The National Mole Festival

 This past Friday, we had quite an experience as we decided to make our way to the 35th Feria Nacional del Mole in San Pedro Atocpan in the southern, much less inhabited part of Mexico City (we refer to it now as our authentic pueblo experience).  A subway ride to the last stop, a light rail trip to the last stop, an hour wandering to find the bus and a 30-minute crowded bus ride later, we arrived at the Feria....the wrong one, the so-called New Feria del Mole, at which we were the only, fairly disappointed patrons. Luckily, we asked, and the real one was right across the street, maybe 50 meters down the road (and with its giant ferris wheel, I don't know how we didn't see it). After we checked out the real festival, we hopped back on the bus for the long journey home. Except all of the roads back to Xochimilco bus station were inexplicably closed, and everyone got out of their buses to walk home on the highway weaving their way through the cars (think Independence Day/Cloverfield style mass exodus); of course, we joined them.

Authentic pueblo experience aside, the Mole Festival was incredible and exceeded everyone of my expectations once I got there. Of course, it had all the festival standards, like handicrafts, rides, games and a stage for traditional folk dancing, but also, as the name suggests, tons of mole! One side of the main festival boulevard was lined with stalls selling powders and pastes of the area's traditional almond mole, as well as other moles (like apple and pecan), pipians and even homemade peanut butter; the other side was filled with restaurants where all of these mole sauces and other traditional dishes were prepared. By the end of the boulevard, I  had collected about 12 mini spoons that had once held delicious samples of various moles, PB, honey, sherbet and jams - all fresh and locally produced. Then, it was time to circle back and pick a place to eat. The culinary experiences (and taste-tests) were definitely worth the journey.

If you ever find yourself in Mexico City during the month of October, I highly recommend sucking up the journey and visiting this incredible fair, so here is some information (after the pic of the l'il horse) that might help you out, especially if you don't speak Spanish...

Feria Facts

www.ferianacionaldelmole.com.mx

 When: Every October, nearly everyday (From what I can tell, it starts on the first weekend and ends on the Sunday of the fourth weekend.)

Where: San Pedro Atocpan, Milpa Alta

            1) Rent a car or take a taxi and follow 

                 the directions on the website (it's 

                 only one highway, and the fair is 

                 located on the highway).

            or

            2) Take the blue subway line to 

                 Tasquena and transfer to the light 

                 rail. Stay on the light rail to the end,   

                 Xochimilco. Walk about 5 blocks 

                 from the train station to the town's 

                 center (walk in the direction of the 

                 big church). Find bus 81, and take it 

                 until you see a small misleading fair 

                 on the left and a giant, obvious fair 

                 further down on the right.

Cost: There is a very small admission fee of 5 pesos (40 cents) per person.

Chiles in Vinegar

When we lived in Queens, Jonatan would always have a can of pickled jalapeños at the ready to put on practically anything that I made, from Mexican food (obviously) to my homemade lasagna and pierogies. I used to find it insulting, but then I just accepted that he's Mexican.

Chiles en vinagre are generally jalapeños (or very occasionally chiles gueros) pickled in vinegar with carrots and onions. Vinegar, as always, is used here as a preservative, but Mexicans also seem to really enjoy the added flavor. The most common uses for chiles en vinagre are tortas, sandwiches and in patas en escabeche (pickled pig's feet, yum) - not with lasagna.

Chiles en vinagre are usually just bought canned in the supermarket (Herdez, La Costeña and La Morena are the most popular brands), but stuck with a kilo of jalapeños on the verge of going bad, we decided to try making them on our own (and it does turn out to be cheaper, if you're willing to put in the effort).

Ingredients

500 g water

200 g white vinegar

200 g jalapeños, cut in quarters lengthwise

100 g onion, sliced

100 g carrots, sliced

10 small dry bay leaves

oil for frying

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1 - Heat a small amount of oil in a large saute pan over low heat.

2 - Add the carrots, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. 

3 - Add the jalapeños and onions, and continue to cook for 5 minutes.

4 - Add the vinegar, and cook for about 15 more minutes.

5 - Add salt, pepper and bay leaves. Stir, and cook on low for 10 minutes.

6 - Add the water. Once the water boils, continue to cook the mixture for 5 to 10 minutes.

7 - Remove the bay leaves, and allow the mixture to cool.

8 - Put the chiles en vinagre mixture into glass jars with tight-fitting lids.

9 - Refrigerate, and enjoy for months and months.

Burritos

The burrito lunch special in Mexico City in Los Burros de la Condesa

According to the package of my burrito-sized tortillas, the idea of the burrito was invented during the Mexican Revolution (ca. 1910) in Ciudad Juarez, Chihauhau (near the border of Texas). The story goes that a local food vendor wrapped whatever filling in large flour tortillas to keep the food inside warm during transportation. So popular was this new food that he had to get a burro (a donkey for those super gringos out there) to carry all of his orders. Eventually, people started asking for the food from the burrito - and thus a new handheld food was born and named. (I don't know how true this is; I could not confirm on wikipedia, but why would Tia Rosa lie to me?)

With that story, the definition of a burrito is open to a broad range of interpretations - as long as whatever is completely wrapped in a giant flour tortilla. Here in Mexico City, the schmear of beans and the small quantity of cheese and meat served with fresh salsa and lime tastes delicious, but falls a bit flat (literally - there is not enough filling) next to the over-stuffed burritos of the American tradition.

Anything goes with burritos, so try this recipe (which I developed when jones-ing for a Qdoba 3-cheese burrito) or use it as a template for your favorite meats and salsas.

Ingredients
large (10-inch) flour tortillas
white rice
refried beans
steak, cut in thin strips
raw onion, diced
cilantro, chopped
cheese sauce (see 9/26 post)
(*all of the above should be warm or heated before assembly*)
salsa verde (see 2/16 post)
media crema, or sour cream
shredded Mexican cheese (see 8/1 post)


 Directions

1 - Heat tortilla 20 seconds in the microwave or on a comal. (Be careful on the comal that it doesn't get crispy, or it will be difficult to fold up.)

2 - Add a scoop of rice to the center.

3 - Add a spoonful of beans and the strips of steak to the rice.

4 - Sprinkle on some raw onion and cilantro.

5 - Add the cheese sauce, salsa verde and media crema.

6 - Sprinkle on some additional shredded cheese.

7 - Now, for the fun part - trying to roll it up! Fold in two opposite sides so that they meet in the middle, or even better overlap. Then, fold the other sides in to the middle in the same way, and flip it over to sit on its seam. (This is not how the professionals do it, but with only a 10-inch burrito and the amount of filling that I put in, you pretty much got to do whatever you can to keep it closed.)

8 - Enjoy! (And although ideally it should be handheld, I recommend having a spoon nearby for any rogue filling that escapes.)