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The Mexican Kitchen's basic ingredients

Darienne

By Darienne
in Mexico: Cooking & Baking

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rancho_gordo

rancho_gordo

Posted
Posted

My mantra is:

CHILES

BEANS

CORN

If you have ingredients/techniques down, you can go almost anywhere in Mexican cooking.

Re: epazote, try it with parma or cotija cheese on a tortilla. Or tossed with sauteed mushrooms. All of a sudden, a little light will go off and it will become a favorite.

Re: lard. I know plenty of Mexicans who LOVE olive oil and they fight amongst themselves about lard vs oils. It's not an absolute.

Visit beautiful Rancho Gordo!

Twitter @RanchoGordo

"How do you say 'Yum-o' in Swedish? Or is it Swiss? What do they speak in Switzerland?"- Rachel Ray

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Doodad

Doodad

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Posted

I now have a bag of nopales my neighbors brought over. Now I just have to decide what to do with them.

Try breading and frying them like okra. It is out of this world good. Like a citrusy green bean.

and to the OP, masa, sour orange and nopales.

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Darienne

Darienne

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

My mantra is:

CHILES

BEANS

CORN

If you have ingredients/techniques down, you can go almost anywhere in Mexican cooking.

Re: epazote, try it with parma or cotija cheese on a tortilla. Or tossed with sauteed mushrooms. All of a sudden, a little light will go off and it will become a favorite.

Re: lard. I know plenty of Mexicans who LOVE olive oil and they fight amongst themselves about lard vs oils. It's not an absolute.

Thanks for this reply, RG.

Epazote: I didn't see any when I was in Toronto, but I shall look and ask for it next time. Does it come in a dried form? or is it fresh only.

Cheeses: There were some cheeses available, but not many more than the ones I purchased: queso panela, queso fresco, Oaxaca cheese. There were one or two more, but that's about all. I'll try some of the other nearby stores, but Panela's is definitely the largest.

Darienne

 

learn, learn, learn...

 

We live in hope. 

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andiesenji

andiesenji

Posted
Posted (edited)

I now have a bag of nopales my neighbors brought over. Now I just have to decide what to do with them.

Try breading and frying them like okra. It is out of this world good. Like a citrusy green bean.

and to the OP, masa, sour orange and nopales.

They are chopped and blanched, not whole, not raw. When whole I usually stuff them like rellenos but I bake them on a base of masa.

Edited by andiesenji (log)

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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janeer

janeer

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Re: lard. I know plenty of Mexicans who LOVE olive oil and they fight amongst themselves about lard vs oils. It's not an absolute.

I think one question is what achieves the traditional taste. Olive oil is a SUBSTITUTE for lard; it changes the taste. Frijoles refritos made with olive oil? Not for me, thanks. Ditto chiles rellenos.But where I can, I do use less.

Jane

Little Compton Mornings

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Crouton

Crouton

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Posted

Speaking of lard, is the hydrogenated kind sold in green containers ok to use? I know it's frowned upon in "authentic" Mexican cookbooks but I really have no source for fresh lard nor the desire to drive all over god's green corn to find it.

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Jaymes

Jaymes

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Speaking of lard, is the hydrogenated kind sold in green containers ok to use? I know it's frowned upon in "authentic" Mexican cookbooks but I really have no source for fresh lard nor the desire to drive all over god's green corn to find it.

Folks in the know don't care for it. If you don't have a carniceria close by, you might ask a local butcher for some nice, white pork fat, and render your own.

I don't understand why rappers have to hunch over while they stomp around the stage hollering.  It hurts my back to watch them. On the other hand, I've been thinking that perhaps I should start a rap group here at the Old Folks' Home.  Most of us already walk like that.

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EatNopales

EatNopales

Posted
Posted

Re: lard. I know plenty of Mexicans who LOVE olive oil and they fight amongst themselves about lard vs oils. It's not an absolute.

