Category: Recipe

Puro Amor: Pure Love, Diana Kennedy and Oaxaca al Gusto

In Mexico City, la señora Diana Kennedy signed copies of her most recent book, Oaxaca al Gusto, for a long line of eager fans. If you would like to buy an English-language copy for yourself or as a gift, click on its book cover on the left-hand side of this page.

On May 6, 2011, Diana Kennedy's Oaxaca al Gusto, a work based in pure love of one of Mexico's best known cuisines, received the prestigous 2011 James Beard award as cookbook of the year.

Mexico Cooks! has been a Diana Kennedy admirer for more than 30 years. Her books, starting with her first, The Cuisines of Mexico, have taught me and countless others the pleasures as well as the travails of Mexico's regional cooking. I just counted: nine of her books are on my kitchen bookshelf, all of them well-spattered with the multiple ingredients from some of the hundreds of recipes that she has collected and published. The deep green color of roasted chiles poblanos, profoundly yellow speckles of flor de calabaza (squash blossoms), and brick-red splashes of salsa de chile guajillo (a sauce made of guajillo chiles) compete with the print on the pages to make a mosaic of well-remembered meals shared with friends.

Initial slide from the UNAM (National Autonomous University of Mexico) presentation of Oaxaca al Gusto on April 8, 2011, when old friends and new fans gathered to hear Diana Kennedy talk to us with great humor and obvious enjoyment of the occasion.

Since 1971, Diana Kennedy, born in Essex, England, has been the world's best-known authority on Mexican regional cuisines. In his April introduction of Oaxaca al Gusto, Dr. Robert Bye said, "Diana Kennedy does for Mexican cooking what Julia Child did for French cooking and Marcella Hazan has done for Italian cooking."

Were it not for her investigation, teaching, assessment, and promotion of the cuisines of Mexico, many of us would be stuck in a Tex-Mex web of gloppy yellow cheese, sour cream, and black olive-topped burritos. Instead, she has shared with us the wonders of the Mexican home kitchen, where the best of our cuisines continue to be found.

Dr. José Sarukhan, the biologist and esteemed rector of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, spoke eloquently about Sra. Kennedy and her newest book. "Her work is a treasure," he began, and ended his talk by saying, "The best pacholas (flattened and spiced ground beef patties made using a metate [pre-Hispanic grinding stone]) in all of Mexico are made from her recipe."

Sra. Kennedy's honors are many and entirely well-deserved. From an initial Mexican award given to her work in 1971, right up to the present, she has continued to garner ribbons, plaques, and prizes for what she has accomplished in her lifetime. Among her most prominent awards, she was decorated in 1981 with the Order of the Aztec Eagle, the highest award given to foreigners by Mexico's government. In 2003, she was made an MBE–a Member of the Order of the British Empire–by the British government, this time for her work in furthering cultural relations between Mexico and the United Kingdom.

Oaxaca al Gusto (original Spanish version) on Mexico Cooks!' dining room table. The 400-page book, published first in Spanish, is now available in English.

In addition to offering a good deal of insight into Sra. Kennedy's research and investigation while writing Oaxaca al Gusto, the book presentation allowed an in-person peek at the tremendous esteem given to her by her Mexico City-based colleagues. Dr. Robert Bye and Maestra Edelmira Linares, co-presenters of the UNAM event, spoke lovingly of how her work has influenced even the Jardín Botánico (Botanic Garden) of the university, working in conjunction with Sra. Kennedy to rescue some of the plants and the knowledge about them that up until now, "She has only kept the knowledge in her head. Now we will all be the beneficiaries."

Maestra Edelmira Linares, co-organizer of the book presentation and a friend of Sra. Kennedy's. Her terrific smile is emblematic of the enjoyment we all experienced at the event.

During her talk, Diana Kennedy said, "This is not a formal book. It's a book from the people of Oaxaca, written for everyone." And like the informality and generous nature of the book, the book presentation itself was informal, generous, and, in a word, fun. In addition to the participation of Sra. Kennedy and her UNAM colleagues, we were delighted by a wonderful degustación (tasting event) after the various speeches. Several Mexico City restaurant owners and Sra. Kennedy herself had prepared marvelous examples of Oaxacan food for all of us.

A delicious and refreshing agua de melón con nuez (fresh fruit water made of cantaloupe and nuts), prepared by Restaurante El Bajío and its owner, the legendary Carmen Titita Ramírez.

Tortitas de acelgas (bite-size squares similar to quiche, made with Swiss chard). Prepared by the El Bajío staff.

Chichilo negro, a Oaxacan mole made with beef, as prepared by Restaurante El Cardenal (Hotel Hilton Alameda) and its owner, Marcela Briz. The recipe is in the book.

A Oaxacan cebiche, prepared by Mexico City Restaurante Contramar and presented by the restaurant owner, Gabriela Cámara.

Gorgeous and delicious skewers of shrimp and vegetables, also prepared by Restaurante Contramar.

Wonderful frijoles refritos (well-fried beans) prepared by Diana Kennedy and brought to the book presentation. The beans, served on totopos (corn tortilla chips) were flavored with hoja santa and Oaxacan chile costeño.

The beginning and the end of the afternoon's festivities: the wonderful and entirely special Diana Kennedy.

What an afternoon! All of us who were present learned a bit more about the delightful Sra. Kennedy and her life's work, and we enjoyed the real taste of Oaxaca–Oaxaca al Gusto!

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

28 de May de 2011
Breakfast with Mexico Cooks!: Yoghurt con Fresa y Chía (Yogurt with Strawberries and Chia)

Strawberry season in Mexico! This 70-year-old mixing bowl holds one and a half kilos of sweet, ripe fruit. At the tianguis (street market) where Mexico Cooks! shops, the price per kilo of strawberries is usually 25 pesos, or approximately $1.00 USD per pound.

A couple of weeks ago, Mexico Cooks! was tickled to receive a phone call from our old friend Steve Sando, red-hot heirloom bean empresario Rancho Gordo. "Hey, I'm in town for the day on my way to Mérida–you busy?" Of course we are never too busy for a visit from Steve and we immediately made plans for a long visit over midday comida (the main meal of the day in Mexico).

During the course of our table conversation, we somehow got around to the topic of chía, a product that's fairly newly available from Rancho Gordo. Chía, a species of mint, is grown for its seeds. If you've been around as long as Mexico Cooks! has, you'll remember the chía pet: spread dampened chía seeds all over a little clay animal filled with water and in just a few days, bingo, you have an animal covered with pretty green living fur–the chía plant. Our first memory of one of these novelties was called Paddy O'Hair.

However, chía has been around far longer than Paddy O'Hair or the current chía pet. The ancient peoples of what is now Mexico discovered its extraordinary health properties thousands of years ago. Chía seed may be eaten raw as a whole seed, providing protein, fiber, and fats (including Omega 3), as well as certain essential minerals. Ground chía seed is sometimes added to pinole, a coarse flour made from toasted corn kernels. Chía seeds placed in water or fruit juice are consumed in Mexico and known as chía fresca. The soaked seeds are gelatinous in texture and are used in combination with other cereals. Ground chía seed is often used in baked goods, including some commercially produced breads and cakes.

This week, one of the tianguis vendors offered big-as-the-ball-of-my-thumb, sweet, fresh Michoacán-grown zarzamora (blackberries) for only 20 pesos per kilo–that works out to slightly over 9 pesos per pound. That's about 75 cents per pound. Blackberries are my absolute favorite fruit to add to yoghurt, so you can guess what I bought. I prepare them exactly as I do strawberries.

A year or so ago, Mexico Cooks! decided to add chía seeds to our morning breakfast yoghurt. Most yoghurt in Mexico is heavily sweetened with sugar, artificially flavored, and is nearly a drinkable consistency. I prefer a product that starts out sugar-free, is naturally flavored, and is thick enough to eat with a spoon. I started experimenting and came up with the following recipe.

