Also known as arroz negro, or “black rice”, this is one of the easiest ways to start cooking with huitlacoche. It is prepared like the traditional Mexican red rice, which needs to be soaked in hot water, rinsed of its starch in a colander until the water runs clear, and left to dry before cooking. […]
Continue Reading
The proverbial bat in the belfry, a boy trapped in a bathroom, and a witching hour wander deep into the heart of a century old tunnel provided the eerie highlights of my recent overnighter at Mina Dos Estrellas, not far from Tlalpujahua in northeastern Michoacan (see map). Yet one resident phantom, reputed to be a […]
Continue ReadingFruit atole is a great morning or late night drink. It can be made with several kinds of fruit, but Veracruz guava atole is my hands-down favorite. The easiest way to remove the seeds is to cut the fruit crosswise and scoop them out with a spoon. Ingredients 3 cups water ½ cup piloncillo or dark brown sugar 1 […]
Continue ReadingAgua de betabel is the drink seen on the altar of Nuestra Señora de Dolores, the sorrowful mother, on the Friday before Semana Santa. I have yet to find out why beets were chosen for this particular occasion, but the Mexican beet drink is quite refreshing, especially during the hot season, when Semana Santa occurs. I have cut […]
Continue ReadingPicaditas are fun to make as well as eat. As each one is baking on the comal, the sides are pinched up, creating perfect little containers to hold the toppings. Veracruz, being a port city, has seafood variations on its picaditas, which are sometimes known locally as pelliscadas. A very attractive presentation for an appetizer or buffet table is to garnish each picadita with […]
Continue ReadingIngredients: 1 ½ cups flour ¾ cup sugar ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon ¼ teaspoon ancho chile powder (optional) ¼ teaspoon salt 1 cup water 4 tablespoons melted butter ½ tablespoon vanilla extract 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans Powdered sugar for sifting over cake (optional) Combine […]
Continue Reading
Timothy J. Knab Mescal, mescaline, mescal bean, mescal button; what are they? They are all intoxicants, which was what the word mescal meant in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Today mescal generally refers to a type of aguardiente – water with a bite, firewater, a liquor distilled from the agave, a relative of the century plant or maguey commonly used to […]
Continue Reading
Besides the seemingly endless string of fiestas, weddings, baptisms and saints’ days throughout the year, the warm months bring graduations galore. Everything from a kindergarten commencement to the completion of a PhD is celebrated exuberantly in Mexico. And the season’s balmy weather invites merrymakers to move outside. Even the start of the rainy season does […]
Continue ReadingEnchiladas with cream sauces are popular in Querétaro, and these use the thick Mexican buttermilk called jocoque, introduced by Mexico’s many Lebanese immigrants. A mixture of regular buttermilk (which is much thinner than jocoque) and Mexican crema, crême fraiche or sour cream makes a good substitute. Ingredients For the green salsa: 1 pound tomatillos, husked 1 medium white onion, coarsely […]
Continue ReadingThe market ladies in Puebla sell this salad ready-made, ladling it into plastic bags to “take-out.” The basic recipe consists of nopales, green onions and cilantro; other ingredients, such as tomatoes, can be added to taste. I like to dress the salad lightly with a little bit of olive oil and lime juice, although many […]
Continue Reading