Category: Food and Drink

Oaxaca: Food, Sightseeing, and a Dream Realized

This wonderful sign is painted on plexiglass and fastened to the wall above a sink at Oaxaca's Mercado Benito Juárez. The sign indicates that the water from the faucets is safe to use for washing hands but not safe for drinking. The sign is just the sort of thing Mexico Cooks! would have bought and brought home, if it had been for sale.

In June 2011, Mexico Cooks! spent a long weekend in the southern Mexico city of Oaxaca as the guest of Mexico's government tourism initiative called Mexico Today. A long weekend, no matter how wonderful, wasn't quite enough time to accomplish the kind of touring that interested me. Invited again to Oaxaca by the extraordinary culinary festival El Saber del Sabor, I had the chance to see just a little more of this amazing state and was able to realize one long-time dream.

Table centerpiece, inaugural event at El Saber del Sabor. This lovely dinner for about 1000 people was prepared by many of Oaxaca's best regional cooks.

Memelas with refried black beans and crumbled queso fresco (fresh cheese), a traditional antojito that is emblematic of Oaxaca.

At Oaxaca's Mercado Benito Juárez, Quesería Las 7 Regiones (Cheeseshop 7 Regions) employee Julia Pérez winds freshly made quesillo into the individual balls visible at the lower right in the photo.

Bienvenidos a Oaxaca (Welcome to Oaxaca). This papel picado (cut tissue paper) streamer greeted us in Ocotlán de Morelos, a small city just half an hour south of the city of Oaxaca. It had long been my dream visit the town.

Young members of a Saturday afternoon wedding party await the bride's arrival at Ocotlán's Templo de Nuestra Señora del Rosario (church of Our Lady of the Rosary).

Dome over Ocotlán's Templo de Nuestra Señora del Rosario.

Detail of a jarrón (large clay jar) in Ocotlán's ex-Convento de Santo Domingo. The former convent has been largely restored using funds donated by Morales and is now a museum. The painting shows both the man in the moon and the Mexican legend of the rabbit in the moon.

Mexico Cooks!' primary reason for going to Ocotlán was to visit the home of maestro Rodolfo Morales, a native of Ocotlán and an internationally known surrealist painter and collage maker. His paintings haunt my dreams and, although I never met him, his work speaks volumes to me about who he was and about his love for Mexico and his home city.

Maestro Rodolfo Morales, native-born Ocotlán surrealist painter and collage maker. Maestro Rodolfo, who died on January 30, 2001, has long been a personal hero of mine and for years I have wanted to visit his town and his home.

This painting is filled with some of maestro Rodolfo's recurrent symbols: girls with streaming long hair, bicycles, dogs, flowers, and mystical figures. Click on any photo for a better view.

The Morales family kitchen. Alberto Morales, maestro Rodolfo's nephew, showed us through the house. As they are in the Morales kitchen, clay pots are traditionally hung in the kitchen of a Mexican home both for daily use and as decor. The Morales kitchen is still used every day.

The workshop where Morales created the intricate collages he sold to benefit his cultural foundation, headed today by his nephew. The collages were made of paper, fabric, stickers, ribbons, yarn, lace–really, any material that fit the subject matter of the piece. Some collages are very simple and others are extraordinarily complex.

Rodolfo Morales, collage Ángel Azul. Photo courtesy Art for Small Hands. Hands are usually prominent in maestro Rodolfo's work; they symbolize the work of the people of Oaxaca, work done with their hands.

Tubes of paint and pots of brushes remain in Morales's Ocotlán home studio, along with a large number of incomplete canvases.

The maestro's boots, propped on the base of his easel.

In the Templo de Nuestra Señora del Rosario, a candle symbolizes a prayer–perhaps a prayer that a dream might be realized. Mine was, and yours can be, too.

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.

15 de October de 2011
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
Mexico City’s Mercado de la Merced: the Escuela de Gastronomía Mexicana Gives Mexico Cooks! a Tour

Standing at the doors of Mexico City's Catedral Metropolitana, Edmundo Escamilla offers fascinating historical background about the pre-Hispanic marketplace at Tenochtitlán, the capital of the Mexica/Aztec empire. That enormous marketplace operated where the Zócalo (Mexico City's main square and the current site of the cathedral) now exists.

A few weeks ago, Mexico Cooks! received the announcement of a recorrido (walking tour) through Mexico City's enormous Mercado de la Merced. The tour would be given by none other than our good friends Edmundo Escamilla and Yuri de Gortari, the guiding lights in charge of the Escuela de Gastronomía Mexicana. After I checked to make sure my favorite walking shoes were in good repair, I emailed back: Amigos, cuentan conmigo! (Friends, count on me!)

Diego Rivera's mural of the great market at pre-Hispanic Tenochtitlán, painted in 1945. Click on any photo for a better view.

Twenty of us hardy souls met at the front door to Mexico City's Catedral Metropolitana for a history lesson to begin our tour. Edmundo–an incredible repository of knowledge about all things Mexican–gave us a talk about the ancient market of Tenochtitlán, about food records just after the Spanish arrived in the New World, and about the evolution of farm-to-market transportation.