Alpura brand yoghurt is available almost everywhere in central Mexico. Many Mexican yoghurt brands are labeled "all natural", but even those without added flavorings contain a lot of sugar. Alpura is, as far as Mexico Cooks! knows, the only national brand yoghurt that contains no sugar or artificial flavorings. In the United States, Canada, and other countries, you'll be able to choose from several brands. Or, of course, you can make your own plain yoghurt.

Mexico Cooks!-Style Yoghurt with Fresh Strawberries and Chía

Ingredients
2 quarts plain (unsweetened and unflavored) yoghurt
1 kilo (2.2 pounds) fresh strawberries, washed and hulled
1/4 tsp salt (optional)
Sweetener to taste (Rancho Gordo piloncillo, granulated sugar, or artificial sweetener)
1/2 cup chía seeds

Procedure
Cut the strawberries in half and place in a large bowl. Add the sweetener of your choice to the strawberries. Mexico Cooks! uses artificial sweetener due to dietary restrictions, but Rancho Gordo piloncillo would be far tastier. Mash the berries (I use that heavy-duty metal bean masher in the photo) until some of the juice comes up, but leave most of the berry halves whole or nearly whole.

Add the salt and the yoghurt and stir until well-mixed.

Mix thoroughly.

Add the chía seeds and mix again.

Finished!

I package the finished yoghurt in recycled 900-gram Alpura containers. This recipe yields three filled containers plus 2 cups, or approximately 3 liters of strawberry/chía yoghurt. Once the yoghurt is packaged, allow it to rest overnight so that the chía will develop its gelatinous consistency and thicken the yoghurt.

Approximate nutritional information for a one-cup serving sweetened with artificial sweetener
Calories…………….110
Protein……………..5 grams
Fats………………..6 grams
Calcium…………….120 mg
Sodium………………60 mg
Carbohydrates……….12 grams

Breakfast: approximately one cup of yoghurt, strawberries, and chía. After resting overnight, the chía has become gelatinous and gives substantial thickness to the yoghurt. Three kilos plus two cups of this mixture is enough for about two weeks worth of breakfasts.

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

7 de May de 2011
Mexico, Where It’s Strawberry Season All Year

Piled high in every town's market, locally grown strawberries sell all year 'round in parts of Michoacán, Guanajuato, and Jalisco. Mexico Cooks! photographed these at a daily market in Pátzcuaro, Michoacán.

Right about now, bounty from South of the Border is available on your supermarket shelves. Fresh red strawberries, grown from Zamora, Michoacán to Irapuato, Guanajuato, will give you the sweet taste of Mexico's sun and warmth. Fresh raspberries grow near the shores of Lake Chapala, while big-as-the-end-of-your-thumb, sweet, delicious blackberries grow locally in Mexico Cooks!' region of Michoacán.

When you go to your local super market, take a closer look at those clear plastic containers (known in the trade as clamshells) full of red raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries. In the small print on the Driscoll label it says "Product of Mexico". When I still lived in the States, I read that label and imagined a gleaming white-tile packing factory. In my mind's eye, I saw employees in starched laboratory jackets, nurse-like white caps and latex gloves, packing strawberries as the jewel-red fruit came flying down an assembly line. It was a fantasy worthy of Lucy and Ethel at the chocolate factory in that famous episode of I Love Lucy.

The first time I visited a nearby raspberry "packing factory" , I had to laugh at my own earlier ideas. This packing operation was perfectly Mexican. Several clean-cut young men with bandannas wrapped around their heads roamed up and down the rows between lush raspberry canes. They hand-picked only the reddest, ripest raspberries and gently placed them into small plastic buckets, the kind five-year-olds use at the beach.

Two young women dressed in blue jeans and caps stood at a long folding table (the kind you'd find at a swap meet) and packed those perfectly ripe raspberries into flat after flat of Driscoll clamshells. They packed the plastic boxes into case after case for shipping and then rapidly started packing more.

Within 24 hours of picking, those berries are in the United States, either in Miami or Los Angeles. A day later, they are shipped out to stores across the United States. In addition, red raspberries from the shores of Lake Chapala are shipped not only to the United States but also to Canada, to England, to all parts of Europe, and to Japan.

The half pint boxes sell for about $4.99 the box in grocery stores north of the Mexican border.

Remember that raspberries are the most delicate fruits in the vast berry family. Treat them with the softest touch, just like handling like a newborn baby. Wash them gently (never allowing them to soak) just before you serve them.

I often prepare this wonderful recipe for guests. Not one single forkful is ever left over.

Raspberry Rosemary Sauce on Pork Medallions
1 medium or large orange
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/3 cup finely chopped onion or shallots
1/3 cup finely chopped carrot (1 small carrot)
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 1/4 teaspoons dried rosemary leaves, crushed
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed
1 small bay leaf
1 package (6 ounces) red raspberries, divided
1/2 cup white wine
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
4 boneless center-cut pork chops
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup flour
Shredded green scallion tops for garnish

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Sauce:
Using a vegetable peeler or zester, cut eight to ten thin strips from only the outer orange portion of orange peel and reserve. Squeeze the juice from the orange, reserving 1/4 cup juice.

Heat the two teaspoons oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, garlic, orange peel and herbs. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are lightly brown and wilted, about five minutes. Add 1/4 cup of the raspberries, the reserved 1/4 cup orange juice and the white wine.

Increase heat to high and bring mixture to a boil. Boil, stirring occasionally, until mixture is reduced to about two tablespoons (about eight to ten minutes). Add chicken broth. Bring mixture to a boil again. Reduce heat and simmer for five minutes. Turn off heat and set sauce aside.

Note: Sauce can be prepared ahead of time to this stage. Cover and refrigerate until ready to finish.

Pork Medallions:
Pat pork dry with paper towels. In a large, oven-proof skillet, heat the 1 tablespoon oil over high heat. While oil is heating, dust the pork evenly on both sides with flour, patting off any excess. When the oil is very hot, add pork medallions and cook until well-browned on the first side, about three minutes. Turn the medallions over, place the skillet in the preheated oven and cook until pork is just cooked through, this will be quick, only about six to seven minutes.

Remove medallions to heatproof platter or serving plate, cover loosely with aluminum foil and keep warm while finishing sauce.

Strain the sauce back into the same skillet in which the pork was cooked, pressing the solids through the strainer with the back of a spoon. Add any juices that may have collected on the serving platter. Over high heat, bring the mixture in the skillet to a boil. Continue to boil, stirring occasionally, until lightly thickened, about six to eight minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Spoon a tablespoon of the sauce in the center of each of the four warmed dinner plates. Place each pork medallion on top of the sauce. Top with one tablespoon sauce, about two tablespoons raspberries and a few strips of diagonally shredded green onion tops. Serve at once.

Makes four servings.

In case any of you might have health concerns about Mexican-grown produce, here's what the Driscoll people themselves say about the safety of their raspberries and strawberries:

"Driscoll's farmers have been leaders in the practice of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) which relies on a balanced method of natural and inorganic means to reduce disease and control pests in the field. To insure that Driscoll's fruit is the safest possible, Driscoll's employs a company which conducts third-party independent residue testing of fruit in every Driscoll cooler and facility every week."

These fields in the state of Jalisco are Mexican owned and leased to Driscoll solely for growing raspberries and strawberries. The raspberry crop is rotated annually and the packing operation is moved each year to the fields most convenient to the highway.

