Category: Books

Mexico’s Home-Made Hash: Deliciously Spicy Picadillo for Your Winter Table

Originally published in June 2013, this recipe for really scrumptious picadillo (pee-cah-DEE-yoh) looks complicated but is really very simple. It makes enough for about six generous servings when paired with steamed white rice. It's a delicious addition to your winter recipe rotation.

Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz (1915-2003), a proper British woman married to Mexican diplomat César Ortiz Tinoco, learned Mexican cuisine in Mexico City, her husband's home town. She published her wonderful The Complete Book of Mexican Cooking in 1967, which introduced the English-speaking world to some of the regional cuisines of Mexico. I've cooked from this ever more raggedy, taped-together, yellowing, food-stained, still-magical paperback edition since the middle 1970s, starting years before I moved to Mexico. The first truly Mexican recipe I ever prepared was picadillo, from Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz's book. It's Mexico's traditional home-style hash.

The ingredients for picadillo are available in almost any supermarket. Starting with the bowl of ground beef and pork at lower left in the photograph and moving clockwise, you see the raw meat, Mexican cinnamon sticks, bright orange carrots all but hidden in the dish, chiles serrano, Roma tomatoes, white potatoes, a Red Delicious apple, raisins and dried cranberries, freshly dried hoja de laurel (bay leaves), a whole white onion, and, in the little dish in the right-center foreground, freshly dried Mexican oregano. I dried the bay leaves and the oregano myself, but you can make substitutions: use ground cinnamon rather than the cinnamon sticks, store-bought bay leaves, and the oregano you normally use instead of the Mexican type; the rest of the ingredients are commonplace.

Minced chile serrano and diced white onion.

Hash of all kinds is one of the most comfortable of comfort foods, and the hash called picadillo (the word means 'a little something chopped-up') is simply Mexico's slightly more rambunctious cousin. This picadillo recipe is always forgiving, always flexible. Prepare it with ground beef, ground pork, or a combination of the two meats. Use more potatoes, fewer carrots, an extra tomato (or two, if the ones you have are quite small). Don't care for olives? Leave them out. But by all means do try picadillo: it's a far cry from your mother's canned corned beef hash.

More ready-to-cook raw ingredients, left to right: diced tomatoes; peeled, diced apple; peeled, diced carrots. For size comparison's sake, the knife blade is 10.5" long.

Ingredients
1 kilo (2.2 lbs) ground pork, ground beef, or a combination of the two
3 large, ripe Roma tomatoes, diced
3 fresh chiles serrano, minced (Use less chile if your tolerance for picante (spiciness) is low.)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium-large white onion, peeled and diced
4 medium carrots, peeled and diced
1 or 2 large Red Delicious apples OR 1 or 2 large, ripe Bartlett pears OR one of each, peeled and diced
4 medium white potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup large green olives, with or without pimento, sliced
3/4 cup raisins, a combination of yellow and dark
1 tsp dried oregano, Mexican if you have it
3 large bay leaves
2" piece of Mexican cinnamon stick OR big pinch of ground cinnamon
1 dried clove, pulverized
Freshly rendered pork lard OR vegetable oil, as needed
Sea salt to taste
Beef, chicken, or pork stock, or water, as needed

Sliced large green pimento-stuffed olives. Each of these olives measures a bit more than one inch long prior to slicing. Slice them in thirds or quarters.

Equipment
A large pot with a cover. I use a 4-quart enameled casserole.
Cutting board
Sharp knife
Large wooden spoon

Preparation
Heat 3 Tbsp lard or vegetable oil in your cooking pot until it shimmers. Add the onion and chile and sauté over medium fire until the onion is translucent. Add the ground meat and continue to sauté over medium fire until the meat is no longer pink. Break the meat into bite-size chunks as it sautés. Add the rest of the ingredients.

After sautéeing the onion, chile, and meat, add the rest of the solid ingredients to the pot and stir to incorporate them all. Then add stock or water; the liquid should come to about 1/3 of the way up from the bottom of the pot. Enlarge any photo for a bigger view; you'll be able to see that I used a combination of raisins and dried cranberries. I had about a quarter cup of dried cranberries on hand; a neighbor loaned me the raisins to make up the difference in measurement. The section at the bottom of the photo is blurred due to rising steam.

Cover the pot, leaving the cover just slightly ajar. Lower the heat to its lowest. Set your kitchen timer for 30 minutes and go do something else! When the timer rings, check the pot for liquid. If the picadillo has absorbed most of the original liquid, add the same amount again. With the cover ajar, continue to cook over a very low flame for another 30 minutes and correct for salt. Voilá! It's picadillo, ready to serve!

Picadillo, ready to serve after an hour's cooking. This amount of picadillo will serve 6 to 8 hungry people when served over steamed white rice or Mexican red rice. I like to prepare the picadillo recipe, serve it as our main meal, and save the rest to re-heat and serve the next day. If anything, it is even better after a night's rest–but then, aren't we all? After the second day, whatever picadillo is left freezes beautifully.

Delicious, spicy picadillo, served over rice. You and your family will love this traditional Mexican meal. By all means let me know how it goes over at your house. A huge thank you to Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz.

Provecho! (Good eating!)

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15 de February de 2014
Passion and Metamorphosis: Travis Whitehead, Artisans of Michoacán

Painted children's chairs from Quiroga, Michoacán. All photographs by Mexico Cooks! unless otherwise noted.

Today's Mexico Cooks! article celebrates the artisans, ancient traditions, and glorious representation of the state of Michoacán. It also celebrates the recent publication of Artisans of Michoacán: By Their Hands, my friend Travis Whitehead's several-year-long project of interviews and photographs of Michoacán's artisans at work. Rather than express my thoughts about Travis's passion and dedication to his work, Mexico Cooks! prefers to let him tell his own story. He generously allows me to publish the text of the speech he gave earlier this year in Morelia, Michoacán. I give you Travis Whitehead:
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Working copper, Santa Clara del Cobre, Michoacán.

Forty-five years ago, I saw something that grabbed my attention and never let go: a caterpiller evolving into an elegant monarch butterfly. Witnessing this display of metamorphosis would leave a lasting impression on me, one that would eventually lead me on an odyssey of change, of release, and of the discovery of identity.

Rolling hand-ground clay for high-fired ceramics in Patamban, Michoacán.

