Category: Tours

Sunday Brunch, American Style, Pops Up in Mexico City: Spice Everywhere

The Spice Everywhere crew, starring the spicy Ms. Juliet Lambert (center, in leopard print).

Pop-ups, the latest restaurant craze in a good part of the world, have become a big hit in Mexico City due to Juliet Lambert. Early in 2013, Juliet, owner of Spice Catering, decided she wanted to take on "a new project, one where I could just have fun". What would you do just to have fun–plan a vacation, adopt a puppy? Juliet, the happy caterer, opened a Sundays-only brunch restaurant–Spice Everywhere! Instead of searching for a permanent venue, she opted for a pop-up, defined as a temporary restaurant, often operated from a private home, a former factory, or, as is the case of Spice Everywhere, currently operating in a restaurant that's unused on Sundays.

Open on Sundays from 10AM to 4PM, Spice Everywhere offers American-style brunch, a concept virtually unknown in Mexico City. The menu ranges from (language direct from the menu) the offering titled 'Straight Up, No Bullshit' (2 eggs, fried or scrambled, sausage or bacon, hash browns, two slices of toast or English muffin) all the way to Papa Richard's Eggs Benedict, prepared just as you like them: two poached eggs, served on a toasted English muffin with lemony Hollandaise sauce and a side of hash browns.

American-style coffee, full-bodied, strong, and delicious, is a bottomless cup–unusual in Mexico City, where refills most often sock you with an extra charge. Mexico Cooks! asked for and received both no-calorie sweetener and evaporated milk for the coffee–just the way I like it, in this land where half-and-half is hard to find. If you had one too many adult beverages on Saturday night, there's always Alka-Seltzer on the table to plop-plop fizz-fizz in a glass of cold water, a classic remedy for your hangover.

At Spice Everywhere, all breakfasts start with a big side dish of seasonal fresh fruit. Our fruit plates included papaya, pineapple, strawberries, and sweet Michoacán-raised blackberries. If you like your fruit Mexican style, ask your wait person for a bottle of Tajín (tah-HEEN), powdered chile prepared with salt and the flavor of limón, to sprinkle on your fruit.

On the other hand, if you prefer a classic brunch drink (or a hair of the dog hangover remedy), the Spice Everywhere Bloody Mary is definitely what you want (55 pesos). Think a tall glass rimmed with celery salt and filled with a combo of Absolut vodka, a house-made blend of tomato juice, real horseradish (all but unknown in Mexico), salsa inglesa (Worcestershire sauce, in Spanish) and several other spices, just what the doctor ordered to open your sleepy eyes. Mimosas made with fresh-squeezed orange juice and plenty of bubbly are also available (65 pesos).

Two of our brunch group ordered The Uncle Cletus, full order for each of them: fried breast of chicken and two waffles, dusted with confectioner's sugar and served with an individual pitcher of maple syrup (95 pesos). The guys pronounced their breakfast fabulous.

Another at our table ordered the Buffalo 66: eggs (or tofu, your choice) scrambled with green peppers, mushrooms, onions, garlic, and cheddar cheese, served with hash browns and toast, plus salsa and sour cream (95 pesos). Our companion opted for a toasted sesame seed bagel instead of toast.

Mexico Cooks! ordered the Tex-Mex omelet: three eggs stuffed with diced smoked ham, onions, peppers, and cheddar cheese, topped with avocado slices and served with hash browns and either wheat or white toast (125 pesos). This omelet, tender and perfectly cooked, was enormous–so big I couldn't finish it. I ended up asking the waiter to have mercy on me and take my plate away before I tried to down the whole thing.

Dogs on leashes are welcome at Spice Everywhere's outdoor tables. A bowl of water and a couple of sausages are free for your favorite pooch.

At Spice Everywhere's current location, billar (pool) is free to anyone who cares to play. Here, journalist Laura Carlsen and her brunch companion Alfredo Acedo play while their meal is prepared. The standard prize: loser gets a free shot of tequila.

Additional brunch items available at Spice Everywhere: the Cowboy Breakfast (two house-made biscuits smothered in rich sausage gravy), the Dagwood breakfast sandwich (scrambled eggs, pesto, cheddar cheese, plus bacon, sausage, or ham, tomato, and avocado, served with hash browns), La Condesa (two waffles topped with fresh berries and whipped cream, bacon, and a pitcher of maple syrup), and the Salmon Rushdie (a toasted sesame seed bagel with cream cheese, smoked salmon, capers and onions).

