Category: Visiting Chefs

Isthmus of Tehuantepec Cooking in Oaxaca: Cocina Istmeña Oaxaqueña

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Disclaimer: Marca País-Imágen de México is a joint public and private sector initiative designed to helppromote Mexico as a global business partner and an unrivaled tourist destination. This program is designed to shine a light on the Mexico that its people experience every day. Disclosure: I am being compensated for my work in creating content for the Mexico Today program. All stories, opinions, and passions for all things Mexico that I write on Mexico Cooks! are completely my own.

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

20 de August de 2011
Regional Food and Drink in Oaxaca: A Comer! (Let’s Eat!) with Mexico Cooks!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Disclaimer: Marca País-Imágen de México is a joint public and private sector initiative designed to help promote Mexico as a global business partner and an unrivaled tourist destination. This program is designed to shine a light on the Mexico that its people experience every day. Disclosure: I am being compensated for my work in creating content for the Mexico Today program. All stories, opinions, and passions for all things Mexico that I write on Mexico Cooks! are completely my own.

6 de August de 2011
Dream Pairing: Mexico Cooks! Meets Mexico Today

There was plenty of serious content at our daily conferences, but there was also dancing in the streets of Oaxaca during the Mexico Today kickoff weekend.

On June 23, Mexico Cooks! and a team of 23 other writers went to Oaxaca, invited (in the strictest Mexican sense)* by the Mexican government-funded public relations initiative called Mexico Today. The 24 of us spent several magical days in one of the most beautiful cities in the country, attending informational conferences and having a party–or two, or three!

All things Oaxaca, from hand-carved and intricately painted alebrijes to Zapotec rug weavers, filled every weekend minute that was not spent getting to know the ins and outs of the Mexico Today program or getting to know one another. As happens at the best of this sort of event, we bonded strongly. The program gave each of us, idiosyncratic to the core, enough room to sniff around one another, feel one another out, and truly get it that all 24 of us writers were already in love–if not with one another, then certainly with Mexico.

Fireworks! There's nothing quite as much fun as an old-fashioned Mexican display of fireworks. This particular variety is called a castillo (castle). In addition to shooting out plumes of fire, it also spins and whirls on succeedingly higher levels.

Mexico Today is a time-limited, strategic Mexican government project designed to showcase what we already know to be wonderful here in Mexico and to highlight the rest of the best that Mexico has to offer. The writers involved focus on that. The team includes people who write on topics that range from hard-data economics to–well, to Mexico Cooks!' tales about off-the-beaten-track Mexico culinary adventures. So, you might ask, what's the point?

The weaver's skilled hands belong to Fidel Cruz Lazo, of Casa Cruz in Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca. He and his wife, Sra. María Luisa Mendoza Ruiz, make hand-spun and hand-woven wool rugs. All of the wool for the rugs is hand-carded, hand-spun, and dyed using pure, hand-ground vegetable dyes.

The point is this: unless you've been living out of international news range for the last four years, you know that since late 2006, Mexico has been struggling through some very difficult times. Because of true insecurity in several of Mexico's states, international media rumor mills have created ever more sensational reports of what's wrong with this country. Mexico Today wants to make certain that there is a continuing stream of online information publicizing the good and beautiful things about Mexico to help balance the scales. The group wants to ensure that when this spate of trouble is over, everyone outside Mexico remembers why this country is such a marvelous place to invest in business, to plan a vacation, and to love.

Sra. Mendoza had just used her metate (grinding stone)to grind a half-handful of cochineal, a black insect about the size of a black peppercorn, into this red powder. She swept up the powdered cochineal with the escobilla (little broom) and then dissolved just a bit of the dye in the glass of water to demonstrate the color.

An alabaster pot, one of the hundreds of treasures rescued at the temples at Monte Albán and preserved in Oaxaca's Museo Santo Domingo.

Falling in love with Mexico is so easy. If you've been following Mexico Cooks!' wanderings of the last four-plus-years through the kitchens and cultures of this incredible country, you already know that I've been head over heels for more than 30 years. The deal is, unexpected things sometimes happen in any loving relationship. One partner might develop health challenges, one might lose a job: nonetheless, love for one another keeps both partners remembering the miracle of love each one is for the other in spite of temporary dark clouds.

Maguey cactus garden under a tabachín (delonix regia) tree in the atrium of Oaxaca's 16th century church and former Dominican monastery known as Santo Domingo.

Right now, my beloved Mexico needs rehabilitation. Would I desert her in her time of need? Not a chance! The important thing for me is to focus on my profound love for this country and continue to talk about her beauty, her warmth, her humor, her intelligence and creativity. The problems mi México is experiencing are temporary, the glory is eternal. Mexico Today understands that and wants you to see it through the eyes of Mexico Cooks! and through the eyes of every other writer who is part of the program. We want you to fall in love–for the first time or all over again–with the little piece of heaven that is Mexico.

Spring break in a Mexican beach town? Not a chance: it's a city of Oaxaca calenda (street party)! Kelly McLaughlin, a Mexico Today blogger from Cancún, gets hoisted up for a rocking ride on a torito, a little festival bull made of bamboo and, in this case, deer skin.

