Category: Restaurants

The block-long portion of Calle Moctezuma in Colonia Guerrero where the restaurant sits is just off Av. Reforma.  It's right there in plain sight, but where?  Mexico Cooks!' taxi driver missed it twice before he pulled up in front, and even then he couldn't believe we were anyplace we really wanted to be. There's no sign and no indication that the restaurant is anywhere on the block.  Other restaurants, yes–but not the one you are looking for!  The word 'pozole' next to the buzzer at Number 12 is your only clue that you are indeed in the right place.

Do the clandestine days of Prohibition appeal to you–those long-ago days when, if you wanted a snootful of booze runner's gin, you had to know somebody who knew somebody who knew where the gin joint was?  "Joe sent me," was the joke of the era–knock three times, the little window in the door slid open, and if you were in the right place, knew the right people, and had the right look, you got in for a drink or two or three.

Something of those days continues to exist in Mexico City: not a gin joint, but a 65-year-old hidden and semi-secret restaurant very near the Centro Histórico.  One of your capitalino friends will have been there; finding the address is still by word of mouth.  Once you're pretty sure you're in the right place, buzz the doorbell marked 'pozole', and the door creaks open.  Aha!  Pozole estilo Guerrero–state of Guerrero style pozole–will soon be your comida (main meal of the day).

All of the best pozole starts with cabeza de puerco (a pig's head).  Nothing else gives pozole its rich flavor and consistency.

If you've been following Mexico Cooks! for quite a while, you'll probably remember our 2008 article about Doña María Medina's pozole estilo Jalisco.  Jalisco-style pozole is almost always red, colored and flavored by chile guajillo and usually prepared with dried red corn. Until a few weeks ago, Jalisco-style pozole was the only kind Mexico Cooks! had eaten.  Not any more!  We have now partaken of other pozole pleasures.

The caldo (soupy part) of Guerrero-style pozole is green, more often than not, and prepared in part with pepitas (squash seeds).  The dried, nixtamalize-d (soaked with builder's lime and water) corn is white, not red.  The flavor is much milder than that of Jalisco-style pozole, and the accompaniments are decidedly different.

Our group of comensales (diners)–in this instance, happy fellow pozole-slurpers and good friends.  From left in the photo: Judith McKnight, photographers Sergio Mendoza Alarcón and Bertha Herrera, journalist Rubén Hernández, and journalist Nadia Luna.  The empty chair is mine, and we were later joined by the delightful gastronomer Silvia Kurczyn. 

If you are interested in preparing a delicious meal for your friends and family–especially good on a cool fall day, a chilly winter day, or on one of Mexico City's cool, rainy summer afternoons–pozole estilo Guerrero is just the ticket.  There are many recipes available on the Internet, both in Spanish and English–not necessarily the exact family recipe used at Pozole Moctezuma, but delicious nonetheless.

Our group indulged in several appetizers: an entire plateful of very fine rolled tacos de chorizo (chorizo is a spicy pork sausage, in this case house-made) and laden with finely chopped onion and fresh cilantro–plus a squeeze of fresh limón), disappeared before I could snap its picture.  I pulled the second appetizer plate over to me as soon as it arrived at table; this plate is filled with tostadas de frijoles refritos con chorizo y tomate (crispy tortillas with refried beans, the same chorizo used in the tacos, and thinly sliced tomatoes).  I could have eaten all six tostadas, they were that delicious.  The yellow plate in the background holds freshly made chicharrón (fried pork skin) to eat by itself or to add to the pozole.

Each of us ordered the medium-size pozole, more than enough for medium-size appetites or for folks who had already eaten several appetizers.  Compare the size of the bowl with the good-size avocado behind it.  Our bowlsful, replete with rich pork meat, nixtamal-ized corn, and Guerrero-green broth, arrived at table just as you see this one.  Behind the bowl at left are a plate of chicharrón (rear), a plate of plain tostadas, and, to the right, the avocado. 

