Casa Marcela by Marcela Valladolid
May 9, 2017 by Jenny
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The third cookbook from Food
Network personality, Marcela
Valladolid, Casa Marcela: Recipes and Food Stories of My Life
in the Californias, is by far my favorite of her
titles. Her first two books, Fresh Mexico and Mexican Made Easy were both great books but
here the author has hit her stride.
Gorgeous photographs are plentiful throughout this book and
recipes for Braised Beef Tongue Tacos in Green Salsa, Grilled
Shrimp Burritos with Chile Peanut Butter, and Pork Shoulder in
Morita-Hoisin Sauce will keep the experienced cook happy and
content; while Ground Pork Patties in Tomatillo Salsa, Grilled Beef
Strips, and Chocolate-Cajeta Brownie Pudding are perfect for the
less experienced cook. All the recipes, however, are approachable
with flavorful ingredients that should be easily accessible at
major markets or Mexican grocers.
Courtesy of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, we are able to share two
recipes from Casa Marcella – Churro Cupcakes (make them for
Mom this weekend) and Grilled Beef Strips (for Dad next month).
Head over to our contest page to enter the giveaway we have set
up for this book.
CHURRO CUPCAKES
An easy recipe that combines two of my childhood favorites,
this is a mashup of epic proportions, because there might be
nothing better in the world than churros and cupcakes. My mom made
cupcakes from boxed cake mix on the regular. Often they’d be
breakfast before school. I used to cross the international border
every day to go to school in San Diego, and you know what my mom
would get us as a treat for waking up at 5:30 in the morning? A
warm, brown bag of churros that would leave our homework papers
drenched in grease and our uniforms sprinkled with sugar.
Perfection.
MAKES 12 CUPCAKES
Cupcakes
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar
¼ cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Buttercream
6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1½ tablespoons whole milk
Churro Garnish
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Vegetable oil, for frying
2 flour tortillas
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin
with paper liners.
For the cupcakes, in a medium bowl, combine the flour,
cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle
attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, light brown sugar,
sour cream, eggs, and vanilla until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Turn
down the speed to low and add the flour mixture. Blend until well
combined, about 25 seconds.
Pour about 2½ tablespoons of the batter into each cupcake
liner. Bake the cupcakes for 20 minutes, or until a tester inserted
into the center comes out clean. Turn the cupcakes out of the pan
and let cool on a wire rack.
For the buttercream, in the clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted
with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, vanilla, and cinnamon
until smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed.
With the machine running on low speed, add the powdered sugar, 1
cup at a time, alternating with the milk. Prepare a pastry bag
fitted with a star tip and fill with the buttercream.
For the churro garnish, mix the sugar and cinnamon together on
a large plate. Set aside.
In a heavy medium saucepan, add enough oil to come halfway up
the sides of the pan. Heat over medium-high heat until a deep-fry
thermometer inserted into the oil reaches 350°F. (If you do not
have a thermometer, test the oil with a piece of tortilla, which
should sizzle when it touches the oil and brown in 2 to 3
minutes.)
Meanwhile, place the tortillas on a work surface and, using a cookie cutter, cut the tortilla into different shapes and/or letters. Fry the tortilla shapes until golden brown. With a slotted spoon, transfer the crisps to paper towels to drain. While still warm, transfer to the cinnamon-sugar mixture and turn to coat.
Meanwhile, place the tortillas on a work surface and, using a cookie cutter, cut the tortilla into different shapes and/or letters. Fry the tortilla shapes until golden brown. With a slotted spoon, transfer the crisps to paper towels to drain. While still warm, transfer to the cinnamon-sugar mixture and turn to coat.
To assemble the cupcakes, make a swirl of buttercream on each
cupcake and top with a tortilla crisp.
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GRILLED BEEF
STRIPSASADO DE TIRA
The cut of beef for this recipe, also known as “flanken,” refers to a strip of beef cut across the bone from the chuck end of the short ribs. The result is a thin strip of meat, 8 to 10 inches in length, lined with ½-inch-thick rib bones. The thin slices make for fast cooking on the grill. In Tijuana, these are usually brought to the table on a grill with other cuts of meat and accompanied by lime wedges, corn tortillas, and avocado slices.
SERVES 4 TO 6
5 pounds Korean-style short ribs
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
Mint and Cilantro Salsa Verde (see below)
Place the meat in a glass baking dish and drizzle with the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, then add the oregano and lime juice. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for 3 hours or up to overnight.
Preheat a grill pan over high heat and grill the ribs until
lightly charred on the outside, about 5 minutes per side for
medium-rare. Let stand for 5 minutes. Transfer to platter and serve
with Mint and Cilantro Salsa Verde.
Mint and Cilantro Salsa Verde
This salsa screams fresh and is a perfect pairing for Tacobab
al Pastor (page 17) or Apple-Mint Lamb Chops (page 80). Salsas are
not always tomato based, and this is a great one to try with dishes
that aren’t perhaps traditionally Mexican. I always have both fresh
mint and fresh cilantro in the garden (me and my perfect California
weather), and that certainly makes a difference in the sauce.
People ask me all the time what I recommend planting in a container
if they have no space for an ample garden, and these two herbs are
at the top of my list. In fact, once mint catches on, it grows like
crazy, so I actually keep it in a large pot and not in one of the
beds, as I’m afraid it will take over (which wouldn’t be horrible
because thousands of mojitos are never a bad thing).
MAKES 1½ CUPS
2 cups firmly packed fresh cilantro leaves
1 cup firmly packed fresh mint leaves
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup distilled white vinegar
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 fresh jalapeno chiles, stemmed
Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and process until
very smooth, about 1 minute. Serve immediately (if the salsa sits
for too long, it will turn dark green because of the fresh
herbs).
Churro Cupcakes and Grilled Beef Strips and the Mint and Cilantro Salsa Verde from Casa Marcela by Marcela Valladolid and Coral Von Zumwalt. Copyright © 2017 by Marcela Valladolid and Coral Von Zumwalt. Used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
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