The pop-up also offers mind-boggling gooey cinnamon rolls, heavenly chocolate mousse, and a full range of breakfast-appropriate beverages.

Juliet Lambert with mutual friends Nick Gilman (black shirt), Jim Johnston (foreground), and, mostly hidden, Martin Brown, who lived in Mexico City several years ago and was here visiting from Barcelona.

A few minor thumbs-down: the hash browns could be prepared with less fat–mine were pretty much swimming in it, and a quick check of my companion's Buffalo 66 plate showed the same. A salt shaker on every table would be helpful. Our table rocked, and not in a good way–someone needs to make sure all the tables are level.

A few major thumbs-up: the music selection is big fun, all make-you-wanna-dance oldies from I'm not saying how long ago, but I remembered them from the transistor radio days of my distant youth. The warm, friendly ambience, attentive staff, and really cool clients make you feel right at home. And the food is way above average–delicious! By all means, be sure to go for brunch, any Sunday.

Stenciled on a brick wall at this Spice Everywhere location: Please Don't Leave Me. Don't worry, Spice! We'll follow you wherever you might go.

Look on Spice Everywhere's Facebook page for updates about the pop-up location. For now and the near future, Spice Everywhere will serve Sunday brunch at:

Hostel 333, ground floor
333 Calle Colima (a half-block from the corner of Calle Medellín)
Colonia Roma Norte
Mexico City
Open Sundays only, 10AM – 4PM
Cash only – no credit cards

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

12 de October de 2013
9º Encuentro de Cocina Tradicional de Michoacán: Ninth Annual Festival of Traditional Michoacán Cooking

On October 4, 5, and 6, 2013, the Encuentro de Cocina Tradicional de Michoacán celebrates its 10th anniversary. In honor of the coming festival,
for the next three weeks Mexico Cooks! will publish its articles
about the most recent three years of the Encuentro. In mid-October, you'll find the report of the 10th Anniversary Encuentro,
right here on Mexico Cooks!.

At the 9th Annual Festival of Traditional Michoacán Cooking (October 19-21, 2012), Mexico Cooks! photographed alcatraces (calla lilies), an ear of blue corn, and a basketful of hypomyces lactifluorum, known in English as lobster mushroom and in Spanish as trompa de puerco (pig's
nose). During Michoacán's rainy season, the mushrooms grow wild and are
harvested in the pine forests around Lake Pátzcuaro. The lilies grow
in home gardens. Point of interest: Alcatraz, the ominous sounding name
of the infamous California prison, simply means calla lily.

For the last six years, Mexico Cooks!
has been a proud part of a uniquely Michoacán food festival. This
Encuentro de Cocina Tradicional de Michoacán was the impetus and the
paradigm for which in 2010 UNESCO awarded Mexico's food Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
status. Every year, we feature stories and photos about the food that
makes this festival an inimitable part of Mexico's richness. Those
stories are here: Fourth Annual Encuentro, Fifth Annual Encuentro, Sixth Annual Encuentro, Seventh Annual Encuentro, and Eighth Annual Encuentro.

A huge bunch of freshly cut flor de calabaza
(squash flowers), used in a variety of Michoacán's regional dishes.
Did you know that only the male flowers are cut for cooking? The female
flowers are left to develop into squash on the vines.

If asked about pre-Spanish conquest regional food, few people would think of
frogs. These great big frogs, for sale at Morelia's Mercado de
Independencia on the Sunday of the Encuentro, are caught around Lake Pátzcuaro and skinned for traditional preparations. Only the ancas de rana (frog legs) are eaten.

This year, rather than focus primarily on festival food, Mexico Cooks!
wants to introduce you to some of the now-elderly masters of
Michoacán's regional home cooking, women who have annually brought the
best of their family kitchens to the fair, who have proudly participated
in the festivals, and who have given their hands, hearts, and hearths
to the rescue and preservation of Michoacán's ingredients and
techniques.

Doña Paulita Alfaro Águilar lives in Nuevo San Juan Parangaricutiro, Michoacán. She has participated in all of the Encuentros
to date and has long operated her own restaurant. We chatted for a
while this year; she told me she thinks this might be her last Encuentro.
She told me that she is over 85 years old now and that in the last few
months, her health has begun to be less trustworthy. "I've had to go to
doctors a lot lately. And I don't feel as strong as I used to. See, I
have to walk with a cane." When it was time to say our farewells, she
added, "If I don't see you again next year, tell everyone I'm glad to
know that so many people tasted my food."

