EatNopales

Thumbs up for... Rick Bayless, Two Hot Tamales, Pati Jinich, Susana Trilling or any specials with Aaron Sanchez or his mom Zarela Martinez... the others Daisy, Marcella etc., are gawd awful. Big thumbs up for You Tube videos lots of content out of Mexico with dishes that don't make the Celebrity Show hosts radar... I should put together a Play List... btw not to toot my own horn or anything... but my You Tube music channel is pretty fabulous http://www.youtube.com/EatNopales

My wife has a graduate degree in Nutritional Sciences, and we've discussed salt intake ad nauseum here is my distillation of her points: 1) Be careful with scientific research... there are very fundamental flaws in the scope & methodology of research as it pertains to human health & nutrition... most of the research is disproven within a generation & just gets people in tizzy. 2) Without salt, or on a very salt restricted diet you would die... wouldn't take that long. 3) Many Northern Eurasian cultures from Iceland to Siberia & the Irkutsk consume very high sodium diets originating in traditional food preservation, and are genetically atuned to higher not lower salt diets.. these people are more likely to develop diseases related to hypo tension than hyper tension.. and these are serious conditions. 4) Sodium & Potassium are the Ying & Yang of regulating the water balance between cells & the bloodstream... hypertension is water levels too high in the bloodstream... hypotension is water levels too high in the cells... neither is good.... Sodium helps retain water in the bloodstream, Potassium helps draw water in to the cells. She points out that scientists tend to approach the whole salt consumption thing bass ackwards.. instead of focusing on the fact that people dramatically reduce potassium as they adopt a Western diet as the cause for hypotension... they prescribe salt reduction instead of potassium increase as a therapy... and it is completely stupid & classic Blind Men & Elephant syndrome. Dietary prescriptions should be really simple... human beings evolved to eat lots fruits, vegetables, legumes, seeds & nuts... in the Western world we have replaced those with Meat, Dairy & Refined Grains, Fats & Sugar and are becoming unhealthy because of it... just eat more fruits, vegetables, legumes, seeds & nuts.. you don't even have to worry about cutting anything.. those things will naturally cut out some of the other foods... eat till you are satisfied but not full, keep a healthy weight and almost everything else will follow.

Escabeche and fuggetaboutit... as you might know in Mexico.. the Escabeche is one of the more prominent ways to eat vegetables particularly Carrots, Cauliflower, Green Beans, Zucchini, Cabbage & Brocoli... lightly blanched vegetables pickled with a gentle vinaigrette that has chiles, garlic, black pepper, oregano, thyme & other spice / herbs to taste... pickled anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Brocoli stems are even better for this application than the florets. The pickled vegetables are typically served as appetizer with some tostadas... or sliced up bite size tossed with salad greens for a delicous, light salad. http://mexican-recipes.bavariasoft.com/recipes/bverduras.php

I think you should do it at least once so that you can taste the difference. OTOH... all canned food liners have BPA & acidic foods release more of the BPA... so part of me cant condone putting carcinogens in your body even for a cooking experiment.

I think you should do it at least once so that you can taste the difference. OTOH... all canned food liners have BPA & acidic foods release more of the BPA... so part of me cant condone putting carcinogens in your body even for a cooking experiment.

Best extract you can buy, made with the best beans grown in the birth place of vanilla: http://store.gourmetsleuth.com/mexican-vanilla-8-oz-pure-extract-P471.aspx The aroma & potency of this one will knock your socks off... but they add carmel color (burnt sugar) and natural Vanillin (secondary extract that is concentrated through evaporation)... http://store.gourmetsleuth.com/mexican-vanilla-flavoring-20oz-P473.aspx

Same chile... Ancho is the dried form of Poblano... I wonder if most of their clients buy grow them primarily for drying. BTW... a dish that doesn't get prepared North of the Border very often is stuffed Anchos...very, very delicious... rehydrated with various brine / pickle solutions... stuffed with every thing from grilled Arrachera steak & Guacamole (in Nuevo Leon) to Chorizo-Potato hash or "Milpa" vegetables (calabacita, green beans etc.,) en Escabeche EDIT... when I get back to California... I am going to come up with a dish that combines stuffed Anchos with the Banana vinegar sold by Rancho Gordo

Interesting resource, thanks for the link Yeah he also has interesting info on Chinese cheeses of all things.