For example, the Mexica (the indigenous rulers who later became known to the world as the Aztecs) were the businessmen and tax collectors of that era. They kept records of all that was bought and sold in the market at Tenochtitlán, and demanded high tributario (tax payment) from the market vendors. When the Spanish conquerer Hernán Cortés realized how the Mexica were conducting their lucrative business, he decreed that taxes must no longer be paid to the Mexica. Instead, the taxes were suddenly payable to none other than Cortés.

Transportation of goods to market has also changed enormously. Today, we are accustomed to seeing huge amounts of produce, meats, fish, and every other sort of goods delivered to La Merced by trucks and other vehicles. Back in the days of the Mexica, on the other hand, the southern part of what is now Mexico City (notably what are now Chalco and Xochimilco) were connected to the marketplace of Tenochtitlán by waterways. Produce grown on the chinampas (island farms) of Xochimilco's canals was delivered to the central market by boat.

The huge market is large and important enough to have its own Metro station, on Line 1 (the pink line). Notice that the icon (to the left in the photo) for the Metro stop is a crate of fruit.

From the Cathedral, we boarded the Metro at the Zócalo, rode to Pino Suárez, and transfered to the pink line, traveling just one more stop to La Merced. When we entered the market, Yuri took the lead, we twenty participants trailed out behind like ducklings after their mother, and Edmundo brought up the rear. Each of us was armed with our cellular phone. In case one or more of us inadvertently became lost from the group, a simple call to the leaders' cell phone brought one of them to the rescue. The market is unbelievably enormous and packed with people. It has narrow aisles that were easy to miss when the front man turned left or right, the rear guard was straggling behind, and suddenly uh oh…where did they go? Fortunately the market is well-marked with aisle and booth numbers, making it easy to give a coordinate and just wait a couple of minutes to be retrieved.

Yuri de Gortari (the man in the white shirt at the top right of the photo) talks with the vendor and some of the tour participants about the almost unbelievable quantities of different kinds of garlic for sale at this single booth.

No matter what you are looking for–produce of all kinds, kitchen utensils ranging from the smallest toothpick holder to the largest restaurant-size stove, household accessories like baskets, bags, and rope, or candy and other regional sweets–you are bound to find it at La Merced. Even though Mexico Cooks! was familiar with the market from prior visits, this guided tour gave our group insights that would be impossible to understand on a solo trip.

Let's let the diversity of the market speak for itself.

Moles in pastes and powders at Don Pancho's puesto (stand) at La Merced. There were easily ten other nearby stands offering tastes of every sort of mole.

Here in Mexico, it's the season for fresh corn. This booth–and the next one, and the one after that, and the one around the corner, too–offer corn either as elotes (on the cob) or already desgranado (taken off the cob). The fresh corn kernels in the bowl weighed about 25 pounds.

Up-close-and-personal with super-spicy Red Savina chiles habaneros, which have a rating of 580,000+ on the Scoville Scale. Bite into one at your own risk! This variety is just an example of the many kinds of chiles available at La Merced.

Bundles of dried avocado leaves. Cook some in a pot of beans to add the leaves' subtle anise flavor.

Cucumbers? No–these are stacks of neatly displayed fresh chiles jalapeños.

The original eco-friendly bolsa de ixtle. These colorfully dyed shopping bags have been made of maguey cactus fiber since pre-Hispanic times.

Huitlacoche (corn fungus) is one of Mexico's true delicacies. This foot-high pile of the fungus has been removed from the fresh corn cob, but it's also available on the cob.

Small candies, sold in the quantity you need–anything from 100 grams to numerous kilos.

Freshly harvested nopales (cactus paddles) stacked in pillars taller than a man.

Fresh morel mushrooms. This sought-after mushroom grows wild in Mexico's forests and is harvested at this time of year.

Much used as a garnish for tacos in Mexico City and the surrounding area, the leaf of the papaloquelite is shaped like butterfly wings. Its name is derived from the Nahuatl word papalotl (butterfly). This native herb pre-dates the introduction of cilantro, imported by the Chinese to Mexico.

On the left, dried jamaica blossoms (a kind of hibiscus) grown in Mexico. On the right, jamaica imported from the Sudan. The prices are per quarter kilo (about one-half pound). The unfortunate reality is that the higher-quality Mexican blossoms are more expensive than the imported version. Most people prefer to buy Mexican-grown products, but price can be a deterrent. These flowers are used primarily to prepare agua de jamaica, a refreshing cold drink enjoyed copiously all over the República.

Our walking tour ended after several hours at the Mercado de la Merced. Filled with new information and great respect for our tour guides' knowledge, Mexico Cooks! arrived at home extremely satisfied and tired to the bone.

Today (September 24) is the feast day of Nuestra Señora de la Merced (Our Lady of Mercies), the patron of the Mercado de la Merced. She is feted there every year with mariachis, flowers, and every sort of celebration. If you are reading this on her feast day, know that Mexico Cooks! is at the market for the celebration.

