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A few weeks ago I was in Hidlago and my friends, who live on an ex-hacienda, had a big party for friends from the Yucatan and visiting chefs from Mexico City. It was pretty amazing. The pits had been dug when the hacienda was built and they're still used. The bottom was coals, followed by a large steel bucket full of garbanzos and aromatics, then a grate, then a cow's head and some ribs, all wrapped in maguey leaves and topped with dirt. It's a cliche to say it was delicious. Maybe delicious and amazing? I loved it all but the consume from the cow's head dripping into the garbanzos was about my favorite thing on earth. More photos and details at my blog.

Does anyone know of a goiod place to buy specialist mexican ingredients (flour for making tortillas, dried chillies etc) Have a newly acquired Rick Bayless book and am desperate to get cracking but there are sooo many specialist ingredients i have no idea where i might find them? Any help would be gretaly appreciated

Does anyone out there know what the street vendors selling sliced fruit throughout the Yucatan use to spice it up? There's a chile powder of some kind for heat (possibly mixed with citrus zest or citric acid) and a reddish syrup which is drizzled over the various freshly sliced fruits.

I first heard about kogibbq when reading an article in the IHT when in Europe last February. Great concept but not going to spend an hour or more in traffic just to grab a taco. Fast forward to 2 weeks ago today; I was just about to plate our dinner when I saw a tweet from kogi stating that they would be arriving in Long Beach shortly. Many bad words were said since we live in long beach. No Kogi for us that night. Fortunately they tweeted last thursday (in the AM) that Long Beach was again on the agenda - 1800 @ the Queen Mary. I called my wife to let her know that kogi was on the menu for that night's dinner. We arrived at the Queen Mary's parking lot around 1730, already a nascent line forming. The truck was delayed and finally about 1/2 hour late the object of our desire arrived. (video). Of course the line we were in was not the real line and the parking police made the truck move to its customary spot. The same spot where there were already another 50 or so kogiphiles already lined up. So much for the plum spot in line. Ridiculous right? Chasing after a roach coach with a twist. Guess we are easily amused. The real line: After a few minutes to set up things got under way: The line was remarkably cheerful with just a couple of malcontents (thankfully). The truck had 4 guys working in it, one taking the orders with the remaining 3 just hammering out the food from a space smaller than most office cubicles. That alone was a thing of beauty to watch. We ordered 2 beef short rib tacos, 1 ea spicy pork and spicy chicken + 1ea beef short rib and spicy pork burrito. The Kimchi Quesadilla was also ordered. We enjoyed the food on a nice grassy spot: The food was incredibly good. I usually avoid fusion like the plague but that is perhaps because I've rarely encountered well executed fusion before. Tacos were $2 each, other items all priced @ $5. Word on the street is that the sliders and Kogi dogs(!) are also excellent but we'll have to wait for next time. This my friends is a taco truck worth chasing! An hour later the line was a bit better but still substantial: Neat concept; hope their success continues.

This past February I had the opportunity to spend some time in Xico, Veracruz. It's a pretty cool little town and is famous for (among other things) it's mole which has a bigger hit on dried fruits than other moles and a good hit on the nuts as well. I purchased 4 different mole pastes with the intent of trying them all side-by-side to see which one was the best. Needless to say, life intervened and I haven't had much chance to cook much of anything let alone do the side-by-side on the mole pastes. I did, however, try one of them last night for dinner and it was spectacular. Deep, rich and earthy it made a very satisfying meal. Xico is an easy day trip from Xalapa. I would strongly encourage anyone that finds themselves in that area to pick up some mole (easy to bring back to the U.S.) and give it a go, I don't think you'd be disappointed.

I've been trying out a taqueria that features some of the foods of this region - zachuil, bocoles, enchiladas potosinas. The menu says the dish Enchiladas Huastecas is served with Salsa Huasteca but I can't find anything about it. Anyone know what is meant by this, what's in it?

Does anyone know anything about a camper (not really a mobile home or a professional lunch truck) parked on the northbound side of Routes 1 & 9 in the Rahway/Woodbridge area selling Mexican food. I drove past the other day and saw it (it was pouring and I was going to fast to stop). I think maybe the sign said Macho Nacho but I thought that was the name of a restaurant in Morristown. The sign said tacos, guac, chicken with rice and beans.

I just picked up a five pound bag of fresh masa (no, I don't know if it's truly fresh, or reconstituted masa harina, but that's a discussion for another topic). Now, last time I made tamales with this stuff I ended up using something like one pound total, and that made as many tamales as I could make by myself at one time. Until I can find a volunteer labor force to assemble a larger quantity of tamales, I am looking for things to do with the rest of the masa. It's labeled "Masa para tamales," but it's not "preparada": it's only got corn, water and cal on its ingredients list. Can I use it for tortillas? What else?