The journey toward that odyssey began the day my mother showed me how to remove a monarch caterpillar from the milkweed plant outside my Texas house, place it in a jar with plenty of leaves, and watch it grow. Soon it would wrap itself into a green chrysalis, and I would wait anxiously for it to emerge into an entirely different form of life. My curiosity was forever ignited by this process of change, and I kept a close eye on the milkweed plants so I could capture more caterpillers and observe this process again.

Hand-painted batea (wooden tray), state of Michoacán.

When the butterflies finally emerged, I would take them outside and watch as they flew into the blue sky. I didn't know then what we all know now: they were headed for Michoacán. I wonder if perhaps the butterflies I released took a part of me with them, bringing a trace of myself into an enchanting place. I wonder if perhaps that part of my soul born on the wings of the monarchs hibernated, even gestated, in the magical wonderland of Michoacán, awaiting my arrival when I would regain part of myself, taking full possession of my poetic voice.

Weaving a huinumo (pine needle) hot pad, Paracho, Michoacán.

I found the place I'd been seeking my whole life quite by accident, stumbling across it while working on another project. That project failed to materialize, but by then I had become intoxicated by the state's metamorphic personality. That metamorphosis was everywhere, in the food, the language of the Purépecha indians, the crafts, and even the very landscape. The state, I learned, even has two local varieties of the tamal–the corunda and the uchepo–and I discovered that in the Meseta Purépecha, even these and other regional recipes vary from one village to the next, and that the language has slight changes in communities only a short distance from each other: a metamorphosis taking place in food and words. The very landscape itself is a metamorphic experience, ranging from pine-covered hills to stark deserts, from winding rocky shoreline to tropical jungles.

Spoon rack on red door, Pátzcuaro, Michoacán.

So strong was Michoacán's power over me that I felt compelled to spend an extended amount of time with her, so I moved there in 2008 and spent eight months visiting artisans in their homes and workshops. I was quickly charmed by the way they welcomed me into their lives. I was a stranger who came knocking on their doors, and they quickly extended their friendship to me. They allowed me to observe them practicing their crafts and take as many pictures as I wanted. They patiently answered my endless questions. I was intrigued to discover that even their crafts were continuously evolving into innovative forms, revealing still another experience of metamorphosis. With every Michoacán experience, my artistic life constantly split and then coalesced into an ever-evolving consciousness. It was a revolving kaleidoscopic experience of dissonance and resolution, crescendo and diminuendo, soaring to enormous heights and then crashing miserably so that I would have to hibernate for a while until my previous perspective acquiesced to the new insights I had achieved.

Several types of hand-made, hand-painted clay tableware, Capula, Michoacán.

However, as my poetic voice matured, so did my perspective about culture. Initially, my experiences with the artisans were conduits through which I could communicate my ever-changing poetic voice. The artisans, though, offered me genuine friendship and even a chance to participate in their daily lives. I sat with them around their hearth fires; they shared their meals with me. I took them to a cornfield so they could pick loads of corn; then I helped shuck that corn to make uchepos. I watched with delight as their children laughed and played together, sneaking up behind me with their toy pistols–BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!–before giggling and running away. I participated in one of their festivals, and soon 'my' project became less about me and more about giving them a voice to the rest of the world, sharing the story behind the crafts for which they are so famous.

Counting threads while weaving a fine rebozo (shawl) from Aranza, Michoacán.

As I observed the pace of their daily lives and the way they related to one another, I began to wonder if the crafts, the festivals, and dances are really what define a culture. Are those the things that really define culture, or are they merely details? I'm not so sure. Perhaps the real cultural experience is the way a group of people relates to one another and interacts with each other. It's a question I still ask myself.

Seventeenth century Michoacán Cristo (Christ) made of pasta de caña.

The crafts and artisans and the metamorphic life of Michoacán still have a hold on me. But I think that Michoacán has taught me a much greater lesson: the value of life and the way people experience that life, and the warmth and friendship people extend toward one another–and even to strangers who come knocking on their doors. This was truly the greatest of my metamorphic experiences in Michoacán.

Hand cross-stitched guayanga (blouse), Pichátaro, Michoacán.
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Juego de Huarukua (ancient Purépecha fireball game), Tzintzuntzan, Michoacán. Photo courtesy Jesús Alejandre G., Uruapan.

On June 27, 2013, Travis Whitehead will present Artisans of Michoacán: By Their Hands at Pátzcuaro's Museo Regional de Artes Populares, in conjunction with an important exhibit of new photographs of Michoacán by Uruapan native Jesús Alejandre. The opening of photographer Alejandre's exhibition and the presentation of Whitehead's book will be June 27, 2013 at 5:00PM.

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here: Tours.

22 de June de 2013
Paletas La Michoacana: Big Business, Sweet and Icy in Tocumbo

When I was a little girl, a Popsicle was a big deal. Summertime meant that the ice cream truck, bell tinkling, would trundle through the neighborhood where I lived. After a frantic plea to Mom for money, she counted out coins and I raced to the corner where the rest of the kids were already gathered, waiting for the vendor to dig through his icy case for cherry, lime, or the reviled banana. The odor of amyl acetate (the chemical used for artificial banana flavoring) remains cloyingly in my memory. Photo courtesy ChezBeeper.

Remember? Hot summer days made those frozen snacks melt quickly, down childish fingers and the side of the hand, down the wrist and almost to the elbow in sticky trails of blood red and pale green. Nips of the cold treat slid in a chilly track from tongue to stomach, giving a few moments relief from childhood summers' heat and humidity. We didn't care that they were artificially flavored; Popsicles were a summer joy. Once I was an adult, I left them behind in favor of more sophisticated gelatos and sorbets.

Long before I dreamed of venturing to Mexico, Ignacio Alcázar of Tocumbo, Michoacán had a vision. Paletas—frozen treats similar to Popsicles—were on his mind. Tocumbo was a tiny village in the 1940s. Life there was harsh and subsistence was difficult. Eking a hardscrabble living from the sugar cane fields of the region around Tocumbo depended as much on Mother Nature's vagaries as on a farmer's backbreaking work. In those days, the pay for peeling 2,000 pounds of sugar cane was two pesos. Campesinos (field workers) could expect to earn a maximum of three pesos a week.

