Category: Current Affairs

Amecameca, Kissing the Feet of Two Volcanoes

The active volcano Popocatépetl is the second-highest mountain in Mexico at 5,452 meters (17,887 feet) above sea level. Some sources say that Popocatépetl is slightly higher than those quoted figures. Only the Pico de Orizaba (5,610 meters or 18,406 feet) is higher. All photos by Mexico Cooks! unless otherwise noted.

During the last few weeks, Mexico City's newspapers have been full of information about Popocatépetl, the Náhuatl word for 'smoking mountain'. This volcano, which sits in the very back yard of the city, has once again been growling and grumbling and belching gases, steam, smoke, and red-hot ash. Its last major 'exhalation' was in December of 2000 and everyone in this vicinity hopes the mountain won't explode again.

In mid-April, curiousity and excitement about Popocatépetl's current activities led us to make a Sunday afternoon trip to Amecameca in the State of Mexico, the town closest to the volcano from our Mexico City neighborhood. The town is southeast of Mexico City and we were there in a bit over an hour. Had we not stopped along the way to take photographs, we could have arrived sooner.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZAvtPJKg8U&w=350&h=267]
Popocatépetl erupts, December 2000. Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhautl straddle the boundaries of three states: Puebla, Morelos, and the State of Mexico. Video courtesy NBC news.

The alert system for possible eruptions ranges from green (no danger) to red (extreme eruption). Currently, Popocatépetl has been at Alert Phase 3 Yellow (magma flow and growing explosions) for about three weeks. Phase 3 Yellow is the alert just before red. In spite of the high alert level, no evacuations from towns around the volcano have been ordered. Click the link for updates to the 'semáforo de alertas' (alert system stoplight): ALERTAS

Iztaccíhautl, the sleeping woman, lies northeast of Popocatépetl and east of the town of Amecameca in the State of Mexico. Mexico Cooks! took this photo from the atrium of the Templo de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción (Church of Our Lady of the Assumption) in Amecameca; you can see one of the church arches in the foreground. The photo shows Iztaccíhuatl's head (far left) and chest.

Full view of volcano Iztaccíhuatl. Her head is at the far left in the photo. The clouds are in fact due to the accumulation of steam and ash emitted by Popocatépetl, just out of camera range to the right. The northwestern sky (behind me as I took the picture) was clear blue and brilliantly sunny.

Of course there is a romantic legend about Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhautl. At the beginning of history, when the Aztecs arrived in the Valley of Anáhuac and before the mountains had reached their permanent form, a beautiful princess named Mixtli was born in the city of Tenochtitlán–today's Mexico City. She was the daughter of Tizoc, the Tlatoani Emperor of the Mexicas (to be known later as the Aztecs). Mixtli was sought after by numerous noblemen, among them Axooxco, a cruel and bloodthirsty man, who demanded the hand of Mixtli in marriage. However, Mixtli's heart belonged instead to a humble peasant named Popoca. Popoca went into battle, to conquer the title of Caballero Aguila (Eagle Knight). If he claimed this title of nobility, Popoca would then be able to fight Axooxco for the hand of Mixtli.

Popoca carries his beloved Mixtli to the snowy mountains.

Mixtli knew the danger Popoca faced in this trial. Finally a messenger brought the news that he had been killed in battle. But the messenger was wrong: Popoca was returning victorious. Not realizing this, Mixtli killed herself, rather than live without Popoca.

When Popoca returned to find Mixtli dead, he picked her up and carried her body into the mountains. Hoping that the cold snow would wake her from sleep to reunite them, Popoca crouched at her feet until he froze there while he prayed for her to awaken.

They have remained there ever since. The body of Mixtli became the volcano Iztaccíhuatl (the Sleeping Woman), the ever-watchful Popoca became the volcano Popocatépetl (the Smoking Mountain). The evil Axooxco became the Cerro Ajusco (the highest point of the Distrito Federal). These volcanoes tower above Mexico City and the romantic legend of this couple has been passed on since the pre-Columbian era as a symbol of enduring and faithful love.

Popocatépetl exhales a huge cloud of steam, gases, and ash on April 18, 2012. Photo courtesy Notimex.

The volcano is generally known by a local nickname: don Goyo. Don is an honorific used to address or refer to any respected well-known man; Goyo is a nickname for Gregorio, in this instance specifically referring to San Gregorio (St. Gregory). Legend says that the volcano once erupted on San Gregorio's March 12 feast day and subsequently received the nickname, but the volcano's feast day (yes, he has one!) is celebrated annually on May 2. On that date, some local residencts carry gifts to the volcano: blankets and una copita (a shot of liquor) to keep him warm, and they pay him their continuing respects. As the white-haired toll booth attendant said when we told him we were on our way to pay a visit to don Goyo, "Be careful up there! He's making all this racket while he's sober–imagine if he had already had his tequila!"

The volcano on the night of April 24, 2012. Streams of molten lava flow down the sides of the crater while fire, steam, smoke, and sparks rise high into the evening sky. The volcano is so loud that some residents find it hard to get a good night's sleep. Photo courtesy MSNBC.

During volcanic activity of this kind, the world keeps turning. Residents in the several towns nearest the volcano go about their normal daily lives while keeping one eye on the top of the mountain and one ear out for the latest alerts. In Amecameca, a delightful old gentleman stopped to chat with us on the street while we were letting a local woman take a close look at the volcano through the camera's telephoto lens. "You know," he ruminated, "we still have to shop, cook, eat, and sleep even though we also have to be prepared for…" he laughed and threw his arms high into the air. "In case it blows!"

Life goes on: inside the municipal market in Amecameca, people shop for food, gossip with their neighbors, and laugh at the latest jokes. Click on any photo to enlarge it for a better view.

Our new guide continued, "You should go outside town for a better view. It's easy to get there…" He proceeded to give excellent directions for heading to the east into the foothills at the base of the volcano. We shook his hand and followed his directions as far as we could, but the rutted, stone-filled path we were driving outside Amecameca was too difficult for our vehicle. We turned onto another, even smaller road that took us to the crest of a hill. From there, we had an unobstructed view of the two lovers, Iztaccíhautl and Popocatépetl. While the wind blew from behind us, we watched as don Goyo sighed several times, sending heavy plumes of steam and ash into the heavens and away from Amecameca.

As the volcano steams and roars, commerce continues as it has for thousands of years. Amecameca has a huge Sunday market in the church atrium outside Templo de Nuestra Señora de la Asunciòn. The peaches, bright-green oval chilacayotes, and round calabacitas (zucchini-type squash) are offered for sale piled up in pyramids, the traditional vendors' display method.

Will the volcano blast off into a major eruption? Will it calm down and wait till another time? No one really knows for sure, not even the scientists who monitor its activity. On April 25, the winds shifted and small amounts of ash began to rain down on Amecameca and some of the other nearby towns. We're watching, along with the rest of the populace. And meantime, our lives go on as usual.

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28 de April de 2012
James Metcalf and Ana Pellicer: Copper Artists in Santa Clara del Cobre, Michoacán

This article about Ana Pellicer and James Metcalf was originally published on September 19, 2009. I re-publish it today in homage to Jim, who passed away on January 27, 2012. Rest in peace, querido amigo.

Two trivets and a large olla de cobre con asa (copper kitchen pot with a handle), all hand-hammered in the French style by James Metcalf, catch the afternoon sun at the Metcalf/Pellicer home in Santa Clara del Cobre.

