In México, the word torta most often means a sandwich on a bolillo, or French roll. However, as in this case, it can also take on its original Spanish meaning of a flat, round cake or, figuratively, f...
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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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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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In this recipe, corn is cut fresh from the cob and used to fill poblano chiles, which are wrapped in fresh cornhusks, eliminating the need for soaking. Although a metate would traditionally be used ...
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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 Mexican yucca in orange sauce, it...
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Mixiotes de carnero are a specialty of the central Mexican states of Puebla, Tlaxcala and Hidalgo. They are flavored with two of the most distinctively Mexican of leaves: avocado leaves, which are encl...
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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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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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This version of tortilla soup is similar to central Mexico's Sopa Azteca. We enjoyed its warm and robust flavor after a drive over the cool mountain pass called Mil Cumbres (A Thousand Summits) from Morelia to Zitácuaro. The wooden buildings that characterize the region are called trojes, which is also the local name for small food stalls.
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From early evening until late at night, stands are set up in the plazas of Morelia, Pátzcuaro and other cities in Michoacan selling this popular supper. We watched women bring the different elements of this dish - chicken, vegetables and enchilada sauce - which had been pre-cooked at home, then heat them in hot oil or lard just before serving individual customers. The same thing is easy to do for guests, preparing the chicken, vegetables and enchilada sauce separately, ahead of time, and frying and assembling just before serving. Use individual oval platters if possible.
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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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This recipe may be made ahead and reheated in the casserole dish just before serving. If made ahead, wait until the casserole is ready to go into the oven before adding the cilantro cream sauce, to avo...
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The chilly evening air and the long tradition of fine baking in San Cristobal combine to make this soup a welcome repast in that lovely mountain town. Accompanied by a salad, this thick soup could easi...
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This is one of the most versatile and colorful ways of using fresh green chiles. At large regional fairs and smaller ferias throughout the country, glass jars of chiles en escabeche are offered for sal...
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This Day of the Dead specialty dates back to pre-Hispanic times, when it was sweetened with either maguey sap or honey. It is found ready-made in Mexican mercados toward the end of October, as people b...
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This Mexican classic can be served as an accompaniment to roasted, grilled or broiled meat or chicken, served over eggs at brunch, used as an addition to taco fillings, or as a sauce for cheese or spin...
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The rich, yellow-green pulp of the avocado, nowadays most frequently associated with the ubiquitous Mexican dish known as
guacamole, was once an appetizing mouthful for the mastodons that roamed...
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Somewhat akin to the manchamanteles of Oaxaca and Puebla, this Chiapan main dish typically uses very little chile. Instead it is characterized by the sweet and tart contrast of the vinegar marinade and...
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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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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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Ingredients:
1 kilo (2.2 lbs.) of cactus (nopal) paddles
1 onion - halved
4 C. water
2 Tbsp. salt
2 large tomatoes - chopped
1 large onion - chopped
4 green chiles ...
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This versatile Mexican ancho chile salsa is excellent with grilled meat, poultry or fish. It is good with shish-kabob, pork chops, shrimp, and all types of barbequed food. It is important to use freshl...
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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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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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In her introduction to this recipe, Susana explains that it got its name from that fact that she got the beets from a religious festival float that was decorated with a tower of the village's largest f...
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