APPETIZERS
ANTOJITOS Without doubt the Mexicans are the most persistent noshers in the world. Who wouldn’t be, with such an endless variety of things to nibble on along the streets and in the marketplaces? Even if you think you are not hungry you will be enticed by the smell, by the artistry with which the food is displayed, or just because it is something new to try, for Mexican cooks are among the most creative anywhere. Next time you wander the streets of any Mexican city or small town, pause at the taquería on the corner and see if your mouth doesn’t start to water as the floppy, hot tortillas are crammed with shredded meat or carnitas and doused in a robust green tomato sauce from an enormous black molcajete, or as the quesadillas are patted out and stuffed with squash flowers and browned on a comal. Any hour of the day, and well into the night, there will be groups of people standing and eating with great concentration—for this is no time to talk.
In Ensenada it is the pismo clam that is the favorite of the sidewalk carts; in the La Paz market the tacos are made of shredded fish, and in Morelia they are made of brains sprinkled with chopped cilantro. As you wander around the markets of central Mexico you will be offered completely pre-Hispanic food, small fish wrapped in corn husks and cooked over charcoal, or tlacoyos, oval pieces of rather thick dough filled with a paste of beans; at the back of the Oaxaca market you can snack on toasted grasshoppers and the perennial favorite everywhere, ears of corn hot from the steamer or roasted to a dark brown over charcoal. And with all the marvelous antojitos that exist in Yucatán, I can’t help but raise my eyebrows every time I see a little cart, proudly displaying a “hot dogs” sign, being pushed around the cathedral plaza. If you are looking for something less substantial there are always peanuts and pumpkin seeds, still warm and their shells blackened slightly from the recent toasting, and in Chihuahua the tiniest acorns I have ever seen, slightly sweet and at the same time bitter.
At practically any street corner a woman may come along with her charcoal brazier and a large metal cooking sheet with a shallow circular well in the center for the fat and wide, sloping sides to hold the cooked filling or the newly fried enchiladas. I shall never forget the streets around the Puebla market at dusk on a Saturday evening. Everybody seemed to be scurrying around with braziers, charcoal, or baskets of food, and the smoke drifting out of every other doorway brought with it the pungent fragrance of ocote—the thin strips of resinous pine—used to fire the charcoal.
To combat the midday heat, stands covered with decorative green leaves sell skinned mangoes, cut like flowers and stuck onto thin sticks like lollipops, as well as another recent innovation: small paper cones, held in racks, and brimming over with mixed fruits—watermelon, melon, pineapple, and cucumber—and everything sprinkled with salt and powdered chile piquín as it is served. And later on in the year, sliced jícama, cucumbers opened up lengthwise like flowers.
Food vendors push their little barrows for miles to post themselves outside some big institution or government office, hospital, school, or prison to offer sustenance to the constant flow of people. Whenever a crowd gathers to watch the police or firemen at work, out of nowhere appears a little man pushing his cart of goodies to sustain the excited onlookers. Antonio Mayo Sánchez, in his book Cocina Mexicana, writes: “Any of the dozens of varieties make ideal snacks to appease the appetite while waiting for dinner or to bolster the stomach against the effect of cocktails when entertaining guests, or simply to justify their very name antojito—a little whim.”
SIKIL P’AK Pumpkin Seed Dip
MAKES ABOUT 1½ CUPS (375 ML)
According to the late eminent Mayan ethnologist Dr. Alfredo Barrera Vásquez, the correct name for this dish is ha’-sikil-p’ak: ha’ (water), sikil (pumpkin or squash seed), and p’ak (tomato). It is a truly Mayan concoction, except for the addition of the cilantro, which must have crept in later, and the substitution of chives, which very much resemble in taste and appearance the cebollina—a variety of the same plant—used so much in the cooking of Campeche and Yucatán.
Sikil P’ak is served in Yucatán today as a dip (horrible word!) with crisp-fried or toasted tortillas—and what a healthy dip it is, compared to those packaged soup and gummy cheese affairs. If you are feeling extravagant with your calories, you can eat it on top of pimes, small masa cakes piled with the delicious pork pieces called Lomitos.
Many cooks will tell you that the tomatoes should be boiled, but some prefer the flavor of them broiled; you may, therefore, do as you like. The chile is optional, although, as I have said many times before, the habanero chile has an enticing flavor of its own.
In Yucatán the tiniest, unshelled pumpkin seed, locally called chinchilla, is used; it is about ½ inch long and ¼ inch wide. However, I have made this dish with practically every squash seed I have come across, and the seeds taste fine providing you toast them very well indeed and grind them very fine, until they are almost pulverized, and add a small amount of hulled seeds.
1 CUP (250 ML) UNHULLED RAW PUMPKIN SEEDS
¼ CUP (65 ML) HULLED RAW PUMPKIN SEEDS
1 HABANERO CHILE OR ANY FRESH, HOT GREEN CHILE, WIPED CLEAN
1½ TEASPOONS SALT, OR TO TASTE
12 OUNCES (340 G) TOMATOES, BROILED
⅔ CUP (165 ML) WATER, APPROXIMATELY
2 HEAPED TABLESPOONS ROUGHLY CHOPPED CILANTRO
2 HEAPED TABLESPOONS FINELY CHOPPED CHIVES
Heat a thick frying pan or comal and toast the unhulled seeds slowly, turning them constantly, until the hulls are well browned and crisp (some types of seeds will start to pop open). Add the hulled pumpkin seeds and toast for 1 minute more. Set them aside to cool. Meanwhile, toast the chile, turning it from time to time until it is blistered and black-brown in spots.
