On a recent trip to Mexico we found “Huitlacoche Quesadillas” on the menu. Barnaby, being well-versed in Mexican cuisine, exclaimed, “Oooh! Corn smut!”

What the !?

Huitlacoche (pronounced wheat-la-co-chay) is a disease of corn caused by a fungus that infects the kernels creating mushroom-like tumors. The name huitlacoche comes from the Nahuatl (Aztecs) word reportedly meaning raven’s exrement.

Hmm, it has “smut” in the name (something I generally only call my trashy magazines or some nasty thing that comes out of a drain), it’s a disease, it has tumors, and the Aztecs called it bird crap.

Is your mouth watering yet? No? Mine wasn’t either.

Farmers in most countries regard corn smut as a blight and spend great amounts of money to destroy it, but in Mexico it’s considered a delicacy. I want to know who the brave soul was that ate it first. I decided to buck up and give it a try. It has an earthy mushroom-like flavor and is at once sweet and savory.

It was divine.

Look for it in Latin markets or buy it on Amazon.com.

 

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Categories:	Latin • Mexican	Leave a Comment
Tags:	corn smut • corn truffle • huitlacoche • Mexican • Mexican corn truffle • Mexican truffles

I don’t quite remember where or when I discovered chilaquiles, but it was many years ago in Mexico and I remember thinking (or more likely exclaiming out loud), “Tortilla chips for breakfast? I love this country!”

Chilaquiles is a typical Mexican dish served at breakfast or brunch. It’s known as the “poor man’s breakfast” because it’s made from leftovers, namely tortilla chips. Chips or strips (or totopos) of corn tortillas are layered in a dish and smothered in sauce, typically either green (made with tomatillos) or red, and simmered until the chips are soft. It is then topped with grated cotija cheese (similar to feta or ricotta salata but less salty) and crema (like sour cream), and is sometimes served with chicken, refried beans and/or eggs.

For an easy Chilaquiles recipe click here.

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Categories:	Cheese • Cooking tips • Mexican	4 Comments
Tags:	breakfast • brunch • chicken • chilaquiles • corn tortillas • Mexican • refried beans • salsa verde • Tortillas

One of my favorite light summer dinners to make is refreshing gazpacho. This chilled soup is sure to quickly soothe an overly hot body. The recipes that I prefer are those without bread, making them lighter and healthier (especially if you’re dieting).

This recipe is from my mother’s friend, Vicki Sebastiani, founder of Viansa Winery in Sonoma, California. You can find it in her wonderful cookbook Cucina Viansa.

Gazpacho alla California

Makes 8 cups
1 large cucumber: peeled, seeded and diced
1 large red onion: peeled and diced
1 large red bell pepper: seeded and diced
1 large zucchini, diced
6 large tomatoes: peeled seeded and diced (about 6 cups)
1/4 cup white wine
2 cups tomato juice
3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Dash of Tobasco sauce (optional)

Garnish:

1/2 sour cream
1/2 cup fresh minced chives
1/2 cups croutons, preferably homemade (I skipped this in my preparation)

Note: I also like to toss in avocado for extra creaminess.

Set aside about a 1/2 cup each of the diced cucumber, onion, pepper, and zucchini. Toss the remaining ingredients into a blender and puree slightly, so vegetables remain a little chunky. Cover tightly and refrigerate 2-3 hours, or until chilled. Either stir the remaining vegetables into the soup, or arrange on a separate dish to be added individually. Nice served with a dollop of sour cream, too.

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Categories:	Cookbooks • Mexican • Soup • Veggies	3 Comments
Tags:	cookbook • Food • foodista • gazpacho • Mexican • recipe • Soup • tomato • vegetables • viansa • Winery

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Do you really know why we celebrate this day? Most Americans do not. Here’s why: because it gives Americans just one more day to get their drink on. Or so it appears that way.

Actually it’s a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride. But, I bet if you interview people on the street and ask them why we celebrate this day they’ll probably look and you and exclaim, “So we can drink margaritas!” Or, they will say it the Mexican version of Fourth of July. But, Cinco de Mayo is not, as most people think, Mexican Independence Day. In fact, it’s a regional holiday celebrated primarily in the state of Puebla to commemorate the Mexican victory led by General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín over French forces in the Battle of Puebla on, you guessed it, May 5, 1862.

But it gives us an excuse to indulge on Mexican cuisine and beverages, so arrrrrrrriiiiiiibbbbbaaaa!

Here’s one of my favorite Mexican beverages: the michelada, which is essentially lime beer. Micheladas are refreshing, light and don’t fill you up like sweet/salty margaritas. Nor do they leave you with a nasty tequila hangover the next morning.

Michelada

1. Salt the rim of a tall glass and fill it with ice
2. Squeeze in the juice of half to a whole large lime (I prefer mine very limey so I add a lot)
3. Pour in your beer of choice, preferably Mexican…it is Cinco de Mayo afterall!

Enjoy and be safe!

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Categories:	Beverages • Mexican	4 Comments
Tags:	beer • Beverages • cinco de mayo • drinks • Food • foodista • Mexican • Mexico • michelada

I love Mexican food. So much so that I think I was Mexicana in a previous life. Actually, I say that when I eat just about any food, really. I’ve been Japanese, French, Italian…you get the picture.

My newest love is mole. You’re probably saying, “Well, what took you so long?” Honestly, I had a bit of a bad experience years ago (I’ll spare you the gory details) and have been a bit averse to trying this rich dish again. But with a less whimpy belly, a fierce gusto for food and a recent trip back to Mexico, I tried it once more.

“Holy mole this is good!” I cried with gastronomical glee. I.Am.Hooked.

I know visually it may not knock your socks off, but believe me taste-wise it will.

Mole (pronounced mo-lay) is like curry. In fact, mole is a generic term for “sauce” and, like curry, comes in a variety of flavors. Such as, guacamole, or “avocado sauce.”

Probably the most well-know mole is Mole Poblano which is made from dried chili peppers, a whole gang of spices such as cinnamon and cloves, ground seeds and nuts, Mexican chocolate (stay with me now, it’s great), aromatics…oh the list goes on!

It’s no easy thing to whip up a mole. Well, a good traditional Mole Poblano, that is. It can take days to prepare a truly authentic one. But the good news is there are a variety of premade moles readily available at your local Mexican market or markets that carry ethnic foods.

We bought a Mole Verde (green mole) and prepared it with chicken like so:

We julienned some red and yellow peppers along with a large sweet yellow onion. Then we sauteed them in a large pan with a bit of olive oil until browned, removed them from the pan and set aside. In the same pan we heated up some more olive oil and browned a whole chicken (cut into parts). Once browned we added the pepper and onion mixture to the chicken. In a separate saucepan we heated the entire jar of mole and a bottle of white wine (minus a sip or two – wink, wink) until thoroughly mixed. We then added the sauce to the chicken and simmered the whole shebang for hours. You want to simmer at least a good two hours to allow the flavors to truly marry.

Muuuuuy delicioso!

If you have nothing better to do on a Sunday afternoon try one of these great mole recipes from Ramekins. I specifically like the sound of Mole Poblano #5.

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Categories:	Cooking tips • Latin • Meat & Poultry • Mexican • Nuts • Sauces • Seasoning & Spices • Travel	4 Comments
Tags:	aromatics • chicken • Chili Peppers • cooking • Food • foodista • Mexican • Mexico • mole • Nuts • pepper • recipe • recipes • sauce • seeds • spices • Spicy