*Full disclosure: In Mexico, to be invited means that the person or organization that invites you pays the way. Mexico Today is compensating me for anything I write that's actually for use in the Mexico Today program. It's the start of a new relationship, the kind of dream pairing that we all hope for in our relationships: Mexico Today loves Mexico Cooks! just the way it is, which means the program chose Mexico Cooks! because it already presents its readers with the wonder and joy that this glorious country offers to the world. They simply want me to keep telling you what I see as the fabulous reality of my country. They don't want Mexico Cooks! to change a single word for them. That's easy–and they want you to spread the word, too. You can start now by adding Mexico Today to your circle of friends on Facebook and follow us on Twitter: @mexicocooks or @MexicoToday.

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

23 de July de 2011
Oh Joy! Mexico Cooks! Makes Alegrías

Mexico Cooks!' homemade alegrías, freshly turned from the parchment-lined baking sheet onto the cutting board and ready to cut into pieces.

Lots of people are like Mexico Cooks! when it comes to cookbooks. We own hundreds of them, but actually cook from very few. For over a year, I've read and sighed with delight over the stories and recipes in Fany Gerson's My Sweet Mexico–and last week I finally prepared alegrías from her recipe. Fany calls them 'amaranth happiness candy'. Why? Happiness or joy is the English meaning of the Spanish word alegría.

A couple of weeks ago, friends at the superb new Cocina al Natural invited Mexico Cooks!' household to a wonderful comida en casa (main meal of the day at their home). For dessert, they proudly brought a big box of alegrías to the table. "They're home made!" they proclaimed. "No way!" we remonstrated. Well, yes, güey, it was the absolute truth. The alegrías were beautiful, professional, delicious, and prepared from Fany Gerson's cookbook, which is actually in my kitchen library. We joyfully crunched them down.

According to Ricardo Muñoz Zurita, legendary Mexico City chef and author of the Diccionario Enciclopédico de Gastronomía Mexicana (Encyclopedic Dictionary of Mexican Gastronomy), alegrías are the oldest candy in Mexico. In pre-Hispanic times, before sugar cane had been introduced to New Spain (now Mexico), the amaranth candy was sweetened with maguey cactus honey. In that long-ago era, this candy had a highly religious meaning. Shaped in the form of a cookie or cracker, it was utilized for communion in indigenous rituals and also was made into huge sculptures of pre-Christian gods. Because these god-figures appeared so horrible to the Spanish, they outlawed the use of this candy after the conquest. But in the 16th century, a Spanish monk had the idea to mix amaranth with bee honey. Rejoicing over the return of the right to eat this sweet treat, the ancient inhabitants of Mexico named it what they felt 'alegría'–joy.

The topping mixture for the alegrías–raisins and lightly toasted pecans, peanuts, and pepitas (pumpkin seeds), spread onto the parchment-paper lined baking sheet.

The following week, Betty Fussell, our wonderful friend from New York, invited us once again to visit her in Tepoztlán, just south of Mexico City. The light bulb went on: alegrías would make a great hostess gift!

The recipe for alegrías is simplicity itself. Here's the recipe, taken straight from My Sweet Mexico.

Alegrías (Happiness Candy)

Ingredients
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
1/2 cup chopped toasted peanuts
1/2 cup toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1/2 cup dark raisins
8 ounces chopped Mexican piloncillo (coarse brown sugar) or standard dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice
4 ounces puffed amaranth seeds

Equipment
Large bowl
Large spoon
15" X 10" X 1/2" baking sheet
Parchment paper
Medium sauce pan
Cutting board
Sharp knife

Preparation
Line the baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine the pecans, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, and raisins in a bowl and then spread them on the prepared pan.

Piloncillo, honey, and lemon juice in the pot.

Combine the piloncillo, honey, and lemon juice in a medium pot over medium heat and cook until the piloncillo has melted and the mixture has thickened slightly, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Squeezing the jugo de limón (lemon juice) into the mixture is simplicity itself using a Mexican lime squeezers. You can find one in metal or plastic at your local Latin market.

Remove from the heat and add the amaranth seeds, stirring quickly to mix everything well.

Mixing the cooked and thickened piloncillo, honey, and lemon juice mixture with the amaranth seeds.

The amaranth mixture, patted firmly into the parchment-lined baking sheet. Remember that the nuts and raisins are the topping–they're on the other side of the alegrías. Once this rectangle is completely cool, it will be firm and you will easily be able turn it over onto a cutting board.

Pour the amaranth mixture into the baking pan with the nuts, seeds, and raisins, and carefully press down with slightly dampened hands (so you don't burn yourself) to compact the mixture.

Allow to cool completely, 30 to 40 minutes at least, then invert onto a cutting board. Cut the mixture into the desired shapes with a sharp knife. If your mixture seems to be sticking to the knife, simply dip the knife into hot water, dry, and continue cutting.

Freshly made alegrías, ready to travel!

Mexico Cooks!' alegrías turned out really crispy and hard to cut, so instead of battling with the knife, I simply broke them into reasonable-size pieces and packed them in a tightly sealed container to travel the next day.

Were the alegrías a hit? They definitely were! Five of us ate almost all of them. We left all but a couple of the remaining pieces with our hosts, but we had to bring a little bit home. Minimal ingredients, minimal cooking, and maximal enjoyment: what more can you ask for from pre-conquest Mexico! Your family will love them and you can send a big thank you to Fany Gerson at My Sweet Mexico–and to Mexico Cooks!.

If you don't have your copy of the book yet, look over on the left-hand sidebar and just click on the book cover. That click will take you to My Sweet Mexico's Amazon.com page. Grab the book today and make your family a sweet Mexican treat as soon as it's in your kitchen.

