Chirmol is a thick sauce resembling the pipian rojo of central Mexico. It is served in Tabasco with fish, chicken and pork. Ingredients for the chicken: 1 3 ½-4 pound chicken, cut into serving pieces 2 tablespoons corn oil ½ medium white onion 2 cloves garlic, peeled salt to taste Ingredients for the chirmol: 4 […]
Continue ReadingThis recipe, using saffron and olive oil, clearly reflects the Spanish side of Mexican cooking and is similar to arroz con pollo. If your market sells quail breasts, they are more convenient to use in this recipe. If using whole quail, clip off the wings. Ingredients: 3 pounds quail or quail breasts 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided […]
Continue ReadingMexican empanadas are variously filled with meat, cheese, vegetables or fruit, and served as hors d’ouevres, main courses or desserts. These vegetable empanadas are filled with a combination of mushrooms and West Indian pumpkin or winter squash. In Mexico, winter squash is sold around Día de los Muertos and Halloween as calabaza fantasía — “fantasy squash” — because it […]
Continue ReadingThis recipe is adapted from Larousse de la Cocina Mexicana by Alicia Gironella. It contains ground flax seed, an ingredient once found only in health food stores here in Mexico, but now sold in supermarkets, called semilla de linaza. If you don’t see it ground, buy the whole seeds and grind them in a spice grinder. High in Omega […]
Continue ReadingThis is one of the most versatile and colorful ways of using fresh green chiles. At large regional fairs and smaller ferias throughout the country, glass jars of chiles en escabeche are offered for sale. In the large markets of central Mexico, they are ladled out from large clay cazuelas into plastic bags, according to […]
Continue ReadingSetas is the general name for several kinds of wild mushrooms found in Mexico, which have different regional names, according to their colors and sizes. ( Yemas, duraznitos, morillas, and pambazos are just a few of the names for wild mushrooms found in Mexican markets.) In Tlaxcala, they are grown commercially for sale in large markets and supermarkets, eliminating the […]
Continue ReadingTomatoes and watermelon are an unexpected combination here, and one that does not require you to go anywhere near the stove. A sprig of fresh mint (hierba buena) is a nice garnish. 1 pound ripe tomatoes, peeled and seeded, cut into chunks 1 small, ripe watermelon, rind and seeds removed, cut into chunks ¾ cup […]
Continue ReadingChronicler Diego de Landa mentioned chaya in 1566, when he observed that the leaves were especially delicious when cooked with plenty of bacon. What isn’t? Chayas fritas is an excellent side dish; it also stars in the scrambled egg dish Huevos revueltos con chaya. Chaya continues in popularity to the present, with exuberant chefs pushing the envelope of its many possibilities: […]
Continue ReadingIn the cooler areas of Mexico, homemade vinegar is usually made with apples, while in warmer places, the abundant pineapples are used to make the pineapple “beer” called tepache and the pineapple vinegar that is used in cooking and pickling. Fruit vinegar will take about one month to ferment in warm weather and two months when the […]
Continue ReadingThe most distinctive ingredient in this dish is amaranth (amaranto), native to Tlaxcala and cultivated for use in cooking (most notably moles and the homemade bars of candy called alegrías, sold in every plaza in Mexico.) The tiny dried amaranth seeds used in this recipe are found in health food stores everywhere. This is not […]
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