Esquite and Elote

According to the Mayan creation story of the Popol Vuh, the gods first made man from mud and then from wood. After these two unsuccessful human prototypes and a flood to wipe them out, the gods decided on corn - and so began the slightly cannibalistic love affair that Meso-Americans have with corny cuisine.

Everyone knows of tortillas and chips; most are familiar with masa and its makings (like empanadas); but I don't feel that many people know how much fresh corn is featured in Mexican cuisine. Elote (on the cob) and esquite (just the kernels) rank among tacos and tortas in Mexico's favorite street foods. This, however, is not the Jersey sweet corn, smothered with squeezable "butter" at your Labor Day BBQ. Mexican corn is not sweet, and is traditionally served slathered with mayonnaise, rolled in grated cheese and sprinkled with chile powder. Once you get past the foreign flavor combination (and, I admit, it can take a while), this is quite tasty, both in a cup or on a stick.

Ingredients

4 ears of corn

4 Tbsp. mayonnaise

1 cup queso añejo, cotija or fresco (or finely grated parmesan)

2 tsp. chile powder

Directions

1 - Prepare the corn on the cob however you like - boiled or grilled. (Grilled in the husk is the popular way here - if you have a grill and want to be authentic.)

2 - Slather each ear of corn with 1 tablespoon of mayo.

3 - Sprinkle 1/4 cup of finely grated cheese on the mayo (it will stick to the mayo).

4 - Sprinkle each cob with 1/2 teaspoon chile powder (or as much as you can take; it will also stick to the mayo).

5 - For esquite, fill a cup with cooked corn (fresh, can, frozen - your choice), top with the mayo, cheese and chile powder.

6 - Enjoy either way!

Enfrijoladas

I personally am not a huge fan of earthy flavors, like mushrooms and beans and the like, but after 8 months, I'm starting to feel like I can't describe my blog as a Mexican food blog if I don't start talking about frijoles.

Beans are an important part of Mexican cuisine, but for the non-wealthy, they're downright vital. (Stereotypes are stereotypes for a reason, right?) When I lived in Martinez de la Torre, beans were always at the ready on the stove for a breakfast, lunch or dinner option, but they weren't the Goya cans so predominant and convenient stateside. Instead, every other morning, my suegra would fill a pot with water and at least 2 kgs of frijoles and cook them outside over a wood burning stove for several hours.

Now, down here, rice and beans are popular enough in authentic Mexican cuisine, but their inclusion with every meal at chains like On The Border and Chi-Chi's (which means boobies, by the way) is not quite reflective of my frijol experiences. The most common use of beans that I see is enfrijoladas, and, similar to the previous mentioned enchiladas and enmoladas, enfrijoladas, a true staple of Mexican cuisine, are lightly fried tortillas slathered with refried beans and possibly topped with some garnish or accompanied by an egg.

Ingredients
20 corn tortillas
1 can of pinto or black beans (or refried beans)
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup minced onion
1/2 cup queso fresco, crumbled
oil for frying

Directions

1 - Open a can of beans, but do NOT drain them. Heat some oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the beans along with their bean juice. Fry the beans until soft, and then squish with the back of a wooden spoon or a masher. (Or, puree the can of beans in a blender beofore sauteing.) Add salt and pepper to taste, and set the hot beans aside.

2 - In another pan, heat some more oil over a low flame. Lightly fry the tortillas, about 30 seconds on each side.

3 - Immediately dip the tortillas in the warm beans, and remove to a plate. Fold it over on itself (like a quesadilla).

4 - Once all the tortillas are done and the plates are full, sprinkle the enfrijoladas with the cheese and raw onions.

5 - They are generally eaten with your fingers (which is fun, but not terribly dignified) and at any time of the day.

Mexican Cheese Blend

17% Cheddar, shredded

17% Monterrey Jack, shredded

33% Queso Asadero (grill cheese), shredded

33% Manchego, shredded

The most popular cheeses in Mexico are white and mild, slightly salty and predominantly used to extinguish the fire in your mouth from any number of spicy dishes. Queso fresco, queso asadero y queso de hebra (or queso oaxaqueño) are the most common cheeses in Mexico (at least in any place that I've been, which, granted has only been two places).

As delicious as those cheeses are (and I really do love them), sometimes my gringa palate wants something stronger. Many of the Mexican foods adopted into U.S. culture have been upgraded to bolder cheeses based on that desire. When I'm in the mood for American style enchiladas, quesadillas, burritos or nachos, I usually go to Costco for their Kirkland 4 Cheese Mexican Blend (which a highly recommend). But, thanks to Julio Regalado and his 3x2 cheese sale and some late night nacho cravings, I was able to develop this most delicious, super melty cheese blend, mixing mild Mexican and bold American cheese. It is wonderful on the aforementioned foods, as well as on burgers, chicken finger sandwiches, sopes and white rice (when money's a little tight).

White Pozole

Pozole might be the most popular national dish of Mexico. Unfortunately, I could never really get on board with the pozole thing - possibly because the first bowl served to me had a surprise chicken foot floating in it. (I suppose I should be grateful that it wasn't a floating pig's head, pozole's most common protein.) I avoided pozole for a long time, but this was my loss because it is quite good (as long as I continue to adapt my recipe to include boneless chicken meat).

Pozole, at its most basic, is a soup made with hominy (a white corn-like vegetable), that is super popular throughout all of Mexico, especially on September 16th, Mexico's Independence Day. The cooked pozole is relatively simple, but each person customizes their bowl with a variety of pozole specific garnishes.

