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Miguel Palomares

Oct 1, 2005, 8:24 AM

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The cheese plague

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I generally find Mexican, uh, cuisine to be lamentable and incredibly unhealthy. Too much cheese, creams and grease. Many disagree with me, and that is their right. You need not tell me how wrong I am. I know how you feel.

Yesterday, here in my cute hometown of Patzcuaro, Michoacan, la senora and I did breakfast at what is normally one of the better dining holes. That is because it is run by a Gringo. He has imagination that extends beyond tortillas, beans and skinny beef.

And, look! There on the menu are Eggs Benedict, one of my favorites, even though it is indeed unhealthy. Sometimes you have to live a little, no?

Not having eaten Eggs Benedict since I moved south almost six years ago, and since la senora had never eaten Eggs Benedict, we ordered them with smiling anticipation. Glee even. I told la senora what a treat was in store!

And what did the waiter plop down on the table? Toasted bread of some sort, not English muffins, atop which were eggs of rock-like consistency, and to top it all off, a sea of melted cheese!

Melted cheese! That old standby of Mexican kitchens when all else fails, as it usually does. A sea of melted cheese. I could hardly believe my eyes. Where was the Hollandaise?

We were the only diners there at the moment. The owner, whom I know lightly, was not there either. We were hungry and in something of a rush. We ate the stuff and left, intending to return at a later hour to give the owner what-for, generally having discovered that complaining to Mexican employees about much of anything only elicits blank stares. They just do not care.

We returned later only to be told he was in the U.S. till next week.

Just you wait!

Melted cheese, Jesus Cristo!
From Tzurumutaro, Michoacan, "The Village of the Darned."
_______________________________________

The nuts and bolts of moving to Mexico:
http://michaeldickson.blogspot.com/
The dark side of living in Mexico:
http://mexicopeeks.blogspot.com/
Scintillating life in a Mexican pueblo:
http://tzurumutaro.blogspot.com/
http://tzurumutaro2.blogspot.com/

Bubba

Oct 1, 2005, 11:13 AM

Post #2 of 17 (2549 views)

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Re: [Generalisimo Palomares] The cheese plague

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I second the Generalisimo's lament regarding the unhealthy nature of Mexican food in general.

The Mexican educational channel Canal Once has a weekly program entitled La Ruta del Sabor in which this guy travels about rural areas of the country sampling local specialties and we try not to miss it because it is both fascinating and revealing. Almost invariably, the regional specialties cooked on air by renowned local chefs utilize an almost unbelievable amount of heart plugging ingredients, especially lard.

This past week, our host took us to Patzcuaro to watch the local famous ice cream being made and that looked very good. I have never tried the ice cream in Patzcuaro on the main plaza because I always found a line at the vendor's stand but I must try this specialty upon my next visit.

After the ice cream segment, they introduced us to a rather large woman chef who was to prepare us what she called the signature dish of Michoacan the name of which I have forgotten, I do remember the word "carnitas" in there someplace. The carnitas is served with a local relish made with vinegar, onions, carrots and a mild sort of pepper which I think is known as "escurtido". I have had this side relish in Patzcuara and find it pretty tasty and good for cutting through the fat of the main course. I presume the ingredients in the escurtido can vary according to the chef but it is probably always prepared in a vinegar base.

It turns out the signature dish of Michoacan, according to this program, is basically pork and its skin cooked in lots of lard, water and salt in a large pot. At least as far as this chef's recipe was concerned. that's it. No additional seasonings or condiments except the escurtido. The skin (especially prized) or the pork meat is then served on tortillas with the escurtido accompaniiment.

My wife, who is French, indicated that this method of cooking pork reminded her a little of the preparation of "rillettes" in France which is pork and pork fat cooked in the oven without the lard until it becomes something akin to a mush. Now, carnitas and rillette can both be delicious but to eat either preparation with regularity is a certain death sentence.

I guess this Michoacan style carnitas is the same stuff I see boiling away on street corners all over Ajijic on weekends and the aroma of these pots of pork cooking in lard is absolutely wonderful. I have avoided buying a chunk of this stuff since I do not need to like something like that. Suicide by eating. It is on Atkins however as is the vinegar salsa. Maybe I will try it after all.

(This post was edited by Bubba on Oct 1, 2005, 2:55 PM)

Miguel Palomares

Oct 1, 2005, 5:45 PM

Post #3 of 17 (2535 views)

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Re: [Bubba] The cheese plague

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Well put, Senor Bubba, all well put.

A plate of carnitas is a horror.

The famed Patzcuaro "ice cream" comes in two versions: de leche and de agua. The leche version has the consistency of thick nasal mucus. It is dreadful so, of course, it is enormously popular. I eat the agua version, usually limon. It bears a strong resemblance to what we called lemon ice back in New Orleans. It is nice on a hot afternoon.

Dang, Bubba, you wuz in Patzcuaro, and you and the missus did not stop by the Tzurumutaro Ranchito?!