James Metcalf and Ana Pellicer, both important sculptors, choose not to live in Paris (where James worked early in his life, cheek by jowl with Constantin Brancusi, Marcel Duchamp, Man Ray, René Magritte, and other seminal modern artists), New York (where both have exhibited their work in stellar galleries and museums), or Mexico City (where Mexico's hippest and most active artist's circle burgeons). Instead, the Metcalf/Pellicer household has built a better mousetrap in Santa Clara del Cobre, Michoacán. The world beats a path to their door in the heart of this tiny community of artisans.

One of Metcalf's small copper pots. Ana Pellicer told me, "We use this one every day, to heat the milk." He created an entire baterie de cuisine (set of cooking pots) for their personal use.

In 1950, James went to Majorca, where he studied ancient Mediterranean metallurgy and created the illustrations for poet Robert Graves' Adam's Rib. In the mid-1960s, James left Paris for Mexico, where he had heard that pre-Hispanic coppersmithing techniques were still in use. Told that what he searched for only existed in Santa Clara del Cobre, Michoacán, he set off to investigate. By the late 1960s, James Metcalf and Ana Pellicer, his former student, were living and working in Santa Clara.

Their early explorations were related to el cazo de Don Vasco, the 16th Century cooking kettle introduced to Santa Clara del Cobre by Don Vasco de Quiroga. The copper cazo, which ranges from stove-top size to immense (large enough to cook an entire cut-into-chunks pig) is still used wherever carnitas or candy are made in Mexico. It's safe to say that all of Mexico's copper cazos come from Santa Clara.

This hammered copper cazo has a diameter at the top of approximately 60 centimeters (two feet).

When James Metcalf arrived, Santa Clara del Cobre offered no luxury to the artist accustomed to life in Paris, New York, and other cosmopolitan centers. Houses in the town were little more than hovels. There was no indoor plumbing. Although nearly every man in town worked copper as a livelihood, with few exceptions the only items produced in the talleres (workshops) were cazos. All of the cazos were formed with a thin edge which was rolled around an iron wire to finish the piece. Metcalf, using clay pots from the nearby state of Colima as examples of shapes, taught the Santa Clara smiths the design and construction technique of the thick edge.

James Metcalf, extraordinary Renaissance man–elegantly knowledgeable, elegant as well in speech, dress, and manner. His work, sometimes classified as both surrealist and abstract expressionist, is an important force in 20th Century metal sculpture.

A few of the hundreds of tools in James Metcalf's work room. He crafted many of his own tools to accomplish the techniques of particular works. Until Metcalf's arrival, the coppersmiths of Santa Clara del Cobre had never seen the highly polished hammers commonly used in urban metalsmithing.

Metcalf's thick edge copper technique, completely different from the techniques used at the time in Santa Clara, revolutionized Santa Clara's artisanal copper production. The smiths slowly began to produce hollow ware other than cazos, including jugs, kitchenware, and other decorative work.

James Metcalf puts the final touches on his huge sculptural portrait of Mexican president (1934-1940) General. Lázaro Cárdenas Ríos. In 1985, Metcalf donated the sculpture to the town of Santa Clara del Cobre. Photo by Miguel Bracho, courtesy of Artisans of the Future by Jorge Pellicer, SEP, 1996.

Metcalf and the artisan coppersmiths of Santa Clara del Cobre received the commission to create the Pebetero Olímpico (cauldron which holds the Olympic Flame for the duration of the games) for the Olympic Games to be held in Mexico in 1968. The enormous cauldron, adorned with repousée decoration of maíz (corn, representing the life force of Mexico), brought world-wide attention to the traditional artisans of Santa Clara and their work.

Ana Pellicer, August 5, 2009, at home in Santa Clara del Cobre. Exquisitely talented, Ms. Pellicer continues to create beautiful art. "What else can I do? Making art is my life, it's always my salvation."

Ana Pellicer arrived in Santa Clara del Cobre fresh from a privileged life in Mexico City and New York. Santa Clara, a community bound in rigid traditional gender roles and attitudes, did not respond well to her desire to work in copper. Talented, young and beautiful, her life in the small town was frequently difficult. Nevertheless, committed to the philosophy of 'mexicanidad'–the internalization of being Mexican in every aspect of life, including their art–both Pellicer and Metcalf felt deeply obligated to live and work in the Santa Clara community of artisans.

The maquette (small scale model) for La Máquina Enamorada (the Machine In Love), Ana Pellicer's enormous sculpture. The actual sculpture, commissioned by Mexican industrialist Francisco Trouyet, is now part of the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in Mexico City. La Máquina Enamorada weighs 250 kilos and measures nearly two meters high by nearly two meters wide and a meter and a half deep.

Over time, Pellicer to some degree gained the trust of the townspeople. In 1975, she and a group of artisan coppersmiths worked together to produce the commissioned piece La Máquina Enamorada (the Machine in Love). Enormous and enormously complex–made from nearly 300 kilos of solid copper ingot–the piece became the largest forged work ever made in Santa Clara and the first artisan-made work accepted by the Museum of Modern Art in Mexico City.

La Ulama or La Pelota que Rebota (The Ball that Bounces), by Ana Pellicer. The hammered copper decorative ring represents the cartwheel ruff, a heavily starched collar that was muy de la moda española (very stylish with the Spanish) during the time of the conquest of Nueva España. The black rubber ball represents the Purhépecha fire ball played in the pre-Hispanic game called Ulama. Pellicer collected the resin for the ball in the traditional method, from Michoacán pine trees. Exhibited in Denver, Colorado, as part of a complex installation, the piece represents ideas that transcend ancient times as traditions and native peoples bounce between cultures.

One of Ana Pellicer's lasting and tremendous accomplishments in Santa Clara has been incorporating women of the community into artisanal copper making. Despite intense opposition from many male artisans, Pellicer taught jewelry-making to some artisans' wives, who began to create jewelry that subsequently has won prizes at the community's annual copper fair.

El Beso (The Kiss), hand-hammered copper, 35X40X15 centimeters, Ana Pellicer, 1995. This hinged sculpture is currently part of the traveling exhibit The Women of Michoacán, Art and Artists. Photo courtesy Fred Derosset.

James Metcalf and Ana Pellicer founded several schools in Santa Clara del Cobre. In 1973, they received the support of the Ministry of Popular Culture and opened La Casa del Artesano. La Casa del Artesano offered artisan training to Santa Clara coppersmiths apart from the traditional training they received as apprentices in local talleres. Later in the 1970s, La Casa del Artesano closed.

Ana Pellicer's double copper plaques, each one smaller than a postcard, with male and female figures.

In 1976, Metcalf and Pellicer began teaching classes in their home. All the while, deep tensions continued to exist, not only within the artisans' community but also between ancient and modern techniques and styles of work, dress, jewelry, and, at its essence, community life.

Metcalf and Pellicer later founded, under the auspices of Mexico's Secretaría de Educación Pública (Secretary of Public Education) what became the most important school for artisans in Santa Clara del Cobre and arguably in all of Mexico: the Adolfo Best Maugard Center for Technical/Industrial Training #166 (Cecati #166). Teaching different techniques of metalsmithing and jewelry making at all levels of production, the school incorporated traditional and European forging methods, taught blacksmithing, casting in both lost wax and sand, machine tools, lathing, enamel work, stone cutting, and electroplating. All of those techniques opened multi-faceted new horizons of artistic and commercial opportunity to Santa Clara artisans.

