theabroma

Check out Diana Kennedy's books, especially the Art of Mexican Cooking. Rick Bayless' books. Also, Patricia Quintana's El Mulli, the book of moles (if you read Spanish). Mole, as a chile and nut rich pureed sauce sometimes thin and almost brothy, and sometimes thick, is not widely associated with the Mayan lands of the Yucatan, Campeche, Tabasco, Chiapas, etc. Those regions have other saucy dishes which are their signature, but moles are not one of them. It is, however, a pre-Conquest dish - Sahagun describes it from his informants, in the Floretine Codex. The two most famous moles, Mole Poblano and Mole Negro Oaxaqueno, have been to finishing school, so to speak, and have benefitted enormously from the addition of many herbs, spices, and nuts (almonds, sesame), and thickening of white bread - all, or mostly all, foods brought through Spain to the New World, but most ultimately from the Levant. If you go to festivals around the State of Puebla and eat 'mole Poblano' in homes here and there, you will find that it is a far simpler event than the grand 25+ ingredient event attributed to the nuns at the Sta Rosa Convent in Puebla, but the flavor is nearly as rich and complex due to the expert blending and handling of the chiles. A mole Poblano needn't contain chocolate to taste chocolatey ... you just have to know your peppers and how to coax the maximum flavor from them. There are an army of other moles, however, older and more traditional that the famous twins: mole verde - a sauce of pumpkinseeds, green chile poblano, and various greens - a tender, fresh jade color; and yellow mole, made with Oaxacan chile chilcoztli, and served with a side puree of anisey, deep green hoja santa; pepianes - moles whose sauce is based on toasted green pumpkinseeds; and huaxmole, with a red chile and guaje seed sauce. And then there is that other green mole: guacamole, or 'mole of avocados.' It's a big and old and very Mexican subject. Check Diana. That is the source. Especially in English. Regards, Theabroma

I'm a little confused here. None of my Spanish etymological dictionaries, including that of the Academia Real (sort of the Oxford English Dictionary of Spain), define popular as "lower class." It is, like its use in English, "popular" or "of the people." Perhaps "the people" means lower class and I was unaware of that. To be sure the volumes contain a lot of wild plant eating and what can only be described as 'critter cuisine.' But one culture's critters is another's piece de resistance. Strange, but it is Zurita Munoz' wondrous Diccionario that explained to me what some of the more arcane foods in the Cocina Indigena were, where they were found, who ate them, and how they were/are prepared. That is precisely why it is the Diccionario of Mexican Gastronomy - the whole kit and kaboodle of it. I find myself wondering why CONACULTA would spend 54 volumes on the lower classes of the country. Not to mention the fact that there are recipes from the white tablecloth set included as well, eg: the Corn volume contains, among other things, a tamal which flavors its masa with praline paste (the French stuff, not the Creole New Orleans candy) and wild cherries. It is 54 volumes of what the people have eaten, and continue to eat. And some of those people are from what are today considered the lower classes. But it is the length, breadth, depth, and height of Mexican gastronomy. And if Munoz Zurita does not disdain it, but rather embraces it, why should we? Regards, Theabroma

Should have read this first. I am so sorry. One thing does come to mind, however. There are a couple of very, very large Middle Eastern/pan-Islamic markets just north of Dallas (in Richardson). I usually go there to shop on the weekends .... And they have a very large butcher department with 5 or so guys hauling around sides and primes, cutting them down, apparently to order. There is also a British store, stocked with Barley water, frozen bangers, Rowan Atkinson DVD's, tea, jam, and Branson's pickle. If you would like, I would be happy to inquire in each place about sheep's paunch. I think I have seen lung in the Mexican markets here, but would not mind in the least doing a little research and sourcing. Just say the word. Theabroma

An emmenagogue? Interesting! A daily bowl of black beans - heart healthy birth control?

