Mexican trout with garlic sauce: Trucha al mojo de ajo Karen Hursh Graber

Chia: Ancient Mexican seed and modern superfood Karen Hursh Graber

Having written a bit about chia some years back, as part of an article on the use of seeds in Mexican cooking, I was not surprised to learn that chia seeds have been lauded as the new superfood of 2013.

Nutritionally dense, chia seeds are loaded with antioxidents, fiber, protein, and omega-3 fatty acids. They are also gluten free and have anti-inflammatory properties.

Chia seeds met the nutritional needs of early Mesoamericans, and were so valued by the Aztecs that they were considered one of the four grains acceptable as tribute to the Aztec state. read more

Mexican chia seed drink: Agua de chia Karen Hursh Graber

Mexican chia coconut pudding: Postre de chia y coco Karen Hursh Graber

Mexican chia fruit gelatin: Gelatina de frutas con chia Karen Hursh Graber

Mexican fish cakes with chile and chia: Tortitas de pescado con chile y chia Karen Hursh Graber

Mexican lentil vegetable soup with chia: Sopa de lentejas y verduras con chia Karen Hursh Graber

Mexican cookbooks of 2012: Some gift giving ideas Reviewed by Karen Hursh Graber

Taking a look at the past year's Mexican cookbook offerings, it seems that 2012 produced more specialized books than ever before. These are not your essential Mexican cookbooks (for that, go to Diana Kennedy's The Essential Cuisines of Mexico or Adela Fernandez' La Traditional Cocina Mexicana), but they will add new dimensions to a basic Mexican culinary library. read more

Mexican wines: Perfect pairings with holiday dishes Karen Hursh Graber

Awakening to a misty dawn in the Valle de Santo Tomas, we were greeted by cool air, subtle sea breezes, and the sight of row upon row of deep green vines, laden with grapes that would become wine. This rustic valley would one day be part of the Ruta del Vino, the Baja wine country that is now a popular travel destination, with dozens of wineries, bed and breakfasts, crafts boutiques, and world class restaurants. read more

Fish filets in Mexican hoja santa: Filetes de pescado en hoja santa Karen Hursh Graber

Steamed turkey in Mexican achiote sauce: Pavo al vapor en recado colorado Karen Hursh Graber

Yucatecan style quail: Codorniz a la yucateca Karen Hursh Graber

Duck in Mexican red pipian sauce: Pato en pipian rojo Karen Hursh Graber

Mexican pork tenderloins with guavas: Escalopas de cerdo con guayabas Karen Hursh Graber

he Mexicans, like the Chinese, have created some wonderful dishes combining pork with fruit. Pork tenderloins with guavas is an example of the inventiveness of nouvelle Mexican cuisine. Escalopas de cerdo con guayabas have the same sweet-and-sour tanginess of many oriental dishes. read more

Mexican rabbit with wine and herbs: Conejo con hierbas de olor Karen Hursh Graber

Aguascalientes style chicken with fruit sauce: Pollo de Aguascalientes Karen Hursh Graber

Mexican winter fruit mole with hazelnuts: Manchamanteles con avellanas Karen Hursh Graber

Mexican stuffing for Christmas turkey: Relleno para totol de nochebuena Karen Hursh Graber

Mexican huazontle tart with pasilla chile: Tarta de huazontle con chile pasilla Karen Hursh Graber

This is referred to as a tart in Mexico, although, having two crusts, it is more like a pie made with tart dough. It makes a good lunch or light supper, with a soup or salad. The recipe is adapted from Larousse de la Cocina Mexicana by Alicia Gironella De'Angeli and Giorgio D'Angeli. read more

Mexican beef chichilo by Pilar Cabrera: Chichilo de res por Pilar Cabrera Karen Hursh Graber

A staple food from tropical Mexico: Yucca Karen Hursh Graber

Yucca appears in the cuisine of several tropical parts of Mexico, of which it is a native, including Veracruz, Tabasco, Campeche, and the Yucatan. It is made into fritters, tortitas (patties), and bolitas (battered yucca), and often flavored with orange, achiote, and other characteristic regional flavors. It is used to make "dough" for meat pie, eliminating the need for wheat flour dough, which is good news for the gluten intolerant. read more

Mexican yucca meat pie: Pastel de yuca Karen Hursh Graber

Mexican yucca pudding: Budin de yuca Karen Hursh Graber

Quinoa: Mexico welcomes a wonder food Karen Hursh Graber

Why did it take so long for the rest of the world to discover quinoa, the centuries-old sustenance crop of the Andes? Held sacred by the Incas, who called it "the mother of all grains," quinoa is actually a pseudo grain, consisting of seeds, and is not a member of the grass family, so it does not contain gluten. It is a welcome addition to meals in Mexico, where it has gained enormous popularity and taken on characteristic Mexican flavors. read more

Mexican black bean and quinoa salad: Ensalada de quinoa con frijoles negros Karen Hursh Graber

Karen Hursh Graber

Senior Food Editor for Mexconnect.

