Category: Recipe

Tostada Nexpa, opening course at the gala comida (main meal of the day) for dignitaries at the VI Encuentro de Cocina Tradicional de Michoacán (Sixth Annual Festival of Traditional Michoacán Cuisine).

Atápakua de verduras (creamy vegetable soup) and a miniature corunda wrapped in a corn leaf, second course at the festive comida.

The VI Encuentro de Cocina Tradicional de Michoacán began on Friday, December 4, with a full day of academic conferences.  During the course of the day, some of Mexico's top gastronomic experts spoke on topics ranging from the need to safeguard and promote Mexico's traditional cuisines to the importance of the teachings of Mexico's grandmothers.  Among the speakers were Dra. Gloria López Morales (Mexico City), Lic. Olivia González (Querétaro), Inga. Magda Choque Vilca (Jujuy, Argentina), and Maestro Julián Estrada (Colombia).

The third course included (center) duck, locally hunted at Lake Pátzcuaro and prepared in salsa de chile guajillo; (left) Uruapan-farmed rainbow trout, covered in coconut and bathed in salsa de aguacate;  and (right) turkey in salsa de manchamanteles (tablecloth-stainer), as served at traditional regional parties held on the day after a wedding.

Dra. Rubí Silva of Restaurante Los Mirasoles and Chef Lucero Soto Arriaga of Restaurante LU–two extraordinary Morelia restaurants serving regional Michoacán alta cocina mexicana (Mexican haute cuisine)–prepared an extraordinary menú de degustación (tasting menu) for participants' midday comida.

Uchepo de leche de elote tierno (sweet corn tamal with locally-grown and prepared mermelada de zarzamora (blackberry marmalade)–just one of the banquet's desserts.

Mexico Cooks!, once again in eager attendance at the annual
all-Michoacán traditional food festival, was honored and humbled to be
invited to participate as a judge for the 2009 culinary competitions.  The competition cooking began early on Saturday morning, with judging for all categories starting at about noon.  Assigned to judge traditional breads as well as candies and preserved fruits, Mexico Cooks! was glad to accompany a team of Mexico's finest chefs and food experts in making the rounds of the contestants in these categories.

Such a sacrifice in the name of research! This pyramid of preserved figs was one of the visual highlights of the sweets judging.

We judges were instructed to concentrate on the following categories for sweets:

• tradition
• use of basic ingredients from the region
• techniques of preparation
• techniques of preservation
• presentation
• flavors
• the cook's innovations or personal touches

Tejocotes en almibar (tiny crab apple-type fruit preserved in syrup) looked so beautiful in their cazuela de barro (clay cooking vessel).  Tejocotes are in season in the winter.  They're traditionally preserved in syrup or used as one of the many fruits in ponche navideño (Christmas punch).

Patricia de los Santos de la Cruz from Michoacán's westernmost coastal city, Lázaro Cárdenas, won the prize for the best sweet for her atole de plátano (thick drink made of ripe plantains).  Made with coconut milk and very ripe plantains, this traditional atole, which contains no sugar or preservatives, could be either drunk from a cup or eaten with a spoon for dessert.  We judges were delighted with its delicious flavor and smooth consistency. 

For judging the bread category, we used the following criteria:

• tradition
• techniques of preparation
• texture
• flavor
• the cook's innovations or personal touches

A close contender for top honors in the bread category, these traditional quesadillas de miel de piloncillo (pastry with brown sugar syrup) are made by Sra. María Dolores Ocampo in Santa Ana Maya, Michoacán.  She's the third generation of her family who bakes these crisp-crusted sweets, preparing them every other day.  She told us that if we wanted to take some home, she would package them for us with the syrup in a separate bag so they wouldn't get soggy.

Beautiful folded pan dulce sprinkled with sugar made a marvelous visual impression but left something to be desired in its taste and texture.

Sr. Juvenal Acuña Baltierra brought a number of breads to the festival from his Chilchota bakery, Panadería La Favorita.  We judges tasted a bit of each variety, but the minute we tried his pan de anís (anise bread, pictured at right in the photo) we knew what the bread category winner would be.  Richly flavored with anise, sweet with piloncillo and with a texture both dense and chewy–but not heavy–this entry jumped out at all of us.  It scored a big TEN (the best) in every judging class.  

The other judging categories included moles, atápakuas, and corundas.  We 26 judges managed to pick winners in every category, but it was a difficult job.  The traditional cooks and bakers of Michoacán are marvelously talented and richly deserve the preservation efforts being extended to their art.  One of the conference speakers, Maestra Jiapsy Arias, said it best: "La cocina se debe de preservar igual que cualquier pirámide."  ('The kitchen must be preserved, just like any pyramid.')

We look forward to having you with us next December in Morelia for the seventh annual conference!