But making a living selling paletas depended solely on creating a desire for something delicious and refreshing to satisfy someone's antojo (whim). In the mid-1940s, Ignacio Alcázar, his brother Luis, and their friend Agustín Andrade left the misty mountains and pine forests of Michoacán and headed for Mexico City, the country's burgeoning hustle-bustle capital. The men had made paletas in Tocumbo for several years, but it was time to try their hand in the big city.

In 1946, the three men, illiterate native sons of Tocumbo, established an ice cream shop in downtown Mexico City. The new paletería (paleta shop) wasn't elegant, but it worked. People clamored for more and more paletas. The Alcázar brothers and Andrade expanded, and expanded again. They sold franchise after franchise of their paleta brainchild to their relatives, friends, and neighbors from Tocumbo. The single shop that the two men started became the most successful small-business idea in Mexico in the last half century, known across the country as La Michoacana. More than 15,000 La Michoacana outlets currently exist around Mexico, most of them owned by people from the town of Tocumbo.

Mexico City alone has more than 1,000 La Michoacana outlets. Usually the paleterías are called La Michoacana, La Flor de Michoacán or La Flor de Tocumbo. Every Mexican town with more than 1,000 residents is without one. Only Pemex, the nationalized petroleum company, has blanketed Mexico so completely.

When I moved to Mexico in 1981, a Mexican friend insisted that she was going to buy me a paleta. "A Popsicle?" I scoffed. She took me by the scruff of the neck and all but shoved me into the nearest La Michoacana. I peered into the freezer case and was amazed to see hundreds and hundreds of rectangular paletas, organized flavor by flavor, lined up in stacks in their protective plastic bags.

And what flavors! Mango (plain or with chile), blackberry, cantaloupe, coconut, guava, and guanábana (soursop) were arranged side by side with strawberry, vanilla, and—no, that brown one wasn't chocolate, it was tamarindo. Some were made with a water base and some with a milk base. Every single paleta was loaded top to bottom with fresh fruit. There was nothing artificial about these. I was hard pressed to decide on just one flavor, but I finally bit into a paleta de mango and was an instant addict.

The story of the paleteros (paleta makers) from Tocumbo piqued my curiosity. For many years I've been determined to visit this out-of-the-way town. I finally made the trip to the place where it all started. Getting to Tocumbo isn't simple, but driving the two-lane back roads winding along green mountains is lovely.

The names of the towns I passed through (Tarácuato, Tlazazalca, Chucuandirán, Tinguindín) roll off the tongue in the ancient rhythmic language of the Purhépecha (Michoacán's indigenous people). Women, teenage girls, and children wear beautiful ropa típica (native dress) as they walk to market or gather wood in the hills. Fragrant wood smoke mixes in the air with the crisp scent of pine. Wildflowers dot the roadsides and mountains with purple, orange, yellow and blue.

The well-manicured entrance to the town of Tocumbo lets you know immediately that you have arrived. No statues of Miguel Hidalgo or Benito Juárez grace the junction, nor is there a proud plaque commemorating a favorite local hero. Instead, the townspeople have erected a two-story statue of (what else?) a paleta. I'd seen photos of the monument, but the actual sight of the huge frozen delight made me laugh out loud.

Strawberry cream paletas.

Carefully trimmed trees, flowers, and lawns edge both sides of the road into town. Large, well-appointed homes line the streets and the local trucks and cars are recent models and very well maintained. Tocumbo has one of the highest per capita incomes of any town in Mexico.

My first stop was at the Tocumbo parroquia (parish church). Named in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the church is modern and beautifully adorned with stained glass. The architect who designed the church is Pedro Ramírez Vázquez. Arquitecto Ramirez also designed some of Mexico's most famous buildings, including the Basílica of our Lady of Guadalupe, the 1968 Olympic Games installations, Aztec Stadium, the National Anthropology Museum and the National Medical School buildings, all in Mexico City. Arquitecto Ramírez, born on April 16, 1919, died on April 16, 2013. His passing is a huge loss to the world's architectural community.

Ramírez was one of the most outstanding building designers in Mexico, a man who enjoyed international fame for his creations. It's particularly telling of the economic power of the town that the people of Tocumbo contracted with him to design their parish church.

As I sat for a bit in the town plaza, two local women strolled across the square eating paletas. After we greeted one another, I asked who the best person in town would be to give me local history. They directed me to the mayor's office on the other side of the plaza.

I spent several hours at the Tocumbo mayor's office talking with town official German Espinoza Barragán, who told me long stories of life and times in Tocumbo, and the history of the paleta.

Sr. Espinoza mentioned that many people erroneously believe that all La Michoacana stores throughout Mexico are owned by one family. "You already know that the founders were Ignacio Alcázar, his brother Luis, and their friend Agustín Andrade, and that they sold the first La Michoacana franchises to their relatives and friends. After that, the relatives and friends sold franchises to their relatives and friends, and the business just continued to spread. With a simple formula of handmade products produced every day and sold inexpensively, the business has produced hundreds of jobs as well as a high standard of living that's different from any other town in the region."

Sr. Espinoza commented, "All of our streets are paved, and all have street lights. People live very well here, although it's difficult to say how many actually do live here year round."

I looked up from my notes. "Why is that?"

"A lot of tourists from all over Mexico and many other countries pass through this town," he began. "Many see that our life here is peaceful, our climate perfect, and our town beautiful, so they ask about renting or buying a house here. Once they see Tocumbo, everyone wants to stay."

I nodded in agreement. The thought had occurred to me.

Sr. Espinoza nodded too. "People say, 'Find me a house to rent.' I just tell them to forget it, it's hopeless. Then they tell me, 'But so many of the houses here in town are vacant! Surely the owners would like to rent their houses.' I shake my head, even though up to 75 per cent of the houses here in Tocumbo are vacant for eleven months of the year.

"The thing is, everyone comes home at Christmas. No matter whether so-and-so's family lives all year round in Chiapas or Tijuana working in their La Michoacana store, in December everyone is here. Where would they stay, if their houses were rented?

"During the 1990 census, INEGI (the Mexican census bureau) tried to count the number of people in town. They counted about 2,400 people. But truly, triple that number call Tocumbo 'home'. No one misses the holiday season here. They come home to tell their stories, to find out the last word in the business, to look for a girlfriend, to get married, to have quinceañeras (a girl's15th birthday celebration), to baptize their babies. They put off all of these festivities for months, until the winter low season for selling paletas arrives and they can come home.

