“Pati, do you cook traditional Mexican recipes OR do you create your own?”

Alberto is doing a project with the support of The Office on Latino Affairs. It is called Hola Cultura and explores the contributions of Latinos to DC life and culture, from art to language to sports to cooking.

I think he meant for me to respond with an either or. He really did. Come on Pati, “traditional” OR “new,” he insisted. But I kept answering “BOTH!” As I kept trying to explain why, I realized so wholeheartedly that both traditional and new not only describe my cooking style but also one of the many wonders of Mexican cuisine.

See… I thrive on exploring, traveling, tasting, testing, recreating and passing on traditional Mexican cuisine and recipes. If I get to live to be 120 years old, I won’t have enough time to taste and share all the rich and vibrant regional cuisines and dishes that exist across Mexico.

Mexican cooking has such sturdy pillars and is so strong, partly because generation after generation, tried and true recipes are passed on, sometimes written and sometimes not. When a dish and its traditions somehow get lost in a family, neighborhood, or community… once it is found and recreated again, a lifeline that holds us together suddenly appears! Even if its on the other side of the globe.

When I receive a request for that “much needed but can’t be found” recipe, I jump for joy! I am sent on a serious mission, and I don’t stop until it is completed.

At the same time, Mexican cuisine is so strong because it has a treasure trove of fabulous ingredients that are so accommodating in their use. As long as one understands the ingredient and its genuine nature, there are so many ways to experiment with it. That is also how a cuisine expands, by creating new combinations and testing the limits, sometimes failing and sometimes succeeding. Surely, many of the traditional takes were once new too.

While I dedicate so much of my time researching and passing on what has existed for generations and centuries, I can’t resist creating new dishes. Funny, that it happens many times with salads, like the Watermelon and Tomatillo Salad.

For the one on this post, which I have been obsessively repeating, I use watercress, called “berros” in Mexico (I happen to love that word). They are used tremendously in Mexican kitchens for salads. They are delightful: a bit bitter, made up on thin leaves but packed with flavor and such a nice delicate bite.

On top goes a combination of thinly sliced tart green apples and pungent radishes. One ingredient snapped from a tree and another pulled from the ground! Both ingredients have a bright colorful outer skin, yet, inside are crisp white. I use them both raw, and get the most of their watery crunch and contrasting taste.

Then it is all covered in a light vinaigrette with a bit of mustard and a bit of honey. Then a stellar topping tries to steal away the show.

Toasted chile de árbol and pistachios, chopped together. A smoky, lightly spicy, crunchy, nutty and ironically sweet combination.

You won’t believe how sweet the pistachios taste on each bite.

Give it a try!!

Its fresh, its crunchy, lightly tart, with a nice kick and a combination of unexpected flavors that I hope will have you making it time and again as the seasons move on…

p.s. All that said: send along more requests for any more Mexican recipes you are craving at any time.

APPLE, RADISH AND WATERCRESS SALAD WITH PISTACHIO AND CHILE DE ARBOL
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS
2 bunches watercress, rinsed, dried and the tougher ends of stems removed
1 green apple, rinsed, and cut into thin wedges
1 bunch radishes (or about 4 ounces, or 1 cup already sliced), rinsed, stems and roots removed, halved and thinly sliced
1/4 cup pistachios, lightly toasted and chopped
2 chiles de arbol, toasted, chopped (seeding optional)
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt , or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon rice vinegar (natural, unseasoned)
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

TO PREPARE
Place the apple and the radishes in a bowl. Place the watercress in another bowl.

Heat a a small 6 inch skillet set over medium low heat, add the pistachios and toast anywhere form 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until they are nicely toasted, but don’t let them burn. Remove form heat. In the same skillet, toast the chiles de arbol anywhere from 3 to 5 minutes, flipping sides, 1 or 2 times along the way, remove from the heat.

Remove the stems from the chiles de arbol. In a chopping board, chop the chiles de arbol. You may remove the seeds once they are chopped or keep them. Add the pistachios and chop them along with the chile de arbol creating a pistachio chile de arbol mixture.

In a small bowl, combine the mustard, honey, salt, pepper, rice vinegar and lime juice with a whisk or fork. Slowly, pour in the oils and whisk or mix very well until thoroughly combined. Pour half onto the apple-radish mix and half onto the watercress.

To serve, on small appetizer plates, add watercress, top with the apple-radish mixture and sprinkle some of the pistachio-chile de arbol mix on top.

