Chilaquiles rojos resurrect revelers and leftover tortillas Daniel Wheeler

Chilaquiles offer a hearty and renewing experience after a few too many tequilas, and are delicious anytime. You can make the dish as mild or piquant as you wish. read more

vegetables masa main-dishes vegetarian

Squash vine soup with corn dumplings: Sopa de guias con chochoyones Karen Hursh Graber

In Oaxaca, it is a rainy season staple and has been since before the Conquest. The only addition after the Spaniards arrived was the lard in the corn dough for the dumplings. read more

vegetables masa vegetarian soups Oaxaca

Spearmint sorbet: Sorbet de hierba buena Karen Hursh Graber

A light dessert or a refreshing palate cleanser, this uses one of the most popular herbs in Mexico, but it also goes well with Thai food, with which Mexican cuisine has several ingredients in common. read more

vegetarian desserts

Mexican custard dessert: Natillas Karen Hursh Graber

This simple, classic Mexican dessert, based on a Spanish one, can be made with just a few staple ingredients found in any fridge and pantry. Ingredients 4 eggs, separated ¼ cup flour ... read more

eggs vegetarian desserts

Garbanzo soup with saffron: Garbanzos en amarillo Karen Hursh Graber

Garbanzos en amarillo, with chickpeas, orange sweet potatoes and saffron, is evocative of the hearty peasant dishes of central Spain. It is a traditional food for the Día de La Santa Cruz, celebrated throughout Mexico, and with particular fervor in Queretaro, on May 3. read more

main-dishes vegetarian soups beans Querétaro

Enchiladas with buttermilk sauce: Enchiladas de jocoque Karen Hursh Graber

Enchiladas with cream sauces are popular in Querétaro, and these use the thick Mexican buttermilk called jocoque, introduced by Mexico's many Lebanese immigrants. A mixture of regular buttermilk (whic... read more

cheese vegetables masa main-dishes vegetarian Querétaro

Enchiladas in red chile sauce: Enchiladas dobladas Karen Hursh Graber

"Dobladas" means folded, and these can either be left unfilled and folded in half twice, to make triangular wedges for garnishing chicken and meat dishes, or filled and rolled. The sauce is my favorite... read more

cheese poultry masa meat main-dishes vegetarian salsas

Avocado and orange salad: Ensalada de aguacate con naranja Karen Hursh Graber

This salad was inspired by the nearly football-size avocados we bought in the market in San Blas Atempa, a small town right outside Tehuantepec. We had seen some similar ones from Chiapas, but were tol... read more

vegetables vegetarian salads salad-dressings

Savory Pea Pudding: Budín de Chícharo Karen Hursh Graber

This is a Mexican classic, which can also be made by substituting corn or carrots for the peas. The recipe is adapted from The Essential Cuisines of Mexico by Diana Kennedy. Although it calls for sugar... read more

vegetables main-dishes vegetarian

Marinated Mixed Vegetable Salad: Chileajo Karen Hursh Graber

When we lived in Oaxaca, I liked to go the food stands that were right outside the university faculties downtown, especially the school of architecture, which was right next to a small park, with plent... read more

vegetables vegetarian salads salad-dressings Oaxaca

Cholula Style Vegetable Salad: Ensalada Cholulterranea Karen Hursh Graber

Both types of squash used in this dish, along with pumpkin seeds and squash blossoms, are characteristic ingredients in Central Mexican cooking. If chilacayote is unavailable in your area, substitute c... read more

vegetables vegetarian salads salad-dressings Puebla

Hidalgo Style Fava Bean Soup: Caldo de Habas Estilo de Hidalgo Karen Hursh Graber

