Thursday, June 30, 2011

Mexican Rice Recipe Site

It's not often that I cover Mexican rice recipes on my site. Perhaps it's because rice bores me more than perusing an Mexican art gallery run by a foreigner who's idea of Mexico is that it's a 24/7 fiesta with mariachis constantly playing in the background somewhere, with everyone dancing on the streets and partying and shaking maracas non-stop...

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I see it all the time, and it bores me.  Thankfully, there's a great site here that covers a pile of different rice recipes from El Gran Tenochtitlan: http://mexicanricerecipe.org/tag/rice/  She's got a video that sort of introduces the site, here:

So if you're making Mexican food and you want a few variations of rice beyond the standard Mexican rice recipe to serve, take a look at her site. It's got some good recipes.

Speak soon,
-Carlos Lima

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Authentic Mexican Recipe for Mexican Pinto Beans

Epazote. It's Mexican. It's poisonous in large amounts, delicious in small portions. And it can be damn hard to find if you don't live in Mexico or have a Latin market or Hispanic grocery store nearby. Still, with the prospect of making Mexican pinto beans with the epazote IF you can find some, you're going to want to search for it where you live!

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You can find the authentic Mexican recipe for frijoles de la guolla above at that link.

I hope you enjoy this one!
-Carlos

Thursday, June 23, 2011

All About Chiles - A Primer On An Essential Component of Authentic Mexican Recipes

Isabel of BellaOnline has outdone herself again and written a fantastic article here on the history of the chile and how it came to where we are today, with it spread (at least partially) across the planet:

The designation bestowed by Columbus, ie pepper, is still used to describe the gently flavoured, temperate members of the family, which we know today as “sweet” or “bell” peppers, but it is the Mexican name which has stuck to those which bear true heat, be it mild or blistering: “chilli”, from the Aztec Náhuatl language. “Chili” and particularly “chile” are often used - and the Mexicans themselves call it “chile”

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Interesting of note to me is how chile is spelled in different places: the Yanks seem to prefer calling them "peppers", whereas the Aztecs called and spelled it "chilli", but today both chili and, particularly in Mexico, "chile" has become the norm.

However you spell it, if you like chiles, I think you'll really enjoy this read. Again, you can find it here: http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art48043.asp

Check it out!
-Carlos Lima

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Authentic Mexican Chicken Enchiladas with Red Sauce

I just published this authentic chicken enchilada recipe for red sauce enchiladas from Mexico city. These are very popular with Chilangos who love their Mexican chicken recipes and I think you will too because they're damn delicious!

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Try them out, try not do die from a pleasure explosion while eating them, and check back again very soon for another incredibly tasty authentic Mexican recipe!

-Carlos Lima

Monday, June 20, 2011

CCGM Working To Preserve Authentic Mexican Cuisine

Isabel Hood of BellaOnline fame has written an interesting and concise piece here about the work CCGM is about to undertake in order to preserve authentic Mexican cuisine as best it can in this rapidly "evolving" age of fast food consumption. Take a look at this quote:

Conservatoire of Mexican Gastronomic Culture, has set itself a challenging task. In a world overrun by fast food, convenience food, processed food, frozen food, tinned food, packaged food, irradiated food, genetically modified food, and “food” which has been bastardized and manipulated until it is no longer recognizable, CCGM’s mission statement strikes one as quite awesome: it is undertaking “the preservation, rescue, safeguarding and promotion of usages, customs, products, cultural practices and knowledge which make up the common core which defines traditional Mexican cuisine.

 
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I personally wish CCGM the best of luck. I cannot see this being an easy task--preserving something as intangible and complex as a cuisine--especially today in this hyper-media culture of advertising and fast food promotional marketing. But Isabel seems to have faith in this organization's ability to do so, and that's saying something, so like most things we will have to wait and see. Only time will tell if they succeed...

-Carlos

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Mexican Quesadillas

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Ahh, authentic Mexican quesadillas, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways:

You are so simple and easy to make, even a child could cook and make you;
so fast and quick to whip up, so why not make two?

Unburdened by excess ingredients, you are tortillas and cheese in one;
for friends and all manner of dinner guests, you sure are a heck of a lot of fun.

...I would continue the poem, but frankly I'm getting hungry and I can be halfway done cooking up a batch of these quesadillas by the time I could finish writing it, so I'm going to opt for the tastier choice and go and do just that, and I recommend you test them out for yourself!  Enjoy them!

Friday, June 17, 2011

How To Shred Chicken for Mexican Recipes Like Tinga and Chicken Enchiladas

Some Mexican recipes like enchiladas and tinga require shredded chicken if you make their authentic Mexican versions, so I found this great little video on YouTube that shows you exactly how to shred chicken with a fork:

It's simple enough, but until you've seen someone do it, I know it can be a bit of a mystery how you do it. But a mystery it is no more! Hope this helps you out, authentic Mexican food lovers!

Speak soon,
-Carlos

Monday, June 13, 2011

The Julia Child of Mexican Cuisine - This Is Cool!

It's not every day you hear of someone who knows authentic Mexican recipes, and in fact world cuisine, as well as this woman does!

British born Diana Kennedy is the foremost authority of Mexican Cuisine who has been credited with preserving authentic Mexican cuisine through her numerous books and continues to be a staunch conservationist.

It's quite the story she has, and I'm jealous of the experiences she has had! Guess I'd better get going to catch up with her culinary exploration!
-Carlos 

Sunday, June 12, 2011

An authentic Mexican breakfast burrito recipe

I've been wanting to share an authentic Mexican breakfast burrito recipe for quite a while now, and I've finally gotten around to it!

What's not to love about Mexican burritos?  They taste amazing, they're fun to eat, and did I mention Mexican breakfast burritos like this taste amazing? Well, it deserves the repetition.

Check the recipe out. You can make 10 of these in about a half hour, so it's a great Mexican breakfast to serve your family if there's a few hungry mouths you know of that need feeding!  

Talk to you again soon with another recipe to share!
-Carlos Lima

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Mexican Fish Soup Recipe - Caldo de Pescado

A very popular summer seafood soup in Mexico is Caldo de Pescado, which most gringos will know as Mexican fish soup.  This is an incredibly delicious soup from coastal Mexico that will make your mouth water, so be sure to try this one out on a breezy summer day when you're craving some soup.

Hope you like this recipe, and I hope to be sharing some more authentic Mexican seafood recipes and soups in the coming weeks, so stay tuned. Until next time, keep experimenting en la cocina, mis amigos!
-Carlos Lima

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Easy Guacamole: is this the best guacamole recipe in the world?

Some think so! You can check out what some of my Mexican friends are calling the best guacamole recipe in the world (their words!)

Personally, I like a little cilantro in my guacamole, but I still have to concede that this recipe is pretty delicious.  It's also super easy to make, so that's a plus when you're strapped for time like me!

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If you like guacamole, drop me a line in the comment section below and I'll see if I can share another easy guacamole recipe like this one in the future.  I hope you like this one because I sure do, and I'll speak to you again soon with another authentic Mexican recipe from the heart of real Mexico!

Hasta la proxima, amigo!
-Carlos