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i've been absent from the board for awhile, just quietly lurking when i have a chance. still the liveliest NW food forum i know about! which is why i am turning to you for some help. my 40th birthday is approaching and party plans are underway. it's a bit of a fiesta theme, with specialty margaritas, a mariachi band, and other good stuff. i would like to rent a taco truck to be on-site, serving a few choices for guests (thinking tacos, tamales, perhaps quesadillas). has anyone here ever done such a thing? i am having a miserable time finding any party planning info that can help facilitate. so, two questions: 1. any tips on best way to go about this? 2. recommendations? we seem to have a bit of a taco truck explosion lately in seattle (yay!) and i could use some advice on the best. really looking for fabulous carnitas and nice folks. thanks in advance for any help you are able to offer.

Mexican Chocolate Bundt Cake We experimented with adding a little ancho chili powder to the cakes as well, so that's an option if a more spicy cake is wanted. ( RG2168 )

Mexican Rice Serves 4 as Side. 1 T olive oil 1 small onion, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced 1-1/2 c long-grain rice 3 c low-salt chicken broth or stock 2 med-size tomatoes (about 12 oz total), chopped 1 can (4&1/2 oz) chopped green chilies 1 tsp chili powder 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 1/2 c fresh chopped cilantro 1/2 c pimento-stuffed green olives, sliced Heat oil in 4-quart saucepan over med-high heat until hot. (Make sure you use a large enough pot, I tried to make it fit into a 3&1/2 quart pot and it was very tight). Add onion & garlic, cook until soft. Add rice, and stir well, cook, stirring occasionally, until rice toasts a bit and turns golden, about 3-5 minutes. Add broth, tomatoes, chiles, chili powder, and S&P. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, until rice is done, about 25 min. You may have some liquid still left. Turn off heat and stir in cilantro and olives, Cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Keywords: Side, Rice, Mexican, Easy ( RG2089 )

Eggplant Stew - with a Mexican twist Serves 4 as Sideor 2 as Main Dish. One day I had an excess of eggplant. I had at least the equivalent of one big one left over after putting together the eggplant gratin dish. Now what? I had all of the ingredients in the house to do something different. In the small heavy pot (2 ½ quart Le Creuset) I layered in chunks of eggplant, rough chopped onion, roasted peppers and seasonings. I know that eggplant isn’t necessarily an ingredient that reminds us of Mexican cuisine. But, what the heck. Actually, the final dish does not taste strongly of eggplant. The other flavors overwhelm it. I see it as a good way to use it up or maybe sneak eggplant into the diet of those that aren’t crazy about it. (Hmmm . . . I wonder if this would work with zucchini?) As is common with my recipes, this is a casual affair and the quantities and ingredients are flexible. Do what you like. For more eggplant discussion, please visit Eggplant in the Cooking forum. 1 large eggplant cut into about 1 inch chunks 1 medium white or yellow onion roughly chopped 1 tsp kosher salt 2 tsp dried Mexican oregano 2 T dried cumin seeds 1 tsp garlic powder 1 large red bell pepper, roasted, peeled and rough chopped 1 4 ounce can of chopped green chiles 1 c picante sauce, your favorite brand In a small Dutch oven or other heavy lidded pot, layer the eggplant and onion. Add the salt, oregano, cumin seeds and garlic powder, distributing evenly over the vegetables. Continue layering, adding red bell pepper the green chiles and picante sauce. Cover and cook in a 325 degree F oven for about 1 ½ hours. You will want to check after an hour. Eggplants will differ as to water content. If yours are high in water content, you might consider taking the lid off for the last half hour. The picture above is intentionally taken to show that there isn’t a lot of loose liquid running around. You want a concentration of flavors, not soup. Tips and Notes: Crush the dried oregano between your fingers while sprinkling. This releases more flavor. Using whole cumin seeds is a trick I learned from Huevos del Toro’s "Work in Progress Chili." In a long simmered dish they get really tender and offer a pleasant burst of cumin in the mouth. You can substitute ground cumin. For a quick and easy technique for roasting the bell pepper, cut it into strips so that it will lay flat, skin side up, on a baking sheet. Run under the broiler until the skin is charred. Then proceed to sweat and peel off the skins. Serving suggestions: Sprinkle with a fresh Mexican cheese and serve with cornbread or warm corn tortillas. Chorizo on the side is a good meat addition if you like. This would also be a good base to use up leftover pork or chicken. Alternate cooking methods: You can vary the temperature, usually lower, to vary the cooking time. This is handy for putting it in the oven and going shopping. This recipe would lend itself to a crock pot. I also intend to try this in a clay pot. Keywords: Main Dish, Side, Vegetarian, Easy, Vegetables, Lunch, Dinner, Tex-Mex ( RG1177 )