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Some of the many varieties of beans for sale at the daily indigenous market in
San Cristóbal de las Casas, Chiapas.  The metal cup measures one kilo.

The Spanish word frijol is a bastardization of ancient Spanish frisol, which itself is a rendering of the Catalán word fesol–which comes from the Latin scientific name–are you still with me?–phaseolus vulgaris.  Is that more than you wanted to know about bean nomenclature? 

Here's yet another little bit of Mexican bean esoterica: in Mexico, when you go to the store or the tianguis (street market) to buy beans, you are buying frijol.  When you prepare the frijol at home, the cooked beans become frijoles.  That's right: raw dried beans in any quantity: frijol.  Cooked beans, frijoles.  If you ask a tianguis vendor for a kilo of frijoles, he could rightfully send you to a restaurant to make your purchase.

The simple utensils you need to cook dried beans: an olla de barro (clay pot) and a strainer.  These pale yellow, long-oval beans are frijol peruano (Peruvian beans, or phaseolus vulgaris), the most commonly used bean in the Central Highlands of Mexico.

Mexico Cooks! loves beans.  In our kitchen, we prepare about a pound of dried beans at a time.  After cooking, this is enough frijoles de la olla
(cooked-in-the-pot beans) to serve, freshly cooked, for a meal or
two.  We freeze the rest of the cooked beans in five or six two-portion size
plastic sandwich bags.  Cooked beans and their pot liquor freeze very well.

I found this little batch of rocks, discolored or very wrinkled beans, and other garbage in the half-kilo of frijol that I cooked yesterday. 

Beans are very easy to cook.  First, pick carefully through your beans.  Even if you buy bulk beans or commercially packaged dry beans at a
modern supermarket, be certain to pick through them and discard any
beans that look badly broken, discolored, or wizened, as well as any
small rocks.  You may also find pieces of straw, pieces of paper, and
other detritus in any purchase of beans.  Put the cleaned beans in a strainer and wash well under running water. 

To soak, or not to soak?  Some folks recommend soaking beans for up to 24 hours to shorten their cooking time, but Mexico Cooks! has tried both soaking and not soaking and has noticed that the cooking time is about the same either way.  We never soak.  You try it both ways, too, and report back with your findings.

Epazote (wormweed) growing in a maceta (flower pot) on our terrace.  Just before turning on the fire to cook the beans, Mexico Cooks! adds two sprigs of epazote, just about this size, to the pot of beans and water.  The strong, resinous odor of the herb absorbs almost entirely into the beans, giving them a mild flavor punch and, some say, diminishing flatulence.  

My olla de barrlo (clay bean pot) holds about a half kilo of frijol plus enough water to cook them.  You can see the light glinting
off the water line, just below the top part of the handle.  If you
don't have an olla de barro, a heavy metal soup pot will do almost as well.  The clay does impart a subtle, earthy flavor to beans as they cook.

Over a high flame, bring the pot of beans to a full, rolling boil.  Turn the flame to a medium simmer and cover the pot.  Allow the beans to cook for about an hour.  At the end of an hour, check the water level.  If you need to add more water, be sure that it is boiling before you pour it into the bean pot; adding cold water lowers the cooking temperature and can cause the beans to toughen.  Continue to cook the beans at a medium simmer until, when you bite into one, it is soft and creamy.  The pot liquor will thicken  slightly. 

Now's the time to salt your beans–after cooking, not before and not during.  We use Espuma del Mar (Mexican sea salt from the state of Colima) for its wonderful sweetly salty flavor, but any salt will do.  Add a little less salt than you think is correct–you can always add more later, and you don't want to oversalt your beans.

If you live in the United States or Canada, you'll want to order the fabulous heritage dried beans sold by Rancho Gordo.  Rancho Gordo's owner, my friend Steve Sando, has nearly single-handedly brought delicious old-style beans to new popularity in home and restaurant kitchens.  If you've tasted ordinary beans and said, "So what?", try Rancho Gordo beans for a huge WOW! of an eye opener.

Mexico Cooks! likes frijoles de la olla (freshly cooked beans, straight from the pot) with a big spoonful of salsa fresca (chopped tomato, minced onion, minced chile serrano, salt, and roughly chopped cilantro).  Sometimes we steam white rice, fill a bowl with it, add frijoles de la olla and salsa fresca, and call it comida (main meal of the day).  

Chiles serranos and manteca (lard)for frijoles refritos estilo Mexico Cooks!.

For breakfast, Mexico Cooks! prepares frijoles refritos (refried beans).  Served with scrambled eggs, some sliced avocado, and a stack of hot tortillas, they're a great way to start the morning. 