In 2002, a Michoacán branch of Mexico's teachers' union took over directorship of the school, displacing Metcalf and Pellicer. The move was highly politicized and its consequences spilled over into extreme community tensions and division between the copper artisans and the former directors of the school. Many members of the artisan community continued (and continue until today) to consider Metcalf and Pellicer to be outsiders, even after their more than 35 years' involvement in the life of Santa Clara del Cobre. The pain and stress of this division are still abundantly apparent in both Metcalf and Pellicer's recounting of its incidents.

Sala (living room), Casa Metcalf/Pellicer, August 2009.

The lives and work of James Metcalf and Ana Pellicer are profoundly rooted in both art and artesanía, in both an international community of artists and a local community of artisans. Richly philosophical and deeply reflective, the artists confront their life's mixture of joy and pain in their work. Their story continues to unfold.

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18 de February de 2012
Mexico Cooks! Turns Five: Thanks to You, We’re Celebrating Our Fifth Anniversary

This is the very first photo published by Mexico Cooks! on February 2, 2007: multicolor sonajas (rattles) for sale at a Michoacán artisans' fair. Wouldn't you love to work a jigsaw puzzle made from this picture?

The first week of February 2012, Mexico Cooks! joyfully celebrated its fifth birthday. In March, 2007, only weeks after our first publication, one of our articles was titled, 'From That Little Beginning', quoting the owner of the original producer of Salsa Cholula in speaking of his own business. Today, we echo his thoughts: who would have thought that after Mexico Cooks!' initial article on Candlemas Day 2007–that 'little beginning' article read out of the goodness of their hearts by an audience of 2 or 3 friends–that our current readership would number nearly one million faithful followers? Who would have thought that the London Times would name Mexico Cooks! the number one food blog in the world? And who would have thought that at ten o'clock every Saturday morning for five years, a new Mexico Cooks! article would be ready for you to read? Trust me, not us!

In February and March 2008, Mexico Cooks! published several articles about our travels to the southern Mexican state of Chiapas. Many of our readers asked if this photo, taken at the San Cristóbal de las Casas indigenous market, were for sale or if it would be part of a calendar.

September 2009 featured Ana Pellicer and James Metcalf, internationally-known copper artists from Santa Clara del Cobre, Michoacán. This large and utilitarian French-style tinned copper pot with hand-forged iron handle, although not representative of the artists' fine sculptural works, is part of a popular baterie de cuisine–a set of kitchen pots designed and sold by the couple. Mexico Cooks! featured Ana Pellicer again in November 2010 when she received the illustrious Michoacán Premio Estatal de las Artes Eréndira (Eréndira State Arts Prize of Michoacán). She is the first woman ever to receive the award.

Tortita de calabacita (little squash fritter) from the sorely missed Restaurante Los Comensales in Morelia, Michoacán. Mexico Cooks! featured the restaurant (the name means 'The Diners') in October 2009. Less than a year from the date of our interview with her, Señora Catalina Aguirre Camacho, the owner of Los Comensales since 1980, became too elderly and incapacitated to continue to operate her wonderful restaurant.

And of course there was always food at Mexico Cooks!: recipes, history, and mouth-watering photographs have filled our pages since the beginning. If these few memorable articles leave you hungry for more, our archives contain nearly 300 articles, each with six–or eight–or ten–or more photos. In January 2009, we featured the first retrospective of the prior year's highlights of some of your favorite articles about Mexican food.

Over the last five years, we have frequently featured Mexican ingredients and how to use them in your home kitchen. Some of the most popular articles showcased fresh and dried chiles, and some of Mexico's exotic fruits. This fruit, the wild ilama (Annona diversifolia) from Michoacán's Tierra Caliente (hot lands), is all but unknown outside its home territory. Its skin color is ashy green with tinges of pink on the outside. The flesh is rosy pink; the flavor is a little like a cross between a peach and a pineapple.

If you had to guess, which of Mexico Cooks!' nearly 300 articles do you think would be the most searched for on Google? Think of the ultimate comfort food. Yes: it's caldo de pollo, Mexican-style chicken soup. The article is so popular that once a year, we publish it again!

Another enormously popular article features the preparation of Mexico Cooks!-style frijolitos refritos (refried beans). Prepare them this way once and you may never eat them any other way.

It's almost always a party here at Mexico Cooks!, and you are always invited. Join us at ten o'clock every Saturday morning. Look at the right-hand side of the page to click on "Subscribe to this blog's feed' and receive each new week's Mexico Cooks! article and photos via email.

And what might be Mexico Cooks!' favorite part of this five-year-long party? It's not the food, nor the travels, nor the fascinating cultural insights to this marvelous country that I can share with you, the country for which I fell hook, line, and sinker in 1981. Nope. The best part of all is you.

Mexico Cooks! met a number of fellow food writers in Mexico City in 2010. What did we do? Oh please! We met for lunch, of course.

Many of you have written to me to talk about your joy at discovering Mexico's traditions, including its traditional foods. Many of you have written to me for advice about travel, restaurants, and the use of various Mexican ingredients. Many of you have written to me, like this person, to share a memory: "Thanks. I cried and remember my family. They always ate corundas with pork and chile. It has been many, many years since I visited my family's town in Mexico. Your articles always take me home to my beloved Mexico." Be assured that knowing that you are there–wherever you are in the world–you are the reason that Mexico Cooks! continues. Thank you for five years of support, trust, and confidence.

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11 de February de 2012
Azul Histórico: Chef Ricardo Muñoz Zurita in Mexico City’s Downtown!
Stroll into the magical patio that is Azul Histórico. As you come through the welcoming entrance, the bar and its seating area are on your left, just behind the big blue letters that spell out the restaurant's name.

A little less than a year ago, Mexico City's culinary aficionados began to throng to chef Ricardo Muñoz Zurita's Azul/Condesa, which opened near the end of January 2011. His other two restaurants (both called Azul y Oro) at the UNAM (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México), were and continue to be a gastronomic Mecca in the far southern reaches of the Distrito Federal. Difficult to access by either public or private transportation, those of us who dined there felt that we had conquered both time and space to arrive. The opening of Azul/Condesa gave defeños (residents of the Distrito Federal) and tourists alike an easy option for enjoying the same exquisite dishes served at Azul y Oro–with Azul/Condesa's welcome addition of the opportunity for cocktails or a bottle of wine with a meal.

The former Palacio de los Condes de Miravalle, at Isabel la Católica #30 in Mexico City's Centro Histórico (historic downtown), has been a great gray presence on this street since 1697. Just left of the center of the photograph you see the tall wooden doors that open into Azul Histórico. Photo courtesy Skyscraper City.

Mexico Cooks! was really torn about whether to eat at Azul Histórico right after its January 25 opening or wait until any opening kinks were worked out. Culinary curiosity (not to mention appetite) won out, and we made a reservation for mid-afternoon comida (main meal of the day) on January 28.

Restaurante Azul Histórico, which quite comfortably seats 100, fills the central patio of the 17th century palace of the counts of Miravalle. Surrounded by first-floor balconies, the open-air restaurant is crowned by towering 100-year-old laurel trees. I asked manager Gonzalo Serrano Orozco how patrons would be protected during the Mexico City summer rainy season. He gestured at the sky. "We have an enormous cover to spread over the entire patio."

Table setting at Azul Histórico. The tables, specially made for the restaurant, are hand-branded with the names of streets in the Centro Histórico. The small blue enamelware pots of greenery give a touch of living nature to your table. The jícaras (dried and carved half-gourds) are for drinking mezcal.

