Discover and re-discover Mexico’s cuisine, culture and history through the recipes, backyard stories and other interesting findings of an expatriate in Canada
Popping seeds is a traditional way to cook amaranth in Mexico, where it is easy to find, as well as many sweets prepared with it. In other countries, raw amaranth seed has become readily available for its health benefits, and once popped at home, it may be used to prepare those traditional Mexican sweets, such as the all-time favourite alegrías - "joys", or wafer sandwiches ... click on title for more
Huauzontle (Chenopodium nuttalliae) was one of my featured crops last year; I allowed a few plants to go to seed, and this spring, I got lots of volunteer sprouts, which grew very differently from last year’s crop ... click on title for more
After preparing Yucatan style longaniza in my previous post, I wanted to continue the theme with what is probably the best well-known dish from that region: Cochinita pibil. This delicious preparation becomes the classic delight of tacos de cochinita by simply shredding some onto warm tortillas and topping with red onion and habanero spicy condiment ... click on title for more
In Spain, chorizo is usually a fermented, cured, and smoked pork sausage, which may be sliced and eaten without cooking, traditionally seasoned with paprika and a blend of other spices. Mexican chorizos are mostly fresh, or partially cured, and need to be cooked before eating. For Northern Mexico recipes, and most specifically for those from the state of Coahuila, the defining seasonings are ancho peppers and cumin; my mom used them as the basis for her chorizo recipe, and always kept it lean by omitting lard from the ingredient list. I am following all her teachings for this recipe, and by omitting the lard, I was also able to develop a vegan option ... click on title for more
In past years, during the month of September, I have shared recipes for white and green pozole. To complete the theme of pozoles featuring Mexico's national colours, this time I wanted to share a recipe for a red pozole. The best known is probably Pozole Rojo from the state of Jalisco but, since my last post was centred around Puebla, I decided to make Elopozole, a recipe from that state. This soup also features a red broth, but with an extraneous turn from classic pozoles because it calls for fresh corn (elote) instead of hominy ... click on title for more
My Slice of Mexico 