shelora

Hello there, Just returned from a temascal, transformed. We did not find the vinagre de piña in Tlacalula, but apparently in the Juarez market at the end of Murgia, someone sells it all the time - I'm trying to make my way there this week. As in most plans in Mexico, everything changes daily if not hourly. Our plans to make chiles en vinagre have been put on hold. You tiene razon sobre el vinagre de caña y blanco. Es muy popular. The platanos are roasted over wood. These wonderful wood fired ovens on wheels are probably on their way out. The steam produced by the oven also fires the whistle that announces the presense in your vicinity of the roasted platanos. Sometimes the vendors also have roasted camote. The bananas become very caramelized and are served either with sugar or sweetened condensed milk drizzled on top. It's bloody hot here today and I must retire now with mandarin margarita in hand. Mandarin oranges are at their peak right now and anyone worth their weight should be serving them as juice, agua fresca, margaritas or sorbet. Adios, amigos. s

Caroline, I was in the Sunday Tlacalula market yesterday and purchased a molcajete and a tejolote. The woman selling them, was from San Juan Teitipac, along the same highway as Teotitlan del Valle, etc. about 12 km off the road. Signs indicating the way are apparent. The village also make metates - the most amazing decorations these days with brightly coloured doves on the outside of the piece. The make these items out of piedra verde - my tejolote is from this - and also piedra morada. My assistant said that the village is similar to a miña, so without going there myself, this is an important centre for making these essential kitchen appliances. Hope this helps. Shelora I hope this helps your study.

Hi there, We - myself and another cook - are going to make two big batches of chile pasilla de Oaxaca, carrots, ajo and papas en vinagre this week. After looking in the Tlacalula market yesterday - with no luck - we have decided to purchase the organic version of vinagre de piña from one Valeria who has an organic farm (Arbol de la Vida). She supplies us with the most wonderful organic lettuces. I have only made tepache with pineapple and lately I have been chasing down the roasted banana seller who roasts platano over pineapple peels imparting a sweet pineapple flavour. His oven on wheels is fueled by wood. Sorry, off topic. s

An excellent point, Caro. At this point it is a bit of a slippery slope for me because I think of all wheat flour based bread as European ... but certainly these crusty loaves of pain au levain are. What of the "original" wheat bakeries in Mexico? Are you referring to things like pan de pulque, etc? I have a lovely little book on the bread making traditions in San Juan Huatzinco, Tlaxcala. Apparently it is believed that if a drunk approaches the oven as the risen loaves are being loaded, they will collapse. To counter this they traditionally built ovens with whiskey bottles in their foundations to ward off the evil powers of the drunkard. There must be a million such beliefs out there regarding this strange European stuff. Theabroma ← To continue with the wheat thread, every two weeks, women come down from the Sierra Juarez and deliver freshly made whole wheat tortillas to the restaurant. They are oversized and of amazing quality. Like nothing I've ever tried before. We dry them and then toast them up so they are super super crispy. They are part of our table tostadas along with yellow and blue corn tortillas, served with a salsa made with the smoked chile pasilla of Oaxaca. Two years ago during a trip up to the Mixteca Alta, in Santiago Apoala, we came across tortillas made with a mix of corn and wheat. Again, like nothing I've ever had. So while wheat maybe of European roots, it is being used in traditional ways here in Oaxaca. I think Pan&co is a wonderful addition to the city. Their product is outstanding. s

I was there this morning and tried their blue cheese and pear foccaccio - I felt like eating the entire thing, Currently working at Cocina Magica in the courtyard of La Mano Magica on Alcala. Sorry we sold out of the organic rabbit confit today, I wish you could have tried it. Actually I hope you come in a try some of our food. Cheers, Shelora

Thanks Jamie. A big abrazo and besitos from Oaxaca.

Hoping MattR will be so kind as to post the winning menus from both events.

No pictures? Eric, I'm disappointed.

It's interesting how crosnes shows up here from time to time; it is a funny looking but moderately frequently used ingredient. ← How fascinating! I've never seen these before. They remind me of a grub worm in appearance, but I'm sure their flavour is a lot more promising! I hope to try them someday.