I woulda showed you the Winchester.
From Tzurumutaro, Michoacan, "The Village of the Darned."
_______________________________________

The nuts and bolts of moving to Mexico:
http://michaeldickson.blogspot.com/
The dark side of living in Mexico:
http://mexicopeeks.blogspot.com/
Scintillating life in a Mexican pueblo:
http://tzurumutaro.blogspot.com/
http://tzurumutaro2.blogspot.com/

esperanza

Oct 1, 2005, 8:46 PM

Post #4 of 17 (2524 views)

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Re: [Bubba] The cheese plague

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Psst, Bubba...that chile/onion/vinegar mix is called encurtido. In Michoacán, the chile is inevitably chile manzano (also known as chile perón). It's a yellow or orange roundish chile with black seeds and a helluva bite.

Michoacán carnitas are sheer heaven. There's a place just outside Zamora that prepares them--híjole, you would be an instant addict.

We'll go over there for lunch sometime.

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

Bubba

Oct 2, 2005, 10:32 AM

Post #5 of 17 (2506 views)

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Re: [esperanza] The cheese plague

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You're on Esperanza. I do like the encurtido (although when I make it at home as I intend to do, I will substitute habaneros for the realtively mild manzanos) and have no doubt that carnitas is wonderful if eaten on occasion. I read your earlier review of the Zamora carnitas place and it is on my list for our next trip. Perhaps you can join us.

I happen to be very fond of stewed fatty pork and am also quite fond of lard. I also enjoy tequila and several other types of spirits which are less friendly to me now that I am a geezer, Bring on the Cheese Whoppers (Hardees if we had one), Oxxo hotdogs, birria and beans, Yucatecan Poc-Chuc, prime rib, slow cooked hickory smoked pork butt and ribs southern style, the aforementioned rillettes and several variations of stews made with pork butt especially Haitian Griots the recipe for which I have shared herein before. I guess if I have lived this long eating that stuff I can add carnitas to the menu.

The generalisimo is correct, however, that carnitas is, shall we say, not heart friendly. Cooking fatty pork in pork fat or lard as the Mexicans do with carnitas or the French do with rillettes reaches some sort of milestone beyond those other dishes I mentioned. Carnitas served on tortillas with encurtido or rillettes spread on French bread with cornichons are worth the sacrifice of a few extra months on the planet I guess..

I may skip the mucous ice cream, however.

(This post was edited by Bubba on Oct 2, 2005, 10:58 AM)

Esteban

Oct 2, 2005, 10:18 PM

Post #6 of 17 (2476 views)

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Re: [Generalisimo Palomares] The cheese plague

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Hollandaise sauce is not for the inexperienced. There is NO cheese involved. There are a lot of "Benedict" recipes but to make the dish taste good, it's ninety percent in the Hollandaise. You have to separate out the yolks, clarify the butter and with great care, add the clarified butter to the beaten yolks, over extremely controlled heat, without "cooking" the eggs. Sometimes it's necessary to have a bowl of ice nearby to keep the eggs from turning into scrambled eggs instead of the creamy Hollandaise. No easy task. Try it at home sometime and you'll see why.

Miguel Palomares

Oct 3, 2005, 5:46 AM

Post #7 of 17 (2469 views)

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Re: [Esteban] The cheese plague

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I do not want to try it at home. That is why God invented restaurants. Thanks for the input. I did not know it was so tricky to make. However, even the McCormick mix would be better than covering it with a sea of melted cheese. Yuck.
From Tzurumutaro, Michoacan, "The Village of the Darned."
_______________________________________

The nuts and bolts of moving to Mexico:
http://michaeldickson.blogspot.com/
The dark side of living in Mexico:
http://mexicopeeks.blogspot.com/
Scintillating life in a Mexican pueblo:
http://tzurumutaro.blogspot.com/
http://tzurumutaro2.blogspot.com/

Gayla

Oct 3, 2005, 12:30 PM

Post #8 of 17 (2452 views)

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Re: [Bubba] The cheese plague

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Ah, Bubba, darlin' actually I think Michoacan's claim to fame is dairy products - high fat, highly tasty dairy products - followed closely by carnitas - high fat, highly tasty pork - both of which come about as close to Nirvana as is possible.

Take Esperanza up on her offer to take you to the place outside Zamora. She picked me up at the airport in GDL in the ungodly early AM hours this past June on our way to Patz. Around 9 AM we pulled off the road for breakfast. Carnitas, encurtido and hot, velvety, plushy corn tortillas. Bliss, absolutely bliss. The carnitas had just come crispy and hot out of the lard. Did I care that I could hear my artieries snapping shut with each mouthful? Not with my taste buds kept urging me one. Those carnitas even made the ubiquitous cup of Nescafe taste special.

