Spicy Mexican beef tortilla lasagne

Another great, easy and relatively quick Mexican dinner. 

This recipe is for a lasagne, but for the times when I don't have any tortilla sheets I just mix it all up together, sprinkle a bit of cheese on top and bake it like a casserole. All the flavours are there and it tastes awesome. 

2 cups cooked rice

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 chilli, sliced

400g rump steak, cut into small cubes

Beef stock (about ½ cup)

For the sauce:

2 cans chopped tomatoes

1 onion, diced

2 garlic clove, crushed

1 or 2 chillies, depending on how hot you like it

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Water

Grated cheese

Four large tortillas

Method:

Put all the salsa ingredients in a pan and bring to the boil, simmering for about 15 or 20 minutes – it should be thicker but still able to be poured.

To prepare the meat, mix it in with the onion, garlic and chilli in a bowl. Heat a little oil in a frypan and cook until the meat is browned. Stir in the rice and beef stock, seasoning with salt and pepper.

In a round casserole dish, layer the meat and tomato mixtures. I like to put a tortilla on the bottom, but you could start anywhere. Put a little meat mix on top of the first tortilla, then the tomato mix, then a little grated cheese, then repeat until it’s all gone.

Cook in a preheated 180C oven for about 20 minutes, until golden.

Chicken fajitas

While we’re on the Mexican train, fajitas are a close second to the Chicken and Rice Burritos in our house.

It’s pretty simple – for those new to cooking Mexican from scratch, some of the ingredients might sound a bit weird, but just go with it! 

Ingredients:

3 chicken breasts

Grated rind and juice of two limes

2 teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (skip this if you don’t want it too spicy)

2 tablespoons caster sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 onions, diced

3 capsicums of varying colour, sliced

Eight tortillas

To serve with:

Guacamole

Tomato, onion, basil salsa to serve

Sour cream

Method:

Slice the chicken breasts into strips

Mix up the lime, oregano, caster sugar, cayenne and cinnamon – put the chicken in here and mix well. Leave to marinate for half an hour.

If you’re planning to heat up the tortillas in the oven, preheat the oven now, and wrap the tortillas in foil. Pop them in when you start cooking the chicken. If you prefer to use the microwave, you can wit until the chicken mix is nearly done.

After the half an hour of marinating, heat a frypan with a little oil and cook the chicken for about five minutes, then add the onions and capsicums. Cook for another four or so minutes until chicken and veges are all cooked.

It’s ready to serve – the chicken mix in the tortillas with sour cream, guacamole and salsa – any combination of these, as simple or as complex as you like.

Burritos with chicken and rice

Mexican food is pretty much the latest fad everywhere we go. Hipster bars are popping up all over the country. And since I find forking out $12 for a taco to be a bit excessive (especially when my man could chow down quite a few) I got myself a good Mexican cookbook and starting making a few recipes up.

The first thing I realised is – Mexican food is awesome! It’s fresh, has heaps of herbs and spices, and can be prepared super fast.

This recipe is one that has quickly shot to the top of the favourites list.

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked rice

2 chicken breasts

1 onion, diced

1 garlic clove, diced

½ teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 capsicum, diced

12 mushrooms, chopped

8 tortillas

Optionals for serving: grated cheese, sour cream, mashed avocado

Method:

Put the chicken breasts in a saucepan of water, bring to the boil and simmer for about 10 minutes. Once cooked, lift it out of the pan and allow to cool on a plate.

Preheat the oven to 170C

Meanwhile, in a frypan, heat a little oil and add in the onion, cloves, garlic and oregano, frying for three minutes. Stir in the capsicum, mushrooms, rice and tinned tomatoes, and cook over a low heat for about 10 minutes.

Wrap the tortillas in foil, and place in the oven  for about five minute, or place in the microwave for about a minute to soften.

Shred the chicken using two forks, then add it into the mixture.

Spoon the mixture into the centre of each of the tortillas, folding both sides over the middle, ten folding over the remaining two sides to form a square-ish block. Use a toothpick to secure them in place. (NOTE: If you like things a bit cheesy, add a bit of grated cheese inside the tortillas and it’ll be all melty.)

Pop each of the tortillas on a tray as you make them and place them in the oven, keeping them warm.

Serve with the sour cream or avocado – also goes well with just a simple salad.

Tuna patties

These are a really good thing to make for lunches - I usually make them at the start of the week for my boyfriend, and then they last a few days for sandwiches or to go with salads. They can be frozen or they last in the fridge for a few days. 
This recipe makes about 12 decent sized patties.
 

Ingredients

2 potatoes

½ sweet potato

3 spring onions, chopped

½ cup frozen peas

1 tin tuna in springwater, drained of liquid

1 egg

¾ cup breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons milk

Good crack of pepper

Optional herbs.. parsley, basil, oregano etc… (although it tastes just as good without them!)

Method:

Preheat oven to about 180C. Lightly oil an oven tray.

Peel and chop the potato and sweet potato in similar sized chunks.

In a saucepan, boil the potatoes.  When it’s boiling, add the peas.

After about 10 minutes, test the potatoes – you want them to be soft, and easy to mash.

Strain the potatoes and peas. Mash in the saucepan, adding the milk and butter.

In a big bowl, place the spring onion, egg, tuna, breadcrumbs and any herbs and pepper. Add the mashed potatoes and stir well to combine. You may need to add a bit more liquid or breadcrumbs depending on the texture.

Roll the mixture into big flattened patties, and place on the oiled tray.

Bake for about 15 minutes, then turn them over and bake for another 10 or so until golden and crispy.