It turns out, fifteen years later, the Thanksgiving feast has become such a relevant part of our lives that if we ever moved back to Mexico, I’d have to bring it back with us.

The connection wasn’t instantaneous. Slowly, some elements began to resonate within me. Take the bird: Turkey is an indigenous ingredient in Mexican cookery and a center piece for Christmas and the New Year. Both are holidays which also happen near the end of the year, during the coldest season, and have to do with gathering family and friends around a plentiful table. And being thankful. And hopeful.

Regardless of the many recommended takes on turkey I tried, it wasn’t until I came up with my own Mexican version (it’s in my new cookbook please get it!) that the Thanksgiving turkey felt like part of our home and our home grew deeper roots in the United States.

Now my Mexican turkey is part of the Thanksgiving menu, we eat every year with our same dear American friends, along with Debra’s butternut squash soup; Tamara’s fennel, pear and parmesan salad; Sean’s changing sides (as my turkey replaced his, he is finding his way on the sides territory – sorry Sean, but you’re the one who chose mine…); Viviana and Mario’s very berry sauce; and David’s chocolate pecan pie and home made ice creams.

This year, I have some sweet potato rounds with a punch to share.

I realize the Thanksgiving menu has a permanent side to it: dishes that become part of it tend to be recurring for decades and very few get added or replaced along the way.

I envision these sweet potato rounds will have the same fate as my turkey: repeated appearances and a big chance of permanent status.

Just like turkey, sweet potatoes are so familiar to me. Called Camote in Spanish, from the náhuatl Camotli, they’ve been part of Mexico’s culinary lingo since pre-Hispanic times.

Mostly eaten cloaked in sugar or with a sweet spin, baked or roasted, they are culturally linked to the figure of the Camotero, a street vendor selling warm and soft sweet potatoes and plantains to order on a pushing cart, that moves around the city on cold evenings, turning people’s cravings on with the tune of its piercing whistle sound.

Here in the US, I’ve come up with a speedy, savory, irresistible take that can be a companion to whatever you may serve on your Thanksgiving table and will perk up the entire meal.

The best part: this will be a stress-free dish. It takes only four basic ingredients and it can be eaten warm, lukewarm or completely cooled.

Just slice the sweet potatoes into rounds, you can do that ahead of time. Brush them with a combination of melted unsalted butter and olive oil. Yes, please use both, it tastes so good, trust me.

Generously sprinkle Tají­n Clásico to cover on both sides. I’ve eaten this mix since I can remember. It has five different ground dried chiles: some sweet, some smoky, some bitter-sweet, some rustic, some spicy. A completely balanced blend that gets the addition of lime and salt, but no artificial additives. As if it was homemade, but they make it for you!

In fact, it is so good that the top reads, “this is not a candy,” to prevent you from finishing a bottle in a minute. It is so good, that I have been after them for years, hoping that they would collaborate with me on what has become my life’s mission: sharing Mexican food and culture across the border. Lucky for me, they are now available throughout the US.

The rounds will fly off of your platter, so bake plenty: they are thin and soft with a sweet bite on the inside, and lightly crispy on the outside with that lightly spicy, deliciously tart and barely salty seasoning.

It is during Thanksgiving when I most realize how fully Mexican I can be in the United States, and how much the US has grown on me. And I feel immensely thankful.

Having come from Mexican grandparents who were once immigrants too, who made their home in Mexico, missing my Mexican parents and family, and now raising my Mexican-American family in the US… now I get it!

Just like so many people, I can’t be pigeonholed. And rather than feeling at a loss, I relish in the diversity of it all.

Wishing you a happy and plentiful Thanksgiving (with some punchy bites).

SWEET POTATO ROUNDS WITH A PUNCH
Serves 4 to 6

INGREDIENTS
2 pounds sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
Tají­n Clásico Seasoning

TO PREPARE
Rinse and peel the sweet potatoes. Slice them into thin rounds of about ¼ inch.

Place oven racks on lower and upper thirds. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a small saucepan melt the butter over low heat. Once it melts pour in the olive oil, combine and remove from the heat.

Brush the butter/oil mix onto the bottom of two large baking sheets. Place the sweet potato rounds in a single layer. Brush the tops with more of the butter/oil mix. Sprinkle generously with Tají­n Classic Seasoning. Flip rounds on to the other side and sprinkle generously with Tají­n. Place in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until they have started to brown. Remove baking sheets. With a set of tongs or a pair of forks, flip the sweet potato rounds. Place back in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes more, until they have browned on both sides. Don’t let them burn.

Remove them from the oven. As they cool a little, their edges will crisp a bit more. Serve hot or not: either way they are delicious!

Throw in the four primary colors onto a painting palette and mix randomly. Whatever combination you come up with, there will be a Mexican rice that catches the spirit of those tones.

Red rice, cooked in a rich base of tomato puree, onion and garlic, and sometimes chopped vegetables.  Depending on the cook and the style, sometimes red rice may end up a bit on the orange side. Green rice, either based on Poblano chile, cilantro, parsley or a combination of those, giving a beautiful range of flavors along those grassy lines.  Black rice, seasoned with cooking broth from beans in the pot. White rice, the classic yet flavorful Mexican take that can be an unpretentious yet comforting side to almost anything. And we are not even getting started.