Thats a start... she is missing lots of cheeses and only seems to focus on cheese types mass produced by Cacique... some additional info (with adequate substitutes) here: http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/Articles/Mexican-Cheeses-966/mexican-cheeses.aspx http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/2155-a-guide-to-mexican-cheese-queso-mexicano There are also lots of deep rooted, regional cheeses that most mainstream Mexicans haven't even heard of.. particularly those from Chiapas & Tabasco... the goat cheeses from Queretaro & the Huasteca etc., The brie like Doble Cremas from Chiapas... particularly the slighly aged, double textured ones from Ocosinco Smoked Queso de Bola from Tenosique Poro, Panela & Manchego Cheeses from Tabasco This dairy obsessed cheese expert is a great resource for learning about the artisinal cheeses of Southern Mexico (which are much less well known) http://lactography.blogspot.com/search/label/Mexican%20Cheese

In absence of fresh... yes the dried is worth it. Buy from a reputable source that knows what they are selling... sometimes the stuff in the Mexican markets is not labeled adequately so you don't if you are buying dried epazote for culinary purposes or for medicinal tea.... although it isn't that hard to distinguish it... if its darkish browns with lots of stems it is for tea.. if its mostly green and obviously leaf shaped then it is the culinary one. The dried has two main uses... to boil in a pot of beans, or to aromatize tomato based sauces or soups... in either case you will want to enclose it in cheese cloth or herb / spice pouch and let simmer in the liquid... it will certainly impart a nice herbal, complex dimension of flavor. The dried is actually more nuanced than the fresh, it doesn't have the brash grassiness, bitterness, gasoline like pungency... and might be an easier introduction to the flavor. If you like it though... some day you will get a chance of eating a simple quesadilla with a few tender leaves fused into the cheese... or chopped over some heirloom tomatoes & roasted jalapenos etc., In short... yes it is generally worth buying dried.

Can you take a broad view of what a delicious fish based dish might be? I haven't been to your fair region or tasted its fash... but as Anthony Bourdain would say Mexican cooks can improve anything you have locally I am from Mexico City where Trout is the most important "local" fish (the La Nueva Viga central seafood market sells 4,000,000 pounds of fresh seafood daily most of it imported ocean foods from Baja down to the Chiapas coasts however various nearby mountain villages specialize in lake Trouts and entire weekend tourism business exists on delicious preparations of Trout)... some of the better preparations: Trout Fritters / Cakes with a Pasilla Sauce Smoked Trout Quesadillas Smoked Trout braised with Tomatoes, Onions, Jalapenos & Manzanilla Olives made into tacos Whole Split Trout dressed with Guajillo Chile Adobo then slow grilled about 2 feet above a wood fire Whole Trout stuffed with chopped tomatoes or sour cactus, chiles, onions & herbs, wrapped up in Corn Husks then cooked directly on the mesquite coals. Whole Trout dressed with a puree of cilantro, tequila, butter, (onion & garlic juice)... cooked in pouch. Trout Ceviche (only if you trust the fish is healthy or you can deep freeze it).... grind up the flesh, add a little white onion, chopped serranos or jalapanos, cilantro leaves, salt & pepper.. give it one last quick grinding... then drench in lime juice for at least an hour... serve over tostadas with a couple of slices of avocado. Trout a la Diabla... make a Salsa Diabla (Whole Garlic cloves slow cooked in Butter... remove the garlic, add Arbol chiles pureed with some fish or shrimp stock... cook down to a the right texture)... braise the fish Trout a la Ranchera... coat your trout filets with a little flour, s&p, pan fry... reserve... make a sauce by blanching tomatoes, peeling... puree with salt & dried oregano, lightly sautee some onions & diced jalapenos... add the sauce & simmer it down a bit... return the pan fried filets to cook in the sauce for 5 minutes or so.