Azul HIstórico opens early in the morning (eight o'clock) for business breakfasts, hungry tourists who have lodgings downtown, and anyone else who wants something marvelous to eat to start the day. Classic huevos motuleños (two fried eggs on tortillas, with black beans, ham, and peas, all bathed in a salsa picosa–spicy red sauce), anyone? Or perhaps you'd rather try chilaquiles rojos con arrachera–fried tortilla pieces cooked until just tender with delicious and grilled-just-right steak slices.

Gonzalo Serrano Orozco is the house manager at both Azul/Condesa and Azul Histórico. He's hugging the super-talented young chef María José Serrano Sada, in charge of the kitchen at Azul Histórico.

The menu at Azul Histórico is identical to the menu at Azul/Condesa. The two restaurants also offer full bar service, including house-special flavored margaritas and an excellent variety of regional mezcales and tequilas. But liquor is one thing, and the fabulous food offerings are another. Mexico Cooks! and wife started with a jícara of mezcal (me) and a shot of tequila (her), but we quickly graduated to the order of the day: what to eat.

On the table before the food: a tiny enamelware pot of live greenery, a basket of hot breads, a pot of salsa for the bread, my jícara of mezcal on its woven base, and a plate of traditional orange slices dusted with sal de gusano to accompany the drink.

Judy started her meal with a beautiful deep-green cream of cilantro soup, topped with a little hill of sliced almonds and a big swirl of crema de mesa–Mexican table cream. She needed a pinch of additional salt for the soup, but pronounced it delicious, with the just-right taste of cilantro. Her tequila and house-made sangrita chaser are visible at top left.

I ordered the ensalada de pera con queso Roquefort: the large salad includes crisp, fresh mixed greens, sliced Bosc and red Bartlett pears, large crumbles of delicious Roquefort cheese, and a scattering of roasted cashews. The dressing is oil and balsamic vinegar, with a touch of sweetness–just right for the salad. The dressing, over and above the decorative drizzle on the plate, is served in that little blue jug at the right of the photo. It's my favorite salad on the restaurant menu.

Judy ordered the filete de res con chichilo (filet mignon with a dark Oaxaca mole made with the ashes of chile seeds and ground, dried avocado leaves). In this presentation, it's served over sliced, steamed chayote and accompanied by pickled red onions and chochoyones (little Oaxacan dumplings made of corn dough). The beef needed better searing so it would cook to the required done-ness. After our meal, we talked with chef María José Serrano about the difficulties of teaching her sous chefs the technique of searing and oven-finishing beef; neither of those techniques is widely practiced in central Mexico, but she knows and is eager to give the correct instructions.

I ordered pechuga de pollo con mole negro (boneless chicken breast with Oaxacan black mole). The chicken breast was perfectly cooked: tender and juicy. It's unusual to be served a chicken breast cooked exactly right and this one was extraordinarily wonderful. Mole negro is my always my first choice among moles: it's not too sweet, with deeply complex flavors, and with the precise amount of spiciness to please my palate. Ricardo Muñoz's recipe is out of this world. The dish of chicken and mole comes topped with a single slice of fried sweet plátano macho (super-ripe plantain) and a sprig of cilantro. Perfect.

Service at the new restaurant was almost entirely glitch-free, even on only its third day serving customers. We needed to request napkins (they were deliberately kept off the table due to latent construction dust in the building) and salt, but every other wait staff detail was topnotch.

And the initial evaluation for Azul Histórico from Mexico Cooks!? Here's my checklist on a scale of one to ten, ten being best:
- Style and decor: 10
- Creative and appropriate use of historical space: 10
- Innovation in creative details: 10
- Prompt and appropriate attention from wait staff and other personnel: 10
- Food: 9 with a bullet
- Ease of access: 10 for public transportation access, 10 for tourist access, 10 for handicapped access
So should you wait a while to dine at Azul Histórico or should you get on over there now? My advice: make a reservation, go now AND later, and take me with you! You are going to love it.

Azul Histórico
Isabel la Católica #30
Between Calles Francisco Madero and 16 de septiembre
Centro Histórico
Across the street from the Casino Español
Two blocks from the Zócalo
Metro Isabel la Católica or Metro Allende
Hours: 8AM (for breakfast) until 11PM
Tels. 5510.1316 or 5521.3295
Azul Histórico

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4 de February de 2012
Feliz Año Nuevo (Happy New Year), Mexican Style

In Mexico and other Latin American countries, women wear yellow underwear on New Year's Eve to bring good luck and wealth in the year to come. Red underwear indicates a New Year's wish for an exciting love interest!

Superstition or not, many people here in Mexico have the custom of ritos del Año Nuevo (New Year's rituals). Some rituals include foods, others prescribe certain clothing, and still others warrant attention for religious interest.

As the clock strikes midnight, it's common to eat twelve grapes–one at each ding, one at each dong of the bell. While eating the grapes, you make a personal wish for each grape you consume, welcoming the new year that's beginning. Mexico Cooks! finds that it's helpful to write down the twelve wishes so as not to forget one or choke in the rush to swallow the grapes before the clock finishes striking the New Year's earliest hour!

Eating a tablespoonful of cooked lentils on New Year's Eve is said to bring prosperity and fortune. You can also give raw lentils–just a handful–to family and friends with the same wish.

On a small piece of paper, write down the undesirable habits and customs you'd like to let go of in the New Year that's just starting. Burn the paper, then follow through with the changes!

Choose three stones that symbolize health, love, and money. Put them in a place where you will see them every day.

Light candles: blue for peace, yellow for abundance, red for love, green for health, white for spirituality, and orange for intelligence.

Spill clean water on the sidewalk in front of your house as the clock rings in the New Year. Your house will be purified and all tears will be washed away.

To have money for your needs all year, have some bills in your hand or in your pocket to welcome the arrival of the New Year. Some people fold up the money and put it in their shoes!

Take your suitcase for a walk. Legend is that the farther you walk with your suitcase, the farther you'll travel. Several New Year's Eves ago, Mexico Cooks! and a few friends celebrated by walking our suitcases around the block, and we all traveled far and wide during the new year that followed.

Mexico Cooks! wishes all of you a muy Próspero Año Nuevo–and especially wishes that your red underwear brings you (or keeps you) the love of family, friends, and that special someone.

We'll see you in 2012!

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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.

31 de December de 2011
The Mexican Nativity Scene at Christmas: El Nacimiento

A Christmas tree may be the central focus of your home decoration during this joyous season of the Christian year. In most parts of Mexico, the Christmas tree is a fairly recent import and the primary focus of the holiday is still on the nacimiento (manger scene, creche, or nativity scene).

One of Mexico Cooks!' biggest delights every late November and early December is shopping for Christmas–not hunting for gifts, but rather for new items to place in our nacimiento (manger scene). Truth be told, we have five nacimientos–or maybe six–that come out each Christmas season, but only one of them keeps growing every year.

The tiny figures in this nacimiento are made of clay; the choza (hut) is made of wood. The shepherds and angels have distinctive faces; no two are alike. One shepherd carries firewood, another a tray of pan dulce (sweet breads), a third has a little bird in his hands. The tallest figures measure only three inches high. The Niño Dios (Baby Jesus) is not usually placed in the pesebre (manger) until the night of December 24. The Niño Dios for this nacimiento is just over an inch long and is sleeping on his stomach with his tiny knees drawn up under him, just like a real infant. This nacimiento was made about 25 years ago in Tonalá, Jalisco, Mexico.

