In Mexico, Mole Means Fiesta
Photo credit: Brenda Storch Very few words say “fiesta” and “Mexico” as loud and clear as “mole” does, particularly in the countryside, where this traditional dish is served during important celebrations such as weddings and christenings. Its preparation, as much as its enjoyment, both constitute a time of bonding.
Mole has permeated the vignettes and meanings that make up our culture to such degree, that in fact, in Mexico, the phrase, “huele a mole” (it smells like mole) is used as a way to hint at the likelihood of a wedding taking place in the near future. When someone says, “eres ajonjolí de todos los moles¨ (you are like sesame seed sprinkled in every mole), it means that the person is a social butterfly.
Aside from seasoning our language, mole seasons life through its variety of executions, all just as proud and artisanal. Whether Pueblan, Veracruzan or Oaxacan, this rich sweet and spicy sauce is always as intricate and proud as the hands that prepare it.
Recently, we posted a recipe for , and today, chef Jason Rivas shares with our readers how he brings mole to life in his home in California. ¡Buen provecho!
About chef Jason Rivas: Born and raised in California, but southwestern at heart, his passion for food started at a very early age when he used to eat snails in his backyard. Trained in classical French cuisine, while attending the Scottsdale Culinary Institute, he was able to learn a new way to apply his creative, artistic side. After graduation, Rivas spent an additional four years in Phoenix learning the finer points of southwestern cuisine, and then traveled from coast to coast before settling in the Southern California wine country. Here, he discovered the true value and impact of food and wine (in his words,”wine and food, rather”). Find more about chef Rivas on his website: dinnerbyJR.wordpress.com
Nuestra Mesa – Flores para Mamá: Dos Recetas para Festejarla
Para celebrar el Día de las Madres, el chef Aldo Saavedra nos trae dos deliciosas ideas para festejar a mamá. Estas recetas incorporan un ingrediente que heredamos de la gastronomía prehispánica: las flores.
Foto: Manuel Rivera QUIOTES RANCHEROS
El tallo comestible de la flor del maguey, y de sabor similar al pollo, el quiote es una verdadera joya, ya que florece únicamente cada quince años.
INGREDIENTES
■250 gr quiotes o flor de maguey sin pistilo
■1 cebolla pequeña picada finamente
■1 diente de ajo
■2 chiles de árbol secos
■2 huevos
■Sal de mar al gusto
■Aceite de maíz
Foto: Manuel Rivera PROCESO:
1.Pon el aceite a calentar en una sartén.
2. Cuando el aceite ya esté caliente, sofríe la cebolla y el ajo.
3.Ya sofrita la cebolla agregar los chiles picados y mueve de manera constante para que no se quemen los chiles (aproximadamente 1 min), sazona.
Foto: Manuel Rivera 4.Agrega los huevos y mueve hasta que estén cocidos.
Foto: Manuel Rivera 5. Sirve acompañado de tortillas.
TACOS DE FLOR DE JAMAICA
Foto: Manuel Rivera También usada para hacer agua fresca, esta deliciosa flor de singular textura y sabor puede aprovecharse para hacer ambos.
INGREDIENTES• 100 gr flor de Jamaica seca
• 1 cebolla morada picada finamente
• 1 diente de ajo
• sal de mar
• pimienta negra molida al momento
• 10 tortillas
• aceite cantidad suficiente.
• 1 tz crema fresca
• 100 gr queso fresco.PROCESO
1. Pon a cocer la Jamaica en agua hasta que suelte todo el color y pónla a escurrir
2. Deshebra la Jamaica y reserva.
3. Pon el ajo y la cebolla a sofreír, agrega la Jamaica, mueve constantemente y sazona.
4. Saca de la sartén, reserva y dejar enfriar.
5. Utiliza las tortillas recién hechas para hacer los tacos, o caliéntalas para que estén mas flexibles.
6. Rellena con las flores de Jamaica y enrolla.
7. Pone a calentar una cantidad considerable de aceite para freír los tacos.
8. Escúrrelos y sírvelos, acompañados de crema fresca y queso en migajas
El chef Aldo Saavedra ha cocinado para huéspedes de establecimientos como el conocido Hotel Condesa D.F. y ha contribuído con sus recetas en proyectos con marcas de la talla de Larousse y Danone. En Nuestra Mesa, el chef Saavedra comparte con los lectores de La Vitamina T, su pasión por la cocina y por México. Encuentra más información sobre el chef Saavedra en México de mis Sabores.Guest Post – Mexican Cannelloni and Happy Cuatro de Mayo
Photo credits: Alicia Ramírez Presburger. Manitoba, Canada
I found this contribution particularly appropriate. Thank you, Henry! As a newer arrival in the US, the festivities around cinco de mayo don’t resonate with me. Although proud of the Mexican victory against the French in 1862, in my case, this celebration is more closely attached to memories of parades and essay-writing.