Per Cristina Barros and Marco Buenrostro in today's Itacate column in La Jornada: www.jornada.unam.mx/2009/03/31/index.php?section=opinion&article=a08o1cul Diana Kennedy's latest and long-awaited book on the cuisines of Oaxaca is finally out. Since Amazon does not have the title listed as an advance copy, I can only wonder whether it is now out in Spanish, shortly to appear in English. No surprise here, but Barros & Buenrostro seem to feel that she has really hit another one out of the park. I can hardly wait to get my hands on my promised copy. Excited regards, Theabroma

Welcome to eG Cook-Off 46! Click here for the Cook-Off index. We spent the last Cook-Off perfecting french fries, delightful yet leaning toward the one-dimensional. This time we're shifting gears and making the multi-dimensional Mexican dish, enchiladas. The variations on enchiladas are endless-there doesn't seem to be one "definitive," classic, enchilada recipe. They can be filled with beef, pork, chicken, smoked duck, smoked turkey or steamed octopus. An enchilada might be slathered with melted cheese, sprinkled with queso fresco, or have no cheese at all. It seems as though the only thing that enchiladas have in common is that all versions are wrapped in some type of tortilla. There are lots of possibilities for saucing an enchilada, everything from what one finds in a can on the supermarket shelf to homemade salsas using dried chilies. And of course, the variety of dried chilies to use for the sauce -- from mild to devil hot -- is also endless. In her definitive Art of Mexican Cooking, Diana Kennedy describes the two methods for making enchiladas. In one, you lightly fry the tortilla before dipping it into sauce; the process is reversed in the other. For both versions, you then fill the sauced and fried tortilla and roll it up. Kennedy's enchiladas placeras are sauced with a garlic, serrano, and tomato salsa and then filled with shredded beef; her enchiladas de Santa Clara uses an ancho and garlic sauce and an egg and cheese filling (and sounds delicious). Enchiladas benefit from corny, lardy homemade tortillas but also can mask mediocre ones to good effect, and they are an excellent way to showcase a perfect salsa. The previous main enchilada topic can be found here. You can also find topics on making tortillas at home here and a pictorial topic on Making Mexican at home is here. I've eaten hundreds of enchiladas in restaurants, but I was never able to duplicate that "restaurant-quality" enchilada flavor at home. My tortillas were either mushy or were too cold and broke when I rolled them with the filling. I also didn't want to serve my enchiladas with the requisite mushy beans and marginal "Spanish rice." What would be a unique side dish for Enchiladas? And what tortilla recipes would best stand up to the abuse of enchilada manufacture?

From Pátzcuaro, México: For Friday's dinner, I'm planning on making Filetes de Pescado a la Veracruzana. Our local pescadería offered tilapia, cazón, huauchinango and mero. I haven't used mero before. I Googled it, and it seems to be grouper. How would that work for pescado a la Veracruzana? I like the thick, meaty filets. Tilapia is out of the question, as I find it nearly tasteless and lacking is substantial texture. Cazón may be fibrous, in my limited experience with it. Huauchinago is expensive, over $130 pesos the kilo! Maybe I'll revert to Plan A: fried, breaded fish filets, Southern catfish style, oven-fried potatoes, slaw, tartar sauce, pickled chow chow, and corn bread. Saludos, Panosmex

I read online articles in the New York Times and LA Times about kimchi tacos. Has anyone here ever eaten them, and if so, would you have any idea on how to make them? They sound delish but I probably won't have the chance to eat at these taco trucks anytime soon because I live in Hong Kong. From the descriptions, it doesn't sound as simple as just putting kimchi and kalbi in a corn tortilla. If anyone can help with a few clues on how to make these, I'd be grateful. Here are the links: http://www.latimes.com/theguide/restaurant...0,4560062.story http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/25/dining/25taco.html TIA

My nephew and his wife are coming to town from NY (after having lived in Barcelona for 13 years) for the opening of his film in LA and they've asked me (Auntie Foodie) to take them to lunch at an authentic Mexican restaurant beforehand somewhere near the theater in Santa Monica. Does anyone have any ideas?

I just returned from the local Mexican market. While I was there I noticed something I've never seen before - Chorizo Seco. This sausage is darker (almost the color of blood sausage) and drier (hence the "seco") than your average Chorizo, but it is clearly still a fresh sausage. It is in a natural casing and was refrigerated. It does not appear to be cured. Can anyone give an explanation as to the difference? Is it a regional specialty? Do you cook it up the same as regular chorizo? Is it used in specific dishes?