Mexican households traditionally pass the figures for their nacimientos down through the family; the figures begin to look a little tattered after traveling from great-grandparents to several subsequent generations, but no one minds. In fact, each figure holds loving family memories and is the precious repository of years of 'remember when…?'. No one cares that the Virgin Mary's gown is chipped around the hem or that St. Joseph is missing an arm; remembering how the newest baby teethed on the Virgin's dress or how a long-deceased visiting aunt's dog bit off St. Joseph's arm is cause for a family's nostalgic laughter.

Nacimiento en vivo (living nativity scene), Lake Chapala, Jalisco, Mexico. In 13th century Italy, St. Francis of Assisi was inspired to re-enact the birth of Christ. The first nacimiento was presented with living creatures: the oxen, the donkey, and the Holy Family. Even today in Mexican communities, there are hundreds of living manger scenes.

Holy Family, 18th century Italy. The first nativity figures, made of clay, were created in 15th century Naples and their use spread rapidly throughout Italy and Spain. In Spain, the early figural groups were called 'Belenes' (Bethlehems).

A few weeks before Christmas, our tiny nacimiento de plomo (manger scene with lead figures, none over four inches high) comes out of yearlong storage. The wee village houses are made of cardboard and hand-painted; each has snow on its roof and a little tree in front. You might well ask what the figures in the photo represent: el Sr. San José (St. Joseph, who in Mexico always wears green and gold) leads the donkey carrying la Virgen María (the Virgin Mary) on their trek to Belén (Bethlehem). We put these figures out earliest and move them a bit closer to Bethlehem every day. This nacimiento is the one that grows each year; we have added many figures to the original few. This year we expect the total number of figures to rise to more than 60.

Click on the photo and you will see that the Holy Family has not yet arrived in Bethlehem; the choza is empty and St. Joseph's staff is just visible in the lower right-hand corner. Click to enlarge the photo to better see the figures in the nacimiento: gamboling sheep, birds of all kinds, shepherds, shepherdesses, St. Charbel, an angel, and Our Lady of Guadalupe are all ready to receive the Niño Dios (Baby Jesus). Notice the upright red figure standing in the Spanish moss: that's Satan, who is always present in a Mexican nacimiento to remind us that although the birth of Jesus offers love and the possibility of redemption, sin and evil are always present in the world.

Detail of the lead figures in our ever-growing nacimiento. To the left is a well (with doves) and a woman coming to draw water; to the right is an arriero (donkey-herder) giving his little donkey what-for. No matter how many figures are included, the central figures in any nacimiento are the Holy Family (St. Joseph, the Virgin Mary, and the Baby Jesus). In Mexico, those three are collectively known as el misterio (the mystery).

A very small portion of one of the largest nacimientos on display in Mexico City. It measures more than 700 square meters and includes thousands of figures. They include everything you can think of and some things that would never occur to you: a butcher shop, a running stream and a waterfall, sleeping peasants, and washerwomen. A nacimiento can include all of the important stories of the Bible, from Genesis to the Resurrection, as well as figures representing daily life–both today's life in Mexico and life at the time of Jesus's birth. Photo courtesy El Universal.

Papel roca (hand-painted paper for decorating a nacimiento), a choza (little hut), and two kinds of moss for sale in this booth at the Guadalajara tianguis navideño (Christmas market). This year, Mexico Cooks! has purchased figures of a miniature pre-Hispanic loinclothed warrior, a tiny shoemaker working at his bench, a wee man sawing firewood, and a shepherd standing under a tree while holding a lamb. The shepherd's tree looks exactly like a stalk of broccoli and makes us smile each time we look at it.

Where in Mexico can you buy figures for your nacimiento? Every city and town has a market where, for about a month between the end of November and the first week in January, a large number of vendors offer items especially for Christmas. Some larger cities, like Mexico City, Guadalajara, Morelia, and others, offer several tianguis navideños (Christmas markets) where literally thousands of figures of every size are for sale. Last year we found a tiny figure of the seated Virgin Mary, one breast partially exposed as she nurses the Niño Dios, who lies nestled in her arms. It's the only one like it that we have ever seen.

This booth at a tianguis navideño in Guadalajara offers Niños Dios in every possible size, from tiny ones measuring less than three inches long to babies the size of a two-year-old child. In Mexico City's Centro Histórico, Calle Talavera is an entire street devoted to shops specializing in clothing for your Niño Dios. The nacimiento is traditionally displayed until February 2 (Candlemas Day), when the Niño Dios is gently taken out of the pesebre in a special ceremony called the levantamiento (raising). The nacimiento is then carefully stored away until the following December.

Near Mexico City's Basílica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, this religious goods store also advertises that it will dress the Niño Dios for your nacimiento.

Piles of gold and silver glitter cardboard stars of Bethlehem, for sale at the tianguis navideño in southern Mexico City's Mercado Mixcoac.

An assortment of clay figures for your nacimiento: villagers, chickens, and vendors. Size and scale don't matter: you'll find crocodiles the size of your little finger and elephants bigger than a soft drink can. Both will work equally well in your nacimiento.

Giant flamingos go right along with burritas (little donkeys). Why not?

Each traditional figure in a nacimiento is symbolic of a particular value. For example, the choza (the little hut) represents humility and simplicity. Moss represents humilty–it's something that everyone steps on. The donkey represents the most humble animal in all creation, chosen to carry the pregnant Virgin Mary. The star of Bethlehem represents renewal and unending light.

Which diablito (little devil) tempts you most, the one with the money bag or the one with the booze?

How many shepherds do you want? This Guadalajara tianguis navideño booth has hundreds, and in sizes ranging from an inch to well over a foot tall.

It wouldn't be a Mexican nacimiento without tortillas!

This Christmas, Mexico Cooks! wishes you all the blessings of the season. Whatever your faith, we hope you enjoy this peek at the nacimiento, one of Mexico's lasting traditions.

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

24 de December de 2011
Christmas–Piñata Time in Mexico!

Traditional piñatas ready for sale decorate the door to the Hernández family's tiny taller (workshop) on Av. Lázaro Cárdenas in Morelia, Michoacán.

Among clean ollas de barro (clay pots), plastic receptacles filled with engrudo (flour/water paste), and colorful, neatly stacked rounds of papel de china (tissue paper), Sra. María Dolores Hernández (affectionately known as Doña Lolita) sits on an upturned bucket. She'll celebrate her 80th birthday on December 24, and she still lights up–just like a Christmas tree–when she talks about her business and her life.

The last point of the star-shaped piñata is in Doña Lolita's hands, nearly ready to be glued into place.

"When I was a young woman, raising my family together with my husband, it was hard for us to make a good living here in Morelia. We had eight children (one has died, but six girls and a boy survive) and we struggled to make ends meet. My husband was a master mason, but I wanted to help out with the finances. I knew a woman who made piñatas, and I thought, 'I can do that.' So I started trying my hand, nearly 60 years ago."

Doña Lolita adds another layer of newspaper to this piñata in progress. "You can't put too much newspaper on the pot, because it will take too long to break," she explained. "And you can't put too little on it, either, because then the first child to hit it will break it. That's no good, either. You just have to know how much to use." Click on the photo to enlarge it and get a good look at the clay pot inside the paper maché.

"The woman who made piñatas wouldn't give away her secrets, so I had to figure everything out for myself. You should have seen me the first time I tried to make a bird's beak for a parrot-shaped piñata! A man I knew told me to make it out of chapopote (a kind of tar), so I did. It hardened all right, but later in the day the weather warmed up and that beak dripped down to here! What a mess! I finally figured out how to make the shape out of paper, but I just about broke my head thinking about it!"

Pre-cut rounds of papel de china (tissue paper) wait to be glued onto a piñata. The black plastic bag holds strips of newspaper.