We ended up with thyme, oregano, bay leaves, rosemary, mint, parsley, and cilantro.  Ok, and tomatoes, cherry and roma. Fine… corn too, don’t know what I was thinking. And wait! We couldn’t leave without jalapeños, which led me to run for some tomatillos. And scallions. I stopped there. I did.

Then Sami came back with a little watermelon plant.  That was the wildest idea, oh, that monster of mine. We’ve no room to grow watermelon. I told him about the big wide fields in Northern Mexico, in states like Sonora, Chihuahua, Jalisco and Sinaloa where watermelon is grown extensively. Our backyard is… not so big.

Beats me.

We brought home Sami’s watermelon plant.

As the weeks went by, we saw many of the plants thrive, except the watermelon which seemed to take an awful long time to  grow. Then one day the editors from Babble asked me for a custom recipe. By then, I was eagerly thinking about what would make the sweet, watery crunch from that soon to grow watermelon shine the most.

This is what I came up with…

Thinly sliced, raw, punchy and tart tomatillos. Much firmer than the watermelon, and just look at the color contrast. Not to say about the flavor combination.

To coat this unconventional pairing, I wanted a vinaigrette with some some gentle heat. I got it from the jalapeños, which you will never have trouble finding in our backyard as Juju made markers for each plant… I am proud to say, the boy knows his Ñ’s.

I coarsely chopped the chiles, as I like to feel their friendly bite. But you can give them a finer chop and even remove the seeds.

Mint  has been growing wild here, as all mint tends to… Although we planted ours in the ground while still in their protective pots, to keep them in check. It doesn’t seem to give a hoot. Its wild.

Soaked the jalapeño and the mint with fresh squeezed lime juice, a bit of straight forward white distilled vinegar which makes everything it coats more crisp, the oils and salt… Gave it a bit of time, 5 to 10 minutes, to sit and get acquainted.

Poured the vinaigrette over the red and green. Yet not only was the salad screaming for some white (partly to round the colors of the Mexican flag, for one thing…) but also for some salty taste with some heartiness to it. Hence the Feta Cheese. Now you can go for anything tangy, salty and crumbly: queso fresco or farmers’ cheese works well too.

While we had the chance to harvest and eat the jalapeño, mint and tomatillos from our backyard, that watermelon never came to be… some bunnies got to it before we did.

But just day dreaming about it made me come up with one of my favorite recipes. It is so bright, so alive, so peppy and so summery!

Luckily there are plenty of amazing watermelons at the stores… we will have to give it another go next summer to harvest our own.

Meanwhile I can’t help but repeat this salad that hits all the taste buds!  Sweet from the watermelon, salty from the cheese, spicy from the chile, tart from the lime and
tomatillos and refreshing from the mint. Oh, you just have to give it a try…

SUMMERTIME WATERMELON & TOMATILLO SALAD
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS
4 cups watermelon, cut into bite size chunks or cubes
2 cups, about 1/2 pound tomatillos, husks removed, thoroughly rinsed, quartered and thinly sliced
2/3 cup, about 3 oz mild feta or queso fresco, crumbled or cut into small dice

For the Vinaigrette
1 tbsp fresh mint leaves, about 5 to 6, chopped
1 tbsp jalapeño or serrano chile, or to taste (seeding optional)
2 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
1 tsp white distilled vinegar
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp vegetable oil

TO PREPARE
Place the watermelon cubes and tomatillo slices in a large bowl.

In a small bowl, add the chopped mint and jalapeno. Squeeze the fresh lime juice on top, stir in the vinegar, sprinkle the salt and mix. Pour the olive oil and vegetable oil, and mix with a whisk or fork until well emulsified.

Pour the vinaigrette on top of the watermelon and tomatillos, toss well and sprinkle the cheese on top.

So. pushing aside the flowers and the thing with the tongue…

Dearest friends, here’s the news: if you like Mexican food, if you like Public Television, if you like my approach to cooking, then… I hope you’ll like to hear that Pati’s Mexican Table is premiering on National Public Television, this spring.

Here is a short PREVIEW (!)

I can tell you so many things about how the series came together and why I am so passionate about it. It’s been a fascinating journey: radically switching careers, launching the Culinary Program at the Institute, starting the blog, and now, embarking on the TV series.

What a wild zigzag. But with each turn I’ve confirmed that I want to keep on sharing and exploring Mexican food and all that surrounds it for as long as I can.