What many people don’t know is that Mexico also has its versions of Yellow rice.

From the two main kinds of Yellow rice in Mexican cooking, one has a saffron base and the other an achiote or annatto seeds base. Ironically, although saffron was brought to Mexico by the Spaniards almost five centuries ago and achiote seeds are native to Mexico, it is the saffron based rice which is considered to be the Traditional Yellow Rice in regions like Yucatán.

But given saffron’s high price tag, many cooks opt for achiote which is ridiculously cheap. Although it can be sometimes a bit hard to find in mainstream stores, most Latino, international or ethnic stores have it. You can always opt to click an online button to find it too…

With a similar color, and the same range of flavors, achiote seeds are a great substitute.

The difference aside from price, is the way in which both ingredients are used to bring out their unique flavors, aromas and colors, when making rice.

Saffron threads are soaked in water…

…and added to the rice after it has been sauteed in oil and the broth poured on top….

Achiote seeds, instead, are sauteed in oil for 2 to 3 minutes. Once they paint the oil and let out their flavors, they are removed with a slotted spoon before they become too bitter and right before the rice is poured in the pan. Some cooks dilute powdered achiote seeds in water, which can also be found in some stores, and do the same as with saffron. I prefer the version that uses the whole seeds much more.

Both ingredients, one from the Old World and one from the New World, have hard to describe flavors that somehow escape my words. But let me give it a shot: A bit smokey, a bit pungent, a bit bitter and strong, with a defined personality. What’s more, both ingredients help make an exotic, beautiful and tasty Yellow rice.

Here is a take on the saffron based rice that I love and that won over a great crowd. Try it, then you can tell me if it is really that good, or it may very well be that the great crowd had been waiting too long to eat during class, and that’s why they liked it so.

YELLOW RICE
Serves 3-4

INGREDIENTS
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled
2 tablespoons boiling hot water
1 cup long or extra long white rice
2 tablespoons safflower or corn oil
1/4 cup white onion, chopped
1/4 cup red tomato, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
2 cups chicken broth
3/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt, more or less to taste

TO PREPARE
Place saffron threads in a small mixing bowl along with the boiling hot water. Mix and let soak for 10 to 15 minutes.

Place rice in a bowl, cover with very hot water, and let soak for 5 to 10 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain thoroughly.

Heat the oil in a 3 to 4 qt pan over medium-high heat. (If you are using achiote seeds instead of Saffron, just let a teaspoon of them cook in the oil for 2 to 3 minutes before adding the rice). Once the oil is hot, add the dried rice and saute for 1 to 2 minutes. Incorporate the onion, tomato, and garlic, stir, and continue to cook until the rice changes color to a milky white. It should sound and feel heavier, as if you were moving sand in the pot, about 4 to 5 more minutes.

Pour in the chicken broth, saffron mix, and salt and stir everything together. When the liquid starts to boil, cover the pot, lower the heat to low and continue cooking for about 20 more minutes, or until the rice is cooked through and the liquid has been mostly absorbed.

If the grains don’t seem soft and cooked through, add a bit more chicken stock or water and let it cook for another 5 minutes or so. Turn the heat off and let it sit covered for 5 to 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.

Rice can be made ahead of time and reheated later the same day. Before reheating, add 1 tablespoon of water and heat, covered over the lowest heat possible. Once it has cooled down, it can be kept in a closed container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Right off the bat, you must understand: I heart chorizo.  Especially the kind I grew up eating in Mexico.  It comes in deep-burnt-reddish links of fresh, moist, exotically seasoned ground meat that, once fried, becomes crisp and filling bites with bold flavors and a thousand uses.My oldest son’s quick choice for breakfast is chorizo fried until it browns and crisps, with a side of white toast.  Add some lightly beaten eggs as the chorizo is starting to brown and some ripe and creamy avocado slices on the side, and that’s my kind of rich-tasting brunch dish.  Of course chorizo is delicious in sandwiches, in tacos and quesadillas, on top of enchiladas, in mashed potatoes, as a topping for heartier salads, in some of the tastiest bean dishes I have tried, in pastas with a ton of personality and on pizzas with pickled jalapeño peppers on top.

I am really trying to stop myself here…

When I moved to the United States, more than a dozen years ago, I was thrilled to find chorizo in international grocery stores. Lately, I have been intrigued and surprised to see that my Mexican chorizo is now accompanied by many other kinds in the refrigerated sections of bigger, more mainstream stores: Argentine, Colombian, Guatemala, Salvadoran and Honduran chorizos have arrived. Like the MExican kind, some of those varieties are being made with chicken, turkey or beef in addition to pork. There is even kosher chorizo, made with beef, at Koshermart in Rockville and vegan chorizo at Trader Joe’s (which I haven’t felt the urge to try). Many come in spicy, spicier, spiciest and hotter than hot.