"This year, the Feria del Paletero (Fair of the Paleta Maker) starts on December 22 and ends on December 30. There will be sports events, free paletas, rides for kids and adults, and other things for everyone to do. You should come."

"The success of the Tocumbo paleta business must inspire people all over Mexico," I commented.

Once again Sr. Espinoza nodded. "It's a kind of work that offers even the person with the least schooling a way to make a good living, without going to work in the United States and without getting involved in selling illegal drugs."

He returned to the history of the business. "Of course, word of the success of the new paleta business in Mexico City reached Tocumbo really fast. All Tocumbo packed its suitcases and went to get in on the gold mine. Everybody was buying paleta stores. And the best is, all the contracts were made on the solid word of the parties, without any paperwork, and all the loans to start the businesses were made between the buyers and the sellers. No banks were involved.

"This first generation of paleteros (paleta makers) felt the obligation to let everyone have a part of the success. Remember that Tocumbo is a very small town. Almost everyone is related to everyone else. Everyone of that generation had grown up together, and everyone shared just a few last names. The belief was 'today it's your turn, tomorrow it's mine'. And everyone lived by that.

"Today, things are a little different, but only a little. There's still room for all the paleterías in Mexico, and the majority belong to Tocumbans. Even though other ice cream stores like Bing and Dolphy have opened and there are even new brands coming in from the United States, there's no other big success like we have had. To start with, the paleta is the people's business, not corporate business. Other businesses might spend huge amounts of money on advertising and special wrappings, but we Tocumbans don't run our businesses that way. We're flexible, we save our money, and we work very hard. The paleterías are open from early in the morning till late at night, every day of the year. Even when the owners are home for the holidays, their employees are working in the stores. We make only as many paletas as we can sell each day. We don't use chemicals in our paletas, and we adapt the flavors to the regions where our stores are."

The orange paletas are mango. Click to enlarge the photo and you'll easily see the chunks of fresh-frozenfruit.

Sr. Espinoza went on to tell me that the most popular flavor paleta is mango, because it's the fruit that everyone in Mexico loves. He continued, "In the south of Mexico, we have to offer mamey, zapote, and plátano. Where people have more income, we can sell a paleta for seven pesos. Where income is lower, such as in the states of Chiapas and Oaxaca, we sell a paleta for five pesos. We keep our stores very simple, so everyone can feel comfortable to come inside. And we try to open our stores in places where lots of people congregate: near schools, near hospitals, and near sports facilities."

The story of this business amazed me. I shook my head and said, "What was the next step for the paleteros?"

"When we saw that so many Mexicans were living in the United States, the next logical move was to start stores there. We started moving there too, and opened the first shops in California, Texas, Arizona, and Florida. And now—now there are La Michoacana stores in Pennsylvania, in Chicago, and in New York. Next will be Central and South America, you'll see.

"Did you look at the monument at the entrance to town?" Sr. Espinoza asked me. "Of course! It's wonderful," I exclaimed.

"On the way out of town, look at it again," he said. "Look, a little drawing of it is on my business card." He handed me the card. "See the blue ball of ice cream in the paleta? And see the paletas all over the ball?" I did see them. "The blue ball represents the earth, and the bright colored paletas cover it." He smiled at me. "And someday, paletas from Tocumbo, Michoacán will truly cover the globe."

I have absolute faith that he's right.

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here: Tours.

20 de April de 2013
Mercado de San Juan, Distrito Federal: You Can Get Anything You Want…

The definitive book about Mexico City's marvelous Mercado de San Juan, available in Spanish at the market. Mexico Cooks! has never seen it for sale anywhere else. It was published in mid-2010.

Everybody in Mexico City who loves to eat, including Mexico Cooks!, loves the small but mighty Mercado de San Juan. Both wholesaler to restaurants and tourist attraction, this market offers its public almost anything you can think of to eat. Food that is available almost nowhere else in Mexico is available at this unassuming venue: bitter melon sits cheek by jowl with wild boar, deep green baby zucchini the size of golf scoring pencils rub shoulders with living escargots, fresh-killed deer hangs silent next to a row of ready-to-cook osso bucco. Want a quarter kilo of beautiful jamón serrano or a handful of chile serrano? Both are yours, just step up to the counter at their respective stalls.

Unusual stall-mates: a goat head, skinned but complete with long luxurious eyelashes, and live red maguey worms.

A huge bouquet of gorgeous baby artichokes, leaves tightly closed and tinged with purple. Each of these was smaller than a baseball, unlike the usual giant-size variety I've seen for sale elsewhere.

Imported cheeses and imported dried sausages. Buy an entire length or just a few slices of salami, buy a wheel or 100 grams of cheese–you may never see any of these at any other market.

Real honest-to-god crunchy-on-the-outside, densely-chewy-on-the-inside baguette to accompany your sausage and cheese! The Travel and Leisure magazine displayed on the lower shelf features the Mercado de San Juan among the 40 travel memories mentioned on the cover.

Among other items (including yet another shopping bag to cart home all our purchases), Mexico Cooks! bought ten lovely baby bok choy, a quarter kilo (half pound) of large, crisp snow peas, and a big hunk of fresh ginger for 33 pesos (about $2.50 USD).

Lechón (suckling pig), ready to roast.

Tiny zucchini, each approximately 3" long, and wee yellow squash, each about 2" in diameter. These miniature vegetables are among the few that come pre-wrapped.

Bottles and jars of Asian spices, sauces, and other condiments, including sesame oil, coconut cream, oyster sauce, snow mushrooms, hoisin sauce, and more. The only thing I didn't see that I sometimes need is thick soy–not black soy, but thick soy, like slightly salty molasses.

Fresh and glorious osso bucco, lined up for your viewing and purchasing pleasure.

Back to front: fresh oysters, big brown clams, and small white clams.

Lovely shiny purple Asian eggplants, beautiful ginger root, and assorted greens.

Detail of fresh octopus. Click to enlarge any photo for a closer look.

Rabbit is extremely popular–and generally quite delicious–as served in Mexico. These, fresh-killed, include the heads. Many are sold with the furry feet still attached. A butcher told me, "Some people think we sell cat meat. The heads or feet are left on to prove that the animals are rabbits."

Savoy cabbage and a variety of lettuces.

Preparing machitos for sale. The lacy membrane spread out on the butcher block is caul fat. The butcher is wrapping the fat around a small bundle of tripas (intestines). The packets are steamed, then browned and served in tacos with a spicy red salsa.

