Ingredients 1 kilo (2.2 lbs) black or pinto beans, cooked 10 Tbs. oil Chiles Güeros or wax chiles Start by toasting the chiles over a low flame or on a comal (or griddle) until the skins begins to blister and the chiles become slightly cooked. Heat a heavy pan or skillet over high heat until […]
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Part One: A culinary guide to Mexican herbs: Las hierbas de cocina Last month’s column contained a list of Mexican culinary herbs – some as well-known as cilantro, and others a bit more esoteric – and their uses. This month’s column contains recipes using fresh Mexican herbs, as well as a list of sources for ordering seeds. […]
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Spring is the season of renewal, evident in the green buds poking up through the warming earth and, here in Mexico, symbolized by the wheat sprouts that adorn altars during Easter week. For many people, this time of year brings with it the urge to plant a garden. As the nitrogen-rich April showers begin preparing […]
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Part One: Culinary guide to Mexican fish and shellfish: Las delicias del mar I Last month’s column presented the first part of an alphabetized list of Mexico’s most popular eating varieties of fish and shellfish, expanded beyond the literal meaning of mar – ocean – to include freshwater species. Throughout Lent, markets and supermarkets have been selling […]
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Although Mexicans relish seafood all year long, the months of March and April top the rest in consumption of fish and shellfish. Besides the fact that most species are available in late winter and early spring, the Lenten and Holy Week meatless meal traditions contribute enormously to this seasonal swell in the popularity of las delicias […]
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México está bendecido con abundantes frutas tropicales. Se sirven frutas en platos elegantes, vasos y bolsas desechables que se venden en las esquinas. No importa que tan humilde sea el lugar, las frutas en bolsa siempre se cortan en tiras o gajos uniformes y se sirven con limón fresco y chile en polvo si lo […]
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Semana Santa — Holy Week — is the observance of a solemn religious occasion. But the mood in most of Mexico during Easter time is far from solemn. With the exception of the Good Friday reenactments — passion plays and processions that take place on some level in even the smallest village — the atmosphere […]
Continue ReadingPineapple seems to be the most common fruit filling for empanadas in Mexico, but guava and apple are frequently used and delicious. The dough for sweet Mexican empanadas usually contains some sugar, but any basic empanada dough can be used, sprinkling sugar on top. Ingredients For the dough: 3 cups all purpose flour ¼ cup […]
Continue ReadingMexican Kitchen Last month’s column (Part I) presented a guide to Mexico’s many cheeses, along with suggestions for substitutions when certain cheeses are not available. However, with the enormous variety of international ingredients now sold north of the border, many Mexican cheeses have become supermarket staples. While supermarkets are certainly convenient, one of the charms […]
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Mexican Kitchen Mexican markets, especially the open-air variety, still bear an uncanny resemblance to their pre-Hispanic predecessors. The colors and aromas of carefully arranged piles of fruit and vegetables, bundles of herbs, and all manner of corn dough-based food baking on the comal is not that much different from the descriptions given nearly five hundred […]
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