Ingredients
300 g. hominy (maiz pozolero)
water
salt
500 g. shredded chicken
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
a bundle of thyme, parsley and leek

50 g. onion
10 g. garlic
200 g. roma tomato
50 g. chile de arbol (crushed red pepper)

shredded lettuce
minced radish
minced onion
lime wedges
oregano
sour cream
tortilla chips

Directions

1 - If using fresh hominy, cook the hominy, salt and water together in a pot over medium heat until the skin separates easily. Remove from heat and remove all of the hominy skins. (If you bought canned hominy, just drain it.)

2 - Add the chicken, onion, garlic and herb bundle to the leftover hominy water and boil, for 10 - 15 minutes.

3 - Add the hominy, and finish cooking together. Add salt to taste.

4 - For the salsa, fry the garlic, onion and chile de arbol in a small saute pan over low heat. Add the tomatoes and some water. Cook for 20 minutes, add to a blender, liquefy it, and add salt to taste.

5 - Serve the pozole hot with the salsa and a plate full of all the garnishes.

Tepache

Tepache is a fermented drink made from pineapple waste, but it tastes much better than it sounds. While I have yet to see it here in Mexico City, tepache is very popular in the tropical, pineapple-producing climate of Veracruz. And, although it only ferments for two or three days, some people (those teetotaling types like myself) can get a little silly from a glass or two.

Made from the inedible skin of a pineapple, tepache is a great option for some people (those thrifty types like myself) who hate throwing anything away. Even those of you who wouldn't normally eat a fresh pineapple will find this drink tasty, refreshing and super easy to make.

Ingredients
the skin of 1 large pineapple
2 cones of piloncillo
1 gallon water

1 quart tepache concentrate
2 cups ice
1/2 cup sugar

Directions

1 - Put the pineapple skins, piloncillo and water in a large, air-tight container (wide-mouthed is best, if you have it).

2 - Mix ingredients together. Seal container, and leave in a cook, dark area for 48 hours.

3 - Open the container to check on the tepache (but do not stick your nose too close; it should be quite pungent!)

4 - Reseal and let rest another 12 to 24 hours, based on the smell and taste from when you checked it.

5 - When your tepache is ready (approx. 72 hours after mixing it), unseal the container, and skim off any white yeast-like product that may have begun to grow on top.

6 - Pass the mixture through a large strainer to remove any pineapple skin bits. This will be your concentrated tepache.

7 - To serve, take 1 quart of the tepache concentrate, and add 2 cups of ice cubes to it. Add about a 1/2 cup of sugar. Stir well, until the sugar and ice cubes dissolve.

8 - If necessary, continue to add sugar and water to taste, but this drink is traditionally quite tart.

9 - Enjoy cold.

Mexican Hamburger (La Hamburguesa)

When I first arrived in Martinez de la Torre, there was a small food cart, one block away from where I was staying, that boasted hamburgers and hot dogs, and I was thrilled at a taste of home being so close. Emphasis on the "was", because I was quickly informed about what their idea of a burger consisted of - and was quickly disappointed. I will grant that it was served on a sesame seed bun, but the "it" was chicken and a slice of ham, and, although it had the standard cheese, lettuce, tomato topping, a hamburger without the hamburger is really just a sandwich.

This hamburger is not that kind of hamburger (because it is an actual burger with ground beef and everything), but is more an homage to the now defunct Santa Fe burger from Red Robin (may it rest in delicious peace). The meat itself is an all-purpose burger patty, but the toppings are Mexican inspired. (And this is one of my favorite uses for those poblanos we charred earlier this week.)

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 1/2 Tbsp. worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. crushed red pepper

1 cup Mexican cheese blend (or at least cheddar and Monterrey Jack), shredded
2 poblanos, charred, skinned, seeded and split in half
1 white onion, thinly sliced
1/2 head of lettuce
2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1 tsp. chipotle en adobo sauce
4 burger buns
melted butter

Directions

1 - Mix ground beef, worcestershire sauce, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and crushed red pepper together in a bowl.

2 - Divide beef mixture into four equal portions and shape into round patties.

3 - Melt some butter in a large pan over medium heat.

4 - Add the burgers, and cook them for about 7 minutes on each side. Add the cheese after about 5 minutes on the second side.

5 - Meanwhile, butter the burger buns and toast them on a comal on low heat, maybe a minute or just until golden brown.

6 - Mix the chipotle en adobo sauce with the mayonnaise.

7 - ASSEMBLY Spread chipotle mayo on both havles of the bun. Add a square of folded lettuce to the bottom bun. Put the cheesy patty on top of the lettuce. Place a poblano half on top of the cheese, and add some onion slices. Top with the other bun.

Chile Profile - Poblano

The poblano chile is a large, dark green, often deformed-looking chile. Since the general chile rule is "the smaller, the hotter", these giant chiles are quite mild and rank only 1,000 to 2,500 units on the Scoville scale. This chile is named for the state where it originated - Puebla - although these days, it just might be the most popular chile throughout all of Mexico and the US southwest.

Poblanos are available either fresh or dried (called ancho, when dried - a topic for another day). To make poblanos edible, they need to be grilled or charred, and the skin must be removed (because it adds a terribly bitter taste). The mild flavor and the size of the poblano makes it very versatile, and it can be used in both sauces and salsas (no seed removal necessary) and popular national dishes, like chiles rellenos and the patriotic plate, chiles en nogada (devein and remove the seeds).

Poblano chiles are readily available in most supermarkets throughout Mexico and the US.

Charring poblanos

1 - Place the poblanos on a comal over low heat or over an open low flame (but then use tongs!)

2 - Move the chiles occasionally, until the chile is blackened on all sides.

3 - Immediately place chiles in a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap.

4 - Leave chiles to stand and steam for at least 15 minutes.

5 - Remove the charred skin (which should come off easily by just peeling it off with your fingers).

6 - Throw them in a salsa, seed and slice it for a saute, or do whatever else your recipe might tell you.