Jaymes

Thanks folks! I'm feeling MUCH better about this whole thing. I certainly understand that taking the very best fresh ingredients, and following very carefully laid out traditional methods, would probably produce something marginally better. But as a busy working mother with a family of five, it was a blessing to have something so tasty and versatile that I could whip together. We ALWAYS had that salsa in the fridge. In the summer, I often add a chopped fresh tomato. I experiment with different herbs and powders and chiles. I've tried carrots for sweetness, and onions and fresh garlic. Sometimes I do make salsa from scratch. But for a "fall back" version, I personally think it's pretty hard to beat, and I am more thrilled than you will ever know that you all are enjoying it as well. That's really what eg is all about, isn't it?

In addition to the classics, I really like orange juice (not soda) and vanilla ice cream. Yum. And love any flavor sherbet in 7-Up. Also, for a change, I'll go with root beer and chocolate ice cream. Reminds me when I was a kid and cherry Cokes were all the rage. Of course, in those days, it didn't come in a can already premixed. You ordered a Coke with cherry syrup. Except me. I got a root beer with chocolate syrup.

I just want to say how much I appreciate your taking the time to post all of this terrific information! I am hoping to travel to that area sometime soon, perhaps for an extended stay, and your information is really a help to me. Thanks again.

I'd never in a million years have thought of that. And it doesn't sound particularly tasty. But you're the second person on this thread to mention it, so clearly I've got to give it a try. It sounds like a perfect way to take something basically good for me and make it really fattening. Something I always appreciate.

For me, it has always depended entirely upon whom I am inviting, and how many of them. For large parties -- 20 or more -- no way am I going to be in the kitchen fiddling around with something I can't count on, trying to double or triple a recipe that I've never even made one time. For smaller dinners with close friends, yeah, sure. That's fun. And I usually announce it when I'm extending the invitations: "I've found this great new recipe I'm dying to try!" Usually the recipe works. Very rarely it turns out to be not particularly good, but never once has the thing been inedible.

What a great trip! I cannot possibly tell you how jealous I am. Be SURE to get back and let us know how everything went.

I'm looking forward to pulling up a cyberchair at your cybertable, Marlene. You say that you "run [your] business." What exactly do you do?

Sounds like a good choice. I've never been there, but must remedy it at once. What did Miss Anne think?

I like salmon grilled. Preferably over an alderwood fire, but if that's not available (which it so rarely is here in Texas), then I'll fire up the ol' Weber. This is the marinade I use. When I lived in Alaska, I got this recipe from a friend that worked at the Fairbanks Salmon Bake. Salmon Baste 1 stick butter, melted 1/4 C brown sugar 1/4 C soy sauce 1/2 tsp dill 1/8 tsp cayenne lemon juice to taste Marinate salmon steaks for about a half-hour, but not so long that the marinade begins to "cook" them. Do not skin before grilling. Basting frequently, grill about 6-8 minutes per side, or until desired doneness.

In my opinion, I think this is excellent advice. And when you start making your enchiladas, you'll need to know this. I brought it back up because I didn't want it to get lost in the shuffle.