I think one question is what achieves the traditional taste. Olive oil is a SUBSTITUTE for lard; it changes the taste. Frijoles refritos made with olive oil? Not for me, thanks. Ditto chiles rellenos.But where I can, I do use less.

I am not in the Anti-Lard campaign at all.

However, what I would like to point out is that for the 30 Million or so indigenous "mestizos" of rural Southern & Eastern Mexico who best carry on the deepest of Mexico's millenary gastronomic traditions Lard is pretty unnecessary for the majority of their meals.

Earlier the argument was made the Lard is absolutely essential for Mexican cooking... it is not. Maybe for mainstream urban Mestizo cooking it might be... but in the grand scheme of Mexican gastronomy it is not.

I will happily eat some lard-less (fat-less) Itacates (Prehispanic Bean Tamales) instead of Refried Beans

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rancho_gordo

rancho_gordo

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Posted

Re: lard. I know plenty of Mexicans who LOVE olive oil and they fight amongst themselves about lard vs oils. It's not an absolute.

I think one question is what achieves the traditional taste. Olive oil is a SUBSTITUTE for lard; it changes the taste. Frijoles refritos made with olive oil? Not for me, thanks. Ditto chiles rellenos.But where I can, I do use less.

Traditional for who? A Mayan? A Poblano? A Chilango?

Neither ingredient is indigenous and there are traditions for both. It's true it changes the flavor and you may prefer one over the other but calling it a substitute is a push. Mexico is too regional for that declaration.

I'm actually working on a project involving two home cooks in Hidalgo and the lard/olive oil issue is huge and funny and not concluded. One is a countrywoman from Hidalgo and the other is her cousin, from DF but now living with her in the country. They both are incredible cooks and love each others cooking but of course feel their own is the best. It really represents the conflicts (or contrasts) within Mexico itself. I think it's fascinating (and delicious).

For the record, I have a swell tub of lard in my fridge from the local Mexican butcher. I tend to go through about one every six months. I love the stuff. But I love my olive oil, too.

Eat Nopal wrote:

I will happily eat some lard-less (fat-less) Itacates (Prehispanic Bean Tamales) instead of Refried Beans

Recipe or technique? Do we know how pre-conquest tamales were made?

Visit beautiful Rancho Gordo!

Twitter @RanchoGordo

"How do you say 'Yum-o' in Swedish? Or is it Swiss? What do they speak in Switzerland?"- Rachel Ray

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EatNopales

EatNopales

Posted
Posted

Re: lard. I know plenty of Mexicans who LOVE olive oil and they fight amongst themselves about lard vs oils. It's not an absolute.

I think one question is what achieves the traditional taste. Olive oil is a SUBSTITUTE for lard; it changes the taste. Frijoles refritos made with olive oil? Not for me, thanks. Ditto chiles rellenos.But where I can, I do use less.

Traditional for who? A Mayan? A Poblano? A Chilango?

Neither ingredient is indigenous and there are traditions for both. It's true it changes the flavor and you may prefer one over the other but calling it a substitute is a push. Mexico is too regional for that declaration.

I'm actually working on a project involving two home cooks in Hidalgo and the lard/olive oil issue is huge and funny and not concluded. One is a countrywoman from Hidalgo and the other is her cousin, from DF but now living with her in the country. They both are incredible cooks and love each others cooking but of course feel their own is the best. It really represents the conflicts (or contrasts) within Mexico itself. I think it's fascinating (and delicious).

For the record, I have a swell tub of lard in my fridge from the local Mexican butcher. I tend to go through about one every six months. I love the stuff. But I love my olive oil, too.

Eat Nopal wrote:

I will happily eat some lard-less (fat-less) Itacates (Prehispanic Bean Tamales) instead of Refried Beans

Recipe or technique? Do we know how pre-conquest tamales were made?

My aunt-in-laws who grew up near Lake Texcoco used to prepare them, and as of 1998 I purchased them in Tianguis around Texcoco, Xochimilco & Tlaxcala... coarsely ground masa with pureed & strained beans, avocado leaf & tequesquite

Maybe not as fluffy as the best lard beaten tamales might be... but pretty damn delicious.