COWBOY BEANS
Frijoles Charros
4-6 generous side-dish servings

INGREDIENTS
1 pound (about 2 cups) dried pinto beans, rinsed and picked over
1 medium white onion, cut in half, half of it finely chopped (1/2 cup)
14 cups water, or more as needed
1 tablespoon kosher or sea salt, plus more as needed
6 ounces sliced uncooked bacon, chopped
8 ounces fresh, uncooked Mexican chorizo(casings removed), chopped
1 jalapeño pepper(seeded if desired), finely chopped (1 tablespoon or more to taste)
2 medium or 3 (about 8 ounces total)
Roma tomatoes, chopped

TO PREPARE
Place the beans and the onion half in a medium, heavy-bottomed pot and add the water (it should cover the beans by at least 4 inches). Bring to a boil over high heat, then partially cover and reduce the heat to medium; cook for about 2 hours or until the beans are completely soft and cooked through and the broth has thickened to a soupy consistency. (If during cooking the beans seem to be drying out, add a few more cups of water.) Add the salt and stir to dissolve.

Cook the bacon in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes, until it is lightly browned and starting to crisp. Add the chopped chorizo; cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until it starts to brown and crisp, using a wooden spoon or spatula to break it into smaller pieces as it cooks.

(At this point, you can drain the fat from the skillet, if desired.)

Add the chopped onion and jalapeno pepper; mix well and cook for 1 minute, letting them soften a bit. Add the tomatoes and mix well; cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, until the tomatoes soften and appear mushy.

Add the cooked beans and their cooking liquid; mix well and reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until the beans are moist but not soupy. Discard the onion half. Taste, and add salt as needed. Serve hot.

MEXICAN STYLE PASTA WITH TOMATO SAUCE, CHORIZO & FRESH CREAM
Pasta Seca con Jitomate, Chorizo y Crema

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 lbs ripe Roma tomatoes(about 6 to 8 tomatoes)
1 medium clove garlic
1/2 cup tomato cooking liquid
1/2 cup medium white onion, coarsely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
3/4 tsp kosher or sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
8 oz fresh, uncooked Mexican chorizo, casings removed and coarsely chopped
1 tbsp safflower or corn oil
8 oz dried spaghetti, angel hair or fettuccine, broken into smaller pieces
2 cups chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1 to 2 tbsp sauce from canned chipotles in adobo, plus 1 whole canned chipotle chile for more heat (optional)
6 oz queso fresco, fresh cheese, farmer’s cheese, or a milde feta, crumbled
Mexican or Latin cream, as much as needed (!) or substitute for creme fraiche or sour cream
1 ripe Hass avocado, halved, peeled, cut into slices

TO PREPARE
Place tomatoes and garlic in a medium saucepan. Add water to cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Simmer for about 10 minutes, until the tomatoes are thoroughly cooked, they look mushy and the skins have started to come off.

Transfer the tomatoes, 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid and garlic to a blender along with the onion, salt and pepper. Let cool slightly and puree until smooth.

Cook the chorizo in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat for 5 to 6 minutes, until it has browned and crisped; use a wooden spoon or spatula to break it into smaller pieces as it cooks. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked chorizo to a bowl.

Add oil to the same skillet used to cook the chorizo, over medium-high heat. Add the spaghetti or fettuccine pieces and cook for a few minutes, stirring often, until the pasta changes color and starts to brown. Do not let it burn!!

Pour the tomato puree on the pasta. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until the sauce thickens and the color darkens to a deeper red. Add the chicken broth, bay leaves and adobo sauce, plus a whole chipotle chile in adobo, if desired.

Mix well, cook uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring often to keep the pasta from sticking, until the pasta is cooked through and the tomato sauce has thickened considerably. Discard the bay leaves.

Add the chorizo and stir to incorporate. Divide among individual plates; serve hot, topped with crumbled cheese, fresh cream and avocado slices.

POTATO, SCALLION & CHORIZO CRISPY TACOS THRESHER
Tacos Crujientes de Papa, Cebollita y Chorizo

INGREDIENTS
1 lb red bliss potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
8 oz fresh, uncooked Mexican chorizo sausage, casings removed, coarsely chopped
8 scallions, white and light green parts, thinly sliced (1/2 cup)
1 tsp kosher or sea salt, or more to taste
10-12 corn tortillas
Safflower oil, for frying
Salsa verde or any salsa of your choice

TO PREPARE
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the potato pieces, once the water returns to a boil, cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Drain.

Place the chorizo in a large skillet over medium-high heat. As it cooks, use a wooden spoon or spatula to crumble it into smaller pieces. Once it browns and crisps, 5 to 6 minutes, add the scallions and stir to combine; cook for about 1 minute or until the scallions begin to soften.

Add the cooked potatoes and salt, mashing them into the chorizo mixture with a potato masher or a wooden spoon, for about 1 minute until well combined. Remove from the heat. Taste, add salt as needed.

Heat a dry, medium skillet over medium heat. Warm the tortillas in the skillet one at a time for 15 to 30 seconds on each side, to soften them for rolling.

