Linguine with cilantro: Linguine con cilantro

If you can never find ways to use an entire bunch of cilantro before it wilts in the refrigerator, search no further. Fresh cilantro is the perfect foil for the guajillo chiles in olive oil and garlic. If you can’t find guajillos, dried red California chiles are a good substitute. In the restaurant where I first tried this, it was adorned with thin […]

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Mexican lentil vegetable soup with chia: Sopa de lentejas y verduras con chia

This soup is comforting, delicious, and incredibly healthy. What more could you ask for? Oh yes, you can ask for it not to be watery, and this one isn’t, thanks to the inclusion of chia seeds. Ingredients ½ pound lentils 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 cups chopped onions 2 cloves garlic, minced 3 stalks celery, […]

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Guava is an important crop in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Because of its high pectin content, the golden fruit is a favorite for making jams, jellies and marmalades. © Diodora Bucur, 2009

Mexican guava vinaigrette: Vinagreta de guayaba

The slight sweetness of this Mexican guava vinaigrette dressing works well with peppery and bitter greens such as arugula, endive and frisee. The Vinagreta de guayaba recipe is adapted from Larousse de la Cocina Mexicana by Alicia Gironella and Giorgio De’Angeli. Ingredients 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 2 ounces guava pulp ¾ cup of olive oil ¾ […]

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Red Enchiladas with Chilacate: Enchiladas Rojas con Chilacate

Unlike the Americanized version, these Enchiladas are not baked, but served freshly made on the spot. In Mexico we buy special tortillas which are made thinner in order to absorb less oil and not break when being rolled. If you can’t get thin tortillas, don’t worry, the regular ones (corn, of course) will work just […]

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Mushroom and spinach enchiladas: Enchiladas de champiñones y queso

In the Nahuatl language of the indigenous people of Central Mexico, the word for mushroom is the same as the word for meat, a testament to the mushroom’s protein content and meaty texture. Use a variety of wild mushrooms if possible, but if not, cultivated criminis are nearly always available in Mexican supermarkets. Epazote goes wonderfully with […]

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