Using an electric coffee/spice grinder, grind the toasted seeds, together with the salt, to a coarse powder. Transfer to a small serving bowl.
Blend the unskinned tomatoes briefly with ⅓ cup (85 ml) of the water. Stir into the ground pumpkin seeds together with the cilantro, chives, and whole chile. (If you prefer a more picante dish, blend a small piece of the chile with the tomatoes before mixing them with the seeds.) The mixture should have the consistency of mayonnaise. If it is too thick, you may have to add a little more water to dilute it.
Serve it at room temperature, as a dip.
NOTE: Sikil P’ak can be made ahead of time and will keep for a few days, although the fresh cilantro taste does suffer a little. I do not recommend freezing.
QUESO RELLENO Yucatecan Stuffed Cheese
SERVES 8
This stuffed cheese dish served as an appetizer in Yucatán is a most elaborate affair, in terms of both preparation and flavors. It is a relative latecomer to the foods of the Yucatán Peninsula and an intriguing way of using the round Dutch cheeses that were found at a reasonable price (then) in the free port shops of Chetumal and Cozumel.
Any leftovers, although not likely, could be frozen and reheated gently (so as not to toughen the cheese) for tacos.
It is very difficult to give an exact cooking time, as it will vary tremendously depending upon the age of the cheese and such considerations as the conditions under which it has been stored. Always hollow out the cheese the day before using. If it is dry and rather hard, then leave it to soak overnight in cold water. If the cheese is new and soft, do not soak it, but leave it out of the refrigerator overnight and until you finally cook it. The cheese will sag when it is cooked through, but the trick is to have the inside and outside cheese melted evenly without letting it lose its shape and go completely flat. Both warming the stuffing before you put it into the cheese and cooking it over medium heat will help. The time can vary from 15 to 35 minutes. After the first 10 minutes, feel the cheese to see how soft it is.
One of the Campeche cooks likes to wrap the cheese in a banana leaf first. Not only does the leaf give it a subtle flavor, but the leaf also forms an attractive base for the cheese on the serving dish. Some cooks in Yucatán submerge the cheese in the meat broth to soften it, but I find it becomes rather messy to untie and serve.
A 4-POUND (1.8-KG) EDAM CHEESE
8 OUNCES (225 G) PORK
8 OUNCES (225 G) BEEF
3½ CUPS (875 ML) WATER
SALT TO TASTE
3 GARLIC CLOVES, UNPEELED AND TOASTED
¼ TEASPOON DRIED MEXICAN OREGANO (YUCATECAN IF POSSIBLE), TOASTED
2 TABLESPOONS LARD OR VEGETABLE OIL
½ MEDIUM GREEN PEPPER, FINELY CHOPPED
½ MEDIUM WHITE ONION, FINELY CHOPPED
1 HEAPED TABLESPOON DRAINED LARGE CAPERS
1¼ POUNDS (565 G) TOMATOES, FINELY CHOPPED (3 CUPS/750 ML)
15 SMALL PITTED GREEN OLIVES, ROUGHLY CHOPPED
1 HEAPED TABLESPOON RAISINS
½ TEASPOON SALT
10 PEPPERCORNS
2 WHOLE ALLSPICE
2 WHOLE CLOVES
¼-INCH (.75-CM) PIECE OF CINNAMON STICK
SALT TO TASTE
3 GARLIC CLOVES
½ TABLESPOON MILD WHITE VINEGAR
4 HARD-COOKED EGGS
A LITTLE VEGETABLE OIL
2 CUPS (500 ML) RESERVED MEAT BROTH
2 TABLESPOONS ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR
A PINCH OF SAFFRON
1 X-CAT-IK CHILE OR GÜERO, CHARRED (DO NOT SKIN)
THE REMAINING TOMATO BASE
½ CUP (125 ML) TOMATO JUICE OR WATER
SALT TO TASTE
Pare off the red skin. Cut a ½-inch (1.5-cm) slice off the top of the cheese to make the “lid.” Hollow out the inside of the cheese until the shell is about ½ inch (1.5 cm) thick. If the cheese is very hard, leave it to soak overnight (see note). Reserve the scooped-out cheese for another use.
Cut the meat into ½-inch (1.5-cm) cubes, and add it with the rest of the ingredients to the pan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and cook until the meat is tender—30 to 35 minutes. Let the meat cool in the broth.
Strain the meat, reserving the broth. Chop the meat fine.
Heat the lard and fry the pepper, onion, and capers slowly, without browning, until they are soft.
Mash the tomatoes and add them, with the rest of the ingredients, to the pan. Cook over medium heat for about 8 minutes.
Divide the mixture in two, half for the stuffing and half for the sauce.
Crush the spices together with the salt, garlic, and vinegar.
Put the meats, spice mixture, and tomato base into a large skillet and mix well.
Separate the egg whites from the yolks, being careful to keep the yolks whole. Set the yolks aside. Chop the whites fine and add them to the ingredients in the pan.
Cook the mixture over medium heat for about 8 minutes—it should be almost dry.
Put half the stuffing into the cheese; set the whole yolks into it and cover with the remaining stuffing. Replace the top slice of the cheese.
Smear the outside of the cheese well with oil and wrap it tightly in a cloth, tying it on top. Place the cheese on a small plate in the steamer. Cover the steamer with a tightly fitting lid and cook the cheese until it is soft (see note).
Meanwhile, prepare the gravy. Heat the broth. Add a little of it to the flour and stir to a smooth paste. Stir the rest of the broth into the paste until it is smooth. Return to the pan and cook over gentle heat until the gravy thickens slightly, stirring constantly. Add the saffron, chile, and salt, set aside and keep warm.