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.

24 de September de 2011
Fiestas Patrias Mexicanas: Celebrating Mexican Independence Day

Street vendors hawk la bandera nacional (the Mexican flag) in dozens of forms for several weeks during August and right up to September 16, Mexico's Independence Day.

September 16 is Independence Day in Mexico. Mexico's struggle for freedom from Spanish colonization began sometime between midnight and dawn on September 16, 1810, when Father Miguel Hidalgo gave the Grito de Dolores (Cry of Dolores) from the parish bell tower in the town known today as Dolores Hidalgo, Guanajuato. Mexico celebrates its Fiestas Patrias (Patriotic Holidays) on September 16 with parades of school children and military batallions, politicians proclaiming speeches, and general festivity.

Hundreds of books have been written about Mexico's break from Spain, millions of words have been dedicated to exploring the lives of the daring men and women who knew, a bit more than 200 years ago, that the time had come for freedom. You can read some of the history on the Internet. Another excellent source for Mexican history is The Life and Times of Mexico, by Earl Shorris. You'll find that book available on the left-hand side of this page.

But the best-kept secret in Mexico is the Independence Day party. No, the big deal is not on September 16th. Held every year on the night of September 15, the Gran Noche Mexicana (the Great Mexican Night), the real celebration of the revolutionary events in 1810, is a combination of New Year's Eve, your birthday, and your country's independence festivities. Wouldn't you really rather hear about the party?

Jalisco town kiosko (bandstand) decorated for the Fiestas Patrias.

For years I've attended the September 15 celebrations in a variety of towns and cities. In Mexico City, the country's president leads hundreds of thousands of citizens in late-night celebrations in the zócalo, the enormous square surrounded by government buildings and the Metropolitan Cathedral. Every Mexican town big enough to have a mayor holds a reenactment of the Grito de Dolores, Hidalgo's cry for independence. The town square is decorated with flags, bunting, and ribbons. Cohetes (sky rockets) flare and bang. Sometime around eleven o'clock at night, the folks, assembled in the town plaza since nine or so, are restless for the celebration to begin. The mayor's secretary peeks out from the doorway of the government offices, the folkloric dancers file off the stage in the plaza, the band tunes up for the Himno Nacional (the national anthem), the crowd waves its flags and hushes its jostling. The mayor steps out onto the balcony of the government building or onto the stage built just outside the building's front door to sing the emotional verses.

Dressed in his finest and backed up by a military or police guard, the mayor clears his throat and loudly begins an Independence Day proclamation. He pulls a heavy rope to ring the Independence bell, then he waves a huge Mexican flag. Back and forth, back and forth! In every Mexican town, the proclamation ends with Hidalgo's 201-year-old exhortations: "Long live religion! Long live Our Lady of Guadalupe! Long live the Americas and death to the corrupt government!"

Father Hidalgo's 1810 banner. He carried this banner as his standard as a leader in the fight for Mexico's independence from Spain.

The mayor and the crowd shout as one voice: "Viva México! Qué viva! Qué viva!" The mayor grins and waves as the fireworks begin, bursting huge green, white, and red chrysanthemums over the heads of the attendees.

Later there will be dancing and more music, pozole, tostadas, mezcal, tequila and beer, and, in larger towns and cities, all-night revelry in the plaza, in private homes, and in hotels, restaurants, and events halls.

About five years ago my friend Lupita Jiménez invited me to a Gran Noche Mexicana where she was performing. The event was scheduled to start at 9.30, but custom dictates late arrival. By ten o'clock I was on my way. At the salón de eventos (events hall) the parking lot was already full, but a man was parking cars on the street just a block away. As I left my car, he said, "Could you pay me now for watching your car? It's 20 pesos. I'll be leaving a little early, probably before the event is over."

"How long will you be here?" I asked, a bit anxious about leaving the car alone on this night of prodigious revelry.

Lupita Jiménez in performance at a Gran Noche Mexicana in Guadalajara.

"Till six." My jaw dropped and I handed him the 20 pesos. Six in the morning! Surely we wouldn't party quite so long as that!

The sad truth is that I didn't. I couldn't. My stamina flagged at about 3:00 AM, after dinner had been served at 10.30, a city politician had proclaimed the Grito, the Himno Nacional had been sung, and fireworks (I swear to you) had been set off on the indoor stage of the salón de eventos (events hall). Then the show started, a brief recapitulation in dance of Mexican history starting with concheros (loincloth-clad Aztec dancers) whirling around a belching volcano, and ending with the glorious jarabe tapatía–the Guadalajara regional dance that English-speakers know as the Mexican hat dance.

After innumerable trios, duets, and solo singers, the show paused for intermission at close to two in the morning. Several of my table-mates slipped away, but I thought I could make it to the end. The first half of the Gran Noche Mexicana had been invigorating and exciting and I loved it. During intermission, a wonderful Mexican comedian poked fun at politics, functionaries, and Mexican life in general. We were all roaring with laughter. When the comic left the stage, I realized that I was exhausted and needed to go home to bed. Just as the performers stepped onto the stage to begin the next round of song, I sneaked away.