It pleases me to no end to watch my students devour the food at the Institute’s events, and more so when they write to say they’ve made the recipes at home. I love the stories you’ve shared in the blog’s comments and your requests for different cravings. I try to give you the most reliable recipe for that special cookie, dish, soup, or drink that brings you good memories or that you’ve been dying to try. Your filled and happy tummies, stories and requests, fuel my appetite to cook and share more.

See… there is a side of Mexican cuisine that is yet to be fully savored and appreciated: home-style Mexican food.  And for that, thankfully, many preconceptions become broken.

Take this Avocado, Tomato, Corn and Hearts of Palm Chop Chop Salad. One of the first recipes I thought of including in the series.

The buttery and luxurious avocados, the plump and fresh tomatoes, the sweet and crunchy corn, are all native Mexican ingredients. The hearts of palm are not, but its an ingredient that has been popular in Mexican kitchens for ages. Called palmitos, or little palm trees, when I was growing up in Mexico city, my grandmother and mother used to pair Palmitos and avocado for special occasions, just like many restaurants do.

See the mix! It is colorful, it is fresh, it is wholesome. Not many adjectives given to Mexican food outside of Mexico.

This salad is not laborious, as many consider good Mexican food to be. Ingredients here have to be simply, roughly chopped. Just like that!

The vinaigrette has crisp and clear ingredients: olive and safflower oils, the always straight forward apple cider vinegar, the lively fresh squeezed lime juice, salt, pepper, oregano (commonly used to season Mexican food, though not that well known) and brown sugar to help all of those flavors shine.

Simple, but layered flavors that feel so smooth when you take a bite.

And no. This salad isn’t spicy. Though I am wild about fresh and dried chiles, like most Mexicans (we need them! we do! there is sooo much one can do with each different kind!), and they are a staple in Mexican cooking (you will see some of my favorite ones in the series…) not all Mexican food is spicy nor has chiles.

What gives this salad a bit of pungency is a bit of chopped red onion.

There is nothing here battered or fried. Nor is this salad stuffed inside a giant tortilla with a gazillion other ingredients (OK, my boys do like U.S.-style burritos and I have come to appreciate them, but we also love Mexican-style ones… which I share in one of the show’s episodes).

What tops the salad, and gives it a healthy, crunchy and lightly nutty flavored bite are the toasted pumpkin seeds. An ingredient that since long before the time of the Aztecs, has been the base of moles, stews, sauces and pastes. They are used for all that, and for this too.

So of course I will share traditional dishes that have been passed down in families for generations, the pepitos, the soups, the tacos, the stews, the salsas, the practical moles, the flans and the panes dulces. But I will also share some of the modern spins made within the genuine boundaries of Mexican cooking: so you can explore along with me, a cuisine that keeps on evolving, inside and outside of Mexico.

So tune in!! And please, keep on sharing what you like and what you don’t, and mostly: send me your requests, I will try to keep on honoring them all.

p.s. The series premieres on WETA TV 26 Saturday April 2nd at 11:30 am in DC/MD/VA. Check your local public television station for their schedule this Spring!

AVOCADO AND HEARTS OF PALM CHOP CHOP SALAD
Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS
3 ripe Hass avocados, about 2 pounds, pulp cut into large chunks
14 ounces (1 1/3 cups) hearts of palm, drained, rinsed and thickly sliced
1 cup corn kernels, from freshly cooked ears of corn or thawed and cooked from frozen
1 tbsp red onion, chopped
6 oz cherry tomatoes, or about 1 cup, whole or halved according to your preference
3 tbsp pumpkin seeds, toasted

Vinaigrette
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp lime juice
1/4 tsp oregano
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp safflower oil

TO PREPARE
To make the vinaigrette, pour the vinegar and lime juice in a small bowl. Add oregano, salt sugar and black pepper. Pour the oils in a slow stream, whisking with a whisk or fork to emulsify. The vinaigrette can be made a day ahead of time, just emulsify before using.

To toast the pumpkin seeds, place them in an already hot small saute pan, set over medium heat.  Stir often, being careful not to burn them, until you start to hear popping sounds (similar to pop corn), and they begin to acquire a nice tanned color, about 4 to 5 minutes later. Remove from heat and place in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, gently mix the avocado chunks, hearts of palm slices, corn kernels, cherry tomatoes and red onion with the vinaigrette. Sprinkle with the toasted pumpkin seeds and serve.

This salad can be served as a main salad with a side of toast or pita bread, or it can be served as a side salad to grilled chicken, fish or meat.