Update from the 10th Anniversary Edition of the Encuentro de Cocina Tradicional de Michoacán: Mexico Cooks! is sad to report that Sra. Paulita Alfaro Aguilar passed away during the course of the last year. QEPD (rest in peace), querida Paulita, your presence is everywhere on the Encuentro grounds. You leave an unfillable hole in our hearts.

Doña Matilde Apolinar Hernández from Charapan, Michoacán. Doña Matilde, who is also over 85 years old, prepared atápakua de queso (cheese in an herb-based sauce), atápakua de charales (tiny whole fish in an herb-based sauce), churipo (Purépecha beef soup), and atápakua de frijol (beans in an herb-based sauce) as well as corundas (Michoacán-style unfilled tamales). She participated in the the 2012 competitions with atápakua verde (a green herb-based sauce).

Doña Celia Moncitar Pulido shows us with her expressive hands one of the four elements of the Purépecha kitchen altar. The mazorcas (dried ears of corn) and beans represent Mother Earth, who gives us our food. Purépecha cooking–and eating–depend as much on spiritual elements as on earthly elements.

Doña Amparo Cervantes, legendary cook from Tzurumútaro, Michoacán. The 2011 Encuentro named Doña Amparo one of a handful of official maestras of the annual festival. The small group of recognized maestras had won the Encuentro
competitions so often–really, every year–that the organizing
committee retired these fabulous cooks from competition. Nonetheless,
at nearly 90, Doña Amparo continued to cook (but not compete) at the 2012 Encuentro. In addition to her participation at the Morelia event, she has also been an impetus and support for the cocina comunitaria (community kitchen) in Tzurumútaro, her hometown. A few of her specialties are mole with chicken and rice, pork with strips of chile poblano, corundas, and uchepos.

Doña Ana María Gutiérrez Águilar and her husband, don Espiridión Chávez Toral, who live in Calzontzin, in the municipality of Uruapan. At the 2012 Encuentro, I sat near the couple as we listened to a young and extremely talented woman sing a traditional Purépecha pirekua. When the song was over, Doña Ana María asked the singer who wrote the song. The singer mentioned a name. Doña Ana María stood up and said, "No señor! That song was written by my father, Valentín Gutiérrez Toral from Paricutín. He was too poor to afford to have his pirekuas
registered and most of them have been stolen. I've sung them all my
life, just as he taught them to me." The young singer invited Doña Ana María to the stage, where she sang her father's song a capella and wowed the crowd.

Doña
Lupita works selling onions at Morelia's Mercado de Independencia. At
more than 85 years old, she continues to accompany her slightly younger
sister to work. When asked how much longer she hopes to be at the
market, she smiled and merely shrugged. "Hasta que Dios me de licencia." ('As long as God lets me.')

These beautiful and highly respected old women will not be with us
forever. It's far better to honor them while they are still with us
than to carry flowers to them after they have gone.

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

5 de October de 2013
8° Encuentro de Cocina Tradicional de Michoacán: Eighth Annual Michoacán Traditional Food Festival
On October 4, 5, and 6, 2013, the Encuentro de Cocina Tradicional de Michoacán
will celebrate its 10th anniversary. In honor of the coming festival,
for the next three weeks, Mexico Cooks! will publishing its articles
about the prior three years of the Encuentro. In mid-October, you'll find the report of the 10th Anniversary Encuentro,
right here on Mexico Cooks!. And if you can possibly get to the 10th
Anniversary event, we'll publish all the details just as soon as we have
them. Meantime, save the dates: October 4, 5, and 6, 2013 in Morelia,
Michoacán.

Maestra Benedicta Alejo Vargas grinds cilantro and mint to prepare tzirita, a deliciously spicy botana (appetizer or snack) based on metate-ground chile seeds and various herbs.

For me, the days leading to the Eighth Annual Encuentro de Cocina
Tradicional de Michoacán moved almost as slowly as the days leading to a
five-year-old's Christmas morning. This event celebrating the
traditional cuisines of regional Michoacán, held annually during the
first weekend of December, is the high point of my personal and
professional year.

Essentials of the Michoacán kitchen: clay pots, wooden utensils, a ventilador (fan) to urge the wood fire hotter, and the skilled hands of a cook.