HEAR! HEAR! And Maudie's when Maudie had it. Now yellow cheez TxMx under those conditions, dipped in chili gravy, and I DO mean gravy, can be really wonderful. Hey, the first tamales I ever ate as a kid were Gebhardt's outta the can, and I thought they were just swell. Little did I know. Diana was/is Tom's and Miguel's muse and consultant. I saw her nearly reduce Ravago to tears after she drill-sergeanted it around the Sunday brunch buffet table, poking, prodding, sniffing, turned and said to Ravago: "Mikey, I couldn't have done it better myself." I have never been as wild a fan of FSM's regular menu as I have wanted to be ... something fails to translate. But. That Sunday brunch - at least through the last time I was there - is the item - and I mean the food. The moles, the ensalada de nopales, all of it must have their visas and passports taped somewhere on the bottom of the cazuelas. Can't help you there. I've never found it in Austin either. I have a hunch that its all that yellow cheese that acts as some kind of buffer somewhere out west of Austin, that the NewM can't seem to penetrate. Theabroma

You know, that could be. I assume that Matt's is still doing gangbusters business there. The place up here in East Dallas has been chugging along, but Matt was always better known in Dallas for No Place. Sadly, that closed a few yrs ago. I think the "real" Austin-style Mx food place was Jaime's Spanish Village on Red River ... haven't been there in ages. But in the day, it was the gold standard for 'real' Mexican food. Then, there was Cisco's on East 6th ... which was an odd mix - solid Mex-Tex (which made it the REAL thing, of course) breakfasts, the then not widely available pan dulce, and the cachet of being a hangout for politicos and former UT coach Darrell Royal and his entourage. Then, there was The Man himself - Rudy Cisco, no mean politico himself, huge cigar permanently clamped in his mouth. But the one place that seemed to blend most of this together fairly seamlessly was Matt's on First St. Mobbed for its cheese enchiladas, guacamole, chiles rellenos, and totally wicked margaritas (again, in the day and well before they had become the official beverage of the State of Texas). Now, these were certainly not the only good, 'authentic' Mexican food outlets in Austin ... there were dozens of little places in the less explored East and near South parts of town ... but Matt's became the pre-eminent place. And I think it is fair to say that it became the gold standard for many as a source of 'real' Mexican food. It put Austin as a Mexican food capital on the map. And, I believe that Matt's was, indeed, the 'template' for Casa Dominguez "Austin-style Mexican food" soriquet. I must say, however, that Matt's, like Cisco's had the additional advantage of being presided over by a personality, albeit in the case of Matt's a very genial host, working the room like a good host ensuring that his guests were comfortable. [after that, don't know whether to feel ancient, or to take comfort in having a great (food) memory!!!!] Man, I want some guac and chips NOW! Theabroma

Sounds like they're trying to copy Chuy's or Trudy's, two popular local Gringo-Mex chains. ← Yes, it does. Only thing is, it predated Chuys & Trudys by 20+ years. Janitzio looks interesting ... I'll have to put it on my list for my next trip down ... if I can sandwich it in between the taco trucks! The molcajete serving format is fairly common in Mexico - deeper down. It usually contains a surtido, selection, of grilled/roasted items, guac, beans, if dry cooked, although the brothier ones are served on the side in a bowl, a bit like a soup. They can be quite elaborate, and are usually quite tasty. There will be areas on large highways throughout central Mexico - the one from the DF to Puebla comes to mind - just about the area where you pass by Don Gregorio and Ixtaccihuatl, in the midst of pine groves, there are several restaurants on either side of the highway, along the frontage roads, which serve highway food - they are truck and traveler stops of a sort, but they tend to specialize in molcajetes. Nice lunch, cold beer, pine aroma in the thinning air. Beats the hell out of Subway en route. Theabroma

We'll talk. Off line. T

← Woodcock kolatcky? Who'da thunk it? Irongate in New York, Winn Meats in Dallas, or check with, ah!, Hudson's on the Bend ... known for game ... they could likely put you on to the appropriate purveyors for becasse. You ARE serving it split stem to stern, head on, brains intact? Theabroma

OOOOhhhh! Liberty Bar on Josephine St. ... for lunch. Refreshingly wonderful and eclectic. Biga on the Banks, Chez Ardid, The Silo (really excellent) would be fun for dinner. Zenaida's Patio for local, historic color, And, of course, Mi Tierra in the Mercado, for breakfast in the wee hours. I know that there are many more great places, but these are some of my fave go-back-to's. Theabroma

