gulfporter

Spicy Thai Grilled Pork Tenderloin Salad

I had the pleasure of meeting her when she came to Ajijic on her book tour in 2010. She was very vocal about food sourcing in Mexico, and was very much opposed that the government was allowing chilies grown in China to be imported in massive numbers. It remains an issue http://www.freshplaza.com/article/168544/Mexico-and-China-in-dispute-over-the-chile-de-arbol After the signing was over, most of the participants hustled off to the buffet in another room (private home). I lagged behind (I didn't know anyone else in the group, most were from a local cooking club) and Diana asked me if I wouldn't mind bringing her a plate. I did and we sat together eating and talking about Oaxacan restaurants for about 15 minutes when she had to leave to head to Guadalajara.

Extra funny to me....when we lived on 5 acres in Virginia we called our hosta, "deer caviar."

Tomatillo gazpacho, topped with toasted pepitas.

Plum and Pecan Upside Down Cake

Polenta in tubes.

We are up to our elbows in fresh blueberries here in MX....some the size of large marbles! I made Blueberry Pie Bars that I found here, https://www.averiecooks.com/blueberry-pie-bars/#. There's a thin layer of Greek yogurt between the base and the berries. The crumble and base were the same mixture. We like crumbles so I've done many over pies and other desserts, but this recipe was first I encountered that didn't require blending the butter into the dry ingredients by hand or pastry cutter. It simply had you melt the butter in the microwave and then whisk in sugar, then stir in flour. Duh!

Eggplant seems to be popular with us omnivores. For parties, caponata is always a winner.

The pita-like tacos arbabes are attributed to Lebanese immigrants to Puebla. FYI, Carlos Slim is of Lebanese descent and I have met a few other Mexicans whose great-grand parents came from Lebanon. https://eatmexico.com/2017/11/the-story-behind-the-first-tacos-arabes-in-puebla/

Depends on the area. Corn is still King by a wide margin. The sound and smells of a local tortilleria are intoxicating. When I lived in Bisbee AZ a few miles from the Sonoran border they tended to sell at least as many flour as corn tortillas (some were sold at our local Bisbee Safeway). Here in Ajijic, only corn tortillas are sold at stalls, taco sands and most restaurants. But the stores carry both, even in most of the little bodegas there will be at least a few packs of flour (probably at a 10:1 ratio in favor of corn). We even have a Taco Arabe food truck in town....tacos arabe originated in Puebla and the tortilla is more like a pita bread. They are amazingly good.

First day back in Mexico after a 2 week US trip. Made it to the pescadoria and got camarones limpia (de-shelled and de-veined shrimp). Not cheap but worth it to me. He charges 300 pesos per kilo. At current currency exchange it comes to 7.20 USD per pound. It is shrimp from San Blas on the Nayarit coast and they are quite large. We can only fit 3 into a medium flour tortilla . Besides the grilled shrimp, there is goat cheese, grilled onions and orange pepper, topped with chipotle. I closed and grilled them after the photo.

This is my go to condiment. Straight from the squeeze bottle onto fajitas, sandwiches or into a stew pot. Also mixed with mayo, or mixed with cherry preserves next to grilled fish and meats. My husband likes the dulce version better for straight from the bottle uses.

Goat birria is very popular in Jalisco. There is a neighborhood in Guadalajara Centro called Nueve Esquinas (Nine Corners) with about a dozen goat birria places. Makes for a fun tasting day. Guadalajara is about an hour from our home in Ajijic (Lake Chapala). All things being local here in Mexico, here in Ajijic almost all the birria is beef (sometimes pork). However, a 25 minute drive from our home to the small city of Jocotopec, the birria is goat again. Jocotopec's main plaza is lined with about a half-dozen birria de chiva joints. Without fail we take our first-time visitors to Joco for goat birria and without fail all have loved it. Birria is stew-like, but is made in a recipe-specific contraption in which the seasoned and marinated raw meat cooks over the water, not in the water. As the meat steams and breaks down, its drippings fall into the water which becomes a super flavorful broth. This is a multi-hour process. When it is served, the vendor ladles the broth into the bowl then shreds some goat meat into it. It is topped with raw onion, cilantro and a very vinegary salsa, all of which you add at the table. Served with fresh hot corn tortillas. When you go to these birria joints you will see local women arrive with large empty pots to buy only the broth to take with them to use in other recipes. I tried twice to make it at home and was not happy with the results. Recipes recommended using a rack to separate the meat from the water/broth but I don't think that equaled what the professionals use. I am happy to eat at the friendly birria joints.