Place a few tablespoons of the filling on each tortilla, and roll into a taco. Insert a wooden toothpick through taco pairs through thee seams to help them retain their shape as they cook. Place the completed tacos on a platter or tray with the seam sides facing down as you work. When they have all been rolled, finish the tacos by either frying or toasting them.

To fry the tacos:
Pour enough oil into a large skillet to a depth of about 1 inch, place over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, 4 to 6 minutes, fry the tacos in batches, placing them in the skillet, without crowding them. They oil should be bubbling as they cook. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes on the first side, until the bottom and sides have crisped and turned golden. Use tongs to turn over the tacos, cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels. Continue until all the tacos have been fried.

To toast the tacos:
Heat a large, dry skillet or comal over medium heat. Working in batches, place the tacos in the skillet. Let them toast and heat for about 3 to 4 minutes or until the tacos are browned and crisped, then flip to the other side and toast until evenly browned and crisp.

Remove all toothpicks; serve warm.

WARM SWEET POTATO SALAD WITH CHORIZO
Ensalada Calientita de Camote y Chorizo
Makes 4 to 6 servings

INGREDIENTS
3 lbs sweet potatoes(about 3 large sweet potatoes), peeled and cut into bite-size chunks
3 tbsp olive oil
1 cup orange juice, preferably freshly squeezed
1/2 tsp brown sugar
3/4 tsp kosher or sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
8 oz fresh, uncooked Mexican chorizo, casings removed and coarsely chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, stemmed and seeded if less heat is desired
1/3 cup red onion, chopped
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped

TO PREPARE
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the sweet potato pieces, once it comes back to a boil, reduce the heat to medium; simmer for about 10 minutes, until almost tender and a knife can go through without breaking a piece. Drain, and transfer to a baking dish large enough to hold the pieces almost in a single layer.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Whisk together orange juice, oil, sugar, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Pour the mixture over the sweet potatoes and toss to coat evenly. Roast for about 20 minutes, turning them after about 10 minutes, until the potato pieces have started to brown and the sauce has thickened. Remove from the oven.

Meanwhile, cook the chorizo in a medium skillet over medium-high heat; use a wooden spoon of spatula to break it into smaller pieces as it cooks. After 5 to 6 minutes, when it has nicely browned and crisped, use a slotted spoon to top the hot sweet potatoes.

Sprinkle the jalapeño, red onion and cilantro on top, and toss gently to combine. Serve warm.

A Chicago native who arrived in Mexico in 1981, she was first a social worker in Tijuana.  Now, after 30 years, she is a permanent fixture in Morelia, Michoacan.  She learned the cuisines of the central highlands of Mexico from the Mayoras (Michoacan home cooks). Now, without further ado, here is Cristina…

I’d like to offer my personal recipes for frijoles refritos and frijoles de la olla. The following recipe for refried beans is not only simple and delicious; it converts people who turn up their noses at ordinary refried beans into folks who insist on another helping!

In central Mexico, the most commonly eaten bean is the peruano (peh-roo-AH-noh), an oval, yellow bean that cooks to a pale beige color with a creamy consistency.  I like frijoles de la olla (freshly cooked beans, straight from the pot) served with a big spoonful of salsa fresca (chopped tomato, minced onion and chile serrano, salt, and roughly chopped cilantro).  I often steam white rice, fill a bowl with it, add frijoles de la olla, salsa fresca, and crumble cotija cheese and call it comida (main meal of the day).

For breakfast, I often prepare frijoles refritos (refried beans).  Served with scrambled eggs, sliced avocado, and a stack of hot tortillas, beans are a great way to start the morning.

Here’s some fun bean trivia: frijoles refritos doesn’t really mean ‘refried’ beans. Mexican Spanish often uses the prefix ‘re-’ to describe something exceptional.  ‘Rebueno’ means ‘really, really good’.  ‘Refrito’ means–you guessed it–well-fried.

Frijoles de la olla are very easy to cook and the fresh-cooked flavor is a million times better than canned beans! In my kitchen I prepare about a pound of dried beans at a time.  After cooking, I serve some as frijoles de la olla, prepare some as refried beans, and freeze the rest in plastic sandwich bags.  The cooked beans and their pot liquid freeze very well.

To make frijoles de la olla, the traditional cooking method I use has no onions, no garlic, no salt, and no other seasonings–just water and dried beans. First, pick carefully through your beans.  Put the cleaned beans in a strainer and wash well under running water.  Now, to soak or not to soak?  I have tried both soaking and not soaking and have noticed that the cooking time is about the same either way. I never soak my beans.  My olla de barro (clay bean pot) holds about a half kilo of frijol plus enough water to cook them.  If you don’t have an olla de barro, a heavy metal soup pot will work almost as well.  After the beans are in the pot, add 6 to 8 cups of cold water.

Over a high flame, bring the pot of beans to a rolling boil.  Turn the flame to a medium simmer and cover the pot.  Allow the beans to cook for about an hour and check the water level.  If you need to add more water, be sure it is boiling before you pour it into the bean pot; adding cold water can cause the beans to toughen.  Continue to cook the beans until, when you bite into one, it is soft and creamy.  The pot liquid will thicken slightly.

