The huauzontle experiment

My compromise to this blog is to have a new posting at least once a week so yesterday was definitely cooking time and I decided to make a total experiment. I invited some friends to have a fair judgment of the new invention and after a whole day in the sun they were more than happy to become my experimental bunnies. You have to admit that a big part of creating anything in life is for the pleasure of sharing. Moreover, culinary and other art creations come straight from the heart for the most part and the best pieces are a direct result of the extreme feelings of love, pain, suffering, happiness or any combination of thereof. This Sunday, I decided to make huauzontles. Exactly, I also had no clue where to even begin so I reached to my heart. With only a little bit of questioning the ladies in the market, a glass of Chardonnay, and good company here goes my creation:

Ingredients:

A handful of huauzontles (see foto)
5 chiles guajillo (dried)
3 chiles de arbol (dried)
1-2 chiles jalapeno (fresh)
1 medium garlic clove
5 ripe red tomatoes (or whole canned tomatoes)
1/3 cup chicken broth
100 gr. Oaxaca cheese
3 eggs
Canola oil

Preparation:

1. Wash hauzontle and separate the flowers from the thick stems. Boil huauzontle flowers in salty water till soft, around 15 minutes and rinse with cold water.

2. Burn chilies, garlic, and tomatoes on a flat pan (only if using fresh tomatoes). Boil all the burned ingredients in a pot for about 10 minutes adding salt and pepper for taste. I also added some red wine but it’s optional. I just add wine to anything I can :) Add to a mixer and mix into a sauce adding some chicken broth for consistency.

3. In a bowl, beat the whites of the eggs and add the yolks.

4. Form huauzontles into balls the size of your palm. Place thin stripes of Oaxaca cheese inside of the balls and cover with the egg mixture. On a non-stick pan, fry the balls in canola oil for about 5 minutes till the egg is lightly browned.

5. Serve hot with the sauce.

Saucy Note: A dear friend of mine once told me that the secret to any decent Mexican sauce is to combine at least three different types of chilies. I have tested this theory and I could not agree more so if you don’t have the exact chilies mentioned above, it’s ok. Use other types. My only advice is to use one type that is not spicy but gives flavor such as guajillo, pasilla etc. and two mid to very spicy such as chile de arbol, chile manzano, jalapeno, etc.

Huauzontle is a Mexican vegetable, that somewhat resembles broccoli although the stems and flowers are much thinner. Huauzontle is typically prepared in a manner similar to spinach or broccoli although I like the above method much better. Try it if you can find it :-)

So how did I score???  Just look at the end product and you tell me.