Wednesday, October 12, 2022

Celebrating A Culinary Heritage

One particular cusine doesn't not define a country's culinary hisotyr.It's a combination of different recipes from various areas. The dishes are basically the same yet infused with the flavor of each region, This is true of Mexican cuisine. There is no right or wrong way to cook. It's simply cook.

Rick A. Martinez , author the just published cookbook Mi Cocina Recipes and Rapture From My Kitchen In Mexico (Clarkson Potter 2022) wrote about this in todays New York Times Wednesday Food section. As with his cookbook ,he travelled throughout Mexico , looking for recipes similar to what his mother and grandmother made. He came up with a stunning array of regional dishes after touring the entire country. he flew to Mexico City bought a car and went to the various Mexican states. He drove 25,000 miles and visited 300 (!) cities across all thirty-two states of Mexico.He discovered that classic dishes like tamales, pozoles and mole have an infinite mumber of variations. THis is due to the style and sazon - flair and style) of the cook taking center stage.Mr. Martinez biught into the idea of one perfect recipe when that's far from the truth. There are always different variations with subtleties and nuances. He'd order the same dish over and over at different recipes, taking notes on the dishes similarities and differences. The reasons for this is that Mexican cook love their indiviual recipes.

He offers his favorite recipes. There is a mole negro which is rich in Mexican chocolate.This is a grainy paste loaded with cinnamon and sugar. . Instead it's a smooth silky black mix of chilichuacle and guajilo chiles cooked with roasted whole almonds and roasted whole peanuts. A variety of different spices from peppercorns to star anise , cloves and cardamon  amp of the flavor as do raisins and pumpkin seeds. It's the tomatoes and tomatillos that lend the sauce its' silkiness. This is usually served on roasted chicken or turkey.There is also chorizo sandwiches with tomato guajillo .  like a zingy sloppy joe with the chorizo sausage cooked in a sauce of guajillo chiles and chicken broth. The sandwich also has lettuce and  sliced onion on it. Mr. Martinex also includes a chicken soup, rich with the often used veggies of Mexico, such as squash and corn along with onions. It's decorated with fried chiles and crunchy tortilla chips.Yes, there is a recipe for chiles relenos or stuffed chiles. They filled with Mexican cheese , dipped in an egg batter and fried.They're served with  a roasted tomato salsa. Mexico has a coastline bounding with seafood. There is also a recipe for grilled fish  - pescado with a chile lime sauce.Red snapper is used for this and brushed with a mix of achiote paste , orange and lime juices.Iyt's served on wamred tortilla. with lettuce and sliced onions.

There is no right or wrong way to cook Mexican cuisine. It all depends on the person cooking the recipes. It 's up to the chef's taste and flair to make it memorable.