Your landmark. The Mercado de San Juan is just west of the Teléfonos de México (Telmex) central offices and tall tower of antennas.

Truly, there isn't another market in all of Mexico that is as beloved by chefs, gourmets, and gastronomes as the Mercado de San Juan. If you fall into any of those categories, let Mexico Cooks! know and I will happily tour you through the market stalls.

Mercado de San Juan
Calle Ernesto Pugibet, between José María Marroquí and Luis Moya
Metro San Juan de Letrán or Metro Salto de Agua

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14 de April de 2012
Sandra Gutiérrez and The New Southern-Latino Table: Cookbook from Heaven!

Sandra Gutiérrez's cookbook The New Southern-Latino Table landed on Mexico Cooks!' doorstep to a resounding HURRAY!

Mexico Cooks! does not often get excited about fusion of cuisines. As my friend Giorgio d'Angeli (may he rest in peace) always said, "It usually ends up being CON-fusion." However, every once in a while, a chef and a cookbook cross my path that are the exception to the rule, and Sandra Gutiérrez's new cookbook, The New Southern-Latino Table, is that exception. What marvelous and accessible recipes she offers us!

Jalapeño deviled eggs–an old southern favorite raised to new heights with minced chiles jalapeños. Deviled eggs have always been addictive, and these are even more so. Photo courtesy Sandra Gutiérrez.

To create this cookbook, Sandra took on the blending of ingredients, traditions, and culinary techniques from the United States, where she was born, and Guatemala, where she grew up, as well as combinations of other southern and Latin American traditions. Imagine: what could be more traditional in the American south than pimiento cheese, and what could be more Latin than the smoky taste of chile chipotle en adobo and powdered ancho chiles? Put the two traditions together in this simple recipe and the flavors explode in your mouth in the best possible way.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzmUm1BNLaw&w=400&h=233]
Sandra Gutiérrez shows you, step by step, the ease of preparing her pimiento cheese with chile chipotle. The adobo (marinating sauce) mentioned in the recipe comes right out of the can of chiles–this recipe could not be simpler or more delicious. You and your guests are going to love it! Video courtesy Cary Magazine.

Sandra assures us that if you live outside the United States, there is no such thing as "Latino". Her 150 original recipes–each developed personally in her test kitchens–are also not Latino, because there is no single "Latino" cuisine. She says, "The term 'Latino' only exists within the context of the United States and is used to define anyone who was either born in Latin America or is of Latin American heritage but lives in the United States. Latin Americans define themselves not as 'Latinos', but rather as Guatemalans, Bolivians, Colombians, Mexicans, etc.

"From a culinary perspective, this becomes very important because not all Latin Americans eat the same foods. Argentinians, for example, don't eat tacos unless they are at a Mexican restaurant; however, they do eat a lot of pasta, because their cuisine is heavily influenced by Italian flavors and ingredients. Each Latin cuisine has been shaped by different cultures and has its own native ingredients and each varies greatly from the other. I cannot stress this enough.

"The new Southern-Latino movement, therefore, does not represent the melding of one culinary tradition with another (as in the case of Southwestern cuisine, where Mexican flavors predominate), but represents the marriage of the culinary foodways of more than two dozen countries with those of the entire Southern region of the United States. For me, it is very, very exciting."

Peruvian classic causas con pulpo (mashed potato with octopus) at Mexico City's marvelous Japanese-Peruvian restaurant Rokkaku, in Colonia Polanco. Mexico Cooks! photo.

Causas (pronounced COW-sahs), Perú's classic potato dish, influenced this seven ingredient vegetarian potato salad casserole from The New Southern-Latino Table. Two hallmarks of Sandra Gutiérrez's recipes are their ease of preparation and the accessibility of their ingredients. Photo courtesy Sandra Gutiérrez.

Bite-size brownies that will bite you back! Sandra Gutiérrez's recipe for rich, moist, and dense brownies meet your mouth with the seductive sweetness of chocolate and sugar. Give them a second, though, and you'll find your palate titillated by the additional flavor of powdered ancho chile. One of these brownies will never be enough! Photo courtesy Sandra Gutiérrez.

Sandra's book includes a glossary of ingredient names, an excellent section on sourcing ingredients that might not be available where you live, and–best of all–a guide to navigating a Latin tienda (store). In the navigation guide, you'll find each section of the tienda explained: dairy, frozen goods, meats, dry goods, bakery, and so forth. It's easy to see that Sandra is a well-known teacher: she has taught literally thousands of people the joy and simplicity of her particular style of cooking. In addition, all of the recipes in The New Southern-Latino Table are superbly organized, beautiful to follow, and offer the home cook exactly what is necessary to achieve great culinary success.

Cajeta (burnt milk–it tastes like a cross between caramel and butterscotch) bread pudding. Buy the book for this recipe alone! Photo courtesy Sandra Gutiérrez.

The New Southern Latino Table has been featured in any number of newpapers and magazines. In the few short months since its publication, it has won several well-deserved awards. Look for the book cover photos to the left on this page: you'll see the book cover second from the top. Click on its thumbnail to be taken directly to the Amazon.com page for The New Southern-Latino Table. Buy it today: I recommend it without hesitation. You're going to love it, and you heard about it first right here on Mexico Cooks!.

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here: Tours.

17 de March de 2012
Mexico Cooks!: A Look Back at 2011 in the Kitchen

7 de January de 2012
Adobo de Cerdo Huasteco, from Verde Blanco y Rojo by Ricardo Muñoz Zurita

Roasting roma tomatoes and onion quarters on the comal (in this case, a cast iron griddle). That little tomato on the right looks downright happy to be toasting.

Several months ago, Mexico Cooks! was thrilled to receive a copy of Chef Ricardo Muñoz Zurita's newest recetario (cookbook), titled Verde, Blanco, y Rojo en la Cocina Mexicana. Due to the pressures of moving and settling into a new and somewhat more frenetic life in Mexico City, the very attractive book sat patiently in the kitchen bookshelf with its 150 or so brother and sister cookbooks, waiting to be chosen. 'Choose me, me!' it whispered each time I passed by the shelf. And finally I listened.

Serving-size pieces of maciza de cerdo (lean, fresh pork leg) simmering with onion and garlic.

