Tag: Mexico

Made At Home With Mexico-Grown Blackberries :: Not your Abuelita’s Cobbler

Blackberries are one of the staples of the Mexico Cooks! kitchen. In season nearly year-round, Mexico's blackberries are commercially grown primarily in the states of Michoacán and Jalisco. I'm crushing this bowlful of delicious blackberries with Splenda® and a pinch of salt to add to breakfast yoghurt. Wild blackberries (in the Purépecha language, tzitún) still grow in the oak and pine forests of Michoacán.

In 1994, the commercially cultivated blackberry first arrived in the area around Los Reyes, Michoacán. High in the mountains, Los Reyes offered a perfect climate for the Brazos variety of erect blackberries. Originally, the commercial growers planted only three hectáreas (about 6 acres) of berries. Developed at Texas A&M University and introduced in 1959, 'Brazos' has been the Texas standard for years and is still a great variety. The berries are large and the plants produce heavily. In Michoacán, this variety starts ripening early in May. The berries are a just a little bit acid and are better for cooking and canning than fresh eating. This variety has more thorny plants and larger seeded fruit than many of the improved varieties. In fact, the blackberries offered in Mexico's markets are huge, about an inch long by half an inch in diameter–as big as the ball of my thumb.

Brazos blackberries 'on the hoof'.

Since those 1994 beginnings, local growers have learned a tremendous amount about the cultivation of blackberries. Today, the fruit fields cover more than 12,500 hectáreas in the area of Los Reyes, Tocumbo, and Peribán, and cultivation is currently underway in the area around Pátzcuaro–almost all in the west-central highlands of Michoacán. The 2018 blackberry production reached a weight of more than 260,000 tons of blackberries–tons! Ninety-five percent of those were exported to the United States, the primary foreign market. The rest of those exported went to Europe and Japan. This quantity of blackberries represents 95% of those grown in Michoacán and 90% of those grown anywhere in Mexico. Next time you buy a plastic "clamshell" box of blackberries, look at the label. Most labels will read, "Product of Mexico." Mexico Cooks!' rinconcito (tiny corner) of Mexico produces more blackberries than anywhere else in the world. Fortunately, enough of Michoacán's blackberries stay in Mexico to satisfy its population.

Recently Mexico Cooks! was unable to find unsweetened, unflavored yoghurt in our neighborhood shops–and there was nearly a kilo (2.2 pounds) of blackberries in the refrigerator that needed to be eaten immediately. They had been destined for a week's worth of breakfasts, but one morning se me prendió el foco (the light bulb went on in my brain) and I thought: COBBLER! In the bowl is the entire amount of berries, mixed with sugar, the juice and some grated zest of a limón (key lime), and a bit of cornstarch.

Blackberry cobbler, as you might have guessed, is not in the standard Mexican food repertoire. However, when all of the ingredients are grown or made in Mexico, maybe it should be. In the photo are salt, baking powder, an egg, two limones, wheat flour, standard-grade sugar,milk, and freshly rendered pork lard. Lard, so shoot me! You can substitute vegetable shortening, but lard tastes better.

Pre-heat the oven to 425ºF and butter a baking dish. In this instance, I used an 8" square ovenproof glass baking dish.

Scoop the blackberry mixture into the pan and gently even it out.

Measure the shortening of your choice. I always use the displacement method to measure solid shortening: for this 1/4 cup of lard, I started with 1 3/4 cups of cold water in this clear measuring cup. I added lard until the water rose to the two-cup level, then emptied out the water. Bingo, 1/4 cup of lard and no mess.

The flour mixture that will become the dough for topping the cobbler. You see the lard on top of the flour mixture, ready to be worked into it.

The flour mixture should look like this when you finish working the lard into it.

Break an egg into the milk and beat with a fork till blended.

The cobbler, topped with raw dough and ready for the oven. Sprinkle the raw dough with sugar to give it a finished look after baking. The cornstarch that I mixed with the raw blackberries and sugar thickens the juices as the cobbler bakes.

Bake the cobbler for about half an hour, or until the dough is light golden brown. Your house will smell heavenly!

Here's the entire recipe:

Blackberry Cobbler

Ingredients
4-6 cups fresh blackberries
3/4 cup sugar, divided use
1 Tbsp lemon juice
zest of 1/2 lemon
1 Tbsp cornstarch

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 cup shortening–in this instance, lard
4 Tbsp butter
1 whole egg
1/2 cup milk

Preparation
Preheat your oven to 425ºF.

