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Mexican Cooking from Jalisco, the land of Mariachis & Tequila

Posted on January 5, 2013 by albatz

The Jalisco Menu

Ensalada de camarones, or shrimp salad

camarones prepped for the ensalada
camarones are small prawns or large shrimp!
oil is added to the tequila and vinegar mix for the dressing of the ensalada de camarones
making the dressing for the ensalada
ensalada de camarones with onion, cilantro, avocado, tomato, lettuce and a tequila and vinegar dressing, and topped with crunchy deep-fried tortilla strips
La Ensalada de Camarones

Enchiladas

preparing the chiles for the enchiladas
soaking the chiles for the enchiladas
straining the blended chiles into a hot mix to prep the sauce for the enchiladas
straining the blended chiles into hot oil
the real enchilada! The meaning of ‘enchilada‘ is to be slathered ‘in chiles’. Drizzled crema fresca, queso fresco and half moon slices of onion top off these corn tortilla-wrapped morsels of chicken.
Enchiladas

‘Carne en su jugo‘, or meat in its juice.

the ‘cambray’ onions for the ‘carne en su jugo‘. The onions are browned in a hot pan, the same one that was earlier used to fry the bacon and then the carne(meat), building on all the flavours. Pearl onions are an acceptable substitute if you can’t find ‘cambray’ onions.
browning the cambray onions
The meat is inside round, the ‘jugo‘ (juice) is flavoured with tomatillos, onion, garlic, serranos, bacon and ‘cambray’ onions.

carne en su jugo

‘Carne en su jugo‘, served with sliced radishes on top. Super delicioso, but I was so full I could only try a little. I really regret not bringing along a container so I could take some home. This recipe, along with the accompanying ‘frijoles charros‘ are tops on my list of dishes to try at home.
Carne en su jugo is served with frijoles charros, and garnished with radishes on top

Frijoles charros, or cowboy beans

The carne en su jugo was served with Frijoles charros. This dish started with flor de mayobeans (or pinto beans as a substitute) that had been slow-cooked with onion and garlic for several hours.
flor de mayo beans that have been slow-cooked with onion and garlic for several hours
Chorizo, then garlic and onion were fried, and then added to the beans.
chorizo, onion and garlic to add to the beans

Flan from Jalisco, known as ‘Jericalla’

the basic ingredients for flan from Jalisco, known as ‘jericalla’, are very simple: eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon.
the basic ingredients for flan
whisk the eggs and sugar together until the mixture forms a ribbon
whisk the egg and sugar mixture until they form a ribbon
flan from Jalisco, known as ‘jericalla‘, showing the caramelization of the custard surface.
the finished flan

More from Jalisco: Mariachis and Tequila

un mariachi

Tequila Reposado

Posted in Food around the world, Mexican | Tagged beans, camarones, cooking, cowboy, enchiladas, flan, food, frijoles, Jalisco, mariachi, meat in its juice, Mexico, prawns, salad, shrimp, Tequila | 1 Comment

Central Region of Mexico: Chalupitas with Two Salsas

Posted on January 4, 2013 by albatz

The appetizer or ‘antojito’ from the central region of Mexico was ‘Chalupitas de pollo poblanos con dos salsas’.

Chalupitas plated

Two different salsas were prepared: a salsa verde (green sauce) made with tomatillos, serrano chiles, onion, garlic and cilantro; and a salsa rojo with red plum tomatoes replacing the tomatillos, guajillo and ancho chiles replacing the serranos, and no cilantro.

Los Chiles: Serrano chiles (green) for the salsa verde and ancho chiles (dried and dark) for the salsa roja.

los chiles

The Green Sauce / Salsa verde

Tomatillos: according to Rosanna, try to buy tomatillos when the husk is separated from the tomatillo, otherwise they are not yet ripe.

ripe tomatillos

Tomatillos MUST be cooked – I didn’t know that! Dehusk and simmer the tomatillos until they are soft, but NOT until they burst.

cooking the dehusked tomatillos

Blend the cooked tomatillos with a 1/4 of chopped small onion, 2 mashed cloves of garlic, 3 chopped and de-seeded serrano chiles, a ‘bunch’ of chopped cilantro and a small amount of water.

blend the cooked tomatillos with onion, garlic and cilantro…

Put the blended mixture into a small pot, add salt to taste and simmer until turns less bright.

simmer until green becomes less bright

The Red Sauce / Salsa roja

Lightly toast 10 guajillo chiles in a dry fry pan; then transfer to a bowl and cover with boiling water for about 20 minutes. Remove the stems and seeds. Do the same with 3 ancho chiles.

guajillo chiles after the stems and seeds have been removed

Now add 2 cups chopped tomatoes, 1/4 of a chopped small onion, 1 mashed clove of garlic, along with one cup of the chile soaking liquid.