The Encuentro started life in 2004, sponsored by the Secretaría de Turismo and the Secretaría de Cultura del Estado de Michoacán
as well as by several generous corporate sponsors. During its eight
years, it has grown and changed, evolving into the unique event that so
many of us enjoy. Although there are many different food festivals in
Mexico, no other has the impact of the annual Encuentro.

Maestra Amparo Cervantes (left) of Tzurumútaro and Señora Paulita Alfaro of Nuevo San Juan Parangaricutiro are two of several elegant and vital grandes damas
(great ladies) of the Michoacán kitchen. They pass their recipes and
secrets of the kitchen to their daughters and granddaughters.

In November 2010, UNESCO
(the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural
Organization) announced that Mexico, and particularly the state of
Michoacán, had been officially inscribed on the Representative List of
the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Since then, Michoacán
regional cooks have proudly carried the banner of what is called el paradigma michoacano–the
Michoacán paradigm. UNESCO included those words in its award based on
miliennia-old indigenous Purhépecha way of food preparation that has
been preserved, protected, and promoted up to the present day. The
Michoacán paradigm is a model for other regional Mexican cuisines.

Freshly hand-made corn tortillas toasting on a wood-fire heated clay comal
(griddle). Note that the tortilla in the foreground is puffed up; this
is a key sign of a properly made tortilla. The tortilla will flatten
out again as it toasts. There are no tortillas like those hand-made in
Michoacán.

Much
of Michoacán's regional cuisine is based on Mexico's native corn.
These dried ears, hung up to decorate a festive food stand at the 2010 Encuentro, show just a few of the several colors of corn native to this area. The preservation of native corn varieties is crucial to the continuity of the Michoacán paradigm.

Maestra Antonina González Leandro of Tarerio, Michoacán, is radiant in her hand-embroidered blouse.

This year, the organizing committee gave special honors to a few of
the consistent winners of the cooking competition at the heart of each
annual Encuentro. These great women of the regional kitchen, now retired from competition, are the soul of this festive event. They are:
- Benedicta Alejo Vargas, San Lorenzo. Her specialities for 2010 were wild mushrooms, traditional churipo (a beef-based soup), rabbit mole, cheese mole, and tzirita.
- Juana Bravo Lázaro, Angahuan. Her specialities were atápakua de kuruchi kariri (dried fish stew), filled corundas with churipo, and two varieties of tortillas.
- Antonina González Leandro, Tarerio. She specialized in fried trout with traditional mole, tomato mole, or in a broth, pozole, and ponteduro (a kind of toasted and sweetened corn snack).
- Esperanza Galván Hernández, Zacán. Her specialties were mole tatemado con arroz (baked mole with rice), quesadillas, corundas filled with vegetables, and blue corn tortillas.
- Amparo Cervantes, Tzurumútaro. For this Encuentro, she specialized in mole con pollo y arroz (mole with chicken and rice), carne de puerco con rajas (pork meat with poblano chile strips), corundas, and uchepos.
A few of Maestra Antonina's special dishes, including (lower right) tortitas de charales, (center, in the molcajete) salsa de chile perón, (back left) nopalitos en salsa de jitomate, and (back right) caldo de trucha (freshly fried Michoacán-farmed rainbow trout in broth).

Maestra Amparo's carne de cerdo con rajas, cooking over a wood fire. She constantly tended and stirred the cazuela (clay cooking dish) so that the preparation would neither dry out nor stick.

Sra. Cayetana Nambo Rangel of Erongarícuaro prepared choricorundas, a type of pyramid-shaped corn tamal filled with cooked chorizo, a spicy pork sausage. The corunda is wrapped in a long green corn leaf (not a corn husk) and then steamed. Traditionally, corundas can be either blind (made without a filling) or filled.

Young cook Susana Servín Galván of Zacán entered the food competition with cuchiatápakua en chile verde con frijoles de la olla, a traditional dish from her small town. The dish consists of pork meat cooked in a thick sauce made of highly spicy chile serrano
and served with freshly cooked beans and blue corn tortillas. This is
my jealously guarded plateful; the dish was stunningly delicious and
sold out quickly. I was lucky to taste it.

Susana Servín Galván, the up-and-coming young cook who prepared the fabulous dish in the preceding photo.

Salsa de chile de árbol pounded into existence using this enormous molcajete y tejolote (volcanic stone mortar and pestle).

More ingredients and utensils crucial to the regional Michoacán kitchen.