We seem to have come far afield from the initial question regarding which of Diana Kennedy's fabulous recipes to try first, but here is another "typically Mexican" preparation that offers enormous bang for the effort involved. All over Mexico, when you request a Shrimp Cocktail, or "Coctele Camarone," what you get is flavorful shrimp swimming in a tomato-based broth. Think "shrimp gazpacho." This is traditionally served in a "copa," which is a large heavy goblet, like a beer schooner. There will most likely be one or two generous slices of avocado garnishing the top. You eat it with a spoon. Sometimes you'll see "Coctele del Mar" or "Coctele Campechana" or something else that indicates that the cocktail contains mixed seafood. "Campechana" refers to the state of Campeche, which is on the Gulf coast. So a "Coctele Campechana" means "in the style that a woman from Campeche makes it." These mixed seafood cocktails contain the same broth but, in addition to shrimp, feature other varieties of fish and seafood, most often squid. These proportions are approximate. I just tried to come up with some guidelines to follow: Coctele Camarones (Mexican-style Shrimp Cocktail) 1 lb boiled, cleaned medium shrimp (see below) 1 1/2 C tomato juice juice of 1/2 large lemon 1/2 C catsup 1/2 C chopped green onions 1 ripe tomato, seeded & chopped (you can peel them and when I have homegrown tomatoes with their skin a little tougher, I do, but most of the time, I don't bother. In winter, when you can't get flavorful tomatoes, I use those 'Nature Sweet' cherry tomatoes) cilantro, chopped, to taste 1 jalapeno (or other chile, minced, and this is optional -- many people don't like biting into raw hot peppers, so consider who's going to be eating it. You'll be serving hot sauce alongside, so those that want more heat can add it later) Dash or two Worchestershire Tabasco, or other hot sauce avocados Combine all ingredients except avocadoes. Chill for several hours. Traditionally served in large goblets, like beer schooners, called 'copas' in Mexico. Pour the cocktails into copas. Slice your avocadoes in half. Hold the half with the seed in one palm, and with a sharp knife, whack into the seed. Twist and pull and the seed should come out easily. Now whack the knife holding the seed onto the side of the sink, and the seed should fall into the sink. Now cut your avocado halves lengthwise again. Starting at the narrow end, you should be able to easily pull off the skin just like peeling a banana. On top of each copa of shrimp cocktail, arrange two crescents of avocado. You can also decorate with a sprig of celery. Serve with saltines, extra slices of lime, and a selection of hot sauces. Boiled shrimp: I usually just make these with cooked shrimp I buy from the store (because I'm always rushed for time, it seems), but it is better when you boil the shrimp yourself. 24 shrimp, shells on 1 C water (often I use beer) 1 clove garlic, chopped dash pepper 1/3 C limejuice 1 jalapenos, chopped Put everything in pot and boil until liquid reduced to approx 3/4 C. Toss in shrimp and cover and simmer 2-3 minutes, until shrimp are just beginning to curl. Remove shrimp immediately to cold water. When cooled, clean shrimp and chill. This recipe is an absolutely great starter course for entertaining a la Mexicana. When I'm having folks over for Mexican, I start with a big bowl of chips, my salsa, another bowl of my guacamole. Then everyone gets a coctele camarone. I have a pretty little basket I got in Mexico and in it I arrange a selection of hot sauces to pass. We all talk about the various hot sauces and where they're from and how hot they are. In addition to several Mexican brands, I include some Marie Sharp's from Belize. For a tablecloth, I use those brightly-colored Mexican sarapes that everyone turns their nose up at in the Mexican markets. But on the table, it's very festive and fun. I've collected shot glasses from all over Mexico and everyone has one at their place, with a couple of brightly-colored Gerber daisies. It looks spectacular. Mucho bang for your entertaining peso.

Well, as I said in my "edited" post, I was thinking "spectacular looking on buffet table," and imagining these things put together like tiles and then decorated, so you wouldn't have to decorate mini cheesecakes. But if it's going to be plated, that would be a nightmare for sure. But frankly, just mini cheesecakes, with a dollop of whipped cream on top, then a few scattered blueberries, and one nice big strawberry in the middle would look great, too... very patriotic. You wouldn't miss the theme. They wouldn't have to be "arranged."

How about rectangular-shaped cheesecake, and on top, make the US flag out of blueberries, strawberries, whipped cream. Everyone will be expecting sheet cake when they bite into it, but it'll be cheesecake instead. Nice surprise. You could do it by trimming the sides of the round cheesecakes, making them into squares, fitting them together, then decorating them as one piece. Whoops - question. I was assuming "buffet" so thinking of something that would look good. But is it plated?