Butter the glass baking dish. Mix blackberries, 1/2 cup sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a large mixing bowl. Reserve.

In a separate bowl, mix the flour, salt, baking powder, and 1 or 2 Tbsp sugar. Add the shortening and butter and work them into the flour with your fingers, until the mixture looks like fairly coarse corn meal.

Measure 1/2 cup milk into a large measuring cup; break the egg into the milk. Beat with a fork until well blended. Pour the milk/egg mixture into the flour/shortening mixture and stir until smooth. The dough should not be sticky; if you need to add more flour, start with just an additional tablespoon. When the dough is smooth but still quite damp, it's ready.

Pour the blackberry mixture into the glass baking dish and gently even out the berries with your fingers. Put large spoonfuls of dough all over the berries, leaving some small spaces on top for the juice to bubble through. Flatten the dough a little–use your fingers, and don't worry about how it looks. Sprinkle the top of the dough with a tablespoon or two of sugar.

Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. A serving of blackberry cobbler, topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, will look like this–truly a thing of beauty.

The finished product: blackberry cobbler, hot out of the oven and topped with rich real-cream vanilla ice cream. The top diameter of the small white bowl in the photo above measures three inches.

What could be better for breakfast, or for dessert–a taste of Mexican blackberries, from a recipe straight out of your grandmother's kitchen!

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

22 de June de 2019
The Mexican Nativity Scene at Christmas: El Nacimiento

A Christmas tree may be the central focus of your home decoration during this joyous season of the Christian year. In most parts of Mexico, the Christmas tree is a fairly recent import and the primary focus of the holiday is still on the nacimiento (manger scene, creche, or nativity scene).

One of Mexico Cooks!' biggest delights every late November and early December is shopping for Christmas–not hunting for gifts, but rather for new items to place in our nacimiento (manger scene). Truth be told, we have five nacimientos–or maybe six–that come out each Christmas season, but only one of them keeps growing every year.

The tiny figures in this nacimiento are made of clay; the choza (hut) is made of wood. The shepherds and angels have distinctive faces; no two are alike. One shepherd carries firewood, another a tray of pan dulce (sweet breads), a third has a little bird in his hands. The tallest figures measure only three inches high. The Niño Dios (Baby Jesus) is not usually placed in the pesebre (manger) until the night of December 24. The Niño Dios for this nacimiento is just over an inch long and is sleeping on his stomach with his tiny knees drawn up under him, just like a real infant. This nacimiento was made about 25 years ago in Tonalá, Jalisco, Mexico.

Mexican households traditionally pass the figures for their nacimientos down through the family; the figures begin to look a little tattered after traveling from great-grandparents to several subsequent generations, but no one minds. In fact, each figure holds loving family memories and is the precious repository of years of 'remember when…?'. No one cares that the Virgin Mary's gown is chipped around the hem or that St. Joseph is missing an arm; remembering how the newest baby teethed on the Virgin's dress or how a long-deceased visiting aunt's dog bit off St. Joseph's arm is cause for a family's nostalgic laughter.

Nacimiento en vivo (living nativity scene), Lake Chapala, Jalisco, Mexico. In 13th century Italy, St. Francis of Assisi was inspired to re-enact the birth of Christ. The first nacimiento was presented with living creatures: the oxen, the donkey, and the Holy Family. Even today in Mexican communities, there are hundreds of living manger scenes.

Holy Family, 18th century Italy. The first nativity figures, made of clay, were created in 15th century Naples and their use spread rapidly throughout Italy and Spain. In Spain, the early figural groups were called 'Belenes' (Bethlehems).

A few weeks before Christmas, our tiny nacimiento de plomo (manger scene with lead figures, none over four inches high) comes out of yearlong storage. The wee village houses are made of cardboard and hand-painted; each has snow on its roof and a little tree in front. You might well ask what the figures in the photo represent: el Sr. San José (St. Joseph, who in Mexico always wears green and gold) leads the donkey carrying la Virgen María (the Virgin Mary) on their trek to Belén (Bethlehem). We put these figures out earliest and move them a bit closer to Bethlehem every day. This nacimiento is the one that grows each year; we have added many figures to the original few. This year we expect the total number of figures to rise to more than 60.