You also might want to try the mole tacos for breakfast from one particular street vendor in Quiroga. More, lard, more snapping arteries ;-)

MazDee

Oct 3, 2005, 10:30 PM

Post #9 of 17 (2428 views)

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Re: [Generalisimo Palomares] The cheese plague

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I know the restaurant you mean. I was there the other day and one of my hosts ordered the Benedict, and yes it was a cheese sauce. In Mazatlan there are a couple of restaurants who make quite a nice Hollandaise, but unfortunately they put their nicely poached eggs on something probably made by Bimbo, not even toasted, which ruins the whole effect. I could make this dish at home if I got hold of an English muffin. Instead of the laborious and exacting classic Hollandaise recipe, make the blender version. Get out your old "Joy of Cooking" for the recipe. For a special occasion, nothing beats Eggs Benedict, or my favorite, Eggs Florentine, with spinach instead of Canadian bacon. Back to that restaurant, I ordered a wonderful dish of beans, cheese, chorizo, tomatoes etc. baked in a little ramekin. The 2 guys I was with both helped me finish it off! Dee

Anonimo

Oct 4, 2005, 5:43 AM

Post #10 of 17 (2424 views)

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Re: [Gayla] The cheese plague

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Yesterday, our new Doctora strongly advised me to baje las calorías de mi comida, ponerme a unos ejercicios diariamente, evite comida excesivamente condimentada, y, lo peor: tengo que tomar una cuchara de linaza molida en un vaso de agua despúes de cada comida. ¡Gúacala!

She is a very nice, sincere and professional Doctora, but I am thinking of changing to someone less exigente. :-)

En fin, this regimen means no "Puffed Fat" (Chicharrón) or Lard Boiled Pork (Carnitas). At least I have easily reduced my cerveza intake from one or two per day to one or two per week.

Saludos,
Anonimo

Bubba

Oct 4, 2005, 9:11 AM

Post #11 of 17 (2410 views)

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Re: [Anonimo] The cheese plague

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Anonimo:

Since you brought up the notion of taking linaza in ground form, could you enlighten us as to the daily dosage recommended by your doctor and the amount of liquid she recommends with the dosage? Does she have an opinion on taking linaza supplements in combination with nopal? I am consiudering taking these supplements on the theory that they can't hurt and find no negative interractions on the internet.Also, maybe I can then order those cheesy eggs benedict and lard-boiled carnitas in Lakeside II without fear of consequences.

Anonimo

Oct 4, 2005, 2:33 PM

Post #12 of 17 (2395 views)

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Re: [Bubba] The cheese plague

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She told me to take una cucharada en un vaso de agua, despúes de cada comida. If that dosage isn't effective, then you may double it.

Today I got a clarification on this. She said that I should put a spoonful of whole linseed in the water, and let it sit overnight. The seeds swell. Then, you get to drink it.

She hasn't gotten around to prescribing nopal yet, but she has it and I bet she likes it. So, we'll probably get some of that before long.

Really, I have to say that we greatly admire and like her, and in general, respect her advice.

I did draw the line today at the 1 kg bag of Barro en Polvo.

Saludos,
Anonimo

Anonimo

Oct 5, 2005, 2:17 AM

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Re: [Anonimo] The cheese plague

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I have to add that the barro en polvo was NOT to drink, as I had earlier thought, but to make a poultice, mixed with vinegar, applied to a distressed abdomen on a towel.

Saludos,
Anonimo

esperanza

Oct 5, 2005, 6:00 AM

Post #14 of 17 (2370 views)

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Re: [Anonimo] The cheese plague

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Pshew, I was wondering...

http://www.mexicocooks.typepad.com

thriftqueen

Oct 5, 2005, 10:21 PM

Post #15 of 17 (2336 views)

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Re: [Bubba] The cheese plague

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I have a wonderful Mexican friend who kept telling me to use nopales for my cholesterol. She shares many folk remedies with me, so I just thought yea, yea. Then I read where they are now recommending nopales for said problema. I am now preparing a handful of fresh nopales tossed in the blender with some jugo de pina,which I drink in the morning. She also uses honey but I prefer it without the sweeter taste. I found when I purchased a bag of nopales they tended to get dark looking before I used them up. I prepared the bag I had bought all at once, poured the liquid nopale in an ice tray. It's a snap to grab 3 or 4 cubes toss them in the blender with the jugo de pina, the drink comes out icy cold.

Also just a note on the linaza. Prepared linaza (ground) NOB is expensive. I found the seeds at Leys and bought some. They looked dusty so I decided I'd rinse them first then spread them out on a dish towel to dry - well they stuck to that cloth like glue. They looked like ticks and stuck same as. We use them ground in cereal and spread on yoghurt. Not much taste but one feels very righteous using them.

julian3345

Nov 6, 2005, 4:24 PM

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Re: [Esteban] The cheese plague

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Try making Hollandaise in the blender...but keep a couple tablespoons of very cold milk or cream handy to blend in ...in case the sauce refuses to set....some egg yolks are cranky! Actually I prefer Bearnaise on Eggs Benedict...add some tarragon! Joan

Cynthia7

Nov 6, 2005, 4:55 PM

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Re: [thriftqueen] The cheese plague

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You can buy dried nopales in capsules. They are good for lowering blood sugar and blood fats. Cinnamon is good for blood sugar, too.