Mexican Cuisine Moving Upscale

Richard Sandoval is single-handedly changing the image of Mexican food.

People used to consider Mexican a low-end type of cuisine. The gourmet spots were always reserved for Japanese, French and Italian.

But, with Sandoval leading the way, that's started to change.

A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, he started experimenting with his native cuisine in 1997, and has never looked back.

With his upscale presentation and native ingredients, Sandoval has opened 11 restaurants, from Dubai to San Francisco. His most recent is called Ketsi, at the Four Seasons Resort, in Punta Mita, Mexico, and he's opening two more eateries, in Santa Monica, Calif., this spring.

Sandoval founded the restaurant group Modern Mexican Restaurants, and many consider him as the father of modern Mexican cooking. With his innovations and presentation, he's helped elevate Mexican food to a gourmet experience.

On The Early Show Thursday, Sandoval made some great modern, upscale Mexican dishes with ingredients that won't break your bank.

RECIPES

Chicken Tinga Sopes

Crispy Corn Masa Cakes; Cotija Cheese; Black Bean Puree; Crema Fresca

Sweet Chipotle Sauce
1 Tbsp canola oil
1/2 cup white Spanish onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1-2 canned chipotle chiles in barbecue sauce
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup sherry wine vinegar
1/2 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup ketchup
2-3 Tbsp honey
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

In a large skillet, heat the oil. Reduce heat to medium, add onion and garlic, cover and sweat until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Pour into blender and puree. Strain through a sieve and set aside.

Chicken Tinga
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 4oz)
2 tsp canola oil
1/2 small, white Spanish onion, chopped
1 cup Sweet Chipotle sauce
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper

Place chicken in a large saucepan with enough water to cover the chicken breast. Simmer until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove chicken, cool then shred with a fork.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sautee until golden brown. Add the Sweet Chipotle sauce, salt and pepper.

Black Bean Puree
1 c dry black beans
4 c water
1/4 ea yellow onion, chopped
1/2 ea Serrano or green jalepeno pepper
1 ea clove of garlic
Salt to taste

Cook the beans over low heat in a small sauce pan for several hours until soft. Strain the beans into a blender and puree until smooth. Add the cooking liquid as needed. The puree should be slightly runny. Reserve warm.

Salsa Verde
1 pound tomatillos, washed
1/4 cup yellow onion, chopped
2T cilantro
1 chile Serrano
1 garlic clove, smashed

Saute the onion, Serrano, and garlic for several minutes over low heat. Add the tomatillo and continue to sauté. Cover and cook over very low heat for 20-30 minutes. Puree in blender, then add cilantro. Season with salt to taste.

Sopes
2 cups instant corn masa mix
1 cups warm water
Vegetable oil

Toppings
Chicken Tinga
Black Bean Puree
Salsa Verde
Shredded napa cabbage
Roasted corn kernels
Fresh squeezed lime juice
Grated cotija cheese
Crema fresca

Prepare the masa according to the instructions on the bag, or as a general rule work the flour with water until it resembles soft cookie dough. Allow to rest for several minutes before making thin patties, about 3" in diameter and 1/3" thick.

Toast the sopes on a dry cast iron skillet briefly until they barely start to brown. Flip and repeat. Turn out onto a plate, then pinch around the sides to make a rim that will hold the filling. Heat a liberal amount of oil in a sauce pan and fry the sopes briefly until browned and slightly crispy. Turn out onto a paper towel to absorb extra oil.

Meanwhile, heat the chicken tinga and black bean puree.

In a small mixing bowl, toss the cabbage, corn, and lime juice with salt to season. Place the sopes onto a platter. Using a spoon, fill the sope with the warm bean puree, then the chicken. Top with salsa verde and the cabbage-corn salad. Finally, garnish the sopes with fresh lime juice, crema fresca and some cotija cheese.

Serve immediately.

Cocktail: Hibiscus Margarita

4 Count Don Julio Blanco (about 1.5 oz.)
1.5 oz. Sour Mix
1 oz. Hibiscus Syrup (recipe below)
Add the tequila, sour mix, hibiscus syrup and ice to a shaker. Shake and pour into a rocks glass. Garnish with a dried hibiscus petals.

Hibiscus Syrup
0.5 Liter of dried hibiscus flowers
1 Liter water
0.25 Liter sugar

Boil hibiscus and water for 25 to 30 minutes. Strain with a sieve and puree the remaining flowers. Add the flower puree and sugar into the liquid and strain with a fine sieve. The approximate yield is just over 1 Liter of Syrup.