Far-flung fields of Driscoll's other delicious crop—strawberries–are in Zamora, Michoacán and Irapuato, Guanajuato (which calls itself the Strawberry Capital of the World). Red jewels lie close to the ground, nestled in dark green leaves. The strawberries are ripe and luscious this time of year, ready to be hand picked, packed, chilled, and shipped to all parts of the world. You'll find them, packaged in clear plastic one-pound boxes so you can see exactly what you're choosing, in the produce section of your favorite hometown supermarket. North of the border, the boxes sell for about $2.50 US in season. Here in Mexico, we're paying closer to the peso equivalent of $2.00 US per kilo (2.2 pounds).

Strawberry stands dot the roads leading into and out of Irapuato, Guanajuato. The stands offer tall wicker baskets filled with sweet, delicious fresh berries as well as frozen strawberries with cream, just ready to dig in.

These are not those huge strawberries grown more for looks than for flavor. Is there anything more disappointing than biting into a beautiful berry and finding it white in the middle, dry, hard and tasteless? These berries are mid-size and grown for their sweet taste—the best possible flavor—as well as beauty. Ripened more fully prior to picking than those grown elsewhere, these local strawberries are simply perfect.

Always refrigerate berries immediately—move them from the shopping bag to the refrigerator. Temperatures between 34 and 38 degrees F are best, but be sure not to freeze them! Fresh berries are very sensitive to freeze damage. Remember this general rule: for every hour your berries are away from refrigeration, you'll lose a whole day's shelf life.

Do not wash your berries until you are ready to prepare and eat them. Moisture will hasten decay of these fragile berries, so keep them dry as well as cold until the last moment.

Shelf life varies between berries; however, under ideal conditions, strawberries should keep for about two to five days in your refrigerator and raspberries should keep for between one and three days. For best results, consume your berries as soon after purchase as possible.

Are you drooling yet? Let's look at more wonderful recipes for raspberry and strawberry treats.

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake
For the ultimate in red raspberry decadence, try this cheesecake.

18 vanilla wafer cookies
1 cup macadamia nuts, toasted
4 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
4 ounces white chocolate, chopped
16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 large eggs
3/4 cup fresh raspberries
8 ounces sour cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Crust:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Finely grind cookies and macadamias in food processor. Add butter and blend until mixture forms very moist crumbs. Press crumbs firmly onto bottom and part of sides of an eight inch spring-form pan. Bake until golden (10 minutes).

Filling:
Melt white chocolate in microwave, (about 1 1/2 minutes), stopping every 30 seconds to stir and to make sure it doesn't burn. Set aside. In a large bowl, use your electric mixer to beat cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon juice until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition, just until combined. Beat in white chocolate.

Spoon half the batter into the crust. Top with berries. Top with remaining batter. Bake for about 45 minutes or until cake is set around the edges, but center jiggles slightly.

Let cool for about 20 minutes before adding the topping.

Topping:
In a medium bowl, whisk sour cream, sugar, and vanilla. Spoon over cake, spreading the topping to the edge of the pan. Bake five minutes. Allow cake to cool and then refrigerate overnight. Serve plain or garnish with more berries.

Here are a few tips for handling red raspberries, whether you buy them at a strawberry farm or in your North of the Border supermarket.

If you want to freeze red raspberries, spread them out in a single layer on a cookie sheet with sides and place the uncovered cookie sheet in the freezer. After the raspberries are well frozen, shake them gently into a zip-lock bag and immediately put them back in the freezer. Your raspberries, whole and beautiful, will be ready for immediate use when you need them.

Try the following recipe when you want to serve an unusual fruit treat for a Sunday party brunch. Your guests will love the refreshing berries in a very unusual dressing.

Ginger Strawberries Estilo Mexico Cooks!
This recipe is served cold with a hint of spicy ginger tang and always makes a hit at brunch.

2 pounds fresh ripe strawberries
1 orange
2 tablespoons pickled ginger, drained
1 cup unflavored yogurt
2 tablespoons orange marmalade
2 tablespoons sugar or 2 packets artificial sweetener
1/4 teaspoon salt

Remove green caps from strawberries and wash gently. Pat dry in a large terry cloth towel. Cut the strawberries in half and place in a large mixing bowl.

With a vegetable peeler or zester, cut thin strips of orange peel (orange part only). Cut the orange peel strips into tiny matchstick-size strips, no longer than 1" and no wider than 1/16".

Cut the pickled ginger to the same size as the orange strips. Mix the ginger and the orange strips together.

Add the ginger and orange strips mixture, orange marmalade, sugar (or artificial sweetener) and salt to the yogurt. Stir until well-mixed.

Pour yogurt mixture over strawberries and stir gently to coat all the strawberries.

Refrigerate until well chilled. Serve.

Bringing fresh, ripe strawberries home from the field (or from the tianguis) is tricky. It's a good practice to take a wicker basket or plastic container with you to put your strawberries in for their trip home; like raspberries, they are easily smashed and deteriorate quickly under their own weight in a plastic bag.

If you buy either raspberries or strawberries in plastic clamshells, save a clamshell or two for times when you might go to a pick-your-own farm to protect the berries on the trip home. Bring your strawberries home in the clamshells. You'll be glad you did, when you realize your freshly picked berries will arrive home in perfect condition.

Here are some interesting statistics about strawberries: Canada imports all of its fresh strawberries from either the United States or from Mexico. The United States is the major importer of Mexican fresh strawberries. Under NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement), duty is no longer charged on strawberry exports to either the USA or Canada.

Last, but certainly not least, let's toast our local strawberries with a refreshing and beautiful strawberry margarita.

Strawberry Margaritas
The jewel of the season: try Mexico Cooks!' fresh strawberry margarita recipe!

For two:
10 to 12 ripe strawberries
2 cups ice
2/3 cup prepared margarita mixer
1 tablespoon orange juice concentrate, thawed
2 teaspoons fresh key lime juice
Whole strawberries (for garnish)

Put strawberries in a blender with the ice, margarita mixer, orange juice concentrate and lime juice. Blend until smooth and slushy. Pour into two glasses and garnish with whole strawberries, if desired.

Buen provecho!

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

19 de March de 2011
Parque Nacional La Marquesa, Estado de México: Road Food in the National Park

Cabaña Carmelita, La Marquesa, Estado de México (the State of México, or Edomex).

When you think of national parks, what comes first to your mind? Smokey the Bear? That cute forest ranger in khaki shorts who showed you how to pitch your tent? Hungry campers 'round the fire, waiting for hotdogs? Next time you think "national park", think La Marquesa in the State of Mexico (affectionately known as Edomex). And forget about forest rangers, tents, bears, and hotdogs. Instead, think about homey fonda-style restaurants lining both sides of the highway.

Watch for the sign on the south side of the cuota–you'll love the place.

For 30 years, Mexico Cooks! has bused to and from Mexico City, first on the old two-lane highways and then on the super-duper toll highway called the autopista. Either way, the road meanders between the city of Toluca and the Distrito Federal, passing through Parque Nacional Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla. The park is affectionately known as La Marquesa, and its natural wonders are an enormous tourist attraction.

Guisado de chicharrón prensado (a stew-like dish made of the compressed crunchy bits left after frying pork skins), ready to be served at Cabaña Carmelita. It was truly hard to choose among all of the wonderful offerings. We wanted one of everything.

Mountains, waterfalls, and green pine forests are one thing: what called my attention every single time the bus passed through the park were the colorful restaurants framing two sides of the roadway. But sadly enough, the bus hurtling along never stopped for food. Think thirty years of unsatisfied craving!

Crocheted lace doilies and hand-decorated clay dishes are just waiting for your arrival.

About a year ago, it suddenly occurred to me that I was familiar enough with getting around in Mexico City that I could drive to and–oh, the daring thought!–in this city of nearly 25,000,000 people. And if I played my cards right, I could time the trip to arrive at La Marquesa just in time for comida, Mexico's main meal of the day. My beloved compañera, our two little dogs, and I left Morelia at eleven o'clock in the morning with happy plans for our lunch break at one of the La Marquesa fondas.

