Fresh masa and Places to dance Latin music
July 27, 2009
Thanks to two articles in the New York Times this week, I am finally able to answer two questions I am often asked: Where can I get fresh masa (corn dough made from corn that has been soaked in cal, calcium hydroxide) in the New York City area? And where can I go [...]
Jicama-Watercress Salad
July 23, 2009
ENSALADA DE JICAMA Y BERROS
(Jicama-Watercress Salad)
Salads were not a big thing in Mexican meals during my Guadalajara days. Around the late seventies there seemed to be an upsurge of interest, just when I was starting my catering business in El Paso and looking for ideas. Suddenly people were doing unusual combinations like this exotic and [...]
Griddle-roasting Chiles and Vegetables
July 20, 2009
Photo by Laurie Smith www.lauriesmithphotos.com
Many Mexican recipes contain either fresh or dried chiles and each one specifies how you should work with them. Fresh chiles are sometimes simply cut up, in other cases you will be asked to boil them, saute or griddle-roast them, Griddle roasating not only aids in removing the peel and adds [...]
Escabeche Casa del Sol
July 19, 2009
Recipe: Escabeche Casa del Sol – Pickled Vegetables
Summary: Our good friends the Estavillos had an excellent restaurant in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, across the border from El Paso, Texas. During the time I lived there (1973-83) there were no really good, more elegant restaurants in El Paso but you could cross the border into Mexico and [...]
Feast of St. Christopher – Fiesta de San Cristobal
July 17, 2009
The first fiesta de pueblo, town feast, I attended was in 1985 in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas.
I have come at the time of a major local festival, the feast of the city’s patron, St. Christopher. The celebration begins a week before St. Christopher’s day, July 25. Each of the seven major Indian villages [...]
Squash Blossoms – Flor de Calabaza
July 17, 2009
As I’ve mentioned before in this section, in Mexico there is an age-old tradition of using every part of a plant. Squashes in particular yield a wealth of delicious dishes. The tendrils go into sopa de guias, a light chicken broth seasoned with a sauteed recaudo of tomatoes, onions, chile and garlic and cubes of [...]
New Series on Home Cooks: Lupe, “la de Nayo”
July 15, 2009
Today I will start a series cooks who I’ve met along the way and who have given me many of the recipes I serve in my restaurant and feature in my cookbooks.
Besides my mother, my earliest cooking teacher was Lupe, la de Nayo (in Mexico, we often refer to a married woman by calling her [...]
Violeta is one year old today and I’m learning be a good grandmother.
July 12, 2009
It finally happened! I always said I wouldn’t! But I’ve caught the grandmother bug just like everybody said I would. But who would not fall head over heels in love with this marvelous creature, blood of my blood, the continuity of the Gabilondo line and the royal blood of my wonderful daughter in law Victoria?
Always [...]
Other equipment favorite
July 6, 2009
I wish amazon associates carried my 24-inch Garland professional gas home range so that I could get a nice big commission. What I love most about is it huge oven. A hotel-size sheet pan fits in perfectly and there is enough space to cook 2 turkeys at a time.Plus it even has a broiler! It’s [...]
Summer Entertaining with La Caja China
July 5, 2009
To this day, that is the most gorgeous, perfectly cooked and delicious pig i ever ate and the caja china has become one of my favorite ways to cook whole lambs, goats, and pigs