Hmm...I recently wrote an article about several of the odder Mexican beverages (aguamiel, pulque, tepache, pajarete, tuba, and tejuino). In fact, tejuino is a slightly fermented beverage made from masa--nixtamalized corn--not from the whole grain. Let me quote from the article: "Since ancient times, cooling tejuino has refreshed Mexico. It's made from the same corn masa (dough) that's used for tortillas and tamales. The prepared masa is mixed with water and piloncillo (cone-shaped Mexican brown sugar) and boiled until the liquid is quite thick. It's then allowed to ferment slightly—but just slightly. I've never known anyone to get so much as a buzz from sipping a cupful of cold tejuino. "Once the tejuino is thickened and fermented, it's mixed as needed with freshly squeezed jugo de limón (key lime juice), a pinch of salt, water, ice, and a big scoop of lemon sherbet. Here at XXXX, it's sold in plastic glasses—small, medium, and large—or in a plastic bag with the top knotted around a drinking straw." Is it possible that tejuino is the only (however slightly) fermented drink that's made from masa? It's good to read these posts. This is a really a great thread. ← Fascinating, Esperanza. Can we access the full article, I'd love to read it. Is tejuino something found only in certains states of Mexico? It sounds delightful, especially with the scoop of lemon sherbet! I'll be searching for it this next trip. I leave on Thursday!

Brenda, Glad to hear you are keeping up with your diet of deli meats and sausages! Have you been to The Queen's Table in Nanaimo yet? Can you tell us what is being offered there if you go? Thanks, s

Kha is pronounced how? I too prefer Satay over Saag, which always reminds me of what my body is doing. I'm still stuck on the common thread between India and Thailand. If not an ingredient what about a river, a textile, an element, a sacred word. s

Great website. I like the way Federico does that thing with his eyes - and eyebrows - when striking a pose with celebs - like Raveen the hypnotist.

Glad to hear you are getting into the Spanish reds, James. Tempranillo is one of our household's favourite grapes. These wines are for the Aerie cellar right? s

This might seem off base but how would the inclusion of natural corn oil in the masa affect the souring process? Masa harina and the brand Maseca that we get up here has all the natural oils removed from the corn to it does not spoil. In Mexico, many families grow their own corn and make their own masa, hence the flavour difference. This is a natural masa. In terms of leavening agents before the Spanish arrived. Pulque would be one, but I have also heard that the husks of tomatillos have a leavening agent. But I have never heard of a recipe or dish using them. Cool experiments, Adam. s

There a few restaurants over on this end that have used the word wild in their names; Wild Rice, Wild Ginger, Wild Saffron., to great success. Perhaps something like, Wild Mango. Wild Tamarind. But like Jamie suggested, perhaps a name that evokes both Indian and Thai. So maybe an ingredient or ingredients. How about Lemongrass . Cinnamon and Coriander Tamarind and Coriander What is/are the common thread(s) in terms of ingredients between Indian and Thai? That might be a springboard for more names.

Good grief!

I just love one word names. Here are two to get things started. 1. Saffron 2. Kaffir

Please Santa, all I want for Christmas is a.......... blowtorch!! And maybe a very nice looking roasting pan. Thankyou.

That is incredibly hilarious, but so insightful. Those little annoying voices of self-doubt. I hear it all the time from chefs. "Was the skate any good?" "What did you/they think of the food?" "What did they say about me?" "What did they write about me"? "Was the sauce okay?" "What did you really think of it?" Absolutely crazy making. Any good manager or PR person can nip that in the bud for you unless they suffer from the same malady!

One of the frustrating things about the news is that there is rarely a follow-up story. After reading about a wine warehouse fire in California (NYT, Wed, Nov.2) that destroyed up to $100 million worth of wine, I remembered this post on the container drivers strike in Vancouver. Well what did happen to all that presumably cooked wine? Was it indeed cooked? Did any wine reps actually taste the wine? How bad was it? Enquiring minds want to know.

Very true. Excellent point.

I'm interested to hear how you liked working with the puzzle box format of the book when cooking? It looks troublesome to me.

So beautiful Adam! Delicious looking dishes. And you are spot on regarding the influences on the cuisine of Mexico. So rich in flavourful history. The candy photo you posted up thread is totally intriguing. You made all these? The key to the moles from my experience is the seasoning of the sauce. Most important is to begin with frying the sauce, then start adding broth, letting it season some more. The thing that I like to do to get a grasp of this concept, is to taste the mole at the beginning before frying and then throughout the seasoning process. It's remarkable how it goes from something sharp and bitter to smooth and velvety with the different spice components balanced. I find making moles truly magical. And Marc, I do recall the exhibit you are referring to in London. I believe the Linares family were flown from Mexico City to do an installation of their paper mache figures they are so famous for. Large skeletons and alebrijes. Their work is incredible. I hope their work is part of the museum's permanent collection. Hasta pronto, Shelora

It seems I had this one wrong ... must have been because of the Pinot Just received this in an email from Shelora: Mmmmm ... fried polenta A. ← Oh my, I've got a correction, too. I meant to say is wasn't the brick style of fried polenta, this one was creamy on the inside, with just a bit of crust. Since Mr. B was sitting between us, we must have both been coveting his mashed potatoes.