EatNopales

Peter... you are referring to the market pictures correct? If so that isn't Aloe it is Penca de Maguey (Agave Leaves). One of the most fundamental cooking techniques in Central & Southern Mexico (going back to at least to pits carbon dated circa 4,000 B.C.) is the closed pit. Today there are many day trip touristy locations famous for the pit cooked specialties.. such as Texcoco on the eastern outskirts of Mexico City, Actopan in Hidalgo etc., For those familiar with Hawaiian imu cooked pig.. the process is similar.. volcanic rocks are heated over night then placed at the bottom of a clay pit, the beast is (or not) marinated, then is wrapped in Agave leaves that were previously softened over a fire... there is clay pot with salted water, herbs & legumes put over the volcanic rocks, then the agave wrapped beast is set on top of the pot (not touching the water), finally the pit is sealed & the beast cooks for a long time. Here is a decently produced video in English about a restaurateur from Texcoco bringing his regional lamb barbacoa, mixiotes & other dishes to the San Diego area.. you can see the cooked agave leaves in the warming tray with the meat (warning lots of meat p0rn not apt for all): This video is from Restaurante Arroyo, Mexico City's most popular barbacoa restaurant (seats 2,000), has the bull fighting equivalent of karaoke (no bulls hurt), music, folk dancing, playgrounds, face painting etc., They have some fantastic shots of the barbacoa process etc., Warning.. real bull fighting scenes at 2:30 for those who object. Incidentally, I should share one of my earlier "foodie" memories. Food is so central to a huge portion of the Mexico City populace that when you ask someone how they are doing, what they are up to... aside from discussing the family they will usually tell you what they are planning to eat that day. When you ask someone what they are doing for the weekend they don't say I am going to go on a Dia de Campo (excursion to a national park) in Valle de Bravo they say voy a las truchas en Valle de Bravo (I am going to eat Trout in Valle de Brave).. and that means they drive out.. go hike one of the mountains, get back to town, find a Trout restaurant... do some people watching on the plaza etc.. the key is that the regional food specialty defines the trip more than any other activity. When it comes to Barbacoa... Mexico City residents like Restaurante Arroyo but most make the trek to nearby towns in Mexico State, Hidalgo, Puebla & Tlaxcala for the best.

Yes sir.. and the bag just below the de-spined paddles are diced raw nopales

Good Morning (Afternoon, Evening, Night) everyone... I am back and ready to cook... my update for yesterday's meals: Hotel Breakfast (1/2 Waffle, 4 pats butter, honey, banana, coffee) Corporate Lunch Delivery (Muffaleta & Bottled Water) Dinner (Oakland airport In & N Out cheeseburger, iced tea)

Beautiful.. I have never seen the plant before. The typical cooking method in Mexico is to rinse them leaving some of the water on them, then salting the damp chickpeas, putting them in a covered clay pot & cooking over low for about 10 minutes... in this way the "steam roast" to an al dente texture and don't get soggy like typical Edamame served at Sushi joints. Can you elaborate with your take on their flavor?

I would love to hear your Chiapas / Palenque excavation food anecdotes.. any chance you have written about them... or can be persuaded to do so? BTW.. the idea that duck and turkey dish exist where sheep & cattle are not as plentiful would be a completely Spanish biased phrase (which I am sure the land owners you were dealing with probably had very well defined & "pure" Spanish ancestry). I think if you ask an indigenous person in Mexico.. particularly around Mexico State, Eastern Michoacan, Puebla etc., I think they would say they eat Beef and Sheep where Duck & Turkey are not plentiful. Maybe its more ideological than empirical but certainly around Mexico City, the more indian the person the more they talk about Duck, Turkey, Venison, Frog Legs, Crawfish, Trout etc., in almost spellbound, magical tone wheras Beef, Pork, Chicken & Lamb are pedestrian foods. Another a Bayless quotes is something to the effect that once you come across a bright yellow chicken in a Mexican market you know you are not in Kansas anymore... as you noted the Turkeys are quite different than the birds most Americans know. I don't think once can understand the Central Mexican obsession with it until have a properly raised native Guajolote