Salsa Mexicana This recipe is from the Mexican Table Salsas course, in the eCGI. One of the most basic styles of salsa, a salsa cruda (raw sauce), is simply composed of ingredients chopped and mixed together. Sometimes called a pico de gallo (rooster's beak) or salsa fresca, the most common version, the salsa mexicana, consists of tomatoes, onions, fresh chiles, cilantro, lime juice, and salt. An extremely versatile salsa, it especially goes well with fish and chicken 1/2 lb or 2 medium tomatoes, approximately 3/4 C when diced 1/2 c white onion, diced 1 jalapeño chiles 2 T cilantro, finely chopped 1 tsp lime Salt Remove the core and seeds from the tomatoes and dice the flesh. The tomatoes should be firm, yet ripe. Plum tomatoes make an excellent choice here because of their naturally firmer flesh. Toss in a bowl with the diced onion. Holding the jalapeño upright, slice down the sides of the chile removing the flesh until only the stem and attached seeds remain. Finely chop or mince the jalapeño strips and toss them in the bowl. Serranos are actually typical to this salsa, but I prefer the bright front-of-the-mouth bite of jalapeños instead. Traditionally, all ingredients are chopped quite finely and similarly-sized to allow the flavors to unify. I prefer about a 1/4" dice for the onions and tomatoes with the jalapeños minced so that the chiles do not overwhelm the salsa. Add the cilantro and mix, taking care not to crush the tomatoes. Add the lime juice, mix again, and salt to taste. Let rest for 15 minutes to allow flavors to mingle. Makes about 1 1/2 cups. This is the best template to use for most fruit salsas. Substitute mango, papaya, or even apple, for tomatoes and you still have a wonderful, but entirely different, Nuevo Latino salsa. Substitute corn, beans, or cucumber for the tomatoes and again the salsa takes on a whole new character. Keywords: Condiment, eGCI, Dip ( RG933 )

Mexican Rice Thank you Vera for teaching me how to cook Mexican food. The next time I cook chile rellanos, I will write down the exact amounts for you. It's my specialty. Mexican Rice: For about 1 1/2 cups of rice, use 2 cups of water Use long grain rice. Brown in Wesson Oil. Grind 1 clove of garlic. Add 1/2 can, 4 oz. of tomato sauce. She uses Delmonte or Springfield, "whatever is on special" *Use 1 cube of Knorr tomato Bouillon and mix into rice. All the ladies tell me this is an important ingredient. Salt to taste COVER pot, cook on low flame for 20 min. Keywords: Easy, Mexican ( RG821 )

Tortillas This takes a little bit of a knack to get the shape round, and not like a football. I think part of the beauty is that they do look homemade, and not perfect from a cutter. 3 cups of all purpose flour 1 t. salt 1 cup very warm water, not hot 1 T. lard, (pork fat) Note: Oil is o.k. but you get more flavor with pork fat Mix and knead flour, about 40 times. Squeeze little balls from the top, and shape each ball from the underside with your thumb. Shaping the tortillas is an art. Roll one side, it looks like a football, turn and roll the other side. If you flip the tortillas over it doesn't get dried out as much or stick. Lightly flour your board and rolling pin. Rolling pin: My in-laws use a stainless steel tube from a vacuum cleaner. They all have a section. It works really well. By the way they are Mexican and you wouldn't believe OUR potlucks! No wonder they won't eat out! Tip: Flavor pops out if you heat them on top of the burner and leaves nice marks. Keywords: Intermediate, Mexican ( RG820 )

Mexican Burnt Milk Candy (Leche Quemada) There are many variations of this candy. Some add nuts just before pouring into the pan. Pecans are typical. I have also seen it with coconut stirred in. This particular recipe is really pretty easy if you have any candy experience whatsoever. The long cooking time is necessary to "toast" the milk solids. It really isn't a problem since it doesn't require much attention. You just stir it occasionally. Do not try to substitute margarine for the butter. You won't get the added milk solids. 3 c sugar 1 c brown sugar 1/2 c butter 1 can sweetened condensed milk 1 can water Mix all together in a heavy pot. Cook over medium low heat for about 4 hours, stirring occasionally. Start watching it at about 3 1/2 hours. Bring the temperature up to 240F or to the soft ball stage. Remove from the heat and cool to 110F. Beat vigorously with a spoon until it begins to smooth out a bit. This is hard. I have been successful using a Bamix, a fairly powerful stick blender. Turn out into a buttered 8 x 8 inch pan. Allow to cool completely. Cut into squares. About the pot: My optimum pot is an 8 quart heavy Calphalon stock pot in that it is deep enough to hold the foaming stage and is heavy enough to prevent any scorching. Be sure to use a big enough pot as it will "boil up" at first. Don't do as snowangel did and use a 3 quart pot and got a spill over that took her a long time to clean up. There will be ample leftovers in the pot for the cook to snitch to "honor" the pot. Note: How dark the candy is will depend upon how long you "toast" the milk solids. Also, I have found that the "graininess" of the final product varies batch to batch. This is entirely consistent with what I have eaten over the years. You should have something of a sugar crunch on first bite that then dissolves in the mouth. This is a "rustic" candy, not meant to have the smooth creaminess of a well made fudge. Keywords: Candy, Intermediate, Mexican ( RG790 )