And by all means visit our friends at Cocina al Natural. Their website and their videos are marvelous. In the very near future, Mexico Cooks! will be partnering with them to post some of the videos with English-language subtitles. We're all very excited about this new venture.

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

16 de July de 2011
An Italian in Love with Mexico: Homage to Giorgio de’Angeli

Giorgio de'Angeli enjoys one of his passions, eating a taco under the afternoon sun at the December 2007 Encuentro de Cocina Tradicional de Michoacán. Mexico Cooks! photo.

Mexico Cooks! met Giorgio de'Angeli and Alicia Gironella (his wonderful wife and partner in crime) in Jalisco almost a decade ago. While Sra. Gironella prepared what seemed to be a million ingredients for a Guadalajara food event, Dr. De'Angeli and I sat for several hours at the table and talked about his passions: tradition, creativity, and innovation in food preparation (always in combination with ecology and biodiversity), and the Slow Food movement. Dr. de'Angeli, an economist, editor, university professor and gastronome, introduced the Slow Food movement to Mexico in about 2002 and was, at the time we met, its national president.

Dr. de'Angeli died in late May of 2009, shortly after celebrating his 85th birthday. He continues to be lovingly remembered in Mexico's culinary world. On May 15, 2011, his many admirers and friends were treated to a culinary event in his honor: a trip through the world of an Italian in love with Mexico.

Sra. Alicia Gironella de'Angeli poses with a few of Dr. d'Angeli's favorite things, exhibited at his homage in May 2011. His desk and chair, his typewriter, one of his countless awards, his brown cap (the same one he was wearing in the photo Mexico Cooks! took in Morelia), his lamp, and a few books speak reams about the man himself.

Dr. de'Angeli studied, wrote, spoke, ate, and collected with passion. Here, a tiny representation of his collection of restaurant menus and ash trays.

A few more articles from his collection. These are mementos from events at Mexico City's Club de Banqueros.

In addition to the exhibit of Dr. de'Angeli's fascinating personal effects, the homage also offered a tianguis (market) of organic and local goods. Chef Margarita Carrillo de Salinas and her assistant offered delicious tastes of artisan-brand Finno ice cream.

For decades, María Luisa Obregón has sold cuisine-related books at Mexico's culinary events. It's always a delight to see her and browse through El Rincón de María Luisa, her peripatetic book store.

A good deal of the May 2011 event centered around children–the future of the culinary world as well as the world at large. It was tremendously entertaining to watch the miniature chefs in their tall paper Slow Food toques take lessons from some of the biggest names in Mexico's restaurant world.

Sra. Gironella with two adorably eager chefs-in-the-making. Left, Miranda Sánchez Díaz, age 9, and right, her brother, Francisco Sánchez Díaz, age 7.

Lesson One: everyone knows that a correctly placed toque is the most important part of being a chef!

We're not the least bit nervous!

What did he say we have to do next?

Ana María González, of Mexico City's Restaurante El Tajín, contributes to this boy's joy of cooking. El Tajín, founded in 1993 by Dr. de'Angeli and Sra. Gironella, continues its long and well-deserved success under her watchful eye.

Every time I am tempted to buy another olla de barro (clay pot) for the kitchen, I linger and hover over it, turn away and turn back, and sometimes it comes home with me. Look at this seductive beauty which I bought from Gabriel and Yunuén of Xoxoc, who brought it to the tianguis from the state of Hidalgo. That shape! Those handles! How in the world could I resist! The book, Los Clásicos de la Cocina Mexicana, is by Ricardo Muñoz Zurita and is available now for pre-order through Amazon. You'll see the book cover listed on the Mexico Cooks! left-hand sidebar. One click takes you to its purchase page. The 1950s-era framed traditional Mexican kitchen has lived in the Mexico Cooks! kitchen for years.

Dr. de'Angeli, it was a wonderful afternoon of reliving old memories and making new ones. Thanks for your tremendous passion for la cocina mexicana. We miss you so much.

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

Disclaimer: Marca País-Imágen de México is a joint public and private sector initiative designed to help promote Mexico as a global business partner and an unrivaled tourist destination. This program is designed to shine a light on the Mexico that its people experience every day. Disclosure: I am being compensated for my work in creating content for the Mexico Today program. All stories, opinions, and passions for all things Mexico that I write on Mexico Cooks! are completely my own.

9 de July de 2011
Dining at the Matterhorn: Restaurante Monte Cervino of Mexico City’s Colegio Superior de Gastronomía

The name of the restaurant at Mexico City's Colegio Superior de Gastronomía translates to "Matterhorn". We're lucky to be able to walk over for comida (Mexico's main meal of the day), with no mountain climbing involved.

A few days ago, our young downstairs neighbor stopped in for her first visit with us. Although we'd greeted her in the elevator and outside the building, we didn't know much about her other than that she has an adorable puppy called Diego Rivera. Now we know that she is studying for a four-year licenciatura (similar to a bachelor's degree) at Mexico City's Colegio Superior de Gastronomía. She has only a year left before she's finished with the degree program. She invited us to go and enjoy the offerings at the school's student-operated restaurant. We'd walked past it many times and were aware of the school, but we had never known about the restaurant.

Orli Horta Shvarzblat, student at the Colegio Superior de Gastronomía and our delightful neighbor. The school is the very first university dedicated to gastronomy in Latin America, founded as the Tecnológico Hotelero in 1977 and transformed into the Colegio Superior de Gastronomía in 1992. Because of Orli, we are now privy to one of our neighborhood's best-kept-secrets for comida and cena (supper).