On the left, a guisado of huitlacoche (corn fungus). On the right, hongos silvestres (wild mushrooms).

But which one! The little restaurants line up one after another like tempting booths at a state fair, colorful and filled with promise. Look, this one advertises rabbit! And that one has delicate escamoles (ant eggs)! And then we noticed La Cabaña Carmelita, with pambazos (iconic Mexico City-style sandwiches) blazened prominently on its placards. The thought of pambazos enticed us in, but even though we found out that there were no pambazos that day, the rest of the menu made us stay.

Sopa de hongos (mushroom soup), served with a piece of crunchy chicharrón and a lime to squeeze into the broth. Steaming hot, loaded with big pieces and strips of setas (a kind of mushroom), and deliciously spicy, this mushroom soup is a far cry from Campbell's.

A quesadilla con pollo (quesadilla with shredded chicken). The serving was enormous: it consisted of a huge blue corn tortilla covered with shredded chicken, melted soft cheese, shredded hard cheese, and a salsa picante, plus a salad of sliced ripe tomatoes and cucumbers.

A tlacoyo con frijolitos y queso (an oval tortilla, in this case made of blue corn, stuffed to bursting with refried beans and cheese), accompanied by a big clay mug of café de olla (cinnamon-spiced coffee).

These two women took our orders and cooked and served our delicious food.

By the time you read this, we will have driven once again through La Marquesa. Will we stop for comida? Look at that face–is there any doubt in your mind?

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

5 de March de 2011
Carne de Cerdo en Salsa Verde (Pork in Green Sauce): Mexico Cooks! Favorite Main Dish for Parties

Tomatillos with their husks and fresh chiles serrano.

If you are like most cooks–Mexico Cooks! included–there are times when you want to astonish your guests with your intricate culinary skills by preparing the most complicated and time-consuming recipes you know. A seven-course Szechuan dinner that I prepared a year or so ago comes immediately to mind; it took me several days to recover just from the preparations.

Then there are other times when you want to prepare something relatively quick but still completely delicious and which will inevitably win raves from your companions at table. This recipe for pork in green salsa completely satisfies both requirements. It's my never-fail dish for many company dinners.

Carne de Cerdo en Salsa Verde (Pork in Green Chile Sauce)
Six generous servings

Ingredients
Salsa verde (Green sauce)
1 pound tomatillos (known in Mexico as tomate verde), husks removed
4 or 5 whole chiles serrano, depending on your tolerance for picante (spiciness)
1/2 medium white onion, coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic (optional)
1 medium bunch fresh cilantro, largest stems removed
Sea salt to taste

Fresh cilantro.

Carne de cerdo (Pork Meat)
1 kilo (2.2 pounds) very lean fresh pork butt, cut into 2" cubes
White flour
Salt
Oil or lard sufficient for frying the pork

Preparation
Salsa verde
In a large pot of water over high heat, bring the tomatillos and chiles (and garlic, if you choose to use it) to a full rolling boil. Boil just until the tomatillos begin to crack; watch them closely or they will disintegrate in the water.

Let the tomatillos and chiles (and garlic, if you like) boil until the tomatillos begin to crack.

Using a slotted spoon, scoop the cooked tomatillos, salt, and chiles into your blender jar. There's no need to add liquid at first, but reserve the liquid in which the vegetables boiled until you see the thickness of your sauce. You might want to thin it slightly and the cooking liquid will not dilute the flavor. Set the vegetables aside to cool for about half an hour. Once they are cool, cover the blender, hold the blender cap on, and blend all the vegetables, including the chopped onion, until you have a smooth sauce.

Be careful to allow the tomatillos and chiles to cool before you blend them; blending them while they are fresh from the boiling water could easily cause you to burn yourself, the hot mixture tends to react like molten lava in the blender. (Note: don't ask me how I know this.)

In the blender, the boiled and cooled tomatillos and chiles. The cilantro goes in last.

While the blender is running, remove the center of its cap and, little by little, push the cilantro into the whizzing sauce. Blend just until smooth; you should still see big flecks of dark green cilantro in the lighter green sauce. Test the salt and correct if necessary. Reserve the sauce for later use.

Golden brown pork cubes.

Carne de Cerdo (Pork Meat)
Preheat oven to 170°C or 350°F.

Pat the 2" pork cubes as dry as possible with paper towels.

Put about 1/4 cup flour in a plastic grocery-size bag. Add 1/2 tsp salt. Melt the lard over high heat in a large heavy oven-proof casserole. While the lard is melting, shake about 1/4 of the cubed pork in the salted flour. When the oil or lard begins to smoke, add the floured pork cubes, being careful not to dump the flour into the pan. Cover the pan. As the pork cubes brown, shake another 1/4 of the pork cubes in flour and salt. Turn the pork cubes until all sides are golden brown. Remove browned cubes to a bowl and reserve. Add more floured pork to the hot lard. You may need more oil or lard as well as more salted flour. Repeat until all pork cubes are well browned. Reserve the browned pork in the same pan, scraping the crispy bits from the bottom.

Add the sauce to the pork cubes in the casserole, making sure that all the cubes are immersed in sauce. Cover and put the casserole into the oven, reducing the heat to 160°C or 325°F. Bake for two hours. Add cooking liquid from the vegetables if necessary to keep the sauce relatively thick but not sticking to the casserole. The pork will be fork-tender and the green sauce will take on a rich, deep, pork-y flavor and color.

The browned pork cubes and green sauce, ready to be baked. This particular batch of carne de cerdo en salsa verde was a little more than double the recipe included here. The recipe is very forgiving and can easily be doubled or tripled to fit the number of guests on your dinner party list. If a whole recipe is too much for your needs, make it anyway: it freezes very well.

Serve with arroz blanco (steamed white rice) or arroz a la mexicana (red rice), refried beans, a colorful, contrasting vegetable, and fresh, hot tortillas. Mexico Cooks!' money-back guarantee: everyone will come back for seconds.

Provecho!

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26 de February de 2011
Jello Shots, Mexican Style

Mexico Cooks! originally published this article in June 2007, in a slightly different form.

Sra. Abundis, a Guadalajara friend, prepared this clear gelatina (gelatin). It's approximately 15" in diameter and stuffed with fresh red and green grapes, canned pineapple, and duraznos en almíbar (peaches canned in syrup).

Whether you're having a midday meal at a traditional Mexican restaurant anywhere in the República or celebrating at a private party at the home of Mexican friends, you can be almost 100% sure that a prominent item on the dessert menu will be gelatin. As you browse the produce at any town's tianguis (street market) or elbow your way through the crowds at a fiesta patronal (patron saint's celebration), you'll see vendors selling plastic cups and glasses of jewel-colored gelatin desserts. Gelatina is a shimmering sweet fact of life in Mexico, popular with young and old alike.

What is this Mexican obsession with a food that smacks of 1950s Middle America? Delight in gelatin desserts has been prevalent in Mexico for years; marketing experts here report that it's eaten daily in nearly 90% of Mexican homes. Mexicans consume more gelatin desserts than nearly any other country in the world—three times the quantity of gelatin consumed in the United States alone. In restaurants, the dessert tray will almost always include a variety of gelatin desserts. When Señora Fulana (Mrs. So-and-So) is invited to a party at the home of her best friend, it's very traditional for her to take along a gelatin dessert, all fancied-up and ready for the admiration of the rest of the attendees. At a birthday party, the dessert of preference is rarely cake and ice cream. It's almost always a plate of cake and a jiggling serving of gelatin, which requires no refrigeration to maintain its shape.