Here's some more bean trivia: frijoles refritos doesn't really mean 'refried' beans.  Mexican Spanish often uses the prefix 're-' to describe something exceptional.  'Rebueno' means 'really, really good'.  'Refrito' means–you guessed it–well-fried.

Melt about a tablespoon of manteca (lard) in an 8" frying pan.  Split the chiles from the tip almost to the stem end.  Fry the chiles until they are blistered and dark brown, almost blackened.  To prevent a million splatters, allow to cool a bit before you add the beans to the pan.

Frijoles Refritos Estilo Mexico Cooks! (Refried Beans, Mexico Cooks! Style)
Serves six as a side dish

3 cups
recently-cooked frijoles peruanos
1 or 2 chiles serrano, depending on your heat tolerance
1 or 2 Tbsp lard or vegetable oil—preferably lard and definitely NOT olive oil
Bean cooking liquid
Sea salt to taste

Melt the
lard in an 8-inch skillet.  Split the
chile(s) from the tip almost to the stem end and add to the melted lard.  Sauté over a medium flame until the chile is
dark brown, almost black. 

Lower the
flame and add the beans and a little bean liquid.  When the beans begin to simmer, mash them and
the chile with a potato or bean masher until they are smooth.  Add more liquid if necessary to give the
beans the consistency you prefer.  Add
sea salt to taste and stir well.

Leave the melted lard and the chiles in the frying pan and add the beans and some pot liquor.  Bring to a simmer over low heat.  When the beans are hot, start mashing them with a potato or bean masher.  Mash the chiles, too.

These beans are about half mashed.

Mexico Cooks! prefers that frijoles refritos have a little texture.  These are just right for us, but you might prefer yours perfectly smooth.  If you like them smoother, keep mashing!  Either way, the beans should be thickly liquid.  If the consistency is too thick, add more pot liquor.  If the beans are too thin, add a few more whole beans to mash.

For a wonderful breakfast or supper treat, try making molletes estilo Mexico Cooks!.  This is real Mexican home cooking; Mexico Cooks! has never seen this style molletes served in a restaurant.  A wonderful Michoacán cook taught me how to prepare this easy meal.

Start with fresh pan bolillo (individual-size loaf of dense white bread), split in half lengthwise.  Butter the cut bolillo halves and grill them on a comal (griddle) or hot skillet till they're golden brown.  If you aren't able to buy bolillos where you live, use a dense French-style bread instead.

Spread each half bolillo with a thick coat–two tablespoons or more–of frijoles refritos. 

Top the beans with a freshly fried egg and your favorite bottled or home-made salsa. 

Breakfast, estilo Mexico Cooks!, will keep you going strong till time for comida.  You're going to love these beans!

¡Provecho!

Note: Be sure to visit Patricia Jinich at Pati's Table this week for a great post about Mexico Cooks! and these very same frijolitos refritos!

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The covered dining terraza at Los Comensales borders the restaurant's central garden, beautifully in bloom in rain or sunshine.  Indoor dining is also available.

When Mexico Cooks! is looking for a traditional old-style Morelia comida corrida (soup-to-nuts main meal of the day, usually inexpensive), we often head to Restaurante Los Comensales, on Calle Zaragoza in the Centro Histórico.  A Morelia tradition since 1980, Los Comensales (the name means 'the diners') satisfies its clients' hunger very well, and in a genteel, old-fashioned way.

A small plate of verduras en escabeche (pickled vegetables) is the first dish to arrive at our table.  This little plate holds carrots, cauliflower, green beans, chayote, and onions–along with a bay leaf or two and a sprig of oregano.

The lovely terraza and dining rooms at Los Comensales are filled with memories of days gone by.  Photographs of the founders–Señora Aguirre has survived her husband by many years–are scattered on the walls.  He was a bullfight aficionado; she was a great home cook, specializing in the broad gamut of Michoacán comida casera (home cooking).  In 19th and 20th Century Mexico, French and Spanish cuisine were the sought-after flavors when Mexicans dined out in style.  Mexican cooking was considered second-class at best.  Nevertheless, Sra. Aguirre and her husband decided to feature typical Michoacán cuisine when they opened Los Comensales in their own home in early 1980. 

You'll have a choice between at least two soups-of-the-day.  The last time Mexico Cooks! enjoyed comida at Los Comensales, the choices were between caldo tlalpeño made with a touch of chile chipotle (pictured above) and crema de zanahoria (cream of carrot).   We've also loved the delicious leek, mushroom, and potato soup and the simple consomé de pollo (chicken consomme).

Los Comensales was the first private home in Morelia to be converted
into a restaurant.  It immediately became a great success.  In 1989, the
pair opened a second downtown Morelia restaurant.  Las Viandas de San
José (The Foods of Saint Joseph), located directly in front of
Morelia's Templo San José, was in the same style as Los Comensales: the
rich and varied cuisine of the couple's beloved home state, Michoacán.

