September 2010

23 SEPTEMBER 2010
6:30 to 9:00 PM

Cooking demonstration and tasting dinner at the Mexican Cultural Institute

After three centuries of living as a Spanish Colony, Mexico shook off its leash from the Spanish crown.  However, Mexico's kitchens were deeply transformed by ingredients and cooking techniques brought by the Spaniards like rice, wheat, milk products, pork, chicken, olives, capers, Old World spices and olive oil.

As Mexico celebrated its re-birth as an independent nation, a whirlwind of dishes covered in the colors of the flag and filled with native symbols were created.  Yet ironically, many couldn't be made without some of Spains' inherited elements, now ingrained in our cooking,  and too good and delicious to be left out. From Mexico's most popular rice dishes as the Green Poblano, Red Tomato, and Mexican White, to all sorts of Chiles stuffed with the flavors of the coasts of Spain, Mexican identity was transformed and enriched at the table.

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Right after savagely taking a bite into a fresh ear of corn, right in front of the cashier at the Farmers Market, I felt compelled to explain that its raw, sweet, flavor reminds me of the Corn and Cream ice cream from the Chiandoni heladería in Mexico City. A staple from my childhood days. 

With a bit of nostalgia washing over me and in the mood of snapping that last piece of summer from this year, I brought back a full basket of corn. I would make one last batch of summer flavored ice cream, just as the stores begin to sell Halloween decorations, shockingly early, if you ask me.

Continue reading Outrageous but Necessary: Corn and Cream Ice Cream

Tamarind concentrate can be purchased from the grocery already made, or you can easily make it yourself. The concentrate is great because of its flavor and uses, and also, because it will keep in the refrigerator for a months.

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It seems that many people find chicken boring.

I happen to find it fascinating.

Not only because chicken is friendly enough to let you take it wherever your imagination can go and because it can be the juiciest and crispiest meal, but also, because of that story my mother told me when I was growing up. 

When my mom was about 10 years old, my grandmother who came to Mexico from Austria in her early twenties having survived years of war, turbulence and the loss of most of her family, taught my mom a serious lesson: you can survive most hardships in life if you know how to cook, she had said, and mostly, if you know how to cook chicken from scratch.

Cooking from scratch really meant from scratch. No nonsense. So my mom learned how to kill, pluck and cook chicken a thousand ways.   

Continue reading Deliciously Sweet: Chicken with Tamarind, Apricots and Chipotle Sauce

Tamarind, also called Indian date, is the pod of a tropical tree that is said to have originated in Asia and North Africa. It was brought to Mexico sometime in the 1500's in the galleons that came from Asia, manged by the Spaniards, that landed in the gorgeous beaches of Acapulco. Now somewhat touristy...

Tamarind tastes a bit sour, acidic and sweet at the same time. Its flavor has a lot of depth and an earthy feel to it too. Through the years it grew strong roots in Mexican land, where the large trees are loved for their heavy shade, and the pods for their multiple uses in Mexico's kitchens. From candies and snacks, to drinks and desserts, as well as moles, sauces of different kinds. 

Continue reading Tamarind