Creating Mexican food for the Holidays with Las Palmas Sauces (part one)

Disclosure: I was invited to a dinner to try the Chef Creation with Las Palmas Sauces, however all opinions expressed are my own.

I was invited to Frida Mexican Cuisine to try some of the traditional Mexican recipes using Las Palmas Red Chile sauce. It was a night not only full of delicious food, desserts and drinks, but also learning some secrets to make Mexican food at home, in an easy way.

Chef Vicente Del Rio prepared for us some great dishes and I even got the recipes and I am going to share those with you. 

Nopalitos (Cactus Paddles)

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 6 cup of cactus paddles, cleaned, stripped of spines and finely chopped
• 1 medium onion, quartered
• 3 garlic cloves
• ½ tsp. of baking soda
• 6 jalapeños (or serranos), stemmed
• 1 (28oz.) can of LAS PALMAS® Red Chile Sauce    
• 3 tbsp. of vegetable oil
• ½ cup of cilantro, finely chopped
• ½ tbsp. of salt

Directions

1. Place chopped cactus paddles, onion, garlic and baking soda in a medium sauce pan, cover with water and cook over medium heat until tender (about 10 to 15 minutes). Drain, remove onion and garlic; set aside.
2. In a small sauce pan, cook jalapeños for about 5 minutes.
3. Puree cooked jalapeños or peppers with Red Chile Sauce; set aside.
4. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook pureed chile sauce for about 5 minutes.
5. Add chopped cactus paddles and cook over medium heat for 5 more minutes. Remove from heat, stir in cilantro and salt

Camarones a la Mexicana (Mexican-Style Shrimp)

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

• ¼ cup of vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp. of salt
• ½ tsp. of ground pepper
• 1 (28 oz.) can of LAS PALMAS® Red Chile Sauce   
• 2 tbsp. of butter
• 3 lbs. U16-20 black tiger shrimp
• ¾ cup of parsley, chopped

Directions

1. Heat oil in large sauce pan over medium high heat; add onion and garlic and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes.
2. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes.
3. Add bay leaves, salt, pepper and Red Chile Sauce; cover and cook over a low heat for 5 minutes.
4. n another skillet, melt butter and lightly sauté the shrimp, stirring constantly, no more than 2 minutes.
5. Add shrimp to the sauce; simmer over low heat for 3 minutes until shrimp are just pink.
6. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve immediately.

Lomo de Cerdo en Salsa (Pork Loin in Salsa)

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 pork loin, about 3 lbs. 
• ¼ cup of olive oil 
• 1 tsp. of salt
• ¼ tsp. of freshly ground pepper 
• ½ tsp. of dried oregano
• 2 tbsp. of all purpose (plain) flour
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 3 cups of white wine
• cups of chicken stock
• 2 cans (10oz.) LAS PALMAS® Red Chile Sauce

Directions

1. Remove as much fat from the pork as possible. Rub with the oil, salt, pepper and oregano.
2. Sprinkle the entire surface of the meat with the flour, pressing with your hands to make it stick.
3. Place the sliced onion on top of the pork, cover and refrigerate overnight.
4. Preheat the oven to 400F.
5. Place the pork loin in a baking pan and roast, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes or until the surface is lightly browned. Add the stock and wine mixture, cover the pan and lower the oven to 325F. Roast for 1.1/2 – 2 hours or until the meat is tender.
6. Transfer the port to a platter. Strain the pan juices onto a heatproof bowl. Rinse out the pan 1/4 cup of water and strain into the bowl.
7. In a saucepan heat a tablespoon of olive oil and add the 2 cans of Red Chile Sauce. Add the pan juices and cook for 5 minutes. As soon as the mixture begins to simmer, remove from the heat. Correct the seasonings.
8. Before serving, slice the pork loin and cover with the sauce. 

About Frida Mexican Cuisine

Frida has several locations in Los Angeles. I had never been at the restaurant and now I am sure my family and I will be visiting soon again. The service was great, the music and environment were relaxing and inviting and of course the food and drinks were awesome.

Frida Mexican Cuisine (Westwood)
10853 Lindbrook Dr
Los Angeles, CA 90024
Lunch (daily until 4 p.m.) and Dinner (nightly):
Sunday 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Monday - Thursday 11:00 a.m to 10:00 p.m.

Do not miss our second post soon with more recipes using Las Palmas Sauce