Only sugar ... but don't sound so shocked. You'd be amazed at where blowtorching to finish protein. T

Bingo! It is indeed Spanish-speaking beef tea. Regards, Theabroma

There used to be (frightening words, those) sources of lamb up around Georgetown and also around Waco. My suggestion, absent a purveyor of halal meats in Austin, would be to place a call or a visit to a local serious middle eastern grocery store, or the area mosque and ask if someone there would assist you in locating a source. Or, http://www.mashallaamarket.com/1709923.html, or Halal Meat Market, 5001 Airport Blvd, or Hamilton's Meat Market in Weatherford, Tx. NPR featured them in a piece on Eid al-Adha celebrations - they supply halal meat to the better part of the North Texas market. I believe that Winn Meats in Dallas can obtain them ... but they would be frozen, or you could go through D'Artagnan in NYC. Regards, Theabroma

Seconding the reply, and wondering if you don't have the sous-vide steam and the sear out of order? In my experience, the sear is done last, just prior to plating, and often with a blowtorch. Just curious. Theabroma

This has been a very timely questioin from Kent ... I am just now really reading Walsh's Tex-Mex Cookbook .... and so far so good. Give me a bit, though. I do have some questions. That tostada de Siberia really looks wonderful. I'll be down to Austin for awhile, and I will have to give that one a try. There used to be a place of up here, Casa Dominguez, that claimed it had "Austin-style Tex-Mex". Now, how would you describe Austin-style Tex-Mex"? Ostin-tejano? Theabroma

Kent, you'll have to give me a bit of guidance here to ensure that your notion and my notion and the list's notion of tejano-mex are the same. I'll throw out the thoughts and we'll debate from there. Ok? Taco salads - and here I'm thinking of the "taco meat" and salad ingredients, and not the fried shell. Ground beef bound with a kind of chile gravy. U-shaped fried corn tortilla taco shells Black olives (green are used in picadillo - more traditional and my guess is the precursor of the ground beef fillings) Chile con queso - the Rotel plant is (used to be) between Weslaco and San Juan, Tx. And absent queso Chihuahua (menonita) or quesillo de Oaxaca, the only common, and cheap smoothly melting cheese is ... Velveeta. And your are right: fajitas, with all the trimmings: sour cream, guacamole, pico de gallo (actually, salsa fresca - 'real' pico de gallo involves chiles, jicamas, red onions, and orange sections) The 'fajitization' of the animal and fish kingdom: fajitas are the rib adductor muscles of a cow - chickens don't , to speak of, have them. Shrimp sure as hell don't. So fajitas, once a cheap cut of meat for the working and field picking poor, became a more luxury cut, with a greatly enhanced per pound price. And the word 'fajita' which once referred to that long, skinny cut of beef, was extrapolated to anything that was grilled or cooked on a flat top and served with sour cream, guacamole, and pico de gallo (salsa fresca), with flour tortillas. Fajitas, per se, are Met-Tex or Northern Mex-Mex, and not Tejano. What is Tejano is the way they are served here with all the trimmings, and the numerous animal and fish "sources" of fajitas (I have actually seen "vegetable fajitas" on a menu - this is past Tejano, and in need of pharmaceutical help). It is puro Tejano to eat them with flour tortillas. It is definitely Mex-Mex to eat them with corn tortillas. The ubiquity of flour tortillas is very Tejano. The continued use of Monterrey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese, especially now that fairly decent quesillo and Chihuahua are available, is very Tejano Enchiladas buried under chile con carne. Enchiladas or tamales with a sauce poured over them. Thin, norteno style tamales, filled with beef, and with chile powder and cumin in the masa The continuing use of pinto beans for refrieds instead of flor de mayo, bayos, etc. The use of jalapeno peppers instead of serranos in pico de gallo, and the high proportion of white onion and jalapeno peppers to very little tomato and cilantro in the pico. Thick tortilla soups - the "real" thing is a brothy, consomme like clear soup with shredded chicken, crisp, hair-thin tortilla srips, chile ancho/mulato strips fried crisps, and sometimes cubes of queso fresco. The tortilla soup that was served at the Mansion on Turtle Creek was High Church Tejano. Chile gravy - really - chile powder or pureed guajillos, thickened with flour. While it may seem a ramble, this list addresses the themes or currents of Tejano mixing with Mexicano in so much of the food. The question does not lend itself to a tidy, neat answer ... through no fault of the question. Food and cuisine, much less 'authentic' cuisine as a topic is a bundle of twisted threads which take some time and thought and .... goody! ... eating, chewing, and discussing to sort out. I see this as a start.

