rancho_gordo

I think Greek oregano is a true oregano, unlike the Mexican ones. That's all I know, and it's not much, is it?

I just got back from Mexico and spent part of my time in the Huasteca region of Hidalgo. It was a really a wild, memorable experience. The drive took hours and most of it was over almost humorously windy roads. The destination was a collective of farmers who are growing their native oregano. They called it Oregano Indio but it's a variety of Oreja de Raton. These people are incredibly strong, proud and poor. We've been selling their oregano at Rancho Gordo and it's glorious. It's less citrusy than the more traditional Mexican oregano and more earthy. It just soars when you mix it with garlic. The farmers started cultivating it when they discovered their foraging was affecting the landscape. Over the years, they've developed their systems, which I didn't quite follow, but I do know it ended with harvesting with the moon's cycles somehow. The farmers were so proud. They have thousands of starts waiting to plant and acres and acres of oregano planted. I love people who are passionate and want to share what they know. I know in San Miguel de Allende there's a huge push to plant lavender and while i think the idea is well-intentioned, why not plant an indigenous oregano? After the tour, we all gathered at one of the houses and all of a sudden the entire village was there, about 40 people. They'd prepared a great goat barbacoa and the goat meat has been washed with some maguey liquid that took away the gaminess and added incredible flavor. Beans, quelites, caldo from the goat and later pancita with incredible salsas. Sitting quietly at one end were three guys who it turns out had just been busted in Arizona. Before they left they told the collective they were nuts and it wasn't going to work. Now they're back, broke and begging to work for one of the growers. The leader wisely said no, but agreed to give them 1,200 plant starts so they could start their own. I obviously don't want to go into politics but I will say the root of the problem is these men want and need to work in Mexico. Whether this is just the responsibility of only the Mexican government or if our trade policies contribute to their destitution is up to you to decide. But the crux is that it was shamefully easy to give these people hope and a start. Between this and the Rancho Gordo-Xoxoc Project where we're working with indigenous bean farmers, it's amazing how easy it is to do business where everybody wins. Anyway, the good news is that the oregano was delicious and apparently healthy. My trip was incredibly moving and of course delicious.

I think people know this but in case they don't, the English version is coming out this fall, slightly different and just as beautiful. University of Texas Press!

There's no stipulation to buy anything! I have a hunch it's going to be a huge crowd, so I'd try and limit things to one or two books to sign. It's all very casual. We're grownups!

There are so many great new posts and posters here on eG! If you're in the SF Bay Area, I wanted to let you know that we've opened a Rancho Gordo retail store in Napa (about 1 hour north of San Francisco) and we've been having a great series of fabulous women chefs come and visit. So far we've had Lorna Sass and Deborah Madison and this Saturday we're lucky enough to have Paula come and give a presentation on clay pot cooking. We're importing a few pieces from Mexico (from the Mixteca region of Puebla) and I'm anxious for Paula to see these, but Bram in Sonoma is co-sponsoring the series and they'll have almost a complete store of clay cookware for sale. A couple of dishes from Paula's book will be sampled and to top it all off, Clos du Val is pouring. I'm pretty sure we'll have a few beans for sale. Things start at 3:30 pm and go for about an hour and a half. It's free, you don't need to reserve but try and come early because I suspect it will be packed. My business started here on eG. During the winters especially, when I wasn't at the farmers market, I was online. I've met some of my best friends here and it's kind of swell that I've gone from begging people to try half a pound of beans to hosting Paula Wolfert at my retail outlet. I blinked and look what happened!

I was lucky enough to have Lorna Sass over for dinner last week and we made tacos, and the tortillas were from masa. Remember, the camera adds 75 pounds! Lorna's entire post is here.

I could be wrong but those aren't straight tortillas. They're for tlayudas. I thought there was something else in the masa. ANyone have Kennedy's Oaxaca book handy?

I used tostadas from the local Mexican market. I was going to make my own but these really are fine.

I'm not a huge cabbage fan either. The tomatoes end up being minimal. It's a ground beef dish, as far as I'm concerned. I preferred it fresh when the cabbage was still putting up a fight to the leftovers when the cabbage had given in.