My wife and I are very fond of traditional Mexican cuisine. Like most people, we have our favorite dishes. And like most people, I have a hard time breaking habits and wading into a new cookbook: it means learning a new format, a new organization of ingredients, and a new dish that I had never prepared.

The first task was reading the recipe all the way through to the end to make sure that I had all of the ingredients and utensils on hand prior to starting to cook and that I understood the order of cooking. It's really no fun at all to start the preparations and discover at the time of need that oops, there is no garlic and ouch, that one bowl I really wanted to use is full of last night's stew. You'll want to organize yourself and prepare your mise en place well before you turn on the stove.

Differentiating between dried chiles anchos and chiles mulatos can be confusing. If you open a chile ancho and hold it up to the light, it looks from the inside like red stained glass. The mulato, on the other hand, looks brown when held to the light. It's immediately apparent which this is.

Ingredients
2 kg (approximately 4.5 pounds) lean pork meat, cut into serving-size pieces
1 white onion, cut into quarters
1 head of garlic, split in half
4 liters water
6 tsp salt
8 chiles guajillos
5 large chiles anchos
3 large tomatos, roasted
1/2 white onion, quartered and roasted
5 garlic cloves
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dry Mexican oregano, crumbled
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 cloves
3 Tbsp pork lard (you can substitute oil if you can't get real rendered lard)
1/2 cup white vinegar

Toasting the chiles anchos on the comal.

Utensils
Comal or griddle
Mesh strainer
Several small or medium-size mixing bowls
Mixing spoons
Heavy-bottom pot with lid
Blender

Toasting the chiles guajillos on the comal.

Procedure
Put the pork, onion, and head of garlic in a large pot. Cover with water, add 4 tsp salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat until the water is simmering and cook until the pork is tender, about an hour. Remove the pork from the water, drain the liquid into a bowl, and reserve both the meat and the cooking liquid for later use.

Remove the stems, seeds, and veins from all of the chiles and discard them. Lightly toast the chiles on the comal, being careful not to burn them. If they turn black, they will be bitter. Soak the toasted chiles in four cups of the reserved cooking liquid from the pork.

Blend the soaked chiles with enough of the cooking liquid to make a smooth, somewhat liquid paste.

Roast the tomatoes, onions, and garlic on the comal, then blend them until they make a very smooth sauce. If necessary for blending, add just a little of the reserved meat cooking liquid. Using the wire mesh strainer, strain and reserve.

Grind the cumin, the oregano, the pepper, and the cloves together until they are powdered. Set aside for later use.

Over a high flame, heat the lard or oil in a heavy-bottomed pot until it smokes slightly. Add the ground chiles (splatter alert!) and fry for about 15 minutes or until the mixture is reduced by about one-fourth. Add the blended tomato mixture, the spices, and two tablespoons of salt. When the mixture comes to a boil, lower the fire and allow to simmer until the sauce has reduced a little.

Add the meat, the vinegar, and three cups of the reserved meat cooking liquid. Correct the seasonings and cook with the lid ajar over low heat (or bake covered in a 350° oven) for about an hour. The finished sauce should be thick enough to cover the meat without sliding off the pieces.

Serves 12.

The finished recipe also freezes very well. Mexico Cooks! served half the recipe as comida for six and froze the rest for a later meal.

Both types of toasted chiles then soaked for a few minutes in some of the freshly cooked hot pork broth.

The mix of various seasonings (foreground), the blended and strained chiles (left rear) and the blended tomato/onion/garlic mixture (right rear).

The pork now needs to simmer in the adobo for an hour or more, either in the oven or over a very low fire. The smell will drive you crazy, it is so tantalizing. Mexico Cooks! prepared this recipe on top of the stove using the cast iron comal as a heat diffuser.

Adobo de cerdo huasteco, ready to eat! Serve the dish with steamed white rice and plenty of hot-off-the-comal corn tortillas.

The wonderful Spanish-language Verde, Blanco, Rojo en La Cocina Mexicana, by my friend Chef Ricardo Muñoz Zurita of Restaurante Azul/Condesa.

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here: Tours.

Disclaimer: Marca País-Imágen de México is a joint public and private sector initiative designed to help promote Mexico as a global business partner and an unrivaled tourist destination. This program is designed to shine a light on the Mexico that its people experience every day. Disclosure: I am being compensated for my work in creating content for the Mexico Today program. All stories, opinions, and passions for all things Mexico that I write on Mexico Cooks! are completely my own.

1 de October de 2011
Albóndigas de Jalisco, Estilo Diana Kennedy::Jalisco-Style Meatballs, Adapted from Diana Kennedy

These and just a few other ingredients for albóndigas de Jalisco (Jalisco-style meatballs) combine to become a simple but delicious meal.

It's been cool during the day here in Mexico City for the couple of months since the rainy season finally got itself underway. Summer in Mexico's Central Highlands is my favorite time of year: cool-to-warm partly sunny days are nearly always followed by downright chilly rainy nights.

For those of you who live in the USA or Canada, it's hard to realize that at more than 7500 feet above sea level, Mexico City has weather completely unlike what many think of as Mexico's desert or even beach temperatures. In the last few days, the afternoon high temperatures have hovered just under 70° Fahrenheit. In Mexico Cooks!' household, cool days always mean something warming and delicious for our comida (midday meal). Subtly-flavored albóndigas–especially as prepared from this recipe, adapted from Diana Kennedy's book The Cuisines of Mexico–are the perfect comfort food.

You only need to blend eggs and a few herbs and spices to give a most wonderful Mexican touch to the meat mixture for these albóndigas (meatballs).

This is a dandy recipe for cooks of any level: if you're a beginner, you'll love the simplicity and authenticity of the flavors of the end product. If you're a more advanced cook, the people at your table will believe that you worked for hours to prepare this traditional Mexican meal.

All the ingredients you need are undoubtedly easy for you to get even if you live outside Mexico. Here's the list, both for the meatballs and their sauce:

Ingredients
Albóndigas
1.5 Tbsp long-grain white rice
Boiling water to cover
3/4 lb ground pork
3/4 lb ground beef
2 eggs
1/4 scant teaspoon dried oregano
4 good-sized sprigs fresh mint (preferably) OR 1 tsp dried mint
1 chile serrano, roughly chopped
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 scant teaspoon cumin seeds OR ground cumin
1/3 medium white onion, roughly chopped

Add the liquified eggs, onions, chile, herbs, and spices to the ground meats and mix well with your hands.