When I called Lupita the next afternoon to congratulate her on the success of the event, she asked if I'd stayed for the last few costume changes. "Mija, I had to go home early. I lasted till three, but then I just couldn't stay awake. I'm so sorry I missed the end."

Lupita laughed. "I'm glad you lasted that long, but next time you have to stay for the whole night! You missed the best part!"

The Zócalo (main city plaza) in Mexico City, dressed up for the Fiestas Patrias.

Viva México! Qué viva!

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 September de 2011
Mexican Independence Day: Celebrate with Traditional Chiles en Nogada
Chiles en nogada (stuffed chiles poblanos in walnut sauce), Pátzcuaro, Michoacán. Photo by Mexico Cooks!.

For the entire month of September, Mexico celebrates its independence with parades, parties, and traditional food and drink in restaurants and at home. One of the most festive recipes connected with Mexico’s Independence Day holiday is for chiles en nogada, a magnificent tribute to the seasonal availability of granadas (pomegranates) and nuez de Castilla (freshly harvested walnuts). From late August till early October, fresh pomegranates and walnuts make chiles en nogada possible. Spicy chiles poblano, stuffed with picadillo and topped with richly creamy walnut sauce and pomegranate seeds, flaunt the brilliant green, white and red of the Mexican flag.

This festive dish is traditionally served on September 15 or 16 in honor of Mexico’s Independence Day, though it is popular anytime in the late summer and early fall. During August and September in the highlands of Mexico, particularly on the streets bordering open-air markets in Mexico City and Puebla, village women can be seen sitting on blankets painstakingly peeling off the brown skin from each individual walnut. It is important to use the freshest walnuts possible, as they produce such a creamy, rich sauce that it is worth the effort demanded to peel them. Yes, although the recipe is not difficult, it is definitely time-consuming…but you and your guests will jump up and shout “VIVA!” when you have licked the platters clean.

Ingredients

For the Meat
- 2 pounds beef brisket or other stew meat or 1 pound beef and 1 pound pork butt
- 1 small white onion, quartered
- 2 large cloves garlic
- about 1 Tbsp sea salt
For the Picadillo
- 4 Tbsp safflower or canola oil
- 1/3 cup chopped white onion
- 3 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 3 heaping Tbsp raisins
- 1 or 2 chiles serrano, finely minced
- 2 Tbsp chopped walnuts or pecans
- 2 Tbsp chopped candied pineapple
- 1 fresh pear, peeled and chopped
- 1 apple, peeled and chopped
- 1 large potato, peeled and diced
- 3 large, ripe tomatoes, roasted, peeled and chopped
- sea salt to taste
For the Chiles
- 6 large, very fresh chiles poblanos , roasted, peeled, and seeded, leaving the stem intact
For the Nogada (Walnut Sauce)
- 1 cup fresh walnuts
- 6 ounces queso doble crema or cream cheese (not fat free) at room temperature
- 1-1/2 cups crema mexicana or 1-1/4 cups sour cream thinned with milk
- about 1/2 tsp sea salt or to taste
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup dry sherry (optional)
For the Garnish
- 1 Tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1/2 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
Procedure

Cut the meat into large chunks, removing any excess fat. Place the meat into a large Dutch oven with the onion, garlic, and salt. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Skim off any foam that collects on the surface. Lower the heat and allow the water to simmer about 45 minutes, until the meat is just tender. Take the pot off the stove and let the meat cool in the broth. Remove the pieces of meat and finely shred them.

Warm the oil in a large, heavy skillet and sauté the onion and garlic over medium heat until they turn a pale gold. Stir in the shredded meat and cook for five minutes. Add the cinnamon, pepper, and cloves, then, stir in the raisins, the two tablespoons of chopped walnuts. Add the chopped pear, apple, and potato, and mix well. Add the tomatoes and salt to taste, and continue cooking over medium-high heat until most of the moisture has evaporated. Stir often so that the mixture doesn’t stick. Let cool, cover, and set aside. The picadillo may be made a day or two in advance.

Make a slit down the side of each chile, just long enough to remove the seeds and veins. Keep the stem end intact. Drain the chiles, cut side down, on paper towels until completely dry. Cover and set aside. The chiles may be prepared a day in advance.

At least three hours in advance, put the walnuts in a small pan of boiling water. Remove from the heat and let them sit for five minutes. Drain the nuts and, when cool, rub off as much of the dark skin as possible. Chop into small pieces. Place the nuts, cream cheese, crema, and salt in a blender and purée thoroughly. Stir in the optional sugar, cinnamon, and sherry until thoroughly combined. Chill for several hours.

Preheat the oven to 250ºF. When ready to serve, reheat the meat filling and stuff the chiles until they are plump and just barely closed. Put the filled chiles, covered, to warm slightly in the oven. After they are warmed to room temperature, place the stuffed chiles (cut side down) on a serving platter or on individual plates, cover with the chilled walnut sauce, and sprinkle with the parsley leaves and the pomegranate seeds.