I was in Santa Fe recently, and had this amazing chili at a cafe on the plaza. It was the spiciest chili I ever had, but not just spicy, intensely flavorful too. Just looking for a recipe that might replicate this...I feel like New Mexican chili powder is different from the stuff you buy in like a Safeway.

It's on the menu of pretty much every Tex-Mex joint. Even Mex joints and joints that aren't really either. I would much prefer to make this with real cheese and not Velveeta or whatever. I can even be white instead of yellow. In fact, white would be nice as I have a block of Chihuahua in the fridge and some tortilla chips in the cupboard. Is it like make a bachamel based cheese sauce? Flour and butter to make roux. Then some milk. Then add in grated cheese? What do I do to "spice it up"?

I am in search of a great Denver Mexican market. I've got H-Mart for Asian, Bombay Bazaar for Indian, Internal Market (on Parker) for Middle Eastern, but I'm not sure what to do for Mexican. I see carnicerias all over the place, but how do I pick the right one? Does anyone have a good suggestion for me? I'd just like to be able to find authentic ingredients to augment the paltry selection at my local Albertsons. Thanks!

I'm doing an aphrodisiac meal for Valentines Day and someone recently mentioned this liquor to me, but I've never heard of it. Can someone fill me in. I hear its orange and sweet. Can I get more details than that? Thanks

This article claims that there has been a "great Mexican tortilla crisis" due in large part to an increased price of corn secondary to the use of corn as a biofuel. Has there in fact been such a "crisis" in Mexico? If so what are the perceived causes? Has the promotion of corn based ethanol in gasoline been a factor?

I was in my local Fiesta Mart this weekend and decided I ought to pick up some Maseca as I've seen it called for as an ingredient in some things, even if it wasn't to make dough for tortillas. So, looking at the shelves, I spied a small bag. It said "Amarilla" on it, along with a proclamation that it was "NEW!" Not knowing exactly what that meant, I compared that bag to the larger bag of Masaca. I couldn't tell the difference. Since I have limited storage space at home, I decided to just pickup that smaller bag. Now, I am not totally sure what I have. Here is what I got. http://aztecamilling.com/OurBrands.aspx?ID=139 How exactly is this different than the other stuff? If it's a little different, can I use it as a direct substitution for any recipe that simply calls for Maseca (or instant masa harina)

If you could only read and use one cookbook on mexican cooking, which author would you choose and why? How would you characterize the difference between these two cookbook authors?

Just wondering if anyone knows of a store that has a good stock of Mexican ingredients? I find it so frustrating having no clue whatsoever, especially seeing as Mexican is one of my favourite cuisines and I'd really like to make use of my Mex cookbook! There must be one somewhere because I do recall watching the Mexican episode of Food Safari and aha! there they were in a Mexican food store. Here's hoping the prices aren't sky high.

We have gone a few times in the last couple of months.. It never has disappointed..Great tacos.. A little table in the back, the place is a small rectangle.. Counter running across the length where you can stand and eat your taco.. Free guacamole, free radish, free salsa verde.. Taco pastor, carnitas, pollo, cecina, lengue, they have it all..A couple of really interesting sandwiches.. The last time I was there these two guys ordered chorizo and cheese sandwiches.. It came with with lettuce, tomato, and some sauce.. Looked pretty awesome.. The tacos are $2.50 instead of the standard $2 bucks at most Mexican Places catering to Mexican's.. But you get a lot more meat then most places.. Really nice lettuce and salsa added on too.. Spinning wheels of meat are always a good sign:

Caveat: I'm sorry, but my digital camera is on the blitz. As soon as I can get a photo, I'll post one on-line. My neighbor gave me a basket of goodies from her garden and amongst them was appears to be a chili pepper. It is a bright orange-red and is about the size of a habanero. However, it also has these "wings" or "petals" (3 of them) that come out of the side of the pepper and point upwards towards the tip. My neighbor had no idea what it was other than she said when she nibbled just the outer flesh, it was sweet, but when she got to the veins and seeds, it was very spicy. I've looked up photos of habaneros and scotch bonnets and other than the size and color matching, nothing had these "wings". Any thoughts on what I might have in my possession? Could I have a habanero with a natural mutation to it? Feel free to post any links to photos you find on the web as that may help narrow down the pepper. Also, other than using them in cooking right now, any thoughts on what my friend could do to preserve all of these chili peppers (she has a ton of them)? I thought about pepper jelly, but wasn't sure if there might be other options, too. Thanks!!

I saw a starter review in the Record for Rosa Mexicana at the River Side Sq Mall. As anyone been there yet? I wonder if it will be a mob scene like every restaurant there when it first opens.