Discover and re-discover Mexico’s cuisine, culture and history through the recipes, backyard stories and other interesting findings of an expatriate in Canada
Natilla is a creamy custard, originally brought from Spain during colonial times; the classic recipe was later adapted to the modern Zacatecan kitchen with a "tres leches" - "three-milk" approach, by using sweetened condensed milk, and evaporated milk, in addition to whole milk. Flavourings are usually added as toppings, such as in this case, with roasted pecans ... click on title for more
Zacatecas is located along mountains and high altitude terrain, in the Mexican Plateau (Altiplano mexicano), between mountain ranges to the East (Sierra Madre Oriental), and the West (Sierra Madre Occidental), where there is a profusion of pine and oak forests. There is a type of cheesy sweet gorditas, very traditional in the Southern regions of Zacatecas; the patties are placed on individual oak leaves, then cooked in stone ovens ... click on title for more
In Central Mexico, specifically Mexico City, unless specified otherwise, a “gordita” is formed from masa (nixtamalized corn dough), and filled before cooking, traditionally with either refried beans, or chicharrón prensado ... click on title for more
Chicharrón prensado is made from the bits left behind after frying large batches of pork meat and rinds (such as carnitas or chicharrón). The leftover bits are collected from the bottom of the pot, and pressed into perforated moulds, to compact the bits of meat, fat and skin into a block, and squeeze some of the melted fat out. In Mexico and some parts of the USA, it is possible to buy chicharrón prensado, but I have never seen it here in Canada ... click on title for more
The month of May is recognized as Asian Heritage month in Canada; this time, I am writing about the Filipino-Mexican connection, and sharing a recipe from the Philippines, Adobong Sitaw with Chicharon, which could almost be Mexican ... click on title for more
My Slice of Mexico 