Discover and re-discover Mexico’s cuisine, culture and history through the recipes, backyard stories and other interesting findings of an expatriate in Canada
Huauzontle (Chenopodium nuttalliae) was amongst the new-to-me crops to try this year in my backyard garden. Huauzontle is a tall plant native to Mexico, grown for its edible seed heads, which develop from inflorescences such as the one pictured at the top of this post. Its leaves are also edible, and turn bright red in the fall, which has given this herb the name of Red Aztec Spinach ... click on title for more
An enchilada is a tortilla in/with chile (pepper); whereas most enchiladas are dipped or covered in the sauce, this rendition from the Mexican state of San Luis Potosi features an ancho pepper paste mixed with the dough (masa) even before forming the tortillas … click on title for more
This is a very elegant-looking dish, and yet, incredibly easy to prepare; the only ingredient that might be hard to find outside Mexico is pickled carricillo peppers, known as chiles gűeros (blond peppers). I served with slices of pork roast, but boiled chicken or turkey might be used instead, and this recipe also works great with grilled fish … click on title for more
There are many regional variations of pozole (hominy soup), depending on the different meats, seasonings and toppings available around the country. In the Mexican state of Guerrero, pozole verde (green hominy soup) is the favourite version. The protein of choice for this recipe is traditionally chicken and, as in the case of other pozoles, all three national colours are still represented by topping with lettuce (green), onion (white) and radishes (red) … click on title for more
An enchilada is a tortilla dunked in chile sauce; an enmolada is a tortilla dunked in mole sauce; it follows then that an enfrijolada is, of course, a tortilla dunked in frijol (bean) sauce. I thought of this recipe as the perfect way to feature the flavour of a good batch of frijoles de la olla (beans from the pot) … click on title for more
Many people, including myself, have wondered why bother with homegrown shelling beans, since the small envelopes of seeds are more expensive than buying a bag of dry beans at the supermarket, probably the same price as a couple of cans, plus the time, work and space the crop takes in the garden. I have to say that not only are they "easy to grow and fun to harvest", but their flavour, texture and the thickness of their broth are definitely worth the effort … click on title for more
Some of my backyard tomatoes this year seem to have a chip on their shoulder, or rather, a condition called “yellow shoulder" … click on title for more
In the Mexican state of Chihuahua, burritos are made with regular sized wheat tortillas, often filled with just two layers: refried beans and one kind of guisado (Mexican stew), then rolled; they might be simpler than the large burrito bundles in Southern US, but equally delicious ...
Deshebrada, meaning “shredded” in Spanish, is the short name for a stew (guisado) very popular in Mexico’s Northern states, especially Chihuahua. Because the region is famous for its cattle, it is implied that this dish is made with beef … click on title for more
In Mexico, it is common to have fried pork rinds just crumbled into a warm corn tortilla, topped with any salsa and enjoyed as a taco; snack size pieces are also served as chips with a bowl of salsa on the side. When there are leftovers from a party or family gathering, it is very convenient to cook them in sauce (sometimes leftover from the party as well), but as a guisado (stewed dish), this Mexican classic is prepared as a staple for any taco bar or burrito line-up … click on title for more
