EatNopales

Hi Chris Macarrones* con Chorizo is a fairly traditional dish in Central Mexico (Jalisco, Guanajuato, Quertaro etc.,). Penne Pasta tossed with sauteed, pan fried Chorizo & sauced with Tomato (fresh tomatoes, par boiled, peeled, pureed with roasted garlic, salt)... the dish is dressed with Crema, Cotija, Pickled Vegetables & typically a side of Ensalada Verde (key lime macerated onions tossed with cilantro, fresh jalapenos & Orejona lettuce - a broad, short variety of Romaine) * Macarrones.. much to the annoyance of Italians everywhere, hollow pastas in Mexico are generically referred to as Macarrones Other variants of a similar dish is to toss the pasta with Picadillo (Ground Beef sauteed with Onions, Carrots & Peas) instead of Chorizo In Mexico City, Fideos Secos (Dry Vermicelli) is a very popular dish making regular appearances in most homes, cantinas & neighborhood fondas here is a representative recipe from Patricia Jinich published in the Washington Post: http://projects.washingtonpost.com/recipes/2010/01/13/mexican-style-pasta-tomato-sauce-and-chorizo/

I am organizing a Chowdown at Rinconcito Yucateco (3935 Sebastopol Rd. Santa Rosa, CA) on Saturday, February 25 @ Noon. Please join me for a Yucatecan spread plus I will bring a bottle of Xtabentun (the traditional honey anisette that is the regional liquer there) so we can enjoy some post lunch dessert cocktails. Host Note: Click here for the terms under which this event is listed in eG Forums.

I suppose this is too mean.. but Rancho Gordo & I were investigating the rumor that Carniceria La Tapatia in Napa has spit roasted Al Pastor (they do & it is pretty good)... wandering the aisles we found prepared Masa made from Nixtamal of yellow corn in the deli case. Been enjoying some nice, earthy, full flavored puffy tortillas all week.

What a happy coincidence.... I am on the hook to make Pozole Verde tonight... so far I have soaked Rancho Gordo pozole corn and a chicken stock we made earlier in the day... it is 3:42 right now & we usually have dinner at 5:45... I should probably get on it

Ooohhh. Can you hook a sista up with a recipe for that? Do you read Spanish? If so here is a basic recipe that has Pineapple & Plaintain: http://www.wradio.com.mx/noticia/mancha-manteles-receta-proporcionada-por-jose-barreras-cocinero-de-cabecera-de-okw/20090526/nota/818406.aspx and here is a recipe that utilizes Pear, Peaches, Apple & Plaintain http://www.mexicodesconocido.com.mx/manchamantel.html

Since you are interested in Mexican cooking... I would suggest improvising applesauce into a Manchamanteles... it is a Mole that simmers with whole pieces of fruit.. in the Tehuantepec Isthmus region it is typically tropical fruits like Pinapple etc., but in the cloud forest region of Veracruz & Puebla where there is an abundance of stone fruits they use apples, pears, peaches & apricots. Basically a slightly sweet, slightly sour, medium spicy, medium bitterness sauce eaten with Pork or Poultry & stewed, grilled or roasted fruits and/or plantain, sweet potato, tamales.

Hmmm... traditionally Pozole is made from a varietal of corn called Cacahuazintle that yields particularly large, white kernels. It is a very starchy, less fragrant type of corn typically deemed as perfect for soups where it can take on the flavors of the broth but deemed too bland for tortillas. My understanding is that it can be used to make masa for tortillas & tamales but that you wouldn't want to. The corn at the link above will likely make tasty, earthy, but slightly rigid tortillas.... and I can't imagine it being great for Pozole... wheras the white corn that Gourmet Sleuth is selling is perfect for making Pozole but would suck (no better than Maseca) for making tortillas. However, Gourmet Sleuth's blue corn looks like a common varietal for Tortillas The difference in application of corn varietals is as dramatic as with wheat unfortunately the knowledge hasn't been codified in the English speaking U.S. quite yet.