After being blended, the salsa roja goes into a pot with some salt to taste, and is simmered until cooked.

the salsa roja goes into a pot after being blended

The salsas were smeared on tortillas and ‘pulled’ or shredded chicken added on top.

adding the chicken to the Chalupitas

The whole shebang was passed through hot oil.

the whole shebang is passed through hot oil

The chalupitas were then placed on paper towels to blot off the excess oil.

Everyone got one chalupita with red salsa and one with green...

Everyone got two chalupitas, one with red salsa and one with green…

Topped with some diced onion, folded into chalupitas (little canoes) and eaten with the hands, these are a traditional Mexican snack.

orange wall with cross in Coyoacan, a suburb of D.F.

Posted in Food around the world, Mexican | Tagged chiles, cooking, food, masa, menu, Mexico, recipe, tomato | 1 Comment

From the Central Region of Mexico: Bistec con Nopales, Chorizo y Frijoles

Posted on January 3, 2013 by albatz

This is the main course from our cooking class featuring food from the heart of Mexico: Bistec con Nopales, Chorizo y Frijoles

Bistec y Frijoles

‘Bistec‘ (beefsteak) is an inside round steak, sliced roulade-style, and marinated for several hours in a mix of oil, 2 limes, 4 crushed garlic cloves, 1/2 onion, oregano, salt, a jalapeño and black pepper.

marinating the ‘bistec‘

‘Frijoles’ are beans, in this case black beans.

black beans

‘Nopales’ are the paddles of the prickly pear. The red fruit, known as tunas, is also edible. These prickly treats grow all over the arid high plateau of the central region.

prickly pear with fruit at Tula, an archeological site just outside of Mexico City

prickly pear with the fruit known as ‘tunas‘, at Tula, an archeological site just outside of Mexico City

Remove the spines from BOTH sides of the nopales (prickly pear paddles).

removing the spines from the nopales

Cut the eight nopales into ‘hands’ and grill.

the nopales are cut into ‘hands’ and grilled

Once grilled, slice through the ‘hands’ to create rajas or strips.

strips (rajas) of nopales

Fry the 200 gr sliced chorizo, nopal strips and 1/2 onion sliced into ‘plumes’.

fry the chorizo, nopal strips and onion

Cover the chorizo and nopales with a salsa made from soaked ancho chiles blended with garlic, onion and enough water to help deglaze the pan.

add red salsa to the chorizo/nopales/onion mix and simmer for 10 minutes

Grill the marinated bisteces and then serve atop the chorizo, nopales and chile mixture along with frijoles… ¡Qué rico! A perfect comida to follow a trip exploring the archeological ruins of Tula, near Mexico D.F.

the volcanic stone face of one of the Toltec warriors or ‘Atlantids’ at Tula, Mexico. This site is about 50 km from Mexico City, and easily reached by local bus. The site was active from 800 to 1100 AD.

taking measure of the Atlantids

more cactus, in this case an agave, at Tula. This agave could end up as pulque (Aztec ‘beer’) or Mezcal!

Posted in Food around the world, Mexican | Tagged anchos, beans, bistec, chiles, chorizo, cooking, food, frijoles, Mexico, nopales, recipe, salsa, steak | 2 Comments

Wildberry atole ‘custard’ with home-made almond ice cream

Posted on January 2, 2013 by albatz

Continuing on with our Michoacán menu, the dessert was a wildberry atole ‘custard’ with home-made almond ice cream.

Atoles are usually hot drinks made of masa (corn flour), with the addition of unrefined cane sugar, cinnamon-infused water, as well as optional vanilla, chocolate or fruits. If the mixture is boiled for a long time with lots of sugar, it will set at room temperature to form a ‘custard’. The ‘custard’ we made used frozen blackberries.

The state of Michoacán is very fond of exotic-flavoured ice creams and sorbets, and the Almond Ice Cream we made is a good example. In Spanish it is called : ‘pasta de nieve’ that translates to ‘almond paste of snow’.

Wildberry Atole with Almond Ice Cream

Home-made Almond Ice Cream – ‘Pasta de nieve’

mixing the ingredients for the Almond Ice Cream

the almond ice cream mix being poured in a pan to freeze it

the Almond Ice Cream mix being poured in a pan in advance of freezing it.