Mexico Cooks! will keep you informed about the dates for the 2012 Ninth Annual Encuentro de Cocina Tradicional de Michoacán.
This unique event, a true look at Michoacán's regional cuisine, should
be on everyone's calendar for early December. Come with us and we will
introduce you to all of these dishes and more!

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here: Tours.
28 de September de 2013
7º Encuentro de Cocina Tradicional de Michoacán: Michoacán’s Seventh Annual Festival of Traditional Cuisine

On October 4, 5, and 6, 2013, the Encuentro de Cocina Tradicional de Michoacán will celebrate its 10th anniversary. In honor of the coming festival, for the next three weeks, Mexico Cooks! will publishing its articles about the prior three years of the Encuentro. In mid-October, you'll find the report of the 10th Anniversary Encuentro, right here on Mexico Cooks!. And if you can possibly get to the 10th Anniversary event, we'll publish all the details just as soon as we have them. Meantime, save the dates: October 4, 5, and 6, 2013 in Morelia, Michoacán.

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 2010 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 Restaurante El Naranjo, Austin, 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.

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

21 de September de 2013
VIVA MÉXICO! For Independence Day, Chiles en Nogada, the Mexican Flag on Your Plate
The whole month of September is a big party: the Fiestas Patrias (National Celebrations).
Here, a street stand offering Mexican flags, hanging banners, and a lot of small Independence-related items for sale.

Mexico
celebrates its independence during the entire month of September with parades,
parties, and traditional food and drink in restaurants and at home. The
traditional festive dish during the weeks before and after the
Independence Day holiday is chiles en nogada, a magnificent tribute to the seasonal availability of granadas (pomegranates) and fresh nuez de Castilla (walnuts). From late August till early October, fresh pomegranates and frsh walnuts make chiles en nogada possible. Mildly spicy chiles poblano, stuffed with picadillo and topped with richly creamy walnut sauce and pomegranate seeds, flaunt the brilliant green, white and red of the Mexican flag.

Chiles en nogada: chiles poblano, roasted, peeled, stuffed with picadillo (in this case, a fruity Mexican hash), and plated with walnut sauce, pomegranate seeds, and fresh cilantro.

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
fall. During
August and September in the highlands of Mexico, particularly in Mexico
City and Puebla on the streets bordering the markets, village women can
be seen sitting on blankets painstakingly peeling off the brown skin
from each individual walnut. It is important to use recently harvested walnuts, the freshest possible, as they produce such a creamy, rich sauce that it is
worth the effort demanded to peel them. Yes, the recipe is time-consuming…but you and your guests will jump up and shout "VIVA!" when you've licked the platters clean.

Ingredients

For the Meat
- 2 pounds beef brisket or other stew meat or 1 pound beef and 1 pound pork butt
- 1 small white onion, quartered
- 2 large cloves garlic
- about 1 Tablespoon sea salt
For the Picadillo
- 4 Tablespoons safflower or canola oil
- 1/3 cup chopped white onion
- 3 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 3 heaping Tablespoons raisins
- 1 or 2 chiles serrano, finely minced
- 2 Tablespoons chopped walnuts or pecans
- 2 Tablespoons 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 fresh chiles poblano , roasted, peeled, and seeded, leaving the stem intact
For the Walnut Sauce
- 1 cup fresh walnuts (available only at this time of the year)
- 6 ounces 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 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup dry sherry (optional)
For the Garnish
- 1 Tablespoon chopped cilantro leaves
- 1/2 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
Preparation

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 5 minutes. Add the cinnamon, pepper, and cloves, then, stir in
the raisins, the 2 Tablespoons chopped walnuts. Add the chopped pear,
apple, and potato, and mix well. Add the tomatoes and salt to taste,
and continue cooking over medium-high heat until most of the moisture
has evaporated. Stir often so that the mixture doesn't stick. Let cool,
cover, and set aside. The picadillo may be made a day or two in advance.

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

At
least 3 hours in advance, place the walnuts in a small pan of
boiling water. Remove from the heat and let them sit for 5 minutes.
Drain the nuts and, when cool, rub off as much of the dark skin as
possible. Chop the nuts 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, if using, until thoroughly combined. Chill for
several hours.

When ready to serve, reheat the meat filling and stuff the chiles until plump and just barely closed. Place the chiles
on a serving platter or on individual plates, cover with the chilled
walnut sauce, and sprinkle with the cilantro and
pomegranate seeds.

This dish can also be served at room temperature, or it may be served chilled.