Hi Linda, The dried fish is bacalao (salt cod).. the most famous application are Bacalao a la Mexicana and Bacalao a la Vizcaina which are served at most Mexico City tables on Christmas eve. No one I know cooks with it regularly, but my understanding is that in Xalapa they commonly stuff Cuaresmenos (a large varietal of Jalapenos) with Bacalao a la Mexicana or a la Veracruzana to serve as a Botana (Mex equivalent of Tapas) throughout the year. There is also a famous Torta street vendor in Coyoacan known for Bacalao a la Mexicana sandwiches. The Dried Shrimp are one of those ignored items that are vital to understanding Pre Hispanic Civilization. A quick review of Pre Hispanic history finds that Ancient Mexicans were leery about establishing large population centers along the coasts... hurricanes, tsunamis, scarce arable lands, strategically vulnerable positions, excessive heat & humidity... the high altitude central plateaus were the preferred home-base for all of Mexico's major cultural groups. Nonetheless they did establish coastal communities and today you can find thousands of pre-hispanic towns along the coasts but a little digging quickly unveils that they existed primarily as satellite posts to provide something of strategic value to the power centers in the highlands. I think most people in the U.S. & Canada think of Mexican cuisine as highly dependent on ag products like corn & beans + some dairy, beef, pork & poultry. However, for most of Mexico's history the native people of the country have established their communities around lagoons, rivers & lakes.. and their daily cuisine reflected that. For example, Mexico City only a few hundred years ago was still a city floating on lakes & water borne protein foods where the primary non veggie component of the diet... frogs, fish, crawfish, salamanders, fresh water eel & snakes, duck & other water fowl (in Xochimilco a famous district in the city's south water born proteins are still the norm & reflected in the market foods).. and perhaps surprising to most... Spirulina was an important pre-hispanic food in the Mexico City area. Earlier we talked about Jocoque.. which is a hot contemporary topic among the anthropoligical-culinary literati in Mexico today. If Jocoque came with Lebanese immigrants, the Spanish or some other European group why is the name derived from Nahuatl? The general theory is that foods whose names are derived from Nahuatl existed before European contact.. and science has proven this out time & again. Take for example the Peanut... early on it was believed to have originated in Africa (given that Africans brought it with them to the U.S. & Canada were it was largely unknown) but science has proven that Peanuts are native to the North Amazon and Archeologists have found proof that Peanuts were being harvestws in Mexico for more than 1,000 years before the Spanish arrived.. so the fact that peanuts are overwhelming referred to by their Nahuatl name Cacahuatl as opposed to the Spanish name Mani was an indication that they existed before the Spanish. Similarly Jocoque is derived from Nahautl meaning something to the extent of Bitter & Pungent Earth (Rock) which is interesting given that the Spanish chroniclers, such as Fray Bernardino de Sahagun, described the Aztec spirulina cakes as something akin to pungent cheese all while making it clear they never touched the stuff and they knew no Spaniards who would eat it! According to something I watched on Once Mexico recently.. the prevailing theory is that the Aztecs, Xochimilcas and other Nahautl speaking peoples that lived around Texcoco Lagoon were mixing the Spirulina cakes with Atole or Fresh Corn "Milk" to create a soured, cheesy / pungent, creamy substance such that when modern day cow / sheep milk Jocoque was introduced from abroad they just decided to give it the name of something they were familiar with. Ah yes... my point. Dried Shrimp trade was serious business in Pre-Hispanic times... today the dried Shrimp continues to be used in indigenous communities (presumably in similar ways as it was 500 years ago) to add a seafood flavor for broths, moles, sauces, tamales & even beans that are served with small quantities of fresh water foods. Today among the river & lake communities you will find that the overwhelming majority of mid morning meals comprise a small amount of fish or shell fish in a sauce flavored with dried shrimp or dried fish (particularly charales), served with a side of beans that are also flavored with the dried shrimp or fish, tortillas & atole. I should note that shells from dried shrimp & bones from dried fish comprised a major source of calcium in pre-hispanic Mexico... it is hard to imagine how pre-nutritional science societies figured these things about.. their traditions seem to indicate that they did.

Thanks Katie... yes I do believe all the Oliver's have a grill setup. In fact everybody and their abuela seems to have a grill setup even lame old Whole Foods... the big summer attraction though are the Bodega Bay grilled Oysters (also offered at Oliver's, at the farmer's market and really anywhere you see a smoker). And although Santa Maria style Tri Tip is not originally from Sonoma County you will find competent versions through out the area (although I haven't seen anyone offer Santa Maria Pinquito beans around town yet). No Oliver's doesn't have Elote Preparado, sorry about the confusion.. the corn I dressed up was leftover from the Sopa de Milpa. However, Lola's does offer Elote Preparado on the weekend and they have an outdoor grill / smoker setup with split chickens, carne asada, ribs & other goodies offered. Also, I have never made my own cajeta... my dad (who used to make it often in the 60's) thinks it is hard to improve upon the better bottled version unless you are willing to go all the way.. fresh unpasteurized milk, clay pots etc.,

Update... a last minute business trip has me in Arizona for 24 hours... don't worry... I brought my passport Today's meals... Brunch... Quesadillas with Organic Jack, homemade Cabbage Escabeche, Sambal Oelek, Bacon Chocolate Bar, Coffee Lunch... Airport Steam Table Chinese (Brocoli Beef, Steamed Rice, Thai Iced Tea) Dinner... "Gourmet" Convenience store bought Chicken Ceasar Salad garnished with Pork Chicharrones, cup of Straweberries & Blueberries, Chocolate Covered Cherry.

