Free México / México Libre

Photo by Ana Red

Free México!

Pozole is a hardy soup made with hominy. It is most commonly made with pork and red sauce but in some parts of México is also made with chicken and green sauce. It is very traditional to serve pozole for the celebration of Mexican Independence, my family usually prepares this on September 15 to proclaim independence. We all love a good pozole de puerco (the pork kind) however, today I'm presenting an alternative that I'm sure will be appreciated by our vegetarian friends. I have posted this recipe before but I think it is appropriate to bring it back during this holidays.

This pozole is an unconventional one. It was inspired by a recipe from the book, Al Calor del Sabor, but I use my own sauce and prepared my own nixtamal with blue corn. Using chanterelle mushrooms instead of meat makes this pozole a treat that even my vegetarian husband can enjoy. 

Chantarelle Pozole

1 lb. blue or white nixtamalized corn (I made my own nixtamal from dried corn but it can be bought already made; it is called hominy or pozole)

1 medium white onion

5 garlic cloves

2 sprigs fresh oregano (or 1 tsp. dried Mexican oregano)

Salt to taste

3 guajillo dried chiles

5 red New Mexico dried chiles

3 garlic cloves, with peel

1/2 medium white onion

1 tsp. dried Mexican oregano

1/2 tsp. cumin

Salt to taste

3 Tbs. olive oil

1 lb. chantarelle mushrooms, cleaned and coarsely chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

For garnish:

Sliced radishes (I used black radishes but any kind will be good)

Shredded green cabbage (or iceberg lettuce)

Chopped red onion 

Lemon juice

Hot Sauce (your favorite)

Clean the nixtamal, place in a large pot and cover with water. Add onion, garlic, fresh oregano and salt. Slow cook for approximately 2 hours or until the corn has grown in size and has become soft. Add water as needed to keep corn covered.

In the meantime prepare the sauce. Clean the dried chiles, cut in half and remove the seeds and veins. In a dry cast iron skillet toast the chiles about 3 seconds on each side until aromatic. Take care not to burn them or they will be bitter. Soak the chiles in a bowl of boiling water for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile roast the onion and garlic in the same skillet until they are blackened, about 3 minutes. Peel the garlic. Transfer the onion and peeled garlic to a blender, add the oregano, cumin and salt. With tongs lift the chiles from the soaking water and add to the blender. Taste the chile water, if is not bitter add 1/2 cup of this water to the blender plus 1/4 cup of plain water. If the chile water is bitter just add 3/4 cup of plain water. Purée to a smooth sauce. Pass the sauce thought a strainer or a food mill into a bowl and set aside.

In a large dutch oven heat the olive oil and sauté the onions and mushrooms until well caramelized. Add the sauce and cook for a couple of minutes. Removed the onion, garlic and sprigs of oregano from the nixtamal and discard. Add the cooked nixtamal with its water to the mushroom mixture. Correct seasoning and cook together for about 10 more minutes until all flavors had incorporated. 

Serve hot topped with desired garnishes.

La Cocina Mexicana de Pily

Maize-A Prehistoric Food / Maíz-Un Alimento Prehistórico

Corncobs

Maize, or corn, started as a wild grass. History tell us that the domestication and development of corn was done in diverse areas of southern and central part of México. This was a result of the creativity and wisdom of the indigenous people that occupy this soil since prehistoric times. Its domestication dates back between 5,000 and 10,000 years B.C.

My cousin Rosa, who owns a huge farm in Jalisco, México, told me corn can be cultivated in almost all climates and almost all soils. She grows corn in her farm in Mexico and she also has grown corn here in the back yard of her San Diego home. My dad also used to grow corn in our back yard. I loved to grab an ear from the plant when it was very tender, I would eat it raw...mmm, so good!

Corn grows quickly, it is easily stored and keeps well for a long time; its preparation is simple and does not require complex equipment to be consumed. There is only one species but corn has a large number of varieties which differ widely from each other. This is reflected in the size of the plants, in the number of leaves and the number of ears, in the size of these, the quantity, the color (white, yellow, red and blue or black) and type of grains. There are as many dishes that can be prepared with corn as there are varieties of it (tortillas, tamales, pinole, sopes, pozole, etc.), even more! I love corn and the many delicious foods I can prepare with it. Pozole is one of my favorites.

This pozole is an unconventional one. It was inspired by a recipe from the book, Al Calor del Sabor, but I use my own sauce and prepared my own nixtamal with blue corn. Using chanterelle mushrooms instead of meat makes this pozole a treat that even my vegetarian husband can enjoy. 