I must confess that I am having a great deal of trouble connecting the remembrance of my country´s victory in a particular battle with images of sombreros, cacti and mustaches. I am also still wondering what to say when people wish me a “happy Cinco de mayo”. I have come to the realization that I am going to have to practice a response that is both, kind and honest.
At any rate, I recognize and appreciate the opportunity to party, as long as it is clear that this festivity has nothing to do with Mexico’s Independence day, and more importantly, that Mexico’s cultural contributions simply cannot be summed up in a few clichés.
To whom it may concern:
Mexican cannelloni began when I wondered, what would happen if I took the recipe for chilaquiles and used ground beef instead of chicken?
It was good but not earth shaking. Nevertheless, I had beef chilaquilles leftovers.
I asked myself, what if I stuffed this beef, jalapeno and tortilla concoction
into cannelloni shells and covered with Mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce, and baked in the oven?This turned out to be a home run! Everyone (the wife and I) loved it. And as it happened, it was served on Cuatro de Mayo which is a Major Holiday in Winnipeg.
I leave you with this thought- when it comes to cooking, let your imagination go. You never know what you will discover!
—
HenryComida de Reyes – No te Pierdas la Entrevista con el Gastrónomo Mexicano, José Bossuet
Foto: José Bossuet Este sábado 26 de abril en “Sazón, Razón y Corazón”, los atendemos a cuerpo de rey: les tenemos la entrevista con el distinguido chef Jose Bossuet Martinez, miembro de la prestigiosa asociación gastronómica “Club de Chefs de Chefs”. Este grupo admite exclusivamente a los chefs de cocina que sirven a reyes, reinas, príncipes, jefes de estado y de gobierno.
Bossuet fungió como Chef Ejecutivo de la Presidencia de la República al mando de la cocina del ex-presidente Vicente Fox, en donde tuvo a su cargo la comitiva del avión presidencial, viajando con el presidente en la giras internacionales.
Hoy, ya no es necesario ser funcionario o aristocracia para comer como si lo fueramos. ¿Estás en San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato? Pues estás de suerte. Visita al Chef Bossuet en su Café Contento y próximamente en Valle de Guadalupe, Baja Californa en Lozhka Bistrot (junio del 2014).
Amigos, ustedes que nos leen, seguramente recordarán que José Bossuet, junto con nuestro amigo y colaborador Aldo Saavedra, recientemente representó a México en el World Congress of Culinary Traditions en Rumania. ¡Estamos de manteles largos! Escúchanos en punto de las 9:00 CT aquí: http://player.streamtheworld.com/_players/nextmedia/?callsign=WKRSAM
Watch Premios Billboard with us and Enter to Win a Galaxy Tab 3 Courtesy of Sprint!
La Vitamina T has proudly accepted the invitation to host a viewing party courtesy of Sprint, the exclusive wireless sponsor of Premios Billboard de la Música Latina. Sprint brings music lovers everywhere closer to the artists and music they love.
And just because food brings friends and family together, we have asked the one and only chef Atzimba Pérez to create an authentic Mexican menu to delight a few of our closest friends.
The menu features all-time hits including:
Cochinita Pibil Tostadas: A Yucatán pulled-pork staple, served with black refried beans, pickled habanero chilis with purple onion and orange.
Mexican Crab Tacos: Served with avocado and tomatillo salsa.
Sinaloan Chilorio Sopes: Served with pinto beans, julienned panela cheese and poblano peppers. Great with norteño music.
Huitlacoche and Epazote Quesadillas: Served with chihuahua cheese, tomatillo and chile ancho and morita salsa. ¡Ajúa!
Dessert:
Tres leches cake with strawberry or peach.
Ricotta canutillos, cheese-stuffed pastries and chongos zamoranos, a curdled milk delicacy with agave nectar and piloncillo.
Sounds delicious? Don´t be left out! We will be tweeting and posting photos of the party on Twitter @lavitaminat and on our Facebook page.
You too can join La Vitamina T and Sprint in the music festival celebration! Tune in from home and join the conversation on Twitter. As a La Vitamina T friend and reader, you can win a Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 tablet. Galaxy Tab 3s will be used to announce the award winners throughout the show, and now are available at all Sprint stores free when you join a Framily plan and buy a new Samsung Galaxy S5.