I LIKE THIS DIVISION, KENT. MAY I SUGGEST THE FOLLOWING AXIS (AND FOR THE PURPOSES OF THIS DISCUSSION I'D LIKE TO SET NEW MEXICO-, CALIFORNIA- AND COLORADO-MEX ASIDE)? GRINGO-MEX & TEJANO MEX. AFTER LIVING A COUPLE OF YEARS ON THE RIO GRANDE/RIO BRAVO BORDER, AND GETTING A SENSE THAT A COUPLE OF HUNDRED MILES NORTH AND SOUTH OF THE BORDER CONSTITUTES A KIND OF DMZ OR NO-MAN'S-LAND: IT ISN'T REALLY TEXAS AND IT ISN'T REALLY MEXICO. SO THE SECOND AXIS BECOMES TEX-MEX AND MEX-TEX. TEX-MEX IS PRETTY TRADITIONAL NORTENA-RANCHO FOOD AT ITS ROOTS, BUT UTILIZES BLINDINGLY YELLOW PLASTIC CHEESE, AND PLATED ASSORTMENTS OF A LITTLE OF EVERYTHING - WHAT DK CALLS "MIXED MESSES" - IT IS GENERALLY AND ULTIMATELY AIMED AT A GRINGO AUDIENCE OF AFICIONADOS. THE MEX-TEX IS WHAT YOU FIND IN LITTLE RESTAURANTS, SOME TAQUERIAS, AND MOST CERTAINLY IN HOMES THROUGHOUT THIS DMZ ALONG THE FRONTERA - 'TRADITIONAL' FOODS WITH THE MISSING 'TRADITIONAL' INGREDIENTS FILLED IN EITHER BY WHAT IS AT HAND OR THE CLOSEST SUBSITUTE AVAILABLE. THE HIGH TEMPLE OF GRINGO-MEX IS THE CHAIN 'PANCHO'S', AND ITS ILK. NOW, MENUDO IS CLASSIC, HARD CORE, INTERIOR MEXICAN. WE KNOW IT MOSTLY AS A FIERY RED STEW OF UNSPEAKABLE (TO US) BOVINE & PORCINE BODY PARTS. yOU WILL FIND IT ALL OVER MEXICO - SOME PLACES ONLY USE TRIPE, OTHER USE TRIPE AND PATAS, SOME PLACES IT IS DEEP RED, SOME PLACES IT IS WHITE, WITH THE SALSA SERVED ON THE SIDE. IT IS THE CLASSIC FOOD OF THE RURAL, REMOTE FARMER, PEASANT, AND POOR, WASTE NOT WANT NOT, UTILIZING EVERYTHING BUT THE MOO AND THE OINK. LENGUA, TOO, IS FOUND ALL OVER MEXICO - IN RURAL AREAS, SMALL TOWNS, MARKET STALLS, AND FOOD STALLS AROUND THE PLAZA. AND THE SAME IS TRUE FOR CHICHARRONES. THE THING WHICH TO ME AT LEAST MOST IDENTIFIES THE MEX-MEX, TEX-MEX, AXIS-MEX ASPECT IS HOW IT IS PREPARED AND SERVED: GUISO, TACOS, TAMAL MASA, SOPES, ETC. AS IT MIGRATES FROM VERY TRADITIONAL TOWARDS THE BORDER AND BEYOND, IT APPEARS LESS AND LESS FREQUENTLY ON THE MENU. A TACO TRUCK OR TAQUERIA SERVING CHICHARRONES GUISADOS AND LENGUA ENCEBOLLADA, ARE SERVING AN AUDIENCE STILL QUITE CLOSE TO ITS ROOTS, SEEKING THE COMFORT