and canned jalapenos for fresh ones. Also, you can roast your ingredients before you chop them up for even more flavor.