Do you think I can just mix the beans and their broth into the masa or do you think I should use a kitchen aid and really go at it? I'm going to do this! Awesome.. I can't wait to move back from Hawaii to Northern California... and get back into the groove of cooking for friends etc., BTW... we fly out on July 2nd... are you still looking for a business consultant? I am considering going into the Part Time CFO, Part Time CIO business as a way of making a living without having to commute to the Bay Area.... you can pay me in beans, heirloom masa & pottery As to your question... their mom ground the beans in a metate and then passed them through those gourd based colanders.. my tias used a blender & modern colander... I don't recall if they ever did whole beans... but I think they mostly did it for aesthetics because they liked presenting tamales in a variety of hues based on the color of the guisado or the mole.

Hola Darienne... the E-Municipos site is a fantastic resource.. a quick write up on every municipality in the country (about 2,600 or so) with a quick summary of history, ethnic groups, languages spoken, economy, agriculture, gastronomic traditions, religious traditions & festivities etc., If you download Google's browser Chrome.. it is very easy to get a fairly competent translation... after you go to the site.. right click over the page, choose Translate to English... and voila the entire page is produced in English instantly.

I think one question is what achieves the traditional taste. Olive oil is a SUBSTITUTE for lard; it changes the taste. Frijoles refritos made with olive oil? Not for me, thanks. Ditto chiles rellenos.But where I can, I do use less. Traditional for who? A Mayan? A Poblano? A Chilango? Neither ingredient is indigenous and there are traditions for both. It's true it changes the flavor and you may prefer one over the other but calling it a substitute is a push. Mexico is too regional for that declaration. I'm actually working on a project involving two home cooks in Hidalgo and the lard/olive oil issue is huge and funny and not concluded. One is a countrywoman from Hidalgo and the other is her cousin, from DF but now living with her in the country. They both are incredible cooks and love each others cooking but of course feel their own is the best. It really represents the conflicts (or contrasts) within Mexico itself. I think it's fascinating (and delicious). For the record, I have a swell tub of lard in my fridge from the local Mexican butcher. I tend to go through about one every six months. I love the stuff. But I love my olive oil, too. Eat Nopal wrote: Recipe or technique? Do we know how pre-conquest tamales were made? My aunt-in-laws who grew up near Lake Texcoco used to prepare them, and as of 1998 I purchased them in Tianguis around Texcoco, Xochimilco & Tlaxcala... coarsely ground masa with pureed & strained beans, avocado leaf & tequesquite Maybe not as fluffy as the best lard beaten tamales might be... but pretty damn delicious. Based on Coe's book, and one taste of these will convince you that they are virtually unchanged from pre-hispanic times... certainly there are no Old World ingredients used. Also, beans were not the only fillers used by my Aunt-in-laws... they used to mix the masa with a variety of things including Chia seeds, Pipianes & Sauces, chopped chiles etc,m

Absolutely not (entirely) true... Cinco de Mayo is a huge celebration in Zacapoaxtla, Puebla Cinco de Mayo celebrates the heroics of General Ignacio Zaragoza's calvary & the tactical, unpredictable brilliance of the Zacapoaxtla indians (a mexikah tribe) under his command (who provoked a bovine stampede among other tactics to rout the more numerous, better armed French troops)...... .... soooo any Cinco de Mayo celebration should celebrate the gastronomic traditions of Puebla... and the Zacapoaxtla people's specifically. And instead of cheesy Mariachi Fiesta CD collections.. a more Egullet caliber music choice might be digging up Aniceto Ortega's 19th century hommage to Ignacio Zaragoza: And the Pre-Hispanic Zacapoaxtla dances collectively referred to as the Mitoticuicalli including the most famous Danzas de Quetzales: More info on Zacapoaxtla: http://www.e-local.gob.mx/work/templates/enciclo/puebla/Mpios/21207a.htm A meal featuring their regional specialties would look like: Masa (Tlacoyos stuffed with a local runner bean - Rancho Gordo could be useful here -, Molotes stuffed with Potato & Chorizo hash, & Squash Blossom Turnovers) Mole (Chayotextle)... a green Mole made from Chayote flesh, Masa & Poblanos & Jalapanos, onions & aromatics... served with Chayote root fritters, braised turkey & Sweets - Guayabate (homemade Guava Paste), Dulce de Calabaza (whole candied pumpkins), Dulce de Higo (whole candied figs flavored with fig leaves) Drinks.. Zacapoaxtla is famous for their fruit & herb wines and liquers made from Oranges, Quince, Capulines (a native cherry like fruit), Aniz, Apple & Toronjil (related to Lemon Balm herb)

