Chicken A La Valentina: Pollo a la Valentina Ana María Flores Sánchez

Serves 4 Ingredients: 8 pieces of chicken (legs and thighs or breasts) boiled until completely cooked but still firm 12 plum tomatoes or 6 beefsteak tomatoes boiled or roasted, ground in a... read more

poultry main-dishes

Spinach and Cheese Tamales: Tamales de Espinaca con Queso Ana María Flores Sánchez

(Makes 30 medium sized tamales) Ingredients: 3 Tbsp. oil 1 kg. corn masa 1 bunch fresh spinach, finely chopped or 1 lb. frozen chopped spinach 400 grs. (4 1/2 sticks) butter or m... read more

masa main-dishes vegetarian

Yucatecan achiote paste: Pasta de achiote Karen Hursh Graber

Also known as recado colorado in the Yucatan, where it originated, this Yucatecan achiote paste is a marinating paste that can be used on chicken, pork or fish. Although the base for achiote pas... read more

main-dishes salsas Yucatán Peninsula

Mexican orange chicken: Pollo en naranja Karen Hursh Graber

A specialty of Oaxaca, where fruit is often cooked with meat and poultry, this dish is easy and delicious. For a variation, try substituting pineapple slices for the oranges. This recipe is from Oaxaca... read more

fruit poultry main-dishes Oaxaca

Spicy Braised Pork: Puerco Estilo Apatzingan Karen Hursh Graber

The area around Apatzingan is famous for its pork. The flavor of this dish is somewhat reminiscent of the carnitas for which Michoacán is famous. Unlike carnitas, the pork is baked in the oven instead of fried in lard, and the seasoning ingredients make serving a salsa unnecessary.

San Blas Atempa's fiesta beef stew: Guisado de res de San Blas Atempa Karen Hursh Graber

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 ... read more

vegetables fruit meat main-dishes soups Oaxaca

Mexican cheese fondue with chiles and mushrooms: Queso fundido con chiles y champiñones Karen Hursh Graber

Many years ago, we received at least three fondue pots as wedding gifts. Fondue parties were popular, but after a while, no longer in style in the "avocado green" and "harvest gold" of the seventies, ... read more

cheese main-dishes vegetarian

Mexican amaranth-potato croquettes: Croquetas de papa con amaranto Karen Hursh Graber

This is an adaptation of a recipe provided by Gladys Zavaleta Ruiz in her collection, Cocina con Amaranto. Served with a salad, it makes a fine light supper, and is a good example of the many vegetaria... read more

cheese vegetables main-dishes rice-and-grains

Chicken in Mexican amaranth sauce: Pollo en amaranto Karen Hursh Graber

This dish, and other similiar chicken and amaranth combinations, is also called mole de amaranto and tinga de pollo con amaranto, depending on the part of the country where it is found. D... read more

poultry main-dishes

Mexican chicken and fruit stew: Manchamanteles Karen Hursh Graber

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... read more

vegetables fruit poultry main-dishes soups Puebla

Papantla style shrimp: Camarones xanath Karen Hursh Graber

Shellfish such as river shrimp and crawfish are found in abundance in the many rivers that run through the vanilla growing region of eastern Mexico. Called xanath in the Totonac language, shrimp are pa... read more

seafood main-dishes Papantla, Veracruz

Mexican braised chicken with vanilla: Pollo al vainilla Karen Hursh Graber

As unlikely as it may seem, vanilla pods, or "beans", are a tantalizing addition to this speciality of the Totonac Sierra Oriente, the beautiful mountain range that separates coastal Veracruz from the ... read more

poultry main-dishes Veracruz

Chicken tequila fettuccine: Pollo al tequila con fettuccine Karen Hursh Graber

This recipe is from the late Doctora Lorena Otero, good friend and "foodie" par excellence. I have seen several other versions of this dish, but this one is both the easiest and the best I have tried. ... read more

poultry pastas main-dishes

Acapulco style fish filets: Filetes de pescado estilo Acapulco Karen Hursh Graber

