Magnificent Mexican Papaya
Papaya… Mexican papaya… magnificent Mexican papaya… a rich orange reddish pink persimmon color, glistening in its juice. Cut it into cubes, it's pulpy flesh yielding to your tongue as you squash ...
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Braised chicken with apples: Pollo con manzanas
On a visit to Cuernavaca, our friend Joaquín was describing the chicken his sister-in-law had prepared for New Year's dinner. It sounded delicious and he promised to ask her for the recipe. A few nigh...
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Game Hens in Pomegranate and Honey Sauce: Pollito Tierno en Salsa de Granada y Miel
I have seen one or another version of this recipe in magazines in both México and the United States. Here in Mexico, game hens are sold in the supermarkets and labeled pollitos tiernos, "tender lit...
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Mexican fruit pops: Paletas
Paleterías - ice pop shops - have some of the most attractively displayed items in México: frozen pops, made from crushed fresh fruit. Lined up according to flavor, they present a spectrum of colors,...
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Chiles in Walnut Sauce: Chiles en Nogada
Several years ago, I gave a recipe for a simplified version of chiles en nogada. This one, while a bit more labor-intensive, is exquisite and a great project for making with family and friends. We h...
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Lime Water: Agua de Limón
This beats any lemon or lime ade I've ever tried. Its sweet-and-tart zing makes it a good substitute for margaritas if you want to serve appetizers without alcoholic beverages. The recipe comes from my...
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Tequila-Lime Pie: Pay de Limón con Tequila
This dessert uses the pungent limes that are indispensible to so many Mexican meals. Piled high in markets all over the country, they are often squeezed onto food at the table in place of salt. The Flo...
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Date and Walnut Roll: Rollo de Datil y Nuez
This is a very easy sweet to make, requiring few ingredients. The minimal cooking time makes it a good project to make with children during vacation time, provided that young children are supervised ar...
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Quince Paste: Ate de Membrillo
While store-bought ate keeps longer in the refrigerator, the homemade version is far superior. It can be served with a wide variety of cheeses, from plain cream cheese to goat cheese or fresh mozzar...
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Yam and Orange Dessert: Dulce de Camote y Naranja
Fruit desserts, whether candied, crystallized or compotes, are among the most popular throughout the state of Chiapas. This one is more like a pudding, and may be served chilled or at room temperature,...
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Stuffed Crepes with Sweet Potato and Pineapple Sauce: Crepas Rellenas con Salsa de Camote y Piña
This was the course that I prepared during class, and although it is an impressive dessert, it is much easier than it will seem to guests, because the crepes, filling and sauce can all be made ahead. N...
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Pomegranate Punch: Ponche de Granada
This recipe, from the state of Jalisco, is usually served as an aperitif before a fiesta meal. In Mexico, the word ponche is most often used to mean a fruit-based alcoholic beverage. Upon aging,...
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Chicken and Fruit Stew: Manchamanteles
Literally meaning "tablecloth stainers", because of its deep red sauce, manchamanteles can be made with chicken, pork, or a combination of the two. In Puebla, where it originated, the fruit that...
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Tamarind Water: Agua de Tamarindo
With the hugely burgeoning interest in international cooking, tamarinds have found a place in U.S. markets. An ingredient in Thai and Indian recipes, they are used in Mexico to make aguas and ...
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San Blas Atempa's Fiesta Stew: Guisado de Res de San Blas Atempa
This beef stew, the main course of our cooking class's feast, is from the Tehuantepec region, and is characterized by the combination of sweet and savory flavors. A good beef stock, which the students ...
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Oaxacan-Style Lentils: Lentejas Oaxaqueñas
This spicy-sweet, meatless main dish is traditional Oaxacan Lenten fare. The combination of spices with fruit is characteristic of southern Mexican cooking. Lentils are one of the fastest-cooking legum...
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Pineapple Salsa: Salsa De Piña
The Pineapple Fair in Loma Bonita, Oaxaca, in the lush, tropical part of the state bordering Veracruz, celebrates months of packing and processing the fruit for world-wide, as well as national, distrib...
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Yucca in Orange Sauce: Yuca en Naranja
Yucca has always been a staple in the cooking of the Caribbean and the Yucatan peninsula. Fairly bland on its own, it takes well to the flavor of other ingredients, in this case garlic and oranges.
In...
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Citrus-Tequila Cocktail: Mexicana
Refreshing as a dip in the Carribbean, this is a nice change from the popular spring and summer tequila-orange juice combination. Serve it in a tall, frosted glass, with your choice of garnish- a lime ...
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Cantaloupe Salsa: Salsa de Melon
This salsa was an invention that we came up with while visiting friends in southern Mexico. We served it with the meal, and ate leftovers later with tortilla chips. The best way to determine the ripene...
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Yucatecan Style Chicken: Pollo Ticul
This tip was taught to me by a restaurant owner on a trip to the Mayan ruins of Uxmal, near where the town of Ticul is located. She explained that the inner, smooth side of the banana leaf always faces...
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Yam and Pineapple Dessert: Dulce de Camote Con Piña
This delicious dessert is a perfect example of the Afro-Cuban influence on Gulf coast cooking, combining pineapple, a plantation crop, with yams or sweet potatoes, a West African staple.
Ingredients:
...
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Baked Marinated Pork: Cochinita Pibil
This is the quintessential Yucatecan dish, from a region that is quite possibly the "capital" of leaf-wrapped foods. The color and flavor of the marinade are characterized by achiote, or annatto seed. ...
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Mango salsa: Salsa de mango
The streets are littered with mango pits, and stands selling fresh mangos-on-a-stick, cut to resemble flowers, are on every other street corner. Is it a festival? A fair? No, it's just mango seas...
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Pork Tenderloins with Guavas: Escalopas de Cerdo con Guayabas
The Mexicans, like the Chinese, have created some wonderful dishes combining pork with fruit. This dish, an example of the inventiveness of nouvelle Mexican cuisine, has the same sweet-and-sour tangine...
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