Celebrate Hispanic Heritage month with a loaded Molcajete Mixto
Today is the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month. From September 15 through October 15, we celebrate the rich history, culture and all the contributions our Hispanic ancestors introduced to America. I love this time of the year because it’s very festive and it includes Dia de la Raza on October 12.
Once Hispanic Heritage Month ends, we are well into the autumn and the celebration continues with Dia de Muertos and posadas. It’s just a very happy time of the year for us.
Related recipe: Torta Chilaquil
When a celebration is involved, so is food! With food comes stories, laughter and love. One of my favorite dishes to celebrate the beginning of Hispanic History Month is with a loaded Molcajete Mixto. It has beef, shrimp, chorizo (or longaniza), queso fresco, nopales, salsa, roasted jalapeños and green onions. Because we still have summer-like weather, it’s the perfect feast to enjoy outside. All the ingredients can be cooked on the grill outside or inside. It’s up to you.
The best part about this dish is the presentation. A pachanga in a bowl as I like to call it. Every one dig in! Wrap it up in warm corn tortillas and a disfrutar!
Ingredients
- 2 cactus paddles
- 10 green onions
- 10 ounces Mexican sausage, chorizo or longaniza, casing on, sliced in half
- ½ pound medium raw shrimp, peeled- tail on, rinsed
- ½ pound seasoned skirt steak (or fajita style meat), sliced in strips
- 5 ounces queso fresco, cut in large slices
- 1 cup green or red salsa, warmed
- Warm corn tortillas to serve with
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250° F. Place a large molcajete on a baking sheet. Place in oven to keep warm.
- Heat large comal or skillet over low-medium heat. Make a few slits on cactus paddles and place on skillet. Place green onions next to cactus paddles and cook until tender and a bit roasted, turning frequently with tongs. Set aside.
- Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Place longaniza (sausage or chorizo) on hot pan, turning frequently with tongs. Do not break casing. When longaniza renders its fat, place shrimp next to longaniza and fry until fully cooked. Remove from heat. Continue cooking longaniza for 5 minutes or until completely cooked. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Cook skirt steak (or fajita meat) until desired doneness. Set aside.
- Carefully remove hot molcajete from oven with oven mitts. Arrange cactus paddles over the edge of the molcajete, place cheese slices, longaniza, shrimp, steak and onions in molcajete. Pour over warm salsa in molcajete. Serve with warm corn tortillas.