My bowl of pozole after adding condiments.  I know the green in the center looks like broccoli, but in reality it is pieces of avocado just spooned out of the skin.  Also in the bowl are a sprinkle of oregano, a sprinkle of chile piquín, a spoonful each of minced onion and chile serrano, and a bit of chopped cilantro. On the back edge of the bowl (at twelve o'clock) is a piece of chicharrón gordo, with a creamy square of deep-fried pork meat still attached.  Next to the chicharrón is a tostada smeared with thick crema (Mexican table cream), sprinkled with just a bit of the same chile piquín.  In the bowl itself, just in front of the green avocado, is a slice of sardine.  Its slightly fishy saltiness added the perfect je-ne-sais-quoi to the pozole.  According to my compañeros de mesa (dining companions), pozole estilo Guerrero is often served with a sardine accompaniment.  The various elements of the pozole represent all of the elements of the state, including the high plains, the jungle, and the coast.

This restaurant, with well over 65 years of history behind it, has been witness to countless events important to Mexico City and the country as a whole.  Here, history has been made and history has been changed, young men propose to their girlfriends and politicians plan their campaigns.  During one crucial comida, the guns of opposing political factions had to be checked at the door.  Jerónimo Álvarez Garduño, the gallant great-grandson of the founder, is executive chef of the restaurant that got its start long before he was born.  Its beginnings, in the kitchen and living room of his great-grandmother's upstairs apartment (Number 6), were hidden from public view for the security of the restaurant's clients.  Álvarez Garduño works together with his parents, Yolanda Garduño and Guillermo Álvarez López, to ensure that the great Guerrero tradition of "jueves pozolero" (pozole Thursday) continues in Mexico City.

Things are not always what they seem: arroz con huevo estrellado (rice with sunny-side up fried egg) is a typically Mexican dish–served in an atypical form at Pozole Moctezuma.  Here, it's dessert: arroz con leche topped with a syrupy peach half.

After comida, ask for café de olla–normally, a special Mexican coffee sweetened in the pot with piloncillo (raw brown sugar) and cinnamon.  At Pozole Moctezuma, you will be served instead with a glass of anise liqueur, a few roasted coffee beans floating on top.  The restaurant has never had a liquor license, but some alcoholic beverages by other names are available: a refrescada (mezcal with grapefruit soda) to start your meal, beer to go with your pozole, and this lovely café de olla to finish your meal.  Soft drinks are also served.

Pozole Moctezuma is a true, rich taste of Mexico City's yesteryear.  By all means, if you are visiting the city, go.  You'll be so glad you did.

Pozole Moctezuma
Moctezuma #12 (Ring the bell to be admitted)
Colonia Guerrero
Distrito Federal
Monday through Saturday 2PM – 7PM
Pozole verde on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday
Reservations: 5526-7448

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Chiles en nogada (stuffed chiles poblanos in walnut sauce), Pátzcuaro, Michoacán.  Photo by Mexico Cooks!.

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

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

In Mexico, locally grown peaches, pomegranates, and walnuts are in season during the late summer and early fall.

Ingredients

For the Meat 

• 2 pounds beef brisket or other stew meat or 1 pound beef and 1 pound pork butt 
• 1 small white onion, quartered 
• 2 large cloves garlic 
• about 1 Tbsp sea salt

 For the Picadillo 

• 4 Tbsp safflower or canola oil
• 1/3 cup chopped white onion
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 3 heaping Tbsp raisins
• 1 or 2 chiles serrano, finely minced
• 2 Tbsp chopped walnuts or pecans
• 2 Tbsp chopped candied pineapple
• 1 fresh pear, peeled and chopped
• 1 apple, peeled and chopped
• 1 large potato, peeled and diced
• 3 large, ripe tomatoes, roasted, peeled and chopped
• sea salt to taste

For the Chiles 

• 6 large, very fresh chiles poblanos , roasted, peeled, and seeded, leaving the stem intact 

 For the Nogada (Walnut Sauce)

• 1 cup fresh walnuts
• 6 ounces queso doble crema or cream cheese (not fat free) at room temperature 
• 1-1/2 cups crema mexicana or 1-1/4 cups sour cream thinned with milk 
• about 1/2 tsp sea salt or to taste
• 1 Tbsp sugar   
• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon 
• 1/4 cup dry sherry (optional)

For the Garnish 

• 1 Tbsp coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 cup fresh pomegranate seeds

Procedure

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

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

At Mexico City's lovely Restaurante Azul/Histórico, the chiles en nogada are served with either sweet or savory walnut sauce or with both, one sauce at each end of the chile.  The waitstaff brings a tray of un-sauced chiles to the table; each diner picks the chile he or she wants to eat.  The sauces are ladled on from enormous bowls, the waitstaff sprinkles your chile with pomegranates and tops each one with a large sprig of flat-leaf parsley.  Chiles en nogada are on the menu until the end of September.