Although the restaurant wasn't overflowing, the turnout was respectable for a Monday mid-afternoon. Six or seven of the ten tables were filled while we were there.

After their first four semesters of study, the students run the restaurant, from the back of the house to the front. Every three months, their roles change: this quarter behind the bar, next quarter as a line cook, next quarter as a server, next quarter…you get it. Each time the students change places, the restaurant menu changes, too. By the time a student graduates, he or she has full knowledge of restaurant operation. Take a look at the school's elaborate academic and hands-on curriculum: Colegio Superior de Gastronomía.

The beautiful and delicious amuse bouche, an opening gift from the chef to excite the mouth and open the appetite. This amuse, one spoon for each of us, was a single bite of chilled fresh tuna sashimi, served with peppery arugula and drizzled with parsley oil.

Service is attentive without being intrusive and the food is alta cocina–haute cuisine, with a big pinch of Europe, a big pinch of Asia, a big pinch of Mexico, a big pinch of creativity, and a tiny pinch of oops, I forgot to bring your drink order! We were quite impressed and we will definitely go back. Comida includes six courses (amuse through dessert) plus four alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks. It's quite the bargain at 220 pesos (about $19.00USD, at today's exchange rate) per person.

Judy's entrada (appetizer): wafer-thin slices of jícama hiding a portion of aguachile de camarón. Those beautiful red tangles are amazingly beet-y beet sprouts!

My entrada, and don't even think about snitching a bite! A three-inch triangular wedge of watermelon, drizzled with balsamic vinegar, dotted with a few tiny cubes of bacon, and surrounded by wee bites of goat cheese plus a sprinkling of sweetened dried fruits and nuts. The combination is tantalizing. And that crowning mint leaf? Think crystallized: it crackles in the mouth and gives just a hint of mint.

The selection of sopas (normally a course of either wet or dry soups) did not offer anything like the usual sopa de fideo (very thin pasta in an equally thin tomato sauce called caldillo de jitomate) or consomé de pollo (chicken consommé). Judy chose the sopa pictured above: mousse de foie. The white foam is made of guanábana (soursop), the golden brown puff is an Iberian ham croquet, and the almost-brown creamy ruffle is mousse of paté de foie gras. On top, a slice of red grape.

My sopa was indeed soup, but wow–a chilled fresh strawberry soup with a touch of malamado (a Malbec wine)! On the bamboo skewer, a perfect half strawberry and a chunk of kiwi fruit.

Judy's entremés (between-courses plate): roast duck, fried in a crunchy wrapper and served with spicy chutney, mezcal honey and threads of crispy potato.

My mid-course dish was a serving of mixed seafood (smoked oyster, shrimp, and squid), topped with melted cheese and a dollop of caviar. Although the seafood flavors were good (and I loved the touch of caviar), in my opinion, this combination was not as successful as the previous courses.

Judy's main course was a serving of mahi mahi in adobo, wrapped in banana leaf to cook and plated with pickled red onions and polenta. A sauce of chile habanero was the excellent flavor complement.

My main course: black risotto cooked in squid ink and accompanied on the plate by a langostino, served with a seafood reduction. The rice needed a bit longer cooking time and the langostino needed a bit less.

Judy asked our waiter, "Which is the dessert with the most chocolate?" From left, a dark and white chocolate mousse flavored with rosemary, a slice of dark chocolate cake flavored with thyme, a pretty squiggle of delicious chocolate, and a bolita (miniature scoop) of nopal ice cream.

And my dessert: a bolita of queso de cabra (goat cheese) covered with port wine jelly and backed with a poof of algodón de azúcar (cotton candy), plated with a really delicious fig compote. The strongly flavored goat cheese was, in my opinion, a less-than perfect accompaniment to the sweet of the compote. I'd try preparing the same presentation with a bolita of flavored mascarpone instead of the queso de cabra.

The students are giving it their all as they work toward a restaurant career. What they are learning is very different from standard food preparation in Mexico. Today, top-end restaurants of alta cocina are totalmente de la moda (very much in style); in this kind of restaurant, plating and presentation are as crucial to success as the food itself. Nevertheless, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. In my first experience of comida at the Colegio Superior de Gastronomía, the plating and presentation get a 10 (Mexico's 'A' grade in school). The food gets a seven. There's room for improvement, yes, but we'll definitely go back.

Monte Cervino
Cocina de Alta Escuela
Av. Sonora #189 Esq. Av. México
Col. Hipódromo Condesa
Del. Cuahutémoc
México Distrito Federal 06100
Hours:
(comida): Monday through Thursday 1.30PM – 3.45PM
(cena): Monday through Thursday 6.30PM – 9:45PM
Reservations: 5584.3800 ext. 103 (calling from Mexico City)

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

2 de July de 2011
Carmen Titita Ramírez y Restaurante El Bajío, Mexico City
El Bajío's original restaurant is puro folclór (completely traditional and colorful) in its decor as well as its extraordinarily delicious food. The cardboard Judas (devil figures) are typically burned on Holy Saturday night, but these have survived to keep an eye on you as you dine.

At a recent book presentation at the UNAM Jardín Botánico (Botanical Garden at Mexico's national university), Mexico Cooks! renewed acquaintance with the deservedly celebrated Carmen Titita Ramírez Degollado, founder (with her husband) and owner of Mexico City's Restaurantes El Bajío. Titita, as she is known to family, friends, and faithful customers, graciously invited us to come for comida at whichever of the eight El Bajío restaurants we preferred, and we chose the founding site, in the far northern part of Mexico City called Azcapotzalco. We particularly wanted to see the birthplace of the legendary restaurant.

