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 sizzling on the grill. This is a good recipe for outdoor cooking, but may also be prepared in a skillet. Although the tequila was added […]

Continue Reading

Stuffed Fish Filets with Almond Sauce: Rollos del Mar

Along the Costa Alegre, numerous restaurants serve filets of whatever fish is freshest, stuffed with different combinations of seafood. Shrimp is nearly always used, along with squid or octopus. The almond sauce is a reflection of the Spanish influence on Mexico’s cuisine. Ingredients: For the sauce: 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 6 cloves garlic, chopped 1 […]

Continue Reading

Mexican lentil soup with chorizo: Sopa de lentejas con chorizo

This was the first lentil soup I tasted in Mexico many years ago, and it seems to be the most popular version in the central region, where chorizo is used in everything from eggs to tacos. The addition of chipotle chile is also characteristic of this area. Ingredients ½ pound chorizo, crumbled 3 tomatoes, chopped […]

Continue Reading

Colonial Mexican baked rice and picadillo: Torta de arroz

In Mexico, 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, food shaped like that. Friar Geronimo most probably used a round cazuela to make this layered rice dish, thus calling it a torta. The original recipe […]

Continue Reading

Northern Mexican “Drunken” Salsa: Salsa Borracha Nortena

This goes particularly well with the hearty grilled beef dishes of northern Mexico. If there is no tequila on hand, substitute with an extra ¼ cup of beer. Ingredients: 1 mulato chile, seeded and deveined, soaked in hot water until soft, drained 3 pasilla chiles, seeded and deveined, soaked in hot water until soft, drained 3 large […]

Continue Reading
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 […]

Continue Reading