A Man to Remember (25 page)

Pargo a la Veracruzana

Red Snapper Veracruz-style

1 ½ lbs. red snapper

¼ c. vegetable oil

½ c. flour

½ tsp. salt

2 large tomatoes, cubed

2 stalks celery, sliced

1 red bell pepper, cut into rings

1 green bell pepper, cut into rings

1 medium jar salsa of choice

Coat fish in flour and salt mixture. Heat oil in a large frying pan, add fish, and brown on both sides. Reduce heat to medium low and add celery, tomatoes, peppers and the jar of salsa. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. Serve over rice. This makes a beautiful presentation and is utterly delicious!

Tacos de Atún

Tuna Tacos

Corn tortillas (as many as needed)

1 can water-packed tuna (or any cooked fish or grilled shrimp)

1 medium potato, cooked and peeled

Queso fresco or shredded Mexican cheese

2 green onions, finely chopped

pimento-stuffed Spanish olives, finely sliced (your choice of amount)

shredded lettuce

taco sauce (see next recipe)

Break up potatoes, leave lumpy, and add to canned tuna with a little of the water for moisture. Toss in onions and olives. Soften corn tortillas in oil warmed to medium heat. Prepare one taco at a time as follows:

Put about 2 Tablespoons of tuna mixture into a softened corn tortilla, roll it up like a cylinder, and secure it with a toothpick. When all the tacos have been filled this way, increase the heat in the skillet and quickly fry your tacos. Serve with shredded lettuce, cheese and taco sauce.

Taco Sauce

1 large can whole tomatoes

½ onion, minced

4 dried chiltepines chiles

½ tsp. garlic, finely chopped

½ tsp. oregano

salt to taste

The oregano makes this sauce special. Here's where the fun starts: Hand crush tomatoes into small bits. Mix all spices into the tomatoes. Rub the oregano between your palms and crush the dried peppers between your fingers as you drop them in. (Be careful not to touch your body until you have thoroughly washed your hands. Some people use rubber gloves or a piece of plastic wrap or even a paper towel between their fingers to crush the chiles. It's the oil in the chile that causes the heat, and that oil is soluble, so rub a bit of olive oil between your fingers, then wash your hands with soapy water) When all ingredients have been mixed well, salsa's ready!

Recipes from CORAZON CONTENTO, Sonoran Recipes and Stories from the Heart by Madeline Gallego Thorpe and Mary Tate Engels. Print book available from www.Amazon.com . Enjoy an authentic Sonoran Mexican experience!

Mary Tate Engels is the author of more than 33 romance/women's fiction novels and two non-fiction southwest history books. She has three sons, two granddaughters, has raised a wolf in her back yard, and has adopted two black cats for good luck.

Discover her stories at
http://www.marytateengels.com
or at her Amazon site,
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_9?url=search-alias=digital-text&field-keywords=mary+tate+engels&sprefix=Mary+tate,null,330