Mexican Food.
Just because I am Mexican/American, does not mean I know how to cook Mexican food. It does mean that I like it and that I know good Mexican food when I have it.
It is not a secret that you will not find good Mexican food in this town or in the neighboring one, or even the next one. If you are from the west coast you will likely be sorry to try any Mexican food around here. Sure there is good tasting food and all, but to call it good Mexican food? No, not happening.
So, here I am on my high horse, a big Mexican food snob. I like rice, beans, enchiladas, tacos, mole, chile colorado, quesadillas, tostadas, ceviche, not-really-Mexican burritos, tamales, menudo, posole, albondigas, cocido, sopes, calabacitas, and so on. All until now.
Heres a little background. Since I dropped out of the workforce I have dedicated myself to most-things domestic. Cleaning, decorating, cooking, and stuff. (LOL! I can hear some jaws drop!) So, in the cooking category I have started using cookbooks. I never used to try recipes because it was too time consuming (it required meal planning and shopping for special ingredients). My menu consisted of many things I usually threw together with whatever was already in my fridge and pantry. Basic staple items. No really spectacular dishes. Okay some specialties, but nothing I would really brag about. Okay, I do brag about my beans and salsas... but what kind of claim to fame is that? Eveyone and their mother should at least know that, right?
Okay, so back to my so-called taste for Mexican food. So I am trying out new dishes from several cookbooks I have collected over the years (and I mean collected, cause I never used them!). Some recipes are yay, and some nay. Well, over the Christmas break I found a new cookbook. It has inspired me to try real Mexican recipes. It has familiar stuff, but lots more: caldo Tlalpeno, pollo al chipotle, picadillo, minguichi, budin Azteca, cochinita pibil, filete adobado, and many variations to moles, caldos, tostadas, rice, salsas, desserts and beverages.
The book is awesome. It really is beautiful, too. It is big with lots of pictures of the food and also pictures of the regions in Mexico where the food comes from. Every section is dedicated to a different region. It provides an itroduction to the region, its people, and history. Every recipe has a short summary/story behind it. It makes you wanna try every dish!
It is really funny that this is the furthest away, ever, from Mexico that I have lived and here I am discovering my roots. Of all places, Blacksburg!
It is not a secret that you will not find good Mexican food in this town or in the neighboring one, or even the next one. If you are from the west coast you will likely be sorry to try any Mexican food around here. Sure there is good tasting food and all, but to call it good Mexican food? No, not happening.
So, here I am on my high horse, a big Mexican food snob. I like rice, beans, enchiladas, tacos, mole, chile colorado, quesadillas, tostadas, ceviche, not-really-Mexican burritos, tamales, menudo, posole, albondigas, cocido, sopes, calabacitas, and so on. All until now.
Heres a little background. Since I dropped out of the workforce I have dedicated myself to most-things domestic. Cleaning, decorating, cooking, and stuff. (LOL! I can hear some jaws drop!) So, in the cooking category I have started using cookbooks. I never used to try recipes because it was too time consuming (it required meal planning and shopping for special ingredients). My menu consisted of many things I usually threw together with whatever was already in my fridge and pantry. Basic staple items. No really spectacular dishes. Okay some specialties, but nothing I would really brag about. Okay, I do brag about my beans and salsas... but what kind of claim to fame is that? Eveyone and their mother should at least know that, right?
Okay, so back to my so-called taste for Mexican food. So I am trying out new dishes from several cookbooks I have collected over the years (and I mean collected, cause I never used them!). Some recipes are yay, and some nay. Well, over the Christmas break I found a new cookbook. It has inspired me to try real Mexican recipes. It has familiar stuff, but lots more: caldo Tlalpeno, pollo al chipotle, picadillo, minguichi, budin Azteca, cochinita pibil, filete adobado, and many variations to moles, caldos, tostadas, rice, salsas, desserts and beverages.
The book is awesome. It really is beautiful, too. It is big with lots of pictures of the food and also pictures of the regions in Mexico where the food comes from. Every section is dedicated to a different region. It provides an itroduction to the region, its people, and history. Every recipe has a short summary/story behind it. It makes you wanna try every dish!
It is really funny that this is the furthest away, ever, from Mexico that I have lived and here I am discovering my roots. Of all places, Blacksburg!
posted by kika at 9:46 AM
1 Comments:
"Just because I am Mexican/American, does not mean I know how to cook Mexican food." Does it mean then that you can cook American food?
I like all your Mexican food, or shall I say Mexican-slash-American food!
"Okay some specialties" I like your tacos y chile colorado and you really should brag about them.
"caldo Tlalpeno, pollo al chipotle, picadillo, minguichi, budin Azteca, cochinita pibil" Can't pronounce but sure can eat it!
"discovering my roots. Of all places, Blacksburg!" Yeah, and I'm discovering that my ancestors were poor indentured servants (slaves) who had only one way to better themselves. Steal horses and run off to Arkansas.
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