All you need to do to be eligible to win is:
1. Follow La Vitamina T on Twitter @lavitaminat and Facebook (If you already do, please let me know)
2. Follow Sprint Latino on Facebook
3. Tweet or post on Facebook photos of you and your friends watching the show to @lavitaminat using the hashtags: #Billboards2014 #Framily (must be used together). Each new tweet is an extra entry! Please tag me on Facebook when you post so that I can see your entry! Only tweets or posts with images posted on Thursday, April 24 2014 between 6:00 pm and 11:59 CT will be eligible to win. Tweets need to be sent to the right handle and Facebook posts must include the correct tag and hashtags.
The winner will be randomly selected and announced on www.lavitaminat.com on Monday, April 28 at 10 am ET. Must be 18 or older. Valid only in the continental US.
Premios Billboard 2014 airs on Telemundo on Thursday, April 24th at 7 ET/6CT.
UPDATE: The winner of the Galaxy Tab 3 is… Illya Samko! Thanks to all of La Vitamina T readers for participating!
This post, party and giveway are sponsored by Sprint.
Flock to the Shepherd -The Charismatic Taco al Pastor #NationalTacoDay
Photo courtesy of: El Califa, Mexico City 
RUTA MEXICANA
Whenever I visit Mexico, there is an additional ‘layover’ between the airport and my parents’ home in a suburb of Mexico City. Stopping for tacos al pastor or ‘shepherd-style’ tacos has become somewhat of an unspoken ritual. Luckily, no matter the time or day of the year, my sister is always prepared with a roster of recommendations that she has carefully curated in my absence. Count on her to rattle off an impressive selection that includes taquerías open on Christmas Day.
Despite the fact that taco stands abound, not all tacos are made equal. Ask any local. Finding the perfect taquería is almost a rite of passage for defeños*, one that speaks to the way we connect with our city and beyond- a Mexican’s relationship with their pastor is emotional… personal.
Photo courtesy of: El Califa. Mexico City, Mexico When Enrico came with me to Mexico for the first time, he joined me in our recently established ritual. We visited a corner taquería where my family knew Chucho*, the taquero. Enrico was a little nervous as he eyed the cilantro and the onion piling over the tender marinated pork meat and pineapple. As a tourist who visits Mexico for the first time, Enrico asked me if the food was safe to eat. Trying to leverage whatever I could think of to reassure him, I said, “You will be fine. The taquero’s name is Jesus!”
He was an instant convert.
I have yet to find a perfect spot in Chicago to have tacos al pastor. Recently, I was crushed to find that some places serve them with cubed meat. I am on a mission to find a place I can recommend!
In the meantime, if you have the good fortune to be in Mexico City, you must check out El Califa. Aside from their outstanding customer service, they are famous for the way they serve the meat and for their freshly-made tortillas.
You will see why I think that this taco is king.
* Defeño is a Citizen of Mexico City (D.F.)
**In Mexico, Chucho is short for Jesús, which is a fairly common name
Estampas de Mi Ciudad – When in Monterrey, Do as Regios Do
Photo: Ilya Samko – Monterrey, México I have always said that like its people, Mexican food is mestizo- an amalgam of ingredients transformed by fire and knife into colorful, flavorful, complex creations. Dishes are particularly hyperlocal. They vary quite a bit even within one state, and incorporate anything from vegetables and cacti to meats and insects.
In Monterrey, Mexico’s most important city to the north, the mix of European, indigenous and Middle Eastern cultures have blended into rustic delicacies such as their famous Cabrito Asado (roasted baby goat). Usually served with tacos and salsa, the meat is braised over wood or coals, and basted with a mixture of lime juice, garlic, onion, sugar and even beer.
A must try if you visit Monterrey, you should have no problem finding it- here, large skewers with cabritos leaning against windows are quite a common sight.
Receta: Mermelada de Membrillo
Foto: Luisa López Similar en textura y sabor a la guayaba, yo no sabía que el membrillo o quince era una fruta, y mucho menos que el dulce o ate que se prepara con ella es otra herencia de la colonia. Tras investigar lo que hay detrás de este delicado manjar, descubrí que los españoles incorporaron el ate de membrillo a su repertorio gastronómico, gracias a que este dulce sefardí, se popularizó en el siglo XII.
No me cabe la menor duda de que los platos ilustran.
Mi amiga Luisa López, una fabulosa cocinera que rige su casa bajo un estricto calendario de festividades mexicanas, aprovechó la temporada de membrillo para conjurar en su cocina, una variante del ate: la mermelada. Generosamente, Luisa aceptó compartir con los lectores de La Vitamina T, su magnífica receta.
Ingredientes:
- 4 libras de membrillo
- 4 tazas de agua
- 3 libras de azúcar
- La rayadura de un limón
Procedimiento:
Paso 1
Lava, pela y parte cada pieza de membrillo en cuatro partes. Remueve el centro junto con las semillas y las partes secas o demasiado firmes.