Photos 2, 3, 4, and 5 courtesy of Jesús Guzmán Moya, M.D., of Puebla, Puebla, México. Enjoy more of Dr. Guzmán's lovely photos here. Gracias, amigo Chucho!

Provecho!

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for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click
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14 de September de 2013
Hog Heaven: Mexico’s Love Affair with Pork

Cochinita pibil from the Yucatán (seasoned pork, slow-cooked and then shredded), a specialty of Ricardo Muñoz Zurita's Restaurante Azul/Condesa. It's a quick route from the farm to the plate.

Mexico is one of the largest producers and consumers of pork in the world, second only to China. In spite of the 'swine flu' crisis several years ago, Mexico continues to eat pork at a record-breaking pace and, every year, to export millions of tons of pork to other countries. (FIRA)

From the growers' farms to a rastro (slaughterhouse) is a speedy ride along one of Mexico's super-highways. A truck like this one, loaded with pigs, is an everyday sight throughout Mexico. Photo courtesy ROTOV.

Mexico is not nearly as squeamish as the United States in seeing where its carne de cerdo (pork meat) comes from. In fact, a stroll through just about any city market or tianguis (street market) will give ample evidence that meat–including pork meat–comes from an animal, not from a sterile, platic-wrapped styrofoam meat tray at a supermarket.

Every part of the pig is used in Mexico's kitchens. The head is ordinarily used to make pozole, a rich stew of pork meat, reconstituted dried corn, spices, and condiments.

No pork existed in Mexico until after the Spanish conquest; in fact, no domestic animals other than the xoloitzcuintle dog were used for food. The only sources of animal protein were fish, frogs, and other water creatures, wild Muscovy-type ducks, the javalí (wild boar), about 200 varieties of edible insects, doves and the turkey, all native to what is now Mexico.

Mexico has been cooking head-to-tail since long before that notion came into international vogue. Pig tails are used here for roasting–look for recipes for rabo de cerdo asado (roast pig tail).|

No matter that just below these jolly mariachi pigs at Mexico City's Mercado de Jamaica, their once-live counterparts lie ready for the butcher's knife. These fellows play on!

Chicharrón (fried pig skin) is prepared fresh every day by butchers whose specialty is pork. Nothing goes to waste.

Just about any Mexican butcher worth his stripes can custom-cut whatever portion of the pig you need for meal preparation. In case you're not 100% familiar with the names of Mexican cuts, here are two pork cut charts, first in English and then in Spanish for comparison.

Pork cuts chart in English. Click to enlarge the image for better viewing.

Pork cuts chart in Spanish (for Mexican users). Even in Spanish, many cuts have different names depending on which country names them. Again, click to enlarge the image for a better view.

These suckling pigs were butchered at 6 weeks to 3 months old. Known in Mexico as lechón, roast suckling pig is a delicacy by any name. Many restaurants specialize in its preparation.

One of the most common and popular (and really delicious) kinds of street tacos is tacos al pastor (shepherd style tacos). Marinate thinly sliced pork meat in a sauce made of chiles guajillo, vinegar, and tomato. Next, layer the slices on a vertical spit so that they form the shape of a spinning top. At the top of the meat, place a pineapple without skin. Light the fire in the grate behind the spit and allow a portion of the meat to cook until slightly caramelized on the edges and tender within. Slice into very thin pieces, using them to fill a tortilla warmed on the flattop. With your sharp knife, flick a small section of the pineapple into the taco. Add the salsa you prefer, some minced onion and cilantro, and ahhhhh…the taste of Mexico!

Manitas de cerdo: pickled pigs' feet. The well-scrubbed feet are cooked in salted water, then added to vegetables cooked in a pickling solution of vinegar, chile, vegetables, and herbs. In Mexico, manitas de cerdo can be eaten as either a botana (snack) or a main dish.

One of my personal favorite pork dishes: carnitas from Michoacán! These carnitas in particular are the best I've ever eaten: large hunks of pork are boiled in lard until crispy on the outside, succulent and juicy on the inside. Chopped roughly and served with various salsas, they're the best tacos I know. Find them at Carnitas Aeropuerto, in Zamora, Michoacán.

Adobo huasteco, another deliciously spicy pork dish. It's been a while since this last appeared on our table–and it's high time we prepared it again. Click on the link for the recipe.

Last but not least, here's a rosy bouquet of pig heads for sale at the Mercado de Jamaica in Mexico City.