For fresh fish you really have to go in town to Tamashiro's market.. they are the only really great fish monger in town.. otherwise the fish at Foodland is decent but Tamashiro is the institution. For fresh produce your best option is the Thursday late afternoon / early evening farmer's market at the Long's parking structure in Kailua I would highly recommend you drive up the coast for a picnic at Kualoa regional park... grab some Sashimi & Poke at JJ Seafoods in Kaneohe (put it on ice), keep driving on Kamehameha (Kam) Hwy then on the intersection of Kam Hwy & Kahekili you will see some mobile vendors with Kalua Pig, Kiawe chicken (split chickens grilled over local Mezquite a largely uncredited contribution from the original Paniolos - Mexican cowboys sent to teach the craft to the locals) & other local foods grab what you like.. keep driving a few more miles you will see some roadside stands with farm fresh pineapple, papaya & chilled coconuts... another 5 miles you will be at Kualoa park... it is probably the most reliably pleasant, lightly windy spot in otherwise torridly humid & sticky Windward Oahu, it is never too crowded, the 360 degree view is gorgeous (the backdrop is Kualoa Ranch where Jurassic Park was filmed)

Second Haleiwa Joe's for the view / setting... you are up against the Koolau Mountain chain on a hill overlooking a little pond & tropical forest.. sunset is pretty spectacular... the food is just okay (typical tourist trap type stuff) but the view alone is worth the price of admission. Oahu doesn't know how to do outdoor dining (such a waste) so Haleiwa Joe's is pretty unique for the island.

Lanikai is a tiny enclave with no commercial businesses... Kailua... nothing exciting culinarily wise... you can eat okay in town but there aren't any gems... actually most places that locals eat at are aggressively mediocre... Kalapawai Cafe, Baci Bistro, Formaggio, Tokoname to poor Big City Diner etc., Adjust your expectations down & you will eat okay, not great. P.S... I base my assessment on haven lived there for three years recently

The lack of blackening on your tortilla suggests your heat might be too low. Turn up the heat & with a spatula press down after flipping... once the comal is retaining lots of heat I get puffing on almost every tortilla I make.

No the masa for tamales has a courser grind, for tortillas a finer grind. If you use the manual, hand cracked mill common in Mexican homes... you grind once for typical tamales, twice for most tortillas, three times for extra delicate tortillas. * Note there are many types of tortillas & tamales with various level of grind... some tamales like Colados are made from the extra fine grind, and not all Tamales have lard (or shortening, or oils in them).. I am just referring to the common style of Tortillas & Tamales known in the U.S.

This doesn't look like much... but it may be the most delicious thing I've eaten in months. The ziplock of mystery green food in my freezer turned out to be a Mexico City style Chile Verde Montado (Bone in Country Ribs, Roasted Nopales, Sauce thickened & emulsified with a little bit of Masa are the defining characteristics of Chile Verde in the Anahuac Valley region)... the fried egg mounted on top gives it that Mexico City cantina touch (a garnish of some egg battered, fried Charales a smelt like fish native to the region would have rounded it out) You can't see it in the picture but underneath the mound of Porky sauce deliciousness is a Quauhtlaqualli (hand patted 1 cm thick white corn tortilla) sliced in half & simmered with the sauce * * Lately I have been obsessed with recreating Pre-Hispanic Peasant / Commoner Enchiladas.. which are simply a Quauhtlaqualli (or if you are not trying to impress strangers with your knowledge of Aztec culinary terms - a Gordita) that is simmered in a chile sauce (so freaking delicious it is insane that they have dropped off the lexicon of mainstream Mexican cooking particularly given that they were common up until the 20th century)

