Aztec squash blossom quesadillas: Quesadillas de flor de calabaza

In the introduction to her cookbook, Adela Fernandez talks about the flowers that adorned her father’s table and the heavily embroidered tablecloths and napkins, often with flower motifs, that were made especially for his theme meals. The food served often contained flowers, including hibiscus, nasturtium, squash blossoms and colorín, or “bird’s tongue.” This recipe for Aztec squash […]

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Special Meat Filling for Tacos: Carne Especial para Tacos o Tortas

Ingredients: 1/2 C. oil 1 kilo pork shank, cleaned and cut into 1/2 inch cubes 10 small chilacate peppers 5 small tomatoes 2 bay leaves 4 whole peppercorns 1/2 C. vinegar 1 clove garlic salt 40 tortillas Preparation: Place the oil in a pressure cooker and add the meat. Brown the meat for approximately 10 […]

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Mexican roasted cauliflower tacos: Tacos de coliflor

The combination of the battering technique and the Baja Style Cabbage Slaw makes a copycat Mexican fish taco. Be sure to drizzle the roasted cauliflower tacos with the avocado sauce. Ingredients 1 2-pound head cauliflower 2 eggs ½ cup flour Salt to taste Light olive oil or vegetable oil for frying 12 corn tortillas Baja Style Cabbage Slaw […]

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Mexican enchiladas in peanut sauce from Xico, Veracruz © Karen Hursh Graber, 2014

Mexican enchiladas with peanut sauce: Dobladas de cacahuate

Dobladas means “folded,” and these tortillas can be filled or not before folding into quarters, bathed in peanut sauce, and sprinkled with cheese. Ingredients For the dobladas: Vegetable oil for soft frying tortillas 12 six- to eight-inch corn tortillas ½ pound of chicken or pork, cooked and shredded or an equal amount of shredded cheese, if […]

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The whole enchilada: Thrifty variations on a Mexican classic

After several years of reading cookbooks, newspaper food sections, online culinary magazines and endless food blogs, I realize that the enchilada, an iconic Mexican food, is quite often turned into a completely different dish when it leaves the country. While the basic elements are present, the techniques frequently used north of the border turn enchiladas […]

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