Mexico Huauzontles
A savory dish of vegetables in tomato sauce, huauzontle is a Mexican vegetable similar to broccoli. It is pre-Hispanic, like tomatoes, but unlike them, huauzontle did not impress Europeans and was not adopted. However, it is thought to have many nutritional and health benefits. Huauzontle has largely been replaced by European greens such as lettuce and spinach, but it still survives in a few traditional dishes.
Recipe Servings: 4–6
Prep Time
1 hour
Cook Time
1 hour 25 minutes
Total Time
2 hours 25 minutes
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Kosher
Halal
Ingredients
Tomato Sauce:- 3 lbs (1.4 kg) tomatoes
- Water, for boiling
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ onion, diced
- 2 cups (475 ml) chicken broth
- Oil, for cooking
- 2 stems epazote
- Salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
- Water, for boiling
- 1 lb (450 g) huauzontles
- 5 eggs, yolks and whites separated
- Salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
- ½ lb queso panela (or queso fresco, fresh mozzarella, or Monterey Jack)
- 1 cup (240 ml) flour
- Oil, for frying
Directions
- Add the tomatoes to a large pot, add enough water to cover, and boil until tomatoes are fully cooked and tender.
- In a comal (tortilla griddle) or small pan, roast the garlic, unpeeled, until blackened.
- Peel the tomatoes and the garlic. Combine them with the onion and some of the chicken broth and mash to create a chunky sauce.
- In a large pot, heat the oil. Add the tomato sauce and the epazote and bring to a boil.
- Add the remaining chicken broth and cook for about 25 minutes. Remove epazote stems.
- Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add the huauzontles to cook for about 15 minutes, until tender.
- Remove the huauzontles from the pot and set aside.
- Beat the egg whites into soft peaks, and then beat the yolks separately. Combine the egg whites with the egg yolks and add some salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Separate the huauzontles into portions and place a piece of cheese about 3 inches (7 cm) long and ½ inch (1 cm) wide in each portion.
- Put some flour on a plate. Flour each huauzontle portion and then dip into the egg mixture.
- Add oil to a wide pan and fry the huauzontle portions over medium-high heat.
- Serve huauzontles with tomato sauce.
- Hot tortillas and beans are good options on the side. You can also sprinkle the huauzontles with grated cheese.
Tomato Sauce:
Huauzontles:
Serving:
Notes
Huauzontle can be added to salads. Also, they can be part of a torta (sandwich) with cheese and caldillo de jitomate (tomato sauce) or a filete de res al huauzontle (a side dish to accompany a steak).
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