If you’ve ever been to Mexico, then you will for sure know what we’re talking about when we say “there is nothing like a fresh, home-made tortilla hot of the grill.

At Guadalajara Grill Tucson, we make our own fresh corn and flour tortillas.  Sure, it takes a little longer, but so does everything else we do.  We only use the freshest and finest ingredients in our dishes, so why would we cut corners and use store-bought tortillas? 

If you love fresh corn or flour tortillas as much as we do, we invite you to stop by and watch them being made the next time your hungry. 

To learn more about tortillas, where they come from, how they are made, and some delicious recipes and tips for cooking with them at home, we hope you’ll join us here on our blog and share your comments and experiences with us all. 

When you come to Guadalajara Grill Tucson and join us for our Culinary Tour of Mexico, you are always going to be in for a surprise.  There are just so many incredible hidden gems among the diverse dishes that make up Mexico’s rich culinary tradition, and we could never possibly hope to do them all justice.  But this dish is truly special.

Mexican food in Tucson does not need to be predictable, and Pipian Verde is one dish that definitely proves that point.  It is one of the  the most incredible and unimaginably complex yet simple Mexican sauces you could ever find. So, how can something be simple and complex at the same time? It all depends on how you look at it.  Come join us.  Taste it for yourself. Then try it at home!

Pipian is a simple mole that emphasizes the nuts or seeds that are blended in to thicken the sauce. Green pipian offers fresh oven roasted and tangy green chiles, onions and tomatillos and bright fresh greens and herbs to counterbalance the richness of the fish. This sauce also makes a good vegetarian dish; chayotes, pototoes, eggplant would all be a suitable replacement for the fish.  Chicken or pork also work well with this versatile sauce.

Main Ingredients:

•  8 whitefish fillets (we used sea bass)
• 2 Mexican or Zucchini squash
• Salt, pepper, butter or oil
• Queso fresco or Manchego cheese

For the Nut & Seed Mixture:

•  2 oz. unsalted sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup unsalted roasted almonds
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 jar sesame seeds
• 1 corn tortilla
• Cloves, salt, pepper

For the Fresh Greens Mixture:

• 1 bunch of Cilantro
• 1 Bunch of Romaine Lettuce

For the Tangy Mixture:

• 5 Tomatilllo green tomatoes
• 3 Poblano Chiles
• 3 Serrano Chiles
• 1 Onion
• 1 clove of garlic

Preparation:

• In a hot lightly oiled frying pan, toast the Nut & Seed Mixture. Do not burn!  Food process to into a powder, leaving some small pieces for texture.
•  Blend the Fresh Greens to a liquid
•  Cut into pieces and toss the ingredients in the “Tangy” mixture in oil, and broil in an oven dish until the skin of the chiles begins to crack.  Remove and deskin the chiles.  Blend the ingredients to liquid
• Fold the 3 separate mixtures together in a sauce pan, and simmer on low heat
• Pan fry the fish in butter, salt and pepper to taste, 5 minutes on each side or until they flake easily.  Add in the diced squash in the last 3 minutes
• Serve the fish on a bed of the diced squash.  Ladle the Pipian Verde sauce over the fish generously.
• Accompany with White Rice, Black Beans & Salad garnish
• Serves: 6

Hidalgo is a state with a wide variety of climates and terrain, and has also been home to many different peoples like the indigenous Otomi people, Spanish colonials, and English miners.  All of these differences have melded into a unique style of Hidalgo Mexican food.

The natives of Hidalgo were excellent hunters and farmers.  The people in the mountains gathered wild mushrooms and the greens for their cooking.  Today, an enormous ¼ of all green chilis come from Hidalgo.  When the Europeans arrived, they brought with them the sheep, cattle, and pigs that would become staple ingredients in Hidalgo’s dishes.

Try out this recipe for to see why Hidalgo style means a great tasting authentic Mexican experience!

Chuletas de Puerco Tuleñas en Rajas y Elote

Ingredients: 

• 6  Pork chops, bone in
• 6-8  Ears of yellow corn, kernels stripped from the cob
• 5  Poblano Chiles
• 4  Tomatoes
• 3  Cloves Garlic
• 1  Onion
• Fresh-squeezed juice of 3 large Oranges
• Oil or butter
• Salt and Pepper to Taste

 Preparation:

• Marinate the pork chops in the orange juice, salt and pepper for several hours in a bowl or bag. Place in an oven dish, and bake for 30 minutes at 400º
• Slice and de-seed the Chiles, and sautee.
• Dice the tomatoes, onions and garlic
• Heat the oil or butter in a sauce pan, and add the onion, tomato, chiles, corn and garlic and cook 8-10 minutes
• Add in the pork chops and remaining orange juice reduction, stirring all ingredients together, and cook another 8-10 minutes. Add water as necessary.
• Serve chops covered in the sauce, with white rice and black beans

       Serves: 6

This is what you will enjoy:  Thick-cut bone-in pork chop, marinated in a mix of fresh squeezed orange juice, mild red chile powder and seasonings, then sauteed to juicy tenderness in this sauce along with corn, chiles, garlic and onions. Served with white rice and black beans and your choice of fresh flour or corn tortillas.

Calabacitas Olmecas are Olmeca-style Zucchini squash stuffed with Shrimp. The Olmecas were a native people of Tlaxcala over 1,000 years ago, and were a close relative of the Mayans.  Among the first tribes to inhabit Tlaxcala, they built a large and important city at Cacaxtla, near present day Tlaxcala.  This is Mexican Food in Tucson at its most original and authentic best.

This flavorful shrimp dish will make a great impression on any occasion.

Ingredients 

• 1 cup of cooked yellow corn 12 small or 6 large zucchini squash (depending on what is available where you shop)
• 4 Tomatoes (baked or slow cooked in a frying pan to soften)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 bunch of cilantro
• 1 large onion, 1/2 finely diced
• 1 lb small shrimp
• 2 Chiles Serranos or Jalapenos
• 1 cup of Queso Fresco
• 4 Chiles Poblanos (cooked, cleaned, and cut into strips)
• Salt and Pepper
• Oil, Butter or Margarine

Directions:

• Blanche the zucchini for several minutes in hot water, just below a boil, or Microwave for 2-3 minutes, to partially cook and soften.
• Without breaking their outer shell, slice the top 1/4 lengthwise off the zucchini, and carefully scoop out the inside with a teaspoon, leaving enough thickness in the outer walls and shell to retain structure. Place in a baking dish.
• Using a blender or food processor, prepare the salsa by pureeing the garlic, 1/2 non-diced onion, cilantro, chiles serrano and cooked tomatoes. Set aside.
• In a sauce pan, heat the oil or butter and add the diced onion and shrimp, and allow to cook 5 minutes.
• Add 1/2 cup of the salsa to the shrimp, and cook another 5 minutes on medium heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Fill the zucchini squash with the shrimp and salsa mixture, sprinkle the top generously with queso fresco, then lay the strips of Chile Poblano on top of the cheese.
• Place in oven at 400 degrees 3-5 minutes or until the cheese has turned a golden brown.
• Remove from the oven, and decorate each piece by sprinkling yellow corn kernels on top.
• Serve 2 small, or 1 large stuffed zucchini per guest, accompanied by with white beans and rice or the sides of your choice.