I think kalypso has inspired us all! I don't remember reading this but I must have. i cooked mine in a clay cazuela and added 1 cup of Moro beans. As kalypso says, it's very easy to like and make. My only comment would be that one single chile isn't enough.

The Nixtamatic was about $200 in Puebla, I believe and I think it was about $85 to ship. It also has a dry plate for grinding masses of mole ingredients, but I fear it will affect the flavor and use it exclusively for massa.

Somewhere else here I think I responded about my Nixtamatic but I'm not sure. Here's of the Nixtamatic in action. It's loud but it works like a dream and it really grinds the nixtamal. I've used it a lot and I think I need to have the grinding plates sharpened, but otherwise this thing just goes and goes. I wouldn't recommend it to the casual user!

Since they're mostly used in chile sauces, why not make a basic chile sauce? Toast and rehydrate the chiles, blend with onions and garlic and enough of the soaking liquid to move the blades. Fry the paste in lard for 1o minutes and then thin with stock and add salt. This would work for almost anything (exceopt maybe arbols and cascabels, which tend to be used for table salsas). Once you know the taste, I'd add cumin and mex oregano to complete the sauce.

I would think the key is to keep an open mind. I'm not so keen on rutabagas, at all, but I blame me more than the poor root vegetable, that obviously gives millions some kind of pleasure. I was sure a male cat had entered our workplace and sprayed the place, marking his territory, but it turns out it was an employee who had brought guava for lunch. I've kept trying and now I can eat quava (but it's banned at the work!)

It's funny, in "real life" i rarely meet people who hate cilantro. And that's a good thing as far as I'm concerned. Edited to add: my son, who is the pickiest person on earth, will eat it, despite the green color. He helped me grow it and I think that's part of the appeal and the oddly open mind.

The salsa book is great, but I am almost sure I saw it on Amazon. RuthinCOndechi has 2 copies of the Diccionario, from what I hear.

Another classic is corn tortilla, oaxacan (or stringy cheese), fresh epazote and salt.

As the original poster and grower of the corn, I can tell you the corn was literally green, it wasn't just young. There are lots of regional corn types and chiles particular to Oaxaca and this was one of them, although I've been to Oaxaca three times since the original post and I've never seen it there. The thread meanders to fresh-corn tamales instead of a more traditional masa from dried corn and cal. This was a starchy field corn. We sell a white field corn from Jalisco at ranchogordo.com that we grow on the delta. I just got word that Ms Kennedy tried it and came away saying, "Very nice!"

Steve, is this something you're going to carry in your store? If so, sign me up for half a dozen. ← Not right away but why not in the future. I want to concentrate on clay pots first.

I was in Mexico City about a month ago and met the editors of Culinaria Mexicana and they gave me a stone from Veracruz that was rounded and flattened and you put it on the fire or in a microwave and then it goes into the tortilla basket and it keeps the tortillas warm for a good long time! It really worked. They sell it online, I think, but also at their compound in DF, which will have a wonderful store, kitchens and more once they're up and running 100%.

I feel vindicated! I've always said that the soaking in hot water is like cooking, so wjy not just actually cook? Others say it helps with gas. I think McGhee disproved that or said the effect is so minimal, it's not worth the bother. I still don't trust the salt thing with older beans of an unknown origin. I'll call it a quirk!

It's funny. I have no emotional connection to my knives. Maybe a little nostalgia. But pots, and I mean my clay pots, are my friends. I know them better than I know myself! Each one has a purpose and I'm pretty sure if I buy just one more I'll be truly happy. Just one more. So for me it's pots and I mean my clay ones and maybe one leCruset. Most of my collection is here. And of course the initial seed of obsession was planted here on eG long ago by Paula "go ahead- one won't harm you!" Wolfert.

It's such a big region over several states that I think it may be hard to pinpoint one recipe. Was it a table salsa or a sauce over a dish? Now I'm curious!

Which is why I think she's somewhat of a polarizing figure, playing to the base. But when you say what she said is "wrong", it implies the same moral judgment that she would seem to be using. I'm not saying she is or isn't, but again, this is where I think better media training would help. But the "wrong" gets "I like her/ I hate her" or "she's a saint/she's Marie Antoinette" responses when the real question is how do we get the average Joe excited about real food.

But I'm talking about you, not her!