Although fresh fava beans appear only in springtime in the markets of Central Mexico, the dried versions are available throughout the year and cook much more quickly than other dried beans. I gave a re... read more

vegetarian soups beans Hidalgo

Jalisco Style Enchiladas: Enchiladas Tapatias Karen Hursh Graber

Popular at fairs and fiestas, these enchiladas are flavored with a creamy poblano chile and tomato sauce. They contain no meat in the filling, and this recipe uses vegetable oil instead of lard, making... read more

cheese vegetables masa main-dishes vegetarian salsas Jalisco

Tomatillo and tomato salsa: Salsa de tomate y jitomate Karen Hursh Graber

Dried chiles, tomatoes and tomatillos come together in a versatile sauce that serves as a table salsa or a condiment for meat or chicken. This recipe is adapted from the Larousse de la Cocina Mexica... read more

vegetarian salsas

Bricklayers' salsa: Salsa de albaniles Karen Hursh Graber

Bricklayers in Mexico have traditionally prepared their midday meal at the job site and, because this salsa requires no cooking other than boiling the tomatillos, it was popular with them. It can be ma... read more

vegetarian salsas

Tomatillo Salsa with Avocado: Salsa de Tomate Verde con Aguacate Karen Hursh Graber

This salsa retains the fresh, green taste of tomatillos that have not been boiled. It can be made ahead, except for the avocado, which should be added right before serving. Just about everyone who tast... read more

vegetarian salsas

Roasted Tomato Salsa: Salsa Asada Karen Hursh Graber

In the altiplano, the high plateau of Central México, salsas are frequently made by roasting the ingredients on the comal (a dry griddle) and grinding them in the molcajete. In this recipe, t... read more

vegetarian salsas

Sweet and sour tomatillo conserve: Tomates verdes encurtidos Karen Hursh Graber

Visually, these remind me of the pickled green tomatoes that are nearly always on the table in New York's kosher delis. But the sweet-and-sour vinaigrette, with the addition of green chiles, makes them... read more

vegetables vegetarian salsas Chihuahua

Cheese-filled Sweet Potato Patties: Tortitas de Camote Karen Hursh Graber

In most of Mexico, these fried patties are made with white potatoes, whereas in Veracruz they are made with sweet potatoes or yucca. This cheese-filled version is more versatile than most, because it c... read more

cheese vegetables vegetarian side-dishes Veracruz

Yucatan Style Pickled Onions: Cebollas Encurtidas Estilo Yucateca Karen Hursh Graber

Both white and purple pickled onions are served as condiments in the Yucatan. The purple variety is generally served with cochinita pibil, and both make great additions to sandwiches. Blanching them... read more

fruit vegetarian spices side-dishes Yucatán Peninsula

Chipotle Chiles in Spicy Sauce: Chipotles Adobados Karen Hursh Graber

These have become a kitchen staple, both north and south of the border. Besides using them to make the currently popular "chipotle mayonnaise," they can be added to sauces, marinades, salad dressings, ... read more

vegetarian salsas side-dishes

Anchos Encurtidos: Sweet and Hot Ancho Chiles Karen Hursh Graber

Here in Cholula, the market ladies sell pickled sweet-and-hot chipotles known locally as " chipocludos," a recipe for which was given in this column in the February 2003 issue of Mexico Connect. This... read more

vegetarian salsas side-dishes Puebla

Pickled Jalapenos: Jalapenos En Escabeche Karen Hursh Graber

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... read more

vegetables vegetarian salsas side-dishes

Mango and Avocado Salad: Ensalada de Mango y Aguacate Karen Hursh Graber

The combination of mangos and avocados gets a colorful and tasty lift from the addition of red bell peppers. Fresh bell pepper ( pimiento morrón) once meant green bell pepper, and red ones were avai... read more

vegetables vegetarian salads salad-dressings

Grilled Nopales Salad: Ensalada de Nopales Asados Karen Hursh Graber

In a previous column, I gave a recipe for the standard nopales salad that the market ladies all over the country seem to sell, but when my husband overdid it on the grilled nopales (his favorite ... read more

vegetables vegetarian salads salad-dressings