esperanza

When the weather's warm, I usually eat bran flakes and homemade blackberry or peach yoghurt. When the weather's cold, it's oatmeal--bare naked oatmeal, cooked with a little salt. Once in a while I make molletes: grilled bolillo spread with refried beans, dotted with crumbled queso cotija, and sometimes an over-easy fried egg on top, with a salsa muy picante. If I'm really going all-out (usually for company; this is way too much breakfast for an ordinary day), it will be over-easy fried eggs, a salsa muy picante, refried beans, fresh hot tortillas, and golden fried maduros (super-ripe plantains) with a dollop of crema, all of that accompanied by whatever fruit is in season and ripest: papaya, mango, cantaloupe, cherimoya, guanábana. Aaackkk, I haven't even had breakfast yet this morning and now just writing this makes me feel too full.

Yes, olive oil in medicinal size bottles is on the pharmacy shelves here in Mexico as well. We do tend to use the remedios caseros--home remedies--here a little more than they're used in the States. For earache, it's the herb ruda soaked in olive oil, wrapped in cotton, and stuffed into the ear for a day. Olive oil is said to be good for the skin as well. According to a March 2004 article in a major daily newspaper here, olive oil is good for preventing some types of cancer as well as cardiovascular disease.

Hmmm...no flash used here. I've learned something very important from this exchange: to include more information in the original post about how a photo was taken. One thing that bothers me about this picture is that it isn't grounded. The bottom of the photo just sort of floats off into nowhere.

I agree with all of what you said, Toliver. There were things about the picture that I would love to have changed before I took the shot: I would have gotten rid of the plastic chairs in the foreground, I would have liked the elderly cook to have been nearer the door, I would have liked the interior to have more light, etc. Interesting that you perceived the doorframe as being a porch with a porch light. In fact, I was standing in another interior room of the house, with a small window behind me. I could have used a chance to take a second shot, BUT: One of the difficulties in taking this kind of picture in Mexico (and in lots of other places as well) is that many old people don't want to have their pictures taken at all. Some folks, like the woman in this kitchen, WON'T let you take their picture. She had been facing me, sorting through some freshly cut oregano that was lying on the table. When she saw that I had the camera pointed toward the kitchen, she turned away with her basket of oregano and slipped deeper into the kitchen interior. I actually felt a little sleazey that I took the picture anyway, realizing that she didn't want it done. It's an ethical dilemma: a candid shot without permission or permission asked for and given for a shot that turns out to be less spontaneous and/or authentic. How does anyone else deal with this issue? When I am more up to speed with Photoshop, I will fiddle around with this one some more. Thanks for your input.

Busboy, what great reports you've been reporting. I've read them with a great deal of nostalgia for Athens and the food there. Would you do me a favor? Ask around in the Plaka for a taverna called Kouklis. I ate there many times over a three-week period several years ago and still think fondly of the green beans, potato salad with fresh dill and lemon, the favas, the...*sigh*...sit upstairs on one of the tiny balconies and enjoy the afternoon. See if the food is as good as I remember it, or if my nostalgic mind has upped the ante.

Here's a picture that I took yesterday--not food, but a kitchen. I was still using the old camera; I'm learning the new one, but slowly. In my mind, this picture is so evocative of what Mexico was and is. Does it work for anyone, and what needs to be done?

The mole dulce that Doña Socorro makes is neither southern nor a manchamanteles. It's just mole as made by her great-grandmother, who lived in Jalisco. The list of ingredients is long and complex, including everything from bay leaves to cloves to chocolate, plus chiles, both guajillo and ancho--and then those four bananas (sliced in rounds) and their skins. Those go in at the very last, after all the other ingredients are already simmering. They pretty much dissolve into the sauce during the long simmering/stirring process. The skins, on the other hand, have to be fished out at the end just prior to serving.

I recently had the enormous pleasure of a private cooking class with a local woman who taught me how to make her great-grandmother's mole dulce, a sweet, reddish-brown mole which includes among its many ingredients four bananas--two regular ones and two plátanos machos, including the peels of all four. Doña Socorro prepares the mole with carne de cerdo. The preparation takes approximately 7 hours (just the cooking time) and made my eyes cross with its complexity of preparation and steps. The cooking takes place in a clay cazuela, including constant stirring with a huge wooden cucharón (spoon) to keep the mole from sticking or thickening in lumps. She cautioned me that only one cook should stir it, because if two cooks stirred it, the mole would break. She and her compañera de la cocina took turns stirring the pot, however. She told me that she and her friend were so familiar with one another's methods that it was as if one hand were stirring the pot. This was the first truly sweet mole I'd tasted. I prefer mole poblano or a great Oaxacan black mole, but it was an honor to watch this old recipe in preparation. PS: Rachel, I tried to answer your PM yesterday but the #$%# machine wouldn't let me send you one. Grrrrr.