Doña Lolita told me about the different grades of paper used to create different styles of decoration on the piñata, and she explained different kinds of paper-cutting techniques; she's absolutely the expert. Here, her son-in-law Fernando cuts tissue paper for fringe. His hands are so fast with the scissors it made my head spin; he can even cut without looking.

"In those days, the clay pots cost four and a half pesos for a gross–yes, for 144. In the old days, I usually sold about 7,000 piñatas every December, so you can imagine the investment I made just in clay pots. In the 1960s, I could sell a large piñata for seven pesos. Now–well, now the pots are much more expensive, so naturally the piñatas cost more, too. The large ones cost 45 pesos. This year, I'll sell about 1,000 piñatas just for the posadas. "

Piñatas in various stages of completion hang from every beam in Doña Lolita's tiny workshop.

"When my daughter Mercedes was about eight years old, she wanted to learn to make piñatas. She'd been watching me do it since she was born. So I taught her, and I've taught the whole family. Piñatería (making piñatas) is what's kept us going." Doña Lolita smiled hugely. "My children have always been extremely hard workers. There was a girl for each part of making the piñatas. Every year, we started making piñatas in August and finished at the beginning of January.

This gigantic piñata, still unfinished, measures almost six feet in diameter from point to point.

"One time, we had so many piñatas to finish that I didn't think we could do it. So I thought, 'if we work all night long, we can finish them by tomorrow morning.' Only I couldn't figure out how to keep the children awake to work all night." She laughed. "I went to the drugstore and bought pills to stay awake. I knew I could keep myself awake, but I gave one pill to each of the children. And in just a little while, I was working and they were sleeping, their heads fell right down into their work! What! Those pills didn't work at all! The next day I went back to the drugstore and asked the pharmacist about it. 'Oh no! I thought you asked me for pills to make them sleep!' he said." Doña Lolita laughed again. "We finished all the piñatas in spite of those pills, but you had better believe me, I never tried anything that foolish again."

Doña Lolita builds piñatas with her son-in-law, Fernando Cedeño Herrera (left), her daughter Mercedes Ayala Hernández, her grandchildren and her great-grandchildren. A close friend, Oswaldo Gutiérrez López (background), works with the family. Her grandson Enrique, 19, says he intends to keep the family business going.

Oswaldo Gutiérrez works on this piñata in the doorway of the tiny taller. Doña Lolita has taught many people the art of creating traditional piñatas, but her family and her loyal customers say she's the best piñatera (piñata maker) in Morelia.

"People come from everywhere to buy my piñatas. I don't have to take them out to sell; I only sell them here in the taller. Because they're so beautiful and well-made, all the best people in Morelia–and lots of people from other places–come to seek me out and order piñatas for their parties. I've taught my family that our work is our pride and our heritage, and my children have all taught their children the same. That is our legacy, our family tradition."

Fill the piñata with candy like these bags of traditional colación (hard candies especially for Christmas).

But why piñatas, and why in December? During the early days of the Spanish conquest, the piñata was used as a catechetical tool. The body of the piñata represented Satan; each of the seven points symbolized the seven capital sins (pride, lust, gluttony, rage, greed, laziness, and envy). Breaking the piñata equated with the triumph of good over evil, overpowering Satan, overcoming sin, and enjoying the delights of God's creation as they pour out of the piñata. Doña Lolita's most sought-after piñatas continue the traditional style, but she also creates piñatas shaped like roosters, peacocks, half-watermelons, deer, half moons, and once, an enormous octopus!

Now, for the nine nights from December 16 through December 24, Mexico celebrates las posadas. Each evening, a re-enactment of the Christmas story brings children dressed as la Virgencita María (ready to give birth to her baby) and her husband Sr. San José (and a street filled with angels, shepherds, and other costumed children) along the road to Bethlehem, searching for a place to stay. There is no place: Bethlehem's posadas (inns) are filled. Where will the baby be born! For the re-enactment, people wait behind closed doors at certain neighborhood houses. The santos peregrinos (holy pilgrims) knock, first at one door, then another. At each house, they sing a song, begging lodging for the night. At each house, the neighbors inside turn them away in song: 'No room here! Go away! Bother someone else!' Watch a lovely slide show: Las Posadas.

Freshly toasted cacahuates (peanuts) also stuff the piñata. The wooden box holding the peanuts is actually a measure, as is the oval metal box.

After several houses turn away la Virgen, San José, and their retinue, they finally receive welcome at the last designated house. After the pilgrims sing their plea for a place to stay, the guests assembled inside sing their welcome, "Entren santos peregrinos…" (Come in, holy pilgrims…). The doors are flung open, everyone piles into the house, and a huge party starts. Traditional foods like ponche (a hot fruit punch), buñuelos (a thin circle of fried dough covered with either sugar or syrup), and tamales (hundreds of tamales!) pour out of the kitchen as revelers sing villancicos (Mexican Christmas carols) and celebrate the coming of the Niño Dios (the Child Jesus). Finally, all the children line up to put on a blindfold and take swings at a piñata stuffed with candy, seasonal fruits, and peanuts.

This five-pound bag of hard candies shows a blindfolded (but peeking) boy ready to break open the filled piñata. Luis Gómez, a merchant at Local 290, Mercado Independencia in Morelia, offers these and other bags of piñata candies.

Mandarinas (tangerines) are in season at Christmastime and round out the goodies in lots of piñatas.

The piñata, stuffed with all it will hold, hangs from a rope during the posada party. A parent or neighbor swings it back and forth, up and down, as each child takes a turn at breaking it open with a big stick. Watch these adorable kids whack away.

The piñata, lovely though it may be, is purely temporary. Nevertheless, happy memories of childhood posadas with family and friends last a lifetime.

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.

17 de December de 2011
Travel+Leisure Gourmet Awards 2011, Mexico City Autumn Gala
The Travel+Leisure Mexico public relations team emailed Mexico Cooks! not long ago with a surprise invitation to attend its 2011 Gourmet Awards. The awards event, which a restauranteur friend called 'the Oscars of Mexican restaurant cooking', were held at the elegant and posh St. Regis Hotel here in Mexico City. The gala event featured nominated chefs from every part of Mexico. Photo courtesy Brad A. Johnson.

To open the recent 2011 Travel+Leisure Gourmet Awards, the producers invited all of the restaurant chefs in the audience to go onstage for what Travel+Leisure called a historic group photograph. Most of the current luminaries of Mexico's traditional and modern restaurant heavens were present. Although the event was held in Mexico City, attendees and nominated chefs came from every corner of the country. All photos courtesy Quien.com except as noted.

Manuel Rivera, above, is the general director of Travel+Leisure's Grupo Expansión. He reflected, "Eleven years in the communications industry have been accompanied by a series of culinary experiences that have served to increase my curiosity about what constitutes good food. What I like best are surprises: an unexpected flavor or texture."

In the mind of Mexico's modern culinary world, there was only one place to be on the night of the awards: in the Diamond Salon at the St. Regis Hotel. High-voltage energy fueled the tension that accompanied the wait for the awards ceremony.

Sommelier Glo Lescieur of Grupo La Castellana, snapped during the party with Mexico Cooks!. Photo courtesy Vinus Tripudium.