Chantarelle Pozole


1 lb. blue or white nixtamalized corn (I made my own nixtamal from dried corn but it can be bought already made; it is called hominy or pozole)

1 medium white onion

5 garlic cloves

2 sprigs fresh oregano (or 1 tsp. dried Mexican oregano)

Salt to taste

3 guajillo dried chiles

5 red New Mexico dried chiles

3 garlic cloves, with peel

1/2 medium white onion

1 tsp. dried Mexican oregano

1/2 tsp. cumin

Salt to taste

3 Tbs. olive oil

1 lb. chantarelle mushrooms, cleaned and coursely chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

For garnish:

Sliced radishes (I used black radishes but any kind will be good)

Shredded green cabbage (or iceberg lettuce)

Chopped red onion 

Lemon juice

Hot Sauce (your favorite)

Clean the nixtamal, place in a large pot and cover with water. Add onion, garlic, fresh oregano and salt. Slow cook for approximately 2 hours or until the corn has grown in size and has become soft. Add water as needed to keep corn covered.

In the meantime prepare the sauce. Clean the dried chiles, cut in half and remove the seeds and veins. In a dry cast iron skillet toast the chiles about 3 seconds on each side until aromatic. Take care not to burn them or they will be bitter. Soak the chiles in a bowl of boiling water for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile roast the onion and garlic in the same skillet until they are blackened, about 3 minutes. Peel the garlic. Transfer the onion and peeled garlic to a blender, add the oregano, cumin and salt. With tongs lift the chiles from the soaking water and add to the blender. Taste the chile water, if is not bitter add 1/2 cup of this water to the blender plus 1/4 cup of plain water. If the chile water is bitter just add 3/4 cup of plain water. Purée to a smooth sauce. Pass the sauce thought a strainer or a food mill into a bowl and set aside.

In a large dutch oven heat the olive oil and sauté the onions and mushrooms until well caramelized. Add the sauce and cook for a couple of minutes. Removed the onion, garlic and sprigs of oregano from the nixtamal and discard. Add the cooked nixtamal with its water to the mushroom mixture. Correct seasoning and cook together for about 10 more minutes until all flavors had incorporated. 

Serve hot topped with desired garnishes.

Pinole for Carmen / Pinole para Carmen

Yesterday I read a post in Saborearte entusiasma, Carmen's blog, in which she was asking for information about pinole. This brought to me memories of my childhood.

As a child, I liked to eat dirt; clean dirt, of course! This is what I used to say when they were scolding me for eating gross things. I don't know if this is very common in children but, to me, dirt tasted good and I confess, if I didn't know better, I would still be eating it. Anyway, as we already know dirt is not one of the things recommended in the food pyramid, so my mother did what she could to stop my habit. One of the things that I was given to eat to replace my cravings for dirt was  powdered magnesia and another was pinole. Both have a resemblance to the flavor and the texture of dirt, but of course, they were better for me. I loved pinole!

Pinole is what results if you toast some mature corn kernels and grind them into a dry powder. You can buy it in Mexican stores but it is very easy to make at home. When I was a little girl my mom used to prepare pinole very often. I used to nibble on it  in its powdered form or mixed with very cold milk over ice.  Another way we used to have it was as an agua fresca (fresh, flavored water), mixed with iced water. Mmm, pinole smells delicious and tastes delicious!

Carmen also asked if anyone had prepared it before, or if anyone had eaten it with salt. I had prepared it but I never had it with salt. Reading Carmen's blog, I started to crave pinole so I decided to prepare some for myself.

Carmen, this post is dedicated to you and here is a simple and fast pinole recipe.

Pinole

1/2 cup of corn kernels

2 sticks of  cinnamon or 2 Tablespoons of ground cinnamon

2-3 tablespoons of maple sugar

Toast the corn in a griddle until it starts popping but being careful not to burn it. Once the corn is toasted, add to the blender together with the cinnamon and sugar and process until all is well pulverized. Done! And, "El que tenga más saliva que coma más pinole" (the one with the most saliva would be able to eat more pinole (a Mexican say)).

Corn Masa for Tortillas

Las Tortilleras

When we lived in Tijuana, we observed many Mexican traditions like The Day of the Dead, which just happened a few days ago.  We have lost many of our traditions since we moved to the United States, but luckily, we have kept the ones that have to do with food. For example, we always get together to make tamales for Christmas, we always cut Rosca de Reyes in January; we eat seafood every Wednesday and Friday during Lent; and my mom makes a bread pudding called Capirotada for Good Friday. We continue to eat tortillas as part of our main diet.


I try to maintain as many of our Mexican traditions as possible. While it is not easy living outside of Mexico, it is very important for me because I believe traditions are what have kept my family together...well, traditions and good food. 


Although I can buy very good tortillas at the market, once in a while I like to make my own tortillas but I either make the masa from a corn flour or buy it already made from the local tortilleria or tortilla factory. Making corn masa for tortillas from scratch is an ancient art. It requires several steps and, for better results, a couple of days of preparation. A few weeks ago, I tried my hands in this art form for the first time and I can't even describe how amazingly flavorful the results were!