There are far more ways to prepare gelatin desserts in Mexico than your mother's Jell-O mixed with fruit cocktail or shredded celery and carrots. Some of the desserts are prepared with water, some with milk, and some are prepared as a layered combination of both. Some are major productions involving hours of labor intensive preparation time. And trust me when I tell you that housewives closely guard their recipes for gelatin desserts, not sharing among themselves unless the recipient of a recipe swears on her life that she will never take that dessert to a party where the other lady is also invited.

Sra. Abundis and her daughter Cristina prepared and painted this marvelous tiger gelatina for a child's birthday party.

Several months ago it was my task to prepare individual serving cups of gelatin for a two-year-old neighbor's birthday party—it seemed like I made hundreds. I thought it would be a complicated and difficult project, but it turned out to be quite a lot of fun. After asking another neighbor's advice, I learned that it's possible to buy powdered gelatin at any dulcería (candy store) or grocery store. The variety of available flavors is amazing: in addition to the ordinary strawberry, lime, and orange, I also found pistachio, almond, tamarindo, jerez (sherry), and peach.

While I could have kept my project simple, I decided instead to get fancy. No single-flavor cups of gelatin for this party! I read the directions printed on each bag and learned to prepare this flavor with water, that one with milk. I combined a layer of strawberry (prepared with water) with a layer of pistachio (prepared with milk). Recklessly, I disregarded the instructions to use water to prepare the peach flavor and used milk instead, combining an opaque peach-flavored, pale layer with a clear, bright orange-flavored layer.

Commercially made in Guadalajara for sale in Mexico's supermarkets, this three-layer single-serving gelatina includes a clear-gelatin fruit layer (complete with a prune and its pit), a milk-based layer, and a clear layer. The gelatina comes with its own tiny yellow plastic spoon. These 200 gram gelatins are prepared with preservatives and artificial coloring. Each one costs about 8 pesos, or 70 cents US.

It's so simple. Of course you can do this at home, even north of the border. Just buy two different flavors of your favorite brand of gelatin dessert powder, some four-ounce plastic glasses, and have at it. Prepare one flavor and fill each glass to the half-way point. Refrigerate and allow that flavor to set. Prepare the second flavor, using either milk or water, pour it on top of the already jelled flavor, and refrigerate until set. For me, this was fancy–but reader, read on!

The preparation of gelatin desserts has been raised to a fine art in Mexico. Special classes in gelatin preparation fascinate housewives and give rise to thriving cottage industry here. Recipes metamorphose from the relatively simple preparations like mine to the most elaborate of flavor and design combinations. A few years back, the craze for making individual clear gelatin desserts which contain flowers also made of gelatin has hit Mexico like a bombshell.

Flower gelatins like this one, made and copywrited by the Abundis family, are called gelatinas encapsuladas. The flowers are made by injecting colors of gelatin and flower designs with a syringe into clear or transparent gelatins. Neither Sra. Abundis nor Cristina took classes in making the flowers, although many handicrafts schools and individuals offer those courses.

This week I was fortunate to spend some time with Sra. Abundis and her daughter, Cristina, who operate a small home-based business in Guadalajara. The Abundis family invited me to come watch and take pictures as they prepared special gelatinas for a child's birthday party. Mother and daughter have worked together for the last two to three years, preparing made-to-order gelatins for birthdays, baptisms, girls' fifteenth birthday parties, baby showers, engagement parties, and weddings.

The gelatina personality of the day was Spiderman. Cristina explained that the gelatin for the Spiderman mold and many more are milk-based, while other gelatins are water-based. Milk gives the gelatina a more nutritious aspect than does plain water and also makes Spiderman's features show up better after they're painted.

In the Abundis kitchen, Spiderman is fresh out of the mold. A selection of milk ingredients is lined up behind him, along with a small plate full of individual-serving Spiderman heads.

Sra. Abundis showed me the basic ingredients for the dessert; once the basics are assembled, they're flavored with vanilla. Spiderman is prepared with powdered milk. Other gelatinas are made with sweetened condensed milk or with evaporated milk. The Abundis family uses pure cane sugar and unflavored gelatin for its desserts. No preservatives are added. These home-prepared gelatinas must be consumed within 48 hours of their preparation.

Many fancy gelatinas are painted once they're chilled and set. Spiderman is no exception. The paints are special vegetable food coloring gel, manufactured in Guadalajara.

Sra. Abundis watches closely as Cristina paints Spiderman's red base coat.

While Cristina painted, Sra. Abundis told me that when her relatives moved from Mexico City to Guadalajara in 1940, there was no powdered, flavored gelatina available in the city. Finally the relatives found a source–one stall at the Mercado Corona in Guadalajara's Centro Histórico sold it.

Cristina starts the initial work with black gel food coloring, outlining Spiderman's eyes. She holds a licenciatura (bachelor of arts) in graphic design from the University of Guadalajara.

"The gelatina has to be very cold in order to paint it," Cristina commented. "If it's not as cold and firm as possible, the paint will run." Spiderman stayed briefly in the freezer between coats of food coloring gel.

Spiderman's intricate thread work is complete.

I asked Sra. Abundis and Cristina which molds are most popular for parties. "Right now, Spiderman is the one all the kids want. Of course they also like Buzz Lightyear, Sponge Bob, all the Disney princesses, and Barbie. The old favorites like Winnie the Pooh, Mickey Mouse, and Tweetie Bird are always popular."

Josua Isai Abundis Linares, Cristina's now nearly nine year old nephew, participated eagerly in the time I spent with his family. He and I both anticipated our dessert: one of the individual Spiderman heads.

Cristina added, "For adult parties like weddings and baby showers, people want gelatinas encapsuladas, the ones with the flowers, to accompany their special cakes. And it's funny, the kids gobble down their gelatinas, but the adults want to save theirs. The flowers are so beautiful."

Cristina shows off the finished product: Spiderman in person! Sra. Abundis painted the blue base. The cost of this fantastic super hero is 130 pesos, approximately $11.50 USD.

"The people who ordered this Spiderman for their child's party will pick it up late this afternoon. The party is tomorrow." Cristina was happy that she finished the painting with no smears.

One traditional recipe is for Mousse de Rompope (eggnog-flavored gelatin dessert). This preparation is appropriate for dessert at any party for adults. It is so delicious that it bears repeating now.

Rompope (Eggnog) Mousse with Strawberry Sauce
Ten to twelve servings

Ingredients

Mousse
2 envelopes of unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup water
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups rompope (Mexican eggnog flavored liqueur)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 egg whites

Strawberry Sauce
1 pound strawberries, stems removed
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon almond extract, anisette or Frangelica (hazelnut flavored liqueur)

Preparation

In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin onto the water and let stand until absorbed, about five minutes. Meanwhile, heat the cream slightly in a small saucepan. (Do not boil.) Remove from heat and stir in the gelatin, mixing well to dissolve. Strain into a bowl; add the rompope and vanilla and mix well. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Fold in the eggnog mixture, and then pour into a lightly greased 1.5 quart ring-mold, bowl or specialty-shape pan. Refrigerate at least four hours, preferably overnight.

Place strawberries, sugar and flavoring in a bowl and let stand for two hours. Purée in a blender, strain and set aside.

Just before serving, remove the mousse from its mold and drizzle with strawberry sauce. Garnish with slightly sweetened whipped cream. If desired, the mousse can be molded with a graham cracker crust.

Provecho!

For dessert after your comida (midday main meal), for a snack or for a light supper, sweet wiggly gelatina satisfies every time. Cooling and slithery, a gelatina is just the ticket when you need a little something, but you don't want too much. They knew what they were talking about, way back then, when they said, "There's always room for…"

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19 de February de 2011
Mexico Cooks! Best Flan Ever: Flan de Naranja y Coco (Coconut and Orange Flan)

The major ingredients for Mexico Cooks!' best flan ever–clockwise from the bottom: fresh oranges, cream of coconut, whole milk, real Mexican vanilla, fresh eggs, and sal del mar (sea salt, in the little red hen salt cellar). You'll also need some sugar.