FOODS OF HOME. IT IS A COMMON SIGHT IN SMALL PUEBLITOS IN MEXICO TO SEE, FROM ONE DAY TO THE NEXT, A TARPAULIN PUT UP OUTSIDE A HOUSE'S DOORWAY, AND A LARGE TIN WASHTUB BALANCED PRECARIOUSLY ON A CHARCOAL BRAZIER ON SPINDLY METER HIGH LEGS, FILLED WITH RENDERING PORK FAT, CHUNKS OF A RECENTLY DEMISED HOG, AND PEOPLE LINING UP TO BUY FRESHLY MADE CHICHARRONES, CARNITAS (CONFIT DE PORC, ACTUALLY), FRESH LARD, AND ASIENTO - THE HEAVENLY BROWN GLOP AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAN WITH CRISPY BITS OF CHICHARRON AND PORK, TO BE SLATHERED ON FRESH CORN TORTILLAS OR USED IN MASA FOR TAMALES DE FRIJOL. ONE HOG TOO MANY, SAVE ON HOG FEED, MAKE A LITTLE MONEY, HAVE SOME PORK AND CHICHARRON FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS. THIS IS HOW IT IS DONE. I HAVE LOVED "MEXICAN" FOOD SINCE MY MOM OPENED A CAN OF GEBHARDT'S TAMALES AND FED THEM TO ME WHEN I WAS ABOUT 4. I FEEL I HAVE BEEN GREATLY PRIVILEGED IN MY LIFE TO HAVE HAD A SUCCESSION OF "MEXICAN" FOODS PUT IN FRONT OF ME, EACH A LITTLE MORE "AUTHENTIC" THAN THE PREVIOUS. UNTIL FINALLY, I JUST SURRENDERED TO IT. I CAN TELL YOU THAT IT IS A VAST SUBJECT, WHILE REALIZING THAT I HAVE NO GOOD IDEA JUST HOW VAST IT REALLY IS. I ONLY REGRET THREE THINGS: ONE, THOSE WHO WOULD TELL US THAT THEY KNOW ALL OF THE ANSWERS TO THAT WHICH IS LO MEXICANO, AND THAT WHICH IS NOT; TWO, PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE THEM; AND THREE, THAT I DO NOT HAVE THE GIFT OF A METABOLISM THAT WILL KEEP UP WITH MY CURIOSITY. IN THE U.S. WE SEEM TO HAVE AN INCREDIBLE SENSE OF FAUX-FASTIDIOUSNESS WHICH PREVENTS US FROM ENCOURAGING AND ENJOYING STREET AND MARKET FOOD. NOT SO IN MOST OF THE REST OF THE WORLD, MOST ESPECIALLY MEXICO. I THINK THAT THE RESPONSE TO THAT DEFICIENT SENSE OF PLEASURE AND ENJOYMENT IS THE TACO TRUCK - NONE OF US WOULD PATRONIZE A ROACH COACH - I SUBMIT THE SAME CONTEXT - BUT WE'D ROCK A TACO TRUCK IN A SECOND. SO MEXICAN STREET FOOD COURTESY OF GOODYEAR TIRES, WITH ROOTS DEEP IN THE HEART OF MEXICO, BUT WITH THE FLEXIBILITY AND CREATIVITY REQUIRED TO MAKE DO HERE AMONG THE GRINGOS. REGARDS, THEABROMS

