Recipes and Ideas
From new and innovative creations to cherished old favourites, we're constantly sharing mouth-watering recipes that will inspire your inner chef. If you have any of your own recipes to share, join us on Instagram @CoolChileCo and become part of our vibrant community.
Recipes
Nacho's Special
A homage to Ignacio Anaya, who is said to have invented Nacho in the 1940s when hungry women came into the hotel he was working at out of kitchen hours. As there were no chefs in, he quickly put together some ingredients to make a snack: totopos topped with cheese and pickled jalapeños and threw it in the oven. The women loved it, asked for seconds calling it Nacho's Special, Nacho being a nickname for Ignacio. Our Nacho's recipe involves a little more, adding salsas, pink pickled onions, liqu...
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Homemade tortillas
There's nothing like getting your hands into masa and making tortillas – it feels, smells and tastes great.
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Tostadas, totopos & tortilla strips
Frying adds texture and flavour and is a great way to use of stale tortillas, waste not want not.
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Chilaquiles Rojos by Gicela Morales
Fancy being more adventurous with those leftover tortillas? This is the recipe for you. Chilaquiles rojos can be served with beans or shredded chicken, or add a fried egg and serve with a mug of coffee to make the perfect brunch. Buen provecho!
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Quesadillas
Quesadillas are the ultimate satisfying snacks: quick to prepare, all they need is some cheese and a little salsa on the side, but you can also get creative and fill them with whatever you fancy. Chorizo, garlic fried mushrooms, leftover roast veg... make your own creations and hit that snackable spot.
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Mojo de Ajo mushrooms with epazote
Mojo de ajo means dunked in garlic, this heavenly concoction is great with mushrooms and makes a great filling for quesadillas.
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Frijoles de Charro (Cowboy Beans)
‘Frijoles de charros’ are typical in north México where pinto beans are grown. We have translated this bean dish into 'cowboy beans' which doesn't really do justice to the horsemen of northern Mexico called charros, who wear traditional dress and a large hat. Serve this dish as a side to meat or fish. It is also delicious in a bowl with a poached egg on top, for a brunch dish, served with tortillas or toast on the side. Any leftovers can be made into refry.
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Frijoles de la Olla
Mexican black beans, known as ‘frijoles de la olla’ are common to central and south México, cook these beans with onion to make this dish, then add smoked paprika to any leftovers to make into refry.
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Chilli-cured fish tacos by Stevie Parle
The fish in these light, fresh-tasting tacos is 'cooked' by being marinated in citrus juice (what's known as ceviche), so it's important to use the freshest you can find.
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Mackerel tostadas with chipotle mayo by Valentine Warner
A twist on Valentine Warner's excellent tuna tostadas using our time-saving chipotle mayonnaise.
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Ceviche tostadas
This ceviche combines the sharpness of lime, the smell of the sea, and the richness of avocado on a crispy corn tostada base, that complements its flavours. Eat as an antojito (snack) with beer or a margarita. Delicious!
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Mexican chorizo
Mexican chorizo is typically made with pork, but beef or a meat substitute like firm tofu (or tempeh or seitan) work equally well as an alternative. Buy ready minced or grind your own, using equal parts of minced pork belly, neck fillet, shoulder and pork lardo. Use as you would chorizo and remember that a little of this flavoursome, spicy mixture goes a long way!
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Chiles en nogada
In Mexico they cook these delicious stuffed poblanos called 'chiles en nogada' to celebrate Mexican Independence day on September 15th. The seasonal ingredients used in this festive recipe represent the colours in the Mexican flag: dark green fresh poblanos, creamy white walnuts and red, jewel-like pomegranate seeds. If you can find fresh British walnuts this is a great recipe to use them in. Although the peeling is a little fiddly, it makes all the difference. ¡Viva México! Inspired by Rick Ba...
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Pork Pozole by Christine McFadden
Pozole is a traditional Mexican soupy stew made with a special type of hard-husked dried white maize (also known as hominy), meat (usually pork), vegetables, chillies and other seasonings, plus the all-important garnishes. The secret of success lies in the rich meat stock. This rich gelatinous stock includes a pig's trotter, which gives it a jelly-like consistency when cold. You can find them in traditional butchers and some large supermarkets. The stock can be stored for 2-3 days in the fr...