This dish may be served at room temperature, or it may be served chilled. It is rarely if ever served hot.

Photos 2, 3, 4, and 5 courtesy of Jesús Guzmán Moya, M.D., of Puebla, Puebla, México. Enjoy more of Dr. Guzmán’s lovely photos here. Gracias, amigo Chucho! And have a look here for more traditional Mexican recipes.

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.

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10 de September de 2011
Fondas, Cocinas Económicas, Cocinas Regionales, and Comedores in Mexico: Home Cooking When You’re Not At Home
Although Mexico Cooks! photographed this sign about two years ago in Los Angeles, California, it absolutely represents what you will be served for comida (main midday meal) at a fonda, a cocina económica, a cocina regional, or a comedor in Mexico: authentic home made food.

There has been a big change in Mexico Cooks!' life due to our recent move to Mexico City. We have been cooking less at home, eating out more frequently, and eating a different style food than was our custom in Michoacán. Although we have recently enjoyed a tremendous variety of great food in some of the upscale restaurants here in the Distrito Federal, our hearts continue to belong to the fondas, cocinas económicas, cocinas regionales, and comedores that blossom all over Mexico City and indeed, all over the country.

Menú del día (today's menu) at the Fonda 127, Mercado San Nicolás, Morelia, Michoacán. Click on the photo to enlarge it for a better view. You'll see that the daughters of the family who made the sign used the letter 'Z' where you might expect to find the letter 'S', and the 'N's are all backwards. It's just a 'toque personal'–personal touch. And the word guisados, at the top of the list, simple means 'dishes', in this case those that are being served today.

In Mexico, almost any fonda is by nature a small and inexpensive eating establishment presided over by the proprietors. Generally those proprietors are women (sisters, sisters-in-law, cousins, or comadres), but sometimes you'll be attended by a husband and wife plus their older children. Although you can order a meal a la carta (from the regular printed menu), it's most common to order the menú del día, also known as comida corrida. Under either name, the menú changes every day and consists of your choice of items in three courses: caldo or crema (soup), a sopa seca (normally either rice or spaghetti), one of several guisados del día (main course of the day), plus a small courtesy postre (dessert).

Home-style tortita de calabacita en caldillo de jitomate (little zucchini croquette in tomato broth) as served at the late, lamented, long-time Morelia fixture, Los Comensales (the name means 'the diners'). Los Comensales closed its doors in 2010; the presiding owner, Sra. Catalina Aguirre Camacho, was unable to continue in business due to her advanced age.

We're fortunate to live just around the corner from a wonderful fonda, El Portalito. But we're not alone: I suspect that the majority of people who live in Mexico City could say the same thing about a fonda in the colonia (neighborhood) where they live. For example, our good friend David Lida, who lives on the other side of our colonia, has his special favorite–we loved it when we recently ate there with him, but it's around the corner from his house, not ours, and it's just a bit too far away for us to walk there regularly for a meal.

The interior of El Portalito, in Colonia Condesa on Calle Chilpancingo between Aguascalientes and Tlaxcala.

Cazuelas (wide clay cooking pots) on the El Portalito stove. You can see that we were there a little later than the normal hora de comer (eating time)–the cazuelas are nearly empty. Left, carne de cerdo en adobo. Right, salsa ranchera for the beef dish of the day.

One of the many stands for Mexico City's wonderful Ecobicis is just a couple of steps from El Portalito–I took the photo from our sidewalk table. Enroll in the Ecobici program, grab a bicycle at a stand near your house, ride it over to the restaurant, park it here, have your lunch, and take another bike to go back home!

The other day we spent several happy hours shopping at the fabulous Mercado de Jamaica and oops–we got off at the Metro stop close to home just a few minutes before fainting from hunger. No time to cook! Where to eat? El Portalito, of course! We wanted to leave our purchases at home before returning to have our comida (main meal of the day), so we checked out the menú del día as we passed by. Of course we told our favorite waitress that we would be right back.

The standard daily offerings at El Portalito.

The menú del día is always written on a menu board and hung on the wall and, in addition, is hand-written on a little piece of tablet paper, stuck under a piece of plastic inside the regular a la carta menu.

The recent day we stopped in at El Portalito, the menú sencillo offered a choice of one each of the following:
- sopa de pasta (brothy soup with a large amount of small pasta cooked in it) or caldo tlapeño (another brothy soup with vegetables, including the traditional garbanzos)
- Arroz a la mexicana (cooked in a thin tomato broth with diced fresh vegetables) or spaghetti (either buttered or slathered in a creamy sauce)
- Cerdo en adobo (pork meat in a chile-based sauce), bisteck en salsa ranchera (thin pieces of steak in a tomato-based sauce, or enchiladas verdes con pollo deshebrado (green enchiladas with shredded chicken breast)
- Postre (dessert), on the house
The total cost for the menú del día sencillo is 48 pesos. The cost of the menú also includes a basket of fresh telera (bread), tortillas, if you like, house-made salsa (either red or green, depending on the day you're there) and the agua fresca del día (fresh fruit water of the day), all you care to drink.

