Notes about Recipes in this book

• Poached chicken

  • mjes on October 10, 2019

    I used this recipe for use in the Chicken masa pies with lettuce and radishes. I usually don't bother with a recipe but this particular recipe has a balance between making great stock and making great poached chicken that is hard to beat. It is worth getting a chicken with the giblets (or grabbing a few necks) to strengthen/deepen the stock.

• Masa dough

  • mjes on October 10, 2019

    For many years I used too little water in my masa dough. Fortunately, a friend from Mexico City taught me how to test the dough ... so read the directions thoroughly and follow them.

• Flaky dough

  • LMK on September 13, 2019

    I made this dough for the Corn and Smoked Spanish Paprika Turnovers. After I'd been pulsing the dry ingredients with the butter and cream cheese as instructed for a while I realized it called for no liquid at all. The recipe said to pulse (in food processor) the dry ingredients and butter/cream cheese until it formed a ball. I did not think that would happen without any liquid and it didn't. By the time my dough was just on the other side of "course meal" I finally added some water, in the end it took about 3 tablespoons and it came together. The butter was over-cut and dough was overworked but the pies still came out pretty darn good, still tender if not as fluffy-flaky as it should have been.

• Corn and Spanish smoked paprika turnovers (Empanaditas de choclo)

  • LMK on September 13, 2019

    These are delicious and a great way to help use up an abundance of summer corn. I found the simple filling recipe to work well as is. I sprinkled a little pinch of sugar on the outside of the pies just before baking. Tasty little hand pies for anyone that loves hot Spanish smoked paprika, especially paired with sweet vegetables.

• Chicken masa pies with lettuce and radishes (Dobladas de pollo)

  • mjes on October 10, 2019

    I chose this recipe (a) because it starts with a simple chicken that can be used in several recipes including chicken stock, (b) because it freezes well so I can make several meals worth to eat later, and (c) because I'm really into recipes using radishes at the moment. I cheated and used a store-bought tomatillo salsa and whatever hot sauce happened to be on the table. This is a simple recipe that will fit nicely into my standard rotation of "for days I don't feel like cooking" recipes.