Click on the photo and you will see that the Holy Family has not yet arrived in Bethlehem; the choza is empty and St. Joseph's staff is just visible in the lower right-hand corner. Click to enlarge the photo to better see the figures in the nacimiento: gamboling sheep, birds of all kinds, shepherds, shepherdesses, St. Charbel, an angel, and Our Lady of Guadalupe are all ready to receive the Niño Dios (Baby Jesus). Notice the upright red figure standing in the Spanish moss: that's Satan, who is always present in a Mexican nacimiento to remind us that although the birth of Jesus offers love and the possibility of redemption, sin and evil are always present in the world.

Detail of the lead figures in our ever-growing nacimiento. To the left is a well (with doves) and a woman coming to draw water; to the right is an arriero (donkey-herder) giving his little donkey what-for. No matter how many figures are included, the central figures in any nacimiento are the Holy Family (St. Joseph, the Virgin Mary, and the Baby Jesus). In Mexico, those three are collectively known as el misterio (the mystery).

A very small portion of one of the largest nacimientos on display in Mexico City. It measures more than 700 square meters and includes thousands of figures. They include everything you can think of and some things that would never occur to you: a butcher shop, a running stream and a waterfall, sleeping peasants, and washerwomen. A nacimiento can include all of the important stories of the Bible, from Genesis to the Resurrection, as well as figures representing daily life–both today's life in Mexico and life at the time of Jesus's birth. Photo courtesy El Universal.

Papel roca (hand-painted paper for decorating a nacimiento), a choza (little hut), and two kinds of moss for sale in this booth at the Guadalajara tianguis navideño (Christmas market). This year, Mexico Cooks! has purchased figures of a miniature pre-Hispanic loinclothed warrior, a tiny shoemaker working at his bench, a wee man sawing firewood, and a shepherd standing under a tree while holding a lamb. The shepherd's tree looks exactly like a stalk of broccoli and makes us smile each time we look at it.

Where in Mexico can you buy figures for your nacimiento? Every city and town has a market where, for about a month between the end of November and the first week in January, a large number of vendors offer items especially for Christmas. Some larger cities, like Mexico City, Guadalajara, Morelia, and others, offer several tianguis navideños (Christmas markets) where literally thousands of figures of every size are for sale. Last year we found a tiny figure of the seated Virgin Mary, one breast partially exposed as she nurses the Niño Dios, who lies nestled in her arms. It's the only one like it that we have ever seen.

This booth at a tianguis navideño in Guadalajara offers Niños Dios in every possible size, from tiny ones measuring less than three inches long to babies the size of a two-year-old child. In Mexico City's Centro Histórico, Calle Talavera is an entire street devoted to shops specializing in clothing for your Niño Dios. The nacimiento is traditionally displayed until February 2 (Candlemas Day), when the Niño Dios is gently taken out of the pesebre in a special ceremony called the levantamiento (raising). The nacimiento is then carefully stored away until the following December.

Near Mexico City's Basílica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, this religious goods store also advertises that it will dress the Niño Dios for your nacimiento.

Piles of gold and silver glitter cardboard stars of Bethlehem, for sale at the tianguis navideño in southern Mexico City's Mercado Mixcoac.

An assortment of clay figures for your nacimiento: villagers, chickens, and vendors. Size and scale don't matter: you'll find crocodiles the size of your little finger and elephants bigger than a soft drink can. Both will work equally well in your nacimiento.

Giant flamingos go right along with burritas (little donkeys). Why not?

Each traditional figure in a nacimiento is symbolic of a particular value. For example, the choza (the little hut) represents humility and simplicity. Moss represents humilty–it's something that everyone steps on. The donkey represents the most humble animal in all creation, chosen to carry the pregnant Virgin Mary. The star of Bethlehem represents renewal and unending light.

Which diablito (little devil) tempts you most, the one with the money bag or the one with the booze?

How many shepherds do you want? This Guadalajara tianguis navideño booth has hundreds, and in sizes ranging from an inch to well over a foot tall.

It wouldn't be a Mexican nacimiento without tortillas!

This Christmas, Mexico Cooks! wishes you all the blessings of the season. Whatever your faith, we hope you enjoy this peek at the nacimiento, one of Mexico's lasting traditions.

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

24 de December de 2011
Mexican Independence Day: Celebrate with Traditional Chiles en Nogada
Chiles en nogada (stuffed chiles poblanos in walnut sauce), Pátzcuaro, Michoacán. Photo by Mexico Cooks!.