The locals. Hum. Well, "the locals" are all Mexicans that came from somewhere else to work in the hotels, restaurants, bars, discos, taxicabs, diveshops, tour companies, parachute and banana-float rides, etc., and they don't eat anywhere on the island. For one thing, they can't afford it. And for another, during their leisure time they're trying to get away from "us." There actually is a town of Cancun, over on the mainland. It's small, but there are quite a few restaurants there; some tiny and unassuming, some larger and fairly nice. Many specialize in seafood and the Yucatecan/Mayan cuisine. I've eaten there several times, in various places, and had some really great meals. Although overall, I think that the food is better farther down the pennisula, around Playa. I'm not any good at recommending restaurants for places where I've visited, but have not lived. I just like to explore around, try different things, open to everything. Regarding restaurants, I don't take notes and I don't remember well. (I've reflected upon this oddity and I think it's intentional, as I do very well with sightseeing and other attractions. Maybe some sort of "system" my subconscious has developed in order to keep me from returning to favorite restaurants rather than seeking out new ones.) The island with all the tourists has quite a few restaurants that offer the sorts of cuisine that tourists like. An Italian one comes immediately to mind. Most of those restaurants are pretty darn forgettable and very high-priced. Many of the hotels offer good food, but if you want a real Mexican experience with the local seafood/Mayan/Yucatecan dishes, try to buddy up with the people that work in your hotel and ask them where, over on the mainland, they eat. If you manage to turn them into friends, they'll even meet you there, and bring along some more folks. That's the best. For breakfast, whenever I'm in Mexico, I always get chilaquiles with fresh fruit alongside -- I particularly love papaya with a couple of squeezes of fresh lime. Everybody down there makes great chilaquiles for breakfast. And I also love ceviche, and the Mexican-style shrimp cocktails. They make a great "lime soup" on the Yucatan, which I always get. And there are several traditional preparations using anatto seeds/achiote paste. It's bright red, so you'll see "Pollo rojo" on the menu. Very good, and "tipico." And there's usually some sort of fish (red snapper, "huachinango," is traditional) served "Veracruzano" -- which means "Veracruz" style -- with a sauce of peppers, tomatoes and onions. That's always good, fresh. Look for it.

You're going to get a lot of disparaging comments, so be prepared. If you're young and look fab in your bikini, you'll love it. The atmosphere is "festive," as we used to warn older tourists considering a trip there. And you didn't say when you're going but right now we're in Spring Break season, followed closely by Easter, and the place is a zoo. If that's when you're going, and if you're not young, I'd suggest you hop in a taxi and head down the penninsula about 30 miles or so and try to find a quieter spot. Over Spring Break, Cancun is beer bongs and booze and boobs tossed about in a restless sea of raging hormones -- complete with film crews documenting the whole thing for various episodes of "Wild On" and "Girls Gone Wild." The only reason Cancun exists at all is to entertain visitors, and at that it's been wildly successful, pumping millions of dollars annually into Mexico's coffers. I think of it like Las Vegas with a beach, and without the casinos. Most of the hotels are located along a strip of sand that is a narrow island in the shape of a "7." The hotels are all glitzy high-rises lined up one after the other, like so many pastel cement dominos. There are luxury spa-type hotels, moderate and budget hotels. There are also a few enormous "time-share" type hotels that you'll get lots of recommendations for that I personally loathe (and I don't use that word lightfly). Many of these have the word "Palace" in the name. If you stay in one of them, be prepared for many "invitations" from the staff for various "parties," such as "orientation party," "Mexican night," etc. These are really just hard-sell time-share pitches, so beware. If you're going there to do a lot of swimming, or are with young children, get out your map and study the island. The hotels on the beaches at the top of the 7 are much better in that regard. Along the length of the 7, the beaches face the ocean and the currents and rip tides can be dangerous. The sand in Cancun is formed of something (I can't remember what) that doesn't absorb and hold the heat like most sand. Therefore, you can walk on it without burning your feet off. It's fine as white powder and just beautiful. The color of the Caribbean is just as shockingly neon turquoise as you hope it will be. Indescribable. Cancun, contrary to what most Americans think, does not cater just to Americans. It is a worldwide vacation Mecca. The last time I was there was for a ten-day stay with my teenage daughter. The first few days she took up with the "whitest" folks on the beach. They were a team of young Irish soccer lads playing tournaments in Mexico. The second day, they were the "reddest" folks on the beach. Next up was a brief romance with a Peruvian fellow that was there with his entire family celebrating his parent's 25th wedding anniversary. One funny thing is that my daughter speaks fluent Spanish, although from spending so much time in Mexico, it turns out that she has a "Mexican" accent (who knew?). So the Peruvian family initially thought she was Mexican. There are nonstop flights from Cancun into various European cities, and several South American gateways, so you'll find lots of visitors from all over the world. Upper-class Mexicans, too, like to vacation in Cancun because it's clean, modern, and a nonstop party. Despite what you're going to hear about the place, let me assure you that if you are in search of a good time, you can easily find it in Cancun. But if, on the other hand, you're in seach of a "quaint, picturesque Mexican fishing village," Cancun ain't it.

