Discover and re-discover Mexico’s cuisine, culture and history through the recipes, backyard stories and other interesting findings of an expatriate in Canada
There is a traditional Mexican tune “La víbora de la mar” (“The Sea Snake”), which is sung as part of a game. I used to play it all the time during recess in elementary school, and much later on, at wedding receptions, as a legendary fast-paced conga line. There are no winners or losers in this game, just a bunch of happy (and thirsty) people ... click on title for more
Two years ago, I shared a traditional Mexican recipe for turkey stuffing with ground meat; this time, I tried a vegan version by using a plant-based ground meat substitute, and the result was excellent. The idea behind this substitution is to have a stuffing as tasty as the original to go with turkey or other poultry, but that if some of the people at the table were vegan or vegetarian, they could simply ignore the bird, with this stuffing rich and satisfying enough to stand alone as their main protein-rich dish. Of course, I then felt the onus to also offer a vegan/vegetarian friendly gravy ... click on title for more
In Mexico and other Latin American countries, recipes for Russian salad probably came in the early 1900s from Spain and even Russia itself; the classic recipe is a mixture of cooked and cubed potatoes and carrots with peas and mayonnaise, which goes great as a side for meat dishes, and with sandwiches. I have posted about this salad before, but in this post, I share all the details on how to prepare my mom's recipe, which with its extra ingredients, takes this salad to another level ... click on title for more
Pasta and cheese have been baked together in Italy and the rest of Europe for centuries. In Mexico, thin noodles from the Middle East (fideos) were brought by the Spaniards sometime during colonial times (1521-1821), but baked pastas became known during the Second French Intervention, and more broadly under the long presidency of Porfirio Díaz, who favoured all things European, particularly if Italian or French. Nowadays, this dish, AKA macaroni cheese, Mac ‘n’ Cheese, or “Coditos en salsa de queso” continues to be comfort food that may be a weekday meal on its own, or a side dish as part of a special dinner ... click on title for more
Today is Thanksgiving Day in the US; since I did not get a chance to post about our Canadian celebration this year, I am sharing the menu that I prepared back in October, which may come in handy while assembling menus for Christmas and end of the year celebrations ... click on title for more
My Slice of Mexico 