rancho_gordo

I decided to make Chilate de Pollo this weekend. I had the costeño chiles and the recipe seemed easy enough. It's interesting to note that on the internet, there are lots of recipes for chilate poblano, apparently a Puebla dish that uses guajillos instead of the Oaxacan chiles. I'm assuming it's a Mixteca dish. One of our employees here is from the Mixteca Alta and knew of the dish but it's more watery and not thickened with the masa. My costeños had been in a foodsaver bag and looked a little sad. 10 minutes in hot water and I remembered how pretty and red/orange they are. The chile sauce is thickened with a third cup of masa. It's not just for thickening; it's a killer flavor. It reminded me of this very interesting thread here on eG. The recipe is very straightfoward. She has you add 2 sprigs of epazote and I guess you just leave them there. If you're eating all in one sitting, it's fine but l removed the sprigs for the leftovers as they were plenty epazote-flavored. Super good. At first I was on the fence but I was licking the plate by the end. My 11 year old loved it and I have to say. it's pretty picosa. Not inedible hot but you have a respect for the chile afterwards. Leftover sauce made its way on to eggs this a.m. All in all: great obscure dish. If you love epazote you should make it right away and sub guajillos and a few de Arbol chiles if you lack costeños.

Except for they just list us as having cinnamon. It's very weird. With all we do and they think the thing of interest is canela. I don't particularly like it but there are some good things in there. The interview with DK is only online and it is fine but it would have been great had it been longer. I think the profile that made the magazine is very short and not very interesting. My biggest complaint is how in 2012 a magazine as respected as this gets away with canned beans and masa harina. It would have been ok if there were an article in all caps called NIXTAMAL! as well. The situation isn't going to get better for ingredients if we don't call them on it. Speaking of which, I did call them on it. They were gracious and nice, considering they worked very hard on it and even agreed with most of my complaints. In the end I think it has flashes of brillinace and lots of great pictures but ultimately it's a wasted opportunity. You should get it. You may love it or not but it's interesting at the least.

I just downloaded it and it looks great for the new Google 7inch Nexus. I have a feeling it's going to be very handy. Thanks

This is Sunday on the old Wedgewood. Left to right, tepary beans with nopales, eggs from the henhouse, heirloom corn tortillas, an espresso pot, milk for the coffee with canela and piloncillo. Not picured is the salsa made with manzano chiles.

I'm reading a book calle The Sausage Rebellion by Jeffrey Pilcher (Que Vivan los Tamales) and he makes the point that we've been trained to prefer the taste of aged beef in order to accomodate the Chicago meat packing economics of refridgerating our beef. Mexican prefer fresher beef at the cost of tenderness, which is why they have thin sliced arrachera cuts and slow-braised cuts. I hope I'm not misinterpering this. It's not an easy book but it's fascinating. I should probably finsish the book before I post.

Are burritos actually Mexican in the first place? I've always thought of them as being Tex-Mex. And I like rice in them, it's a great way to absorb the various sauces involved, IMO. You see something similar in the north. Some would argue that it's a Mexicali thing rather than Tex Mex. I always ask for no rice just because I always feel like I need a nap after just a regular burrito. As much as I like them, more and more I find three tacos feels better and I can still move. Here in California, I'm sure there is an independent taco truck or taqueria within distance of almost any Taco Bell (or Chipotle). I'll go on a limb and say it will be better from the truck in most cases. There was a time when invidiual Taco Bells would make their own beans in a pressure cooker. I think now it's just add water and voila- dinner!

So maybe some don't like the messenger but surely the message of good, real food must ring true for anyone bothering to read a food board. You may not like her delivery (or I suspect, her aesthetic) but you have to believe that she's sincere and trying to do the right thing. And she's influenced a lot of people in a positive way.

Went to a party this weekend and I decided to make Mole Amarillo from Cuicatlan in the La Cañada section of the book. It's simpler and uses chilhuacle chiles, which I had. I made it with a mix of chicken and trumpet mushrooms instead of pork (it was a mushroom themed party) and I cooked it in a clay cazulea. DK has you thicken the pot with 1/2 a cup of masa that is then thinned out. I would start with a quarter cup and see what you think. And allow it to cook because the natural corn starch makes it stodgier and stodgier. I ended up thinning it out quite a bit with more of the chicken stock and then it was really delicious. I was happy not to bring beans, for once, and I was secretly thrilled when an Important San Francsco chef, not known for his love of Mexican food, had two big helpings.