(Frijoles de la Olla, already cooked over the fried chilies, ready to be turned into refried beans)

Now’s the time to salt your beans–after cooking, but while the beans are still hot. I use Espuma del Mar (Mexican sea salt from the state of Colima) for its wonderful sweetly salty flavor, but any salt will do.  Add a little less salt than you think is correct–you can always add more later, and you don’t want to over salt your beans.

If you live in the United States or Canada, you’ll want to order the fabulous heritage dried beans sold by Rancho Gordo.  Its owner, my friend Steve Sando, has nearly single-handedly brought delicious old-style beans to new popularity in home and restaurant kitchens.  If you’ve tasted ordinary beans and said, “So what?”, try Rancho Gordo beans for a huge WOW! of an eye opener.

Following is a recipe for turning these frijoles de la olla into refried beans.

(Refried beans ready to eat)

REFRIED BEANS
Makes 6 servings as a side dish

INGREDIENTS
3 cups recently cooked frijoles peruanos de la olla
1 or 2 chiles serranos, depending on your heat tolerance
1 or 2 Tbsp lard or vegetable oil –preferably lard and definitely NOT olive oil
Bean cooking liquid
Sea salt to taste

TO PREPARE
Melt the lard in an 8-inch skillet. Split the chile(s) from the tip almost to the stem and add to the melted lard. Saute over a medium flame until the chile is dark brown, almost black. Allow the lard or oil and chile to cool a bit before the next step.

Now add the beans and a little of the bean liquid. When the beans begin to simmer, mash them and the chile with a potato or bean masher until they are smooth. Add more liquid if necessary to give the beans the consistency you prefer. Add sea salt to taste, stir well, and serve.

This is one of the things I came up with and can’t wait for them to try:  creamy and soft sweet potatoes bathed in a buttery orange-piloncillo syrup sprinkled, with toasted chile de arbol. How good are they? That fork in the picture I just shot accounts for my third consecutive serving today. How easy are they to make? Read below…

I am fond of sweet potatoes. Called camotes in Mexico, and eaten since Pre-Hispanic times, they tend to be eaten with a sweet spin. The most popular versions are either steamed and drizzled with sweetened condensed milk, honey or syrup as the plantains I recently posted; or cooked into a sweetened paste, molded, caramelized and turned into addictive candies.

However, they are also cooked in many other ways. Through my travels and research I have tasted them in soups, puddings, warm salads, purees and even flans. Yet one of my favorite versions is how my mother makes them.

She boils, peels and slices them. Then she adds chunks of butter, brown sugar or piloncillo, chile de arbol and into the oven they go. I started from her idea, but opted to make a syrup with what you see in the photo above: butter, brown sugar or shredded piloncillo, orange and lime juice for an extra layer of flavor.

Its simple: just place those ingredients in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Once the butter dissolves, let the mix turn into a light syrup, which takes about 4 minutes of gentle simmer. This syrup is so good, it could be drank out of a cup…

Instead of drinking it all…  you can drizzle most of it over the sliced sweet potatoes in a buttered baking dish. For an incredibly earthy, deep and spicy kick, sprinkle some toasted and chopped chile de arbol on top.

If you are not familiar with the chile de arbol, this is what they look like.

Chile de arbol have become widely available outside of Mexico. They are thin, elongated, have a beautiful red/orange color, and are spicy with a rich, deep flavor.

To use them for this dish just remove the stems, make a slit down their sides and take the seeds off. See how I am opening them up? The seeds just come right off. It takes a minute.

In an already hot dry skillet or comal set over medium-low heat (takes 3 to 4 minutes to heat up), toast the chilies for about 20 to 30 seconds on each side. Their inner skin will become opaque, they will let some aroma loose, and their outside skin will gain a toasty dark brown tan. Be careful not to let them burn all over.

  They should look similar to this…

 Then, just give them a friendly chop. And after you do, wash your hands with soap and water… you don’t want to rub your eyes with chile de arbol. If you made more than you need, store them in a closed bag or container. They will keep forever.

Once you drizzle the syrup and sprinkle the chopped chile de arbol, add a bit of salt on top. Place in a 425 degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes. And you are set.

 Ok, that’s before my fork went in!  These are sweet potatoes with a delicious citrusy sweet spin and a flavorful spicy kick.

By boiling the sweet potatoes before placing them in the oven, you are getting a creamy and soft texture that can’t be achieved by just roasting them in the oven. The quick finish in the oven, thickens the syrup further as it gives the already soft sweet potatoes a nicer outer finish. It is a great combination. I might as well finish what’s on the plate…

SWEET POTATOES WITH AN ORANGE-PILONCILLO SYRUP AND CHILE DE ARBOL
Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS
3 pounds sweet potatoes
1/2 cup orange juice, preferably fresh
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice
3/4 cup grated piloncillo or brown sugar
1/4 cup or 2 oz unsalted butter
4 to 6 chile de arbol, stems and seeds removed, toasted and chopped
1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt, more or less to taste

TO PREPARE
Rinse and scrub the sweet potatoes. Place them in a large pot, cover them with water, over medium heat. Once it comes to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover the pot, and let it simmer for about 25 to 35 minutes. You will know they are ready, just like with boiling potatoes, when the tip of a knife can easily go through. Drain and let cool.