Paso 2
Pon la fruta con las 4 tazas de agua a cocer en fuego medio durante 35 minutos. Deja enfriar un poco y licúa con la misma agua en la que se hirvieron. Posteriormente, cuela.
Foto: Luisa López Paso 3
Pon a fuego medio en una cacerola junto con la salsa de membrillo colada. Sin dejar de mover, deja cocinar durante 10 minutos. Agrega la rayadura del limón y sigue moviendo hasta que suelte el hervor. Apaga el fuego y dejar enfriar.
Foto: Luisa López Puedes guardarla en porciones o en un sólo recipiente, y meter al refrigerador si no vas a consumirla pronto.
Disfrútala con yogurt natural, untada en pan con el queso de tu preferencia. ¡Es deliciosa!
Luisa Flores, la autora de la receta, con su mamá. Para este Día de la Candelaria, Tamales de Mango del Chef Paco
Tamales con queso de cabra, chipotle y salsa de mango como solo en New Rebozo. Foto: Brenda Storch Ya se acerca el Día de la Candelaria, y para ponerle un toque original a la tamaliza, les traemos esta receta del Chef Paco, dueño del conocido restaurante New Rebozo, en Chicago.
El Chef Paco generosamente nos compartió esta receta para hacer estos deliciosos tamales de queso de cabra y chipotle con salsa de mango. ¡Que los disfruten!
Masa
- 1 kilo de masa blanca de maíz para tamal
- 1 1/2 tazas de caldo pollo o agua
- 1 taza de aceite de olivo
- 1 cucharada de sal
- 150 gr. de queso de cabra
- 1 cucharadita de salsa de chile chipotle
- 35 rectángulos de hoja de tamal de unos 18 x 15 cm.
Salsa
- 2 mangos, pelados y cortados en cubitos
- 1 chile jalapeño
- 1/2 cebolla picada
- 1/3 pimiento rojo finamente picado
- 1/3 pimiento amarillo finamente picado
- 1/2 manojo de cilantro cortado en pedazos pequeños
- Sal y pimienta al gusto
Pon lo ingredientes en un recipiente hondo y mézclalos hasta que estén bien incorporados.
Preparación:
- Mezcla la masa en el caldo hasta que quede incorporado todo. Prueba la sazón.
- Con una cuchara sopera, pon en el centro de la hoja la masa, el queso de cabra y el chile chipotle.
- Envuélvelo como un burrito de 5 x 7 centímetros. Salen como 36 tamalitos.
- Prepara la vaporera con agua, pon los tamales y tápala.
- Pón los tamales a cocer con flama alta. Una vez que empiece a salir el vapor, baja la flama a fuego medio y deja cocinar durante alrededor de 50 minutos.
- Déja reposar los tamales hasta servirlos con la salsa.
Oh My God!
Receta publicada con el permiso del autor.
Portable Party Staple : The Phenomenal Pastor
Photo: Enrico Bellomo – Mexico City, Mexico Tacos: El Tizoncito Anything is possible in Mexico. Think for example, about bringing tacos al pastor to your party with two-days notice. How about a giant piñata to go along? You got it. I giggled with joy when I saw the piñata of my dreams being quickly attached with string to my father´s very compact, city-appropriate car for transportation. My dad, trying to please me, nervously nodded when I excitedly mentioned the delivery truck was unavailable, but we could get a discount if we drove it ourselves…
Car and piñata made it safely.
My husband Enrico´s cultural shock, reminded me that this is not something he has experienced before. This is how I suddenly arrived at the conclusion that growing up in Mexico, where making things happen is a matter of “how” and not “if”, must be what turned me into such an optimist. After all, ¨when there’s a will, there’s a way.”
I had the good fortune to spend my birthday with my family in Mexico over the holidays. Overnight, my mother, sister and father organized a party complete with a mariachi band and over thirty guests. On a variety of levels, Mexico is a country with a solid, effective and reliable party infrastructure.
The issue of food was solved in an instant. No hesitation. Anyone who loves me knows that tacos al pastor had to be the choice. Luckily, pastor happens to be an incredibly portable and popular party staple. The taqueros arrived, set up and conjured these bundles of joy with impeccably choreographed movements. This was a birthday present in and of itself.
Pastor, piñata and pastel scored to mariachi music. This was to me, perfection. What else can a Mexican girl ask for?
Happy birthday to me!
Happy birthday to me!
El chef Aldo Saavedra ha cocinado para huéspedes de establecimientos como el conocido Hotel Condesa D.F. y ha contribuído con sus recetas en proyectos con marcas de la talla de Larousse y Danone. En Nuestra Mesa, el chef Saavedra comparte con los lectores de La Vitamina T, su pasión por la cocina y por México. Encuentra más información sobre el chef Saavedra en 