Founded by Titita's husband Raúl in 1972, the highly successful restaurant has now expanded to eight locations in various parts of Mexico's capital city.

Twenty-nine years ago, when Titita was left a widow with five children, she took over running the restaurant. Over the course of the years, it has become a temple dedicated to the preservation of Mexican recipes, particularly those from her Veracruz homeland. Her cooking skills, like those of all the best Mexican restaurant owners, were honed in her home kitchen, watching and learning from her mother and other female relatives and her childhood nanas (nannies). "Mexican food is not about fusion with other cooking styles. Mix Mexican food with Japanese, or Italian, and what do you get? Confusion! Traditional Mexican food is like traditional French or Italian cuisine: recipes and techniques are time-honored formulas carried intact into today's kitchens. My restaurant cooks might use a blender instead of a metate (volcanic grinding stone) to save time in the commercial kitchen, but the end result, the food on your plate, is the same as it was decades ago."

Titita next to the gorgeous wall of baskets that decorates the Colonia Polanco branch of El Bajío. After our several-hour multi-course meal at the original location, Titita took us to Polanco to see that site. "Yes, we'd love to go with you today–but," we begged her, "please, please, don't feed us anything else!"

Because we were Titita's guests, we barely looked at the El Bajío menu. Titita, a supremely generous hostess, graciously ordered a lengthy tasting menu for us, a selection of some of her clients' favorite items. The full menu is available at the restaurant's website.

The first course brought to the table was antojitos de banqueta (little sidewalk whims), so called because these treats are normally eaten while you're standing at a street stand. Clockwise from nine o'clock on the plate, we ate a gordita de frijol inflada (puffed-up thick tortilla, the masa mixed with black beans, served with that tiny dish of smoky salsa de chipotle meco), a garnacha orizabeña (a small tortilla topped with Orizaba-style shredded beef, diced potato, and, in this case, red salsa), an empanada de plátano macho (the masa (dough) of the empanada is made of sweet, ripe plantain which is then filled with black beans and fried), and a panucho yucateco (a small tortilla covered with Yucatecan-style black beans, cochinita pibil, onion and chile habanero).

Next, each of us tried a tasting-menu size portion of cebiche verde de cazón (green ceviche made of dogfish, a kind of shark, marinated in citrus and chile).

One tiny round empanada rellena con frijoles negros (a round empanada filled with black beans), dusted with Cotija cheese. The beans were delicious with the subtle anise flavor of dried avocado leaves.

Arroz con mole de Xico (Mexican red rice with Xico-style mole), accompanied by a tiny serving of chicken breast and slices of plátanos machos fritos (fried ripe plantains).

Mayora Sandra Olvera is in charge of making El Bajío's mole; she's holding a standard-size plate, ready to be served to a restaurant client. Doña Sandra has been in the kitchen at El Bajío for its entire 40 years. For more than 30 years, Mexico Cooks! has eaten mole everywhere in Mexico and this extraordinary mole de Xico is by far my favorite.

Two of the members of Los Tuxpeños, a group specializing in traditional music from Veracruz. They are often at El Bajío to enliven the guests' comida (main midafternoon meal of the day).

A short breather in between courses: I confess that I was ready to be disillusioned by El Bajío. Whether cracking open a much-ballyhooed best-selling book, planning to see an Oscar-winning movie, or tucking into a legendary restaurant's meal for the first time, I am often guilty of having the preconceived notion that, "It couldn't possibly be as good as the hype." Let me tell you that El Bajío is at least as good as its publicity. The atmosphere is lovely, the food is world class, and the service is excellent.

Titita told me that this little clay pig–although it's not so little, measuring more nearly a meter from snout to tail–hails from Toluca and is used to steam-heat tamales. The door in the side, once used for carbón (Mexico's charcoal), is now used for an alcohol burner.

Titita and her restaurants have participated in world-wide events and have won every prize conceivable, including the following:
- 1998 "The Amercian Academy of Hospitality Services" Five Star Diamond Award.
- Participated for 10 years in the culinary events of Festival Anual del Centro Histórico de la Ciudad de México.
- Consultant for various restaurantes in the United States and Europe.
- Active member of the Asociación Mexicana de Restaurantes (AMR).
- Member of the International Association of Professional Chefs (I.A.C.P.) of the USA.
- For three years, demonstrated Mexican cuisine at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley, California.
- Represented Mexico in the USA-based television commercials for the campaign "Got Milk" in Los Angeles, California.
- Won recognition as "La Llave Empresarial 2006" granted by AMAIT y ABASTUR in México.
- Nominated by the New York Times as one of the two great matriarchs of Mexican cooking.
- Won the 2008 and 2009 restaurant business merit prize.
Titita assured me that the menu, the quality, and the prices are the same at all of the eight El Bajío locations, regardless of neighborhood and regardless of clientele.

Quesadillas de flor de calabaza (quesadillas made with squash flowers, epazote, onion, garlic, and chile jalapeño). The deep, rich, complicated flavor of these quesadillas was pure Mexico.

