This green—which has multiple names and spellings, from huauthili to guaunsoncle—is actually the unopened flowering shoots of Chenopodium berlandieri, a “goosefoot” related to amaranth and quinoa. Traditionally, it’s served at Christmas and Lent in a pretty complicated dish that involves combining sprigs of the vegetable with cheese, beaten egg white, and batter, then frying each wand and “stripping” the results through your teeth so you don’t have to eat little sharp twigs. Not to mention the fact that it’s usually served in a salsa or mole, so it’s a messy undertaking. Continue reading Mexican Vegetables: How about huauzontle?→
This recipe has no particular ethnicity or origin but is really a fairly simple quiche that uses poblano chilies instead of flour for the crust. It is not spicy as in ‘hot’ or ‘picante’ but the poblanos lend a smoky, rich flavor, and crunchy texture. Every time I have made it has been a hit, and can be served hot or cold, and garnished with your favorite salsa or eaten plain. The only trick is matching quantities with your pie plate, and you definitely want to use a pie plate as when the peppers are roasted, pealed, split open with seeds and membranes removed, they are then placed in the pan with the stem or wide end along the rim, and narrow end towards the center, just like a slice of pie. Add more or less onion and garlic, according to your palette. Continue reading Poblano Pie→
The mamey doesn’t look much like a fruit. From the outside it resembles a small, ancient cracked leather football. It’s outer surface more like bark than peel. As a matter of fact, its exterior is so hard, you couldn’t peel it if you tried. You’ll need a knife to get into its soft, slimy, salmon colored flesh. If it weren’t for the sweet flavor of this fruit, it would remind you a lot of an avocado, once you’ve cut it open. Continue reading Mamey→
My first taste of Mexican food was probably like many of my Canadian brothers and sisters: soft or hard tacos, with Mexi-fries, from the local “Taco Time” franchise. Having grown up on a solid meat and potatoes diet, this was new, sort of tasty, and you learned quickly not to glob on the Hot Sauce from the little plastic cup. Continue reading Tasty Treats→
Husband and wife Fernando Bolaños and Fernanda Sueldo (no, they say their names didn’t spark their love affair) opened Oaxaca’s first craft brewery about two years ago, coincidentally around the same time that Oaxaca City inaugurated its first artisanal beer store, Bier Stube. Cerveceria Teufel (formerly known as Camarada) has taken Oaxaca de Juárez and indeed the entire country by storm. It’s already won a gold medal at a national competition and congress, Cerveza Mexico. Beyond producing a line of quality craft beers, if you know the right people you can arrange for a beer and Oaxacan food pairing (maridaje) event at the nano-brewery (smaller than micro). Teufel currently produces only about 150 cases a month. Continue reading Craft Beer & Food Pairing in Oaxaca→
While there are indeed producers of certified organic foodstuffs and spirits in the central valleys of Oaxaca, the question arises as to whether tourists on a short visit, or residents of its capital, should go out of their way to seek out production from these purveyors. Are there healthy, sustainable and environmentally friendly alternatives to shopping in the Friday and Saturday organic market in the Xochimilco neighborhood in the north end of the city, or patronizing restaurants which boast using certified organic produce or being Slow Food proponents? Continue reading Certified Organic Produce in Oaxaca: Is it Necessary or Even Advisable?→
As any little bird might tell you seeds are high in nutrients. In addition to serving “pan dulces” (delicious Mexican pastries) for breakfast I like to offer healthy alternatives and seeds go a long way to enhance the quality of any bread basket. Not only do they punch up the food value but also add flavor and texture. Here are three of my favorites. Continue reading The Seedy Side of Muffins→
Oaxaca is a coffee state, one of few in Mexico, (including Veracruz, Chiapas, Tabasco and Michoacan), but definitely one of the most beautiful of the coffee lands. Many visitors know to head up to Pluma Hildago for not only a scenic, cooling, drive, but to see this small village perched on the side of a mountain, overlooking a vast amount of the Sierra Madre Sur and the coast of Oaxaca and of course, buy beans. Coffee, not a native plant, is most likely native to Africa/Ethiopia area, but was cultivated in southern Arabia early in coffee drinking history. Coffee was first written about and spread in popularity in the Mediterranean area in the mid 15th century, and the coffee story moves from there, as explorers and conquerors brought coffee home with them and to new lands. Continue reading Coffee→
Matzoh ball soup is a favorite of some of our friends in Huatulco. But it is not the be-all and end-all of kosher cooking in Mexico. And matzoh ball soup is not automatically kosher.
Basically, to be kosher in any country, ingredients need to follow three basic principles derived from the Bible. The first principle: Meat and milk cannot be used together in any dishes prepared and served at the same meal (no quesadillas con queso y arrachera). Kosher restaurants in Mexico City are clearly labeled outside as serving either meat or milk – often in Hebrew. The reasons? if you really care about kosher food you can read the Hebrew. And if you are a visitor to Mexico City seeking kosher meals, you may not understand Spanish… so a sign saying carne or leche might not tell you anything. Continue reading Kosher Cooking in Mexico→
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