This tortita de calabacita was a tremendous hit, fresh and delicious in its pool of caldillo (thin tomato sauce).  We chose it from the sopas section of the comida corrida menu.  Other choices were spaghetti in cream sauce or standard Mexican red rice with diced vegetables.

Mexican sopas are divided into two classes: sopa aguada (wet soup) and sopa seca (dry soup). 

Sopa aguada is divided into two further categories: caldos and cremas.  Caldos are clear broths, usually with other ingredients like vegetables and meat.  Cremas are cream soups; the different possibilities are endless.

Sopa seca includes dishes such as pastas, rice, and vegetable tortitas–like the tortitas de calabacita shown above.  These are easy to prepare and absolutely delicious.

Tortitas de Calabacita (Little Zucchini Fritters)
Ingredients
6 small calabacitas (or zucchini), no more than 3" long
6 1/4" thick slices mild white cheese (queso fresco, if possible)
2 eggs, separated
Salt
Flour
Vegetable oil for frying

Slice the calabacitas in half, lengthwise.  Place one slice of cheese between the slices of each calabacita.  Hold the slices of calabacita and cheese together with toothpicks.  Dredge each calabacita with salted flour.

Beat the egg whites until stiff.  Beat the egg yolks until thick and pale lemon in color.  Gently fold the yolks into the whites.

Heat oil in a frying pan until hot but not smoking.

Coat the floured calabacitas in the egg batter and fry until golden brown.  Serve bathed with caldillo.

Caldillo (thin tomato sauce)
4 or 5 red-ripe Roma tomatoes
1/2 small white onion
Chicken broth
Oregano
Sea salt to taste

Bring a small pot of water to a full rolling boil.  Add the tomatoes and boil till the skins split–just a couple of minutes.  Remove tomato peels.

Place the peeled tomatoes and the onion in a blender.  Add a very small amount of chicken broth and blend until smooth.

In a frying pan, fry the sauce for about five minutes.  Add chicken broth until you have a very thin sauce.  Add a sprig of fresh oregano and salt to taste.  Cook for another five minutes and remove the oregano.  Serves 6 as a side dish.

Carne de res en salsa chipotle (beef in a smoky chile sauce) was Mexico Cooks!' main dish.  Others at our table ordered milanesa de pollo (thinly sliced, lightly breaded chicken breast).

Los Comensales also has an a la carte menu, but it hasn't really tempted us.  The daily comida corrida offers such a big variety of dishes that we've always chosen our meal from that menu.

Our dessert, Flan napolitano (Naples-style custard with caramel), is firmer than its ordinary cousin.  Flan napolitano is made with cream cheese, in addition to the usual milk and eggs.

The last time Mexico Cooks! dined at Los Comensales, our comida corrida was exactly what's pictured here.  The total cost for the three of us was $300 pesos; each comida corrida was $60 pesos, plus the addition of our order of a large jarra (pitcher) of naranjada (orangeade, made with freshly squeezed orange juice and sparkling water)–and the tip is included in the cost.

Señora Catalina Aguirre Camacho, the owner of Los Comensales since 1980.

Los Comensales is open for desayuno (breakfast) and comida every day except Wednesday.  If you're visiting Morelia, be sure to stop in for a lovely treat.  You'll feel as if you're part of Morelia's culinary history.

Restaurante Los Comensales
Calle Ignacio Zaragoza #148
Centro Histórico
Morelia, Michoacán, México

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Morelia's Mercado de Dulces y Artesanías Valentín Gómez Farías (Candy and Artisans' Market), at the corner of Av. Madero and Calle Rayón, recently celebrated the  41st anniversary of its founding.

Imagine a market packed with nearly 170 booths filled with candy, hand-made toys, and cheerful vendors.  Sound like a child's paradise?  It certainly is, and an adults' paradise as well.  Mexican candy comes in varieties worth drooling over: whole candied fruits, lollipops big enough for two or three days, tiny clay pots and baskets filled with goodies, haystacks of toasted coconut, and hundreds of other treats.  There's nothing else quite like the candy made here.

Dulce de leche, also known as jamoncillo, is similar to penuche–vanilla fudge.  In Mexico, this candy may be flavored with vanilla, cinnamon, or guava.

Tarugos are made of tamarind paste (with the fiber removed) and are prepared either with sugar (left center) or with chile (right center).  The word tarugo means a hunk–as in a hunk of bread, or candy–but it also means blockhead, or stupid, or oaf.  Ay tarugo, se te cayó tu tarugo!  (Oh you oaf, you dropped your tarugo!)