This is a Mexican flanera (flan pan). It's made of aluminum; the lid fastens down with a hinged clamp. If you have one, use it. If you don't, you can use any kind of oven-proof pan that holds about two liters. It need not have a lid. That's San Pascual Baylón, the patron saint of the kitchen, in the background. He can be especially helpful at the moment you turn the chilled flan onto the serving platter.

Start by caramelizing the sugar in a heavy pan. This is an 8" enameled cast iron omelet pan; it's been in the pantry for nearly 20 years and, for this purpose, works better than any other pan in the kitchen. Just dump the sugar into your pan over very low heat; when you see that the sugar begins to melt a bit around the edges, move the pan a little to redistribute the sugar so that it caramelizes as evenly as possible.

When the sugar is fully caramelized, it will look like this photo. Caveat: this process seems to take forever, but you can't hurry it. And no matter how tempted you are, do not stir the sugar! Just move the pan little by little, tipping the uncaramelized sugar into the melted mass.

As soon as all the sugar is caramelized–while it is still boiling hot–pour it into the flanera or whatever pan you are using. Tip and turn the flanera so that the sugar evenly coats the bottom and sides. Be very careful not to burn yourself. Set the flanera aside and complete the recipe.

Mexico Cooks! Flan de Coco y Naranja a la Antigua (Old-Style Coconut and Orange Flan)
8 servings

Make the flan one day ahead of the time you want to serve it. Once baked, it needs to chill for about 18 hours.

Move the oven rack to its lowest position. Pre-heat the oven to 165-170°C or 325°F.

Ingredients
Caramelized Sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
4 Tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice

Flan
3 cups whole milk
1 cup cream of coconut
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 Tbsp freshly grated orange peel
4 eggs
6 additional egg yolks
pinch sea salt

Garnish as shown in photo
3 perfect strawberries with their leaves
4 1/4" slices carambola (star fruit)
2 to 4 Tbsp grated fresh coconut, toasted

Preparation

Caramelized Sugar
Over a low fire, pour one cup of granulated sugar into a small, heavy skillet. Do not stir the sugar. When the sugar begins to melt, move the skillet a little, tipping and turning it so that all of the sugar caramelizes evenly. Allow the sugar to boil until it is a deep caramel color. Add the orange juice and tip gently until the juice is fully incorporated into the sugar. Immediately pour the boiling caramelized sugar/juice mixture into the flanera or other pan, tipping the flanera until the sugar fully coats the bottom and sides.

Flan
In a 2-quart pot, combine the milk, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, the cream of coconut, vanilla, grated orange rind, and salt. With a wooden spoon, stir the ingredients over a medium fire until they are well-heated. Raise the fire to high and allow the mixture to boil, but don't let it boil over. Continue to boil the mixture until it has reduced by nearly one cup. Set aside and allow to cool slightly.

The milk mixture needs to boil until it has reduced by about one cup. Be sure to set it aside to cool when the reduction is finished.

To easily separate six of the eggs so that you can use just their yolks, crack each egg into your open hand and allow the white to run through your fingers into a container.

With an electric hand beater, beat the eggs together with the additional yolks until they are light and foamy. Add the cooled mixture of milks. Pour the entire mixture into the flanera or prepared pan. If it is a flanera, cover it and fasten the latch. If it is another type pan, do not cover. Whichever you are using, put the recipient into a baño maría (bainmarie) and then into the pre-heated oven.

The milk mixture in the flanera; the caramelized sugar is at the bottom.

The flanera in the baño maría, just going into the oven. The baño maría can be any kind of pan; use enough water to come about one and a half to two inches up the side of the flanera or other pan.

Bake the flan for approximately two hours. At the end of two hours, take the top off the flanera and test the flan by inserting a thin knife or metal skewer into the middle; if it comes out completely clean, the flan is done. If some of the egg mixture clings to the knife or skewer, bake the flan about fifteen minutes longer, being careful not to over-cook it.

Once the flan is cooked, take it AND the baño maría out of the oven. On a cooling rack, let the flan rest in the baño maría about fifteen minutes more. Then remove the flanera (still covered) or other pan from the baño maría and allow the flan to cool at room temperature until the pan is cool to the touch.

Once the flan is cool, put the flanera (still covered) or other pan in the refrigerator and allow to chill until the following day.

To remove the flan from its mold, uncover and run a thin table knife around the entire outer edge. To ensure ease of release from the pan, dip the bottom of the flanera or other pan into very hot water so that the caramelized sugar liquifies a little. VERY CAREFULLY turn the flan out onto a platter. Mexico Cooks! puts the platter (one with a lip) on top of the open flan mold, calls on San Pascual Baylón, and quickly turns the platter and the mold so that the flan slips out easily. The caramelized sugar will run onto the top of the flan and make a pool in the bottom of the platter.

Approximate preparation time: 30 minutes
Approximate baking time: 2 hours

The finished product, ready to be taken to the dinner table.

Just prior to serving, decorate the flan however you like. In the photo, you see that I put one large strawberry in the center of the flan. I carefully made a border of toasted coconut and then cut the two remaining strawberries in half, leaving the leaves attached to each half, and placed one half at north, south, east, and west on top of the coconut. I then placed four slices of carambola between the strawberry halves. You could also use fresh red raspberries, thinly sliced twists of orange, and fresh mint leaves for a garnish, or any other seasonal fruit, or use no garnish at all.

Provecho!

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29 de January de 2011
VII Encuentro de Cocina Tradicional de Michoacán: Michoacán’s Seventh Annual Festival of Traditional Cuisine

In Uruapan, Michoacán, on December 3, 2010, multicolored papel picado (cut paper streamers) billowed in the evening breeze to announce our tremendous pride in the VII Encuentro de Cocina Tradicional de Michoacán (Seventh Annual Michoacán Traditional Food Festival).

A sumptuous and traditional mole con pollo (mole with chicken) as prepared by Antonina González Leandro of Tarerio, Michoacán. Sra. González participated in the concurso de la Zona Lacustre (Lake Pátzcuaro region competition) that took place this year in Pátzcuaro. In addition to this mole, she prepared pozole de elote con conejo (fresh-corn stew with rabbit), several other savory dishes, and a wonderful sweet dried-corn snack called ponteduro.

In Pátzcuaro on December 4, 2010, Sra. Antonina González paused at her booth to pose with Cynthia Martínez, in charge of Morelia's Restaurante San Miguelito.

Each of the last several years, Mexico Cooks! has been privileged to be included on the teams of speakers, judges, and hosts for Michoacán's annual traditional cuisine spectacular. This year, our joyous cup of participation in the festival was filled to overflowing by the two-week-prior notice that Mexico's cuisine, and especially the cuisine of Michoacán, had been designated as a UNESCO Intangible Heritage of Humanity–the first cuisine in the world to be so honored. Three cities in central Michoacán (Morelia, Uruapan, and Pátzcuaro) were named to host this year's food festival, and all three went completely overboard in welcoming every participant: host committees, notable chefs and food writers from all parts of Mexico and other countries, hundreds of proud and happy local and regional eaters, and the people without whom there would be no reason to have the party: the stupendous traditional cooks from the Purhépecha communities throughout this part of the state.

In Morelia on December 5, 2010, Dra. Gloria López Morales, president of the Conservatorio de la Cultura Gastronómica Mexicana, shares her views on topics related to Mexico's November triumph at UNESCO.

In Pátzcuaro, Mexico Cooks! talks about Michoacán cuisine with (left) Christian Plotzcyk and (right) David Suárez of the New York restaurant group Rosa Mexicano.