The first step is to make nixtamal:

Start with dried corn. Rinse and clean the dried corn to take out any chaffs from the corn husks and any rotten grains. Dissolve 1 tablespoon of powdered lime in 1/2 cup of water for every 1 pound of corn. In a non reactive pot, cook the corn over a slow fire with the  dissolved lime and 4 cups of water for every 1 pound of corn. Warm it up slowly until it comes to a low boil. Cook for about 25 minutes, stirring every few minutes with a wooden spoon. To know when the corn is ready, take a grain and rub it with your fingers, if it peels easily, it is ready. Then remove the pot from the fire, cover and allow to rest overnight in a cool place on the counter.

The next day, drain the liquid (called nejayote) and rinse the corn one or two times until the water comes out clean. Slightly rub the corn between your fingers to get rid of some of the loose peeling. The corn is now called nixtamal, it  is ready to be ground and become masa.

The second step is to make masa:
You can grind the nixtamal in the ancient Metate, or in a hand-mill or you can use a modern food processor. This time I used the hand-mill but it was a lot of work. I think a food processor can do the job just as well and it'll be easier. Place the nixtamal in the mill a little bit at a time and grind two or three times until it's all ground and soft. After the first pass add water as needed, a teaspoon at a time. This has now become masa and after a little kneading, it will be ready for tortillas.

The third step is to make tortillas:
Lay a sheet of plastic wrap (a cut up plastic bag works well) over base of tortilla press, draping it over the sides. Rub a little bit of water on your hands, grab a lump of masa the size of a golf ball. Place the ball of masa on the plastic. Lay another sheet of plastic wrap over the masa, draping it over the sides, then close the press to flatten masa into a tortilla. Hold the pressed tortilla with the plastic on both sides in one hand. Peel away the top plastic from the tortilla (not the tortilla from the plastic). Flip it over into your other hand, and peel away the other piece of plastic. Gently place the tortilla on a hot skillet or griddle. 


If your tortillas are not perfect circles, don't worry; they will still taste wonderful. Cook the tortilla for a couple of minutes on each side. Remove from the griddle and wrap in a kitchen towel to keep warm. Repeat the process until all the masa has been used. 


Enjoy your tortillas with your favorite Mexican food. 


You can make the masa and freeze it for future use.

This seems like a lot of work but I guarantee you, the tortillas taste so great, it'll be worth it!

Flor de Calabaza

Nowadays, I find myself spending more time admiring the flowers in my back yard. Oh, what a beautiful flor de calabaza, squash-blossom, that is. I love it, the bees love it, it's good for my garden and it's good to eat too!

Flor de calabaza is one of the many edible flower that you can find in farmers' markets or specialty stores. But if you grow your own zucchini and summer squash, you can enjoy the extra bonus of their blossoms. You can prepare it in many different ways; in soups, tamales and crepes. You can stuff the squash blossom with cheese or mince meat, dip it in a batter and fry it; or use it to stuff chicken, meat or even vegetables. The possibilities are endless. My favorite way of eating this flower is in a simple but delicious quesadilla.

When I hear someone say quesadillas de flor de calabaza my mind is immediately transported to Oaxaca, a city in the southern part of Mexico. In Oaxaca I ate the most incredible food and the best quesadillas ever! The reason I think the quesadillas are so good in Oaxaca is because they are prepared with a locally made cheese called, if you can believe it - Oaxaca! I remember stopping at a food stand in the mercado. The women were mixing masa and making corn tortillas for my quesadilla right in front of me. Mmm, they smelled so good!

This meal can be made as easy as 1-2-3, with just a couple ingredients from your garden, freshly made corn tortillas and, of course, cheese (Oaxaca cheese if possible).

Here is a recipe:

Quesadilla de Flor de Calabaza

12 squash blossoms, cleaned (remove pistils)

2 Tb. fresh epazote or fresh oregano, cleaned

and coarsely chopped

1/ 2 lb. Oaxaca cheese, shredded (substitute with monterrey jack if Oaxaca is not available)

1 lb. masa harina flour (I use Maseca brand) or 6 small corn tortillas

If using masa harina, mix according to the directions on the package to make the dough. Form masa into 6 1 1/2" balls then loosely cover with a damp kitchen towel. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap (a cut up plastic bag works well) over base of tortilla press, draping it over the sides. Place 1 ball of masa on plastic. Lay another sheet of plastic wrap over the masa, draping it over the sides, then close the press to flatten masa into a tortilla. Peel the plastic from one side of the tortilla. Fill half of the tortilla with cheese, a couple of zucchini blossoms and sprinkle with epazote or oregano. Then, holding the remaining plastic with one hand, fold other half of tortilla over the filling to form a half circle. Press edges, carefully remove plastic from quesadilla, then place on a flat pan or griddle at medium heat. Cook for a few minutes on each side until cooked through and cheese has melted.

If using already made tortillas, slightly warm the tortilla. Remove from the heat, add the filling to one side of the tortilla, fold the other side over the filling and return to the griddle. Cook about 1 minute on each side or until the cheese melts.

Serve hot with your favorite salsa.