Somehow we dived into two of the courses much too fast and the food escaped the Mexico Cooks! camera. One was a taco of delicious carnitas estilo Tacámbaro (Tacámbaro-style pork) that gave us a taste of our beloved Michoacán, the other, a tasting plate of pescado a la veracruzana (Veracruz-style fish, with tomatoes, onions, and olives), brought us back to Titita's birthplace on Mexico's east coast.

The last touch to a typical meal from the east coast of Mexico: a small dish of frijoles negros refritos (refried black beans), to eat with totopos (tortilla chips) or to roll into a small taco. One of these is plenty as the final toquecito salado (little salty touch) to a meal such as ours.

And then there was dessert! We shared two: first, a marvelous individual-size dark chocolate tart filled with cajeta (otherwise known as dulce de leche) and topped with a coffee bean, created by María Teresa Ramírez Degollado (Titita's daughter), her partner Joan Bagur Bagur and their staff at Artesanos del Dulce.

Next, the hands-down best capirotada I have ever eaten. If you've been around Mexico Cooks! for long, you know that I am a huge fan of this typically Lenten dessert–but wow, this one is stupendous for any time of year.

Titita also gave us a copy of her beautiful cookbook, Alquimias y Atmósferas del Sabor: Alta Gastronomía de doña Carmen Titita (Alchemy and Atmospheres of Flavor: Haute Cuisine of doña Carmen Titita), with superb photo illustrations by internationally known photographer Ignacio Urquiza, Editorial Tiempo Imaginario, México. First published in 2001, the book won the Gourmand World Cookbook Award in 2002. The second edition was published in 2009. As far as Mexico Cooks! knows, the book is presently available only in Spanish.

Alquimias y Atmósferas del Sabor is as exquisite in its presentation as in its recipes, several of which are offered on the menu at all of the El Bajío restaurants. Try Titita's recipe for empanadas de plátano macho; it's very simple and will make your household and your guests sigh with delight. Here is Mexico Cooks!' translation of Titita's recipe. Serve these empanadas with any Mexican main dish you choose and freshly prepared rice; they are marvelous with a rich mole served with chicken or pork.
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Empanadas de Plátano Macho Rellenas con Frijoles Refritos
Plantain Dough Empanadas filled with Refried Beans

Ingredients
3 very ripe platános machos (plantains), skins on
Salt to taste
1 quart water
Enough vegetable oil to fry the empanadas, with a little extra to coat your hands while shaping them

Refried black beans

Special utensil
Tortilla press or rolling pin

The plantains are ready to use when their yellow skins have turned almost entirely black and are showing a bit of mold–just when you might think it is time to pitch them in the trash.

The day before you want to serve the empanadas, cook the plaintains without peeling them in the quart of boiling water. Allow them to cool overnight.

The next day, peel the plaintains and discard the peels. Mash the plantains to make a smooth paste that you will use as the empanada dough. Rub vegetable oil all over your hands and make 12 little balls of the plantain dough.

To flatten the dough, put each ball between two sheets of plastic (a cut-open freezer bag would work very well) and flatten into circles with either a rolling pin or the tortilla press.

In the middle of each plantain dough circle, put a tablespoonful of refried black beans. Fold each empanada in half, completely covering the beans with the plantain dough. Firmly press the edges together so that the beans cannot escape while the empanadas are cooking.

Heat the oil almost to the smoking point and fry the empanadas until they are a beautiful deep golden color. Drain on absorbent paper.

Arrange on a small platter, garnish with a flower or two, and serve.

Makes 12 empanadas as a side dish.

You will love these empanadas and your family will beg for them.
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Click for the El Bajío location nearest you in Mexico City: Sucursales

When you go, please tell Titita that Cristina at Mexico Cooks! sent you, and give her a hug from me.

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here: Tours.
25 de June de 2011
Morelia en Boca en la Boca de Todos :: Everybody’s Talking about Morelia en Boca, Part 2

Here's Mexico Cooks!, once again starting at the finish. As we always say: life is uncertain, eat dessert first. This particular postre (dessert), the sweet finale to a special Morelia en Boca Friday night dinner at Restaurante LU, is by chef Roberto Santibáñez of Fonda Restaurant in New York.

The sold-out dinner, titled Luces de New York en Cielo Michoacano (Lights of New York in the Michoacán Heavens), was constantly surprising in its scope and, equal to its name, heavenly in its flavors. This dessert is a meringue mounted on sweetened cream of queso Cotija (Michoacán's signature artisan cheese) and filled with a mixed-berry compote, and passionfruit ice cream colored with red flowers. The combination of contrasting flavors was stunning; after the first forkful, everyone at Mexico Cooks!' table simply stared at one another, speechless with delight.

Another plate from Luces de New York en Cielo Michoacano as prepared by chefs Roberto Santibáñez and Lucero Soto Arriaga: fresh Michoacán trout, smoked over guava wood and chilled, garnished with a gaspacho of cucumber, pineapple, avocado, and shredded beets.

Last week Mexico Cooks! introduced you to some of the world-class chefs who stood over the hot stoves at Morelia en Boca 2011. Today, let's eat! The festival food–a Mexican combination plate ranging from far-southern Chiapanecan tascalate (see below) to a Baja California tartaleta de chocolate con chile habanero (chocolate and chile habanero tart) to Michoacán's own uchepos con crema y salsa (fresh corn tamales served with cream and fiery sauce)–was as diverse as Mexico's geography. Three days of non-stop food and drink, all served under an unprecedented blazing ball of central Mexican sun, left us Morelia en Boca participants breathless but wanting more.

