Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Poor Italy, Viva Mexico and an improvised Vegetarian Mexican dinner


Well, Italy is out of the World Cup, and I am just glad that I didn't get up at 4 am to watch it happen!
But before the games started the four members of our family picked another nation to support (random, out of a hat) and I got Mexico! You had to dress up, cook something and learn some facts and words from that country… I was lucky! I speak enough Spanish, I like Mexican food, I have been there, and my husband was going there for work that week! So he bought me back a Mexican team T-shirts (looks good) and also some tequila, some Mexican sweets and a cute little piñata donkey. 


Now a part from the sweets (some had milk) the dinner was actually Vegan and just improvised with what I had in the house. I also used tofu, instead of meat. I rubbed the tofu in a mixure of chili, salt, oregano (oregano seems to be the only dried herb really used all over Mexico, although the name is approximative - there are several varieties!) dried coriadner, cumin and smoked paprika. The doses were totally random! Then I sautéed the tofu with a little olive oil. I kept the tofu aside and used the same pot (with the very spicy oil) to sauté some chopped celery and onions, I added some rice, then a can of red beans, and finally a couple of cups of vegetable stock. Lid on and cooked the rice by absorption. In the end I added the tofu, just to warm it up.

For the Guacamole I followed this recipe, with the difference that I didn't have fresh coriander at home, but I used a bit of chili (I always have chili in the freezer). Also because this was a really rushed job (and I had the whole chili, seeds removed) I blended everything with an immersion blender. Quite different texture really, but nice for a change. The tortilla chips came from a packet. Well, this dinner took me 40 minutes to make (including cooking time), so Viva Mexico!!






Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©

7 comments:

  1. Interesting, I haven't seen many vegetarian mexican dishes around! And I love the guacamole!!
    Great that you got Mexico because they seem up to something good this year haha :) Sad that Italy got kicked out, I was also supporting them for my borrowed italian family (my friends here in Munich!).
    Have a nice week!

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  2. Hi Ines, and welcome. I ate lots of vegetarian food in Mexico, although most people though that they weren't proper meals, just sides, like rice and beans, or vegetables. But they were enough for me! Tofu is definitely my 'fusion' addition :-).

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  3. Mi piace tantissimo il cibo messicano e spero di riuscire ad assaggiare la loro cucina in loco un giorno. Che buono il guacamole! Io non ho seguito i mondiali e ho realizzato che l'Italia non avesse passato il turno perché non avevo sentito boati di gioia, figurati... Anzi, ne ho approfittato per portare i cani a passeggio in un parco che era insolitamente deserto...

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    Replies
    1. Chissà che tristezza in Italia, ovviamente una cosa che non ho notato qui, anche se tutti mi fanno le solite commiserazioni :-).

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  4. What fun, Alessandra - I love your Mexican spread. We're still cheering for Team USA here, but we will see how that goes. Delicious recipes, as always! Best, Barbara

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    Replies
    1. Congratulations USA, maybe you will play Mexico at some stage??

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