By Christine Salins.
Like many expats, Rosa Cienfuegos began cooking the food of her childhood because she couldn’t find it in her new home. Cienfuegos was born in Mexico City and lived there for the first 25 years of her life, before moving to Sydney where she began working alongside her father, a chef.
She loved everything about Sydney but found that one thing was missing – her beloved Mexican food. “I started to crave the flavours and dishes of my homeland,” she says in the introduction to Comida Mexicana, published by Smith Street Books, RRP$45.
Today, she owns and runs Australia’s first tamaleria, making fresh tamales and other Mexican street food, and offering a range of authentic Mexican dishes and products. In this she has found her niche, sharing recipes, food experiences and helping people find or replace ingredients so that they too can create authentic Mexican food.
Comida Mexicana is an extension of this, presenting readers with the recipes that are dear to her heart, recipes given to her by her father, and the most popular dishes from her tamaleria – recipes that she says are “full of love”. Some have been passed down through the generations: she recalls travelling through Mexico as a child, visiting family and friends from who she learned about regional food and centuries-old dishes that were still made using traditional cooking techniques and equipment.
The recipe for Tuna empanadas here comes from her mum. In Mexico, freshly made empanadas are sold at panaderias (bakeries) morning, noon and night. The Chipotle salsa recipe is very simple make and goes well with tacos, as a marinade for meats or as a base for more complex dishes.
Tuna Empanadas
Makes 20
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 white onion, diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
500 g tinned tuna, drained
350 ml salsa de chipotle (recipe below)
Pinch dried oregano
5 sheets frozen puff pastry, just thawed
2 free-range eggs, lightly beaten
guacamole (recipe below), to serve
Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Throw in the onion and garlic and cook for 3 minutes.
Add the tuna and stir for 1 minute. Add the salsa de chipotle and continue to cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until heated through. Stir through the oregano, then remove the pan from the heat, cover and set aside for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
Drain the tuna mixture to remove the excess liquid (we need it to be as dry as possible).
Cut each pastry sheet into four 12 cm circles, then divide the tuna mixture evenly among the pastry circles.
Fold the pastry in half over the filling, brushing the edges with the beaten egg to help them stick. Use a fork to crimp and secure the pastry edges, then brush the tops with beaten egg.
Transfer the empanadas to the prepared baking tray and bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden and crisp.
Chipotle Salsa
Makes about 750 ml
200 g dried chipotle chillies
4 tomatoes, roughly chopped
½ white onion, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove
1 teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Place the chipotle chillies and 500 ml (2 cups) water in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Boil for 5 minutes or until soft, then remove from the heat and set aside to cool a little.
Place the chipotle chillies and their cooking water in a blender with the tomato, onion, garlic and salt. Blend until you have a smooth, runny salsa.
Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat, add the salsa and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Transfer the salsa to a bowl and set aside to cool.
Store the salsa in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Guacamole
Makes 500 g
5 ripe avocados (the bigger the better)
15 g table salt
3 green chillies, such as jalapeno, serrano or cayenne, finely chopped
100 g coriander leaves, finely chopped
3 limes, juiced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Gently mash the avocado in a bowl and stir through the remaining ingredients.
Recipes extracted from Comida Mexicana by Rosa Cienfuegos, published by Smith Street Books, RRP$45. Photography © Alicia Taylor, Food Stylist © Deborah Kaloper
