This is a basic recipe for a Mexican avocado smoothie. Feel free to add banana, strawberries, or even apple, and to substitute soy milk for regular milk. It’s a great way to start the day with the generous dose of vitamins contained in avocados, the calcium in the milk and the probiotics in the yogurt. […]
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This drink packs the usual martini punch, but seems deceivingly innocent with its gorgeous red color and sweet-tart flavor. The basic proportion for making the agua is a cup of dried flowers to a quart of water. About six tablespoons of sugar per quart will provide enough sweetness without overwhelming the refreshingly tart taste of jamaica. It can be […]
Continue ReadingThe hot corn beverage called atole is usually served in the morning, but in Michoacan this tamarind version is served at night, usually after the late evening meal, in small cups. Dark brown sugar may be substituted for the piloncillo. 2 ½ cups water ½ cup tamarind paste ¾ cups grated piloncillo 3 ½ tablespoons masa harina ¾ cup hot […]
Continue ReadingThis is as attractive as it is delicious. Be sure to disinfect strawberries no matter where you buy them. Ingredients: 1 whole, small pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into chunks 1 pint strawberries, disinfected, hulled and sliced 8 cups water Sugar to taste Place all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth. This may have to […]
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One of the most requested recipes from this column is agua de jamaica, a refreshing drink made with dried hibiscus flowers. This sorbet has the same clean taste and is perfect for the palate that may have been overwhelmed by rich food. Ingredients: 3 cups water 3 tablespoons jamaica (dried hibiscus flowers) 3/4 cups sugar Place […]
Continue ReadingFruit atole is a great morning or late night drink. It can be made with several kinds of fruit, but Veracruz guava atole is my hands-down favorite. The easiest way to remove the seeds is to cut the fruit crosswise and scoop them out with a spoon. Ingredients 3 cups water ½ cup piloncillo or dark brown sugar 1 […]
Continue ReadingAgua de betabel is the drink seen on the altar of Nuestra Señora de Dolores, the sorrowful mother, on the Friday before Semana Santa. I have yet to find out why beets were chosen for this particular occasion, but the Mexican beet drink is quite refreshing, especially during the hot season, when Semana Santa occurs. I have cut […]
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Timothy J. Knab Mescal, mescaline, mescal bean, mescal button; what are they? They are all intoxicants, which was what the word mescal meant in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Today mescal generally refers to a type of aguardiente – water with a bite, firewater, a liquor distilled from the agave, a relative of the century plant or maguey commonly used to […]
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Many of Mexico’s holiday dishes are inspired combinations of seasonally available ingredients. Just as the chiles en nogada prepared for Independence Day celebrations combine the best of the late summer harvest, ponche navideño, the traditional Christmas punch, uses the fruit of late fall. Various combinations of apples, pears, tamarind, and tejocote (hawthorne fruit) come together in a drink flavored with sugar […]
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The michelada is a beer cocktail whose name is condensed from mi chela helada, “my iced beer.” Every region, and even everyone who makes it, seems to have a different version of this popular cooler, but two ingredients that are included everywhere are lime and salt. I’ve been served micheladas both with and without ice, but even without ice, the idea […]
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