We both ordered the caldo tlalpeño. We like to add a squeeze of limón, a pinch of salt, a spoonful of salsa, a bigger spoonful of rice, and a sprinkle of salt. It's not fancy, but it's definitely delicious.

Our favorite waitress, Gloria Callejas, with our main courses in hand. She told us that El Portalito has been serving breakfast and midday meals to hungry customers for 26 years. We ate out on the sidewalk, where there are three or four tables and lots of lovely fresh air.

Judy's spiced-just-right cerdo en adobo. It comes with frijolitos refritos and she had saved some of her arroz a la mexicana to enjoy with it. The rice is always served with the soup course, in case you want to add some rice to your soup.

My very nice order of three enchiladas verdes con pollo deshebrado, which also are served with frijolitos refritos. I opened up one of the enchiladas to show you the large quantity of shredded chicken breast inside. The enchiladas arrive topped with crema and queso rallado (Mexican table cream and grated cheese).

The menú drink of the day was agua fresca de melón (fresh house-made cantaloupe water). It was absolutely wonderful, made of sweet, ripe cantaloupe served frothy and chilled. It matched the tablecloth, too–a definite plus. My other favorite agua at El Portalito is sandía (watermelon). Or maybe guayaba (guava). Or…oh, all of the aguas frescas that they prepare are delicious. I can't possibly choose just one favorite!

The dessert gesture was lime gelatin. Usually it's served in little plastic cups. We were impressed by these little 'crystal' cups the last time we were at El Portalito.

In Mexico City's Centro Histórico, you'll find many popular old-time fondas. Here are a few you might want to try:

La Casa Humboldt
República de Uruguay #86

Cocina América
Callejón 5 de mayo Letra K

Cocina Elizabeth
Palma #9, Letra F

Fonda Mi Lupita
Mesones #113

Each of these serves home-style Mexican food at very affordable prices. Expect to pay between 40 and 60 pesos for a full menú del día.

If you're in Mexico Cooks!' neighborhood and want a dependable and inexpensive meal, El Portalito is the place. It won't be high-end modern food with fancy designer presentations, but you'll love what you taste and will leave with this old Mexican dicho (saying) in your mind: "Panza llena, corazón contento." (Full stomach, happy heart.)

El Portalito
Calle Chilpancingo between Tlaxcala and Aguascalientes
Across from the IMSS Hospital
Colonia La 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.
3 de September 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!

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

27 de August de 2011
Isthmus of Tehuantepec Cooking in Oaxaca: Cocina Istmeña Oaxaqueña

Good friend and chef Rodolfo Castellanos with his adorable daughter Elisa. Chef Rodolfo owns Restaurante Origen in Oaxaca. He and Elisa's mother, Lisette, asked me to join them for comida (the main meal of the day) at Oaxaca's Restaurant La Teca.

Invited by the Mexico Today initiative to a several-day-long meeting in Oaxaca, I took a little time away from that group to visit another group: several culinary-world friends who live and work in this southern Mexico city. I played hooky to eat on Friday with Pilar Cabrera at her wonderful restaurant La Olla, and on Saturday with chef Rodolfo Castellanos and his family at La Teca, a restaurant specializing in cooking from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.

The Isthmus of Tehuantepec is the skinniest part of mainland Mexico, lying between the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Prior to the opening of the Panama Canal, it was the most important route for goods working their slow way across the relatively flat lands between the two bodies of water. Partly in Oaxaca, partly in Chiapas, partly in Tabasco and partly in Veracruz, the territory has its own legends, its own history, and its own cuisines.

You may not be aware that you are already familiar with the native dress of the Tehuanas, as the women of the isthmus are known. Above, a Frida Kahlo 1948 self portrait, dressed as a Tehuana. Image courtesy of: http://www.earlywomenmasters.net

Far off the beaten tourist track in Oaxaca, Restaurant La Teca serves outstanding food from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. The welcoming owner and cook, Señora Deyanira Aquino, will make sure that you eat your fill of her marvelous regional cuisine.

The cooking of the Isthmus is traditionally corn-based and idiosyncratic. Most ingredients are indigenous to its hot lowlands (for example, armadillo and iguana) and its proximity to the sea: fresh and dried shrimp, fresh fish, and other creatures from the ocean depths.

At La Teca we shared a platter of garnachas, a traditional entrada or botana (appetizer or snack) based on a fried disk of corn dough and topped with a mixture of meat, vegetables, and salsa.

Tamalitos de cambray from Tehuantepec, savory-sweet tamales made of chicken, raisins, olives, almonds, and capers.

These are molotes de plátano macho (small, sweetly ripe plantain croquettes) topped with crema de mesa (table cream) and queso fresco (fresh cheese). The three of us shared an order of four molotes. We kept dividing the last one into smaller and smaller pieces so that one of us did not hog the whole thing–although each of us would have!