Sauce
3 medium tomatoes (about 1 lb)
1 chile serrano, roughly chopped (optional if you do not care for a mildly spicy sauce)
Boiling water to cover
3 Tbsp lard, vegetable oil, peanut oil, or safflower oil (I prefer lard, for its flavor)
1 medium white onion, roughly chopped
5 cups rich meat or chicken broth, homemade if possible
Salt to taste

For serving
2 or 3 carrots, cut into cubes or sticks
2 medium white potatoes, cut into cubes or sticks

Utensils
A small bowl
A large bowl
A blender
A saucepan
A fork
A large flameproof pot with cover

Preparing the meatballs
Put the rice in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Allow to soak for about 45 minutes. I use the glass custard cup that you see lying on its side in the initial photo–it's just the right size.

While the rice is soaking, put both kinds of meat into the large bowl.

Put the eggs, onion, and all herbs and spices–in that order–in the blender jar. Blend until all is liquified. Add to the meat mixture and, using your hands, mix well until the liquid is thoroughly incorporated.

Rinse out the blender jar for its next use in this recipe.

Drain the rice and add it to the meat mixture. Form 24 meatballs, about 1.5" in diameter, and set aside.

Preparing the sauce

Bring about 2 cups of water to a full rolling boil. Add the whole tomatoes and allow to cook for about five minutes, until the skins split. Watch the pot, though: this procedure might take a bit less or a bit more time.

When the tomato skins split, take the tomatoes one by one out of the water and peel them. If you've never tried it, believe me: this is miraculously easy–the skins are not too hot to handle and they slip off the tomatoes like little gloves. You can see that I have stuck a fork into the stem end of the tomato for ease of handling.

Skin the tomatoes and put them in the blender jar. Add the roughly-chopped onion and chile serrano. Blend until thoroughly puréed.

Freshly rendered manteca (lard) for frying the sauce. If all you can get in your store is a hard brick of stark white, hydrogenated lard, don't bother. It has no flavor and absolutely no redeeming value. If you want to use lard, ask a butcher at a Latin market if he sells freshly rendered lard. If none is available, use the oil of your choice.

In the flameproof cooking pot, heat the lard or oil and add the tomato purée. Bring it to a boil and let it cook fast for about three minutes. Splatter alert here!

Turn down the flame and add the broth to the tomato sauce. Bring it to a simmer. Add the meatballs, cover the pot, and let them simmer in the liquid for about an hour.

After the first hour of cooking, add the carrots and the potatoes to the tomato broth and meatballs. Cover and cook for an additional half hour. When I made the albóndigas this time, I cubed the vegetables. I think the finished dish is more attractive with the vegetables cut into sticks.

The rich fragrance of the cooking albóndigas and their broth penetrates every corner of our home. By the time they're ready to eat, we are more than eager!

Albóndigas de Jalisco served with steamed white rice (you might also like to try them with Mexican red rice), sliced avocado, and fresh, hot tortillas. This flat soup plate filled with albóndigas and vegetables needs more sauce; we prefer to eat them when they're very soupy. A serving of rice topped with three meatballs plus vegetables and sauce is plenty.

Albóndigas freeze really well, so I often double the recipe; I use a flat styrofoam meat tray from the supermarket to freeze the uncooked meatballs individually, then prepare the sauce, thaw the meatballs, and cook them as described.

The single recipe serves eight.

Provecho!

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27 de August de 2011
Oh Joy! Mexico Cooks! Makes Alegrías

Mexico Cooks!' homemade alegrías, freshly turned from the parchment-lined baking sheet onto the cutting board and ready to cut into pieces.

Lots of people are like Mexico Cooks! when it comes to cookbooks. We own hundreds of them, but actually cook from very few. For over a year, I've read and sighed with delight over the stories and recipes in Fany Gerson's My Sweet Mexico–and last week I finally prepared alegrías from her recipe. Fany calls them 'amaranth happiness candy'. Why? Happiness or joy is the English meaning of the Spanish word alegría.

A couple of weeks ago, friends at the superb new Cocina al Natural invited Mexico Cooks!' household to a wonderful comida en casa (main meal of the day at their home). For dessert, they proudly brought a big box of alegrías to the table. "They're home made!" they proclaimed. "No way!" we remonstrated. Well, yes, güey, it was the absolute truth. The alegrías were beautiful, professional, delicious, and prepared from Fany Gerson's cookbook, which is actually in my kitchen library. We joyfully crunched them down.

According to Ricardo Muñoz Zurita, legendary Mexico City chef and author of the Diccionario Enciclopédico de Gastronomía Mexicana (Encyclopedic Dictionary of Mexican Gastronomy), alegrías are the oldest candy in Mexico. In pre-Hispanic times, before sugar cane had been introduced to New Spain (now Mexico), the amaranth candy was sweetened with maguey cactus honey. In that long-ago era, this candy had a highly religious meaning. Shaped in the form of a cookie or cracker, it was utilized for communion in indigenous rituals and also was made into huge sculptures of pre-Christian gods. Because these god-figures appeared so horrible to the Spanish, they outlawed the use of this candy after the conquest. But in the 16th century, a Spanish monk had the idea to mix amaranth with bee honey. Rejoicing over the return of the right to eat this sweet treat, the ancient inhabitants of Mexico named it what they felt 'alegría'–joy.

The topping mixture for the alegrías–raisins and lightly toasted pecans, peanuts, and pepitas (pumpkin seeds), spread onto the parchment-paper lined baking sheet.

The following week, Betty Fussell, our wonderful friend from New York, invited us once again to visit her in Tepoztlán, just south of Mexico City. The light bulb went on: alegrías would make a great hostess gift!

The recipe for alegrías is simplicity itself. Here's the recipe, taken straight from My Sweet Mexico.

Alegrías (Happiness Candy)

Ingredients
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
1/2 cup chopped toasted peanuts
1/2 cup toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1/2 cup dark raisins
8 ounces chopped Mexican piloncillo (coarse brown sugar) or standard dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice
4 ounces puffed amaranth seeds

Equipment
Large bowl
Large spoon
15" X 10" X 1/2" baking sheet
Parchment paper
Medium sauce pan
Cutting board
Sharp knife

Preparation
Line the baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine the pecans, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, and raisins in a bowl and then spread them on the prepared pan.

Piloncillo, honey, and lemon juice in the pot.