Heat the tomato base and juice together and add salt as necessary.
To serve, unwrap the cheese, remove the “lid,” and pour the hot tomato sauce and the gravy over it. Serve with plenty of hot tortillas and Salsa de Chile Habanero. Each person will make his own tacos.
PAPAS ESCABECHADAS Yucatecan Pickled Potatoes
MAKES ABOUT 2⅔ CUPS (665 ML)
This and the two following recipes—Ibis Escabechados and Calabaza Frita—are three of the very tasty botanas served free of charge to accompany drinks in the cantinas of Mérida. Of course, these tidbits should also encourage you to drink more, so they should be slightly salty. They happen to be among my favorites and along with Sikil P’ak make delicious vegetarian snacks. The juice of bitter orange gives this snack a very special flavor.
These potatoes are best when made about 1 hour before serving and are still good the following day.
1 CUP (250 ML) LOOSELY PACKED, THINLY SLICED WHITE ONION
BOILING WATER TO COVER
SALT TO TASTE
¼ CUP (65 ML) BITTER ORANGE JUICE OR FRESH LIME JUICE
½ HABANERO CHILE, FINELY CHOPPED
12 OUNCES (340 G) WAXY POTATOES, CUT INTO ¾-INCH (2-CM) CUBES
⅓ CUP (85 ML) FIRMLY PACKED, FINELY CHOPPED CILANTRO
Cover the onion with the boiling water and leave to soak for 1 minute. Drain, add salt to taste, and stir in the bitter orange juice and chile. Set aside in a nonreactive bowl at room temperature to macerate while you cook the potatoes.
Put enough water into a small saucepan to cover the potatoes. Bring the water to a boil, add the potatoes, and cook over medium heat until just tender—about 8 minutes. Drain, cool off a little, and peel—but while still slightly warm add to the onion. Stir in the cilantro and add more salt as necessary. Serve at room temperature.
IBIS ESCABECHADOS Yucatecan Pickled Lima Beans
MAKES ABOUT 3 CUPS (750 ML)
Ibis, both fresh and dried, are used in the food of the Yucatán Peninsula. They very closely resemble lima beans.
1 CUP (250 ML) LOOSELY PACKED, THINLY SLICED WHITE ONION
BOILING WATER TO COVER
SALT TO TASTE
¼ CUP (65 ML) BITTER ORANGE JUICE OR FRESH LIME JUICE
½ HABANERO CHILE, FINELY CHOPPED
12 OUNCES (340 G) IBIS OR LIMA BEANS (ABOUT 2½ CUPS/625 ML)
⅓ CUP (85 ML) FIRMLY PACKED, FINELY CHOPPED CILANTRO
Cover the onion with the boiling water and leave to soak for 1 minute. Drain, add salt to taste, and stir in the bitter orange juice and chile. Set aside in a nonreactive bowl at room temperature to macerate while you cook the beans.
Put enough water into a small saucepan to cover the beans. Bring the water to a boil, add the beans, and cook over medium heat until just tender—about 10 minutes. Drain, and while still warm add to the onion. Stir in the cilantro and add salt as necessary. Serve at room temperature.
CALABAZA FRITA “Fried” Pumpkin
MAKES ABOUT 5 CUPS (1.25 L)
Although this recipe has a prosaic name, it is a delicious way of preparing pumpkin either tender or mature—I prefer the latter, as does one of my gurus for Yucatecan cooking, Señora Berta López de Marrufo. I first ate this dish in a Mérida cantina where it was served with totopos as a botana with drinks. With the addition of cooked pork ribs it can be converted into a main dish.
When tender the Yucatecan pumpkin or acorn squash substitute resembles a large pattypan squash except for the fact that it has a dark green skin and pale orange flesh. It does not need to be pre-cooked for this recipe. Once it matures, like all pumpkins, it has a hard rind. I prefer to leave this on when pre-cooking.
The small chile dulce is typically used in Yucatán and, although it does not have as delicate a flavor and texture, an ordinary green pepper may be substituted.
Calabaza Frita is the sort of dish that can be prepared several hours, or even one day, ahead—in fact, it improves in flavor. But I do not suggest freezing as it will become too mushy.
2 POUNDS (900 G) UNPEELED PUMPKIN, CUT INTO SMALL PIECES
⅓ TO ½ CUP (85 TO 125 ML) OLIVE OIL (NOT EXTRA VIRGIN)
1 SMALL WHITE ONION, FINELY CHOPPED (½ CUP/125 ML)
1 GREEN PEPPER, SEEDED AND FINELY CHOPPED (1 SCANT CUP/235 ML)
12 OUNCES (340 G) TOMATOES, FINELY CHOPPED (ABOUT 2 CUPS/500 ML)
SALT TO TASTE
⅓ CUP (85 ML) FINELY GRATED QUESO SECO DE CHIAPAS OR AÑEJO OR ROMANO CHEESE
Put the pumpkin pieces into a large pot, cover with water, bring to a boil, lower the heat, and cook, covered, until still a little firm, about 20 minutes depending on the type of pumpkin. Drain, peel, and cut into ½-inch (1.5-cm) cubes. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a deep flameproof casserole; add the onion, pepper, and tomatoes with salt to taste and cook over medium heat, stirring from time to time to avoid sticking, until well seasoned and still a little juicy—about 8 minutes.
Add the cubed pumpkin and mix well. Continue cooking over low heat, stirring from time to time to avoid sticking, adding a little water if mixture is too dry, for about 15 minutes. Test for salt, then set aside to season for at least 30 minutes.
Serve sprinkled with the cheese and accompanied by tostadas.