Next course at La Teca: a taco filled with a small chile pasilla oaxaqueño relleno (a regional dried chile, reconstituted, stuffed, and fried). It doesn't look like anything special, does it? If you could just enjoy the fragrance, I assure you that you would want to lick your monitor.

Tamales de elote (fresh corn tamales) followed, served with crema de mesa. These reminded me very much of Michoacán uchepos, another kind of fresh corn tamales.

Another traditional dish from the Isthmus, estofado de bodas (wedding stew). It's a delicious long-cooked combination of beef, fruits, chiles, and other spices, typically served at weddings.

Purée de papa, estilo Istmeño (potatoes, coarsely mashed and then baked, Isthmus style).

Asado de puerco con mole (pork roasted with mole, from Tehuantepec).

The owner and chief cook at La Teca is Sra. Deyanira Aquino, born and raised in the Isthmus. Women of the region are called 'tecas'–from Tehuantepec–hence the name of the restaurant.

You are probably well aware of the mythical seven moles of Oaxaca, and although the state is best known for those, there are many other less-well-known but equally wonderful dishes available to visitors. By all means go see Sra. Aquino at La Teca; you will be as thrilled by everything you eat as we were. This is not fancy, high-end designer-plated food. Your palate will be delighted by traditional Tehuantepec home-style cooking. And oh my god, you might exclaim, did the three of you really eat all that? We most assuredly did, every bite, and so will you.

Restaurant La Teca
Calle Violetas #200-A
Colonia Reforma
Oaxaca, Oaxaca
01.951.515.0563 (from within Mexico)

Disclaimer: Marca País-Imágen de México is a joint public and private sector initiative designed to helppromote 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.

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

20 de August de 2011
Going to the Chapel of Love–Getting Married In Mexico City!
Preparation for Mexico Cooks!' wedding in Mexico on July 22, 2011, was complicated, time-consuming, paperwork-heavy and worth every single second of the work involved.

On December 21, 2009, Mexico City became the first Latin American jurisdiction to legalize same-sex marriage. This historic law went into effect on March 4, 2010. On August 10, 2010, the legislature announced that although same-sex couples could only get married in Mexico City, same-sex marriages are valid throughout Mexico's 31 states. Although we were still living in Morelia, Michoacán, Judy, my beloved long-time partner, and I started making plans for a Mexico City wedding ceremony. Once we decided–for other reasons entirely–to move to Mexico City, our wedding plans accelerated.

In spite of this sort of decor being extremely naco (Spanish slang for declassé), we couldn't resist hanging this huge satin-and-lace-covered heart incribed 'Nuestra Boda' (Our Wedding) in the interior hallway, just in front of our building's elevator. It was the first thing our guests saw as they arrived on our floor. Photo by Mexico Cooks!.

Mexico has long been a wedding destination for heterosexual couples. Now, of course, the same rules and regulations for getting married apply to same-sex couples, and it's expected that Mexico City will rapidly become a wedding destination for any couple who wants to tie the knot.

Suppose you and your intended live in the United States, though–what exactly is entailed in getting married in Mexico? Just remember that in Mexico City it doesn't matter if you are Adam and Eve or Adam and Steve, the rules are precisely the same.
- You are not required to be a resident of Mexico, but you are required to be in the country for at least three full business days before you apply for a marriage license. Those business days cannot include a Saturday, a Sunday, or any of Mexico's legal holidays.
- For USA residents only: at least several weeks before you travel to Mexico, each of you needs to apply for an apostilled copy of your original birth certificate. The Secretary of State's office in the state where you were born will handle the apostille for you. And what, you might ask, is an apostille? It's a legal guarantee per the Hague Convention that the original document was issued in that state. Canadians are exempt from the apostille process.
- If either of you has been married and divorced, you are also required to provide an apostilled copy of your marriage license AND your divorce decree. If you've been married/divorced more than once, the documents for each marriage must be apostilled by the Secretary of State's offices where the marriages and divorces occurred.
- All of your apostilled documents must be translated into Spanish in Mexico by a formally certified Mexican translation service called a perito (expert). In other words, even if you are fluent in Spanish, you are not allowed to do this step yourself. Be sure to allow enough time to have this done.
Very special guests: our friends (left) Judith Vázquez Arreola and (right) LolKin Castañeda. Married on March 11, 2010, they were among the first same-sex couples wed in Mexico City. Long-time feminist activists, Judith and LolKin were responsible in large part for the passage of the law legalizing same-sex marriage in the Distrito Federal. We are honored to be their friends and to have enjoyed their company at our wedding. Photo courtesy Jesús Chaírez.

