Savoring the culinary soul of Mexico
It’s been almost a week since I arrived in Mexico, and I am enamored by the country, its culture, food, colors, and most of all, the warmth of its people.
I’ve had many meals since, including a truly memorable cochinita pibil by the legendary Rosalita Chay, a multi-awarded and highly respected traditional Yucatan barbecue chef of Netflix fame.
There was a Zapotecan spread by Abigail Mendoza and her sisters. A favorite of Anthony Bourdain, Mendoza is an authority on Zapotecan food and, like Chay, is multi-awarded.
I had the most mouthwatering estofado (beef cooked for 13 hours with bananas, pineapple, and apples), a specialty of renowned home cook turned restaurateur Deyanira Aquino Pineda, whose expertise is Istmeña cuisine.
Regional tastes
There was Oaxacan food by Oaxaca’s culinary authority Celia Florian. Her salted beef tacos and three moles were memorable.
The same went with a most unforgettable breakfast from the ranch of famed Oaxacan chef Alex Ruiz.
Most of the ingredients came from his vast backyard. There was freshly made guacamole, memelas (corn cakes slathered with pork fat and fresh cheese), quesadillas with epazote, huevos Oaxaqueña, pork with morita peppers, purslane and tomato sauce, refried beans, café de olla and chocolate de agua. What we had was simple but simply exceptional. Unforgettable!
With a week left in Mexico, there’s so much more for me to savor.
I noticed how every meal enjoyed in Mexico is an experience. For Mexicans, eating is a way of life.
According to my dear friend Mexican chef Alejandra Trevino, a culinary instructor and food ambassador, “Food is the soul of Mexico, and in it lies the heart of our culture. Every taste, every bite is an expression of our people. Every chile, every aroma, every spice connects the soul to the deepest of our heritage and roots.”
Not many places in the world make you feel like you belong, but in Mexico I felt like I belonged.
Their food—and I refer to the meals I’ve had—is a product of passion, and an output of love. Every cook I encountered shared their stories through the work of their hands.
Every mole they make transports one to a whole new world, to another puebla, to another abuela. With the best renditions, I believe, it is like going home to mama’s cocina.
Chef Ale leaves us with some of her favorite recipes.
The tostada de tinga, she said, is “a hug from the heart” because of its flavor. It is also one of the recipes Ale teaches the most as the ingredients for the dish are available all over the world.
The Pozole Rojo is a very hearty soup. It is Mexico’s national dish, served on Independence Day.
Chef Ale whispered, “Please encourage them to cook the recipes. It is my way of enticing them to come to Mexico.”
Tostadas de Tinga (Tomato Chicken Tostadas)
1 bone-in chicken breast
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 medium tomatoes
1 clove, garlic, chopped
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 can chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
1/2 c tomato sauce or tomato purée
Salt and pepper to taste
16 tostada shells
1 c Mexican sour cream
1 c fresh cotija cheese
Instructions
Put chicken in a large pot along with 1/4 of an onion, garlic, and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil until the chicken is no longer pink or about 25 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Discard skin and bone. In a large skillet over medium heat, add the remaining onion slices and fry until translucent. Add tomato slices, the whole can of chipotle peppers, tomato purée, salt.
Leave a few minutes to cook.
Add shredded chicken and cooked onions.
Heat through.
Each person can spread some sour cream onto their tostada shell with a spoonful of chicken and grated cheese to finish.
Pozole Rojo (Red Corn Pozole with Pork)
Serves 8
The broth
1.5 kg white hominy corn or white corn
1 kg, pork leg, or veal shank for osso buco
12 c water
1/2 onion
2 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
Salt, to taste
The sauce
3 tomatoes
6 dried guajillo peppers, deseeded
4 dried ancho peppers, deseeded
1⁄2 white onion
1 Tbsp dried oregano
To serve
Romaine lettuce, thinly sliced
White onion, chopped
Radish, diced
Lime wedges
Dried oregano
Dried red pepper flakes
Tortilla chips
Salt to taste
Instructions
Heat water in a large stock pot.
Add pork meat, corn, onion, bay leaves, garlic and bring to a boil.
Lower heat and simmer.
Soak the ancho and guajillo peppers in water just enough to cover, for 10 minutes until soft.
Saute onion, garlic, tomatoes, peppers and spices with a little bit of lard. Add water and boil.
Blend everthing and pour into the corn and meat.
Cook until corn splits open.
Serve in a bowl, cap with fresh lettuce, radish, lime juice, oregano, peppers, and fresh onions.
Arroz Verde de la Veracruzana (Green Rice Veracruz Style)
Serves 8
1 c long grain rice
2 c chicken broth
2 Tbsp white onions
1 garlic clove, chopped
5 sprigs of parsley
10 sprigs of cilantro
1 poblano pepper, charred, peeled, seeded and deveined or green capsicum
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 Tbsp butter
Salt to taste
Instructions
Fry rice without washing in butter and oil. Keep stirring until golden in color.
In a blender, add broth, cilantro, parsley, onion, and garlic. Add liquid.
Transfer mixture to a small pot with rice. You may cook in a rice cooker.
Arrange roasted peppers on top of rice when the first bubbles appear.
Continue to cook rice until done.
Join me in November as I take my culinary travels, “Kitchens of the World,” to Mexico. With chef Ale, allow us to journey with you through Cancun and the breathtaking turquoise colors of the Caribbean, Yucatan and the Mayan culture, the flavors of Oaxaca, the Pueblas churches and Mexico City’s amazing history and the Lady of Guadalupe. For information, contact Fritzie dela Cruz of Rajah Travel 0917-5629370.
