This popular taco recipe is nothing like the tacos you might have had elsewhere. The traditional recipe calls for thinly sliced pork, pineapple, coriander leaves, and onions to be slow-roasted over a spit and served on a corn tortilla.

Note: Tacos al pastor means “in the style of the shepherd”.

Ingredients

• 3 -3 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder sliced 1/4” inch thick (see note), 1 ripe pineapple peeled and sliced into 1/2” thick rings, 4 dried Guajillo chiles, 1/3 cup canned pineapple juice*, 1/3 cup orange juice, 1/2 onion peeled, 4 garlic cloves peeled, 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons achiote paste, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 chipotle pepper from can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, 1 tablespoon ground cumin, 1 tablespoon dried oregano, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, 3 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

• Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add guajillo chiles and toast until blistered in spots and fragrant, turning occasionally, about 3 minutes. Transfer peppers to a cutting board. Once cool enough to handle, cut tops off chiles, cut in half and remove seeds, taking care not to touch your eyes.
• Add chiles back to skillet and cover with water. Simmer 3-5 minutes until softened. Remove softened chilies to blender along with all Marinade ingredients and blend until smooth.
• Add pork to a shallow dish or freezer size bag. Add marinade and stir to combine so every piece is evenly coated. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 8 -24 hours.
  
• Grease grill or grill pan and heat to high heat. Add pineapple and grill until lightly charred, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to cutting board and chop once cool enough to handle, discarding center rind.
• Grease grill once again and heat to high heat. Remove the pork from the marinade and add to grill (you might need to work in batches). Grill over high heat until lightly charred and just cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes before chopping into bite size pieces.
• Serve Al Pastor in warm tortillas with chopped pineapple and favorite toppings such as pico de gallo, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, cilantro, lime etc.

Stale tortillas are never wasted because they can be turned into tostadas, which are fried tortillas. Cheese, meats, veggies, and a variety of garnishes are commonly served with them. You might wish to share a platter of tostadas because they can be fairly filling.

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups refried beans, homemade or from 2 (15-ounce) cans, 1/2 head iceberg lettuce, sliced thin and seasoned with salt and vinegar (no oil), 2 medium tomatoes, chopped, 1 to 2 avocados, chopped peeled and pitted, or guacamole, 8 ounces grated Monterrey Jack, Cheddar, or crumbled queso fresco and/or cotija cheese, 1 cup salsa, or 1/2 cup sliced pickled jalapeños, A handful chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

• Warm the refried beans in a frying pan on medium heat, until warm. If you are using regular canned beans, drain them, then add them to the pan with a little water, mash them as you heat them.
• For extra flavor for the beans you can stir in a tablespoon of bacon fat to them and/or a big slice of cheddar cheese.
• Keep the beans on warm while you prepare the tortillas, adding water to them as necessary to keep a creamy consistency.
• To help the tortillas fry up better, dry them in the oven by laying them out on an oven rack and cooking them at 250°F for 10 minutes or so.
  
• Fill a frying pan with enough oil to cover the bottom by a quarter inch. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it sizzles but does not smoke.
• Fry the tortillas one at a time in the oil. If the tortilla does not produce bubbles as soon as it is placed in the hot oil, the oil is not hot enough.
• Cook for 30 seconds to a minute per side until golden brown on both sides. Push the tortilla down into the oil using metal tongs or a spatula, then turn and pull the tortilla out of the pan, draining the excess oil as you go. (The tortilla should have a hard and crisp texture.)
  
• To absorb excess oil, place the tortilla on a paper towel-lined platter. Season with a pinch of salt.
• Place the cooked tortillas on a rimmed baking sheet and keep them warm in a 250°F oven.
• As needed, add extra oil to the pan, making sure the oil is hot enough before adding a tortilla to the pan.
• To serve, divide the toppings into individual bowls and serve the beans in a larger serving dish. Remove the tostada shells in batches, keeping the ones that aren't being used warm in the oven.
• Spread a generous scoop of mashed beans over a tostada shell to make a tostada. Add cheese and additional toppings as desired (sliced lettuce, avocados, salsa, etc.)
  
• Don't load the tostada too much or you'll find it difficult to eat. Eat by picking up the tostada with both hands (like a pizza slice).
  

