Panosmex

Here's some thoughts on this, Anna. From the photo, I think possibly that your sheet of dough is not rolled out to a large enough rectangle. I also suspect that you are soaking your raisins, possibly in warm water and for too long. That may create an overly moist environment, where the raisin cinnamon cavern is created. You may wish to try mixing in the raisins into the dough during the last stages of mixing. Beforehand, temper the raisins in cool water, drain well, and let them absorb any excess water for an hour or so. Next, as to the cinnamon filling; I have had numerous problems in the past with these before. On solution is to make up a creamed mixture of butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and a little cornstarch to use as a cinnamon spread. The cornstarch is intended to take up any excess water from the butter when it begins to melt. Whether that will work or not is for experimentation. I note that you are doing two applications of sugar, one of brown sugar and one of cinnamon sugar. That may be excessive. Try combining the two sugars as part of the cinnamon filling spread that I mentioned earlier. Proofing conditions: I don't know under what conditions you are proofing the final, shaped loaves, but I'd suggest avoiding very warm temps, as that will melt the butter in the filling, causing cavern formation. I hope this helps and that you find a satisfactory outcome. (Now, I may have to try making this to see for myself what is going on here.)

A website has been started to report on the O'Rourke's situation, rebuilding possibilities, fund raising, old memories, etc. It's orourkesdiner.com

The Wikipedia article says: I say, "¡Puras papas! You can find bolillos all over Mexico.

I think we were about 1 block short, to the south, of actually reaching the real mercado. I do remember some tchachkas for sale, in the schlockatería.

Thanks for the announcement of this book. Strangely to say, we have twice eaten breakfast at a local restaurant (I think at the corner of Ayuntamiento and Dolores, a place we enjoyed very much, but we have never seen activity at the mercado. Once, there were a few flowers for sale. Are we talking about the same place? The one I'm thinking of is just outside of Mexico City's small Chinatown.

When I think of Taxco, I do not think of interesting food, except for jumiles , which are fortunately out of season when you will be there. But then, i have only been in Taxco once in my life. Thanks for that link. You are right, it's a great thread with a lot of excellent information. Now...does anyone know anything about Taxco? ←

I'd read that epazote is common as a weed, and found growing alongside railroad tracks and river bottomland. However, even if it can be found growing in the Seattle area, it may well be less intense in strength than what is harvested in lower latitudes. If you can bear to use dried instead of fresh (still pretty intense flavor), look for it in your favorite natural foods stores as epazote or wormseed tea.

Beautiful photos, excellent narrative, thank you. It's an inspiration to me to get going again on my Mexican food blog.

We had some Limas Amarillas or Sweet Limes here in Pátzcuaro late last Fall, and although the fragrance was tantalizing, I found the low acidity of the flesh disappointing in flavor. Could well be that Limas Amarillas are the same as Bergamot Orange (scroll down) I have a recipe I can PM to you, it's not very complicated. The challenge, however, lies in finding some "lima". I have had a very difficult time finding lima outside Mexico. It's not lemon or lime, it's sometimes known as "sweet lime", and it's very fragrant and much milder in taste than lemon or lime. You can do the recipe as well with lime, but the taste is not the same. Let me know ←

Both the espinacas and the acelgas we find here in Pátzcuaro, Michoacán hold up in cooking very well. You'd be hard pressed to make a spinach salad, without blanching it first. That said, both espinacas and acelgas are delicious. The huge "hand" of acelgas we bought last week cost 5 pesos. Usually we cook it simply, with a touch of olive oil, salt and a little garlic. Last time I added chopped chile Poblano and tomato. It was pretty good.

I have learned how to make, and have enjoyed many a Perfection Salad. I prefer not to eat jellied salads with cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream nor (especially) baby marshmallows in them. Perfection Salad

Horseradish= "raíz fuerte". Buen provecho, Panosmex

I want to toss a nostalgic memory into the mix: the China International Restaurant, on the basement level of the Metcalf South Shopping Center. It's where, in around 1970, that we first discovered northern Chinese and Szechwan (as it was then spelled) food. My first Hot and Sour Soup, Pot Stickers,Twice-cooked Pork, Ma Po Tofu. We were regulars there, and the owner sold us our first bamboo steamer.

We visited the 2º Feria de Maíz Criollo, a small event here in Pátzcuaro, México, dedicated to sustainable agriculture and the preservation of traditional varieties of corn. Unfortuantely, from a foodie point of view, some of the tamales and corundas were not exemplary. The blue corn quesadillas, though, were excellent. See my photos here. <hr> <hr> Buen Provecho, Panosmex

A Mexican friend and hotelier (horticulturist, bon vivant) here in Pátzcuaro, Alfredo, has just told us of the reknowned panaderías artesanales in the area of "Los Once Pueblos", between Cherapan and Zamora, Michoacán. We were in that area Monday, on a visit to the Fábrica de Salsa Purhépecha, in Chilchota, but we missed the bakeries. Now, after hearing Alfredo's descriptions, not only of the breads, but of the unique regional cuisine, we are determined to return soon for a more extended stay. Chilchota and Salsa Purhépecha (I also need to go back and get better photos) Buen provecho, Panosmex

My cousin, when a small girl, referred to hot dogs with kraut as "frankfuggers and sourcrap".