Travel+Leisure created eleven separate gastronomic awards categories. They were:
- Chef Promesa (Up and Coming Chef)
- Mejor Restaurante Cocina Regional y Tradicional (Best Regional and Traditional Restaurant)
- Mejor Restaurante de Hotel (Best Hotel Restaurant)
- Mejor Entrada (Best Appetizer)
- Mejor Plato Fuerte (Best Main Dish)
- Mejor Postre (Best Dessert)
- Mejor Menú Degustación (Best Tasting Menu)
- Mejor Concepto (Best-Conceived Restaurant)
- Mejor Arte al Plato (Best Presentation)
- People's Choice
- Best of the Best
A panel of fifteen experts–whether by vocation or avocation–was assembled to judge the categories. The panel of judges included Nicolás Alvarado, Mariana Camacho, Roberto Gutiérrez Durán, Patricio Villalobos, and Manuel Rivera of Travel+Leisure Grupo Expansión; media commentators Marco Hernández, León Krauze, Carlos Loret de Mola, Nicolás Vale; and wine experts Hans Backoff, Jr., Pablo Baños, and Paulina Vélez, in addition to Rectora Esmeralda Chalita Kaim of the Colegio Superior de Gastronomía, among others.

Chef Paulina Abascal and Juan Luis Rodríguez entertained the crowd as they presented the coveted awards. First one and then the other read the list of nominees; then they alternately announced the winners. Applause, whistles, and shouts of congratulations filled the room as the presenters read each winner's name.

Winners:
- Chef Promesa: Chef José Manuel Baños, Restaurante Pitiona, Oaxaca
- Mejor restaurante regional: Chef Ricardo Muñoz Zurita, Azul y Oro, DF
- Mejor restaurante de hotel: Chef Alejandro Ruíz, Casa Oaxaca, Oaxaca
- Mejor entrada: Foie de Algodón, Chef Mikel Alonso, Biko, DF
- Mejor plato fuerte: Escolar Verde Apio, Chef Mikel Alonso, Biko, DF
- Mejor postre: Creme Brulée de Pera, Chef Sonia Arias, Jaso, DF
- Mejor menú degustación: Pujol, Chef Enrique Olvera, DF
- Mejor concepto: La Leche, Chef Alfonso Cadena, DF
- Mejor arte del plato: Oca, Chef Vicente Torres, DF
- People's Choice: Paxia, Chef Daniel Ovadía, DF
- Best of the Best: Pujol, Chef Enrique Olvera, DF
Chef Mikel Alonso, Restaurante Biko, and Chef Sonia Arias, Restaurante Jaso, show off their awards.

Chef Alejandro Ruíz, Restaurante Casa Oaxaca, receives his award from the lovely Travel+Leisure's ceremony assistant.

Chef Daniel Ovadía, Restaurante Paxia, rejoiced over the People's Choice award. Rather than rely on its panel of experts, the Travel+Leisure website offered its readers a one-week opportunity to vote for their favorite restaurant and pick the People's Choice winner.

Chef Enrique Olvera and Restaurante Pujol received the Best of the Best "G" statuette, along with an original work created especially for the category by artist Manuel Monroy.

Chefs Gerarado Vázquez Lugo of Restaurante Nico's; Ricardo Muñoz Zurita of both Azul y Oro and Azul/Condesa; Carmen Titita Ramírez of El Bajío; Enrique Farjeat; Alicia Gironella d'Angeli of El Tajín, and Maritere Ramírez Degollado of Artesanos del Dulce celebrate at the cocktail reception following the awards ceremony. Photo courtesy Claudio Poblete.

Some of the eleven winners lined up for a photo: left to right, chefs Enrique Olvera, Daniel Ovadía, Sonia Arias, Ricardo Muñoz Zurita, Alfonso Cadena, José Manuel Baños, Alejandro Ruíz, and Mikel Alonso.

What can I say? It was a marvelous night, filled with stars and the chatter and gossip of a galaxy of friends. Some of the winners caused Mexico Cooks! to say, "Well, but of course!" and others were a big surprise. In saying thank you, every one of the winners echoed the thoughts of all of us watching: every restaurant depended on an entire team to achieve its success. No single chef won alone.

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.
26 de November de 2011
Casa Madero at Izote de Patricia Quintana: Wine Tasting and Menú de Degustación

Sr. Brandon Milmo, director of Casa Madero Winery (Parras, Coahuila, Mexico), chef Patricia Quintana, and don Pedro Poncelis, Mexico's premier sommelier, at Restaurante Izote de Patricia Quintana.

Rain! As Mexico Cooks! was leaving the house, as we finally grabbed a cab, while we were traveling (in rush hour traffic, of course) to Mexico City's upscale Colonia Polanco, the unseasonable rain bucketed down. But like magic, just as we pulled onto slightly nose-in-the-air Av. Presidente Masaryk (Mexico City's equivalent to New York's Fifth Avenue) the rain–and the cab–stopped. Respectably late, we strolled, blessedly dry and with umbrellas tightly furled, into Patricia Quintana's little piece of heaven: Restaurante Izote.

Casa Madero sponsored the Casa Grande Shiraz cata vertical (vertical wine tasting). In a vertical wine tasting, each of the wines served is the same, but from several different years. In this case, the Casa Grande Shiraz was from 2005, 2006, and 2007. Grown on the same vines but under slightly different climatic conditions, each year's crop had different fragrances, colors, and flavors.

Judith McKnight, left, enjoys the company of Mexico City wine expert Rondi Frankel (center) and Fabiola de la Fuente, editorial director of Food+Travel México magazine. We all found plenty to talk about before we were seated for the wine tasting and dinner pairings. A tidbit of information: Casa Madero, founded in 1597, is the oldest winery in the New World.

At first glance, these Casa Madero placemats appeared to have been already used, stained by circles of vino tinto (red wine). Several people (including Mexico Cooks!) not-so-surreptitiously touched the wine stains, only to discover that they were cleverly printed on the paper mat. Below each supposed stain was space for notes about each year's wine. Jorge Luis Trejo Villaseñor, Casa Madero's national sales manager, called my attention to the outstanding legend at the bottom of the placemat: A qué sabe un vino con 5 siglos de pasión? (What is the flavor of a wine with five centuries of passion?)

Casa Madero's director, Brandon Milmo, listens intently as elegant sommelier (highly trained wine steward) Claudia Juárez discusses the special characteristics of each of the three Shiraz wines. She wears the sommelier's formal uniform, including the tastevin on its chain.

The tastevin (saucer-like silver cup) was originally created by French winemakers to enable them to judge the clarity and color of wine that was stored in dim, candle-lit wine cellars. Regular wine glasses were too deep to allow for accurate judging of the wine's color in such faint light. Tastevin are designed with a shiny faceted inner surface. Often, the bottom of the cup is convex in shape. The facets, convex bottom, and the shiny inner surface catch as much available light as possible, reflecting it throughout the wine in the cup, making it possible to see through the wine.

With the advent of modern electric lights, the tastevin has very little practical use, although sommeliers often wear them on a ribbon or chain around the neck as a nod to tradition and a symbol of pride in their profession.

The three Casa Grande Shiraz pours; from left to right, 2005, 2006, and 2007.

While sommelier Claudia Juárez instructed us, we 50 guests of the house carefully tasted the three wines. Mexico Cooks! is a relative neophyte in the world of oenology, but the lessons of the evening were well learned. Really tasting wine isn't about pounding down a tumblerful of the rosé that you've poured from the cheap boxed wine in your refrigerator. Instead, there are qualities to look for in your glass: how does the wine look, from its color to its 'legs'? How does it smell–fruity, nutty, leathery, spicy? How does it taste–floral, peppery, acidic, light, heavy? Most important of all, of course, is whether or not you like what you're drinking.