Combine the piloncillo, honey, and lemon juice in a medium pot over medium heat and cook until the piloncillo has melted and the mixture has thickened slightly, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Squeezing the jugo de limón (lemon juice) into the mixture is simplicity itself using a Mexican lime squeezers. You can find one in metal or plastic at your local Latin market.

Remove from the heat and add the amaranth seeds, stirring quickly to mix everything well.

Mixing the cooked and thickened piloncillo, honey, and lemon juice mixture with the amaranth seeds.

The amaranth mixture, patted firmly into the parchment-lined baking sheet. Remember that the nuts and raisins are the topping–they're on the other side of the alegrías. Once this rectangle is completely cool, it will be firm and you will easily be able turn it over onto a cutting board.

Pour the amaranth mixture into the baking pan with the nuts, seeds, and raisins, and carefully press down with slightly dampened hands (so you don't burn yourself) to compact the mixture.

Allow to cool completely, 30 to 40 minutes at least, then invert onto a cutting board. Cut the mixture into the desired shapes with a sharp knife. If your mixture seems to be sticking to the knife, simply dip the knife into hot water, dry, and continue cutting.

Freshly made alegrías, ready to travel!

Mexico Cooks!' alegrías turned out really crispy and hard to cut, so instead of battling with the knife, I simply broke them into reasonable-size pieces and packed them in a tightly sealed container to travel the next day.

Were the alegrías a hit? They definitely were! Five of us ate almost all of them. We left all but a couple of the remaining pieces with our hosts, but we had to bring a little bit home. Minimal ingredients, minimal cooking, and maximal enjoyment: what more can you ask for from pre-conquest Mexico! Your family will love them and you can send a big thank you to Fany Gerson at My Sweet Mexico–and to Mexico Cooks!.

If you don't have your copy of the book yet, look over on the left-hand sidebar and just click on the book cover. That click will take you to My Sweet Mexico's Amazon.com page. Grab the book today and make your family a sweet Mexican treat as soon as it's in your kitchen.

And by all means visit our friends at Cocina al Natural. Their website and their videos are marvelous. In the very near future, Mexico Cooks! will be partnering with them to post some of the videos with English-language subtitles. We're all very excited about this new venture.

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here: Tours.

16 de July de 2011
An Italian in Love with Mexico: Homage to Giorgio de’Angeli

Giorgio de'Angeli enjoys one of his passions, eating a taco under the afternoon sun at the December 2007 Encuentro de Cocina Tradicional de Michoacán. Mexico Cooks! photo.

Mexico Cooks! met Giorgio de'Angeli and Alicia Gironella (his wonderful wife and partner in crime) in Jalisco almost a decade ago. While Sra. Gironella prepared what seemed to be a million ingredients for a Guadalajara food event, Dr. De'Angeli and I sat for several hours at the table and talked about his passions: tradition, creativity, and innovation in food preparation (always in combination with ecology and biodiversity), and the Slow Food movement. Dr. de'Angeli, an economist, editor, university professor and gastronome, introduced the Slow Food movement to Mexico in about 2002 and was, at the time we met, its national president.

Dr. de'Angeli died in late May of 2009, shortly after celebrating his 85th birthday. He continues to be lovingly remembered in Mexico's culinary world. On May 15, 2011, his many admirers and friends were treated to a culinary event in his honor: a trip through the world of an Italian in love with Mexico.

Sra. Alicia Gironella de'Angeli poses with a few of Dr. d'Angeli's favorite things, exhibited at his homage in May 2011. His desk and chair, his typewriter, one of his countless awards, his brown cap (the same one he was wearing in the photo Mexico Cooks! took in Morelia), his lamp, and a few books speak reams about the man himself.

Dr. de'Angeli studied, wrote, spoke, ate, and collected with passion. Here, a tiny representation of his collection of restaurant menus and ash trays.

A few more articles from his collection. These are mementos from events at Mexico City's Club de Banqueros.

In addition to the exhibit of Dr. de'Angeli's fascinating personal effects, the homage also offered a tianguis (market) of organic and local goods. Chef Margarita Carrillo de Salinas and her assistant offered delicious tastes of artisan-brand Finno ice cream.

For decades, María Luisa Obregón has sold cuisine-related books at Mexico's culinary events. It's always a delight to see her and browse through El Rincón de María Luisa, her peripatetic book store.

A good deal of the May 2011 event centered around children–the future of the culinary world as well as the world at large. It was tremendously entertaining to watch the miniature chefs in their tall paper Slow Food toques take lessons from some of the biggest names in Mexico's restaurant world.

Sra. Gironella with two adorably eager chefs-in-the-making. Left, Miranda Sánchez Díaz, age 9, and right, her brother, Francisco Sánchez Díaz, age 7.

Lesson One: everyone knows that a correctly placed toque is the most important part of being a chef!

We're not the least bit nervous!

What did he say we have to do next?

Ana María González, of Mexico City's Restaurante El Tajín, contributes to this boy's joy of cooking. El Tajín, founded in 1993 by Dr. de'Angeli and Sra. Gironella, continues its long and well-deserved success under her watchful eye.

Every time I am tempted to buy another olla de barro (clay pot) for the kitchen, I linger and hover over it, turn away and turn back, and sometimes it comes home with me. Look at this seductive beauty which I bought from Gabriel and Yunuén of Xoxoc, who brought it to the tianguis from the state of Hidalgo. That shape! Those handles! How in the world could I resist! The book, Los Clásicos de la Cocina Mexicana, is by Ricardo Muñoz Zurita and is available now for pre-order through Amazon. You'll see the book cover listed on the Mexico Cooks! left-hand sidebar. One click takes you to its purchase page. The 1950s-era framed traditional Mexican kitchen has lived in the Mexico Cooks! kitchen for years.

Dr. de'Angeli, it was a wonderful afternoon of reliving old memories and making new ones. Thanks for your tremendous passion for la cocina mexicana. We miss you so much.

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here: Tours.

Disclaimer: Marca País-Imágen de México is a joint public and private sector initiative designed to help promote Mexico as a global business partner and an unrivaled tourist destination. This program is designed to shine a light on the Mexico that its people experience every day. Disclosure: I am being compensated for my work in creating content for the Mexico Today program. All stories, opinions, and passions for all things Mexico that I write on Mexico Cooks! are completely my own.

9 de July de 2011