A number of internationally known chefs and food writers attended the festival this year. Among them were Patricia Quintana, Alicia Gironella d'Angeli, Rubén Hernández, Roberto González Guzmán, Sol Rubín de Borbolla, Cristina Palacio, and Gabriel Gutiérrez García, all from Mexico City; Cynthia Martínez, Alma Cervantes, and Joaquín Bonilla of Morelia; and Susana Trilling of Oaxaca. In addition, David Suárez and Christian Plotzcyk of the Rosa Mexicano restaurant group based in New York City and Iliana de la Vega of the Culinary Institute of America, San Antonio, Texas represented the interest of the United States. The festival also counted on the participation of internationally renowned Michoacán chefs Rubí Silva Figueroa (Restaurante Los Mirasoles, Morelia), Lucero Soto Arriaga (Restaurante LU, Morelia), and Blanca Estela Vidales (Restaurante La Mesa de Blanca, Ziracuaretiro, Michoacán), who, along with teams of cooks and assistants, prepared several banquets for specially invited festival participants and guests.

In Uruapan, we tasted delicious jahuacatas (corundas created using layers of frijoles molidos (beans ground on the traditional metate) and fresh masa (corn dough), as prepared by Sra. Juanita Bravo Lázaro from Angahuan, Michoacán. Sra. Bravo served these marvelous jahuacatas with an atápakua de calabaza (thick squash sauce). This preparation won the prize for the best traditional dish. Click on the photograph to enlarge the picture for a better view of the layers.

None of the judges had previously heard of–much less tasted–these incredibly delicious yurucurindas. Once we tasted them in Uruapan, we couldn't stop recommending them to everyone in earshot. "Hurry, get one before they're gone!" we mumbled with our mouths full. Similar in size to but a bit thicker than a standard corn tortilla, the yurucurindas are made from blue corn masa, piloncillo (Mexican raw sugar cones), and canela molida (ground cinnamon), and then baked on a traditional comal de barro (clay griddle). Even this long after the festival, the photo still makes my mouth water at the memory!

Señora Benedicta Alejo Vargas of San Lorenzo, Michoacán is one of the greatest traditional cooks in the Uruapan area. The internationally known Sra. Alejo won the prize for best rescued dish with churipo de carne seca (dried beef soup in the Purhépecha style). Rescued dishes include traditional preparations that are not usually prepared today and are on the verge of extinction. Photo courtesy Gabriel Gutiérrez García.

Mexico Cooks! noticed this basket of fresh green leaves on the table at Sra. Alejo's booth and asked what purpose they served. Sra. Alejo smiled and said, "When I was a little girl, my grandmother always put a basket of leaves on the table to use as napkins. It's part of my family's tradition." In addition to her prize-winning traditional churipo, Sra. Alejo prepared mole de conejo (rabbit mole), mole de queso (cheese mole), and tzirita, a botana (appetizer) made of finely ground chile seeds and other savory ingredients.

For the first time, acclaimed chef (she's the owner of Mexico City's restaurant Izote) and author Patricia Quintana attended the Encuentro de Cocina Tradicional. She happily served as a judge.

Absolutely gorgeous: hot-off-the-comal tortillas, made with two colors of corn masa.

Thick and delicious atole de chaqueta is a corn-based hot drink flavored, in this instance, with the toasted and ground outer shells of the cacao (chocolate) bean. Nothing is wasted here in Michoacán's kitchens: imagine that such delicious things are made from what you might discard: chile seeds and the hulls of cocoa beans!

In addition to the wonderful food competition, the festival organization treated the Uruapan public to a marvelous evening of traditional music and dance.

At the December 5, 2010 Morelia closure of the VII Encuentro de Cocina Tradicional de Michoacán, the prize-winning cocineras (cooks) and other dignitaries posed with (left foreground) Sra. Alicia Gironella d'Angeli, First Lady of Mexico's food world and chef/owner at Restaurante El Tajín in Mexico City and Dr. Genovevo Figueroa, secretary of tourism for the state of Michoacán. Both Sra. Gironella and Dr. Figueroa are long-time supporters of this annual Michoacán festival. Photo courtesy Rubén Hernández.

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15 de January de 2011
Mexican Edible Oddities: What Is This Fruit and What Do I Do With It?

We'll start off with a gimme: everybody recognizes bananas–the green fruits hang from the long knobby stalk. The pointed reddish-purple part at the bottom of the photo is the banana flower. Click on the photo to better see the tiny purple-yellowish florets just under the extended portion of the flower. That's the part of the flower that matures to form the actual banana fruit. In India and in Thailand, those tiny flowers are prepared as delicious dishes. I don't know a Mexican recipe for them–do you?

Mexico is home to some decidedly unusual fruits (no smart remarks, please). Many of these fruits are unavailable in other parts of the world, but it's certainly worthwhile to learn that they exist and are wonderful to taste.

This is a chirimoya (Annona Cherimolia), sometimes known in English as a custard apple. Its size ranges from that of a baseball to much larger. I once picked one that was almost the size of my head, carried it by hand from the Michoacán mountains to Mexico City, allowed it to ripen fully, and shared it with my friend Celia Gutiérrez.

When ripe, the chirimoya's flesh is soft, yielding easily to a spoon. The taste is like a combination peach and strawberry: absolute heaven. The fruit is picked while immature and ripens quickly in a sunny window or on a kitchen counter. Originally brought to the New World by the Spanish conquistadores, these are available in Mexico primarily during their relatively short summer season.

The seeds of the chirimoya are large, black, and shiny. Occasionally you'll find a sprouted seed inside one of the fruits; I've tried to grow a tree but have had no luck.

Mousse made of chirimoya and cream. Photo and recipe courtesy this website.

Mousse de Chirimoya
Serves six

Ingredients
1 ripe chirimoya (300 or 400 gr.)
1/4 Cup heavy cream
2/3 Cup whole milk
1leaf of unflavored gelatin
1 Tbsp sugar

Decoration
I or 2 white grapes per individual mousse
2 Tbsp dark brown sugar
1 Tbsp dark rum
Sprigs of fresh mint

Procedure
Cut the chirimoya in quarters and carefully remove the seeds. Put the chirimoya flesh into your blender jar.

In a heavy saucepan, heat the milk, the cream, and the sugar. Stir constantly to make sure that the mixture does not stick. Dissolve the gelatin in cold water.

Once the mixture begins to cook, add the dissolved gelatin. Allow the mix to cook for a minute more, without moving the saucepan from the burner. After a minute, take the pan off the fire and allow the mixture to cool.

Once the mixture is cool, pour it into the blender along with the chirimoya flesh. Blend until the mixture is smooth and silky.

Pour the mixture into individual-serving ramekins and chill in the refrigerator for at least four hours before serving.

To make the grape garnish, roll each grape first in the rum and then in the brown sugar. Prepare the garnish just before serving. Unmold each ramekin onto a small dessert plate and top with one or two grapes, a small spoonful of rum, and a sprig of fresh mint.

The guanábana (Annona muricata), known in English as the soursop, is related to the chirimoya. The flesh is white and the large seeds are black, like those of the chirimoya. When ripe, the guanábana has a somewhat more acidic flavor than its cousin, although it is still sweet and delicious. It's easy to tell these two similar fruits apart: the guanábana is the one with the big soft thorns! In Mexico, guanábana is most often used to make a refreshing agua fresca (fresh fruit drink) or equally refreshing paletas (fresh fruit ice pops).

These olive-size yellow fruits are nanches (Byrsonima crassifolia), also known in Michoacán as changungas. These fruits grow and are extremely popular in Michoacán. They're sold by the plastic cupful in markets and at street stands, usually topped with a squeeze of lime, a pinch of salt, and a squirt of bottled salsa. Sorry, gang, Mexico Cooks! seems to be one of the few people in Michoacán who really, really doesn't like changungas. More for you!

