Bring cheer to a winter’s day with the vibrant colours and warming, spicy flavours of Mexico.
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Menu
Prawn & guacamole tortilla cups
Chicken & bean burritos
Black bean & roasted corn salad
Sweet chilli cornbread
Caramel custard flan with mango
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Day before: Marinate prawns and bake tortilla cups. Prepare chicken burrito mixture. Make cornbread. Bake custard flan. Make bean salad (but don’t add mesclun).
In the morning: Make guacamole. Assemble burritos.
Close to serving: Cook prawns and assemble tortilla cups. Heat burritos. Warm cornbread. Plate salad with mesclun. Invert flan on to a serving platter.
Chicken and Bean Burritos
Burrito means “little donkey” in Spanish and some say these rolled tortillas were so named because they look a bit like donkey ears, or the bedrolls they carry. Mexican seasoning can be found in the spices aisles at supermarkets.
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- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 onion, peeled and sliced into thin wedges
- 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
- 600g skinless chicken breast
- 1 teaspoon Mexican seasoning
- 400g can crushed or chopped tomatoes
- 420g can mild chilli beans (eg Wattie’s)
- 4 large tortilla wraps
- ½ cup grated tasty cheese
To serve:
- sour cream, sweet chilli sauce
- Garnishes (optional): spring onion, coriander, lime wedges
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Heat oil in a heavy-based frying pan or large saucepan and sauté onion and garlic until soft and fragrant. Add chicken and Mexican seasoning and cook 4-5 minutes until browned. Add tomatoes and chilli beans. Simmer 10 minutes until thickened and chicken is cooked through. Cool at least 10 minutes or chill until required.
Preheat oven to 180°C. Lay tortillas on bench and place a thick line of chicken mixture across the bottom third of each one. Roll up firmly and place in a shallow baking dish. Top with cheese and bake 20-30 minutes or until hot and golden.
Serve tortillas with sour cream and a drizzle of sweet chilli sauce. Garnish with spring onion and coriander and lime wedges for squeezing. Serves 4-6
Prawn and Guacamole Tortilla Cups
Baking small rounds of tortilla flatbread in mini muffin pans turns them into crisp little cases for serving this pre-dinner snack.
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Prawns:
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Pinch of ground cinnamon
- 24 raw prawn cutlets
Guacamole:
- 2 firm ripe avocados
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 1 tomato, seeded and diced
- 2 tablespoons chopped coriander
- 1 teaspoon finely diced red chilli
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Tortilla cups: Preheat oven to 180°C. Place tortillas on a board and use a cookie cutter to cut out 6 x 8cm rounds from each one. Press rounds into sprayed mini muffin trays to form cups. (If necessary, first heat the rounds for a few seconds in the microwave to make them pliable.) Bake 4-5 minutes until just golden. Set aside to cool and go crisp. Cups can be stored in an airtight container for 1-2 days.
Prawns: Combine oil, garlic, paprika and cinnamon and toss with prawns. Marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight in the fridge.
Guacamole: Peel and dice avocado and toss with lemon juice. Add remaining ingredients and season to taste. Cover and chill until required (up to 8 hours).
Just before serving, preheat a grill pan or large frying pan and sear prawns 2-3 minutes each side until cooked and coloured. Spoon guacamole into tortilla cups and top with prawns. Serve with lemon wedges for squeezing if desired. Makes 24
Black Bean and Roasted Corn Salad
Black beans are also known as turtle beans because of their dark, shiny shells. You’ll find them in health food stores and larger supermarkets. Use one or two cans for this colourful salad, depending on how many you are feeding.
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1 each: red and orange capsicum
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1 large red onion
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400g can kernel corn, drained
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2 tablespoons olive oil
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1 teaspoon smoked paprika
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½ teaspoon sea salt
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1-2 x 425g cans black beans, drained and rinsed
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1 green capsicum, sliced
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1-2 radishes, finely sliced
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Handful flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
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2 handfuls mesclun greens
Dressing:
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¼ cup olive oil
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2 limes, juice and finely grated zest
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1 red chilli, finely sliced |
Preheat oven to 180°C. Halve red and orange capsicums, remove seeds and cut flesh into smallish chunks. Peel and slice onion into thin wedges. Place chopped capsicums and onion in a roasting dish with corn, oil, paprika and salt. Toss together and roast 20-30 minutes until capsicums are soft.
In a large bowl combine beans, green capsicum, radishes and parsley. Add the roasted vegetables along with their cooking juices and toss together.
Whisk together dressing ingredients and season with salt and pepper. Toss with salad and serve over a pile of mesclun greens. Serves 6-8
Sweet Chilli Cornbread
This yeast-free slice is moist, sweet and delicious. Serve it with chilli jam or your favourite chutney. Cornmeal and grits can be found at bulk bin stores, health food shops and some supermarkets.
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- 150g butter, softened
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 3 eggs
- 400g can creamed corn
- ¼ cup sweet chilli sauce
- 2 spring onions, finely sliced
- 1 cup grated tasty cheese
- 1 cup each: flour, fine cornmeal
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons corn grits for sprinkling (optional)
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Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 23cm square baking tin.
Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well between each. (Don’t be concerned if the last egg makes the mixture split.) Stir in creamed corn, chilli sauce, spring onions and cheese.
Mix flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add corn mixture and fold together until just combined (it will be slightly lumpy like a muffin mixture). Tip into prepared dish, smooth top and sprinkle with corn grits. Bake 30-35 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Serve warm. Serves 6-8
Caramel Custard Flan with Mango
This traditional Mexican custard has a caramel sauce topping. Make the flan the day before so it can settle and chill.
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- 1 cup sugar
- ¾ cup water
- 3 eggs plus 2 extra yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract with seeds
- ½ cup caster sugar
- 300ml cream
- Fresh mangoes to serve
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Preheat oven to 175°C. Place sugar in a heavy-based saucepan and pour water around the outside.
Bring to the boil without stirring and simmer until caramel-coloured, about 10-15 minutes.
Pour caramel into the base of a 20cm round tin and allow to set. (To prevent hot splatters, place the tin on a chopping board or tea towel first in case the hot liquid causes it to buckle and flex.)
Whisk together eggs, yolks, vanilla and sugar. Stir in the cream and pour through a sieve into a jug.
Pour custard over caramel. Place tin in a water bath with hot water three-quarters of the way up the sides. Bake 30-35 minutes until set but still wobbly. Take from the oven and stand 5 minutes before removing tin from water to cool completely. Chill until needed (1-2 days).
Take flan from the fridge 30 minutes before serving. When ready to serve, invert it on to a serving platter and let caramel syrup flow over the top. Serve with fresh mango slices. Serves 6
Story: Jo Wilcox
Photographs: Kieran Scott
Stylist: Claudia Kozub
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