Timeless food

Good-tasting food never goes out of style. Trends may come and go, new riffs on old recipes may be invented, but those traditional recipes will always be winners once they deliver on taste.

In the early 90s, while living in Toronto, I would always choose the chicken fajita plate at a Tex Mex restaurant. The waiter would bring the chicken to the table on a sizzling hot plate surrounded with ample sizzling peppers and onions, the basket of warm flour tortillas would have arrived earlier.

Then the eating began! First there was the warm tortilla onto which I would spread some salsa followed with chicken, then the onions and peppers were piled on, and finally it was all adorned with guacamole, sour cream and cheese, every bite was a delight.

Fast forward to today, fajitas still grace the menus of many Tex Mex restaurants and then some. Lesson learned, popular dishes are timeless.

Here are some of my timeless favourites for you to try this weekend.

Chicken fajitas

4 to 6 flour tortillas

4 boneless chicken breasts or boneless chicken thighs

Marinade:

1 tbs cumin

1 tbs chilli powder

4 cloves garlic minced

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tbs paprika

½ tbs dried Mexican oregano

1 tbs vegetable oil

salt and black pepper

1 tbs olive oil

1 green bell pepper, cut into strips

1 red bell pepper cut into strips

1 red onion, cut into strips

Garnishes

Shredded lettuce

Tomato salsa

Sour cream

Freshly chopped chadon beni

Grated cheddar cheese

Guacamole

Stir all the ingredients for the marinade and place into a large bowl.

Place chicken into marinade and turn once.

Marinade for 1 hour.

Preheat grill, place chicken onto a lined baking tray.

Grill chicken for 10 minutes per side or until cooked.

Meanwhile heat olive oil in a sauté pan, add pepper and onion strips.

Sauté for 1 minute, remove.

To assemble fajitas lay tortilla flat, add some salsa, place some lettuce on top, add chicken, add peppers and onions, garnish with sour cream, guacamole and cheese, add chadon beni, roll up and serve.

Serves 4 to 6

Mexican tamale pie

2 lbs ground beef, lean

2 tbs herb paste

2 tbs vegetable oil

2 large onions, chopped

6 cloves garlic

3 tbs chilli powder

1 tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp allspice powder

1 28-oz can whole tomatoes, finely chopped

1 15-oz tin black beans or red beans

1 cup chopped green olives

⅓ cup chopped chadon beni

Topping:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup cornmeal

1½ tbs sugar

2 tsp baking powder

¼ cup chopped chadon beni

1 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp salt

1⅓ cup milk

1 egg

4 tbs melted butter

4 ozs grated cheese

Preheat oven to 375F.

Season meat with herb paste.

In a sauté pan, make the filling, heat oil add onion and garlic, add beef and brown thoroughly, add chilli, cumin and allspice, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Add tomatoes, beans and olives, combine and cover. Simmer for about 20 minutes.

Add chadon beni and remove.

Make the topping

In a large mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Beat egg with milk and add melted butter. Add to dry ingredients, add cheese and chadon beni.

Stir well, the batter may be a little soft but will firm up quickly as the cornmeal tends to absorb a lot of liquid. If batter seems too dry, add a little milk.

The consistency should be like a muffin batter.

Grease a casserole dish, medium-sized.

Spread some batter onto the bottom.

Spoon the beef mixture onto this then top with the remaining corn batter.

Bake for 30 minutes until risen and golden

Serves 4

Cinnamon-scented churros

1 cup water

2 tbs granulated sugar

½ tsp salt

2 tbs vegetable oil

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 eggs

½ tsp grated nutmeg

Vegetable oil to fry

Coating

Combine 1 cup granulated sugar with 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Place water, sugar, salt, oil, nutmeg and butter into a medium-sized saucepan.

Bring to a rolling boil.

Meanwhile beat eggs.

Remove pot from heat and stir in flour, blend well.

Now add eggs and stir well to combine, or use an electric beater.

Cool a little.

Fill a decorator's bag with a large star tip, with churro mixture.

Preheat vegetable oil in a frying pan or wok.

Test oil; place a small piece of dough into oil, if it bubbles up its ready.

Squeeze dough into hot oil to about 4-inch lengths.

Cook for about one minute, turn if necessary and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Drain and then roll in cinnamon/sugar mixture

Makes about 2 dozen.

rahamut@gmail.com