SALPICÓN YUCATECO OR DZIK DE VENADO Yucatecan Shredded Meat
SERVES 6 YUCATÁN
In Tampico, on the Gulf Coast, one is offered tacos of salpicón de jaiba, shredded crabmeat cooked with onion, chiles, and cilantro. Farther down the coast, along the Lagoon of Tamiahua, the salpicón would be a more complicated one, of shredded fish with olives, raisins, and capers, called saragalla. But in Yucatán the most common salpicón or dzik de venado is made of shredded venison that has first been cooked in a pit barbecue called a pib. It is then mixed with Seville orange juice and chopped radishes and cilantro to make a fresh, crisp filling for tacos on a hot day.
Once assembled, the salpicón should be eaten within the hour, if possible. After that time the ingredients will lose their freshness and the color will leach from the radishes.
Actually, any meat can be used. It would, in fact, make an interesting way of using up a leftover roast.
1 CUP (250 ML) COOKED AND SHREDDED MEAT
½ CUP (125 ML) SEVILLE ORANGE JUICE OR SUBSTITUTE
⅔ CUP (165 ML) RADISHES CUT INTO THIN STRIPS
3 TABLESPOONS VERY FINELY CHOPPED CILANTRO
SALT TO TASTE
Mix all the ingredients and let them season for about 30 minutes before serving.
This salpicón is, of course, served at room temperature with a pile of freshly made tortillas.
GUACAMOLE Avocado Dip
MAKES ABOUT 2⅓ CUPS (585 ML)
The word guacamole comes from the Nahuatl words for “avocado” (ahuacatl) and “mixture,” or “concoction” (molli)— and what a beautiful “concoction” guacamole is, pale green sparked with the cilantro’s darker green and the red of the tomato. Its beauty is definitely enhanced if it is served in the molcajete in which it has been made and where it rightfully belongs. (Never, never use a blender for the avocado to turn it into one of those smooth, homogeneous messes!) If you don’t possess a molcajete, then use a blender for the base ingredients and mash avocados into it.
Guacamole is usually eaten in Mexico at the beginning of a meal with a pile of hot, freshly made tortillas or with other botanas (snacks), like crisp pork skins (chicharrón) or little pieces of crispy pork (carnitas). It will also often accompany a plate of tacos. It is so delicate that it is best eaten the moment it is prepared. There are many suggestions for keeping it—covering it airtight, leaving the pit in, and so forth—but they will help only for a brief time; almost immediately the delicate green will darken and the fresh, wonderful flavor will be lost.
2 TABLESPOONS FINELY CHOPPED WHITE ONION
4 SERRANO CHILES, OR TO TASTE, FINELY CHOPPED
3 HEAPED TABLESPOONS ROUGHLY CHOPPED CILANTRO
SALT TO TASTE
3 LARGE AVOCADOS (ABOUT 1 POUND, 6 OUNCES/630 G)
4 OUNCES (115 G) TOMATOES, FINELY CHOPPED (ABOUT ⅔ CUP/165 ML)
1 HEAPED TABLESPOON FINELY CHOPPED WHITE ONION
2 HEAPED TABLESPOONS ROUGHLY CHOPPED CILANTRO
Grind together the onion, chiles, cilantro, and salt to a paste.
Cut the avocados into halves, remove the pits, and squeeze the flesh out of the shells and mash into the chile base to a textured consistency—it should not be smooth. Stir in all but 1 tablespoon of the tomatoes, adjust seasoning, and top with the remaining chopped tomatoes, onion, and cilantro.
Serve immediately at room temperature (see note). I do not recommend freezing.
CACAHUATES ENCHILADOS Chilied Peanuts
MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP (250 ML)
These fiery little snacks invariably turn up on the table in a Mexican bar, providing a great incentive to drink more tequila and then tone it all down by sucking on those half-moon wedges of lime. But if you eat too many of them or make them too picante, you may as well forget about eating carefully prepared, delicate foods; your palate can easily be burned out.
The ordinary commercial chile powder sold in the United States is not sharp enough for this or the following recipe. Use a powder of piquín chile, chile de árbol, or cayenne.
1 TABLESPOON VEGETABLE OIL
1 CUP (250 ML) RAW SHELLED PEANUTS, WITH OR WITHOUT BROWN PAPERY SKINS
10 SMALL GARLIC CLOVES
1 TO 1½ TEASPOONS POWDERED CHILE DE ÁRBOL, OR TO TASTE
1 TEASPOON SALT, OR TO TASTE
In a frying pan just large enough to accommodate the peanuts in one layer, heat the oil. Add the peanuts and garlic cloves and fry for about 2 minutes, turning them over constantly. Lower the heat a little, add the powdered chile and salt, and cook for a minute or two longer, stirring from time to time to avoid sticking; take care that the chile powder does not burn.
Set aside to cool before serving with drinks.
MARISCOS A LA MARINERA Seafood Cocktail
SERVES 6
This cocktail can be prepared with any seafood: raw clams or scallops, abalone, conch, or cooked shrimps. And how much fresher and crunchier a cocktail it is than the usual version of rubbery shrimps drowned in a commercially made tomato sauce. It is perhaps best eaten immediately after it is prepared, but if you do want to prepare it ahead, don’t let it stand for more than 2 hours or the ingredients will lose their fresh flavor and crispness. Naturally, it should not be so cold that the flavor is lost and the oil congealed.
I prefer to serve this with hot, freshly made tortillas, or with dried tortillas, toasted until crisp on a comal or in the oven.