Similar in size and appearance to nanches, these are nísperos–otherwise known as loquats (Eriobotrya japonica). Not usually grown commercially, they are nevertheless commonly home-cultivated in Mexico's Central Highlands. In our neighborhood, it's a race to see who gets to the fruits first: birds or humans. We humans generally eat them out of hand, but they can be made into jam or conserve.

This, ladies and gentleman, is the illusive ilama (Annona diversifolia). Yet another relative of the chirimoya, the softball-size ilama grows wild in Michoacán's Tierra Caliente. Its season is very short, just a few weeks during the summer, and it is normally harvested only when it cracks. I was privileged to taste and photograph my first ilama this summer.

There are two kinds of ilama, the white and the pink. This is the pink variety. The skin is about double the thickness of the chirimoya skin, and the seeds are spherical and brown rather than black. Some ilama trees bear no fruit during their season; others bear just a handful of the fruits.

Sr. Juan Cortés, the friend who gave me the ilama, said that the ripe fruit is usually just chilled, broken open, and eaten out of hand. It was delicious, with banana/pineapple flavor notes. Sr. Cortés also mentioned that the ilama isn't grown commercially in Michoacán; in order to eat one, it's necessary to go to the hills of the Tierra Caliente, find a tree, climb it, and cut the fruit yourself. Given that summer temperatures in the Tierra Caliente can reach 115°F, it's highly unlikely that I will be clambering about to harvest an ilama. I was extremely grateful for Sr. Cortés' generous gift.

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In fact, every now and again Mexico Cooks! still learns of a new fruit that grows in this part of the country.

4 de December de 2010
El Mesón del Queso Cotija–Región de Origen: Michoacán Aged Cheese
Queso Cotija Gourmet, produced in the Jalmich region of far-western Michoacán by the Mesón del Queso Cotija, SRL de CV.

If you live in the United States, you have more than likely seen packaged cheese labeled 'queso tipo Cotija' (Cotija-style cheese) in your supermarket. You may actually have purchased queso tipo Cotija to crumble on your frijoles refritos (refried beans) or your enchiladas, but have you ever asked yourself why the cheese is Cotija-style? Have you ever wondered what Cotija might be, and what a genuine Cotija cheese is, given that the product in your supermarket is labeled Cotija style?

The Jalmich region of Michoacán is located in the westernmost part of the state along the border with the state of Jalisco. This small area is the región de origen (region of origin) of genuine queso Cotija. Click on the image for a larger view, including the small map in the bottom right-hand corner. Map courtesy Esteban Barragán López.

For starters, Cotija is the largest town (current population about 20,000) in the Jalmich region of far-western Michoacán, where this delicious cheese originated soon after the Spanish brought cattle to what would become Mexico.

Defining what makes a genuine Cotija cheese is a bit more difficult. For many years, local producers have worked diligently to preserve, protect, and promote this well-known but little understood traditional product of Michoacán. Brands of Cotija cheese that are factory-produced or which are produced outside the narrow parameters of the Jalmich region are those that must be called Cotija-style cheese.

General Lázaro Cárdenas del Río, president of Mexico from 1934-1940, introduced hardy Cebú (Brahma) cattle to Mexico in 1925. He believed that the Cebú was ideal for both the tropical and arid regions of the República. His son, Cuahutémoc Cárdenas Solórzano, continues to raise Cebú cattle in Apatzingán, in Michoacán's Tierra Caliente (hot inland lowlands).

Brahma cattle, now cross-bred with Mexican-born or Swiss cattle, need four years to come to maturity and breed. The cows can produce three to four liters of high-quality milk per day while nursing a calf. Cotija cheese producers milk their cows only in the morning. They make cheese from the rich milk only during the June to November rainy season, when the cattle feed on local grasses.

One artisan-made queso Cotija weighs approximately 20-23 kilos (44-50 pounds).

Production of traditional Cotija cheese is limited specifically to the Jalmich region of western Michoacán. Two hundred producers in that area continue to make Cotija cheese. Ten liters of milk are needed to make one kilo of cheese; each cheese weighs in at 20 kilos or more. One nursing cow can produce enough milk during the rainy season to make a single cheese.

At the cava (aging cellar), each cheese is marked with the date that it was made. The cava is strictly controlled for temperature and the intrusion of bacteria. When Mexico Cooks! visited, the producers required us to walk through a disinfecting shoe bath prior to entering the sealed cava.

Sign posted on the entrance to the cava. No mice allowed!

The distinctive characteristics of genuine Cotija cheese are the following:
- Elaborated uniquely on farms in the mountains of Jalmich, Michoacán
- Made from fresh whole leche bronca (raw milk)
- Milk from free-range cattle
- From cows that are nursing their calves
- Prepared with natural rennet from the stomachs of ruminants
- Prepared with artesanal sea salt from Colima
- Production limited to each year's rainy season (June to November)
- Farm-produced and aged in a cava (aging cellar) under strict sanitary regimentation for a minimum of three months
- 100% natural
Dr. Esteban Barragan López, professor at El Colegio de Michoacán and director of promotion for the Mesón del Queso Cotija, points out certain properties of a queso Cotija.

Every afternoon, local farmers hand wrap milk solids in henequen-fiber cloth. Producers initially squeeze the milk solids by hand to drain off excess whey. The cheese is formed in lightweight parota wood molds; then the makers place heavy stones on the molds to continue pressing the cheese. The whey (liquids that run off as the pressed cheese becomes solid) can be used to make requesón, similar to ricotta or cottage cheese, or it can be fed to the farmer's pigs. Eighteen hours later, the cheese is removed from the mold. Two weeks afterward, the wooden belt around the cheese is removed. The cheese continues to age and can be sliced after about three months.

José Luis Barragán Valencia, director of sales for the Mesón del Queso Cotija, examines a cava shelf filled with aging cheeses. The dated cheeses in the cava range from those that are newly-made to others that are about four years old.

The sign on the cava entrance includes its logo, registered as the Marca Colectiva in 2005.

In 2005, Mexico awarded this traditional local cheese with the first Marca Colectiva (Collective Mark) ever given to a Mexican artisanal food product. This distinction recognized the role of the particular Jalmich region, its cheese producers, and the crucial work of the Mesón del Queso Cotija in preserving traditional cheese production. The designation is similar to that of products like Champagne and Roquefort, which enjoy the coveted PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) status. Much like the Mexican Marca Colectiva, the PDO also refers to specific geographic regions in Europe where certain protected products are produced.

Sr. Barragán Valencia uses a Cryovac machine to package a cut of aged queso Cotija. The labels of all cheese cuts indicate the age of the cheese in the package.

In addition to the sought-after and prestigious Marca Colectiva designation, artisan queso Cotija from the Mesón del Queso Cotija won first prize in 2006 in Italy, in a championship of high-quality cheeses from all over the world.

The Mesón del Queso Cotija also markets pre-crumbled queso Cotija.

Due to current United States Food and Drug Administration restrictions on cheeses made of unpasteurized milk, it is not yet possible to export this artisan-made queso Cotija to the USA. However, the cheese is widely available in Mexico, sold in such diverse locations as the prestigious Palacio de Hierro department stores, Restaurante Nicos and La Nicolasa organic grocery shop in Mexico City, and Soriana supermarkets all over Mexico, among other venues.

Breakfast at the Mesón del Queso Cotija: queso Cotija, of course! In addition, we relished plates of delicious fresh fruit picked on the premises, eggs from the Mesón's chickens, avocados from trees on the property, home-prepared chilaquiles with thick cream and cheese, requesón frito (cottage-type cheese fried with chile, onions, and tomato), and cafe de olla (coffee, flavored with cinnamon and sweetened with piloncillo (Mexican brown sugar).

What hard work it is to be Mexico Cooks!. There is always some fascinating place to visit, and always some wonderful food to experience. Come along! We'd be delighted to show you our insider secrets.

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23 de October de 2010