This site is a continuous work in progress. As my husband notes, it is very time consuming, but as I always respond, it is immensely rewarding. Truth is, I can’t wait to keep on adding more. One of the things I have loved the most has been getting your requests, so please, keep them coming! Which brings me back to Mexican cheese, a topic I have gotten many requests for.

The first kind I added is the widely available Queso Fresco.  A deeply white, mild, fresh, light, barely salty, gently tangy and versatile cheese that crumbles right in your mouth the moment you take a bite. Yet, it also holds its shape beautifully if you dice it or cut it
into sticks. So it lets you play with it in many ways.

Aside from crumbling Queso Fresco directly on plenty of antojos like tacos, tostadas and enchiladas, one of my favorite ways to use it is on top of salads. I know, Mexican salads are not that well known. That said, I have never, in my life, seen a taco salad on Mexican grounds. There is a universe of wholesome and delicious Mexican salads to be found in Restaurants, but mostly, in people’s homes.

Every Mexican household has a secret vinaigrette that is both regularly used and waiting to be screamed out. But you can rarely get the exact recipe, because they are typically made “al tanteo“, an expression that I love, which means by feel, as you go.

Rather than placing the ingredients in a mixing bowl and emulsifying with a whisk as the French might do, in Mexico ingredients are commonly added in a Tupperware and shaken up until well blended.

Here is the secret vinaigrette from our home, which I measured, so you can make it if you please. You can substitute the honey with brown sugar, the main point being, that you need a bit of sweet to make the rest of the ingredients shine through. I added Boston lettuce, tomato and avocado here, but you can play with more ingredients that you may have at home: asparagus, scallions, jí­cama, to name some…

Aside from making the salad more hearty and filling, the Queso Fresco adds a nice contrast to the vinaigrette with its subtle salty and tangy notes. I will give you more ideas for using Queso Fresco in upcoming posts, so when you see it in the store, bring some home!

TRICOLOR SALAD WITH FRESH CHEESE AND LIME-HONEY VINAIGRETTE
Serves 6-8

INGREDIENTS
2 boston lettuce heads, leaves rinsed and drained
1 pound round tomatoes, about 2, quartered, seeded and sliced
1 large avocado, halved, pitted, meat scooped out and sliced
8 oz queso fresco, fresh cheese, may substitute with farmers cheese or feta cheese
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons white distilled vinegar
½ teaspoon honey or brown sugar
1½ teaspoons dijon mustard
1½ teaspoons kosher or sea salt
½ teaspoons black pepper, freshly ground
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
5 tablespoons olive oil

TO PREPARE
For the vinaigrette: place lime juice, vinegar, mustard, honey, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl and thoroughly mix with a fork. Slowly pour safflower or vegetable oil and olive oil as you mix with a fork or whisk, emulsifying the ingredients so that they are well combined. You can also place all the ingredients in a Tupperware and shake until well mixed.

You may make the vinaigrette ahead of time, but be sure to cover and refrigerate. Whisk it again or shake it in a closed container so that it is emulsified before you add it to the salad.

Place the lettuce leaves and tomatoes in a salad bowl. Add some of the vinaigrette and gently toss, so that the salad is moist but not soaked. Place the avocados and crumbled cheese on top. Drizzle some more vinaigrette on top and serve.

Avocados are, to me, amongst the most sensuous, luscious and luxurious of ingredients.  Add how delicious, soft and subtly flavored they are, and you get a clear winner for Valentine’s Day.Despite the many pounds of avocados we go through at home each week, regardless of the infinite number of cases I use for events at Washington, DC’s Mexican Cultural Institute, and  notwithstanding that my sisters and I used them for hair and face treatments as we were growing up (all those nurturing natural oils and vitamins), I still find avocados to be wow-inducing.

If there’s an avocado dish on a restaurant menu, it lands on my table.

So if I am planning a menu, especially with a hint of romance, avocados will be there…

 I am not unique thinking that avocados are something special. To the Aztecs, who ate avocados in Mexico for centuries before the Spaniards arrived, they were revered fruit considered to have strong fertility and aphrodisiac powers. Indeed, the Spanish word aguacate comes from the Nahuatl ahuacatl, or “testicles,” presumbly in reference to their shape. The avocado was warmly welcomed in the countries where it was introduced. And thanks in part to its accomodating nature – its meat can be smashed, diced, pureed, stuffed or sliced, or it can be part of a filling or a centerpiece – it has been creatively adopted in many cuisines.