In addition to the information and items listed above, you will also need:
- Your original passports plus several copies of them.
- You need the copies of your tourist cards that you'll be given on the airplane coming to Mexico. The fee for your tourist card is included in your airplane ticket. If you are driving down, you must stop at the border to get a tourist card. There is a small fee for these, around $30.00 USD each.
- You will probably be required to have blood tests and possibly a chest X-ray prior to your wedding.
- Once you are in Mexico, you will apply for a marriage license at the Registro Civil (civil registry office) responsible for the location where you will be married. If you are a same-sex couple, be sure that the registry office supplies you with the form marked 'el y el' (he and he) or 'ella y ella' (she and she). If you are heterosexual, you'll need the one marked 'el y ella' (he and she).
- If neither you nor your intended is Mexican, you will be required to have four witnesses to the ceremony, two for each of you. Your witnesses must be over age 18 and must present their passports (originals and copies) and their tourist cards three days before the ceremony.
- For legal reasons, weddings must be performed in Spanish.
- Your civil wedding in Mexico is legal in both the United States and Canada, as well as in many other countries.
- Civil weddings are the only legal weddings in Mexico. Church or synagogue weddings are always lovely and are meant to be God's blessing on the newlyweds, but they are not legal ceremonies.
- Many couples marry legally in their home countries and have a spiritual ceremony–performed by anyone of their choice–at a special Mexican destination. Beaches are very popular for this sort of ceremony. Beach resort operators are accustomed to making arrangements for these weddings.
The two brides with Sr. Louis Perrilliat Blum, the Registro Civil judge who came to our home to perform our wedding. Photo courtesy Tony Chinn Anaya.

Our situation was different in that we are long-time residents of Mexico and were not visiting from another country. Our situation was complicated by the fact that Mexico Cooks! is a Mexican citizen, while her bride is not. If either of you is a Mexican citizen and the other is not, more paperwork and more permissions are required. Get ready for a long haul–but know that it can be done, because we did it and you can, too.

The feeling as we exchanged rings and realized that we were truly married…it's hard to describe, but you can see the looks on our faces. Amazing does not begin to tell the story. Photo courtesy Tony Chinn Anaya.

I have been a life-long activist, either for or against any number of what I have considered to be worthy causes: civil rights, women's rights, gay rights, and more. For many years, it was my stance that although I did not choose to marry my partner, I believed that any gay couple who wanted to marry should have that choice. When Mexico City legalized same-sex marriage, I changed my mind. I came to believe that since we now could marry, we should marry: as a sign in the world of our love and a sign that our relationship is equal to any other couple's.

What a thrill to know that my adopted country agrees with me.

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here: Tours.
13 de August de 2011
Regional Food and Drink in Oaxaca: A Comer! (Let’s Eat!) with Mexico Cooks!

In Oaxaca, the state's fine regional drink–mezcal, la bebida de los dioses (the drink of the gods)–is almost as common as water. Whether enjoyed from a shot glass or sipped from a traditional jícara (a small dried half-gourd), the smoky taste of mezcal combines perfectly with sal de gusano (worm salt, pictured above in the clay bowl) and fresh orange slices.

About six weeks ago, Mexico Cooks! was a guest of Mexico Today, a new Mexican government initiative designed to promote all the best of Mexico to the world. Twenty-four diverse writers–all with a passion for Mexico–met in Oaxaca to bond and to learn about the new program we would soon be representing to our readers. As you might imagine, Mexico Cooks! thought what's cooking in Oaxaca was one of the highlights of the trip.

We experienced our first Oaxaca cena (late-evening supper) at Pitiona, the new and highly touted restaurant owned by young Chef José Manuel Baños Rodríguez. Along with several other courses, he served our group this estofado de carne de res con mole (braised beef tongue with mole). The three pale-green globes are olive liquid that burst in the mouth to release the pure essence of green olive. The beef? Delicious, tender tongue. Some of our group could barely believe that beef tongue, of all things, could be so wonderful.

Another member of the Mexico Today writer/community managers' team, my new pal Lisa Coleman, went with me the next day for a relatively light comida (the main meal of Mexico's day) at Pilar Cabrera's marvelous restaurant, La Olla. Our first course was a plate of four of these tostadas callejeras (street-style tostadas). Not one smidgen of anything–not tomato, not guacamole, not lettuce, not the crispy corn tostada and certainly not the delicious Oaxaca-style chorizo –remained on the plate after we finished the course.

Chef Alejandro Ruiz closely supervised the preparation of a beautiful and amazingly delicious Saturday-night cena for the Mexico Today group. A candle-lit mezcal and jamaica (infusion of hibiscus flower) martini started our elegant meal at Restaurante Casa Oaxaca.

Chef Alejandro explains one of the fine points of the dinner preparation.

The Casa Oaxaca cebiche (marinated raw fish) appetizer, served with mango cubes, onion, cilantro, and an espejo (literally mirror, but in this case, a pool) of marinade that included jugos de limón y maracuyá (key lime and passionfruit juices). This socko flavor combination was the hit of the night for me.

One table of the several tables of the Mexico Today group of contributors and community managers, ready for dinner at Casa Oaxaca.

Next week, a very special not-about-food edition of Mexico Cooks!–don't miss it. In just a few weeks, Mexico Cooks! will invite you for one last meal in Oaxaca and another quick peek at the Mercado Benito Juárez.

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.

6 de August de 2011