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

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

Another beautifully presented, absolutely delicious, and very large serving of chile en nogada, this time at Fonda El Portalito in Colonia la Condesa, Mexico City.  For a mere 90 pesos, your menú del día (complete meal of the day) includes a basket of fresh bread, two salsas, choice of two soups, either rice or spaghetti, the chile en nogada, all the agua fresca you want, and a little cup of gelatin dessert.  At El Portalito, chiles en nogada are available throughout the month of September.

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

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

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

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Chef José Ramón Castillo, premier chocolate maker and proprietor of the extraordinary chocolate shop and restaurant QueBo! in Mexico City's Centro Histórico, opened the talks for Mesamérica Day Four with a demonstration that left the entire audience wishing for just one of his gorgeous bonbons.

Chef José Ramón prepared a dish of modernized and deconstructed tacos al pastor: roasted and fire-grilled pork perched on a tostada ring, a side of grilled pineapple, and the traditional accompaniments (chile serrano, radishes, cilantro, and onion).  The meat is topped with a warmed white chocolate bonbon filled with the gelatinized juices of the roasted pork.  The detailed preparation and presentation made everyone's mouth water as the fragrances of this spectacular dish wafted through the auditorium.

The much-anticipated talk and presentation by chef Rick Bayless was absolutely worth the wait.  Since opening Frontera, his first Chicago restaurant, Chef Rick has refined both his culinary style and his understanding of authenticity.  His delineation (in Spanish) of thoughtful and thought-provoking ideas kept the crowd's attention to the end.

He initially outlined four specific challenges to the home cook or restaurant chef who wants to prepare "authentic" Mexican food.

• Outside Mexico, Mexican food is commonly understood to be 'fast food'.  Other than typical antojitos (little whims, generally corn masa based) Mexican food eaten in Mexico is very slow food.
• Many of Mexico's fundamental ingredients are not available worldwide, although some (such as tomate verde (tomatillos) and masa de maíz (prepared corn dough) are accessible in parts of the United States.
• It is necessary to achieve the flavors of Mexican dishes and then balance them.
• The old concept of authenticity includes: (1) ingredients imported from Mexico; (2) old traditional recipes; and (3) no interference by the cook–in other words, no 'tweaking' the original recipes.

Let's take a look at the example of transformation that Chef Rick prepared at Mesamérica. 

A traditional tlayuda oaxaqueña has a very large toasted corn base, similar to a tostada.  The base is topped with frijolitos negros refritos (refried black beans) and lots of quesillo (Oaxaca cheese).  The toppings of the tlayuda pictured above also include chorizo (spicy pork sausage, fried), sliced avocado, and crumbled queso fresco (a white cheese).  Photo courtesy Nileguide.

Chef Rick then outlined his new–or perhaps better said, current–concept of authenticity.

• the dish uses seasonal ingredients from the cook's surroundings
• it expresses a deep understanding of culture, environment, or craft.  It focuses on the delicious and seduces the diner
• the best authentic food always seduces

Chef Rick Bayless's re-defined concept of Oaxaca's signature tlayuda.  He calls this "Tlayuda con Cuchara" (tlayuda you eat with a spoon).

Chef Rick then proceeded to demonstrate his expression of the typical Oaxacan tlayuda.  While it contains ingredients that are similar to those we think of as traditional, it is served in a bowl and eaten with a spoon.  Frankly, folks, Mexico Cooks! is not convinced.  The flavor combination and complexity may be similar, but if you've been to Oaxaca and what you crave is a tlayuda, this isn't it.

Rick Bayless gave a tremendous presentation that left me and the rest of the audience–about 2,000 people strong–both impressed with his thought processes and re-thinking what our own concepts are.  In June 2012, the Mexican government honored him with the Order of the Aztec Eagle, the highest award that Mexico can give to a foreigner.  The award was given "for his important work in the promotion and dissemination of cultural expressions of our country, internationally recognized, as is the national cuisine in general and Mexican cuisine in particular."  Congratulations, and so well deserved!