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7 de September de 2013
La Teca–Isthmus of Tehuantepec Cooking in Oaxaca: Cocina Istmeña Oaxaqueña

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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31 de August de 2013
Regional Food and Drink in Oaxaca: Buen Provecho! (Good Appetite!) with Mexico Cooks!

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

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

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

My good friend Lisa Coleman, went with me the next day for a relatively light comida (the main meal of Mexico's day) at Pilar Cabrera's marvelous restaurant, La Olla. Our first course was a plate of four of these tostadas callejeras (street-food-style tostadas). Not one smidgen of anything–not tomato, not guacamole, not lettuce, not the crispy corn tostada and certainly not the delicious Oaxaca-style chorizo (spicy sausage)–remained on the plate after we finished the course.

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

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

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

Next week: a delightful restaurant for home-style regional Oaxacan cuisine.

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24 de August de 2013
Mercado 20 de noviembre, Oaxaca: Shop the 20 de noviembre Market with Mexico Cooks!

For the next two or three weeks, Mexico Cooks! will take you on a virtual trip to Oaxaca. Enjoy!

Emblematic of Oaxaca and its mezcal culture, sal de gusano (worm salt) and a wedge of fresh orange are the truly Oaxacan accompaniments to a shot of what Mexicans call la bebida de los dioses (the drink of the gods). And yes, sal de gusano is made with sea salt, ground chile, and dried, toasted and ground maguey worms. I promise you that it is delicious.

The last morning of Mexico Cooks!' recent stay in Oaxaca, I grabbed a friend and headed off to the city's famous Mercado Benito Juárez. The market is in many ways similar to but in many ways different from those that Mexico Cooks! knows best, the traditional markets of Mexico's Central Highlands. Both my friend and I were fascinated by what we saw and learned while we were poking around among the stalls.

The large carved bowls at the top of the basket and several of the smaller carved bowls to the lower right–including the laquered red ones–are actually jícaras (dried gourds). Jícaras are traditionally used for drinking mezcal. Around the edge of the basket you see sonajas (rattles), in this case whole dried gourds on sticks. The seeds dry inside the gourds to provide the sound effects when you shake the stick.

Rural Oaxaca grows chiles of all kinds, including some that are unique to the state. These are dried chile chilhuacle negro, arguably the most expensive chile in Mexico. Retail price? Eight hundred pesos the kilo–about $75 USD for 2.2 pounds, at today's exchange rate.

Bags, bags, and more bags–all plastic–sell at two adjacent market stands. The bolsas (bags) range from the little zipper change purses in the basket at lower right to the big woven market bags on the left and at the rear. Mexico Cooks! came home with two of the big ones.

Mexican chile terminology is filled with contradictions. These are chiles pasillas oaxaqueños (Oaxacan pasilla chiles). Chiles pasillas are different sizes, shapes, colors, and flavors depending on where you are in Mexico, but these are unique to Oaxaca.

Moronga is pork blood sausage. The blood is heavily seasoned with ruda (rue), oregano, fresh mint, onions and chile and then stuffed into pigs' intestines and boiled for as much as several hours.

Chile de agua (literally, water chile) is another specialty pepper from Oaxaca. Some folks say its heat is medium, some folks swear it's hot as hell, and everyone agrees that it's very difficult to find outside Oaxaca. Look back a few weeks on Mexico Cooks! to see a wonderful use for these small chiles. I loved the flavor and the picor (heat factor).

Three of Oaxaca's famous moles. These are sold as pastes, by weight. You simply reconstitute them with chicken broth at home and serve them with the meat of your choice. Mexico Cooks! is crazy about carne de cerdo con mole negro (pork with black mole).

We'll come back to Oaxaca, just to give you a sample of marvelous food and drink–next Saturday morning, right here at Mexico Cooks!. Be ready for more regional Oaxacan specialties.

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17 de August de 2013
La Feria del Chile (The Chile Fair) in Queréndaro, Michoacán
This article, originally published in September 2008, is current once again. The Feria del Chile de Queréndaro is happening this weekend, August 9-11, 2013. If you're in the vicinity of Queréndaro, Michoacán, by all means get there.

We fell in love with these wee ballet folklórico performers, children no more than four years old.

For
the last seven years, just around the late July-early August harvest
time, the town of Queréndaro, Michoacán, has celebrated the Feria del Chile (chile
fair). The center of town fills with rides for children, booths
specializing in all sorts of food, games of chance, a big stage for
daily ballet folklórico and nightly music, and all the usual whoopdedoo of fiesta time. The star of the fiestas is, of course, the chile chilaca.