Frutas cubiertas (crystallized fruits).  Clockwise from four o'clock: cactus, sweet potato, whole figs, sliced pineapple, and squash.  To prepare these fruits, you peel them, seed them, and then boil them for three to five minutes in a syrup of piloncillo (brown sugar), water, and a few drops of jugo de limón (lemon juice).  Remove the fruits and allow them to dry.  Once the fruits are thoroughly dry, boil them one by one in the same syrup, until they are crystallized.  The preparation process is, as you can imagine, extremely time-consuming.

Ates en cubitos (fruit pastes, in this case formed as small cubes).  Ates originated in Morelia.  They're made from membrillo, guayaba, perón, (quince, guava, and pear apple) as well as other fruits, including mango and durazno (peach).  The fruits are cooked slowly, with plenty of sugar, until the mixture is stiff and can be formed in a mold.

A basket filled with glorias–cajeta (goat or cow's milk cooked with sugar until richly brown and thick), mixed with pecans and individually wrapped.

Fruit liqueurs, rompope (bottled eggnog), chongos zamoranos (a milk and honey-based dessert), and powerful charanda–Michoacán's traditional sugarcane alcohol.

Ollitas de barro (tiny clay pots), each stuffed with sweet tamarind paste mixed with sugar, salt, and chile.  One little plastic spoonful and you'll crave more of this sweet, savory, spicy mixture.

The mercado de dulces also sells traditional crafts and clothing.  Yunuén Danae Ortiz Medina, seven years old and adorable, tried on several dresses suitable for Mexico's Independence Day holiday.  She liked a similar white one better than this black one. "And of course I won't have this shirt on underneath when I wear it!"

Home-made muéganos (half-inch balls of fried masa (dough), candied in piloncillo [brown sugar] syrup).  The masa is the same as that prepared for buñuelos, but rolled into balls rather than extended into a flat sheet.

Cocadas (toasted coconut candy) look just like haystacks–two inches high!  Cocadas originated in Mexico's coastal states.  Prepare them with toasted coconut, condensed milk, and egg, then bake.  Better yet, buy them ready to eat at the mercado de dulces.

A little bit of every kind of sweet packs this booth.  Paletones (all-day suckers), alfajores (cocadas made of ground white coconut, the tops colored pink), cajeta (caramel candy), borrachitos (similar to gumdrop rolls filled with milk and alcohol), rollos de guayaba (rolls of guava paste, often filled with cajeta), and a dozen other kinds of candies.

Exotic dolls, each about two feet tall and made of painted and bejeweled cardboard, occupy one corner of a candy stand.

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You'll find the Hotel Best Western Turotel Casino at Portal Hidalgo #35 on Avenida Madero in Morelia.  The hotel is in the very heart of Morelia's Centro Histórico, just across the street from the Cathedral, Plaza Melchor Ocampo, and the Plaza de Armas.  Restaurante LU is on the ground floor of the hotel, with seating indoors as well as outside under the portales (arches).

A few weeks ago Mexico Cooks! received an email from colleague and friend Lucero Soto Arriaga, executive chef at Restaurante LU.  "Can you come for comida (Mexico's main meal of the day) at the restaurant on Friday ?  I have a big surprise for you!"  Could we resist a visit with Lucero, a surprise, or a meal at LU?  Of course not!

Mexico Cooks! has dined at the Hotel Casino over the course of many years.  The food was always just adequate, and the service was always friendly but lackadaisical.  About two years ago, I noticed a radical change in both the menu and in the quality of what was on my plate.  I was puzzled.  The Hotel Casino restaurant was one of those places where Mexico Cooks! took visiting firemen who wanted to have something to eat while they enjoyed views of Morelia's enchanting Cathedral and main plazas, but I would never have said the restaurant had much of a special touch.  Something had definitely changed and Mexico Cooks! wanted to know why.

Lucero Soto Arriaga, the extraordinarily talented young executive chef at Restaurante LU.

The answer turned out to be executive chef Lucero Soto Arriaga's passionate commitment to the traditional regional food of Michoacán and to its essence as well as its evolution.  She started her executive chef's career at the hotel in 2004.  After three years settling into the job and letting the employees become accustomed to her style of working, Lucero was ready to make big changes in the operation of the restaurant.  Her work in the restaurant is a treasured legacy from the former mayora (older woman who holds a kitchen's secrets) at the hotel and from her two childhood nanas (cherished nannies), both of whom were excellent cooks.  "But I didn't inherit my passion for the kitchen from my mother," Lucero said with a rueful smile.  "When she tries to cook, my mother burns water!"

Guinea pigs!  Which of the two is Mexico Cooks!?

The big surprise for our Friday comida was a new menu that Restaurante LU will offer in honor of Mexico's bicentennial year, just over the horizon in 2010.  Mexico Cooks! was happily a conejo de la india (guinea pig) for the menú bicentenario.  Chef Lucero asked for our feedback about the extensive new tasting menu, a series of dishes in small portions which she created for Mexico's 200th birthday celebration.