Chef Alejandro Ruiz explains a fine point of dinner preparation at his restaurant Casa Oaxaca, in the city of Oaxaca, Mexico.  It was a delight to see and hear Chef Alejandro working on the Mesamérica stage.  His talk focussed on clay and corn.

The setup for his demonstration involved hauling a Oaxacan hornilla (cookstove) all the way from Oaxaca.  The hornilla is similar to this fogón–along with its built-in clay comal (griddle)–used in Michoacán. 

While an assistant worked on making tortillas, Chef Alejandro prepared this salsa molcajeteajada (literally, sauce made in a molcajete).

One of the dishes that Chef Alejandro Ruiz prepared during his demonstration: mero (grouper), brushed with a sauce, wrapped in hoja santa (a subtle anise-flavored fresh leaf), then wrapped again in banana leaf, and finally wrapped in a thick 'tortilla' of clay and baked in the embers of the hornilla.  The fish is presented to the diner still in its clay wrap, along with a stone.  At table, use the stone to break open the clay wrap and release the fragrance and flavors of the fish.  Gorgeous!

John Sconzo is an anesthesiologist by profession and a photographer by avocation.  Photo courtesy Peter Merelis.

After years of Internet friendship–we travel in similar online food circles–I was happy to meet John Sconzo, a long-time food aficionado.  I asked what he thought about Mesamérica.  He said, "I came to Mesamérica because I like cultures that are different from mine, from the food to the art to the whole environment.  Here, I heard so much optimism, felt so much energy.  The chefs are at once localists and globalists, and no one idea prevails, unless it is to preserve and support traditional cuisine.  This has definitely not been one-sided; everything from traditional preparation to the most modern cuisine has been represented.  I loved it."

There was more, much, much more–too much to report, to tell you the truth.  Among the talks I didn't mention here: biologists Edelmira Linares and Robert Bye, designer Héctor Esrawe, Chef Ricardo Muñoz Zurita, and Chef Oswaldo Olivia, all from Mexico City, and Chef Rodolfo Guzmán of Chile, all of whom knocked my socks off.  I've left out the final presentation, given by Albert Adrià (brother of that other Adrià), who will soon be opening a restaurant in Mexico City.  Honestly, the three and a half day conference, with a new and fascinating speaker every 30 minutes, left me fascinated but exhausted. 

Onward to 2013: a partial lineup of the chefs already committed to participate next May at Mesamérica.  Meantime, congratulations on the first Mesamérica to Enrique Olvera and his entire team!

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Chef Daniel Ovadía and two of his assistants from Restaurante Paxia in Mexico City, on stage at Day Two of Mesamérica.  Like many of the new crop of notable chefs, Chef Daniel offered thoughts about using traditional Mexican ingredients in new ways.

Chef Daniel Ovadía described one of his new creations as a "Mexican surf and turf".  It consists of Mexican-raised trout cooked in a coating of tortilla ash and plated with radishes shredded in the form of anguillas (eels), fresh setas (mushrooms), crystallized grapefruit peel, and native cilantro.  According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, 2012 may well be known as "the year of the ash".  Other chefs at Mesamérica also featured ash-y dishes.

At the end of his presentation, Chef Daniel prepared this dish while a long poem was read.  Titled "Todos Queremos un México Mejor" ('Everyone Wants a Better Mexico'), the work is a compilation of answers received from the Paxia staff when asked, "What do you want for Mexico's future?"  Here are just a few lines:

• Quiero un MEXICO libre de pensamiento, libres para decidir y actuar, para decir, sin ofender ni afectar a terceros. (I want a MEXICO with freedom to think, where we are free to decide and act–that is to say, without offending or affecting others.)
  
• Es un trabajo de todos y no solo de gobierno, desafortunadamente el Mexicano es el que tiene
  que cambiar, el Mexicano es el que tiene que creer, que querer, no basta ni bastará jamás con
  solo pedirlo, soñarlo, imaginarlo o exigirlo a nuestros gobernantes, es una cuestión de credibilidad y lucha de todos, solo cambiando nuestra mentalidad a ser mejores Mexicanos
  y mejores seres humanos lograremos el cambio. (It's everyone's job, not just the government's, unfortunately we Mexicans are the ones who have to change, we Mexicans are the ones who have to believe, to want.  It's not enough nor will it ever be enough simply to ask, to dream, to imagine, or to insist on things from our government.  It's a question of credibility and it's everyone's battle, by only changing our mentality to be better Mexicans and better human beings will we be able to create the change.)
• Queremos un MÉXICO que tenga gente orgullosa de ser mexicana, no porque deba ser así, sino porque seamos realmente admirables. Que la gente de otros países se alegre porque llegamos
  los mexicanos, a visitar o a trabajar. (We want a MEXICO that has people who are proud of being Mexican–not because they should be, but because we are truly admirable.  May people from other countries be overjoyed because we Mexicans are arriving on their shores, either to visit or to work.)