Churros & Chocolate

Churros (4 servings):
4 ounces of water
1-3/4 ounces of butter
1/2 tablespoon of sugar
1/4 to 1/2 tablespoon of salt
1/2 tablespoon of vanilla extract
2-3/4 ounces all purpose flour
2 eggs

Chocolate (6 servings):
7 ounces of chocolate
4 ounces of whole milk
2 scoops of chai powder
12 ounces of heavy cream whipped
8 egg yolks
1-1/4 cups of sugar
1/2 cups of egg whites

Churros:
Bring water, butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract to a boil. Stir in flour all at once. Cook until past comes together and pulls away from the pot. Place dough in a mixing bowl, using the paddle attachment, combine eggs slowly, one at a time. Use a pastry tip (#867 star), pipe four churros onto parchment paper. Drop into hot oil and cook until golden brown. Once finished roll in cinnamon and sugar.

Chocolate:
Bring milk & chai powder to a boil and pour over chocolate mixture, stir or mix to combine. Place sugar into saucepan with a bit of water until soft point. Place yolks in mixing bowl and whisk until doubled in volume - keep whisking, but slow down a bit - (whisk attachment) slowly pour sugar syrup into mixing egg yolks - continue this until the mixture is thick, pale and cool. Whisk whites until stiff peaks. Fold yolk/ sugar mixture into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the whipped cream and egg whites.

For more recipes, go to Page 2.

Camarones a la Veracruzana

Shrimp in a Spicy Tomato and Bell Pepper Broth with Roasted Chile Stuffed with Goat Cheese

Spicy Tomato & Bell Pepper Broth
2 cups Chicken Stock
1/2 white, Spanish onion, chopped
2 tomatoes, cored and chopped
1 fresh Serrano chile, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Stuffed Chiles
4 fresh Anaheim chiles
8 ounces soft goat cheese, crumbled (about 1 ½ cups)
2 ounces grated cotija cheese or grated Parmesan cheese (about 6 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 each of salt & freshly ground black pepper

Bell Pepper in Broth
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut lengthwise into thin julienne strips
1 small green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut lengthwise into thin julienne strips
1/2 white Spanish onion, finely chopped
1 cup Spicy Tomato & Bell Pepper Broth (see above)
1 cup Chicken Stock
2 to 3 tablespoons sherry-wine vinegar
1 to 2 tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Shrimp
20 jumbo shrimp (11 to 15 per pound), shelled and deveined, with tails left on
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Spicy Tomato and Bell Pepper Broth
In a small saucepan, combine the stock, onion, tomatoes, Serrano chile, garlic, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes. Pour into a blender and puree. Reserve 1 cup for this recipe, and store the remainder; tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week to use in soups and sauces.

Stuffed Chiles
Preheat the broiler. Place the Anaheim chiles on a baking sheet and broil about 4 inches from the heat, turning the chiles over occasionally, until evenly blackened on all sides, 15 to 20 minutes. Place the chiles in a paper or plastic bag, and seal. Let stand until cool enough to handle and the skins have loosened, about 15 minutes. Peel off the skins. Cut a slit from the top of each down the side. Remove the stem, seeds, and veins, leaving the chiles whole. Set them aside.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl, mash together with a fork the goat cheese, cotija, cilantro, salt and pepper. Spoon into 4 chiles, dividing equally. Place on a baking sheet and set aside.

Bell Pepper in Broth
In a large skillet, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the bell pepper strips and sauté until slightly softened, about 4 minutes. Add the chopped onion, the reserved 1 cup spicy tomato broth, and the stock. Continue to cook over medium heat until the pepper is softened and the liquid is slightly reduced, 5 to 10 minutes. Season with the vinegar, honey, salt and pepper, adjusting the vinegar and honey to taste, adding more if necessary. Stir in the chopped cilantro and keep warm.

Bake the stuffed chiles until heated through and the cheese is melted, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and cover with foil to keep warm.
Increase the over temperature to broil. Rub the shrimp with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange on a broiler 4 to 6 inches from the heat until the shrimp are pink and curled and cooked through, turning occasionally, about 4 minutes - be careful not to overcook.

To serve:
In the center of each 4 large, shallow soup bowls, using tongs, place a quarter of the bell peppers. Spoon the broth into the bowls around the peppers. Arrange 5 shrimp in each bowl around the peppers, and top the peppers with a stuffed chile. If desired, garnish the rim of the bowls with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce and Chive Oil.