Based on Coe's book, and one taste of these will convince you that they are virtually unchanged from pre-hispanic times... certainly there are no Old World ingredients used.

Also, beans were not the only fillers used by my Aunt-in-laws... they used to mix the masa with a variety of things including Chia seeds, Pipianes & Sauces, chopped chiles etc,m

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rancho_gordo

rancho_gordo

Posted
Posted

My aunt-in-laws who grew up near Lake Texcoco used to prepare them, and as of 1998 I purchased them in Tianguis around Texcoco, Xochimilco & Tlaxcala... coarsely ground masa with pureed & strained beans, avocado leaf & tequesquite

Maybe not as fluffy as the best lard beaten tamales might be... but pretty damn delicious.

Based on Coe's book, and one taste of these will convince you that they are virtually unchanged from pre-hispanic times... certainly there are no Old World ingredients used.

Also, beans were not the only fillers used by my Aunt-in-laws... they used to mix the masa with a variety of things including Chia seeds, Pipianes & Sauces, chopped chiles etc,m

Do you think I can just mix the beans and their broth into the masa or do you think I should use a kitchen aid and really go at it? I'm going to do this!

Visit beautiful Rancho Gordo!

Twitter @RanchoGordo

"How do you say 'Yum-o' in Swedish? Or is it Swiss? What do they speak in Switzerland?"- Rachel Ray

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EatNopales

EatNopales

Posted
Posted

My aunt-in-laws who grew up near Lake Texcoco used to prepare them, and as of 1998 I purchased them in Tianguis around Texcoco, Xochimilco & Tlaxcala... coarsely ground masa with pureed & strained beans, avocado leaf & tequesquite

Maybe not as fluffy as the best lard beaten tamales might be... but pretty damn delicious.

Based on Coe's book, and one taste of these will convince you that they are virtually unchanged from pre-hispanic times... certainly there are no Old World ingredients used.

Also, beans were not the only fillers used by my Aunt-in-laws... they used to mix the masa with a variety of things including Chia seeds, Pipianes & Sauces, chopped chiles etc,m

Do you think I can just mix the beans and their broth into the masa or do you think I should use a kitchen aid and really go at it? I'm going to do this!

Awesome.. I can't wait to move back from Hawaii to Northern California... and get back into the groove of cooking for friends etc., BTW... we fly out on July 2nd... are you still looking for a business consultant? I am considering going into the Part Time CFO, Part Time CIO business as a way of making a living without having to commute to the Bay Area.... you can pay me in beans, heirloom masa & pottery :biggrin:

As to your question... their mom ground the beans in a metate and then passed them through those gourd based colanders.. my tias used a blender & modern colander... I don't recall if they ever did whole beans... but I think they mostly did it for aesthetics because they liked presenting tamales in a variety of hues based on the color of the guisado or the mole.

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EatNopales

EatNopales

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I found this guide to Mexican cheeses to be very helpful. I can never keep straight which cheeses are good for which uses.

Thats a start... she is missing lots of cheeses and only seems to focus on cheese types mass produced by Cacique... some additional info (with adequate substitutes) here:

http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/Articles/Mexican-Cheeses-966/mexican-cheeses.aspx

http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/2155-a-guide-to-mexican-cheese-queso-mexicano

There are also lots of deep rooted, regional cheeses that most mainstream Mexicans haven't even heard of.. particularly those from Chiapas & Tabasco... the goat cheeses from Queretaro & the Huasteca etc.,

The brie like Doble Cremas from Chiapas... particularly the slighly aged, double textured ones from Ocosinco

Smoked Queso de Bola from Tenosique

Poro, Panela & Manchego Cheeses from Tabasco

This dairy obsessed cheese expert is a great resource for learning about the artisinal cheeses of Southern Mexico (which are much less well known)

http://lactography.blogspot.com/search/label/Mexican%20Cheese

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