Scott, this idea is ingenious but unfortunately it won't work. The purposes of soaking and simmering whole dried corn in slaked lime water are (1) to ease the removal the corn kernel's hard outer covering and (2) to increase the nutritional value of the corn by making it more digestible. The prepared corn must be washed thoroughly following treatment to remove the lime residue. The prepared corn (nixtamalado) is ready for grinding only after its lengthy preparation.

Trillium, you jogged my memory: espinazo con verdolagas (pork spine with purslane) is one of my favorite Mexican 'big soups'. Verdolagas can be purchased here at any time of the year, in big bunches, at the local street markets. The taste is slightly acid, very green, and it makes a wonderful combination with the pork, the chiles, etc, that are used in this magnificent rustic dish.

My all-time favorite fortune cookie fortune--it's been 20 years and I still have the little strip of paper--reads "Guide yourself accordingly". You betcha.

Here's what I do with flor de calabaza; the dish is beautiful as well as delicious and I prepare it frequently. We're very fortunate here--squash flowers are available all year long. The price runs about 30 cents for a huge bunch, stems and all. Flor de Calabaza con Papas y Chile 2 large bunches flor de calabaza, cut in 2" pieces across the blossoms 3 or 4 chiles poblano, roasted, skinned, and diced in 1/2" dice 1 large white onion, diced in 1/2" dice 2 large white potatoes, russets or whatever you have available, peeled, diced in 1/2" dice, boiled in salt water until almost done, and drained dry 3-5 epazote leaves, minced 1-2 Tbsp Knorr Suiza Consomé de Pollo (chicken stock base), al gusto 2-3 Tbsp vegetable oil (or EVOO, if you prefer) Flour Water as needed _______________________________________________________ In a large skillet, heat the oil until fairly hot. While the oil is heating, put about 3 Tbsp flour in a clean plastic bag--an ordinary grocery store produce bag. Dump (that's a technical term) the dry diced cooked potatoes into the bag and shake well to dredge. Sauté the dredged potatoes until they are slightly browned. Lower the heat to moderate and add the onions and chiles to the potatoes; sauté until soft. Add the epazote and allow it to release its flavor. Add the flor de calabaza and sauté briefly. Add a small amount of water (1/2 cup) in which you have dissolved the Knorr Suiza. Cover and allow to simmer for just a moment or two. Add a bit more water if the mixture is too thick or starts to stick. Plate and serve. .

This is the most helpful thread I've ever seen on any of the several sites where I read and post. Here's one of my photos. Feel free to have at it:

I'm too old to post stuff like that from memory. I went back and looked through my files and AAACKKKK, it was Baja Fresh that was bought by Wendy's, not Rubio's. My profound apologies to all of you for creating confusion. Good grief. Thin the mayonnaise with milk. If you can find some fresh serrano chiles, mince one or two of those--depending on your tolerance for heat in your food--and stir the mince into the mayonnaise/milk mixture, along with a little salt. If tortillas don't come from the tortillería machinery (and I know you're not likely to find a tortillería in Tokyo), they're patted out by hand. It's not very easy to learn to make them that way--I've been in Mexico for nearly 25 years and I still can't do it. The instructions might be on the bag of masa harina. If you want a real experience, invite your friends to make their own for the tacos and see who does the best ones. Getting them to come out nearly circular and thin is *ahem* most challenging.

Did you know that Rubio's has been bought out by--hmmm--Wendy's, if I recall correctly--and has reportedly gone straight down the tubes? What a loss. Rubio's really was the gold standard of fish tacos in the United States. No more. *sigh*

