Winter a Good Time to Enjoy Mexican Food

With nighttime temps dropping into the 40s and even 30s, we want to hunker down into warmth and coziness, and that includes tucking into some comfort food at the dinner table. Typically, that means cooking up some American classics such as mac and cheese, meat loaf or roasted chicken and mashed potatoes.

There’s no question those dishes will bring back fond memories of childhood, not to mention fill your tummy with some warm goodness. But for a change of pace, you might try some international cuisines’ versions of comfort food, including Mexican.

If you’re taking the night off from kitchen duty, Los Gatos has some great Mexican restaurants. And when you’re ready to heat up your kitchen, I have a chile verde recipe that’s surprisingly easy.

Pedro’s has been a longtime Los Gatos favorite, and its menu serves up some delicious comfort dishes, such as these three tummy-warming chicken dishes: The house specialty is chicken mole. There is also Pollo Chipotle, a grilled chicken breast covered with a spicy chipotle sauce and cheese, served with black beans, Spanish rice and tortillas. The restaurant also features Pollo Con Crema, a grilled chicken breast with a Mexican-flavored mushroom cream sauce, served with Spanish rice and choice of black beans or steamed vegetables.

Your comfort level will really go up when you dig into some of Andalé’s Especiales Mexicanos, including Braised Spare Rib Carnitas—slow-braised pork served with pinto beans and rice; Camarones al Ajillo—jumbo shrimp sautéed in garlic butter and served on a bed of guacamole; and Mesquite Rotisserie Chicken, which is marinated in a Mayan spice called achiote and served with mesquite grilled veggies.

La Esquina is a cozy place to enjoy some Mexican comfort food, such as the pozole or chicken soups or the Chory Pan Cheese, a French roll filled with Mexican sausage, sautéed onions, chile, garlic, tomato, potato and melted cheese. The restaurant often features monthly or seasonal specials. For instance, February’s specials include peanut soup, a dish popular in South America.

Chile Verde

I recently made this chile verde for the first time and was surprised how easy it was—and how delicious! Be sure to serve it with some warm corn and/or flour tortillas.

Ingredients

    * 4 pounds pork butt or shoulder, trimmed of fat and cut into 2-inch cubes

    * Salt and pepper

    * Olive oil

    * 2 yellow onions

    * 6 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

    * 1 to 1-1/2 pounds tomatillos, husked, rinsed and chopped

    * 1 can (7-oz) fire roasted chiles, drained and diced

    * 1 tablespoon dried oregano

    * 2 teaspoons ground cumin

    * 2 tablespoons coriander seeds, crushed and soaked in a scant amount of water

    * 2 bay leaves

    * 1 bunch cilantro leaves, cleaned and chopped (parsley can be substituted)

    * 3 to 4 cups chicken stock

Directions

1. Season the pork meat with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil in a heavy stock pot over medium-high heat and brown pork chunks on all sides. Work in batches.
3. Lift pork out of pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.
4. Reserve one tablespoon of fat (add oil if necessary) and sauté onions until limp, stirring occasionally.
5. Add the chiles, herbs and spices and cook an additional 3-4 minutes, then add the garlic and cook 1-2 minutes more.
6. Return meat to the pot and add 3 cups of chicken stock. Bring to a boil, and then simmer, uncovered, for 2-3 hours until the pork is fork tender. During cooking, add more stock if necessary.

Buon appetito, mi amici!