Zacatecas Cowboy Stew: Puchero Vaquero de Zacatecas
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...
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Cowboy Beans: Frijoles Charros
A Norteño dish originating in Tamaulipas, this is the classic accompaniment to the grilled beef dishes of northern Mexico. It is an ideal make-ahead dish, especially good with barbeque, improvi...
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Yucatecan Salbutes: Salbutes Yucatecos
These delicious antojitos, sold in markets in Merida and other peninsula towns, are small, thick tortillas with a variety of toppings, including the local versions of moles, made with gro...
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Braised Pork with Pumpkin: Carnitas con Calabaza
Although carnitas are a specialty of Michoacan, serving them with pumpkin is more common in Veracruz, where I bought a hard, meaty, pale orange pumpkin and carried it back to Oaxaca to make this d...
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Trout in Papillote: Trucha Empapelada
This is a specialty of the high country between Toluca and México City, where trout abound in cool mountain streams. If you decide to wrap more than one fish in a foil packet, keep the contents of the...
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Potatoes In Vinaigrette: Botana De Papas En Escabeche
These potatoes in vinaigrette are a very common bar snack all over México, brought to the table with toothpicks for spearing as an accompaniment to drinks. This version, with carrots and jalapeños, s...
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Beef Roullades in Green Mole: Bistec en Relleno con Mole Verde
Ingredients:
For the beef roullades:
thinly sliced beef
raw bacon and ham, sliced into strips
raw potato, cut french fry style
string beans cut into 1" pieces
...
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Pineapple, Cucumber and Celery Drink: Agua de Pina, Pepino y Apio
This recipe comes from Seasons of My Heart by the gracious and accomplished Susana Trilling, who gives Oaxacan cooking classes and serves refreshing fruit aguas to students as they prepare to...
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Rice with Huitlacoche: Arroz con Huitlacoche
Also known as arroz negro, or "black rice", this is one of the easiest ways to start cooking with huitlacoche. It is prepared like the traditional Mexican red rice, which needs to be soaked in hot wate...
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Yam-Pineapple Dessert: Dulce de Camote y Pina
Since Fernández de Oviedo brought both yams and pineapples to Spain in the 1500s, one wonders whether he had this dessert in mind. In any case, it is a combination so popular in southern Mexico that w...
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Chicken with Anchos and Oyster Mushrooms: Pollo al Ancho con Setas
Oyster mushrooms (pleurotis ostreatus), called setas in central Mexico, are now widely grown commercially, and therefore easy to find at any large market. This may be made one day ahead and refr...
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Fish Cocktail: Ceviche
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...
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Hot Savory Sandwiches: Pambazos
Every region of Mexico has its own beloved street foods, and pambazos seem to be especially favored in parts of Puebla and Veracruz. Although the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows falls on a meatless Lenten...
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Pickled Jalapenos: Jalapenos En Escabeche
This is the classic, indispensable Mexican table condiment, served with beans, rice, eggs, tacos and tortas. If you can find both red and green jalapeños, by all means use them together, since they ma...
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Beef with Poblano Chile Strips: Res con Rajas de Chile Poblano
My husband calls this "Mexican beef stroganoff." It uses the technique of "sweating" the chiles, described in the article, in order to remove the skin. The red bell pepper adds a nice color, but if you...
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Beef Fajitas with Tequila: Fajitas de Res al Tequila
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...
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Stuffed Chiles in Nogada Sauce: Chiles en Nogada
There are probably about as many recipes for this dish as there are cooks in Puebla, where it originated. It is always associated with September, el mes patrio, because it features the red, whit...
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Stuffed Nopales: Huaraches
These were first served to us at the nopal fair in Tlaxcalancingo, Puebla. I have since had them in restaurants in Mexico City. They are aptly named for the flat soles of the country people's sandals t...
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Steamed Carrots with Vanilla: Zanahorias al Vapor con Vainilla
Among the most charming presentations of any vegetable, these herb-wrapped bundles of baby carrots are a specialty of Cuetzalan and the surrounding mountain towns. Served by the locals, the carrots are...
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Chicken Cooked in Avocado and Banana Leaves: Pílte de Pollo
This dish, which I first had at a wedding in Atzompa, Oaxaca, is sometimes called barbacoa de pollo. It is flavored with either avocado or hoja santa leaves, both of which have an anise-like flav...
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Avocado Mousse: Mousse De Aguacate
Ingredients:
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1 ½ cups chicken or shrimp broth
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1/3 cup finely chopped green onion or scallion
1 fre...
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Stewed pork with chipotle tostadas: Tinga Poblana
Tinga is a basically a stewed pork dish, cooked with a chipotle sauce and most commonly served on tostadas. A chipotle is a dried jalapeño with a wonderful, smokey flavor. The ...
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Harvest cornpatch soup: Sopa de milpa
Milpa means "cornfield," and this soup incorporates not only corn, but a medley of other Tlaxcalan produce abundant at this time of year. Although fresh nopales are preferable, they are availabl...
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Mexican Noodle Soup with Chard: Sopa de Fideos con Acelgas
Tomato-based noodle soup is one of the most common of all meal starters. This version goes a step beyond, incorporating Swiss chard for an added dimension of taste, texture and nutrition.
Ingredients:...
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Stuffed Poblano Peppers: Chiles Rellenos
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 C. oil
8 poblano peppers
3 C. grated Manchego, Chihuahua, Gouda or farmer's cheese
5 eggs, separated
4 small tomatoes or 2 large tomatoes
salt t...
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