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Pozole – three ways
Pozole is a celebratory broth-y stew that traditionally combines cooked maize kernels with pork and sometimes chicken. It can be served 'verde' (with tomatillos and pumpkin seeds), 'rojo' (with chillies) or 'blanco' (without) and comes with an array of garnishes so you can pimp your bowl. However, pozole doesn’t need to be made with meat: there is a delicious version that combines pinto beans and maize or indeed make pozole verde with vegetable broth, the pumpkin seeds add a lovely richness a...
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Albóndigas a la Mexicana
The Spanish brought this Moorish influenced dish with them when they conquered Mexico. The meat is poached in the sauce instead of being fried, and it's usually served as a stew with a little rice and corn tortillas to mop up any leftover sauce. Usually meatballs are bound with egg and breadcrumbs, but in this recipe we use raw potato (which makes them soft and tender) and crushed corn chips for extra flavour. Another Mexican trick is to stuff each meatball with a piece of hardboiled egg, an ol...
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Chilorio de pato by Adam Pawlak
Chilorio is a dish from Sinaloa in northern Mexico in which meat – usually pork, but sometimes beef or chicken – is simmered in an ancho chilli sauce. Adam Pawlak, Head Chef at Taqueria, has created a delicious, richer version substituting duck and using Cascabel chillies instead of Ancho. Chilorio can be used as a filling for tacos and burritos or as a main dish served with white rice, black beans and guacamole.
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Quick chipotle butterflied leg of lamb with mint sauce
Inspired by Diana Henry. One of our favourite dishes at home is what we call ‘lamb on fire’. My husband, Fred, bones a leg of lamb and marinates it in lots of tasty things. We have a big fireplace in our flat that we can barbecue, so he fires it up and hunkers down with a beer whilst barbecuing the meat to pink perfection. Not everyone has or wants to barbecue in their living room and Diana Henry's recipe for butterflied lamb (in her book 'A Change of Appetite') showed me that you can cook la...
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Chicken panuchos with pickled pink onions
Panuchos are regional Yucatecan snacks. Handmade small tortillas are cooked, then split and filled with refried black beans. These are then fried, before being topped with lettuce and various other ingredients. The crispy fried tortilla contrasts nicely with the cooling lettuce and sour pickled onions. Add a splash of habanero hot sauce if you want to sweat!
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Mole Poblano Chicken Taco
Mole Poblano has always played a star role in Mexican Cuisine. It's a dish many Mexicans continue to make for special occasions and parties. By using Cool Chile Mole Poblano Paste you can now rustle up a mole poblano taco in a flash, to make any occasion special.
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Pambazo
A great way to use up any stale rolls, Pambazo is a Mexican sandwich in which the bread is dipped in guajillo salsa, fried, then stuffed with potato, Mexican chorizo, creme fraiche, salsa, cheese and lettuce. It's a mighty meal in itself and a messy thing to eat so have plenty of kitchen towel at the ready!
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Mexican Fideos
In Mexico lunch is the main meal and is usually served from 2–4pm in the afternoon. Small restaurants will provide 'comida corrida' which is a set menu of 3–4 courses. Normally you will be served in sequence: sopa aguada (wet soup), sopa seca (dry soup of rice or pasta), plato fuerte (main dish), postre (pudding). Mexican fideos is a favourite sopa seca, but it can also be served as a main meal with salad. Leftovers make mighty fine tacos!
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Caldo de camarón by Sofia Craxton
This delicious, warming soup is spicy and extremely moreish, a bit like a Tom Yum soup. It is served at many cantinas in Mexico for free, either as a welcoming gesture for choosing to visit a particular establishment or just to whet your appetite. This soup is fantastic on a cold day and like with any hot and spicy soup, it is quite comforting for those who also happen to have a hangover! My late father was a real foodie and he loved this soup, so much so that he became such good friends wit...
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Chicharrón de Queso
These paper-thin rolls of toasted cheese aren’t just pretty – they’re also simple to make and delicious served with your favourite salsa or guacamole.
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