Mushrooms in vinaigrette: Hongos en escabeche

Wild mushrooms are found in abundance in the states of Puebla, Tlaxcala and Estado de Mexico during and after the rainy season, and used in soups, quesadillas and vegetable dishes. Although the comadre used escobetas (coral mushrooms) the following recipe may be successfully prepared using fresh cultivated mushrooms. Ingredients 2 pounds fresh mushrooms (if using button mushrooms, […]

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Named for the state of Puebla, poblano peppers are tasty, attractive and widely used ©Carol Wheeler 2017

The chiles of summer: Pick a peck of poblanos

In the enormously diversified world of chiles, the poblano has long been considered one of the tastiest, most attractive and widely used of the capsicum family. A staple of Mexican home and restaurant cooking, the poblano has, in recent years, been fondly adopted into the family of favorite vegetables north of the border. Although poblano chiles are […]

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habaneros

Warm Reading For Cool Nights: A Guide To Mexican Chiles

Perhaps no other single ingredient has had such a dramatic upsurge in mainstream culinary use over the last decade as has chile (chee-lay). Once considered an exotic component of Latin, Indian and Asian cuisines, the chile, in its many fresh and dried forms, has become a modern kitchen staple, added to everything from salad dressings […]

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"Peppers!" By Linda Paul

Warm Reading For Cool Nights: A Guide To Mexican Chiles Part 2: Dried Chiles

Part 1 presented information on fresh chiles, capsicum anuum, New World natives that have become essential components in many of the world’s cuisines. One of their most intriguing aspects is the success with which they may be preserved by drying, nearly always changing the flavor of the original fresh chile. This change in flavor can range […]

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Yucatan Style pickled onions: Cebollas encurtidas estilo yucateca

Both white and purple pickled onions are served as condiments in the Yucatan. The purple variety is generally served with cochinita pibil, and both Yucatan style pickled onions make great additions to sandwiches. Blanching them for a few seconds first takes some of the sharpness out of the onions, making them good for people who like raw […]

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Yucatecan style quail: Codorniz a la yucateca

Yucatecan style quail, typical of the Mexican state of Yucatan, uses a recado, one of the spice pastes that distinguish the region’s cuisine. This recipe can also be used with chicken or turkey, increasing proportions according to the weight of the bird. Ingredients For the recado: 3 peppercorns 1 teaspoon allspice berries 2 whole cloves ½ teaspoon coriander […]

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