After an hour in the freezer, four cups of whipped cream is folded into the frosty mixture and the pan is returned to the freezer.
From this point on check every 15 minutes or so for crystals forming and break them up using a fork. Continue to do this until the ice cream is smooth and creamy.

The Wildberry Atole Custard

500 gr corn flour is mixed with water to form a dough; the masa dough is then mixed with more water until runny.

the corn flour is mixed with water to form a dough; the dough is then mixed with more flour to act as a thickener

the masa dough is mixed with more water to form a runny mix

Once the masa is dissolved strain into a pot and bring to a simmer stirring constantly.
750 gr of berries are mixed with a half litre of water; then strained into the simmering atole.

straining the berries into the simmering ‘atole‘ mixture of masa and water

Whisk the two together, then add 750 gr of sugar and continue stirring until the bottom of the pot is visible.

Pour the mixture into dessert cups and let set at room temperature.
Garnish with whole berries and a sprinkle of icing sugar (or in this case an almond and Almond Ice Cream)

Posted in Food around the world, Mexican | Tagged atole, berry, cooking, food, ice cream, masa, menu, Mexico, Michoacan | Comments Off

Agua de Jamaica, a Type of Agua Fresca or ‘Iced Tea’

Posted on January 1, 2013 by albatz

Aguas Frescas are the Mexican answer to iced teas. Agua de jamaica is one of the more popular flavours, a sweet/sour ‘tea’ that refreshes on a hot Mexican afternoon.

Jamaica ‘iced tea’

In our class we made ‘Agua de Jamaica‘ by adding the dried flower calyxes to water, simmering for 15 minutes, straining and then adding sugar to taste. Chilled, it was a very refreshing beverage.

Jamaica is a type of hibiscus, but looks very different from what I think of as an hibiscus.

the red flowers of the jamaica plant

Dried hibiscus calyxes, are called ‘jamaica‘ (hah-MAI-ka) in Spanish.

dried jamaica calyxes

After simmering, strain the jamaica (hibiscus) infusion and add sugar to taste. Serve in ‘jarros‘ with lots of ice.

Serve in ‘jarros‘ with lots of ice

a glass of chilled Agua de Jamaica

Health benefits: according to several people I met in Mexico, jamaica brings down high blood pressure and, like other red drinks such as cranberry juice, also detoxifies the blood.

To practice your Spanish, and find out more about other ‘aguas frescas’ go to our Spanish course website: http://www.soleducational.com/estudiantes/modulos/modulo_1/m1_aguas_frescas.html

Posted in Food around the world, Mexican | Tagged agua, cooking, cuisine, drink, flowers, food, health, iced tea, jamaica, menu, Mexico, recipe | Comments Off

Mexican Cooking Class: Sopa Tarasca from Patzcuaro

Posted on December 31, 2012 by albatz

: door way into a secret jardin, Patzcuaro.

It was in 1976 that I first went to Patzcuaro, and on that first trip I fell in love with the city. And when I was in Patzcuaro, I fell in love with Sopa Tarasca and had it almost every day. So I was delighted to find that the first thing we made in our class on the food of the food of Michoacán was Sopa Tarasca!

Sopa Tarasca

Although similar to other forms of ‘tortilla’ soup, at least in the garnishes of cream, cheese, avocado, crumbled pasilla chiles and deep-fried julienned tortillas, this soup has a base of pureed tomatoes, Guajillo chiles and Flor de Mayo beans. I love this soup, but would never have guessed that it had beans in it!

Flor de Mayo Beans

these Flor de Mayo beans look similar to pinto beans; sometimes they are called ‘romano beans’ or ‘cherry beans’. They are cooked until soft.

las frijoles para la sopa Tarasca

8 or 9 Guajillo chiles are cooked in boiling water for ten minutes, and then their stems and seeds are removed

soaked Guajillo chiles for the sopa Tarasca

the chiles are blended with a cup of crushed tomatoes, 2 cloves of mashed garlic and 1/4 chopped onion

blending the Guajillo chiles and tomatoes

blending the Guajillo chiles, onion, garlic and tomatoes

adding the tomato mix to the pureed beans for the Sopa Tarasca

adding the blended chile/tomato mix to the pureed beans for the Sopa Tarasca

slicing tortillas into fine strips for the sopa Tarasca.