3 DOZEN LARGE RAW CLAMS OR SCALLOPS OR MEDIUM-SIZE COOKED SHRIMPS
½ CUP (125 ML) FRESH LIME JUICE
ABOUT 12 OUNCES (340 G) TOMATOES, FINELY CHOPPED (ABOUT 2 CUPS/500 ML)
1 SMALL WHITE ONION, FINELY CHOPPED (ABOUT ¼ CUP/65 ML)
1 LARGE AVOCADO, CUBED
3 TO 4 SERRANO CHILES OR ANY FRESH, HOT GREEN CHILES, FINELY CHOPPED WITH SEEDS
2 HEAPED TABLESPOONS FINELY CHOPPED CILANTRO
3 TABLESPOONS OLIVE OIL
SALT AND FRESHLY GROUND PEPPER TO TASTE
If you are using clams, open them or have them opened for you, saving both the clams and their juice. If you are using scallops, let them marinate in the lime juice for an hour or so. Combine the clams (and their liquid) or other seafood with the rest of the ingredients, adjust the seasoning, and serve slightly chilled (see note).
CAVIAR DE CHAPALA Carp Roe Snack
SERVES 6
The name speaks for itself. Sometimes it is called caviar autóctono (“indigenous” caviar), as it is made from the roe of fish from Lake Chapala. When I first ate it there in a lakeside restaurant, it was made from carp roe, but in fact you could substitute raw cod or any less expensive roe. It is served as an appetizer with hot tortillas and little dishes of finely chopped onion, serrano chile, cilantro, and green (unripe) tomatoes, so that each person can make a taco, seasoning it al gusto.
1 TABLESPOON SALT
1 POUND (450 G) CARP ROE
¼ CUP (65 ML) VEGETABLE OR OLIVE OIL
ABOUT 6 OUNCES (180 G) TOMATOES, FINELY CHOPPED (ABOUT 1 CUP/250 ML)
2 TABLESPOONS FINELY CHOPPED WHITE ONION
1 GARLIC CLOVE, FINELY CHOPPED
½ CUP (125 ML) FINELY CHOPPED WHITE ONION
⅓ CUP (85 ML) FINELY CHOPPED GREEN, UNRIPE TOMATOES OR TOMATE VERDE
⅓ CUP (85 ML) FINELY CHOPPED CILANTRO
⅓ CUP (85 ML) FINELY CHOPPED SERRANO CHILES OR ANY OTHER FRESH, HOT GREEN CHILES
Put the salt and enough water to cover the roe in a shallow pan and bring to the simmering point. Add the roe and let it simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, depending on thickness, then remove and drain. When it is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and crumble the roe.
Heat the oil in a heavy pan. Add the tomatoes, onion, and garlic and fry over fairly high heat, stirring from time to time and scraping the bottom of the pan, until the onion is soft and the mixture is almost dry. Add the crumbled roe with salt to taste and continue frying the mixture over medium heat, turning it over constantly, until dry and crumbly, about 5 minutes.
Serve hot, accompanied by the onion and the other finely chopped toppings, in small separate bowls, and a pile of hot corn tortillas.
OSTIONES PIMENTADOS Peppered Oysters
INSPIRED BYSEÑOR ANGEL DELGADO, RESTAURANTE LAS DILIGENCIAS, TAMPICO
SERVES 6 TO 8
When trying out and writing a recipe like this, I can hear my own and other voices saying, “What a crime … good oysters are best raw,” etc. Yes, but this does make an interestingly tasty snack with drinks or served, atypically, as a first course with wafer-thin black bread. Come to think of it, not everyone likes raw oysters, while they will happily consume a can of smoked ones. Enough of excuses. These oysters may be served hot or at room temperature, preferably on the half shell. Champagne is a wonderful accompaniment.
4 DOZEN OYSTERS, SHUCKED, SHELLS AND LIQUID RESERVED
2 TEASPOONS WHOLE PEPPERCORNS
½ TEASPOON SALT, OR TO TASTE
6 GARLIC CLOVES
1 TABLESPOON FRESH LIME JUICE, MORE IF DESIRED
2 TABLESPOONS OLIVE OIL
2 MEXICAN BAY LEAVES
Heat the liquid from the oysters to the simmering point, then add the oysters and poach until the edges start to curl, about 2 minutes. Drain the oysters, reserving the broth.
Crush the peppercorns with the salt in a molcajete or mortar. Pound in the garlic and gradually add the lime juice. Last of all, add about 3 tablespoons of the reserved oyster broth. Mix well.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the bay leaves and the peppercorn mixture and cook over high heat for about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add the oysters. Adjust the seasoning, then add a squeeze of lime juice and a little more of the oyster liquid if desired.
Serve warm or at room temperature in half shells.
NOTE: For best results for a large quantity, poach the oysters lightly and drain. Then prepare the seasoning, and assemble at the last moment. Do not attempt to freeze.
SALPICÓN DE JAIBA Shredded Crabmeat and Vegetables
MAKES ENOUGH TO FILL 12 SMALL TORTILLAS
When I first visited Tampico at the beginning of the seventies, I found what was to become one of my favorite regional restaurants at that time in the Hotel Inglaterra. The owner, Fidel Loredo, the brother of José Inés Loredo, the famous restaurateur whose restaurants in Mexico City are still renowned today, gave me this simple but delicious recipe. It smacks of Chinese food and perhaps the influence came from the Chinese merchant ships frequenting the port of Tampico.
The crabmeat was from the small blue crabs from that area that are certainly time-consuming to clean—but most cooks can buy crabmeat already prepared.
This salpicón makes a delicious filling for small tacos or can be served with plain white rice.