It is true that many people think of guacamole when they hear “avocado.” And there must be more than a thousand reasons to love guacamole. Fast and easy to make, and so fun to eat, it screams out fiesta with each bite. My favorite way to make guacamole is to mix diced avocado with chopped onion and cilantro, squeeze fresh lime juice on top, sprinkle with sea salt and top it off with chopped chipotle chilis in adobo.

Guacamole, though, is just the tip of the avocado iceberg, both inside and outside Mexican cuisine.

Think about eel-and-avocado sushi, a French salad with layers of avocado sprinkled with Roquefort cheese, or an Italian salad with layers of ripe avocado and ash-coated goat cheese, olive oil, coarse salt and basil leaves. It’s hard to imagine a vegetarian sandwich without avocados.

Avocados are a fruit that ripen off the tree, so they are often sold unripe. If you are in a hurry to use an avocado, you can hasten the ripening process by wrapping it in newspapers or keeping it in a paper bag in a warm area of the kitchen. If you can wait, it will ripen at a nice pace uncovered in the kitchen.

Stuffed Avocados with Hearts of Palm and Artichoke Salad
Serves 6

INGREDIENTS
14 ounces (1 1/3 cups) hearts of palm, drained, rinsed and sliced
14 ounces (1 1/2 cups) artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed and sliced
2 tablespoons chopped red onion
4 tablespoons chopped red bell pepper
1 tablespoon tarragon vinegar
3/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt, or more to taste
1/4 teaspoon sugar, or more to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, ground, or more to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons safflower or vegetable oil
3 ripe Hass avocados, halved and seeded just before stuffing

TO PREPARE
In a bowl, mix the hearts of palm, artichoke hearts, red onion, red bell pepper and parsley.

To prepare the vinaigrette, pour the tarragon vinegar in a small bowl and mix it with the salt, sugar and black pepper. Pour the oils in a slow stream, whisking with a whisk or fork to emulsify. Pour it over the vegetables. Toss well to cover.

You may prepare the hearts of palm and artichoke salad ahead of time, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

When ready to eat, halve and seed the avocados. Scoop the hearts of palm and artichoke salad on top and serve.

Avocado, Pistachio and Watercress Mousse
Serves 14-16

INGREDIENTS
3 ripe Hass avocados(about 2 1/4 pounds), halved and seeded
2 tablespoons lime juice, freshly squeezed
8 ounces cream cheese
1 bunch watercress(about 1 cup), leaves and top parts of stems chopped
2 tablespoon sliced scallions(about 6), white and light green parts only
8-ounce can (2/3 cup) water chestnuts, drained and roughly chopped
2/3 cup pistachios, shelled and roughly chopped
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, ground, or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher or sea salt, or more to taste
2/3 cup cold water
3 1/4 ounce envelope unflavored gelatin
1/3 cup boiling water
Olive oil to grease the mold
Toasted bread or crackers, optional
Smoked salmon, optional

TO PREPARE
Scoop out meat from avocados and mash it in a bowl with a fork. Pour in lime juice and combine well with a spatula. Incorporate the cream cheese, mixing it thoroughly with the avocados. Add the watercress, scallions, water chestnuts, pistachios, cayenne, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce and salt. Mix well.

Measure 2/3 cup cold water in a cup. Stir in the gelatin, mix and let it rehydrate for a minute or two. Add 1/3 cup boiling water and stir until it dissolves. Pour gelatin into the avocado mix, incorporating it with a spatula.

Lightly grease a ring mold with olive oil. Pour the avocado mix into the mold. Shake the mold softly a couple of times to level the mix. Cover it well and place it in the refrigerator until it is set, for at least 3 hours. You can leave it overnight or until you are ready to unmold. The avocado mousse will last beautifully in the refrigerator for 2 days. When ready to unmold, remove from the refrigerator, run the tip of a knife along the edges and flip onto a plate. You may need to shake the mold a couple of times, holding onto the plate as you do so.

You may serve it on a platter, retro style, with some watercress leaves in the center of the ring or on top. Or serve it already sliced with a side of smoked salmon and pieces of toast.