In Queréndaro, Michoacán, daily work is all about locally grown chiles chilaca.

About 3 thousand acres of chile chilaca are
planted in the central Mexican states of
Aguascalientes, Jalisco, Guanajuato, Zacatecas and Michoacán. Many of
the residents of Queréndaro, Michoacán commercially cultivate this
particular chile.

All work and no play is no good, though. This sign on a Queréndaro grocer's door says, "Beer and wine for the road".

These chiles chilaca matured to their ripe, deep-red color before harvest.

The chile chilaca also has other
names such as negro (black), prieto (dark), or, particularly here in Michoacán, chile para
deshebrar (chile to tear in small strips). High quality chilaca is long, slender and
undulated. Each chile can measure a foot long. Before its fully-ripe state the chilaca is inky blue-green, with color and flavor similar to the chile poblano. Here in Michoacán, where there are at least two names for every growing thing, the fresh chile chilaca is coloquially known as the cuernillo (little horn).

Most of the locally grown deep-red chiles chilaca are dried in the sun. These are spread out along a main street in Queréndaro. The chiles are drying on petates, mats made of woven lake reed.

The chilaca turns dark reddish-brown when it's allowed to ripen on the bush. When ripe and then dried in the Queréndaro sun, the chilaca becomes very dark red and is called chile pasilla. If the seeds are removed from the dried chile, its name is chile capón. Chiles capones literally means 'castrated' chiles. This vegetable castration refers to the removal of the seeds prior to cooking.

Some chilacas are sold bottled, either en escabeche (pickled in vinegar) or as chiles capones (dried, seeded, soaked, toasted, and then cooked with onion), to be used as a botana or condimento (appetizer or condiment).

These are chiles chilaca rellenos—chiles capones stuffed with tomates verdes (tomatillos), onion, and garlic. The chiles in the photo, prepared for carry-out at the Alberto Gómez family booth , still needed to be topped with shredded Oaxaca cheese.

The Barajas family of Queréndaro offered this variety of freshly harvested chiles at their booth at the Feria del Chile. Clockwise beginning with the dark green chiles at the bottom of the basket, they are:
- chiles poblano…………14 pesos per kilo
- chiles güero……………14 pesos per kilo
- chiles chilaca verde……12 pesos per kilo
- chiles cola de rata……..50 pesos per kilo (for dry chiles; the booth was out of fresh)
- chiles poblano rojo…….14 pesos per kilo
Mexico Cooks! bought a kilo of fresh mature (red) chiles chilaca.
We've been preparing them in various dishes. The flavor they add is
deeply sweet and deadly hot. So far, our favorite recipe is with
potatoes, onions, and flor de calabaza (squash blossoms). Here's what to do:

Papas con Flor de Calabaza y Chile

Ingredients
3 large white potatoes, russets if you can get them
1 medium white onion
2 fresh mature chiles chilaca
1 large clove garlic
2 bunches fresh flor de calabaza (squash blossoms)
Flour
Vegetable oil or freshly rendered lard
Water
Sea salt

Utensils
Large pot
Colander
Griddle
Small plastic bag
Large plastic bag
Large sauté pan
Spatula

Procedure
Peel
and cube (approximately 3/4") the potatoes. Bring salted water to boil
in a pot large enough for them. Boil the potatoes until tender
(approximately 15 minutes) and strain. Allow the potatoes to dry for 30
minutes or more.

Wash and rough-chop the squash blossoms. Discard their stems.

Dice the onion to approximately 1/2". Mince the garlic.

Heat the dry griddle and roast the chiles until they are blackened. Put them in the small plastic bag, twist it closed, and allow the chiles to "sweat" for about 10 minutes. Peel and seed. Slice the chiles in 1/2" rounds.

Heat
the oil or lard in the sauté pan. While it heats, put approximately
1/2 cup flour and a teaspoon of sea salt into the large plastic bag.
Add the potatoes to the bag and shake until the potatoes are dredged
with flour and salt.

Sauté the onions, garlic, and chiles.
Add the potatoes and continue to sauté until the potatoes are golden
brown. Add the squash blossoms and sauté briefly–the blossoms will
wilt. Add sea salt to taste.

Serves 3 or 4 as a side dish.

¡Provecho!

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10 de August de 2013