A wine's 'legs' (also called 'tears') are the subtle traces left on the inner bowl of the glass after the wine is gently swirled around several times. Once thought to be an indicator of quality, experts now say that the legs are in fact a product of surface tension and an indicator of alcohol content. In the photograph, you have the best view of the legs at the bottom left corner of the flower arrangement.

After carefully tasting each individual Shiraz and then comparing the various merits of the three years, we began to enjoy the food maridaje (pairings with the wines). Chef Patricia Quintana, internationally known for Restaurante Izote, for her many cookbooks, her television shows, and her annual Aromas y Sabores tours, prepared a twelve-course tasting menu (yes, twelve courses!) consisting of eight savories and four sweets.

First course: timbal de frijol con morillas, queso pijijiapan y chile ancho con mezcal. In this case, the timbale is a cylindrical mold of beans filled with minced morel mushrooms and topped with cheese from Pijijiapan, Chiapas. You can see the sauce on the side.

Next, a taquito de cabrito con salsa verde–a freshly made corn tortilla wrapped around shredded goat meat, then fried and bathed with green sauce, Mexican table cream, and dusted with aged cheese. A chopstick, inserted into one end of the taquito, made for ease of handling.

Third course: enchiladas de queso asadero en salsa de jitomate con chile verde. Queso asadero is a melting cheese, used in this instance to fill the enchilada. The tomato and green chile sauce, along with the topping of thinly sliced onion, finely grated aged cheese, and shredded lettuce, were traditional accompaniments raised to a celestial level.

Fourth: pescado al vapor a la tinga con papa (steamed fish, in this case red snapper, in a spicy red sauce–all sitting on a slice of potato and wrapped for steaming in a banana leaf).

The banana leaf spread open, showing the pescado al vapor a la tinga con papa. This dish was my hands-down favorite. The mixture of flavors in the tinga combined with the sweet tenderness of the fish to explode in a sensational fiesta in my mouth.

Fifth course: ensalada de jitomatitos con vinagreta al Shiraz Casa Grande 2007. This salad is made of tiny grape tomatoes dressed with a vinaigrette made with the 2007 wine we were tasting. The presentation of this salad, as well as that of all the courses, was exquisite.

Sixth: camarones con azafrán y municiones (shrimp in saffron sauce with little pasta 'bullets'). Perfectly cooked shrimp-on-a-stick combined beautifully with the richly delicate flavor of saffron, but in my opinion the municiones were a mistake. The pasta gave the dish a texture that reminded me–and not in a good way–of tapioca pudding.

Seventh: enchiladas de mole negro (black mole enchiladas). Black mole is one of Mexico's most delicious sauces and this one was no exception. The combination of mole, sesame seeds, crisp tortilla, and shredded onions–wow!

All of us guests were of different opinions about which of the three years' Shiraz wines paired better with each of the courses we were eating, but many preferred the 2006 to the earlier or later year. The 2006 was Mexico Cooks!' favorite. Waiters circulated with bottles of each Shiraz, replenishing our wine glasses as we emptied them. At this point in the meal–after most of the courses had been served–many of us began requesting water rather than more wine!

Eighth: filete Doña Manuelita de Parras. This seared and crusty filet mignon was cooked exactly to medium rare. The accompaniments, including the stuffed chayote seen at the top, were excellent.

Chef Patricia Quintana gently tapped two copas (wine glasses) together to quiet the crowd before she spoke to us about the meal in progress. The flower in the photo's background images is the izote (the edible flower of the yucca cactus)for which she named her restaurant.

After the first eight courses, which were of course accompanied by liberal pourings of each of the three wines, most of the invited guests were simply unable to continue to the four-course dessert menu. Even though each of the savory courses was a small portion, their accumulated richness overpowered all but the most hardy souls. In addition, we finished the last of the savories at midnight! Reluctantly we congratulated the chef and kissed her goodbye, shook hands with the remaining guests, and made our way out into the starry late night, the chilly air cleansed by the earlier rain.

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.

19 de November de 2011
Organic Food and Locavores in Mexico City: Mercado el 100

Organically grown chilacayote (fig leaf gourd, Cucurbita ficifolia), available at Mercado de 100. In Mexico, the chilacayote is used above all as a vegetable, but it is also often cooked with piloncillo and other sweetening ingredients and eaten as a candy or as a filling for breads or pastries.

The locavore movement began in the United States late in the 1960s at a time when people began to awaken to the notion that it would be healthier for themselves and the planet if their food were produced close to home rather than hundreds or thousands of miles from their kitchens. Today, more people believe that local food systems, often marketing organically-grown products, offer choices that are superior to those proferred by global corporate models. Within the last few years, the locavore movement has come to Mexico City.

This full-size bronze replica of Michelangelo's David gazes from the fountain in the lovely Plaza Rio de Janeiro in Mexico City's Colonia Roma Norte. The Mercado de 100 sets up in this plaza, at the corner of Calle Durango and Calle Orizaba, every other Sunday morning.

In years gone by, all the world consisted of locavores. Produce and meats were not flown or trucked from faraway farms to our supermarkets. We ate what was seasonal, and most often we ate we we ourselves produced. In many parts of Mexico, this is still true today. However, with the country-wide incursion of giant globalized supermarket chains such as Comercial Mexicana, Soriana, Chedraui, Wal-Mart, and others, more and more food is commercially produced and brought to market from enormous distances.

Artisanal breads at Mercado de 100, including crossaints and whole grain loaves produced by Mexico City's Pan 100.

In 2009, a group of friends in Mexico City were the startup group for the non-profit society that directs Mercado de 100. Concerned about the quality of food available in most supermarkets in the city, they believed (and continue to believe) that the population of this enormous metropolis deserves a choice: the opportunity to eat fresh, pesticide free, locally grown food.

Locally grown organic lettuce.

Need an ecological, re-useable market bag? These come in several sizes and terrific colors.

When Mercado el 100 started in 2009, it was peripatetic–moving from one location to another every time it set up. Today, it has a permanent spot at the lovely Plaza Rio de Janeiro, one of the most beautiful small parks in Mexico City. A visit to the market on a sunny Sunday morning can easily entice you to continue your day with a leisurely stroll around this part of Colonia Roma.

Menu of cheeses from Finca VAI in Querétaro. Mexico Cooks! tasted the manchego and the reblochon; both are delicious. One of these days soon we hope to visit Finca VAI for a tour of its operation.

From left to right, organically grown pears, apples, and tomatoes.

Locally bottled salsas and vinegars.

A bird-ish basket full of quail eggs. Mexico Cooks! likes to use them blended raw into a licuado (a thick fruit drink similar to a smoothie) or soft-poached, to garnish individual bowls of Chinese watercress and pork soup.

Herbs and spices, all organically grown (the label attests to that) and pesticide-free. The booth also offers delicious jams and honey. Mexico Cooks! brought home a cup of fresh raspberry jam and a bag of gordolobo (Gnaphalium Sp.), a medicinal flower which is brewed into a tea and used as an expectorant.

A basketful of fresh organic epazote (wormweed), ready for a long simmer in a pot of beans.

Pre-Hispanic era treats in today's Mexico: clockwise from bottom left, dried corn with powdered chile, dried corn with honey and pinole, chapulines (grasshoppers), and pinole.

Artisan-made, locally-produced soaps from Xamania, which also offers earth-friendly body lotions and cosmetics.

Mercado el 100, open every two weeks in Plaza Rio Janeiro (at the corner of Calle Durango and Orizaba), Colonia Roma Norte, Mexico City. Tell them their friends at Mexico Cooks! sent you.

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.

12 de November de 2011