This recipe, adapted from Diana Kennedy’s The Essential Cuisines of Mexico, contains the characteristically Mexican ingredients nopales, fresh green chiles and cilantro. Ingredients ½ cup brown lentils, rinsed 6 cups water ½ pound nopal cactus paddles, cleaned and diced salt to taste 1 large green onion, quartered ½ pound tomatoes, chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped 2 tablespoons […]
Continue ReadingPerhaps the most famous Baja street snack, and certainly one of the most frequent reader requests, fish tacos differ a bit from place to place, but are always served with the same basic selection of garnishes. A thin avocado sauce, vinegar-marinated onion rings, shredded cabbage salad, and a selection of red and green salsas are […]
Continue ReadingAlso known as recado colorado in the Yucatan, where it originated, this Yucatecan achiote paste is a marinating paste that can be used on chicken, pork or fish. Although the base for achiote paste is sold under several brand names, ready to be mixed with orange juice, this homemade version has a much fresher, livlier taste and […]
Continue ReadingThe pre-Hispanic pumpkin seeds and the sesame seeds brought by the Spaniards come together in a wonderfully textured candy, also sometimes called palanquetas. If giving the candies as gifts, wrap each in cellophane, twist the ends closed and tie them with thin curling ribbon, called listón chino in the mercerías, or notions stores. Ingredients: 1 pound piloncillo (brown loaf sugar) broken into chunks […]
Continue ReadingSince pre-Hispanic times, the Maya people of the Yucatan have eaten either the black beans known as buul or the larger, light-colored beans called ibes, usually cooked in water in which chiles have been steeped. This chile broth is the basis for many traditional Yucatecan dishes. In the following version, the chile-tomato puree is added […]
Continue ReadingThis could be called a Mexican version of the jalapeño “poppers” popular north of the border. The idea for the filling came from Susana Trilling, who has written about the smoked mullet of southern Oaxaca, and the idea for the chile soaking technique came from the experience of biting into a jalapeño so hot that […]
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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 […]
Continue ReadingThere are probably about as many recipes for this dish as there are cooks in Puebla, where it originated. It is always associated with September, el mes patrio, because it features the red, white and green colors of the Mexican flag. An invention of the colonial Poblana nuns, chiles en nogada can be difficult but don’t […]
Continue ReadingPuebla and Oaxaca both have their own distinctive versions of green mole, but none is as laden with fresh vegetables as Xalapa’s mole verde. Although I have prepared several meatless pipians and red moles for my vegetarian children, I always make a batch with poultry or meat for the rest of us. Although most people prefer mole with chicken […]
Continue ReadingIn Mexico, there are different varieties of rice availabe. The most commonly used in Jalisco is the long grain white rice. In other parts of the country, the short grain white rice is used. You can also buy “broken” rice and brown rice, but these are not so commonly used. Either the long grain or […]
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