¼ CUP (65 ML) VEGETABLE OIL
⅓ CUP (85 ML) FINELY CHOPPED WHITE ONION
½ CUP (125 ML) FINELY CHOPPED CELERY
5 SERRANO CHILES, FINELY CHOPPED, WITH SEEDS
1 CUP (250 ML) COOKED, SHREDDED CRABMEAT
3 TABLESPOONS FINELY CHOPPED CILANTRO
SALT TO TASTE
Heat the oil in a skillet and cook the onion gently until translucent.
Add the celery, chiles, and crabmeat and fry until they just begin to brown slightly. The mixture should be rather dry. Lastly, add the cilantro and salt and cook for 1 minute more.
Serve with hot tortillas.
CHICHARRÓN EN ESCABECHE Pickled Pork Rind
SERVES 6
When visiting Tehuacán, Puebla, many years ago to do a story on the Matanzas, or mass killing of goats (see My Mexico), I was taken by friends who lived there to visit a grand old lady who had a great reputation as a cook. She lived in a large turn-of-the-century house in a sad state of disrepair, but the family portraits and faded furniture spoke of a bygone elegance. Most of the dishes she prepared reflected her upbringing in Alvarado, Veracruz, by Andalusian parents, so it surprised me that this recipe, Mexican through and through, was one of her favorites.
¼ CUP (65 ML) VEGETABLE OIL
2 MEDIUM PURPLE ONIONS, THICKLY SLICED
6 GARLIC CLOVES, LEFT WHOLE
1½ CUPS (375 ML) VINEGAR, MILD OR DILUTED WITH ½ CUP (125 ML) WATER, APPROXIMATELY
½ TEASPOON DRIED MEXICAN OREGANO
3 SPRIGS FRESH THYME OR ⅛ TEASPOON DRIED
½ TEASPOON SALT, OR TO TASTE
FRESHLY GROUND PEPPER
8 OUNCES (225 G) CHICHARRÓN, THE THINNER THE BETTER, BROKEN INTO 2-INCH (5-CM) SQUARES
2 JALAPEÑO CHILES EN ESCABECHE, CUT INTO STRIPS
1 AVOCADO, PEELED AND SLICED
Heat the oil and gently fry the onions and garlic without browning for about 2 minutes. Add the vinegar, oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper to the pan and bring to a boil. Add the chicharrón pieces and chiles and cook over fairly high heat, stirring from time to time to avoid sticking, until the chicharrón has softened and absorbed almost all the vinegar—about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool, then serve, topped with slices of avocado.
To my mind, Chicharrón en Escabeche is best served as soon as it has cooled off, but it will keep indefinitely in the refrigerator (although it congeals and must be brought up to room temperature before serving).
QUESO FLAMEADO “Flamed” Cheese
SERVES 6
This is the Mexican version of a cheese fondue—not as delicate, of course, but robust and very well complemented by a picante tomato sauce and a stack of flour tortillas.
In and around Guadalajara this is called queso fundido (melted cheese), but in the northern states, where it is a favorite first course in restaurants specializing in broiled meats, it is called queso flameado or queso asado (roasted or broiled cheese); the cheese is melted in a shallow metal dish over the hot embers of the constantly burning wood fire and brought sizzling to the table.
Queso Flameado can be served either plain or with fried and crumbled chorizo sprinkled all over it. A picante tomato or green tomato sauce is put on the table, along with a stack of wheat-flour tortillas, so that each one can help himself, al gusto. The cheese can be served either in individual dishes or one large one. Allow 3 flour tortillas per person; for the sauces, see Salsa Ranchera, Salsa de Tomate Verde, or Salsa Mexicana Cruda.
12 OUNCES (340 G) CHIHUAHUA CHEESE OR MUENSTER, THINLY SLICED
6 OUNCES (180 G) MEXICAN CHORIZOS, SKINNED, CRUMBLED, AND FRIED (OPTIONAL)
1½ DOZEN FLOUR TORTILLAS
Place the cheese in two layers in a shallow, flameproof dish. Melt the cheese either on top of the stove or in the oven, sprinkling the chorizo over it. Heat the tortillas and serve immediately, with the sauce on the side.
CHILORIO Chile-Seasoned Pork
MAKES ENOUGH TO FILL 12 TORTILLAS
This recipe was given to me in 1971 by a Señora Castro (alas, her full name disappeared with the notebook) who lived very modestly in Culiacán and had been recommended to me as an expert in making Chilorio. In those days Culiacán was a sleepy little town where no one seemed to be in a hurry—especially in the heat of summer—and we spent the best part of the day cooking and talking about the local foods. Her excellent recipe has stood the test of time—I have never come across a better one, or a better cook of Chilorio than Señora Castro.
2 POUNDS (900 G) PORK SHOULDER, WITHOUT BONE BUT WITH SOME FAT
2 TEASPOONS SALT
8 ANCHO CHILES, SEEDS AND VEINS REMOVED
⅓ CUP (85 ML) MILD VINEGAR; MAKE UP TO ½ CUP (125 ML) OF LIQUID BY ADDING WATER
8 GARLIC CLOVES, ROUGHLY CHOPPED
⅛ TEASPOON CUMIN SEEDS, CRUSHED
¼ TEASPOON DRIED MEXICAN OREGANO
SALT TO TASTE
LARD AS NECESSARY
Cut the meat into 1-inch (2.5-cm) cubes and cook with salt as for Carnitas. When the water has evaporated and the fat has rendered out of the meat but the meat has not browned—about 45 minutes—remove the meat from the dish and pound it in the molcajete until it is in shreds, or shred it finely with two forks.
Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. Cover the chiles with hot water. Soak for 10 minutes and drain.
Put the diluted vinegar into the blender jar with the garlic and spices and blend as smooth as possible. Gradually add the chiles and blend after each addition. The sauce should be thick, more like a paste. You will have to keep stopping the blender to release the blades. Only add more liquid if necessary to release the blades of the blender.
There should be about ¼ cup (65 ml) of fat in the dish in which the meat was cooked; if not, make up to that amount with lard. Add the meat and mix the chile sauce well into it. Cook over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the meat is well seasoned and the mixture rather dry, scraping the bottom of the dish to avoid sticking.
Chilorio will keep for months in the refrigerator.
MOCHOMOS SINALOENSES Sinaloan Shredded Beef
REPORTED BY BONNY ROJO OF CULIACÁN
MAKES ABOUT 6 CUPS (1.5 L)
Mochomos is a curious name. It is the Opata Indian word—in eastern Sonora—for night-working ants. This very popular dish from Sinaloa is made of carne machaca, or machacada—literally meaning pounded. It is usually served for almuerzo with corn tortillas, frijoles refritos, and a simple tomato sauce, or it is often added to scrambled eggs. In other parts of Mexico, carne machacada is made of thinly cut dried beef, while in Sinaloa steaks about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick are well salted and dried in the sun for two or three days. In this dehydrated state they can be kept for a long time. Before using the meat, it is broiled on both sides over a wood fire, then pounded—sometimes with garlic—to a fluff with a heavy, flat stone kept especially for that purpose. If you live in the dry Southwest this should present no problem—except for the time involved—but if you live elsewhere with a damp climate and need to hurry it along, here are two solutions. You may cut the meat into large cubes, rub in 1½ tablespoons finely ground sea salt, and place on a rack set over a roasting pan in a slow oven—250° F (120° C) to 300° F (150° C)—until the meat has dried out. Since this method takes from 3½ to 4 hours, I suggest a second method in the following recipe as a compromise. It produced pretty good results, but lacks, of course, the smoky flavor of the original method. (I could never recommend the addition of that artificial smoke flavor.)
This type of meat is always rather salty, but you can tone it down with barely salted sauce and, of course, a tortilla that has no salt in it. The food of this area is not picante and therefore only one poblano chile is added for this quantity of meat while often the milder Anaheim chile is used in Sinaloa. The onion should remain crunchy, so do not allow it to overcook. A wok would be the ideal pan for cooking this dish.
2 POUNDS (900 G) ROUND STEAK (WITH SOME FAT ON)
1½ TABLESPOONS COARSE SEA SALT
½ CUP (125 ML) LARD OR VEGETABLE OIL
8 OUNCES (225 G) WHITE ONIONS, ROUGHLY SLICED
1 POBLANO CHILE, CHARRED, PEELED, CLEANED, AND CUT INTO SMALL SQUARES
SALSA PARA MOCHOMOS
Cut the meat into 1-inch (2.5-cm) cubes. Place the meat in one layer in a large pan. Add the salt and water to barely cover. Bring the water to a boil, lower the heat, and cook slowly, uncovered, until the water has evaporated and the meat is tender but not too soft—35 to 40 minutes. Continue drying the meat out over low heat so that it is dried and slightly crusty on the outside. Allow to cool.
Put 3 pieces of the meat into a blender and blend at medium speed until meat is finely shredded. Continue in the same way until all the meat has been shredded.
Heat half of the lard in a skillet, add the onions, and fry briefly for about 1 minute—they should be crisp and still opaque. Remove the onions with a slotted spoon and drain. Set aside.
Add the rest of the lard to the skillet, heat, add the shredded meat and chile, and stir until the meat is well heated through and just browning—5 to 8 minutes.
Stir in the onions, heat through, and serve immediately with a little of the Salsa para Mochomos on top.
SALSA PARA MOCHOMOS Tomato Sauce for Mochomos
MAKES 2 CUPS (500 ML)
1 POUND (450 G) TOMATOES, BROILED
2 OR 3 SERRANO CHILES, CHARRED
1 THICK SLICE WHITE ONION
2 WHOLE BLACK PEPPERCORNS, ROUGHLY GROUND
SALT TO TASTE
2 TABLESPOONS ROUGHLY CHOPPED FRESH CILANTRO (OPTIONAL)
Blend the unskinned tomatoes together with the chiles, onion, and peppercorns until fairly smooth.
Season to taste, and decorate with the cilantro.
CARNE COCIDA EN LIMÓN Ground Meat Marinated in Lime Juice
SERVES 4
The pulquerias of Mexico City and the cantinas in the smaller towns have always been famous for their—mostly—thirst-provoking snacks provided free of charge with drinks. When I first visited Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, in 1970 I was amazed at the endless variety and quality of these snacks—rivaled only by the cantinas of Mérida in Yucatán today. Apart from the Carne Cocida en Limón, and the Botanas de Camarón Seco given here, they included fried fish roe, chicharrón in a fresh sauce, crispy pork ribs, fried beans, fresh crumbly cheese, and small cups of a picante broth of dried shrimp or fresh water snail called shote, to name only a few.
½ CUP (125 ML) FRESH LIME JUICE
8 OUNCES (225 G) FRESHLY GROUND SIRLOIN, ABSOLUTELY FREE OF FAT
4 OUNCES (115 G) TOMATOES, FINELY CHOPPED (⅔ CUP/165 ML)
2 TABLESPOONS FINELY CHOPPED WHITE ONION
4 SERRANO CHILES, FINELY CHOPPED
SALT TO TASTE
Mix the lime juice well into the ground meat and set it aside to “cook” in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours in a nonreactive bowl.