We go the simple route especially when using a quality fresh pasta. Grape or cherry tomatoes, garlic, crushed red pepper, fresh basil....if I have some Italian sausage I'll start the sauce with that, otherwise just olive oil. But one thing we started doing years ago was to finish our pasta with toasted bread crumbs and fine lemon zest. I 'toast' the bread crumbs in a dry skillet and hit it with the zest then throw it on top of the pasta.

That paella I was going to make today........well, our power went out at 9AM on Friday. One never (usually) knows the why or the when it might come back. By 4PM we found out it was widespread based on a walk around town and then a car ride, farther afield. Being it was Good Friday, when stores and businesses are closed, we figured the chances of it coming back on before Easter were low. So we made the paella for Friday dinner. Power came back on while it was simmering.

DH is bringing wine...but HOW (and WHY) does one make that clear? Don't really care if they serve it or not,...why should I? Yes, I am an over-thinker!

This is a small village and area. Everyone shops at the same stores. Yes the honey is local but it is sold on street corners (in large tub-like containers). There are 3 stores that sell decent wines (and one of them is Walmart-Mexico!!). It would be a stroke of chance if I found something 'special' in a local store that they have not seen or know about (they have lived here 5 years seasonally). DH still wants to bring wine. I bring my spiced pecans. It will be overkill IMO, but DH says, why not?

We're the new kids on the block...not that new, 10 months but this couple lives elsewhere full-time.

@Anna N....you expressed my sentiments better than I did. I mean, if all we're having is wine and cheese and it's only us 2 couples, I figure they've covered the basics. I personally don't like gifted flowers (have to run around find a vase, etc.). House plant...they are seasonal residents here, so no. I always try to bring something homemade, but maybe the pecans aren't the best choice. I was going to make them and put in a nice bag/ribbon.

I guess it's been a long time since we've been invited to a 'new' couple-to-couple meet-up for wine and cheese. We always bring wine to group events. Our bottle gets put out with several other bottles. I think if it were us inviting 2 'new' folks for an early evening glass of wine and some cheese, I'd have both a red and white opened (to cover all the bases). Another bottle from the only other couple?? Just seems odd (to me)....should I bring some cheese, too

Their email invitation to us was "stop in for some wine and cheese."

We're the relatively new kids on the block. We've met most of our neighbors and have been to their homes and they have been to our home, always for group get-togethers. We always bring a bottle of wine and they have likewise brought bottles to our parties. A part-time couple has invited just us for wine and cheese. We have never socialized with them before, neither at our home or at other neighborhood get-togethers. This is probably Etiquette 101, but my DH and I disagree on what to bring. I think it would be awkward to bring a bottle of wine; he thinks it's pretty much mandatory. IMO bringing a bottle may send a message that: we don't expect them to have a good-enough wine; we are trying to impress them or embarrass them; or we simply drink too much . This is for wine and cheese at 4PM (they selected the time). We are all retired. I was thinking I'd bring some homemade spiced pecans instead of wine. It's not a financial burden for us to bring wine, it just seems odd to me. What do you do? PS: If it was a couple we knew, we'd be likely to bring a half-opened bottle since most of us are pretty casual. But these folks seem a bit more formal and we don't really know them.

My Mexican oven and I getting jiggy with each other. I gambled on madeleines and they came out perfectly. Will share the batch with my gardener and his family. I'm not sure they really like the anglo bakes that I give them, but they are appreciative that we think of them at the holidays. While I'm not religious in the least, our village puts on a live Passion Play that is quite the production. Buses pour in from Mexico City and beyond. For the devout, Good Friday's 4+ hour long Play which ends with a steep climb to "Calvary Hill" is the high point. For us, it's Saturday night when locally made life-size paper mache' effigies of Judas, covered with large firecrackers are hung in the trees in our Plaza and then ignited at 11PM. At midnight all the church bells toll for a solid 30 minutes.

Canadian waiter filed discrimination suit after being fired, citing his culture is the reason for his demeanor. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/food/wp/2018/03/26/hes-not-rude-just-french-says-canadian-server/?utm_term=.e2b83902eaba

We are leaving our Mexican home for several weeks, just after Easter. I like to get all the proteins out of the freezer in case there's a power outage while we're gone. As luck would have it, I have most of the ingredients for a paella. It's not an authentic paella but it's the first one I ever made back in 1980 from Pierre Franey's 60 Minute Gourmet cookbook. I was a novice cook and we both worked, so it was my go-to cookbook for many years.