Chef Lucero has developed a new take on the margarita.  Our coctel de bienvenida (welcome cocktail) is a delicious mix of tamarindo (tamarind paste)and charanda (high-proof sugar cane alcohol similar to rum, a specialty of Michoacán).  A mixture of fine salt and spicy ground chile del árbol rims the glass.

Lucero calls our botana (appetizer) Salmón a Mi Estilo (Salmon My Way).  The smoked salmon carpaccio has an incredible list of ingredients: smoked salmon, of course, plus avocado, chile negro, a squeeze of limón, a sweet and sour marinade, and a touch of chocolate.  The golden 'lid' is a chicharrón de queso cotija, which adds both crunch and a savory finish to the appetizer.

Traditional tamalitos de harina (small wheat flour tamales) from the region around Lake Pátzcuaro, served in place of bread, arrived with butter, smoky, deep-flavored salsa, and limón.  Cooked al vapor (steamed), these tamalitos are reminiscent of Chinese steamed bread in both texture and flavor.

Next up were foods representing the three pre-Hispanic cooking methods: hervido (boiled), al vapor (steamed), and atápakua (stewed), plus a tiny brazier filled with salsa tzirita.

In the centuries prior to the arrival of the Spanish, the land that would eventually become Mexico counted on three basic methods of cooking: boiling, steaming, and stewing.  Corn was the staple ingredient, the source of all life, and had been cultivated in the new world for well over 4,000 years prior to the Spanish conquest.

In addition to corn, the Spanish discovered that indigenous peoples of New Spain ate a widely varied diet: beans, squash, wild vegetables including cactus, quelites and hongos (mushrooms), tomatoes, various seeds, nuts, and chiles, along with hunted or captured animals, birds, fish and amphibians, and insects. 

Chef Lucero planned the menú bicentenario to reflect cooking
styles and ingredients that have evolved in the New World over the
course of time, starting with the pre-Hispanic kitchen.  Pictured in the photo above, starting at four o'clock are: tacos of atápakua made with squash flowers, peanuts, and honey; a miniature corunda (typical regional tamal from Michoacán); rescoldo de hongos (mushrooms wrapped in a corn husk and cooked in the embers of the brazier) at eleven o'clock); and in the center, a tiny olla (clay pot) filled with churipo, a meat, chile, and vegetable soup native to Michoacán.  On the side of the plate is a miniature brazier filled with salsa tzirita, made with roasted chile seeds, tomate verde (tomatillos), and a hint of mint.

The Spanish colonial era brought us, clockwise from four o'clock, tostadas de patita (pigs feet tostada), pollo en cuñete (chicken cooked in a covered clay pot), and salmón en escabeche dulce (salmon in sweet and sour pickling sauce), served on a tiny tostada topped with a dehydrated orange slice and shredded locally-grown chile chilaca.

Chile güero en nogada (stuffed 'blond' chile in nut sauce) and enchiladas placeras morelianas (plaza-style enchiladas from Morelia) flank dried nopal cactus strips–with the eagle perched on top.  The dish symbolizes Mexico's green, white, and red flag, proudly flown since independence in 1821.

The era of Mexico's fight for independence (1810-1820) brought the creation of dishes designed to show off not only the intense flavor combinations of indigenous and Spanish cuisines, but also highlighted the green, white, and red of the Mexican flag.  The meal most associated with the weeks closest to Independence Day (September 16) is chiles en nogada (stuffed chiles poblanos in creamy walnut sauce, left side of the plate).  Chef Lucero prepared this traditional dish using the small chile güero (blond chile) rather than the much larger chile poblano.  The list of ingredients for the chile's filling is long and complicated: chopped beef, quince, pear, Asian pear, apple, peach, sugared, dried pineapple, sugared, dried cactus, plums, raisins, almonds, and macadamia nuts, plus spices and herbs.  The roasted and stuffed chile is surrounded by its traditional walnut sauce (made from in-season fresh walnuts) and pomegranate seeds.

On the right side of the same plate is a small serving of enchiladas placeras estilo moreliano (plaza-style enchiladas as prepared in Morelia).  The three enchiladitas (little enchiladas) are no more than three inches long.  Dipped in sauce and rolled, they're topped with carrots, potatoes, a sprinkle of finely grated cheese, and a wee wheel of chile jalapeño en escabeche (pickled chile jalapeño).

Chef Lucero's sense of humor is apparent in the center of the plate: shreds of dehydrated nopal cactus, topped with a mix of chile with minced caramelized pepitas (pumpkin seeds).  "It symbolizes the eagle on the nopal–the shield on the Mexican flag," she explained with a grin.  We weren't quite convinced about the effect of the symbolism, but we loved the mix of flavors. 