Darienne... as of 20 years ago packaged products were rarely used in Mexico with some exceptions like tomato paste, boxed "consommé" etc., But since NAFTA and the "Western" economic transformation taking place (more & more dual income families working in Corporations or formal employment)... packaged products are making a major inroads (especially Middle Class families are not passing down cooking skills from generation to generation). Paradoxically (or probably expectedly in an economy in transition to the "First World")... the packaged products marketed to the middle class are actually of lower gastronomic quality (but with much nicer packaging, marketing & industrial "beauty") than the artisinal, unbranded packaged foods (Mole pastes, cooking sauces, Recaudos / Sofritos, cooked foods) sold (mostly) to the poorer people who shop in the traditional street markets & mercados. Unfortunately most of what gets exported to North America (by the big food distributors) is the "first world" mass produced stuff... stuff by La Costena, Herdez, La Morenita, El Mexicano etc., etc., Anything you find at the Mexican markets that is unbranded... THAT is what you should buy... I don't know what makes its way to Canada but in Northern California (and to some degree in Hawaii) it is possible to find high quality artisinal cheese, cream, mole paste etc.,

I think one question is what achieves the traditional taste. Olive oil is a SUBSTITUTE for lard; it changes the taste. Frijoles refritos made with olive oil? Not for me, thanks. Ditto chiles rellenos.But where I can, I do use less. I am not in the Anti-Lard campaign at all. However, what I would like to point out is that for the 30 Million or so indigenous "mestizos" of rural Southern & Eastern Mexico who best carry on the deepest of Mexico's millenary gastronomic traditions Lard is pretty unnecessary for the majority of their meals. Earlier the argument was made the Lard is absolutely essential for Mexican cooking... it is not. Maybe for mainstream urban Mestizo cooking it might be... but in the grand scheme of Mexican gastronomy it is not. I will happily eat some lard-less (fat-less) Itacates (Prehispanic Bean Tamales) instead of Refried Beans

What dishes have you already prepared with Nopales? My go to Nopales dish is the Ensalada de Moctezuma... you grill (griddle or roast) the whole, trimmed pad and let it cool to room temperature. Then you mount it with slices of good quality tomatoes like the Zebra heirloom varieties (which originated in Oaxaca btw), you top those with a dollop of Guacamole Verde... eat with a knife & fork.. it is great as a substantial first course... when I want to make a meal of that.. some Sopa de Habas (pureed Mexican Lima Bean soup with simmered diced nopales slices, swirl of Chipotle salsa & sprinkling of Mex mint or epazote)

It's not heavy at all, it's a brothy soup, not a stew. The broth is very flavorful but light-bodied. The potatoes add some weight, I suppose you could leave them out but I liked them. Other than that, the ingredients are fish, shellfish, and fresh vetegables. Unless you don't want to turn on the stove at all, I think it would be perfect for summer, a one-dish meal that's really special. I did miss having some bread to sop up the extra broth. I didn't make tortillas. Next time. I made this this weekend and it turned out well though next time I'll change what broth I use. I only had about half as much chicken broth as the recipe called for but I had a good bit of shrimp stock. It ended up being a little too shrimpy. Next time, I'll try all chicken stock or chicken and fish. Also, I cut the corn like he does in the book (into crosssections of the whole cob) but it ended up just confusing everybody as to how they should eat it. I finally just reached in my bowl and pulled mine out and ate it out of hand at which point everybody else followed suit. Overall it was a delicious dish and very little work if you already have the guajillo sauce made. Sounds like I got lucky. I only had chicken broth and was worried that it would be strange with seafood. So when I simmered the broth and guajillo sauce together, I threw in the shrimp shells (from the shrimp I'd peeled for the recipe) and a couple of extra shrimp. It only took an extra minute at the end to strain them out before proceeding with the recipe. That, with the final addition of seafood, resulted in a very balanced broth. From what you've described, I'll stick with that from now on. Living in the northeast US, I won't have access to fresh corn on the cob for another 4 months, so I used the last bag of last summer's corn (stripped from the cob) that was in my freezer. I can easily imagine your problem. Sounds like the cross-sections are for pretty but not practical eating. As a note.. the vast majority of Mexican soups that call for corn.. call for it on the cob (cut in thirds0... the flavor addition from the cob itself is a big plus, people fish it out and eat it with their hands... its also fantastic to suck the broth off the bare cob... but this is under very informal conditions.. in upscale restaurants they tend to simmer the bare cob with the broth for the flavor but only serve the corn kernels in the bowl.