Ok; around Toluca, Mexico, they produce a specialty "Longaniza Verde", with fresh herbs and nuts in it, as well as the more common Longaniza Roja. I find them tasty, but greasy and soft.

Have you tried Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, or your local food service equipment supplier?

A couple of days ago, I made the Atápakua de Epazote, etc. I made one little change: I had two ears of corn in the fridge which needed to be used , so I scraped them, and put the white kernels into the simmering caldo. I followed Esperanza's outline after that. I was hesitant to put a full handful of epazote in the soup, but when I tasted it with only half, I added all that I had. I limited the chiles perón to only two, but chopped another to be added by the diners, along with some chopped onion. Adding the masa was a bit tricky, as it tended to lump up in the simmering broth. After futile whisking, I put the lumpy part in the blender. It came out a nice shade of green. It was delicious. The cooked chicken today became a Chinese style hacked sesame chicken salad. That's a different story and post. Buen provecho, Panosmex

Fun With Gelatine! Few of us can truly appreciate the delight my wife and I have when, in the hot Summer months, I make a shimmering, crunchy Perfection Salad. I bought these Mexican -style gelatinas as a novelty. They were quite "bouncy" in texture.

Although we are highly enthused for Mexican regional cooking, we also like a change of pace from time to time. A number of years ago, we had superb pizzas at Pizza Rústica in Oaxaca city. There was one, with spinach and chile poblano that was wonderful. Thanks for the cheese info. The pizza joint is several steps from our rental condo so we decided to try it out just for the heck of the it. At first, we (the Mrs. and I) were quite skeptical with the slices. The square shape slices look very much like the Silician or Ellio's except they are Neapolitan thin (crispy with a nice springiness). The first one we ordered was the gorgonzola slice-Awesome!!!! The second slice was the "shroom"...Fughetaboutit!!! And we finished off with stuffed pizza of ham and cheese...Fughetaboutit 2!!! By the way, were pretty hardcore with the pizza since I am originally from Brooklyn and the wife is from Queens. Forget about Chicago's deep dish, California Pizza Kitchen or Wolfgang Pucks you see in the airport coz...True pizza is to be eaten with hand and not utensils! I forgot the name of that joint but we definitely vouch that place! Yes, we also tried many street foods such as taco al pastor, gorditas, tamales and etc. My friends and I actually joked about driving up to Merida for iguanas and armadillos. AzianBrewer ← ← These squares are not from Pizza Pazzo but a small joint on 5th and 26th. But I do like Pizza Pazzo's shrimps pizza with a couple of dashes of habanero!! One of the most interesting scene that I witnessed is people putting Worcestershire sauce in pizza. ←

I broke down and actually bought a whole chicken in the mercado, so that I could make a proper atápakua de epazote, cilantro y chile. The chicken is simmering now for the stock. I have some ideas for the cooked chicken meat, but I may start another thread on this.

Gracias a todos por la bienvenida. Mucho gusto. It looks as if there is far greater depth to the theme of Mexican soups than I could have imagined, even here in Michoacán, apart from the rest of La República. I'm going to be looking to try a Caldo Michi, of which I have read but have never tasted. The combination of a catfish soup with a sour xoconostles fruit plus bolitas de masa sounds like a cross-cultural transfusion, although that is just one of my imaginary flights. This is not a soup I have ever seen offered in a Pátzcuaro restaurant nor did we spot it at El Segundo Encuentro de las Cocineras de Michoacán Do you know of a restaurant that offers it? We did have a Caldo de Charales while at Lago Zirahuén, but although it was pleasant, it didn't make us want to ask for seconds. (We disliked deboning each tiny fish.) I have had churipo but once, at the Hotel Casino in Morelia, and it was good. But that was many years ago, and I don't recall the details. Is it similar to Mole de Olla? Atole de Grano is a favorite of ours, seemingly sold only at night by a few Señoras on the Plaza Bocanegra here. I get a feeling of warm peacefulness whenever I sit down and enjoy a bowl or two of this simple, homey soup. Atápakua de epazote con cilantro y chile is unknown to me. There were some atápakuas offered at the Encuentro, etc, but some of them seemed to me to resemble lukewarm baby food. Maybe it was the venue. The Atápakua de epazote con cilantro y chile sounds more appealing. Does it have meat, fish or fowl in it? Where can one try such soups? In regard to the beanless Sopa Tarasca; it may be more authentic, but I vastly prefer the richness of the bean version. Also, what has happened to the porky component of the soup? When we tried it recently, in a few different places, including Don Rafa's, we found it thin, and not as substantial as we remember it from visits here in the early 90s. This has made me hungry. We need to get out and get some Birria at the mercado, before it all runs out.

How many authentic Mexican soups are there? I am interested in sopas aguadas, not sopas secas, which is perhaps another topic entirely. What is the difference between Sopa Azteca and Caldo Tlalpeño, if any? How does Sopa de Milpa differ from Sopa Comadre? Is Sopa de Ajo customarily made with or without tomatoes? Who took the beans out of the Sopa Tarasca in Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, and why; and is the soup an invention, or an ethnic development? Do pozole and menudo qualify as soups, stews or something else entirely? When is it appropriate to serve wedges of limón with soup, put crema atop, and, Cilantro, ¿Sí o No? Are Saltines ever acceptable with Mexican soups? My first post here, amigos. Gracias por su amabilidad. ¡Buen Provecho! Panosmex