For the entire month of September, Mexico celebrates its independence with parades, parties, and traditional food and drink in restaurants and at home. One of the most festive recipes connected with Mexico’s Independence Day holiday is for chiles en nogada, a magnificent tribute to the seasonal availability of granadas (pomegranates) and nuez de Castilla (freshly harvested walnuts). From late August till early October, fresh pomegranates and walnuts make chiles en nogada possible. 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.

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

Ingredients

For the Meat
- 2 pounds beef brisket or other stew meat or 1 pound beef and 1 pound pork butt
- 1 small white onion, quartered
- 2 large cloves garlic
- about 1 Tbsp sea salt
For the Picadillo
- 4 Tbsp safflower or canola oil
- 1/3 cup chopped white onion
- 3 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 3 heaping Tbsp raisins
- 1 or 2 chiles serrano, finely minced
- 2 Tbsp chopped walnuts or pecans
- 2 Tbsp chopped candied pineapple
- 1 fresh pear, peeled and chopped
- 1 apple, peeled and chopped
- 1 large potato, peeled and diced
- 3 large, ripe tomatoes, roasted, peeled and chopped
- sea salt to taste
For the Chiles
- 6 large, very fresh chiles poblanos , roasted, peeled, and seeded, leaving the stem intact
For the Nogada (Walnut Sauce)
- 1 cup fresh walnuts
- 6 ounces queso doble crema or cream cheese (not fat free) at room temperature
- 1-1/2 cups crema mexicana or 1-1/4 cups sour cream thinned with milk
- about 1/2 tsp sea salt or to taste
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup dry sherry (optional)
For the Garnish
- 1 Tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1/2 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
Procedure

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photos 2, 3, 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! And have a look here for more traditional Mexican recipes.

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.

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10 de September de 2011
Albóndigas de Jalisco, Estilo Diana Kennedy::Jalisco-Style Meatballs, Adapted from Diana Kennedy

These and just a few other ingredients for albóndigas de Jalisco (Jalisco-style meatballs) combine to become a simple but delicious meal.

It's been cool during the day here in Mexico City for the couple of months since the rainy season finally got itself underway. Summer in Mexico's Central Highlands is my favorite time of year: cool-to-warm partly sunny days are nearly always followed by downright chilly rainy nights.

For those of you who live in the USA or Canada, it's hard to realize that at more than 7500 feet above sea level, Mexico City has weather completely unlike what many think of as Mexico's desert or even beach temperatures. In the last few days, the afternoon high temperatures have hovered just under 70° Fahrenheit. In Mexico Cooks!' household, cool days always mean something warming and delicious for our comida (midday meal). Subtly-flavored albóndigas–especially as prepared from this recipe, adapted from Diana Kennedy's book The Cuisines of Mexico–are the perfect comfort food.

You only need to blend eggs and a few herbs and spices to give a most wonderful Mexican touch to the meat mixture for these albóndigas (meatballs).

This is a dandy recipe for cooks of any level: if you're a beginner, you'll love the simplicity and authenticity of the flavors of the end product. If you're a more advanced cook, the people at your table will believe that you worked for hours to prepare this traditional Mexican meal.

All the ingredients you need are undoubtedly easy for you to get even if you live outside Mexico. Here's the list, both for the meatballs and their sauce:

Ingredients
Albóndigas
1.5 Tbsp long-grain white rice
Boiling water to cover
3/4 lb ground pork
3/4 lb ground beef
2 eggs
1/4 scant teaspoon dried oregano
4 good-sized sprigs fresh mint (preferably) OR 1 tsp dried mint
1 chile serrano, roughly chopped
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 scant teaspoon cumin seeds OR ground cumin
1/3 medium white onion, roughly chopped

Add the liquified eggs, onions, chile, herbs, and spices to the ground meats and mix well with your hands.

Sauce
3 medium tomatoes (about 1 lb)
1 chile serrano, roughly chopped (optional if you do not care for a mildly spicy sauce)
Boiling water to cover
3 Tbsp lard, vegetable oil, peanut oil, or safflower oil (I prefer lard, for its flavor)
1 medium white onion, roughly chopped
5 cups rich meat or chicken broth, homemade if possible
Salt to taste

For serving
2 or 3 carrots, cut into cubes or sticks
2 medium white potatoes, cut into cubes or sticks

Utensils
A small bowl
A large bowl
A blender
A saucepan
A fork
A large flameproof pot with cover

Preparing the meatballs
Put the rice in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Allow to soak for about 45 minutes. I use the glass custard cup that you see lying on its side in the initial photo–it's just the right size.