AVOCADO SOUP WITH TORTILLA CRISPS AND FRESH CHEESE
Serves 4 to 6

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon corn or safflower oil
1 1/4 cup white onion, roughly chopped
1 jalapeño chili, sliced in half, seeding optional if less heat is desired, optional
3 large ripe Hass avocados(about 2 1/4 pounds), halved, seeded, meat scooped out
3/4 cup cilantro leaves, rinsed and loosely packed
6 cups chicken broth(may substitute vegetable broth)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
3/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt, more or less to taste
1 1/2 cups tortilla crisps(see below)
1 cup queso fresco, crumbled (may substitute farmers cheese or a mild feta)

TO PREPARE
Heat butter and oil in a medium skillet set over medium-low. Once butter melts and bubbles, stir in the onion and jalapeno. Cook, stirring periodically, until the onion has softened and become translucent, and the edges are beginning to brown lightly, 12 to 15 minutes. Add cilantro leaves to the pan. Once cilantro has wilted, 30 seconds to a minute later, turn off the heat.

Place avocado in the blender or food processor along with the cooked onion and jalapeno mixture, broth, lime juice and salt. Puree until smooth, taste for salt and add more if necessary.

You may serve in bowls garnished with tortilla crisps and cheese, or let your guests add garnishes to their liking.

Tortilla Crisps
Makes about 1 1/2 cups

INGREDIENTS
5 corn tortillas(5 to 6 inches wide)
Safflower or corn oil
1/2 teaspoon table salt, more or less to taste

TO PREPARE
On a chopping board, slice tortillas in half and then vertically in half again. Then slice across in strips of 1/4 to 1/2 inch, depending on how thick you like them.

Traditional (fried): In a medium skillet, add 1/4 inch oil and place over medium-high heat. Once it is hot, anywhere from 4 to 6 minutes, add tortilla pieces. When you add a tortilla to the oil, it should immediately start to bubble. Fry, stirring and flipping occasionally, until they achieve a golden tan and slightly brown color and are hard and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a plate covered with paper towel. Sprinkle with salt to taste.

Baked: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray or gently brush a baking sheet with corn or safflower oil. Place tortilla pieces on top and spray or gently brush a light layer of oil. Judiciously sprinkle with salt to taste.Place in oven and bake for about 20 minutes, stirring and flipping once or twice until they achieve a golden tan and slightly brown color and appear hard and crisp.Remove from oven, let them cool and place in a bowl or container.

CHOPPED EGG AND AVOCADO SANDWICH
Serves 3 to 4

INGREDIENTS
3 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
3 tablespoons chopped white onion
2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill, or 1/4 teaspoon dry dill
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons mayonnaise
1 large ripe Hass avocado(about 3/4 pound), halved, seeded, meat scooped out and diced
1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt, more or less to taste
Black pepper, ground, to taste
6 to 8 slices brioche or challah, or any bread of your choice, lightly toasted
4 slices Muenster, Mexican manchego or chihuahua or Monetery Jack cheese(optional)

TO PREPARE
In a bowl, mix the eggs, onion, parsley, dill, Dijon and mayonnaise together. Toss in the avocado, sprinkle with salt and pepper and gently mix well.

Lightly toast the bread slices. Scoop a generous amount of the chopped egg and avocado on a slice of bread, add a slice of cheese and top with another slice of bread.

My mother set us up in the backyard on a big blanket with random pots and pans, while she cooked laborious weekend meals. There was a fig tree, an apple tree, a peach tree, a couple of what we called Chinese orange trees and tons of azaleas and herbs that offered an immense array of witch-crafting material. But among our most prized ingredients were dried jamaica flowers, known here as hibiscus flowers, stored in a big jar in the kitchen.

Although not native to Mexico, with a contested origin between Africa and India, jamaica flowers arrived in colonial times and are now deeply integrated into Mexican cuisine. Mainly used to prepare agua de jamaica, one of the freshly flavored waters (aguas frescas), they are enjoyed daily throughout Mexico. Agua de jamaica is extremely popular because its tart flavor, also refreshing and light, complements Mexican food so well.

HIBISCUS FLOWER CONCENTRATE
Makes about 5 cups

INGREDIENTS
8 cups water
2 cups (3 ounces) dried hibiscus/jamaica flowers
1 1/2 cups sugar, or to taste
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

TO PREPARE
In a 6- or 8-quart saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add flowers, stir and simmer over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool a bit.

Strain mixture into a large container (with a lid to cover later), and add the sugar and lime juice. Stir until well-dissolved.

Once the concentrate has cooled, cover well and refrigerate. It will keep in the refrigerator for months.

