Grilled chicken with orange, honey and chipotle glaze: Pollo a la parrilla con salsa de naranja, miel y chipotle

Honey and citrus fruits go well together, and here they are combined with chipotle chiles, garlic and spices for a flavorful take on grilled chicken. This dish may also be baked in the oven. For the chicken and marinade: 2 ½ – 3 pounds chicken pieces 1 cup fresh orange juice ¼ cup each chopped […]

Continue Reading

Mexican pear and candied pistachio salad: Ensalada de pera y pistache garapiñada

Use whatever dark salad greens are available in your local market for this pear and candied pistachio salad. Mixed baby greens are ideal, but no iceberg lettuce here, please. The nuts can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container. The honey chipotle vinaigrette dressing can also be made ahead and stored in the […]

Continue Reading

Crumbly Mexican pistachio cookies: Polvorones de pistache

This is a tasty take on the classic polvorones, or Mexican wedding cookies. Try adding one half cup of dried cherries or cranberries to the crumbly pistachio cooky dough. Ingredients 1 ¼ cups roasted, unsalted pistachios, very finely chopped 2 cups flour ½ teaspoon salt 1 cup butter ½ cup granulated sugar ¼ teaspoon vanilla […]

Continue Reading

Baby new potatoes with garlic and cumin: Papitas al ajillo

Choose the very smallest white or red potatoes you can find. Sometimes in Cholula, I find potatoes as small as marbles. This recipe is adapted from Larousse de la Cocina Mexicana by Alicia Gironella D’Angeli and Giorgio D’Angeli. Ingredients 1 ½ pounds baby new potatoes, as small as possible 2 tablespoons olive oil 4 garlic cloves, minced […]

Continue Reading

Grilled Tamarind Shrimp: Camarones al Tamarindo a la Parilla

Fish and seafood get a wonderful flavor boost from tamarind. The addition of chipotle chiles and honey make this a good marinade for chicken and pork, too. When using wooden skewers to grill food, remember to soak them first to avoid charring.   1 ½ pounds medium shrimp, peeled 3 ounces tamarind pulp 2 tablespoons […]

Continue Reading

A yearly culinary ritual: La matanza

Beginning in mid-October, and lasting for a month, a five-hundred-year-old ritual encompassing history, tradition and cuisine takes place in the valley of Tehuacan, in the Mixteca Poblana region of southern Puebla. Traveling through this rocky, hardscrabble land, one wonders how the inhabitants have sustained themselves for thousands of years and marvels at the fact that […]

Continue Reading

Tomatillo Salsa with Avocado: Salsa de Tomate Verde con Aguacate

This salsa retains the fresh, green taste of tomatillos that have not been boiled. It can be made ahead, except for the avocado, which should be added right before serving. Just about everyone who tastes this, served as a dip with totopos (corn chips), asks for the recipe. Ingredients: 12 tomatillos, husks peeled 1 small white onion, […]

Continue Reading