While the rice is soaking, put both kinds of meat into the large bowl.

Put the eggs, onion, and all herbs and spices–in that order–in the blender jar. Blend until all is liquified. Add to the meat mixture and, using your hands, mix well until the liquid is thoroughly incorporated.

Rinse out the blender jar for its next use in this recipe.

Drain the rice and add it to the meat mixture. Form 24 meatballs, about 1.5" in diameter, and set aside.

Preparing the sauce

Bring about 2 cups of water to a full rolling boil. Add the whole tomatoes and allow to cook for about five minutes, until the skins split. Watch the pot, though: this procedure might take a bit less or a bit more time.

When the tomato skins split, take the tomatoes one by one out of the water and peel them. If you've never tried it, believe me: this is miraculously easy–the skins are not too hot to handle and they slip off the tomatoes like little gloves. You can see that I have stuck a fork into the stem end of the tomato for ease of handling.

Skin the tomatoes and put them in the blender jar. Add the roughly-chopped onion and chile serrano. Blend until thoroughly puréed.

Freshly rendered manteca (lard) for frying the sauce. If all you can get in your store is a hard brick of stark white, hydrogenated lard, don't bother. It has no flavor and absolutely no redeeming value. If you want to use lard, ask a butcher at a Latin market if he sells freshly rendered lard. If none is available, use the oil of your choice.

In the flameproof cooking pot, heat the lard or oil and add the tomato purée. Bring it to a boil and let it cook fast for about three minutes. Splatter alert here!

Turn down the flame and add the broth to the tomato sauce. Bring it to a simmer. Add the meatballs, cover the pot, and let them simmer in the liquid for about an hour.

After the first hour of cooking, add the carrots and the potatoes to the tomato broth and meatballs. Cover and cook for an additional half hour. When I made the albóndigas this time, I cubed the vegetables. I think the finished dish is more attractive with the vegetables cut into sticks.

The rich fragrance of the cooking albóndigas and their broth penetrates every corner of our home. By the time they're ready to eat, we are more than eager!

Albóndigas de Jalisco served with steamed white rice (you might also like to try them with Mexican red rice), sliced avocado, and fresh, hot tortillas. This flat soup plate filled with albóndigas and vegetables needs more sauce; we prefer to eat them when they're very soupy. A serving of rice topped with three meatballs plus vegetables and sauce is plenty.

Albóndigas freeze really well, so I often double the recipe; I use a flat styrofoam meat tray from the supermarket to freeze the uncooked meatballs individually, then prepare the sauce, thaw the meatballs, and cook them as described.

The single recipe serves eight.

Provecho!

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

27 de August de 2011
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
Going to the Chapel of Love–Getting Married In Mexico City!
Preparation for Mexico Cooks!' wedding in Mexico on July 22, 2011, was complicated, time-consuming, paperwork-heavy and worth every single second of the work involved.

On December 21, 2009, Mexico City became the first Latin American jurisdiction to legalize same-sex marriage. This historic law went into effect on March 4, 2010. On August 10, 2010, the legislature announced that although same-sex couples could only get married in Mexico City, same-sex marriages are valid throughout Mexico's 31 states. Although we were still living in Morelia, Michoacán, Judy, my beloved long-time partner, and I started making plans for a Mexico City wedding ceremony. Once we decided–for other reasons entirely–to move to Mexico City, our wedding plans accelerated.

In spite of this sort of decor being extremely naco (Spanish slang for declassé), we couldn't resist hanging this huge satin-and-lace-covered heart incribed 'Nuestra Boda' (Our Wedding) in the interior hallway, just in front of our building's elevator. It was the first thing our guests saw as they arrived on our floor. Photo by Mexico Cooks!.

Mexico has long been a wedding destination for heterosexual couples. Now, of course, the same rules and regulations for getting married apply to same-sex couples, and it's expected that Mexico City will rapidly become a wedding destination for any couple who wants to tie the knot.