Remove the stems from the chile de arbol, make a slit down their sides and take out the seeds. On a preheated comal or dry skillet over medium-low heat, toast the chiles for about 20 to 30 seconds per side. Their inner skin will have become opaque and the outer skin will achieve a brown tan. Be careful to not let them burn.

To make the syrup, place the butter, piloncillo or brown sugar, orange and lime juice in a sauce pan over medium-low heat. Once the butter dissolves, let it simmer 4 to 5 minutes until it gains a light syrupy consistency.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and butter a baking dish (I use a 9 x 13).

Once the sweet potatoes have cooled, peel and slice them into about 1/2 to 1 inch rounds. Layer them in rows, pour the syrup on top, sprinkle the toasted and chopped chile de arbol and sprinkle some salt on top. Place the dish in the oven and bake anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes. Halfway through, spoon some of the syrup on top of the sweet potatoes. Bake them until the syrup has thickened to your liking and they have achieved a glazed crust. They are specially delicious if eaten while still hot.

Not to be confused with the other kind of tortas, (tortes translates to tortas in Spanish…) Mexico’s favorite sandwich made with a crispy bread roll adapted from the baguette; tortes are a cross between a fluffy and moist bread, a savory pudding, and now that I think of it, also a souffle.

Although there are quite a few variations, tortes have a few things in common. For one thing, they are easy to prepare. Next, they are versatile since they can be a side to both dry or saucy entrees, they can become the main dish accompanied by a salad and they can travel solo in grand style. What’s more, and crucial around home, they help eager parents deceive picky eaters who don’t like vegetables that much.

(Two kinds of zucchini posing in my backyard)

Tortes swaddle vegetables in a comforting cushion of eggs (sometimes beaten separately), one or another kind of flour, at times milk, cream or cheese and a nice dose of sugar, some salt, and depending on the spin, other spices. Despite the variations, the signature of each torte is typically given by the vegetable that predominates. The most common ones that come to mind are pea, carrot, spinach, zucchini and corn. The last two are the ones I repeat the most and since I found such beautiful zucchini in the market yesterday, that’s what is going in the mixer today.

(The zucchini mostly found in Mexican markets, calabacita italiana, sometimes called Pipian in Latin stores throughout the US.)

Though in Mexico the zucchini that is mostly used is the calabacita italiana, which translates to italian zucchini, the one I find most often in the US is the larger, dark green zucchini. The first is smaller, a bit rounder, with a lighter green color speckled with cream. The second tends to be longer and with a deeper, darker and more uniform green color. Both work just as well, but the first tends to be a bit milder and sweeter than the latter.

There are countless ways in which calabacitas, or different kinds of zucchinis, are used. It may just be one of the most used vegetables in Mexican cooking. And all of its parts are used: the vegetable, the shoots (especially in tasty soups) and the seeds.

(While my youngest son loves to mash away with the molcajete, or anything else, my oldest has graduated to use the grater, which he does with worldly pride.)

Making this torte is as simple as can be: Grate and drain the zucchini. Then mix it with the already beaten butter, eggs, a mix of rice flour, baking soda, baking powder, pinch of salt and sugar. Then, into the oven, and that’s it.

(Grated and drained zucchini. You can use a cheese cloth or a strainer and squeeze the juice out with your hands or a spoon)

(There you go, a dangerous shot from an unexperienced photographer to give you that close up…)

(The zucchini bread before adding the powdered sugar, my preferred topping.)

I have been making this torte for quite some time now. The original recipe comes from Diana Kennedy’s The Art of Mexican Cooking, but it has gone through some adaptations over time. And from what I can tell, it is about to go through even more:

I was nicely surprised last week when I brought it to Ilana’s dinner. As she asked for details on it, she screamed out loud: Its gluten free! Thanks to the rice flour, which also gives the torte such a welcome grainy texture. So I called my mother to say I had accidentally found something else she can make, as she eats gluten free. As I described it, she decided it would be irresistible with grated Mexican Manchego, a cheese similar to Monterey Jack, on top. Turns out, it makes for a deliciously tanned, crispy cheesy top. Who can say no to that?

Though Diana Kennedy likes to eat it with a spoonful of creme fraiche seasoned with salt and pepper on top, I prefer to eat it with powdered sugar. But please, go ahead and choose what you are in the mood for…

ZUCCHINI TORTE
Adapted from Diana Kennedy
Serves 10-12

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 pound zucchini(about 4 cups), ends trimmed, grated and strained
1/4 pound plus 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cup rice flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch Kosher or sea salt
1/3 cup sugar
Powdered sugar, optional
Creme fraiche or Mexican style cream, seasoned with salt and pepper, optional

TO PREPARE
Butter a 9×12 baking pan.Heat the oven to 350 degrees and place the rack in the middle of the oven.