Hi Holly, Perhaps "tourist trap" is a bit harsh.. but how best to characterize the erosion of culinary traditions that occurs in just about every touristy locale in the world (and particularly in Mexico)? With places like Isla Mujeres, Cozumel, Tulum it is very easy to observe that foreign tourist generally don't know much about the local cuisine.. might have some pre-conceived notions based on Mexican-esque restaurants that might exist where they live.. and so you have this back & forth negotiation between local entrepreneurs & tourists with an end result that is usually very different than the regional traditions. A more subtle version of this comes from analyzing the culinary offering in touristy locales that mainly cater to locals. A great example is Progreso, the port town 20 miles north of Merida that is the primary beach destination for Merida recidents... if you contrast the culinary offering there with Merida it is VERY different. In Merida, you can go to the municipal mercado or any number of fondas outside of the tourist zones to find many places that serve the same type of home cooking that any Yucatec mom or grandma might cook for their own family... yet in Progreso.. these types of dishes are virtually impossible to find. The culinary practices of those that live in Progreso have even morphed & adapted to the touristy food... and you might argue.. well ports have different cuisine than inland communities... yes there are some differences but if you go to non-touristy fishing towns like Tizimin or Seybaplaya you see gastronomic traditions that are more in line with Merida & Campeche City than with Progreso, Isla Mujeres, Tulum etc., So what is Yucatec home cooking? In the steamy heat of the Yucatan, like in the rest of Mexico and Mesoamerican Central America.. you can not have a proper home meal without some kind of Soup or Stew... and usually it is the focus of the meal. The two most common progressions in a proper home cooked meal follow the: Antojito -> Soup / Stew and Soup -> Grilled / Pit Roast / Fire Roasted Protein Model Yucatecan home cooking can be described as 1,001 ways to combine Maize, Bean (Black or Lima), Pumpkin (Seed or Flesh), Tomato / Tomatillo, Chiles & Chaya with a modest portion of various proteins. I cannot stress the importance of Chaya & Pumpkin to the daily Yucatec diet... they eat those like people in Central Mexico eat Nopales & Zucchini... i.e., its eaten every day and often several times a day. It is a rare day when a Yucatec home cook omits those ingredients. A typical Yucatec home soup (often called Puchero) might have a little chicken, turkey, pork, salted beef, fish or shrimp in its broth seasoned with achiote, lime juice, braised pumpkin and chaya + a garnish of roasted chile blanco... that soup would be served concurrently or preceded by a "dry i.e., griddled or fried not steamed" masa based dish such as Panucho, Salbute or Pan de Cazon. Alternatively, the meal might start with a Dzotobichay (tamale with chopped Chaya, roasted pumpkin seeds & hardboiled egg interspersed throughout that is topped with a roasted tomato salsa)... then followed by a guisado ("dry stew" think of it almost like a cassoulet) of protein chunks, whole beans or lima beans, cubed pumpkin, diced tomato & recaudo paste. Other genres of Yucatec soup include those thickened with Masa and/or Cheese and/or or Roasted Pumpkin Seeds... for example they commonly eat a soup of chopped Chaya in a masa broth, chopped Chaya & Edam Cheese thickened with a little cornstarch, or chopped Chaya in a broth of pureed pumpkin seeds... to those basic items the resourceful cook will add a variety of garnishes & seasonal ingredients for variety. Yucatan home cooking is not only about Soups & Stews... things like Tik'n Xic, Pompano grilled in Hoja Santa leaves, Poc Chuc, Cochinita Pibil, Parrilladas (Mixed Grill Plates), Roasted Suckling Pig, Roasted Turkey, Pib roasted Venison etc, also form part of home cooking traditions and in those cases the meal would start with a thin / clear broth soup involving the basic ingredients described above.. followed by the meat centric non-stew dish + tortillas + xnipec + pureed black beans etc., but these types of meals are more of a once a week luxury than an everyday diet. In addition to those simple dishes there are of course, more involved celebratory dishes such as Relleno Blanco (Roast Turkey in a thin White Mole), Relleno Negro (Roast Turkey in a thin very smokey Black Mole), Escabeche (Grilled Pheasant or Quail + vegetables served in a spicy Vinaigrette) etc., And of the Yucatan also has its seafood cocktail / raw traditions that form part of the weekend entertaining traditions. But most meals of the week fall in the 1,001 ways to combine Maize, Beans, Tomato, Chile, Pupmkin & Chaya vein.

Hi Holly... not sure what your experience is with Mexican cuisine but neither tacos (as photographed above) or Enchiladas Suizas remotely comprise home cooking... my memories of Isla & the Yucatan is that Yucatecan and Mexican home cooking are very hard to find in all of these tourist traps... I know you like the dining out but I would highly recommend on your next trip hiring a local cook to shop from the market and prepared what she (or less likely he) would prepare at home... the food will be drastically different (and typically better) then what you are going to get dining out. With few exceptions, even in Mexico City which by far has the most developed restaurant scene in the country... home cooking far surpasses the quality of restaurant dining. The agent you use to book your condo should be able to provide several recommendations. Salud y Buen Viaje!

