Stewed beef shanks with vegetables: Guisado de chambarete

This is an easy and delicious one-pot meal that can be made ahead and reheated. For a less picante taste, remove the chipotle before blending the cooked ingredients. The weight given for the meat reflects the fact that there is a marrowbone in the center of each piece of shank. The comadre always used epazote in this […]

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Mango-tequila ice: Nieve de mango con tequila

During the warm months in Mexico, a variety of tropical fruit-flavored ices are sold by vendors with pushcarts, usually stationed in the parks and in front of schools. In the zócalo – main square – in Puebla, several exotic varieties are available, including those flavored with the local specialty, an egg-nog like liquor called rompope, and of course, the […]

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Russian-Mexican beef soup: Caldo ruso de res

Russian-Mexican beef soup is obviously a holdover from the Mennonites’ days as grain farmers in the Ukraine, with the distinctly Mexican additions of chile and tomato. The original recipe calls for the cut of beef called chamorro, or shanks, which provides a much richer taste than other cuts for soups. Use bone-in beef shanks because, like the Italian […]

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Crab cakes with chipotle sauce: Tortitas de jaiba en salsa de chipotle

Make small crab cakes for appetizers or larger ones for lunch or dinner. They can be assembled ahead of time and refrigerated, covered, for up to 4 hours, then fried before serving. The chipotle sauce can be made a day ahead and refrigerated, covered. Ingredients For crab cakes: 1 cup masa harina (corn tortilla flour), lightly toasted […]

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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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