Born in New York City, Karen Hursh Graber spent several years Directing an English as a Second Language Program in Northern California before moving to Mexico to teach at the state university in Puebla, where she developed an interest in the unique cuisine of the area.

She has written food and travel articles for The News (Mexico City) and the Antigua Times (Guatemala) and is the Food Editor of the internet magazine Mexico Connect, for which she writes a monthly column.

She is the author of Take This Chile and Stuff It: Authentic Mexican Chiles Rellenos (Golden West Pub., 1998)

The mother of two grown daughters, she lives in southern Mexico with her husband, Larry. The Grabers travel frequently in Mexico and Central America, collecting regional recipes along the way.

• Cuisine of Mexico
• Cuisine of Colima
• Cuisine of Oaxaca
• Cuisine of Puebla
• Cuisine of Tlaxcala
• Cuisine of Veracruz
• Cuisine of the Yucatan

Menu and kitchen consulting, food research, cooking classes and Mexican cuisine presentations

The fields of Menu Consulting and Food Research/Writing have, in recent years, expanded to include information on culinary traditions and ingredients on an international scale. Economic globalization, the Internet, a newly-discovered pride in ethnic and indigenous roots - all have contributed to the groundswell of interchange in areas as diverse as hotel/restaurant management and culinary anthropology. The world-wide enthusiasm for Mexican cooking has expanded to an interest in authentic, regional cuisine as well as its origins and ingredients.

As the Senior Food Editor of MexConnect, the author of Mexican cookbooks (Take This Chile and Stuff It and The Cuisine of Puebla, Cradle of Corn) and a long-time resident of Mexico, I have had the opportunity to study with a diverse group of chefs, academics, and regional cooks in restaurants and home kitchens throughout Mexico, and to share what I have learned with both professional and home cooks.

I have worked with Chef Guillermina Reyes of Las Cazuelas, Tlaxcala, Mexico; Chef Estela Salas of Mexican Home Cooking; master baker Maestro Jose Dominguez, founder of La Feria del Pan, among others. I have also written food and travel articles for newspapers in the United States, Mexico and Guatemala, as well as magazine articles and essays for COPIA, The American Center for Food, Wine and the Arts, Home By Design and El Restaurante Mexicano. I have served as food consultant and developed recipes for a variety of enterprises, including Cacique Cheese Company, Fleishmann's Yeast, The American Dairy Association, The New York Daily News and Hacienda de los Santos-Five Star Small Hotel Spas of the World. I have done menu consulting for restaurants as far away as Oslo, Norway and Brisbane, Australia.

In 2007 I was awarded the magazine industry's Folio Award for a series on the history of Mexican Cuisine that appeared in the Chicago-based magazine El Restaurante Mexicano. This year I am appearing on the satellite television show Under the Sun, doing Pueblan cooking and marketing.

Below is a list of services that I offer. Fees are based on the work required by individual clients. Once clients specify a particular service, or combination thereof, I provide as fair and accurate an estimate as possible. Fees do not include research expenses I may incur, such as long distance phone calls and visits to out-of-town restaurants and schools.

I am based in Mexico and will provide curriculum vitae upon request.

Menu Consulting:

A complete menu-developing service, including recipes, is available to hotels, restaurants, spas and members of the food industry. Menus are custom-tailored to fit budgetary and dietary tastes/requirements, with special attention being paid to the availability of ingredients in specific locations.

Food/Recipe Research:

This includes historical and cultural background on specific regional dishes and ingredients, as well as information on culinary festivals and fairs throughout Mexico, updated to include the very latest information requested by hotel and restaurant owners, food and beverage publications, and producers and aficionados of Mexican food products.

Guest Chef/Cooking Teacher:

I give cooking classes to restaurant, hotel and spa staff, as well as private clients. I specialize in regional Mexican cooking with attractive, modern presentations. I have developed a course in La Nueva Cocina Mexicana for small groups or individuals, both professional chefs and home cooks. I also give regional cooking classes, featuring traditional dishes from Oaxaca, Puebla, the Yucatan and other parts of Mexico. Recent clients have included food stylists from Bon Apetit and Gourmet magazines as well as readers who want to learn more and visitors interested in this vital aspect of Mexican culture.

Karen Hursh Graber - E-mail

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