‘deep-frying’ the tortilla strips

deep-fried tortilla strips being drained on paper towel

Here’s an easy way to slice up an avocado

one way to slice up an avocado

all the fixings for the sopa Tarasca: cheese, cream, julienned deep-fried tortillas, crumbled pasilla chiles and cubed avocado

¡por fin! la sopa Tarasca

typical Patzcuaro wall with door & shuttered windows

Posted in Food around the world, Mexican, Travel | Tagged cheese, chiles, cooking, cuisine, food, guajillo, Mexico, Michoacan, pasilla, Patzcuaro, recipe, sopa Tarasca, soup, tortilla | Comments Off

Mexican cooking class featuring a menu from Puebla

Posted on December 29, 2012 by albatz

This menu is from my Mexican cooking class featuring the foods of the state of Puebla.

My favourite dish of the evening was the ‘sopa poblano‘, a creamy almost vegetarian soup to die for. Served along with the soup was an appetizer, quite unusual (and delicious), molotes de Zacatlán de las Manzanas, and for dipping, ‘salsa martajada‘, a charred jalapeño and tomato salsa traditionally ground in a mojalcate.

Puebla-stye creamy soup, along with molletes and dipping salsa

Puebla-style creamy soup, along with molotes and for dipping, salsa martajada

The main course, the ‘sencillo‘ (simple) mole, used almost 50 chiles along with tiny amounts (in comparison) of other spices, all ground into a paste and poured over the chicken that had provided the soup base. It was accompanied with ‘arroz a la mexicana‘, and to drink, a slightly slimy but refreshing chia ‘agua fresca‘.

some of the ingredients that went into the ‘sopa poblano‘, a creamy almost vegetarian soup
ingredients for the Sopa Poblano
‘sopa poblano‘, my favourite dish of the evening. ¡Muy sabroso!
creamy Puebla-style soup
the molotes being prepared. Masa, corn flour, is mixed with a chipotle puree to form a spicy dough. It is filled with slivers of serrano, panela cheese (like feta) and thinly sliced onion. Shaped into an oblong shape and deep-fried until pale red, it is usually served with a fresh salsa.
molotes being prepared
‘salsa martajada‘, a charred jalapeño and tomato salsa
‘salsa martajada‘ for the molletes
I was also rather fond of the slimy ‘chia fresca‘ (chia seeds available at the grainery on Granville Island). The chia seeds were added to a fresh limonada base. Salvia hispanica or chia, is a species of plant from the mint family, and is native to México y Guatemala. The seeds of the chia, apart from making excellent ‘chia pets’, are one of the richest sources of omega-3 oils, but must be soaked in water for an hour to allow the oil to be released.
Chia lemonade in a glass
Mexican-style rice and ‘sencillo’ (simple) chicken mole Puebla-style, topped with toasted sesame seeds (recipe)
Mole poblano con arroz a la mexicana

Posted in Food around the world, Mexican | Tagged chia, chicken, chiles, cooking, cuisine, dish, food, jalapeno, limonada, masa, menu, Mexico, Mole, molotes, Puebla, recipe, rice, salsa, sopa poblano, soup, tomato | 1 Comment

Mexican cooking from Oaxaca, the land of the 7 moles

Posted on December 26, 2012 by albatz

Mexican cooking from state of Oaxaca, the land of the 7 moles. Moles are the super-rich chile-based sauces and there are all sorts of moles. But mole is only one of many Oaxacan specialities. Here are some more:

Sopa de milpa (garden soup)
Chapulines (grasshoppers). I tried one once, from a vendadora in the Oaxacan market. It was coated in a barbeque spice that tasted similar to the spice on bbq peanuts, although peanuts don’t have little legs that stick in your throat.
The main food market is certainly worth a visit. While you’re there, you can try the chapulines, or perhaps the carnitas might be more to your taste…

Oaxaca Market

Queso Oaxaca, also called queso asadero, has a flavour similar to young Monterey Jack but with a stringy texture.
for dessert, ‘Buñuelos’, fried tortillas topped with a cinnamon sugar mix and dipped into ‘miel de piloncillo‘, a syrup of raw sugar, orange and lime peel zest, anise, and clove.
buñelos y miel de piloncillo
And while you’re in the state of Oaxaca make sure to buy a bottle of Mezcal! This is their speciality!
Salt and chiles to go with your shot of Mezcal

Posted in Food around the world, Mexican, Travel | Tagged beans, cheese, chiles, cooking, cuisine, dessert, food, grasshopper, market, menu, Mexico, mezcal, Mole, moles, Oaxaca, queso asadero, recipe, sopa, soup | Comments Off

Moles, the super rich chile-based sauces from Mexico

Posted on December 23, 2012 by albatz

I used to think that ‘mole‘ was the name of the super-rich (almost too rich) dark sauce weirdly containing chocolate.