Patricia Zepeda accompanied her niece, brilliant young Chiapas chef Martha Zepeda, to Morelia en Boca. Tía Paty helped staff Chef Martha's stand featuring San Cristóbal de las Casas restaurant Tierra y Cielo. Bearing up to the challenge of Morelia's intense midday sun, Paty served chilled and refreshing horchata de tascalate to all comers. I first tasted tascalate at Morelia en Boca. A sleekly smooth and blessedly cool agua fresca (fresh water) common to Chiapas, it's made of ground tortillas, chocolate, cinnamon, achiote, vanilla, sugar, and water. Some recipes also incorporate ground pine nuts. In addition to tascalate and several wonderful botanas (appetizer-size nibbles), the booth also offered classic Chiapaneco pox (pronounced and often spelled posh), a fermented and sometimes fruit-flavored knock-your-socks off liquor made of sugar cane.

Demonstrated by chef Betty Vázquez and the team from Riviera Nayarit, this pescado zarandeado (sauced and grilled fish) leapt with color and flavor. The sauce, an adobo of chiles, garlic, and other ingredients, is brushed onto the skin-on butterflied fish prior to grilling. Traditionally grilled over a wood fire, the fish is juicy and tender.

During Morelia en Boca, Mexico's food and wine event of the late spring season, ticketholders had the opportunity to taste as much of the bounty of Villa Gourmet as they liked. Villa Gourmet, a large interior patio at the Palacio Clavijero, overflowed with specially constructed and rustically sophisticated wooden booths where more than thirty providers show off their wares: beer from Belgium, wines from Spain, France, and Mexico (among other countries), and foods from all over Mexico vied for space in our stomachs. Some attendees concentrated on the numerous wine and beer tastings, while others concentrated on the food.

Bread! Glorious loaves like these, offered for tasting at Morelia en Boca's Villa Gourmet, are baked by chef Elena Reygadas's Italian restaurant Rosetta, located in Mexico City's Colonia Roma. Morelia en Boca attendees rapidly found the restaurant's stand at the festival's Villa Gourmet and devoured every crumb.

At Morelia en Boca's Villa Gourmet, Mexico Cooks! talked with Ricardo Serratos of Hotel Real de Minas, San Miguel de Allende, and Elena Reygada of Restaurante Rosetta, Mexico City.

In addition to the daytime Villa Gourmet, the three nights of the festival offered special dinners prepared by internationally-known chefs in conjunction with Morelia restaurants. The likes of Mikel Alonso (Restaurante Biko, Mexico City), Roberto Santibáñez (Fonda Restaurant, New York), Enrique Olvera (Restaurante Pujol, Mexico City), and Margarita Carrillo de Salinas (Restaurante Don Emiliano, San José del Cabo), to name just a handful, cooked wowzer dinners for those who were lucky enough to get tickets to the rapidly sold out meals.

Mezcal from Chef Pilar Cabrera's Oaxaca Restaurante La Olla, served in seedless, veinless, hotter-than-you-know-where chiles de agua, their rims crusted with sal de gusano, a powerhouse mix of salt, ground maguey cactus worm, and powdered chile.

Simojovel chiles from Chiapas.

An appetizer plate by chef Rodolfo Castellanos, owner of Restaurante Huaje in Oaxaca. From the left on the plate are mezcal foam, fresh and barely roasted tuna with a coating of chile chilhuacle ashes, and a small salad of slivers of Michoacán's native black-skinned avocado, onion, tiny tortilla chips, and cilantro, all in a piloncillo vinaigrette. This five-course dinner (titled Pasión a Fuego Lento: Erotismo en la Cocina–Passion over a Slow Fire: Eroticism in the Kitchen), was prepared by Chef Castellanos in conjunction with chef Margarita Carrillo de Salinas and served at Morelia's Restaurante San Miguelito. The meal included wine pairings from Casa Madero, Mexico's oldest wine grower, with a literary talk about the dinner's title by author José Iturriaga and wine discussions by the extraordinary scholar and sommelier Pilar Meré.

José N. Iturriaga, the delightful and erudite author, historian, and gastronome, signs a copy of his most recent book, Confieso que He Comido (I Confess That I Have Eaten). Just before the dinner Pasión a Fuego Lento: Erotismo en la Cocina (Passion over a Slow Fire: Eroticism in the Kitchen) at Restaurante San Miguelito, Sr. Iturriaga spoke about the relationship between two hungers, one erotic and the other for food. Photo courtesy Francisco de Santiago, Mexico City.

After the brilliant Saturday night dinner at Restaurante San Miguelito, chefs (left to right) Rodolfo Castellanos, Margarita Carrillo de Salinas and restaurant owner Cynthia Martínez enjoy the happy applause of their guests.

We'll finish with dessert by Margarita Carrillo: tartaleta de chocolate, chile habanero, y almendras con helado de canela hecho en casa (little chocolate tart with chile habanero and ground almonds, served with home made cinnamon ice cream) and Casa Madero brandy.

Note: all links to chefs and restaurants are for your information only and are not paid endorsements.

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

18 de June de 2011
Morelia en Boca en la Boca de Todos :: Everybody’s Talking about Morelia en Boca, Part 1

Morelia en Boca 2011 offered three full days and nights of gastronomic conferences, wine and food tasting, and marvelous dinners (with wine pairings) prepared by internationally-known chefs. Whispers of the glories of this festival-to-come had circulated for an entire year, and Mexico Cooks! had eagerly awaited the event.