Dang! I almost forgot about Las Mecedes in Guanajuato. It was a killer lunch. I wrote about it a million years ago here. I still dream of a few of the dishes after all these years. I think I remember hearing that they moved to the center of town and have a real restaurant now. Also in Gto, we ate a sandwich with chicarrones and avocado. Really good! A local fave but can't remember the name. For a place that's not known for its food, we ate very well! And I never saw it on the street, but DK's poblanos stuffed with sardines and potatoes comes from here. One of my favorite dishes ever!

I haven't been in years so I'm not much help except to say I think the dish Carne en su jugo from Karne Garabaldi is almost worth the airfare alone. I hope you get a chance to try it. The toursity joints on the square are fun, especially if you're with a big group.

I don't think we should get obesessed about the puffing. It's possible to make delicious tortillas that don't puff.

I would call this Budin Azteca. The bell peppers are a compromise but you do see layered tortillas and fillings. In the Yucatan, there's the famous pan de cazon which uses shark.

Just got this in from my friend who got it for me:

It works like a charm. I normally have to flip them to get an even press but it's not needed here. It weighs 5.25 pounds. The wood is either granadillo or cueramo. I'm still waiting to hear. It's true love.

Meet the Rolls Royce of tortilla presses: I just got it. I'll find out the name of the wood next week, but it's some exotic wood that doesn't grow north of Michoacan. It's very heavy and every inch seems detailed. I am smitten although I haven't made a single tortilla, yet.

I like to use corn husks soaked in water. You can heat them on a dry comal or a grill. These were mainated tipapia (red recado, oraange juice, lime juice) zucchini, a wild shrimp and an orange slice.) It's about 7 minutes on one side and five on the other. The husk will burn but inside it's moist and steamy. You can also tie them with leftover husks, ripped or cut to make strings but regular kitchen string is a lot handier.

I don't think I ever add oil to my comal, for what it's worth. I do add cal/water to my clay comal.

Sorry- I missed this. Most Mexican stores will have corn, often in white, morado and sometimes blue. If you get stuck, you can call us and we can sell you ours. The problem is we don't want to offer it on the web as most people will casually order it thinking it's the same thing as pozole.

Just had dinner there last night, now under the direction of chef Justin Everett from El Dorado in Sonoma. It was pretty incredible. He's ambitious without being silly. Great ingredients and seemingly unlimited creativity. The room is less stuffy but still a little formal. And then there's the view.....

Oh, I forgot to add that I used a big handful of quelites I found at the flea market this last weekend.

Macarrones* con Chorizo is a fairly traditional dish in Central Mexico (Jalisco, Guanajuato, Quertaro etc.,). Penne Pasta tossed with sauteed, pan fried Chorizo & sauced with Tomato (fresh tomatoes, par boiled, peeled, pureed with roasted garlic, salt)... the dish is dressed with Crema, Cotija, Pickled Vegetables & typically a side of Ensalada Verde (key lime macerated onions tossed with cilantro, fresh jalapenos & Orejona lettuce - a broad, short variety of Romaine) You inspired me! Made rigatoni and the sauce was chorizo with canned tomotoes (whole peeled),oregano indio, and cotija cheese. I didn't bother with the crema but I did used my homemade chipotle en vinagre (made with banana vinegar and piloncillo) for the pickled vegetable. It was incredible. Thanks for the inspiration.

I'd urge you to go unglazed, for at least one pot. It's a different thing and as Paula says, it retains the memory of everything you've ever cooked in it. I promise you it will become your favorite.

If you're in the bay area, the Fatted Calf makes really good chorizo. It's especially amazing how good it is considering how well they understand the European tradition. When Diana Kennedy was here, they made her Oaxacan version for her and she seemed to like it a lot. I loved it.

On paper I don't understand the appeal of Estofado but I've had it twice and it's a super dish. I think you are doing some great diplomatic work here on behalf of Mexican cuisine. I believe you will have converts!

I think this is pretty typical.