rancho_gordo

Wow. I hadn't thought much about it but apparently it was Jan 2004! This place was a business incubator for me. I had ideas, we had discussions and I look back and think I was the right guy in the right place at the right time. I was very lucky and I thank you, eG!

It's a great book. Lots and lots of things you just don't see in every other book and the photos are insanely good.

Cranberry beans are a big family. It's almost like saying "red tomato". Borlotti, Tongues of Fire, French Horts, Birds Egg, and Madera are a few off the top of my head. In Italy, there are even more variances within Borlotti. I think one of the most prized is the Lamon from Venice. Sorry if I'm being pedantic but when you plant a bean, first you get the flower, which is edible, then the green pods. You can eat these as string beans. Most heirlooms will have a string you'll need to get rid of. As the season wears on, the pod's beans get bigger and at one point, these are shelling beans. This is not a scientific period and I suspect if you get them later in the season, they would take longer to cook. The colors are probably darker, too. If you don't pick them for shelling, then you cut the plant at the base and let them dry. The pods go from green to tan and beans go from white or lightly mottled to the vibrant colors we love. I think it's the plant's way of saying, "Save me! I'm pretty!". It's worked for me! I like shelling beans but they all kind of taste the same. It's not until the beans are dried that they become so unique and delicious, but I do shell them myself. The chefs all love them for a few weeks until they realize how expensive they are to have a staff member shelling them. Andie, I love that story! Here, it's dry enough that they dry in the sun and there's no needto oven dry them. This might be another reason why the central valley is so ideal for bean growing. And limas are another plant altogether (Phaseolus lunatus) and I think they taste less beany and more llike vegetables so your shelling them makes total sense. P.s. It's thought that their origins are Colombia!

Chris, so far, what would you say are the really great things you've made and will make again? Everything has looked good, but what are the standouts? What would you make again without hesitation?

Mostly called manzano but sometimes rocoto and sometimes peron. I'd never heard them called canario before this recipe.

Like a salsa/relish. Last night was with pork tenderloin and later with some cheese on a tortilla.

Made Chile canario en pilte this last weekend. Dang, these were good. And very hot. Basically manzano chiles and onions with yierbasanta leaves wrapped in a banana leaf and then steamed. The onions take on all the flavors. Really worth the bother, especially if you have access to hoja santa/yierbasanta/acuyo.

Yes, Chris, it's a lucky author who has you inhaling his book!

I'm not sure this is correct. The paste in my experience is called a recado in Mexico. The seeds are achiote. In English, (and I would assume in the Caribbean) the seeds are called annatto.

That's good re chiles. I guess my glance was too quick. re beans, what are "canned beans". I've never heard of such a thing. They sound horrid.

I am also a Bayless fan and was prepared to hate Mexican Everyday but it's so full of great tricks, it's hard to be a snob, as much I try. Haven't spent much time with the new one but I am not in love with all the chile powder references. Whole dried chiles are my preference and I would consider them an "everyday" food. The rice cooker bits look very interesting and like the previous book, the crockpot recipes will be very handy. I think after this, the party book and the cocktail book, I would like to see him tackle a very serious book. The beginners have been addressed. Now it's our turn!

It's easy enough to get to from the center. If it's your first trip, a guide would be great as it's HUGE and fun and you wouldn't want to miss things. Nancy Zavlasky is great but I do believe she does organized tours with groups. She would be worth checking out and she's very fun and knowledgeable. There's also Betsy McNair's My Mexico Tours. in DF, there's Crisitna Potters (who posts here as esperanza) and her Mexico Cooks tours, Lesley Tellez has a tour company specializing in food but I can't think of the name right now, Ruth Alegria does tours when she's in town and she posts here as Ruth in Condechi I believe. I can recommend all of them. I feel like I'm forgetting someone and feel guilty about that.

I was inspired years ago by Ricardo's book on chile rellenos. Cheese or picadillo are great but what a wonderful vehicle for stuffing things! I often mix quinoa, zucchini and cooked dried beans and fill them without cheese or any further cooking. They're great. I've also stuffed them with a layer of refried beans and then all the cooked shrimp that could fit. I was given some insanely good dried mulatos and was told refried beans and cheese were appropriate. They were! I see as of this writing the book is available at Amazon! It's bilingual and very good, despite the piss-elegant cover. Los chiles rellenos en Mexico. Antologia de recetas (English and Spanish Edition)

I wouldn't think it makes sense to deep fry unless you're doing a lot of chiles. It's so easy otherwise. If i have one or two, I roast over the burner. More and I pull out the steel comal. Esperanza (who used to post here a lot) taught me the thrills of doing it this way although she uses her cast iron skillet. You can push down and get most of the crevices. Memesuze's convinced me to buy a blow torch and really get into all the nooks and crannies. If you roast a lot of chiles, it's not a bad idea and you can use it for creme brulee as well. My inner hippie doesn't like the idea of hot chiles in plastic bags so I place them in a bowl and cover it with a plate. If I have lots, I place them in a paper shopping bag. I think if your chiles are too flimsy to pull out the placenta and all the seeds, you might be cooking them too much. There will be weak spots but it should be pretty sturdy on the whole. The problem with cutting the chiles before roasting is that much of the moisture is going to leak out and be lost! Watch the juices in the bottom of the bowl and you'll see a lot! It would be a shame to lose them. It's also why I don't rinse the chiles after peeling. A few black spots are fine and the potential to wash flavor down the sink is too great. I think JAZ' top cut chiles is a clever idea.