Alright dinner pics are here! Thank you Kalypso, Linda & everyone for the warm wishes, and also for your questions... I will address them and pontificate some tomorrow. Horchata de Melon Canario (remember those seeds?) The kids enjoyed the Horchata as is... I improvised a take on the regional Cabo cocktail of choice which is Cantaloupe juice, Tequila, Damiana Liqueur & Squeeze of Lime... I went Horchata de Melon, Tequila, Meyer Lemon, Clover Honey... probably wouldn't win any awards but it was light, refreshing, tasty & not intrusive to the food that would follow. Garbanzos al Vapor A classic appetizer currenly in high season throughout Central Mexico... best way to describe them is a much better version of Edamame (at least compared to the typical waterlogged Edamame you get in Sushi joints around California) Xitomate Criollo over Nopal Asado with a dollop of Guacamole Verde (It is the tail end of the Nopales season and the paddles weren't perfect but I had to honor my handle... besides it is one of the most delicious salads you will ever taste). Pan Seared Duck Breast, Mole Verde, Tamal de Elote (Muscovy Duck & Turkey were the two primary domesticated proteins in Pre-Hispanic Mexico... one of my favorite places in the world is the area west of Mexico City.. Valle de Bravo etc.,... the town of Almoloya del Rio is situated on the Rio Lerma watershed that was famous even in Aztec times for its duck & today is a primary purveyor of ducks to Mexico City markets. Pato en Mole Verde served with an Avocado Leaf scented Tamal is not only my favorite Mexican dish of all... but is also the most iconic, traditional & special dish to that region which is deep in my heart. P.S. As I alluded earlier... Frog Legs in Mole Verde is the more common & iconic way to consume Mole Verde in the river & lakes regions around Mexico City but I couldn't find Frog Legs around town... other versions are made with Trout, Quail & other game birds). store bought Chocolate Dipped Coconut Paleta

Teaser photos for tonight's dinner

I will post produce department, spices, chiles, herbs & prepared foods in a bit.

Trip to Lola's Market on Petaluma Hill Rd. in Santa Rosa, CA I pic is worth as thousand words, so I will let them speak for themselves but please don't hesitate to ask questions about any unfamiliar items etc.,

Yes, that is a reduced Chipotle version of A la Diabla (which you probably see a lot of in restaurants in L.A. i.e., Camarones a la Diabla etc.,). A la Diabla is typically whole garlic cloves & crustacean shells slow cooked in butter... they are removed, pureed Arbol or Chiletepin chiles are added and cooked down into a smooth sauce that thickens with the "gel" given off by garlic & shellfish shells. There may be a dash of Worcestire (commonly used in Mexico)... but not much more.. it is a divine sauce. The version above will keep for months in the fridge.

FYI... I went grocery shopping at our lucky Mexican market & took a lot of pics to come later...

For lunch I have two things to post... Our Summer Sunday tradition is to walk over to Oliver's pick up some smoked baby back ribs (which the kids adore as much as we do), some Corn on the Cob, a little local French bread, seasonal fruit... lunch! Today's fruit was Canary melons... oh yeah I am saving the seeds for a future preparation However with leftover Sopa de Milpa in the fridge, i couldn't let the opportunity pass to make Salpicon. One of the most frequently consumed dishes in Mexico that is almostly completely unknown north of the border... is really a technique for leftovers with a huge variety of different versions. Basically, you take any leftover that would not be that good reheated, chop it up to bite size pieces (the name Salpicon means a whole lot of chopped stuff), then macerate with lime juice (or other citrus or vinaigrette), onions & herbs (cilantro, marjoram, mint, tarragon, parsley, epazote, papaloquelite are the most common).. once the flavors have penetrated your leftovers you can toss them with a wide range of fresh vegetables... lettuces, radishes, tomatos, avocado slice etc., Here is my Salpicon from the leftover Sopa de Milpa & Meatloaf: And speaking of Sopa de Milpa leftovers... the Corn on the Cob? Those of you who have purchased an Elote Preparado from a street vendor know the magic of slathering Mayo, Butter, Cotija / Parmesan, Chile Powder & Key Lime Juice on Corn. For those who've never had it... try it... the flavor combination is really great on a wide range of blanched or roasted vegetables... I use it on Fennel when corn is not in season.