Mix in the rest of the ingredients and set the meat aside to season for at least 2 hours more.
Serve with crisp tortillas, either toasted or fried.
BOTANAS DE CAMARÓN SECO Dried Shrimp Fritters
MAKES ABOUT 24 BOTANAS
4 OUNCES (115 G) FLOUR (ABOUT 1 SCANT CUP)
1 CUP (250 ML) COLD WATER
SALT TO TASTE
¾ CUP (190 ML) SMALL DRIED SHRIMPS, CLEANED
1 EGG WHITE
½ CUP (125 ML) FINELY CHOPPED WHITE ONION
5 SERRANO CHILES, FINELY CHOPPED
VEGETABLE OIL FOR FRYING
Blend the flour, water, and salt together for 2 minutes and leave the batter to stand for at least 1 hour.
Rinse the shrimps to remove excess salt. Cover with warm water and leave them to soak for about 5 minutes—no longer.
Beat the egg white until stiff and fold it into the batter.
Drain the shrimps (if large, cut into 2) and add them, with the chopped onion and chiles, to the batter.
Heat the oil in a skillet and drop tablespoons of the mixture into it, a few at a time. Fry the botanas until they are golden brown, turning them over once. Drain them on the paper toweling and serve immediately.
SALSA DE ALBAÑIL Bricklayers’ Sauce or Botana
MAKES 12 TACOS
There are many sauces and egg dishes ascribed to bricklayers, albañiles. This is more than just a sauce; it was a favorite botana served with drinks at the Lincoln Grill in Mexico City in the late fifties.
It is very easy to prepare at the last moment, especially if you have some leftover salsa verde. It should be served with freshly made tortillas so that each diner can make his or her own tacos.
1¼ CUPS (315 ML) SALSA DE TOMATE VERDE
4 OUNCES (115 G) QUESO FRESCO OR MUENSTER CHEESE, CUT INTO 12 STRIPS ABOUT ¼ INCH (.75 CM) THICK
1 MEDIUM AVOCADO (ABOUT 6 OUNCES/180 G), PEELED AND CUT INTO 12 SLICES
OPTIONAL TOPPING: 2 TABLESPOONS ROUGHLY CHOPPED CILANTRO
Spread the sauce over a shallow dish about 8 inches (20 cm) in diameter and place the pieces of cheese in spiral fashion over it. Top the cheese with avocado slices and sprinkle with the optional cilantro.
CARNITAS Little Pieces of Browned Pork
SERVES 6
For aficionados of pork, carnitas are an all-time favorite in Mexico. Traditionally, large hunks of pork are fried until tender in large vats of lard. When sold, they are cut into smaller pieces or chopped fine and stuffed inside a taco. The meat is succulent and delicious.
For some reason the carnitas in Michoacán have always been considered the best, but they have many a rival in other parts of the country. There are some fancier ways of preparing them (see recipe in The Art of Mexican Cooking from the State of Mexico), but traditionalists prefer the simple method.
This recipe is for cooking them at home and they are surprisingly addictive.
Carnitas can be eaten as a main course or as a hearty botana accompanied by guacamole or preferably a fresh green sauce or Salsa Mexicana Cruda.
3 POUNDS (1.35 KG) BONELESS PORK SHOULDER, WITH FAT
2 TEASPOONS SALT, OR TO TASTE
Cut the meat, with the fat, into strips about 2 by ¾ inches (5 by 2 cm). Barely cover the meat with water in a heavy, wide pan. Add the salt and bring to a boil, uncovered. Lower the heat and let the meat continue cooking briskly until all the liquid has evaporated—by this time it should be cooked through but not falling apart.
Lower the heat a little and continue cooking the meat until all the fat has rendered out of it. Keep turning the meat until it is lightly browned all over—total cooking time is about 1 hour and 10 minutes.
Serve immediately for best flavor and texture.
FRIJOLES PUERCOS ESTILO JALISCO Rich Well-Fried Beans from Jalisco
SERVES 6
There are many variations of Frijoles Puercos in northwest Michoacán, Colima, and Jalisco and this is one of them. They are served as a botana with drinks. In Jalisco they are topped with a queso ranchero, a strong, dry, and salty cheese.
1 CHORIZO, ABOUT 3 OUNCES (85 G)
6 STRIPS BACON
LARD AS NECESSARY
8 OUNCES (225 G) PINTO OR PINK BEANS, COOKED AS FOR FRIJOLES DE OLLA—3½ TO 4 CUPS (875 ML TO 1 L) WITH BROTH
20 SMALL, PITTED GREEN OLIVES, CHOPPED
2 JALAPEÑO CHILES EN ESCABECHE
2 TABLESPOONS FINELY GRATED QUESO RANCHERO OR ROMANO
TOASTED TORTILLAS OR TOTOPOS
Skin and crumble the chorizo, and chop the bacon. Cook in a skillet over low heat, covered, until most of the fat has rendered out. Be careful not to let them burn. Remove chorizo and bacon and reserve.
There should be about ⅓ cup (85 ml) fat in the pan. Take out or make up to that amount with lard. Add the beans and broth and cook them over high heat, mashing them as you would for Frijoles Refritos. If they start to dry out and stick to the pan, add a little more lard.
When the beans have been mashed to a coarse texture and are almost dry, ready to roll, add the bacon and about two thirds of the olives, chiles, and chorizo.
Roll the beans, then turn onto the serving dish and top with the remaining olives, chiles, and chorizo.
Sprinkle the roll with the cheese and serve with the toasted tortillas or totopos.
Yucatecan Stuffed Cheese