For those of you interested in Yucatecan Cuisine, Rick Bayless' TV series has been featuring the cuisine of the Yucatan for the past few episodes. Check it out on your local PBS station.

I just returned from a fantastic week in Oaxaca (Go there now! There are no tourists and the city is tranquil and beaufitul). One of our favorite tastes of the city was the aromatic and spicy black bean puree used with tlayudas, quesadillas, huevos, and just about anything else. Does anyone know how to make this bean paste? I'm guessing it includes onion, garlic, herbs (maybe hoja de aguacate?), and perhaps dried chiles -- maybe the smoky pasilla de Oaxaca (I brought a ton of these back with me)? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I know - I know - most just buy it in bottles --- but I wanted to make my own. I recently tried Florence Tyler's recipe and, although even my local Mexican market didn't have the called-for Anaheim and Chipotle dried chlies and I had to use what they had, it turned out pretty tasty. BUT, I think I can do better! Anyone want to share their favorite? Many thanks, Sidecar Ron

As requested, here is more info on how I make Yucatecan style enchiladas. It's not based on any existing recipes - just a combination of flavors that I like and that remind me of Mérida. Yucatecan Style Chicken Enchiladas Ingredients: 3/4 pound cooked (preferably poached) chicken or turkey meat, chopped 2 tbsp chicken fat (or combination of chicken fat, butter, olive oil) 1/4 cup flour 1/2 onion, finely chopped 2-3 serrano peppers, minced (some seeds removed) 1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes 2 tbsp cumin 2 tbsp chili powder 2 tsp dried oregano 1 tsp vegetable soup base 1 tsp chicken soup base 2 tbsp achiote paste (ground annato seeds) 1/2 – 1 cup chicken stock (or water), as needed 12 corn tortillas Directions: If you have poached your chicken meat, you will have a nice broth to use for thinning the sauce later, and you will probably have chicken fat that you can use for the roux. I poach the chicken the day before and save the broth separately and extract the fat from the top of the broth. Chop the meat and set aside. If you have bones, you can add them to the broth and simmer for an hour or so. Melt the fat (or butter and oil) in a large saucepan, and add the flour to make a roux. When the roux is a pale brown, add the minced onion and cook a bit more so that the onion will become soft and the roux turns a light brown. Then add the peppers and stir to combine. Add the canned tomatoes, including all the liquid, and blend. Add the cumin, chili powder, oregano, soup bases (in place of salt), and achiote paste. Stir until blended. Reduce the heat and add sufficient chicken stock or water to make a thick sauce. Using a stick blender, purée until fairly smooth, or at least until tomato pieces are fully incorporated – you may have some onion pieces that do not get puréed, but this is okay. Remove about 1/3 of the sauce to reserve and add the chopped chicken or turkey meat to the rest of the sauce. Spoon about 2-3 tbsp of the reserved sauce into a 6”x10” (or similar size) baking dish, and spread fairly evenly, along the bottom and sides. Heat the tortillas on a covered plate in the microwave, 20 seconds at a time, turning them and restacking them so that the center ones are top and bottom. I do this about three times to get them soft enough for folding, but it will depend on how fresh they are. Once they are soft, spoon a bit of chicken filling into a single tortilla, roll it into shape, and place it in the baking dish. You can stack them tightly or else make two loose layers. If you make two layers, put a bit of reserved sauce in between the layers. At the end, add all remaining sauce to the top and spread evenly. Cover the pan with foil and bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes, or until they are hot. Yield: 12 enchiladas, or about 4 servings *Note: I usually poach the chicken with garlic, onion, celery, and chili powder, in a method similar to Ropa Vieja, except with chicken.

Heading to Denver and Colorado Springs, would LOVE to get my hands on some solids mexican. I used to live in Texas and miss the tasty mexican I could score there - any suggestions? Thanks!

Recently, at a mexican grocery, I bought some freshly made "Longaniza". This was sold alongside the regular fresh chorizo. Is this sausage more similar to a Spanish-style or Portuguese chorizo? I'm thinking of throwing it into a paella with chicken.