And I did, too. "Use one." But sadly, not for cooking. You see, in my travels, I have primarily lived in homes with electric stoves. And I didn't want to set a comal directly on the burners. So my plan was to get one of those rings that they sell in Asian stores -- to use with a wok. One thing and another, and I never got around to it, so never actually cooked in the comal. It was just easier to grab my cast-iron skillet. But I did "use" the comal. It looked just great in the middle of my dining room table, holding fruit.

In Mexico, you often can smell things roasting on large comals as you walk through the towns. Some of my favorite restaurants feature large ceramic ones, with various ingredients cooking in small piles arranged around on the disks. Frequently they are the entire focus of the restaurant, kind of like when you go to a pizza place and they make a big show of preparing the pizza in front of your eyes. You can stand right there and watch the stuff cooking on the comal. They're basically just flat, round grills/griddles, although sometimes you do see them gently concave. Those large ceramic ones don't transport well, though, and I've tried to bring back some of the smaller ones with varying degrees of success. You can, however, order smaller cast iron ones from mexgrocer.com.

Cool. What fresh chiles can you get in France? Jalapenos? Serranos?

Thanks. Sniff.

Well, I don't know... I do know that when I visit friends in Mexico, it seems to be a much-used ingredient. Of course, just like us, most of them lead busy lives and appreciate shortcuts. My Queretaro friend makes her chilaquiles with Fritos in her microwave, and shops at the new Walmart (and is thrilled to have it). I don't think that makes her "not Mexican." In my salsa, I prefer the flavor of the garlic salt to uncooked fresh garlic, which has a "raw" taste to me. But as always, to each his own.

Yep.

Huh? My friend that I got this from is Mexican. From Mexico. Her mother, and her mother's mother before her, made this in Mexico for years and presumably still do. The differences being that the grandmothers put up their own canned tomatoes. Or they made it from scratch using fresh tomatoes, and frying it as I mentioned previously, and then simmering. Obviously they didn't have blenders, or use garlic salt, or take other shortcuts, but in the Mexico of today, many people do. I have another friend that lives in Queretaro, and this is just how she makes it. She uses the canned tomatoes and garlic salt as well. Life does chug on, you know. Even there. Do I think it's just a "home recreation of commercial salsa"? Not only do I NOT think that, I think that the very idea is ludicrous. I can't believe that you are actually suggesting that my Mexican friend, and her Mexican mother, and Mexican grandmother, sat around a su casa working on this recipe in an effort to "recreate" at home something that Pace thought up. I think it's just the opposite. I think that Mexicans have been making tomato-chile salsas since the first Mexican plucked the first tomato and the first chile from nearby plants. And that "commercial salsa" is a relatively recent attempt to "recreate" a traditional, much-loved home preparation. And, "seems like something someone would make because they can't find chiles in the grocery store"? I don't get that. This recipe calls for fresh chiles. From the grocery store. Unless you're growing your own, of course. In fact, it's just tomatoes, fresh chiles, garlic and salt -- with a little oil and acid. Prepared using modern shortcuts. I don't get how on earth you can say it's "not Mexican." One would think that you could offer your own suggestions without disparaging mine. But whatever. If it doesn't sound like something you'd like (and I guess that's what you're saying in your two "unenthusiastic" posts), there's an easy solution: Don't make it. If there's one thing I hate, it's arguments about "authenticity." I find them tedious and tiresome, often condescending, and, in the end, unresolvable. So if that's where you're going, you can soldier on without me. Just to be clear.

I've tried several kinds of vinegar, but it doesn't have the same ... um ... freshness as the lime juice. It's just a bit brighter I think, and I especially like that contrast with the roasted chiles. "brighter" -- yeah, I can understand that. You're probably right. When I first started, I always used a squeeze of Mexican lime, and a little lemon, and a dash of vinegar. Gotten lazy through the years, I guess.

I'm sure they would. The better the quality of tomato, the better the final product. Again, just look on the label and be sure that the variety you have doesn't have anything else added, like basil or something. Got to be just tomatoes and salt.

This doesn't taste like what's available in the jars. And indeed you may not "like it as a table salsa," but I'd suggest you try it yourself before you decide. And, Msk, thanks for: trying it, liking it, letting me know. Gracias. Happy to help.