Suppose you and your intended live in the United States, though–what exactly is entailed in getting married in Mexico? Just remember that in Mexico City it doesn't matter if you are Adam and Eve or Adam and Steve, the rules are precisely the same.
- You are not required to be a resident of Mexico, but you are required to be in the country for at least three full business days before you apply for a marriage license. Those business days cannot include a Saturday, a Sunday, or any of Mexico's legal holidays.
- For USA residents only: at least several weeks before you travel to Mexico, each of you needs to apply for an apostilled copy of your original birth certificate. The Secretary of State's office in the state where you were born will handle the apostille for you. And what, you might ask, is an apostille? It's a legal guarantee per the Hague Convention that the original document was issued in that state. Canadians are exempt from the apostille process.
- If either of you has been married and divorced, you are also required to provide an apostilled copy of your marriage license AND your divorce decree. If you've been married/divorced more than once, the documents for each marriage must be apostilled by the Secretary of State's offices where the marriages and divorces occurred.
- All of your apostilled documents must be translated into Spanish in Mexico by a formally certified Mexican translation service called a perito (expert). In other words, even if you are fluent in Spanish, you are not allowed to do this step yourself. Be sure to allow enough time to have this done.
Very special guests: our friends (left) Judith Vázquez Arreola and (right) LolKin Castañeda. Married on March 11, 2010, they were among the first same-sex couples wed in Mexico City. Long-time feminist activists, Judith and LolKin were responsible in large part for the passage of the law legalizing same-sex marriage in the Distrito Federal. We are honored to be their friends and to have enjoyed their company at our wedding. Photo courtesy Jesús Chaírez.

In addition to the information and items listed above, you will also need:
- Your original passports plus several copies of them.
- You need the copies of your tourist cards that you'll be given on the airplane coming to Mexico. The fee for your tourist card is included in your airplane ticket. If you are driving down, you must stop at the border to get a tourist card. There is a small fee for these, around $30.00 USD each.
- You will probably be required to have blood tests and possibly a chest X-ray prior to your wedding.
- Once you are in Mexico, you will apply for a marriage license at the Registro Civil (civil registry office) responsible for the location where you will be married. If you are a same-sex couple, be sure that the registry office supplies you with the form marked 'el y el' (he and he) or 'ella y ella' (she and she). If you are heterosexual, you'll need the one marked 'el y ella' (he and she).
- If neither you nor your intended is Mexican, you will be required to have four witnesses to the ceremony, two for each of you. Your witnesses must be over age 18 and must present their passports (originals and copies) and their tourist cards three days before the ceremony.
- For legal reasons, weddings must be performed in Spanish.
- Your civil wedding in Mexico is legal in both the United States and Canada, as well as in many other countries.
- Civil weddings are the only legal weddings in Mexico. Church or synagogue weddings are always lovely and are meant to be God's blessing on the newlyweds, but they are not legal ceremonies.
- Many couples marry legally in their home countries and have a spiritual ceremony–performed by anyone of their choice–at a special Mexican destination. Beaches are very popular for this sort of ceremony. Beach resort operators are accustomed to making arrangements for these weddings.
The two brides with Sr. Louis Perrilliat Blum, the Registro Civil judge who came to our home to perform our wedding. Photo courtesy Tony Chinn Anaya.

Our situation was different in that we are long-time residents of Mexico and were not visiting from another country. Our situation was complicated by the fact that Mexico Cooks! is a Mexican citizen, while her bride is not. If either of you is a Mexican citizen and the other is not, more paperwork and more permissions are required. Get ready for a long haul–but know that it can be done, because we did it and you can, too.

The feeling as we exchanged rings and realized that we were truly married…it's hard to describe, but you can see the looks on our faces. Amazing does not begin to tell the story. Photo courtesy Tony Chinn Anaya.

I have been a life-long activist, either for or against any number of what I have considered to be worthy causes: civil rights, women's rights, gay rights, and more. For many years, it was my stance that although I did not choose to marry my partner, I believed that any gay couple who wanted to marry should have that choice. When Mexico City legalized same-sex marriage, I changed my mind. I came to believe that since we now could marry, we should marry: as a sign in the world of our love and a sign that our relationship is equal to any other couple's.

What a thrill to know that my adopted country agrees with me.

Looking for a tailored-to-your-interests specialized tour in Mexico? Click here: Tours.
13 de August de 2011
Breakfast with Mexico Cooks!: Yoghurt con Fresa y Chía (Yogurt with Strawberries and Chia)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mexico Cooks!-Style Yoghurt with Fresh Strawberries and Chía

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

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

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

Mix thoroughly.

Add the chía seeds and mix again.

Finished!

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

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

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

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

7 de May de 2011