LarsTheo

Here's the rest of the recipe, although I thought the directions would be obvious: Heat the oils in a large saucepan (Mine is 4” deep.) and add the chopped onion, peppers, and garlic. Sauté for a few minutes, or until the onion becomes a bit translucent – it does not need to cook thoroughly, and you do not want to make the vegetables too soft. Turn off the heat, and stir in the cumin and chili powder. Add the canned tomatoes, bouillon cubes, water, and drained hominy. Bring to a boil, and cook covered for about 20 minutes. Serve in individual soup bowls with chopped cilantro, stirred in at the last minute. You can also add grated cheese if desired. Some people add lime juice, but I prefer to leave it out.

I'm a little confused by some of the terms here. I always understood that the raw masa version that is deep-fried is called an empanada - at least that's what they were called in Mexico City when I got them on the street, unless my mind is failing me, which is a distinct possibility. I don't remember flour tortillas being common in Mexico at all, but that could be an oversight. There is a good Mexican restaurant a few blocks from me called Casa Blanca (with many photos of Humphrey Bogart - I am in Los Angeles, after all) that has a woman sitting in the middle of the dining room constantly making fresh flour tortillas by hand, and I will definitely eat them there, but otherwise I prefer corn tortillas. However, I do use flour tortillas to make less Mexican style quesadillas, such as with ham and cheese, or asparagus, mushrooms, etc, and I often actually end up making a burrito instead of a quesadilla. I think quesadilla means different things in different areas, just as empanada means something different in different regions. Is anyone else familiar with masa empanadas? I buy fresh masa (not frozen) at a Cuban market, and it can be used for tamales, tortillas, or empanadas, and I generally use it for empanadas. It doesn't keep well, however, and so I've tried freezing it, but I need to remember to freeze it in small batches. I tend not to make corn tortillas because I get adequate ones here at the local markets, although it's not the same as buying them on the street in Mexico.

I recently bought The Essential Cuisines of Mexico, and I was a bit disappointed in it, possibly because the recipes were already familiar to me, and I've already revised them to my own preference. I did get another book Cocina tradicional mexicana by Blanca Nieto that I like a lot better, even if it is smaller. All of the measurements (when they are given, instead of "al gusto") are metric, and so I will have to acquire more metric measuring utensils, I think. I've also ordered Complete Book of Mexican Cooking by Elisabeth Lam Ortiz and Recetas de todo Mexico by Angeles De La Rosa. I can't remember whether you said you wanted the book to be in English. There are many interpretations of Mexican cooking, and some are more appealing to me than others. I'm not a fan of Rick Bayless either, although I like what I've seen of his recipes better than DK's, despite her reputation. I wish I had bought the DK book with the color pictures, as the one I got has no pictures at all, which is less inspiring. I think it took DK a while to get to Yucatan, which is my favorite part of Mexico for food, and she seems to have concentrated a lot on moles, especially from Oaxaca and Puebla, which are the least palatable to me, but that's just my own preference. I probably would have been better off with a regional Yucatecan cookbook. I live close to several very good Oaxacan restaurants (Los Angeles has a huge Oaxacan ex-patriot population, and everyone I met in Oaxaca knew someone in L.A.), and so I'm less likely to make Oaxacan food myself. I developed my own recipe for Yucatecan style enchiladas, based on my memory of flavors, and so I would like to check out others have done this.

I went to Mercado Hidalgo when I was in Guanajuato in 1992, and I did not buy anything there. It was not one of my favorite Mexican markets, but I love the town of Guanajuato. I especially liked the troubadors, one of whom gave us a tour of the city in the evening, and my friend Michelle bought a book that contains some of the legendary stories from the town. It's very romantic, but I guess the story about Callejón del Beso is the most famous. I used to spend two months in Mexico City each winter (when I lived in San Francisco, where the winters are cold and wet), and I did most of my shopping at small markets or delicatessens. There was a store across the street from Edificio Condesa (where I often stayed) that had almost everything I wanted. It was attached to a bakery that turned out bolillos constantly, and fresh roasted chickens were available hot at all times. It even had a liquor/wine section, and there was a street market once a week half a block away. I never bought more than I wanted for about 1-3 days because the store was so convenient. I hope I don't see Walmart on my next trip (March 2005).

