The white pear flesh, green herbs and red onion give this salsa the colors of the Mexican flag and the Christmas season. Just as tasty as it is visually appealing, Mexican pear salsa goes well with pork and is a nice accompaniment to simple grilled pork chops or a holiday roast. Ingredients 1 ½ pounds […]
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Fresh Mexican salsa and dried shrimp appetizer: Pico de gallo con camaron seco A lively accompaniment to margaritas or cold beer, this fresh Mexican salsa and dried shrimp appetizer needs to be made as close as possible to serving time. The soaking is crucial here, so that the dried shrimp doesn’t overwhelm the other ingredients. […]
Continue ReadingVisually, these remind me of the pickled green tomatoes that are nearly always on the table in New York’s kosher delis. But the sweet-and-sour vinaigrette, with the addition of green chiles, makes them very much a unique product of Chihuahua Mennonite kitchens. Chilacas are long, fresh green chiles, mild to medium hot, commonly found in […]
Continue ReadingThese have become a kitchen staple, both north and south of the border. Besides using them to make the currently popular “chipotle mayonnaise,” they can be added to sauces, marinades, salad dressings, soups and stews. I like the homemade chipotles adobados much better than the canned because the taste of fresh tomatoes is missing in the canned […]
Continue ReadingThis dish, which I first had at a wedding in Atzompa, Oaxaca, is sometimes called barbacoa de pollo. It is flavored with either avocado or hoja santa leaves, both of which have an anise-like flavor. Ingredients: 8 banana leaves 10 guajillo chiles, seeded and deveined 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 10 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped ½ medium white […]
Continue ReadingServe this very easy Mexican yogurt avocado dip with totopos (crisp fried tortillas) or tortilla chips, or with raw or steamed vegetables. Ingredients 1 ripe avocado ¾ cup yogurt ¼ cup mayonnaise 1 fresh jalapeño chile, seed and finely chopped (or include seeds for more “heat”) ¼ teaspoon ground cumin Salt to taste Chopped cilantro for garnish, […]
Continue ReadingChirmol 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 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 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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