That is funny... my style of cooking is Pre-Hispanic rooted, based on teachings from my aunt-in-laws who are native descendants of the nahuatl speaking Mexica peoples of the Mexico City area.. some of the best, most sophisticated, delicate Mexican cuisine doesn't contain any lard at all.... granted it is a lot more work & requires greater finese & ability to cook without an instant, "cheap" flavor enhancer like Lard but I think the results are much more soulful, deeply rooted in Mexican tradition, and impressive.

Dirty socks. No.. that is truffles you are thinking. Must be bad epazote... it should have a slightly bitter, gasoline / chemical charm to it... not for everyone but absolutely agree with Bad Rabbit epazote is essential for Black Beans but great on a great range of items... tender epazote leaves are nice for raw eating.. again people who are sensitive to bitter flavors may not get it. Darriene you have a good list going... many people in Mexico could (and do) cook fabulous meals for an entire year with less variety than you have! True Mexican cooking is about combining the basic distinctive elements of the cuisine (Corn, Chiles, Pumpkin Seeds, Pecans, Peanuts, Beans / Legumes) with whatever highest quality ingredients are in your eco system. The reason Mexican cuisine is so incredibly varied is because its micro local (outside of the basic staples)... it is the combination of flavors & techniques with those basics that make something Mexican... not necessarily ticking off a list of things that are stereotyped as Mexican / Latin ingredients. I was born in Mexico City but my parents are from the highlands of Jalisco where there are a number of ingredients vital to their micro-regional cuisine that many outsiders might not consider "Mexican"... barley, asparagus, cauliflower, peaches, pasta, buttermilk, ricotta etc., on surface these ingredients might seem more like continental cooking.. but one look at the foods & taste.. what people do with them is completely unique to Mexico and specifically to that corner of the country... it is cold & dry certain non-native ingredients do very well there.. that is what people cook with. There is one very important truth in Mexican cooking, that has nothing to do with trendiness of Slow Food etc., people like cooking with best, plentifully ingredients possible... and figure out away to have it fit within a Mexican gastronomic tradition... I am not talking about cutesy Chef fusions.. lots of ingredients in your region could perfectly fit into the Mex gastronomic tradition.

Add me to the list of people who think U.S. supermarket eggs are mediocre... my baromter is Mexican eggs which have a vivid yellow yolk, rich texture, and superior flavor. Its almost sad to compare the quality of Nopales con Huevo (Cactus scrambled with Eggs) that is standard in Mexico vs. what you can typically get in the U.S. its almost like U.S. supermarket eggs are really Egg Beaters somehow injected into a shell.

Chris... on the topic of repurposing "waste" parts... have you had Hibiscus blossom tacos? They are traditional in the state of Guerrero, and now popular in Mexico City as well... you take the boiled hibiscus blossoms used for making Agua Fresca... then sautee them with garlic, onions etc.... they have an interesting spongy texture and flavor.

Note... Gourmet Sleuth recipe includes pineapple flesh... but most people don't do it that way.. just the skin & core. Also, adding yeast for making root beer is not a bad idea and results in extra carbonation.

Have you made Tepache (Fermented Pineapple Beverage) yet (also utilizes the fleshy skin parts)? Here is a basic recipe: http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/Recipes/Cold-Beverages-654/Tepache-702.aspx