comfort food WITH AN ACCENT

Add a touch of Southwest flavor to your everyday menus with these recipes and tips.

It's so easy to make Mexican food at home," says Melissa Guerra, cookbook author and star of the PBS show The Texas Provincial Kitchen. She shared some favorite recipes and tips with us at her family's ranch near McAllen, Texas. Despite a hectic schedule, Melissa cooks daily for her husband, Enrique ("Kiko"), and children Henry, Diego, and Lorenzo.

To fit with her busy lifestyle, Melissa chooses dishes that are doable and delicious. "Mexican food is very simple and real," she says, "and it doesn't require too many canned or processed products. Most of the produce is fresh and cooked up right away." Grilling and stewing-techniques that most Southerners use regularly-are the two basic cooking methods, she explains.

On special occasions, she'll whip up Tres Leches Cake, a fabulous concoction moistened with a mixture of sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and whipping cream. The dessert is a handsdown favorite.

Try this easy, flavorful menu from Melissa for a taste of just how terrific Mexican home cooking can be.

To purchase ingredients, utensils, or her books, visit www.melissaguerra.com.

Traditional Frijoles

MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS (ABOUT 6 CUPS)

PREP: 15 MIN., COOK: 3 HRS.

This tasty, inexpensive recipe goes together in a flash but requires long, slow cooking.

8 cups water

1 lb. dried pinto beans, rinsed, drained, and sorted

4 oz. salt pork

1 medium onion, chopped

1 large tomato, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

½ tsp. pepper

1¼ tsp. salt, divided

1 serrano chile (optional)

1. Bring first 8 ingredients, ¼ tsp. salt, and, if desired, serrano chile to a boil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, over medium-low heat 3 hours or until beans are tender. Stir in remaining 1 tsp. salt. Remove and discard salt pork and chile before serving.

Refritos: Cook 4 cups Traditional Frijoles in 1 Tbsp. hot vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Reduce heat, and mash beans with a potato masher as they cook, adding water if necessary to keep moist. Simmer, stirring often, 10 minutes. Prep: 5 min., Cook: 10 min. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Pan-Seared Skirt Steak With Poblano Chiles and Onions

MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS

PREP: 25 MIN., BROIL: 10 MIN., STAND: 15

MIN., CHILL: 20 MIN., COOK: 35 MIN.

This popular dish is similar tofajitas. Purchase bitter orange juice marinade in the Mexican food section of supermarkets.

3 poblano chiles

2 lb. skirt or flank steak

2 cups bitter orange juice marinade or apple cider vinegar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cracked black pepper

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 medium-size red onion, sliced

1 white onion, sliced

2 carrots, sliced

1. Broil chiles on an aluminum foillined baking sheet 5 inches from heat 5 minutes on each side or until chiles look blistered.

2. Place chiles in a zip-top plastic freezer bag; seal and let stand 15 minutes to loosen skins. Peel chiles; remove and discard seeds. Cut chiles into thin slices, and set aside.

3. Cut steak into 4 to 6 pieces, and place the steak in an 11 - x7-inch baking dish. Pour bitter orange juice marinade over steak, and sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper. Cover and chill 20 minutes.

4. Drain steak, discarding marinade. Heat a cast-iron skillet over mediumhigh heat 3 minutes; add oil. Cook steak pieces, in batches, 5 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer inserted in steak reads 135° or to desired degree of doneness. Remove to a serving plate, and keep warm.

5. Add onions, carrots, and chiles to skillet; cook, stirring often, 10 minutes or until onions are brown. Cut steak pieces diagonally across the grain into thin strips. Spoon vegetables over steak; serve immediately.

Note: For testing purposes only, we used Goya Bitter Orange Marinade.

Horchata

MAKES 2 QT.

PREP: 10 MIN., COOK: 30 MIN.

This cool, rice-infused drink is a Mexican staple, served at breakfast and as a thirst quencher on hot afternoons. It is sometimes made with milk rather than water.

2 qt. water

½ cup uncooked long-grain white rice

2 Mexican cinnamon sticks*

1 cup sugar

1. Bring 2 qt. water and next 2 ingredients to a boil in a 3 ½-qt. saucepan over medium heat; cook 25 minutes or until rice is tender. Let cool to room temperature. Remove cinnamon sticks.

2. Puree rice mixture, in batches, in a blender until smooth. Pour mixture into a pitcher; stir in sugar and enough water to equal 2 qt. Chill; serve over ice.

* Regular cinnamon sticks maybe substituted.

Tres Leches Cake

MAKES 16 SERVINGS

PREP: 25 MIN.; BAKE: 25 MIN.; STAND: 2 HRS., 10 MIN.

This exceptional dessert takes a little extra effort, but it's worth it. The combination of texturestender cake, fluffy frosting, and a pool of creamy sauce-will delight your family and friends. If you don't have a double boiler to make the frosting, place a metal mixing bowl over a saucepan instead.

7 large eggs, separated

½ cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2½ cups all-purpose flour