Moles and other thick sauces made with nuts and seeds go best with chicken and pork. This recipe is from the town of Huauchinango, Puebla, set in a cloud forest not far from the Puebla-Veracruz border. It is a specialty of the small family restaurants in the area. Ingredients: 1 whole chicken, cut into serving […]
Continue ReadingMakes 12 Tortillas Ingredients: 2 cups white flour 1 teaspoon salt, flush 1/2-cup (one bar) butter or margarine 1/2-3/4 cup water* *The amount of water needed varies with cooking conditions, such as altitude. You can always add water, so start just shy of 1/2 cup and add more water ONLY as needed. Preparation: Put flour […]
Continue ReadingCandied nuts are a favorite treat in Mexico, and may be made with walnuts, pecans, almonds or peanuts. Walnuts are most prevalent during the winter holiday season. This sweet is one of the things we can’t resist while walking around Cholula’s December fair, with its booths of candy, ornaments, and decorations of every description. Ingredients […]
Continue ReadingAlthough rainy weather is an unpleasant thought, if not anathema, to those hoping for a little summer vacation sun-and-fun, the rainy season is one of my favorite times of the year here in central Mexico. Perhaps this is because there is such a long dry spell that by the time the rains come, they are […]
Continue ReadingAlthough there are two distinct schools of thought on grilled chicken, one that advocates par boiling and one that does not, Mexican cooks do not par boil and are not afraid to let the chicken skin blacken on the outside while the chicken cooks through. The results of cooking the chicken this way are delicious, […]
Continue ReadingWhile hierbabuena is primarily used for tea, it is perfectly delicious in chicken soup. The first time I tried it this way I was very skeptical indeed. A friend who grew up here in Puebla ran out to my kitchen garden, plucked a sprig, and popped it into the caldo de pollo we were preparing before I could open […]
Continue ReadingNochebuena is Christmas Eve, and that is when Mexican families sit down to a feast that usually lasts for several hours. This recipe for Mexican stuffing for Christmas turkey is adapted from Alquímias y Atmósferas del Sabor, by Doña Carmen (“Titita”) Ramírez, a friend and the proprietress of El Bajío, a renowned Mexico City restaurant specializing in regional […]
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The small, distinctively-flavored black beans of Veracruz which so charmed the tastebuds of the early Spanish settlers are still famous throughout Mexico for their high-quality, tenderness and taste. The method of preparation is typical of the eastern coastal area of the country. Soaking beans in water overnight, and then changing the water before cooking, is […]
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A recent trip to the cloud covered village of Cuetzalan, high in the Sierra of Puebla, generated more of the questions that arise on each visit. How does the regional dress of pure white cotton, worn daily, stay so clean in a place where it rains nearly every day? How do any vehicles get to […]
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Sometimes the humblest ingredients have the most exotic histories. So it is with the lentil, whose journey to Mexico dates back thousands of years, to approximately 8000 B.C. in Southwest Asia. It traveled to Greece during the Neolithic period, and to the Mediterranean area during the Bronze Age. Along the way, it journeyed to ancient […]
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