The dish that Chef Daniel prepared is symbolic of Mexico's current troubles (the red spilling down the edge of the plate).  Each of the other ingredients is also symbolic of the hopes of those who shared their hopes for Mexico's future.  The dish is bathed in the celebratory white mole that is usually served at fiestas.

Wild mushroom expert Connie Green from Napa, California went foraging for Mexican mushroom samples at Mexico City's Mercado San Juan, where seasonal wild mushrooms are always available.  Central Mexico is currently in its rainy season; during this time of year, many wild mushrooms are plentiful.  Ms. Green was thrilled with what she found here.  She pointed out that there are over 3,400 Mexican names for varieties of wild mushrooms, and she was pleased to point out that the chanterelle mushrooms she found here are better than the variety available in Europe.

Among other mushroom varieties at Mercado San Juan, Ms. Green was impressed to find fresh morillas (morelles) from Michoacán.  Ms. Green also mentioned that the amanita cesaria, one of the great mushrooms of the world, is common in Mexico but rare in Europe.  She also said that the tricholoma matsutake, the second most valuable mushroom in the world, is grown in Oaxaca but exported to Japan, where it is prized for its for its distinct spicy-aromatic odor.

Chef Guillermo González Beristáin (Restaurante Pangea, Monterrey) gave a fascinating explanation of the long-ago origins of some common foods–goat, lamb, and wheat flour tortillas–in his city in far-northern Mexico.  Early Jewish settlers brought these foods, common to their native lands, to Mexico with them.  It was easy to understand the reason for goat and lamb, but wheat flour tortillas?  Chef Guillermo said that this new-world bread was reminiscent of old-world pita.  He also mentioned that in households with middle-Eastern origins, three trees are traditionally planted in the family garden: a fig tree (representing the family), a pomegranate tree (representing wisdom), and a lemon tree (representing resignation).  He was obviously moved as he told the audience that he now has one of each tree in his own Monterrey garden.

Chef Guillermo also showed a video of himself and several companions truffle-hunting just outside Monterrey.  Because the climate is similar to that of the south of France, five varieties of truffles grow there, in symbiosis with local oak trees.  Only one variety is edible.  He mentioned that the gentleman who told him about local Monterrey truffles had never seen or tasted a European truffle until Chef Guillermo brought him one from France.

Diana Kennedy greets Mark Miller shortly before her Mesamérica talk.  Mrs. Kennedy, British author of nine important books recounting the history and preparation of traditional Mexican dishes, is one of the most knowledgeable food historians in Mexico.

Mrs. Kennedy, a well-recognized and important pillar in the world of Mexican food, spoke as she often does: frankly and directly to the point.  Her point at Mesamérica was, as she said, to speak the uncomfortable truth.  She said, "Mexican cuisine worries me, above all the ingredients that are being used.  It's a great scandal that so-called Mexican products are being imported from other countries."  She specifically mentioned chile guajillo and chile de árbol, both of which are being imported to Mexico from China, and flor de jamaica (hibiscus flowers, commonly used for agua fresca and other applications), which are being imported from the Sudan.  Mrs. Kennedy is outraged that buying foreign products undercuts the livelihood of Mexican producers and particularly the campesinos (field workers).  She ardently urged that foreign chiles and jamaica be boycotted in favor of their Mexican-grown counterparts.  Although she smiled as she shook her fist, it is obvious that Mrs. Kennedy is both passionate and angry–and rightly so–about any foreign takeovers of Mexico's ingredients.

Mark Miller, Diana Kennedy, Steve Sando, and Mexico Cooks! at Mesamérica.  Photo courtesy John Sconzo, LLC.

Next week: Day Three of Mesamérica.  Be there or be square–all your favorite chefs give it their all.

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