Trim the ends off the zucchini and grate. Place in a colander and strain the juice either pushing with your hands or the back of a spoon, set aside.

In a bowl combine the rice flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a mixer, beat the butter at medium high speed for a couple minutes until creamy. Reduce the speed to low and incorporate the eggs one by one. After each egg add about 1/3 of the flour mixture, keep beating until thoroughly mixed.

Lastly, add the strained zucchini and the sugar. Beat for another minute until the batter is well mixed and pour onto greased baking dish.

Place into the oven and bake for 40 minutes or until torte starts to show a nice golden tan and a toothpick comes out a bit moist but not wet. Remove from the oven, cut in squares and serve. It can be eaten with sprinkled powdered sugar on top for a nice sweet spin, or with spoonfuls of creme fraiche or Mexican style cream seasoned with salt and pepper.

Can be eaten hot, warm or cold. If there is any left, it can be kept covered outside of the refrigerator for a couple days.

I devoured it in what seemed a couple bites, just to lick the last but yummiest remains from the crumbled foil. There we were, standing on the street corner where my family lived, mischievously laughing: it was already getting dark, almost dinnertime, and no, no, no, I wasn’t supposed to be having any. Oh dear, how I miss that woman! Now every time I eat a plantain, I get a sparkle of that sheer joy.

So I understand my boys when they rush out to the street, their heartbeats pumping so loud I can clap their rhythms, as I scream out wait, wait, wait!, as that annoying ice cream truck song approaches. Yes, right before dinner, thank you Mr. Ice Cream Man. I once felt that too, with an even more shrilling whistle coming out from the camotero street cart.

We used to eat cooked ripe plantains throughout the year, and ironically, they seemed to taste even better during the hot and rainy summer months.  As some people say, sometimes hot, beats the heat…

(Plantains on my dining room table, the one covered in black spots is ripe and ready to be cooked)

Plantains, called macho bananas, plátano macho, in many areas of Mexico, can just change gears and move from one course to another. Eaten as described above, they make an original dessert or an anytime sweet treat. Covered in foil and thrown on the grill, and along some grilled meat or chicken with a spicy kick, they make an incredible side. All you need is a simple salad and you have a wholesome tasty meal. If you forgot to eat them and you are already moving to dessert, just drizzle some sweet condensed milk, honey, sugar, Rompope, or ice cream on top! I don’t think one can say this about many other ingredients… maybe sweet potatoes or grilled pineapples…

Another option to eat ripe plantains, which is extremely popular, is to fry them, plátanos fritos. They are peeled, thickly and diagonally sliced (to make them pretty, why not?) and as they brown in the hot oil, their sugar caramelizes. So when you start to bite in, you get a sweet crunch, and when you are deep into the bite, you get a gently mushy and soft finish.

In Mexican cooking, fried plantains are famously eaten on top of white rice, as in the main post photo. This brings a nice contrast of sweet and soft with savory and coarse. If you want to go over the top, drizzle some Mexican or Latin style cream or sour cream as a finishing touch. Try that… and you will have a piece of sheer bliss too.

NOTE Click here to read about plantains, how to buy them and how to recognize when they are ripe. Of course, there are other ways to eat them when they are not ripe, as they do in the Gulf Coast, but that is a topic for a future post… meanwhile enjoy one of these three ways to eat them ripe, or  try them all!

FRIED PLANTAINS TO SERVE OVER RICE OR AS A SIDE
Serves 2 to 4

INGREDIENTS
2 ripe plantains
¼ cup safflower or corn oil

TO PREPARE
The skin of the plantain should be almost entirely black when it is mature and ready to use. Peel the plantain and slice diagonally into about ¼ inch slices.

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a sauté pan until hot but not smoking. Add slices of plantain and sauté for about 2 minutes, until lightly browned, but not blackened. Flip to other side and sauté for another minute or two.

Place the fried plantain sliced on a plate covered with paper towel, so as to absorb the excess oil. Serve hot over rice and eat as a side.

Already cooked plantains may be reheated on a baking sheet in the oven at 300 degrees for 5 minutes or so.

BAKED PLANTAINS FOR DESSERT
Serves 2 to 4

INGREDIENTS
2 ripe plantains
Sweetened Condensed Milk, to your liking, or honey, sugar, ice cream or Rompope

TO PREPARE
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Individually wrap the plantains, with their skin on, in aluminum foil and place in a baking sheet in the oven (some people bake them without the aluminum foil, you can try it both ways).

Bake for about 25 minutes, until plantains are completely cooked through, very soft and sugar has begun to caramelize. Carefully open up the foil making a slit down the middle, open it up, and pour the condensed milk on top.

GRILLED PLANTAINS
Serves 2 to 4

INGREDIENTS
2 ripe plantains

TO PREPARE
Preheat grill to medium heat. Individually wrap the unpeeled plantains in aluminum foil and place on the grill.