Restaurante LU served this traditional but very updated dessert: ate de guayaba con queso (guava paste with cheese).  Its tremendously delicious combination of flavors was the perfect end to our comida.

When we were almost-but-not-quite stuffed, our waiter presented the special dessert del tiempo actual (today's era) for the menú bicenentario.  Lucero's dessert recipe for the classic combination of ate de guayaba (guava paste) with cheese is based on traditional flavors and textures, but lifted to a level only possible given today's high-tech kitchens.  Mexico Cooks! wouldn't dream of giving away the multiple delicious surprises literally at every level of this concoction, but will say only: don't miss it.  At once sweet and savory, it's a standout.

We Mexico Cooks! guinea pigs were completely enthralled with the new menú bicentenario at Restaurante LU.  As we talked about culinary philosophy and related ideas after our meal, Chef Lucero was adamant that the first ingredient in her gastronomic repertoire is respect: respect for the essence and tradition of the foods she prepares, respect for the knowledge and experience of those who have come before her, and respect for the ingredients that she uses to create meals that are at once firmly based in regional products and completely cocina del autor–her own creations.  There isn't another restaurant in Morelia where we've found a more exacting, exciting, and innovative kitchen.  Pair those attributes with Chef Lucero's devotion to local and regional cuisine and you'll call Restaurante LU what Mexico Cooks! calls it: very simply, the best restaurant in the city.

Felices Fiestas Patrias 2009!  Qué viva México!

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The wild Amanita caesarea and amanita jacksonii are two edible varieties of the common amanita fungus.  Watch out for the amanita phalloides, though: it's known as the death cap and is definitely inedible.

This time last year, Mexico Cooks! attended the annual Feria del Hongo (Mushroom Fair) in Senguio, Michoacán.  The fair was wonderful, a tremendous lesson in the wild and cultivated edible and medicinal mushrooms of Michoacán.  Since then (and to my great surprise), the article about the mushroom fair has appeared as a link on several mushroom and mycology websites.

Wild amanitas, sliced and ready to cook.  If you can't find amanitas where you live, try these dishes with farmed portabellos, another meaty and flavorful mushroom.

Due to a conflict on our calendar, Mexico Cooks! isn't able to attend the August 21-23 Feria del Hongo this year.  In honor of the mushroom fair, we'd like to present some photographs and recipes by Fulvio Castillo, a biologist who is also a mycologist, photographer, and extraordinary cook.

Frying amanitas in canola oil.

Chiles serrano, nuez (pecans), and nuez de la India (cashews).  Toasting the nuts and chiles intensifies their flavors.

Add the toasted nuts and cream to the frying mushrooms, along with a big pinch of marjoram.  Then grind the toasted chiles, avocado, onions, some cilantro, and a bit of salt in a molcajete (volcanic stone mortar and pestle) to make a simple salsa de aguacate (avocado salsa).

Green, yellow, and red sweet peppers, sliced into the sauté pan for yet another guisado (prepared dish) of amanitas.

Voilá!  A deliciously healthy comida (main meal of the day).

Roasted peanuts and dried, toasted red chile yahualica, crushed together in the molcajete.  The end product will be salsa de cacahuate (peanut sauce), a traditional indigenous accompaniment to main dishes.

Continue to crush the peanuts with a little salt and the chiles until very fine-textured.  The stone pestle (upper lefthand corner of the photo) is called the tejolote.  Little by little, add water and continue to grind until the salsa is smooth and of the consistency you like.

Ready to devour: mushrooms, vegetables, and two kinds of salsas: avocado and peanut/chile.  Clockwise from five o'clock: salsa de cacahuate, mushrooms with zucchini, mushrooms with cream, mushroom stems, and mushrooms with mixed sweet peppers.

Thank you, amigo Fulvio Castillo, for permission to use your fine photographs and marvelous recipes.  If you'd care to see more of his wonderful photos,
check this site.  During the coming week, Mexico Cooks! will be buying all the ingredients for at least one of these dishes–plus peanuts and chiles to prepare the salsa de cacahuate.  Se nos hace agua la boca–it makes our mouths water!

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Templo del Santo Niño (Church of the Holy Child) is the spiritual heart of this neighborhood that is part of Morelia's Centro Histórico (historic center).

The pila del Santo Niño (fountain of the Holy Child), was built in front of the church as the water supply for the neighborhood.

The Santo Niño plaque, embedded in the wall at the side of the church.  The church was built because the plaque was found on the site.

The Mercado Nicolás Bravo is the commercial heart of the neighborhood.  Because of its proximity to the church, the mercado is more popularly known as the Mercado del Santo Niño.  The market has been a presence in Morelia for more than 34 years.  Some of the big differences between this market and others are its exemplary cleanliness, wide aisles, and the medical and dental offices upstairs.