Breakfast is a major event in Mexico, and it's usually the most important meal of the day. Chilaquiles are a popular breakfast dish that consists of lightly cooked tortillas that have been chopped into smaller pieces. They're then topped with salsa and a variety of breakfast dishes like eggs, cheeses, cream, or chicken, and served with refried beans, also known as frijoles.

Ingredients

• 12 corn tortillas, preferably stale, or left out overnight to dry out a bit, quartered or cut into 6 wedges, Corn oil, Salt, 1 1/2 to 2 cups red chile sauce or salsa verde, store-bought or homemade (see end of recipe for homemade versions), A few sprigs of epazote, optional, Garnishes, Cotija cheese or queso fresco, Crema Mexicana or creme fraiche, Cilantro, chopped, 1 red onion, chopped, Avocado, sliced or roughly chopped

Instructions

• Fry the tortillas. Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add about a quarter of the tortilla wedges and cook, flipping once, until lightly brown and crisp.
• Drain the tortilla chips. Drain the freshly fried tortilla chips on a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Repeat this process until all tortillas are fried, adding more oil if needed.
• Make the salsa roja. Place the tomatoes, onion, jalapeño, and garlic in a blender or food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pour in 1 cup of the broth. Blend until smooth.
• Cook the salsa. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the salsa and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 5 to 10 minutes (the consistency of the salsa will vary depending on the size and juiciness of the tomatoes). Add additional broth to thin out the salsa, if needed. Taste and season with salt as needed.
• Coat the chips with the salsa. Add the tortilla chips and stir carefully to coat the chips. Cook until the tortillas are heated through, about 3 minutes. Taste and season with salt as needed.
• Serve warm. Serve warm garnished with avocado or guacamole, crema, queso fresco, and/or fried eggs, if desired.

This recipe is both patriotic and delicious. The ingredients, which include a delectable variety of fruits, spices, and chopped beef, come together to reflect the colors of the Mexican flag. Poblano chilies (the green in the flag) are filled with the mixture, which is then drizzled with a walnut-based cream sauce (the white), and pomegranate seeds placed on top represent the red in the Mexican flag

Ingredients

• 6 large poblano chiles about 6″ long, 10 ozs. beef, 10 ozs. pork, 1 medium carrot, 1 medium white onion, 1 medium waxy potato, 1 medium zucchini squash, 3 plum tomatoes Roma tomatoes, ½ cup peas, 8 ozs. biznaga or candied fruit or dried fruit, ½ cup raisins, ½ cup almonds. ½ tsp. cinnamon, 1 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tsp salt + salt to taste, 1 ¼ cup Mexican cream do not use sour cream, ½ cup shelled walnuts, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, 1 tbsp brown sugar, 2 small pomegranates or 1 large, 1 small bunch of parsley

Instructions

• Remove the walnut chunks' papery bitter skins. (This is the difficult part.) The skins might be readily rubbed off at times. I've discovered that the skins don't always peel off easily for us, and that we need to blanch them for 1 minute in boiling water first to loosen them up.
• If you blanch the walnuts, allow them to cool completely before carefully peeling off as much of the bitter skin as possible. This is time-consuming process, but the sauce may be bitter if your walnuts haven't been stripped of their bitter skins.
• Place the skinned walnuts in a basin, cover with milk to soak, and place in the refrigerator overnight.
• To sear the outside tough skin, lay the chiles immediately over a gas stove flame or beneath a hot broiler. To brown the chilies on all sides, turn them. It will be easier to remove if as much of the exterior skin as possible is blackened.
• Cover the blackened chiles with a plate or a damp clean towel and let aside for 20 minutes. The scorched skin will readily flake off, and the flesh will become somewhat more cooked in the steam, allowing the skin to flake/peel off easily.
• Remove the seeds and veins by cutting a slit in the side of each chile. Make sure to keep the top of the chile, the area around the stem's base, intact. Rinse and pat dry the chiles.
• The walnuts should be drained. In a blender, puree the soaked and drained walnuts, queso fresco, sour cream, sugar, and cinnamon until perfectly smooth.
• In a large wide saucepan over medium high heat, heat one tablespoon of the oil. Brown the meat on at least one side in batches to avoid crowding the pan, sprinkle the meat with kosher salt as it cooks. If necessary, add another tablespoon of oil to the next batch. Place the meat in a mixing dish and put it aside.
• Heat a tablespoon of oil in the pan over medium heat. Cook until the onion is tender. Cook for another minute after adding the cinnamon, black pepper, cloves, and garlic.
• Return the ground meat to the pan and melt the butter, breaking up any clumps with a wooden spoon.
• Combine the crushed tomatoes, golden raisins, and slivered almonds in a mixing bowl. Add a tablespoon or two of water if the mixture appears to be too dry. Toss the picadillo mixture with the chopped apple. To taste, adjust spices by adding more cinnamon, salt, and ground cloves (go easy on the cloves, they can overpower).
• Fill the chilies with picadillo until they are completely filled. Put them on individual plates or a serving dish to serve.
• To serve, drizzle the walnut sauce over the stuffed chiles and top with pomegranate seeds and chopped fresh parsley or cilantro.