AGUA DE JAMAICA (HIBISCUS FLOWER WATER)
Makes 4 to 6 servings

INGREDIENTS
2 cups concentrate
6 to 8 cups water
Ice cubes

TO PREPARE
Dilute each cup of the concentrate with 3 to 4 cups water. Serve over ice cubes, or refrigerate until very cold.

For the Hibiscus Flower Tea
Dilute 1/3 to 1/4 cup concentrate with 2/3 or 3/4 cup of water.

Hibiscus Flower Popsicles
For 2 cups concentrate, add 4 cups water and add 1/4 cup more sugar. Stir well, pour into popsicle molds and place in the freezer. This amount will make 24 2-ounce popsicles and will take 4 to 5 hours to freeze.

SEARED DUCK BREAST WITH HIBISCUS FLOWER AND ORANGE SAUCE
Pechuga De Pato Con Salsa De Jamaica Y Naranja
Makes 6 Servings

INGREDIENTS
Sauce
4 cups jamaica/hibiscus flower concentrate
2 cups chicken broth, homemade or store-bought
Rind of an orange
1 bay leaf
3 whole cloves
5 black peppercorns
1 cinnamon stick, about 2 inches (use Ceylon or true cinnamon if you can)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt, or more to taste

Duck Breasts
6 duck breasts, 6 to 8 ounces each, with skin
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt, or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground, or to taste

TO PREPARE
Sauce
Pour concentrate and broth into a medium-sized heavy saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil and add the orange rind, bay leaf, cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon stick, vinegar and salt. Simmer at medium-high heat for about 35 minutes.

Bring heat down to medium-low, as the sauce will have reduced considerably and will be simmering too strongly. Keep on a low simmer until the sauce achieves a thick, syrupy consistency, about 10 more minutes. Don’t let it thicken too much, as the sauce will continue to thicken as it cools. Remove the spices using a slotted spoon or strainer, and reserve in a container.

If you are not going to use it in the next couple of hours, or you made more than you need, let it cool, cover and refrigerate. Reheat before using.

Duck breasts
Thoroughly rinse the duck breasts under a thin stream of cold water and pat dry. Make 6 to 8 diagonal cuts through the skin of each breast, being careful not to cut through the meat. Season with kosher salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Once it is hot but not smoking, place the duck breasts skin-side down and sear for 6 to 7 minutes, until the skin is brown and crisp, and most of the fat melts and turns into liquid.

Move the breasts, skin-side up, to an ovenproof dish or pan. Place in the oven for 5 to 9 minutes, depending on how rare you like your meat: about 5 minutes for quite rare and about 8 to have a nice pink center.

Remove the breasts from the oven and let them sit for a couple of minutes before slicing. Slice diagonally along already marked skin. Drizzle jamaica and orange sauce on top.

WATERCRESS, GOAT CHEESE AND PECAN SALAD WITH HIBISCUS FLOWER VINAIGRETTE
Ensalada De Berros, Queso De Cabra Y Nueces Con Vinagreta De Jamaica
Makes 6 servings

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup champagne vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup safflower or corn oil
1 garlic clove, finely minced
2 teaspoons sugar, or to taste
2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, or to taste
1 cup hibiscus flowers
12 ounces watercress, rinsed and drained
8 ounces fresh goat cheese, cut into 12 slices (can be crumbled, too)
1/2 cup pecans or pine nuts, lightly toasted

TO PREPARE
Pour the champagne vinegar into a 3- to 4-quart mixing bowl. Slowly add both the olive oil and the safflower oil as you whisk them into the vinegar with a fork or whisk. Mix in the minced garlic, sugar, salt and pepper. Add the flowers and toss them well. Let them macerate from 4 to 6 hours.

Remove the flowers with a slotted spoon, reserving the vinaigrette. Chop the flowers and return them to the vinaigrette. You may use then, or cover and refrigerate up to a week. Mix very well before using and taste for seasoning as it may have become a bit more tart as the days go by and need more salt and sugar.

Place the watercress in a salad bowl. Toss with some vinaigrette and top with goat cheese slices and toasted pecans or pine nuts.

For one thing pot lucks are so popular. Maybe it’s because they can make entertaining easier and promote a warm feeling of collaboration. I don’t remember many pot luck meals growing up in Mexico. It was generally assumed that the host was in charge of the whole meal and guests arrived with a box of chocolates, a bunch of flowers, or maybe a bottle of wine or tequila too. So that pot luck pitching in element, has been such a nice surprise.

