Dried shrimp soup is a Mexican cantina classic that has fueled many a “next round.” Friday afternoons are an especially good time to find this beloved soup at your friendly neighborhood watering hole. But if such a thing doesn’t exist near you, make it yourself and invite a group of friends for a multi-course cantina […]
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The change of seasons in Mexico brings a shift in the kinds of produce available in the markets. The young greens, stone fruit, and baby new vegetables that appear in mercados in springtime are ideal ingredients for lighter fare in warmer weather. For unlike its north-of-the-border neighbors, Mexico experiences its hottest time of the year in […]
Continue ReadingAlthough the mention of Chiapas frequently brings to mind images of masked revolutionaries and steamy jungles, Mexico’s southernmost state is a beautiful combination of mountains, plains and seacoast where tourism is once again flourishing as people rediscover the wonders of a region with deep pre-Hispanic routes. Long before the Europeans advanced into Chiapas from the […]
Continue ReadingI first saw this being prepared many years ago at the home of my friend Isabel Hoyos Gomez, who made it for her ailing father. Here in Mexico, it is said to be a fortifying soup for the aging and infirm, but it is delicious served to anyone as a light first course. It uses […]
Continue ReadingOne of my happiest dining memories is the first time I tried Arroz a la Tumbada at the King of Carnival restaurant in the city of Veracruz, where it is prepared to order for each diner and served in individual clay cazuelas. Ingredients: 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons corn oil 1 cup medium grain rice, washed and dried […]
Continue ReadingNo matter where in the world I am, I can close my eyes and conjure up the aroma of mild green onions emanating from the trucks that pass through Cholula every night on their way to the huge distribution markets. We always wonder where these onions will end up. Essential to any grilled meal in […]
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Although Cinco de Mayo, the national May 5th holiday commemorating the 1862 Battle of Puebla, is celebrated with much more fervor by Mexicans living in the United States than in Mexico, one exception is the state of Puebla, and especially the city of Puebla itself. Here — in the colonial city where mole poblana originated — […]
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Mexico presents a different face to each person that meets her. Traveling through the country is an experience unique to the individual, even to people on the same journey, whether they be tourists spending a week at an ultra-modern beach resort or ethnologists visiting remote indigenous villages. Each of us has a personal framework through […]
Continue ReadingOnce again, the time to talk turkey has arrived, and in Mexico this can inspire quite a bit of talk indeed. Over thirty words for the bird have been used at one time or another in various parts of the country, twenty-one of which were still in use when Dr. Lawrence B. Kiddle wrote “The Names […]
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In this frijoles borrachos recipe, it’s the beer in this recipe that gets the beans drunk, and contributes good flavor to a dish that goes perfectly with Northern Mexican grilled beef. With Southern Mexican food, black beans are favored. Ingredients 1 pound pinto beans or black beans, washed and soaked in water overnight 2 tablespoons vegetable oil […]
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