This soup is prepared with hominy corn and is rich, spicy, and immensely popular. It's typically cooked overnight with a variety of herbs and spices, as well as chicken, pig, or vegetables. It's served with onions, radishes, limes, lettuce, and chiles when it's ready.

Ingredients

• 4 ounces dried guajillo or ancho chiles, or a combination of both, Salt, 1 large (108 ounce, 6 lb 12 oz, 3 kg) can white hominy, drained and rinsed, 3 pounds pork shoulder (preferably with bone), cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch cubes (can also use pork shanks), make sure to use a cut well marbled with fat, 8 cloves garlic, 4 cloves roughly chopped, and 4 whole cloves, 3 bay leaves, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 2 tablespoons dry oregano (Mexican oregano if available), Garnishes (can prep while pozole is cooking):, 1/2 small cabbage, thinly sliced, 1 bunch cilantro, chopped, 1/2 white onion, chopped, 2 avocados, chopped, 4 limes, quartered, 1 bunch red radishes, sliced thin, 12 to 24 tostada shells (see Recipe Note)

Instructions

• 5 quarts of water in a big 10-12 qt stockpot While you're working on the next steps, turn on the heat to bring the water to a boil.
• Remove the stems, seeds, and large veins from the chili pods and discard them. Heat the chili pods in a cast iron pan over medium high heat for a few minutes, until they soften. Don't let them become too hot.
• Bring a medium pot with 3 cups of water to a simmer and remove from heat while the chilies are heating. Once the chiles have softened, place them in the hot water in the pot and cover.
• Allow 15 to 20 minutes for the chiles to soak in the boiling water.
  
• In a large sauté pan over medium high heat, heat a tablespoon or two of olive oil (enough to coat the bottom of the pan). Using paper towels, pat the pork pieces dry. Season them with a good amount of salt.
• Brown the meat on all sides in batches, taking care not to crowd the pan or stir the meat too much.
• Add 4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped, to the pan with the meat right before it finishes browning, and cook for approximately a minute.
• Transfer the meat to the large stockpot of boiling water once it has browned. Scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, as well as any garlic, into the pot. Add the rinsed hominy to the pot.
• Combine bay leaves, cumin, and oregano in a bowl. Smoosh the oregano together with your hands as you put it in so that it breaks up more as it goes in. Add a spoonful of salt to the mixture. Bring to a low boil, then reduce to a low heat and continue to cook for 15 minutes.
• by blending the chilies, around 2 1/2 cups of their soaking liquid, a teaspoon of salt, and four garlic cloves in a blender (To avoid creating too much pressure in the blender, it's probably best to start with the chiles and garlic and only a cup of the liquid, then add the remainder of the liquid.)
• Using a sieve, strain the red sauce, eliminating the tough components of the sauce.
• Add a couple of tablespoons of salt to the mix. Return to a low simmer, partially covered, and reduce the heat to just high enough to maintain a low simmer.
• Remove any extra fat using a skimming motion. Season to taste with extra salt if necessary (you will likely need more than you expect, perhaps a tablespoon or more.)
• Because you'll be adding a lot of garnishes, the resultant soup should be somewhat brothy. If required, add extra water.
• You can prepare the garnishes while preparing the pozole (slice the cabbage, chop the cilantro, etc.)
• To serve, place the garnishes on the table in bowls and ladle the pozole soup into them. Allow your guests to pick and choose their garnishes for their pozole.
• Serve with tostada shells (or tortilla chips if tostada shells are unavailable).