Secondly, no potluck seems to be complete without a salad, which seems to represent the wholeness of a meal and that higher degree of healthfulness.  They aren’t always that fat-free. But in any case, they help reduce the guilt we all may feel after indulging in a couple of servings of whatever decadent dish may happen to be there too.

Now I just can’t remember having a salad growing up, come what may, in every gathering either. There were vegetable sides, but not always salads. When there were, they either had a welcome exotic twist,  or a to die for “secret” house vinaigrette. And yes! The host would spell out the “secret” with any given opportunity.

As much as pot lucks are based on great principles, they can be damaged if participants think that whatever they bring works out well, just because they are bringing “something.” But here’s the thing, you are not helping much if the main dish is an Indian curry and the salad you walk in with has a creamy, garlicky and heavily parmesanned dressing.

Two ideas come to mind to try make that next pot luck a success. One, someone can be in charge of informing everyone of what others are planning to bring with a bit of detail. If that seems like a hassle, then pick a theme. Just to make sure there are no guns and roses on the table. Another idea, goes to the salad bearer. Instead of a premixed salad bag splashed with a random bottled vinaigrette, why not make a flavorful, exotic and wholesome salad? This will pump up the quality of the meal, make the health-minded happier and give the salad maker a ton more satisfaction.

Here, let me give you a salad that you can brag about and then happily devour. One of the most popular salads I have shared in class, it has also prompted a next day email to ask for the recipe whenever we have served it to friends at home. If you bring it to your next pot luck, it will make that table where you set it on, wish it had a mouth to eat it all up.

The original recipe comes from Marí­a Dolores Torres Izabal, one of the leading ladies of the Mexican culinary world and a woman I admire so. As the years have passed, I have adapted it.

Just the combination of ingredients is exciting enough. It has the depth of the spinach, the tanginess and strong color of the raw beets, the crispness of the typically ignored cabbage, the sharpness of the red onion, the sweetness and chewiness of the dried pineapple or acitrón, and the wonderful crunch, and clean and fresh feel of the jí­camas.

I found the freshest jí­camas today, as you can see in the picture above…though the weather didn’t help much for a good picture (I need a lot more help than a sunny day for that…)

This mix of ingredients is first lightly covered in a light oil and vinegar dressing, just to get ready for a luxurious embrace from the creamy avocado sauce. Now add the flavor of toasted sesame seeds and the satisfying bite you get out of the croutons…. Just can’t go wrong.

Oh… and it is practical too, since everything can be prepped at least a day ahead, refrigerated and assembled before serving.

ROSAURA SALAD (heavily adapted)
Serves 12 to 15

INGREDIENTS
5 cups or about 1 pound red cabbage, thinly sliced
3 cups or about 2 beets, raw, peeled and shredded
5 cups or about 8 oz baby spinach
5 cups or about 1 jicama, peeled and julienned, or cut into small sticks
1/2 cup red onion, slivered
3 oz, or a bit more than 1/3 cup, dried pineapple or acitrón, chopped
1/3 cup lightly toasted sesame seeds, optional
1 cup homemade or store bought croutons, optional

Vinaigrette
1/4 tarragon white wine vinegar
1 garlic clove
2 tablespoons roughly chopped white onion
1 tablespoon kosher or sea salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon sugar, or to taste
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup safflower or corn oil

Avocado dressing
1 cup milk
1 cup Mexican or Latin cream (can substitute with heavy cream)
2 avocados, or about 2 cups, peeled and pitted
1 garlic clove
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon kosher or sea salt, or to taste

TO PREPARE
For vinaigrette: Place all the vinaigrette ingredients in the blender and puree until smooth. Pour onto a bowl and may refrigerate. Re-emulsify before serving.

For avocado sauce: Place all the sauce ingredients in the blender and puree until smooth. Taste for salt and add more if need be. Pour onto a bowl and may refrigerate, covered, for up to a day.

Before serving, combine cabbage, spinach, jí­cama, onion, dried pineapple or acitrón and beets in a large salad bowl. Do so gently, so the whole salad will not be tainted with the color from the beets. Add enough vinaigrette to the salad, so that it will gently cover but not soak them.

You can serve the salad on individual plates and spoon a couple tablespoons of the avocado sauce, sprinkle some croutons and a some sesame seeds on top. You can also serve the salad on a big salad bowl and place the avocado sauce, croutons and sesame seeds on separate bowls along the side of the salad. Then people can choose how much to add of the toppings.