Dig In, Buffalo! Recipes for a Mexican-inspired feast

He starts with an agua fresca, a non-alcoholic Mexican drink and Casa Azul favorite, then mixes up another classic: the margarita. Both mocktail and cocktail are infused with house-made hibiscus orange syrup for a punch of unforgettable flavor. 

Hibiscus orange syrup

• 1 cup hibiscus flowers (tea)
• 4 cups water
• 1 orange, juiced

Preparation | In a pot, combine hibiscus flowers and water and bring to a boil. Once water starts boiling, turn off heat and cover pot. Let sit for 30 minutes.

In a blender, combine hibiscus water and flowers, orange juice and sugar. Blend until it becomes a smooth puree consistency.

Hibiscus orange agua fresca

• 3 oz. hibiscus syrup (recipe above)
• 3 tbsp. sugar
• .75 oz. fresh lime juice
• 2 oz. soda water

Preparation | Add hibiscus puree and lime juice to a shaker with ice. Shake vigorously. Add soda water and pour into Collins glass.

Hibiscus orange margarita

• 1.25 oz. blanco tequila
• .75 oz. anejo tequila
• 1 oz. triple sec
• 1.5 oz. hibiscus orange syrup
• .75 oz. fresh lime juice
• Salt for garnish, if desired

Preparation | Add all ingredients to a shaker with ice. Shake vigorously. Salt rim if desired. Double strain into rocks glass over fresh ice. 

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“Pepitas are in a ton of Mexican recipes and dishes,” says Zina.

Before you go and grab your own apron, here are a few more tips to keep in mind.

One and done. You’ll start by charring your garlic on the stove. But don’t throw that pan in the sink just yet. Zina uses the same one to cook her veggies. “It’s already nice and seasoned with that garlic flavor,” she says. 

The char is important. Don’t pull your veggies off the heat too soon. The color you’ll get amps up the flavor. “Just like the garlic, you want to uncomfortably char the vegetables.”

Charred Caesar veggies

Dressing | Makes 1½ quarts

• 12 cloves garlic
• 24 anchovies
• 7 tbsp. lime juice
• 7 tbsp. Worcestershire
• 4 tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 4 egg yolks
• 3 cups extra-virgin olive oil

Charred vegetables

• 1 cup cauliflower florets
• 1 cup Brussels sprouts, halved
• 4 tbsp. charred Caesar dressing
• 1 tbsp. cotija cheese
• 2 oz. candied pumpkin seed

Preparation | Dressing | Char peeled garlic cloves in a large cast-iron skillet in light oil until burnt on all surfaces. Remove from skillet.

Combine all ingredients, except the oil, in Vitamix or blender on low-to-medium speed until smooth. Feed in olive oil slowly to emulsify. If needed, add small amount of ice water so dressing doesn’t get hot and break.

“The salad dressing pretty much tells you when it's done," says Zina. "It will stop spinning in the blender but it will be well emulsified and a nice, well-incorporated dressing.”

Preparation | Veggies | Heat the same cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Once very hot, add cauliflower and sprouts. Cook in dry pan for 2 minutes, then add 2 tbsp. of the dressing and stir until vegetables are all evenly coated.

Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until vegetables have developed a nice, even char and are cooked all the way through.

Plate on top of dressing, and garnish with cotija and pumpkin seed.

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Before you start prepping, here are a few tips to make sure you nail the base of the dish: the tortillas. 

Get your hands in it. Ingredient wise, there’s not much that goes into the dough, but your mixing method is key. “The best way to do this is with your hands so you can feel the texture,” says Zina. 

Know your dough. Your mixture is adequately formed when you can roll the dough into flattened disks with minimal cracking. 

On the heat. Gently place the pressed dough onto the pan underhand. This helps avoid those pesky air bubbles.

Don’t rush the process. When you start to see a little coloring, that’s your cue to get your finished tortillas off the heat. 

Chicken & cheese enfrijoladas

Black bean sauce

• 1 cup black beans, with cooking liquid
• 1 tbsp. herb salsa
• Small pinch epazote
• Salt

Confit chicken

• Chicken thighs, bone in and skin on
• 10 cloves garlic
• 3 thyme sprigs
• 2 bay leaves
• Canola oil
• Aluminum foil

Homemade tortillas | makes 8

• 2 cups Maseca instant corn masa flour
• 1 tbsp. salt
• 1 tbsp. Oil
• 1½ cups warm water

Enfrijoladas

• Homemade tortillas
• Chihuahua cheese
• Confit chicken
• Black bean sauce
• Scallion, sliced
• 1/8 cup cilantro leaves
• 1 jalapeno, sliced
• ½ tsp. toasted sesame seeds

Preparation | Confit chicken | Preheat oven to 300 F. Pat chicken thighs dry and sprinkle with salt. Place in deep baking dish, skin side up, and add all remaining ingredients. Cover with oil so all the chicken is completely submerged. Cover tightly with foil and bake in the oven for 4 hours. Carefully remove thighs from from oil and let cool. Remove skin (either save to make chicharron or throw away) and shred chicken.

Preparation | Black bean sauce | Blend all ingredients in blender on medium-to-high speed, adding water if needed to get silky smooth consistency desired.

Preparation | Tortillas | Mix Maseca and salt together in a large bowl. Combine oil to water, then slowly add to the Maseca while mixing with your hand. The dough should be consistency of Play-Doh. Cover with moist towel and let sit for 15 minutes before pressing.

Preparation | Enfrijoladas | Stuff fresh tortillas with chicken and cheese. Heat black bean sauce in pot, and once hot, smother stuffed tortillas in sauce generously. Garnish dish with scallions, cilantro, jalapeno and sesame seeds.

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Through trial and error (and lots of taste testing), Zina’s churro recipe is now a staple on the menu and, lucky for us, she’s letting us in on it. 

“There’s something really comforting about fried dough,” says Zina. “I think every ethnicity or style of cooking has a fried dough dessert and that's because it’s universally loved across the world.”

Before you get your oil going, here are a few tips to nail your first batch. 

Work the dough. When you’re incorporating the flour, Zina says to keep on mixing until your arm is nice and sore. 

Don’t forgo your measuring tools. “Because it’s a batter, it is pretty specific to the amount of ingredients you’re putting in,” says Zina. “Baking is a pretty exact science.”

The final product doesn’t have to be perfect. They’re more authentic and fun when you let the dough for each churro do its own thing! 

Casa churros

• 666 grams coconut milk
• 13 grams salt
• 20 grams sugar
• 90 grams olive oil
• 2 dash vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp. orange zest
• 367 grams flour
• 420 grams eggs
• Neutral oil
• Cinnamon
• Sugar

Preparation | In a medium pot, combine coconut milk, salt, sugar, olive oil, vanilla and orange zest. Over medium heat, stir until butter has completely melted.

As soon as the milk mixture starts to boil, reduce to lowest heat possible and add flour all at once. Stir or beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until flour is completely incorporated and a nice pate choux dough is formed, about 5 minutes – turning off the heat halfway through. Transfer dough into a Kitchen Aid mixing bowl, and let dough cool until room temperature. 

Using the paddle attachment, start mixing the dough on medium-high speed, adding the eggs slowly until completely incorporated. Transfer finished dough to plastic piping bag with star tip. Mix cinnamon and sugar together on a plate or baking sheet.

Heat oil to at 325 F. Pipe churros into the oil and fry until golden brown on both sides and inside cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from the pot or deep fryer, letting excess oil drip off, and toss immediately in cinnamon sugar. Keep dough refrigerated when not using.

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