Fresh fish filets from Mexico's Pacific coast are lightly marinated in tequila and lime juice, then grilled or sauteed and topped with a fresh salsa, for a delicious, low-fat entree. Acapulco style fis... read more

fish vegetables main-dishes Guerrero

Beef fajitas with tequila: Fajitas de res al tequila Karen Hursh Graber

At the El Callejon restaurant in Tequila, Jalisco, my questions about preparation and proportions led to an invitation to their large, open kitchen area, where there was always something appetizing siz... read more

vegetables meat main-dishes Tequila, Jalisco

Mexican fish pacos: Tacos de pescado Karen Hursh Graber

Perhaps the most famous Baja street snack, and certainly one of the most frequent reader requests, fish tacos differ a bit from place to place, but are always served with the same basic selection of ga... read more

fish vegetables masa main-dishes Baja California

Mexican fish cocktail: Ceviche Karen Hursh Graber

Originally from Peru, where it is generally made with corbina, ceviche is a seafood cocktail served anyplace in Mexico where fresh fish is available. It has been "mexicanized" by the addition of ingred... read more

fish vegetables main-dishes Baja California

Mexican seven seas fish: Pescado siete mares Karen Hursh Graber

Mexican seven seas fish is a specialty of La Cenaduría, a lovely old adobe restaurant in San Jose del Cabo. It combines fresh red snapper filets, a mild salsa roja, and just enough manchego cheese to ... read more

cheese fish main-dishes salsas Baja California

Yucatecan three-meat stew: Puchero yucateco de tres carnes Karen Hursh Graber

Although the Yucatan is hardly associated with cool weather, this stew, which contains chicken along with the meat, is one of its most popular dishes. Sundays in Merida call to mind music in all the pl... read more

vegetables poultry meat main-dishes soups Yucatán Peninsula

Mexican seafood in parchment paper: Mariscos empapelados Karen Hursh Graber

Mexican seafood in parchment paper is a wonderfully easy, informal dish — great for picnics, barbeques, or grilling on the beach. The seafood packets can be prepared ahead of time, kept in a cooler, ... read more

seafood main-dishes

Central Mexican style meat stew: Puchero del Valle de Mexico Karen Hursh Graber

This is perhaps the most famous Mexican puchero, and the one that comes to mind first when this dish is mentioned. It contains the classic Spanish combination of meats, vegetables and legumes, w... read more

vegetables pork meat main-dishes soups

Zacatecas cowboy stew: Puchero vaquero de Zacatecas Karen Hursh Graber

This stew, a product of Mexico's cattle ranches, originally utilized just about any part of the cow that was available, including the udders. It is a simple, tasty one-pot meal that reflects the lifest... read more

vegetables meat pastas main-dishes soups rice-and-grains Zacatecas

Chihuahua-style roast turkey: Pavo al horno estilo Chihuahua Karen Hursh Graber

Northern Mexico is the home of a large turkey industry. Recent years have seen the increase in birds known as doble pechuga - literally "double-breasted" - because of their high proportion of wh... read more

vegetables fruit poultry main-dishes Chihuahua

Grilled turkey breast: Pechuga de pavo a las brasas Karen Hursh Graber

Chihuahua's capital, also called Chihuahua, is famous for its restaurants which specialize in food prepared on large grills, or brasas. This is a good recipe for those who eat white meat only, o... read more

fruit poultry main-dishes Chihuahua, Chihuahua

Bean-smothered tortillas: Enfrijoladas Karen Hursh Graber

Enfrijoladas, which can be made with any kind of bean on hand, are eaten all over Mexico. They are the classic, inexpensive meal prepared with nothing more than cooked beans, tortillas, and whatever to... read more

masa main-dishes tacos-and-enchiladas beans-and-legumes