Having to play the host nation, Brazil, is probably a rather daunting thought, but I am sure the Mexican team will give it their best try. I liked the funny wrestling masks some of their supporters were sporting in their match against Cameroon, but I wonder if they will be quite so cheerful this time…

Many of you will know a lot more about Mexican food than I do, so you might not understand my excitement at the prospect of learning how to make a traditional Mexican dish like the frijoles charros. However, I have only recently been introduced to it by my friend Vero, who hails from Mexico City. It’s a spicy and hearty dish Vero and her mum prepared for me, containing the mainstays of Latin American cuisine: meat and pulses. Mexican food, obviously, is very spicy, but I have found out during my World Cup challenge that this is not the case for the food of the whole of the continent: both the Colombian arepas and the Costa Rican dish I will be serving soon are quite mild. 

The following dish was prepared for me by my friends who clearly tried to introduce me to the whole range of Mexican delights in one go:

Tequila & Co.

I was not convinced by the michelada, beer mixed with lime juice and served in a glass rimmed with salt. The tequilas, on the other hand, went down a treat!

 Frijoles Charros – Cowboy Beans (serves 6)

Frijoles charros

• 500g dry beans, such as pinto or borlotti, soaked overnight and boiled in the pressure cooker for 1 hour.  Alternatively, use
• 2 tins of pinto or borlotti beans, rinsed (ca. 800g)
• ½ medium sized onion, chopped
• 100g bacon, chopped
• 1 slices ham (the pink cooked one), cut into small chunks
• 250g fork fillet, cut into 1-2 cm small dices
• 2 tomatoes
• ¼ onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• dried chilli
• lemon juice
• fresh coriander/cilantro

In a medium-sized pan, cover the beans with water so they are well covered, around 1 cm above the beans.

In a second medium-sized saucepan, fry the bacon until golden. Remove some of the fat and add the ham. Once they are nicely browned, add the pork fillet and fry until nicely bworned. You might have to remove excess fat throughout the process, depending on your meats and your preferences!

In a blender, blend the tomatoes, the onion and the garlic; sieve it to get rid of the tomato seeds and add, together with the meat and the cooked beans. Season with chilli and lemon juice and serve with chopped coriander.

Guacamole

Guacamole

• 2 avocados, ripe and ready
• 1 big tomato or 2-3 smaller ones
• ¼ medium-sized onion, finely cut into small cubes.
• Cilantro, cut 1 tsp
• juice of ½ lemon
• salt

Mash the avocado using a fork before adding the rest of the ingredients. With the tomatoes you might want to add them towards the end so they keep their shape!

For the Quesadillas simply warm up corn tortillas on both sides; when you are warming up the second side you put grated cheese on one half of it; fold it over when melted and serve! Apparently the traditional method to warm up tortillas is to put them in a plastic bag in the microwave for 1 minute!

The quesadillas

The meal ended with this stunning cheese cake. I am still waiting for the recipe, though …

Cheesecake with Caramel – absolutely delicious!