Everyone's first question was, "Why a rabbit for the festival logo?" The rabbit, long linked with the rich culture of Michoacán, has several meanings. First, it refers to the former town of San Juan Parangaricutiro, which was relocated to the former hacienda known as Los Conejos (the rabbits) when the erupting volcano Paricutín destroyed the original town in 1943. Second, the logo refers to the ancient Purhépecha legend of the rabbit in the moon. According to the legend, the mischievous rabbit devours the ripe produce in a farming family's fields. The farmer then traps the rabbit to serve as a family dinner. The smart rabbit tricks a coyote into freeing him from his cage. The watching moon–considered to be the rabbit's mother–gives her son the gift of zigzagging and hopping in order to escape the angry, hungry, and desperate coyote. Just as the rabbit is about to be trapped, the moon drops down a silver ladder that she has knit from spiderwebs. The rabbit hops high and skips up the ladder, disappearing forever into the moon's embrace. The coyote is left on the earth to howl his pain, his hunger, his fear, and his desperation, while the rabbit is plainly visible on the shining face of his mother, the moon. Next time the moon is full, take a look and you'll see him for yourself, still cuddled in the moon's embrace. The rabbit in the moon, ancient emblem of Michoacán and Mexico, is visible to the entire world.

Mise en place (all previously prepared ingredients in place) for a cooking demonstration, one of many presented at this recent and enormously successful international culinary event . The pre-measured ingredients that you see here are displayed in tiny dried jícaras (gourds).

The festival paired renowned chefs from as far south as Oaxaca and Chiapas with others from as far north as New York City. Food writers and photographers from both Mexico and the United States descended en masse on Morelia for the event. The most common and excited exclamation among wine and culinary participants at the festival–in both Spanish and English–was, "Oh my god, we're friends on Facebook and finally we get to meet in person!"

From left, Oaxaca's Chef Pilar Cabrera of Restaurante La Olla, Morelia's favorite daughter Chef Lucero Soto Arriaga (Restaurante LU, Morelia), and Chef Iliana de la Vega, of the Austin, Texas restaurant El Naranjo (formerly based in Oaxaca). The three laughing chefs were mid-presentation at Morelia en Boca.

The group from Cocina al Natural, including Celia Marín, Bertha Herrera, Martha Ponce, Sonia Ortiz, and Ana Luisa Suárez of Vinos Wagner, a sponsor of the website. Cocina al Natural launched its website with a joy-filled presentation that included video, delightful talk, and chilled white wines from from Vinos Wagner.

Morelia en Boca offered something for everyone with an interest in either food or wine or both. Daily conferences included panels speaking on topics ranging from the importance and influence of the Culinary Institute of America (Chefs Iliana de la Vega and Roberto Santíbañez) to the launch of the new and wonderful interactive–and very user-friendly–website Cocina al Natural (Celia Marín and Sonia Ortiz). Equally diverse demonstrations included presentations by chefs Enrique Olvera (Restaurante Pujol, Mexico City), Pablo San Román (Restaurante DO, Mexico City) and the new generation of chefs represented by Rodolfo Castellaños (Restaurante Huaje, Oaxaca) and Marta Zepeda (Restaurante Tierra y Cielo, San Cristóbal de las Casas), and an enormous chocolate sculpture–of our logo rabbit–by premier Mexican chocolate maker and chef José Ramón Castillo. More than a dozen separate catas de vino (wine tastings) showed off wineries from Mexico, France, Spain, and the United States. The Belgian brewer Gouden Carolus beamed over its featured offerings of summery wheat beer and truly delicious fruit flavored beers.

Part of the team from Riviera Nayarit, including the outstanding west coast chefs (left to right) Gerardo Sandoval Fernández, Betty Vázquez, and Marco Valdivia. The Riviera Nayarit stand at Villa Gourmet offered portions of aguachile de camarón (raw shrimp marinated in a sometimes-fiery sauce of jugo de limón and chile serrano), along with a delicious Nayarit-style cebiche topped with spicy Salsa Huichol, one of the sponsors of Riviera Nayarit's visit to Morelia en Boca.

Mexico Cooks! on the job. Photo courtesy Adriana Pérez de Legaspi.

Food and wine tastings at Morelia en Boca took place at the Palacio Clavijero, a 17th Century Jesuit school. In the building's second patio, more than 30 charming wooden providers' booths surrounded a multitude of comfortable tables and chairs. The cost of festival tickets included good-sized tastes (really, as much as you wanted) of both food and drink, including treats from Oaxaca, Chiapas, Nayarit, and Michoacán, Belgian beer, and wines from several countries.

Drop-dead delicious bite-size dark chocolate cups filled with jam handmade from Michoacán-grown blackberries and topped with artisan-made queso Cotija, also from Michoacán. These little marvels (and a big selection of others) were available at the Morelia Museo del Dulce stand at Villa Gourmet.

Next week, come back for Part Two of the festivities at Morelia en Boca. Mexico Cooks! will feature the Morelia en Boca dinners prepared by chefs Roberto Santibáñez of Fonda in New York City, Lucero Soto Arriaga of Morelia's Restaurante LU, Margarita Carrillo de Salinas of Restaurante Don Emiliano in Cabo San José, Baja California Sur, and Rodolfo Castellanos of Restaurante Huaje, Oaxaca.

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

11 de June de 2011
Puro Amor: Pure Love, Diana Kennedy and Oaxaca al Gusto

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

28 de May de 2011