Having recently moved to British Columbia from Los Angeles I'm sorely missing my fresh Mexican ingredients...mainly fresh masa both for tortillas and tamales. Does anyone have a recipe for home made masa dough? If I can replicate my beloved masa, I'm willing to give it a shot! Many thanks!

A man sold a Mexican restaurant and in the contract to the buyer he said he would not open another Mexican restaurant in the area. When his plans to leave the area fell through he decided he would like to open a Cuban restaurant. Will this be a violation of his contract? What is the difference between Cuban and Mexican food?

I've been asked to cater a small dinner for 12 and the menu is up to me with the exception of the plat de resistance (sorry I can't come up with the Spanish term!). He wants Mole ("the one with chocolate"). As the other diners have probably not had mole before I hesitate to make one of Zarela's Mole Negros. Especially since this will be a tasting menu consisting of : *Tacquitos of Tinga Poblano *Pozole (a hybrid of Rojo and Verde) *Grilled Prawns with a Roasted Tomatillo Serrano Salsa ....and finally the Red Mole with Chicken. I like the description that Bayless gives indicating that it would appeal to those not "weaned in Puebla". Has anyone tried this recipe? I've cooked many classic Mexican dishes but don't quite have the feel for Mole culture. Is it an authentic Mole?

Today was food shopping day for Vicky and I, so while she's at work I headed down to Shoprite. Cruising through there I came across a huge stand of dried chiles, being a chile head I grabbed a pack of anchos and a pack of pasillas. Hey at a $1.99 who wouldn't, ANYWAY....... while I'm not that fond of chicken, I was thinking pork in a mole sauce (never made it before) and now I need help with a great recipe. HELP!!!!! Cheers Tom

I have been to San Diego numerous times, and always go to a few Mexican Places while I am out there - so far my favorite is the Old Town Mexican Cafe, however I feel that there has gotta be a more local authentic place in the area - any suggestions? Thanks!

Hey all: Wandering about in South Philly recently I stumbled across La Jaroncita (I think that's right) at Wolf & Swanson streets, down by the Forman Mills, etc. Great little store that has all manner of inexpensive Mexican groceries and packaged goods. A boatload of hot sauces, canned chiles en adobo sauce in about six or eight types, fresh chiles of several varieties, plantains, fresh avocados, fresh nopales, tomatillos, several fresh Mexican cheeses and small packaged drinkable yogurts in tropical flavors. Full line of Mexican juices and sodas. Great household goods too, including at least six varieties of Fabuloso cleanser (the lavender smells heavenly) and a few others to boot. All is inexplicably inexpensive. And the first time I was there, the guy behind the counter gave me one of his tamales for lunch! They were awesome but I couldn't get him to tell me where they came from. Definitely a find.

I'm going to Taconelli's this weekend for what is becoming an annual birthday gathering, and we reserved four dough (for four people). I always order one white/spinich/tomato, and some other assorted red pies with various toppings. I am curious what is/are your favorite Taconelli's pie(s)?

Anyone else thoroughly addicted to the smoked chile of Oaxaca like I am? They are so delicious for chile rellenos, in salsas and with a summer twist - first hydrated in orange juice and tequila, then stuffed with a mixture of ricotta and fresh ripe peaches. The hydrating liquid is then reduced to a sticky syrup and poured over. Oh my goddess, it's so good. Would love to hear your recipes and uses for this distinct chile. I've got a glut of them right now and they need to be used up. Shelora

I love tacos al pastor and am looking to recreate them at home. i am looking for recipes or techiniques to recreate these delicious tacos thanks mike

I just found a bag of diced nopales at the local Mexican grocery.I havent cooked with them before and a search on egullet gave a link to an interesting article about them.HereThis is the only place I have found where raw nopales are used.Will that work?I also plan on making the salad.I'll boil them with onions and cilantro as Marlena suggested in an earlier post.Does the water have to be salted?Can it be boiled in advance and refrigerated?I wouldnt have bothered to pick up the cactus if I wasnt sure that I could find out what to do with them on egullet!! Thank you.

i went to mexico city last july with a friend who used to live there and we went to a place called La Onda. the food wasn't that great, but my friend wanted to visit since she loved it as a teenager. my soup was disappointing but our friend that lives there knew what to order and got a taco that had a tortilla made of fried cheese. it was called Taco Envuelto and had chopped steak inside. it was delicious topped with lime and chile sauce. we dubbed it the Atkins Taco. i couldn't find any information about this kind of taco online. anyone ever heard of it and know anything about it? i believe it might have been called Taco Envuelto en Queso Crujiente.