This recipe strikes me as being wildly profligate with its spices. I'd just stick to any traditional moderately thick beer batter and forget the chile powder, the oregano, the garlic, and the red pepper. I'd also be leery of the sauce recipe. Rather than mix the lime into the mayonnaise, I'd squeeze the lime on the tacos at table. Thin the mayonnaise with a little milk, or preferably use Mexican crema rather than mayonnaise. You'll want to add a little salt. Rather than mix the cilantro into the sauce, I'd rough-chop it and serve it on the side too, the same way the cabbage is served. A pound of shark filets will make far more than six tacos--even 'largish' tacos. You can, I think, count on twelve. For wonderful flavor, marinate the shark in lime juice and fresh garlic (sliced) before you batter it to fry. The other things you'll want are a good red cooked salsa--the kind made with roasted tomatoes and chiles--for a topping, and some crunchy radishes to serve on the side. Do you have a tortilla press? Be sure to put plastic (like a plastic produce bag from the grocery) on it before you put the ball of prepared masa down--and put another one on top of the masa. It's far easier to peel the plastic from the tortilla than it is to peel the tortilla away from the bare wood or metal of the press. And if you make the tortillas ahead of time, puh-leeeeeeez don't steam them to reheat. Heat them on a griddle on top of the stove. Steaming, either in the oven or (god forbid) the microwave is a no-no here in Mexico--it's simply not done.

Tamales in most parts of Mexico are made using dried corn husks (soaked for several hours before using) as the wrappers. Banana leaf wrappers are used primarily in southern Mexico--Oaxaca, the Yucatán, etc. The banana leaf imparts a distinct flavor to the tamal that may not be the flavor you are dreaming of. Depending on how many tamales you're making, you'd best invite your friends in the morning to make them. The last time I did this with a neighbor, we made 200 and it took us 10 hours--and we've done it a LOT. Tamales are the sort of thing you want to make a lot of to make the work worthwhile. A wonderful stuffing for vegetarian tamales is cheese (unless you don't eat cheese) with small strips of roasted chile poblano. Monterey Jack would work for the cheese. Canned green chiles would replace the poblanos, although the taste would be different. The biggest trick to light, fluffy tamales is beat, beat, beat the shortening until it is fluffier than you think possible. Then mix the shortening with the masa harina and continue to beat it by hand until it is fluffy. When your arm is worn out, it will be almost done. Rather than roll the masa, you take two or three of the soaked corn husks, overlap them slightly in your hand, and lightly spread about a tablespoon or so of masa with your fingers on the husks. Put the cheese and/or chile strips on the masa and spread another tablespoon or so of masa on top. Wrap the husks around the uncooked tamal, fold one end flap of the husks over to the middle, and stack on a rack in a steamer containing 2 cups of water. Repeat until you've made all the tamales. Steam for 1 1/2 hours (checking frequently to be sure your steamer is not running dry. Check the tamales after this cooking time see if they are fluffy and done--if not, steam them about 1/2 hour longer. Replenish water as needed with boiling water. It's not a good idea to do this in a pressure cooker.

Well damn, I just read this entire Costco a-go-go thread this morning. Here I am in the middle of Mexico--and there is a huge Costco only an hour away! I have to go there on Tuesday, just a little late for the go-go. Here's what I usually buy there: TP, paper towels, paper napkins, evaporated milk, wines, liquor. I've not bought meats or fish, but others swear by them. The standard array of products available in the USA is available here, for the most part, with some country-specific differences: all the books are in Spanish, the dry and canned goods are heavy on the things we use here: rice, beans, fideos, chiles en escabeche, etc. We get delicious pitted green olives stuffed with anchovies; I'm not an anchovy lover, but I love these. Here's a point to ponder: Wal-Mart is the largest private employer in Mexico. Scary, huh?

Atapakua is a soup, made with cilantro, tomate (what you in the English-speaking world call tomatillo), mushrooms, and chile, among other ingredients.

Muchísimas gracias por haberme dado la bienvenida. Me da mucho gusto estar aquí con todos ustedes. Quisiera aprender lo más que se pueda--y compartir lo que también se pueda con ustedes. Les agradezco mucho a todos.

I'm new to eGullet and I've been reading this thread. Many of you are quite knowledgeable about regional food in Mexico. I live here in Mexico's Central Highlands and offer, among other things, a 'Cook's Tour' of at least two regions. There is so much to know--more than you can imagine--about equipment, ingredients, methods, etc. Just last week I was privileged to have a private cooking class with a woman in the town where I live who gave me her great-grandmother's recipe for a mole dulce that includes ingredients I've never heard included any other mole. By the way, the name of the city in Michoacán that's mentioned here (the one with the great market food) is spelled Uruapan. That is a great market for food--but the street food in other places in Michoacán is even better, IMHO. The corundas rellenas con queso y rajas , the uchepos con salsa verde y crema, the enchiladas placeras, the diablitos--ay ay ay. Michoacán has the greatest cuisines in Mexico: the traditional recipes of the Purhépecha will knock your socks off. Soups you never heard of: atapakua, for example. As a bilingual, bicultural food professional, I'm glad to be on board here at eGullet.