I made up my own recipe for posole, and I use dried posole from a Brazilian market. Each piece looks like about 1/4 of a kernel of corn and is completely white. I use a quick soak method. First I cover the posole with 3-4 times its volume in water, bring it to a boil, boil for two minutes, and then let it stand covered, off heat, for 2-3 hours. Then I strain it and reserve the liquid, which can be used for thickening something else. Here are the ingredients I use: 3/4 cup dried white hominy corn (maiz trillado blanco) – about 2-1/2 to 3 cups when soaked 2 tbsp canola oil 2 tbsp olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped 6-7 cloves garlic, minced, or finely chopped 1 red bell pepper, chopped 1 green bell pepper (or 2 Anaheim chilies), chopped 4 serrano peppers, finely chopped, some seeds removed 1 tbsp cumin 2 tbsp chili powder 1 10 oz can of Rotel tomatoes (or tomatoes with chiles) 4-5 bouillon cubes (vegetable flavor) 2 cups water (or reserved liquid from soaking) Cilantro, for garnish This is my own concoction and is not meant to be authentic anything, but I like the resulting flavor. My brother does not eat pork or beef, and so I make a vegetarian version. I might try adding some achiote to the next batch.

I like the pastelería on Juan de la Barrera 92 and Matehuala, across from Edificio Condesa, where some of my friends live. You can find the address here. There used to be a woman who would sit in front of the panaderia in the evenings and make empanadas (with masa). My favorite ones were filled with huitlacoche. Because my friends knew her, I felt safe buying from her and did not get sick. She's no longer there, but there is a nice heladería across the street from the pastelería.

A new house would be nice... I would love to have a delicatessen style electric rotary slicer, so that I could make thin slices of cold cuts delicatessen style. Also, a vacuum sealer - I had a cheap one and returned it. I might try getting another one, if I knew which one to buy.

I make tea one cup at a time and only boil enough water for one cup. I used to make tea by the pot, but I found I didn't like it after it had sat for a while. I use an infuser and a mug and do not heat the mug before hand. I read somewhere that tea should be brewed at a temperature somewhere below boiling, and so when I use a mug that has not been heated, the water temp goes down a bit. My method is not ceremonious, but it does make good tea, if only for myself! Generally I prefer Fancy Keemun, but I alternate with Roasted Green Tea and limit myself to one cup each morning. The Keemun tea brews in 3-4 minutes, but I brew the green tea 5-6 minutes. I never disturb or stir the leaves during brewing. I think everyone discovers their own preferred method for brewing tea, and while I like the ceremony of the teapot, I find that I get better results brewing one cup at a time. I also prefer porcelain tea cups, but they lose the heat too fast, and so I generally drink from a mug.

I found Dining Guide for Mexico City, which also lists my favorite Delicatessen, Sep's, at Michoacan y Tamaulipas (I believe in Condesa or Hippodromo), but I haven't been there for a while. They had very good paté and German style breads when I was there. I will be returning to Mexico City on March 5, 2005, unfortunately only for a week, but I do hope to visit some of the newer restaurants, including Izote. I'll be staying with a friend in Anzures, who also has a house in Oaxatepec, and so we may go there as well. One of my best dining experiences in Mexico City was at a restaurant in Del Valle, on Insurgentes Sur, I believe (this was in 1981, and so I can't be sure), where I had the best Cabrito al Horno ever. I hope my friends will remember this restaurant. On my last visit (2002) I went to San Angel on a Sunday (very crowded) and had only so-so food at Mexican restaurant there. The neighborhood was beautiful, as well as the restaurant, but the service was extremely slow. If you go to Guanajuato, I recommend going to Santa Cecilia castle , which has been converted to a restaurant. I was there in 1992 and enjoyed both the food and the atmosphere, but it would have been memorable even if the food had not been good. I very much appreciate the reviews I've been reading here, as I did not have current info on dining out in Mexico City and hope to take advantage of being able to visit some new and interesting restaurants.