In the northern and central parts of the state, southern Puebla is called ” tierra caliente” — hot land — although it can get chilly in winter, especially in the mountains. Most pozole is made with hominy-like corn kernels that have been dried then soaked, but this one is made with fresh corn, called elote, thus giving rise […]
Continue ReadingThis is a quick, easy and delicious dessert. Like any flan, it needs to be prepared in advance and refrigerated. There are many instant flan mixes in Mexico that are now widely used by housewives-in-a-hurry, but none is as good as homemade. This Mexican coconut flan, although requiring only a few minutes of actual preparation […]
Continue ReadingUnlike the Americanized version, these Enchiladas are not baked, but served freshly made on the spot. In Mexico we buy special tortillas which are made thinner in order to absorb less oil and not break when being rolled. If you can’t get thin tortillas, don’t worry, the regular ones (corn, of course) will work just […]
Continue ReadingThe days of soaking hominy kernels – cacahuazintle – in calcified water and peeling each one individually are fading fast, thanks to the pre-cleaned hominy that comes in packages in the refrigerated food section of even small neighborhood supermarkets. If you don’t live near a market that sells Mexican maiz para pozole, you can substitute canned hominy. There […]
Continue ReadingIn the Nahuatl language of the indigenous people of Central Mexico, the word for mushroom is the same as the word for meat, a testament to the mushroom’s protein content and meaty texture. Use a variety of wild mushrooms if possible, but if not, cultivated criminis are nearly always available in Mexican supermarkets. Epazote goes wonderfully with […]
Continue ReadingThis is Billy’s adaptation of a dish he first encountered at the hotel La Casa de Maty in Tapalpa, Jalisco. The use of Swiss chard leaves to wrap the tamales, instead of the usual banana leaves or corn husks, means that the tamales do not have to be unwrapped before eating and gives them another […]
Continue ReadingA couple of teaspoons of aromatic spices do wonders to perk up plain white rice. So do the Mexican techniques of frying the rice first, and using broth instead of water. Cumin and coriander work well together, along with fresh cilantro leaves. Ingredients 1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil or light olive oil (not extra virgin) […]
Continue ReadingThis is a very refreshing salad. In Southern Mexico, grapefruit salad would most likely be made with fruit vinegar, especially pineapple vinegar, but apple cider vinegar is a good substitute. Only a small amount of dressing is used, since the flavor and juiciness come from the grapefruit. Ingredients 1 small head lettuce, washed, dried and […]
Continue ReadingThis dish teams huitlacoche with poblano chiles, which fill the markets during the summer months and gradually go from dark green to red as the season progresses. By September, the majority have turned color and are significantly hotter. If a poblano makes your eyes water as you clean it, that’s a sure indication that it […]
Continue ReadingTwo years ago, along the road from Palenque to the Campeche, passing the small campechano town of Esmarga, we stopped at a roadside palapa restaurant – one of the small, thatched-roof eateries common in tropical parts of Mexico – where I tasted my first escabeche. The word escabeche is defined in most Spanish-English dictionaries as “pickled”, a meaning that does not apply in […]
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