From my Mexican cooking class I learned that ‘mole’ comes from the indigenous word ‘molli’, describing a thick sauce formed from a complex mix of spices, herbs and other ingredients. Although the classic chocolate mole is possibly the best known, there are many other types of moles including red, yellow, black, green, almond and pumpkin seed.

All moles contain chiles and meat, traditionally turkey, game or iguana, but for classroom purposes, chicken and pork. Other potential ingredients could include almonds, peanuts, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, garlic, onion, cinnamon, chocolate, dried fruit, spices, herbs and thickeners.

In my UBC Mexican cooking classes we made two (maybe 3) of the famous seven moles of Oaxaca plus a Mole Poblano Sencillo from Puebla. Each link leads to a description of we made each of these traditional Mexican meals…

Mole Amarillito de Oaxaca, (yellow mole)
Mole Amarillito
Tesmole de Pollo Mazateco served over rice (I think this is a mole as well, maybe?)
Tesmole de Pollo over rice, Oaxaca-style
the Mole Coloradito (red mole), also known as mancha manteles (or tablecloth stainer)
Mole Coloradito
Mole Poblano Sencillo from Puebla (mole negro or black mole)
mole poblano, also known as mole negro

Posted in Food around the world, Mexican | Tagged chicken, chiles, cooking, cuisine, food, menu, Mexico, Oaxaca, recipe | Comments Off

Mole Poblano Sencillo, a dark mole from the state of Puebla

Posted on December 23, 2012 by albatz

This is a great recipe to use with left-over turkey. The rich spiciness of the mole is a perfect compliment to the dark meat of the turkey, and in fact, turkey was probably the original meat used in moles as turkeys existed in Meso-America long before chickens arrived. The only changes I made were to add a cup of cut-up dried prunes at the same time as I added the turkey, and to substitute Chicken-in-a-mug for the broth…

This is a ‘sencillo’ (simple) mole in the fact that it only has 15 or so ingredients as opposed to the usual 30 or so! Chef Rossana simplified it so we could make within the three-hour limit of our cooking class, but even so she boiled the chicken thighs and legs ahead of time!

mole poblano sencillo

This ‘simple’ mole used almost 50 chiles along with tiny amounts (in comparison) of other spices, all ground into a paste and poured over the chicken that had provided the chicken broth base and was served with ‘arroz a la mexicana‘.

1/2 of the 50 odd chiles used in our ‘simple’ Puebla-style mole that consisted of 15 ancho chiles, 12 mulato chiles and 20 chipotle chiles, all with the seeds removed, and all ‘lightly’ fried in pork fat.

one half of the 50-odd chiles needed for the mole poblano

the fried chiles were crumbled and then blended along with 1/2 medium onion, 12 grilled garlic cloves, 2 cups of canned tomatoes, 1 tsp of toasted anise seeds, 6 cloves crushed, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, salt to taste and two crushed black peppercorns. The chile paste was strained into 2 Tbsp of hot pork fat, and fried. The mix was then set to a simmer and the chicken broth gradually incorporated.

strain the blended chiles and spice mixture into hot pork fat and fry

at this point 1/2 ‘puck’ of Mexican chocolate, broken into small pieces, was added to the mix.
the sugared gritty chocolate that is added to the mole
The previously cooked chicken was added to the ‘mole and warmed. This is the ‘sencillo‘ (simple) mole Puebla-style looks as served and topped with toasted sesame seeds
mole poblano, also known as mole negro
meanwhile, we started the Mexican-style rice by frying the rice in hot oil until it turned opaque
a mix of blended tomatoes, onion, garlic, salt and water, plus peas and carrots were added to the ‘fried’ rice. Once it was brought to a boil, sprigs of cilantro were added, and the heat turned down to low with the pot covered.
a mix of blended tomatoes, onion, garlic, salt and water, peans and carrots are added to the fried rice
the finished Mexican-style rice
Arroz a la mexicana
Mexican-style rice and chicken mole poblano sencillo
Mole poblano con arroz a la mexicana

Posted in Food around the world, Mexican | Tagged chicken, chiles, chocolate, cooking, cuisine, food, menu, Mexican-style, Mexico, Mole, mole negro, poblano, Puebla, rice | Comments Off

The Jalisco Menu

The Green Sauce / Salsa verde

The Red Sauce / Salsa roja

The Wildberry Atole Custard

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