Blanco is perfect with salmon. Pipian is also a good choice. Oaxacan Estofado or Amarillo would also be great.

Santa Clara del Cobre? I love that place. Si

As some of you know... I moved from Hawaii back to Northern California about 6 months ago... since then I have dropped 3 inches on my waist / almost 20 pounds without trying to diet at all and only in the last 2 weeks have I started working out 20 minutes a day (sorry I know how annoying that sounds). I can identify a lot of reasons you might expect... I have more meaninful social connections here, not mindlessly snacking, drinking a lot less etc... But the most shocking insight I've had... I eat at lot less Sushi now. Because the culinary scene in Hawaii is so limited & poor and the abundance of cheap, high quality Sushi is one of the few things to get excited about there... I would eat it 3 times a week.. and I felt like the quantities were quite moderate (my typical was a Spicy Tuna Salad, a vegetable based maki, fish based maki, & green tea or miso soup)... it turns out Sushi packs A LOT of caloric dense rice... and it has such a high glycemic index that you get hungry & snack before the next meal.

I just wanted to point out that not all Mexican Chorizo is "Mexican Chorizo" meaning throughout Mexico there are regional styles of Chorizo that very quite a bit from what is known in the U.S.... in some places it is alot like Spanish chorizo but with spicy chiles instead of mild chiles (Paprika etc.,).. aged, eaten sliced etc.,... some like Oaxacan chorizo that is tied with corn husks falls a bit more on the "Mexican Chorizo" side of the continuum in that it is crumbly... however it is heavy on cinnamon & cloves, uses darker milder chiles, it is light on Mex Oregano, much drier than the mainstream... and usually stewed * or grilled instead of pan fried into loose bits. * One of the most delicious Oaxacan breakfasts is "Salsa de Chorizo" or "Salsa de Huevo"... a Oaxacan chorizo is stewed in a basic tomato caldillo... then sauce & chorizo are served as a "mirror" for soft fried eggs, sauteed Nopales & boiled black beans.

The very first time I "cooked" (that I can remember)... I was about 10, home alone & hungry... I took one of my mom's copper skillets from its decorative perch on the dining room wall, a beautiful hand made specimen from Michoacan... fried up the chorizo until it was crispy as you mention... then I warmed up corn tortillas using the rendered oil & made folded tacos with a triangle of Kraft American Singles that I allowed to melt into the Chorizo

FYI... in Mexico the Chorizo NEVER has lymph nodes in it... it is a North of the Border invention to hit unrealistically low price points ($1 a pound)... I would not recommend it. Most Mexican markets so the higher quality product in bulk.

The amusing thing is that Pacific Grain & Foods is likely buying the RG leftovers. I wonder how much price sensitivity factors in whether the beans are liked or not?

Chris & Food Man... you can make reasonably good Atole from Maseca or any store bought masa intended for Tortillas. There are manyh types of Atoles some made with Pinole (tosted corn), from Amaranth... even Oats... I don't think it is an over generalization to say most are made from Nixtamalized Corn.

Lola's in Santa Rosa also has bulk Mayacoba & Flor de Mayo... With regards to are they same or different... there are different heirloom varieties of the Canario... in Peru there is the Camanejo & Amarillo varieties... in Mexico there are Mayacobas specifically from Sonora & Canarios from other states.. .there are supposed subtle differences in the color & how long they cook, how thin the skin is... but commercially there is almost no discipline & the various Yellow beans are often intermingled. The popularity of the term Peruano in Mexico refers to specifically that much of the Canario beans sold out of the Central de Abastos in Mexico City are imported from Peru (Northern Peru is a bean exporting "super power"... the Mexican grown Canarios & Mayacobas are much smaller harvest so the wholesalers in D.F. aren't interested.

Thanks... sounds like you run a high end kitchen... I am looking more for limited service tactics (Strip Mall, Counter service)