A Trailblazer's Cookbooks

One of the greatest chefs is archiving decade after decade of her works. Diana Kennedy, a contemporary of Julia Child and the chef who introduced Americans to true Mexican food is packing up her endless array of recipes and cookbooks. The University Of Texas at San Antonio will be the lucky recipient of not only her dishes but of her collection of 19th Century Mexican cookbooks. It will be a bonus to any culinary major studying at the school.

Tejal Rao, an impressive chef in her own right, conducted the interview with the English born Ms. Kennedy for today's New York Times Food section.It wasn't that long ago when Ms. Kennedy
 was out on the road in her pick up truck to research recipes. Mind you she is ninety-six and she has two artificial hips.Her attitude is no nonsense British, having been born in Loughton Essex, and even chastised Ms. Rao for wanting snacks on the trip.She is ferocious, brilliant and uncompromising and
 has been described as prickly (another Brit chef and cookbook writer, , Gordon Ramsey comes to mind with those descriptions)). Living in Mexico has her keeping   a 25 caliber pistol under her pillow. She didn't start out here. After the Second World War, she emigrated to Canada in
1953, then to Mexico in 1957. She met her husband, Paul Kennedy ,a foreign correspondent for The New York Times during a trip to Haiti. Theirs was a powerful relationship , only to be cut short a decade later when he died of cancer. They moved to Manhattan so he could receive better medical treatment.

After her husband's death, Ms. Kennedy taught Mexican cooking classes out of her New York apartment. The famed New York Times restaurant critic, Craig Claiborne attended one of those classes. It was centered around a Yucatecan dish of papadzules. He wrote about it in The Times, listing several Manhattan shops where readers could find sour oranges and fresh cilantro, along with pepitas so home chefs could make their own pumpkin seed oil. Editors in New York, encouraged her to write a Mexican cookbook - a rarity in those days, Yet how could she do that without reporting it properly without contextualizing the recipes. To her they weren't just lists of ingredients and steps but much, much more. They were crucial , regional histories and socio-economic  documents, records of ecological diversity. She sat with families and recorded their recipes with a dogged , journalistic approach. This is what makes her collection so valuable. There are not just dishes written down but notes, carefully organized by Mexican state and year. Rightly she feels that cookbook writing is undervalued , considering the amount of work that goes into it.

Diana Kennedy is leaving a valuable gift and lessons to future culinary students at the University of Texas. Her collection is a rare gift inside regional Mexican cooking. May it be followed and enjoyed , along with being parsed and studied for decades to come.

The Other Mexican Food

People are probably downing fajitas and margaritas like crazy today , thanks to it being Cinco de Mayo. Yet there's a side of Mexican food that hasn't been turned into American fast food.It's the true cuisine, both indigenous and European influenced, and equally as delicious as its' more popularized sibling dishes.

Mexican cuisine is one of the oldest in the world. The ancient Mayans lived in an agricultural society where they cultivated corn but also foods seen on the modern table such as tomatoes , squash, sweet potatoes and even turkey. Like the US, a variety of different nationalities arrived, mostly, the Spanish but also French ,German, Chinese,African and Lebanese. They left their mark on various dishes and influenced many a recipe. Also like the US, true Mexican cuisine is also swayed by the regions or states. A popular dish in Mexico City is the torta, a kind of hero chock full of shredded chicken or beef along with avocados and, beans.It's drowned in queso or cheese sauce and chili sauce. Some bolder Mexican City foodies hang out at  restaurants featuring pre-Columbian cuisine such as insects.Barbacoa, taken from the Taino tribes of the Caribbean is also popular. This is slow cooked beef or sheep highly flavored with onions and cilantro.This is also popular in northern Mexico where most of the dishes are meat dominated. Northern Mexicans can enjoy arrechara or skirt steak along with cabrito, roasted goat. A favorite meal is machaca, spiced shredded brisket served in flautas or smaller tortillas.

Central Mexico also has its' own cuisine. The state of Oaxaca, located on the Pacific coast and was the first area to have different cuisines mix and fuse.Still western Mexican cuisine is also influenced by the indigenous groups of  Mixtecs and Zapotecs.Its' cooking is mostly pork and chicken , highlighted with their adaptation of mozzarella cheese (brought in by the Spanish) also called Oaxaca cheese. Mole is big here and there are seven variations of this tasty chocolate infused sauce. Cocoa is big here and it's also made into a hot drink spiked with almonds and cinnamon. The state of Veracruz is perched on Mexico's Caribbean coast and the area's influence is clearly seen in the food. Papayas and other tropical fruits are turned into milkshakes called licuados. Seafood is also big here, especially shrimp along with Spanish influenced fish dishes.One of the most distinct cuisines of the country is from the Yucatan peninsula.  There is a strong French and Middle Eastern sway here although the Mayan culture is present in many dishes. More so  than any other cuisine, fruit figures prominently in many recipes. Spanish bitter oranges and tamarinds plums are popular ingredients.

Mexican food isn't just overstuffed tacos and cheese soaked nachos. Like any country's cuisine, it is full of complex flavors and textures. There are native and foreign influences marrying together to create interesting food and drink. This is Mexican food.

Tabanero Hot Sauce Fire With A Healthful Kick

Nothing takes away the winter chill than a few drops of hot sauce added to any dish.It's a great way of making a meal exciting while warming foodies from head to toe. Tabanero Hot Sauce is this sauce.It can provide flavor and heat to any dish , from scrambled eggs to even cupcakes.

Hot sauce affectionados will love this brand.Tabanero. comes from an authentic Mexican recipe,directly from the Tabasco region in the lush and rainy Yucatan Peninsula. This provided the sauce's manufacturers with fresh ingredients to create a hot sauce that has a home made flavor.It's a delicate balance of spices such as habanero peppers mixed in with carrots , onions and garlic.What makes Tabanero unusual is that it also has lime juice as well as agave syrup in it , unlike other sauces. What it doesn't have is vinegar which many other hot sauce companies add to theirs along with preservatives. The result is a fresher tasting flavor that doesn't overshadow or even overpower a dish, Another plus us that the sauce is gluten free and low in sodium perfect for those allergy prone sauce lovers or those watching their salt intake.. It comes in three flavors:extra hot,  picante and agave sweet and spicy. The pricing is good too.$6.99 for a eight ounce bottle that will last for a few months.

I was never a big fan of hot sauce until I tried Tabanero's sauces. I love the almost fresh garden taste of  the picante. It doesn't have that throat searing heat that I deplore in other hot sauces. It was great as a dip with soy chicken nuggets,only enhancing their  flavor. It would be excellent  in meat loaf along with zinging up the sauce. Use it as a marinade for chicken wings and ribs along with turniing it into a dipping sauce for them as well. Put a liberal few drops in guacamiole or salsa to really give excitement to chips and dips. Tabanero's picante sauce is a good brunch buddy too. Bloody Mary's will never be the same, once this is added to the mix although fr a real eye opener use the extra hot flavor. The picante or the extra hot would be  excellent in huevos rancheros or even zinging up  baked eggs. I also am a big fan of the agave sweet and spicy. It makes for an excellent dipping sauce  for soy chicken bites and  would also be good as a sweet marinade for chicken wings and legs,Try it ,brushed on  pork ribs or pork chops too.. Many bakers would use to make a fiery Mexican hot chocolate  cake or cupcakes. It could even be used in icing as well for the ultimate surprise.

Tabanero hot sauces are not your usual hot sauces. They are made with fresh ingredients that have a just from the garden flavor to them. Try them today for an original and unique flavor. They're not just lively, but all natural and good for you.