Let them cook for about 20 to 25 minutes, until they are soft and cooked through. You may also cook them on the upper rack of the grill at a different temperature, but it may take more or less time.

You know they are ready when they feel extremely soft to the touch and the sugar has begin to caramelize.

This is how behind I feel in all I want to share: Six weeks ago our family came back from the Copper Canyon in Mexico. I took notes, pictures, short videos, interviewed cooks, planted myself in their kitchens until forcefully uprooted by my husband, and ate like a mad woman from any interesting sounding dish, which was practically everything (partly with the purpose to come and tell you all about it…).

Then we came home, and life got in the way… I took longer to launch this site because I wanted to add more sections. By the time it was ready, so many weeks had gone by, I was eager to share more recent food excursions from my kitchen.

Yesterday, these red tomatoes reminded me of my delayed purpose. They looked perfectly ripe to become the base for that Mexican Style Rice we ate at the Chepe train (formally known as the Chihuahua al Pací­fico). It was unbelievable. Not only how good it tasted, but where and how it is made, every day.

I expected to find scrumptious food along the Copper Canyon, but not aboard the train.  Used to pre-packaged sandwiches and microwaved hot dogs on the Amtrak, it was suck a treat to choose from a full menu of home-style food.

Ad we sat on the cushy blue seats, we were amazed at how the individual place settings set on the wooden tables jumped without falling as the train rocked on the old wooden tracks.  With the light from the sun peeking through the window, the formally dressed waiters coming out of the kitchen appeared to step out from the Mexican 19th century, with charming mustaches in the like of the long gone Profirian era and all.

More amazement, as they poured coffee, dancing as in a tight rope with the steaming pots at least 10 inches away from the cups they were aiming to fill. But even more amazement, after we tasted the food. Such good food on a train? I had puntas de filete with a side of refried beans, quesadillas and the best ever Mexican style rice. Even before dessert, this felt like a trip within the trip itself.

Each time, I would ask the waiter to introduce me to the cook in turn. There were not one but three cooks in a fully sized and stocked kitchen. Balancing as if on steady ground, up and down bridges, inside tunnels and around curves, they made some of the most comforting foods I can think of.

Here is a tip:  when you do to the Chepe, disregard when train officers say the Restaurant is closed.  It seems to be a technique to help guests avoid long waits (or a bottleneck in the kitchen).  Go check it out yourself, there is typically no line and by the time they announce its open, the train ride may be over.  If you are not planning on going to the Chepe train soon, here is the recipe for that deliciously satisfying Mexican rice, shared by the chef in charge of the Chepe’s food and menu, Jesus Ley.

There are of course many variations to this dish. You can substitute fresh tomato puree for 1 1/2 cups of canned puree. Except for few rice dishes, I always add some fresh squeezed lime juice. It makes it crisp and helps the flavors of the other ingredients shine through, but it is optional.You can include the carrots and peas, exclude them or change that vegetable such as by adding green beans and red bell peppers.

And yes, that chile serrano you see in the picture is optional. You can omit it, substitute it for a jalapeño, and can add a couple more if you like. But if you are having Mexicans over, watch out: those chiles that have absorbed the flavors from all the ingredients in that pot, are the rice treasure we all hunt for.

MEXICAN STYLE RICE (OR ARROZ ROJO)
Serves 6 to 8

INGREDIENTS
2 cups long or extra long grain white rice
2 tomatoes, or about 1 pound, quartered
1/3 cup white onion, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt, or more to taste
3 tablespoons safflower or corn oil
3 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth, or water
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, optional
2 parsley sprigs
3/4 cup carrots, peeled and diced, optional
1/2 cup shelled green peas, fresh of frozen, optional
1 or 2 chiles Serranos, optional

TO PREPARE
In a bowl, soak the rice in hot water for about 5 minutes. Rinse with cold water and drain very well.

While the rice soaks, purée the tomatoes in the blender along with the onion, garlic and salt. Pass through a strainer and reserve.

Heat the oil in a thick heavy skillet (if you have one with a transparent lid, pick that one) over medium high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the rice and sauté, stirring often, until the color of the rice changes to a strong milky white and it shows more resistance and makes a heavier sound as you stir it around, probably about 3 to 4 minutes.

Pour in the strained tomato purée, mix it gently and let it cook until the color of the purée has darkened, thickened and is mostly absorbed, about 3 more minutes.

Stir in the chicken or vegetable broth and lime juice, give it a gentle stir and top with the parlsey sprig, the diced carrots, peas and serrano chiles, if so desired.

Let it all come to a boil, and when it does, put the cover on and reduce the heat to low and cook for about 20 minutes. Here is where that transparent lid becomes so handy, as you can see what is going on inside the pot without losing steam. You know the rice is ready when it is cooked through and tender, most of the liquid has been absorbed, but there is a lot of moisture in the pot. If the rice is not yet tender and the liquid has dried up, add a couple tablespoons more water, cover again and let it cook for a couple more minutes.

Let the rice sit covered for at least 5 minutes before you fluff with a fork and serve. You may also make it beforehand and reheat it covered over low heat with a tablespoon of water.