Try a pharmacy ... that's where I've found it in a pinch when I'm out of the country. Theabroma

Nice meal? That would be ..... ? I mean, La Duni on Oak Lawn, just east/north of Wycliff is a nice meal ... not to mention a couple of stiff mojitos to relax with. Mia's for brisket tacos is a deal as well. Or, pick up something on the fly at Eatzi's to take along. Theabroma

Jeng Chi Bakery in Richardson, on Greenville Ave, north of Belt Line, on the east side of the road. It is in a strip center anchored by a recently massively refurbished market. The center is called "Chinatown". They make all products, including noodles, dim sum and wraps, in house. They have a mean spiced and pickled stomach, and xiao long bao ... they are quite nice, but ... I shall defer to your judgment. I have not sampled enough of them, especially in situ, to want to make a pronouncement. The chef/owner is from the Northern part of the country, speaks little English, but dammitall if he isn't quite the chatterbox in ..... Portuguese. Seems he spent some time in Brazil and is a rabid soccer fan. Regards, Theabroma

Well, literally, yes. Of course you also get Jane and Michael ... and they can be quite a rip. But despite that, it's bbq in our own backyard, and as much fun as it would be to hear them talk about it, I would almost (I said almost) rather pay $150.00, and have the food included. It strikes me as rather Scroogish, misguided marketing of the event. No? Besides that, when thinking of the logistics ... if this is a full-sized bus, and the tour is mostly sold out, it is going to be a bit of a CF to get everyone into, ordered, served, and through each location. I wonder whether they contemplated a prix fixe array to ease the passage? I may have to sit this one out - make the tour myself while reading the report! Sad. Theabroma

Learned from a friend that the Road Food team will be doing a BBQ tour of the Hill Country in April. Anyone signed up? Frankly it seemed a bit strange: $125.00 for the tour, plus you pay for your BBQ at each stop. If memory serves (no warrantly as to whether an MRI is in order!) it covers Blacks, Smitty's and Kreutz - so it will be Lockhart, TX bound. I know that at this point Jane & Michael Stern will both be leading the tour. I have mixed feelings: to pay that much for the tour and have to buy your own BBQ seems harsh - especially since a couple of years ago Robb Walsh did a tour in conjunction with the publication of this book and the Hill Country Wine & Food Festival, and the price of the bus included the price of the BBQ,and we went to more places. But then, Jane & Michael do know their stuff. Any thoughts???? Theabroma

I had that problem myself, until it was explained to me that malted XXXX, is a grain, usually barley, that has been spouted, dried, and then ground. So if you have straigt malt, or barley malt, you might want to add some powdered milk and a bit of sugar, put it in the processor or blender to really mix well, then sift, store, and use. So I suppose one could have mung bean malt (feh!), etc, etc. This could spawn a whole new cottage industry and thread. Regards, Theabroma

Oh, dear! What went awry at El Cardenal?? I was really charmed by that old place ... where tablecloth crumbing is elevated to an aerobic activity (it was practically threadbare by the end of the meal). My experience with Izote has been mostly south of the uneven line ... tamales bien chiclosos, always gorgeous presentation, but visuals not often or consistently supported by the taste and flavors. Though it certainly is a lovely space. PQ consulted some time ago on a Polanco restaurant called Isidora's ... found there to be notable similarities to many plates in their execution at both places ... but Isidora's was, to my tastes, the more successful of the two - including wonderful deployment of cuitlacoche in several manifestations (althought the crown on that still goes to Hacienda los Morales : tournedos stuffed with cuiltacoche and napped in a flor de jamaica beurre blanc.). Regards, Theabroma

Dishes: try Crate & Barrel - the stores & the outlet just west of Stemmons/I-35 on Inwood Rd. Also, Pottery Barn, Williams Sonoma, and Sur la Table. For the really unusual ones (like Keller's at The Laundry) you might want to try on-line sources. Also, there is - somewhere - a Villeroy & Bosch outlet in Dallas, and they might be a good bet. You can, on occasion, find the odd piece at Ross. A less frustrating approach might be to identify some manufacturers, visit their web sites and try to find where they are sold. Dallas, alas, has always had rather sucky restaurant supply houses compared to other cities. Foie gras - you might try calling Winn Meats (a wholesaler). They carry a selection of A, B, & C, and would likely sell to you IF a) you go to their Will-Call window to make the purchase and pick it up, and b) you are willing to purchase it in their minimum quantities. If they don't, they may be able to suggest another wholesale source. Martin-Preferred is another option. As would be Gourmet Foods International. Otherwise, you could contact Hudson Valley Foie Gras in upstate New York, or D'Artagnan in NYC. Pricey, but excellent quality. Dont mean to leave you hanging, but I am not where my address book is, so I cannot provide tel. #'s, etc. Happy hunting!!! Regards, Theabroma