Sorry, I missed this. Thanks. We were part of Bon Appetit's Hot 10 one year. It was very glamorous and they flew me to NY and there was a huge party. Ted was the host and he's been a great supporter ever since. I love when people had no idea about beans and then they discover heirlooms and flip out. I haven't seen it yet but apparently we're in this month's Cooks Illustrated in a heartbreaking article about canned beans. I think they like the canned fine but they also like ours. I'm happy for the attention but friends don't let friends eat canned beans. The fact that you have to rinse the slimy bean broth off of them is reason enough!

Congrats! Sounds really ambitious but fun. And thanks for reporting back. Too often people seem to pick one's brain and then disappear!

I think their purpose was to thicken the stew and per serving, you maybe got two. The stars were the crab and shrimp. How do you make matzoh balls better? Maybe the technique would be the same.

I believe you are right but it's so much easier to call them masa dumplings!

I was just in Veracruz and the cook was making a very nice soup of shrimp and crab but she also added these masa dumplings: I was very excited because I thought they'd be delicious but they were pretty bland and very "well-cooked". But I realized the masa dissolves a little into the soup, flavoring it and thickening it. The soup itself was incredible. The shrimp their were small to medium and excellent.

Unless I'm paranoid, I think the reference was more towards me than Kennedy or Bayless. And that's OK!

Sorry, this is kind of odd to me. The foundations of pre-hispanic, Mesoamerican cooking are corn, beans and chiles. Or beans and tortillas, as you say. There is nothing wrong with understanding these three ingredients inside and out before you move on. My personal pain in the rear is people talking about molecular gastro re Mexico without knowing the importance of nixtamal. My personal pain in the rear is non-Mexicans acting like they're some kind of gatekeepers to my culture. I'm sorry if I came off as "sabe todo"! It wasn't my intention. But it's a fascinating topic: Foreigners as experts in another cuisine. Sometimes I think it's actually easier to see it through fresh eyes. Sometimes natives are too close. Definitely up for discussion. But I was offering opinions (perhaps too pedantically), but from where I sit Muñoz is more of a recorder than an innovator from what I can see. Which book are you talking about? I can see in the chiles rellenos book there are some modern twists but they're credited to others is my recollection. There's a good chance I'm wrong. Again, sorry if I came off as a gatekeeper. Come on in! I'll just still offer my observations as I hope everyone does.

Also consider Frida's Fiestas. It's a little vague on the instructions but nothing I've made from this book has ever been less than great and you get a sense how to compose a proper Mexican comida.

Sorry, this is kind of odd to me. The foundations of pre-hispanic, Mesoamerican cooking are corn, beans and chiles. Or beans and tortillas, as you say. There is nothing wrong with understanding these three ingredients inside and out before you move on. My personal pain in the rear is people talking about molecular gastro re Mexico without knowing the importance of nixtamal. re Ricardo, is books are as basic (not in a bad sense) as anything by Bayless or Kennedy. I literally have them all. I can't think of one that isn't like Kennedy and Wolfert that isn't documenting classic Mexican food over creating fun new twists. His restaurants can be somewhat modern but nothing compared to Enrique Olvera or Daniel Ovadia (who has a new book out by the way if you want modern and theatrical food. It's fun). I say Kennedy leans more indigenous roots along with the basics. Her joy is working with the women in simple kitchens and getting their secrets and making them rockstars for a moment. I think Bayless paints a more complete picture of contemporary Mexican food from all the classes. I'm happy to have them both! But if you're having a party, why not get the Bayless party book?

I find the tortillas can rip here and there if they're too fresh. I also have a method of removing the tortilla from the chile bath with the back of a wooden spoon and the tongs. It's just a quick visit, not a real soak. With the rolling, I think you have to develop fingertips of asbestoes and not get too worried if sense the tortilla cooling down. You'll be pouring hot chile sauce over the top before serving.

My least favorite subject-- in the world! Eat more beans, eat fresher beans and if you have a low fiber diet and rarely eat beans, don't have two huge bowls of chili. My regular customers rarely bring this up so I have to think that the age of the bean has something to do with it as well. Soaking and changing the water helps minimally and you are potentially extracting vitamins and flavor and throwing it down the sink. Baking soda is kind of nasty and can leave a residue or soap flavor. I agree with ttogull about undercooked beans. I think they can be a culprit. And eat with your mouth closed. I understand taking in air while eating can cause issues too. re epazote, it's delicious not just with beans but in a quesadilla, with sauteed mushrooms or with octopus, but I doubt it does much for gas.