Thanks and yes it will be a Mex centric dinner Is this where the frog legs come in? Funny that you would ask that... Frog Legs are either the most or 2nd most traditional & iconic protein used in tonight's main dish. Kalypso... since you know you can figure it out please don't give up the dish

It is Gravenstein apple season here in Sonoma County, and we harvested a bucket from my daughter's pre-school. It also happens to be Sunday which is Pancake day at our house. When we think of food traditions in other countries we often have the tendency to reduce them to endemic dishes as much as possible.. but modern national cultures are highly porous. We think of French cuisine as being something deep rooted & unique but many of its dishes were heavily borrowed from Florentine & Ottoman cooking and wasn't that long ago. Pancakes.. almost universally called Hot Cakes (pronounces Haute Kays... Mexicans have a hard time with hard consonants at end of words) have been in Mexico for a long time now (there were on the menu at Sanborn's during the roaring 20's), they are a common breakfast item, and I can guarantee most young Mexicans would not know their origin is anything other than Mexican. Further, there are now Mexicanized pancakes such as the classic Hotcakes with Cajeta, with Honey & Bananas, with Condensed Milk, with Spiced Piloncillo Syrup, with Guava Rolls & Jocoque, with Natas (Clotted Cream) etc., Today in Mexico you can get Hotcakes from Street Vendors... of course not all as accomplished as this pancake stylist at the Coyoacan Saturday morning market: My parents made hotcakes at least once a week and now I am continuing this trans-border tradition. Although not a stylist like the guy in the video, I did invent (as far as I know) a style of pancake specifically for my wife who wanted something between a fluffy pancake & a crepe.. something eggy but not as eggy as crepes that could hold chocolate chips in the center.. but at the same time thin enough that she could roll after a sprinkle of sugar, or jam etc., So for breakfast I made sauteed Gravensteins with Cajeta.. and our house Pancrepes... unfortunately I am rushing around so I didn't get a pic of the fully plated breakfast, just the left overs. I will post a recipe later (this is one of the few things I am a recipe slave on... baked stuff as well).

This cocktail sounds great... will make it soon.

Thanks and yes it will be a Mex centric dinner

I hope its not against the rules for the guest blogger to have a guest blogger, but tonight's dinner was my wife's killer meatloaf and she wanted me to post the following on her behalf: "A good part of the reason Juan and I got together is that we’re both foodies at heart. Having kiddos has changed our eating and cooking life dramatically, though, so that many days we look shamefully like the typical American eaters. For one, we used to cook together, or each cook about half the meals in a week. Now I cook most dinners, while Juan plays with our girls after work. The other huge change? If I want to make one meal for the whole family, I am drastically restricted by the very picky tastes of a skinny four-year-old and the chewing capacity of a less-picky two-year-old. Spicy food? Out. Mixed together foods? Freak-out-waiting-to-happen. Kid food? The love of their lives! So I make homemade macaroni and cheese with whole wheat pasta, gruyere and local sharp cheddar, turkey burgers sweetened with mango chutney and moistened with sour cream, and tender meatloaf & ketchup sandwiches, our meal tonight. It seems anything in sandwich form paired with ketchup is kid-friendly, just like anything called pickles must be yummy (so when I make Sunomono, I call it Japanese pickles, now a house favorite). Unlike Juan, I almost always cook from a recipe. I was uninspired by most meatloaf recipes I perused, but this brief clip I found while searching online seemed promising: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8kcrjQqT_Q Here’s the recipe I’ve made up based on the clip: 1 medium carrot, grated on your cheese grater 2 stalks (organic!*) celery, chopped 1 c chopped yellow onion (about 2 small or 1 med) 1 1/3 c chopped mushrooms 1 tsp fresh thyme, if you have it handy ¾ c ground beef (local, organic if possible) ¾ c ground pork (local, organic if possible) 1 c homemade** bread crumbs (made from 4+ slices of bread, crust removed, cubed & food-processed) 2 eggs, beaten (humanely-raised locally and organically) 3 T Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce 2 t kosher salt ½ t freshly ground pepper Preheat the oven to 350F. In a food processor, puree the prepared*** carrot, celery, onion, mushrooms & thyme. Dump into a large bowl and add remaining ingredients. Mix thoroughly (hands do it best). Press into a meatloaf pan or shape into a loaf on a parchment covered sheet pan. Bake for 1 hour. *Conventionally-grown celery has one of the highest pesticide residue levels; see the full ranking at http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/list/ **The ingredient list on store-bought breadcrumbs is truly frightening. Don’t do it, people! ***I do all that grating and chopping of the veggies beforehand because I don’t know how to get my Kitchen Aid Food Processor to successfully puree the raw veggies (particularly the carrot) if I don’t. If you have tips, let me know!" The meatloaf is resting on a slice of warm sourdough roll side of romaine salad with homegrown tomatoes. A minor announcement here... tomorrow is our anniversary, rather than going out I will put on the chef's hat and put together a little something.. stay tuned! More pontificating before then, I am sure

Have a great trip... you gonna rub it in?

No it was just not fully defrosted when I took the pic. The broth was definitely de-fatted.

Frozen, homemade Chicken stock