Mexican Kitchen by Karen Hursh Graber Read Part I – Beef Continuing a look at meat cuts and how they are named and used in Mexico, we will first consider pork. The old saying that you can eat every part of the pig but the squeal is especially true in Mexican cuisine. In addition to […]
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Mexican Kitchen by Karen Hursh Graber Read Part II – Pork and Lamb and A Guide to Mexican Cheese: Los quesos mexicanos One of the most puzzling aspects of marketing for the newly arrived resident of Mexico is shopping for meat. It is frequently cut differently than it is north of the border, to […]
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This recipe for Mexican chicken with caramelized onions and nutmeg, adapted from Marge Poole’s 1,000 Mexican Recipes, is an unusual and delicious example of how one spice can lend character to a simple dish — in this case baked chicken — with just a few ingredients, a lot of flavor, and a simple preparation. I have this […]
Continue ReadingNo kids’ party in Mexico would be complete without a gelatin, and this one is so easy and attractive. It really does look like sparkling mosaic tiles set in a background of white, and is just like the ones sold by the “gelatin ladies” on street corners and in little stores, plastic cups and all. […]
Continue ReadingThe northwestern Mexican state of Durango, a fantasyland of rugged mountains, pine forests, rivers, lakes, waterfalls, fertile valleys and yucca-strewn desert is perhaps best known as the location for the many movies shot under its startlingly bright blue sky. Because of the diversity of its landscape, Durango has been the setting for films ranging from […]
Continue ReadingThis dessert is so popular in Mexico that it comes in cans, but nothing beats home made. Chongo is the Spanish word for a chignon, which the curds resemble when they separate from the whey. This dessert should be prepared in an earthenware pot such as a Mexican clay cazuela. Ingredients: 2 quarts raw milk […]
Continue ReadingExotic-looking even on a map, the Mexican state of Veracruz stretches along the Gulf Coast like the graceful tentacle of a sea creature. Within the boundaries formed by the warm coastal waters to the east and the Sierra Madre Oriental to the west is an enticing pot-pourri of cultures. The indigenous, the Afro-Cuban and the […]
Continue ReadingMany years ago, before I began traveling around Mexico working with regional chefs and cooking teachers, I was a newly arrived greenhorn, both fascinated and confused by the country’s markets and their contents. One of the first sources of enlightenment for me on this subject was the writing of Vicki Cowal, who produced informative pieces […]
Continue ReadingEula died during the rainy season, when the earth is soft and moist and a grave is easy to dig. Esperanza said that the damp weather was hard on the ancianos, and indeed, in those months, many a house in town bore over its gate the black ribbon which in central Mexico signifies a death in the […]
Continue ReadingHaving lived in Mexico for several years, I have met my share of out-of-town visitors arriving on flights into Mexico City. We’ve made the usual round of historical and architectural sights, as well as countless artesanias markets. But when my friend the Horse Person arrived, I had my first day at the races, Mexican style. […]
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