Cocina Económica de Doña Felícitas (Doña Felícitas' Affordable Foods) is space number 127, upstairs in the Mercado Santo Niño.

Our dear friend Rosa invited us to lunch at her favorite fonda (small eating place) in the market.  Fonda food is usually just a half-step up from eating in Mom's kitchen, but once in a while we discover a treasure.  Don Joel Cuamba García and his wife, Doña Felícitas Díaz y Díaz, owners of the Cocina Económica de Doña Felícitas, are just as filled with the joy of life as their picture shows them.  Doña Feli's wonderful laugh boomed out across the fonda as Don Joel regaled us with old family stories.

Doña Feli's guisados (similar to stews) wait for customers.  Clockwise from seven o'clock: caldo de pollo (chicken soup), frijolitos (beans), carne de res en chile negro (beef in black chile), and sopa de albóndigas (meatball soup).  The small blue pot in the middle is hot water.  Don Joel mentioned that his wife never uses lard in her cooking; it's always done with vegetable oil.

Doña Feli's delicious, freshly prepared caldo de pollo contains a whole chicken thigh, a piece of corn on the cob, carrots, chayote, tomato, rice, and garbanzos.  All of Doña Feli's tortillas are hand-made as you eat.

Doña Feli started learning to cook from her mother.  She'd never worked outside her home until so many people begged her to open a restaurant that she finally agreed.  Don Joel said, "All our married life her wonderful food has just been for the family and our guests.  Now it's for everyone!" 

She prepares just enough of her marvelous guisados to serve during any given day.  Nothing other than the pot of beans is held over to be served the next day.  And, as Don Joel said, "Beans only get better after a day or two."

In the kitchen: Mirna (left, 18) and Marisol (right, 19), Don Joel and Doña Feli's smart, attentive, and beautiful daughters.

The fonda is open daily from 7:00AM until 5:00PM.  Don Joel said, "We four–my wife, myself, and our daughters–work as a team to make this business go.  Each of us has a role to play.  Our daughters serve the tables, I keep the customers happy with my chatter, and my wife–well, without her cooking we'd have to close up!  She's the heart of it all, she has the sazón (personal flavor, every fine cook's special touch) that keeps you coming back for more."

Open for just a year and a half, the fonda has plenty of regular customers.  For 45 pesos (less than $3.50USD), the little restaurant fills your plate and makes sure you go away satisfied.  Even more than filling your plate, the owners fill your heart.  Don Joel assured us that even though we were paying customers, we were also members of the family.  This was no empty promise; we felt more than welcomed and left knowing we'd be back soon for another serving of comida (the main meal of the day) and affectionate conversation.

Carne de res en chile negro (beef in black sauce), frijolitos, and arroz blanco (white rice) were absolutely delicious.

Doña Feli gave us a quick recipe for her rightly famous salsa de chile negro.  "You have to be very careful, because it's easy for the sauce to come out really bitter.  First you clean the chiles (in this case, chile chilaca) by wiping them with a towel.  You don't roast or peel them.  Cut them up and sauté them in a little oil, along with garlic, cloves, three or four peppercorns, and a large cut-up green pepper.  Last, add some toasted sesame seeds.  Then roast three ripe red tomatoes, add them to the pot, and sauté a while longer.  Add three more fresh tomatoes that you haven't roasted.  When it looks right, put it all in your licuadora (blender) till it's smooth.  Add salt to your taste.  That's all there is to it."

Downstairs in the market, vendors are currently selling seasonal huitlacoche (corn fungus).

The bright orange oreja de puerco (pig ear) wild mushroom is also in season.

A lácteos (milk products) vendor offered rich jocoque(a fermented semi-acid cream) from this olla de barro (clay pot).

Several of the booths at the Mercado Santo Niño sell a little bit of lots of items–this vendor offers red or white eggs, at least three kinds of dried, beans, rice, milk, oil, laundry soap, baby formula, two or three kinds of pot scrubbers, dried chiles, and a hundred other things.

If You Go:
Mercado Nicolás Bravo (del Santo Niño)
Calle Nicolás Bravo between Calle Corregidora and Calle Guerrero
Morelia, Michoacán

Breaking News!
David Leite, one of the best food writers around, has published a brand new book: The New Portuguese Table (Clarkson Potter).  Beautifully written, filled with glorious photographs and fascinating stories, the book belongs on your cookbook shelf.  Better, yet, the book–well used, smeared and spattered from your Portuguese culinary adventures–belongs on your kitchen counter!  Click on the book cover (left-hand sidebar) and order a copy today.  Like me, you'll be thrilled with The New Portuguese Table. 

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