Don´t drool, please, pictures and descriptions of Mexican food...

[Jesus]

Originally Posted by Sol

Jesus,
Do you know how salsa de aguacate is prepared? It's that salsa that you can find at some taquerías.

I don´t exactly know. What I get is a blend between salsa verde and guacamole, but sans the tomatoe. And this way you cut the price of making guacamole for a large group and also satisfy the cravings for a salsa that is not too hot/spicy.

[tvlbabe423]

What I would not give for a bowl of that right now! with chips of course...and a few beers and a chair facing the ocean!

[Sunny20]

Originally Posted by Jesus

I don´t exactly know. What I get is a blend between salsa verde and guacamole, but sans the tomatoe. And this way you cut the price of making guacamole for a large group and also satisfy the cravings for a salsa that is not too hot/spicy.

it's probably aguacate, chili verde y limon ??
I made that today at my job at least.. VERY good.. but a little hot/spicy)

[Jesus]

Originally Posted by Sunny20

it's probably aguacate, chili verde y limon ??
I made that today at my job at least.. VERY good.. but a little hot/spicy)

I would add some onion and a bit of garlic, all properly grinded in a molcajete.

[Cosmo]

Thank you Jesus... Peace all...

[Sol]

Some of those aguacate sauces look kind of creamy. Is that sour cream?
I like how agacate and chili was blended to make it go a ways to serve a large group....and it ended up being something so delicious.

[Sol]

Originally Posted by Jesus

I would add some onion and a bit of garlic, all properly grinded in a molcajete.

Oh yeah...must have a molcajete. I am the proud owner of one that is at least sixty years old. I'll take this over a blender, chopper or Cuisanart any day. I own the aforementioned also. I love making salsas and serving them in the molcajete.

[Sol]

Originally Posted by tvlbabe423

What I would not give for a bowl of that right now! with chips of course...and a few beers and a chair facing the ocean!

Me too!!!

[Sunny20]

Originally Posted by Jesus

I would add some onion and a bit of garlic, all properly grinded in a molcajete.

well I just added a little bit of garlic salt... it was good And of course molido..

[Jesus]

Originally Posted by Sunny20

well I just added a little bit of garlic salt... it was good And of course molido..

I see in your profile that you are cooking now, What kind of food?

Garlic salt would never compare with the real garlic taste and properties, try fresh one next time.

[Sunny20]

Originally Posted by Jesus

I see in your profile that you are cooking now, What kind of food?

Garlic salt would never compare with the real garlic taste and properties, try fresh one next time.

haha.. I know.. i made salsa de chili de arbol some time ago.. with a little real garlic.. it was great..

well it's a restaurant at a golf course. we are famous for our pizzas which we make from scratch and we have a couple of mexican dishes on the menu too.. fajitas, empanadas, quesadillas and some salad.. basic stuff... but i'm trying different salsa recipies to have with...

[4wheeled]

Originally Posted by Jesus

Sorry, was away from the forum for 5 weeks and I´m just keeping up.

In Mexico is normal to do the marinade with limon, onion, soy sauce, olive oil, maybe some cummin, oregano and sometimes beer. I don't think the HC marinade would have any chili.
Of course the atmosphere counts a lot, but also the kind of grill and the heat it produces. Add a small fact, the grill gets a lot of use, imagine all the amount of meat it process, the flavor would be special.

NO pictures? Bad boy, as a punishment you have to go back and do a throughfuly food trip report!!!!!

thanks jesus. i'm going to continue experimenting.
and i'll add 'need to do a thorough food trip report' to my list of arguments as to why i have to return.

[Jesus]

An article in Yahoo News - Travel section

Mexican food is different in Mexico

By LISA J. ADAMS, Associated Press Writer Mon Jul 16, 1:01 PM ET

MEXICO CITY - A soft flour tortilla stuffed with melted Chihuahua cheese and fresh squash blossoms. Chili- and chocolate-laden mole draped over succulent chicken breasts. Spit-roasted-pork tacos topped with pineapple, onion and cilantro.

Whether you crave quesadillas, tamales and tortillas, cheese-filled chilies and black beans or dried beef and broiled goat, a tasting tour through Mexico City's rich variety of traditional and often-surprisingly contemporary flavors will leave you sated.

You won't find hard-shell tacos, stuffed-to-bursting burritos or anything remotely resembling a chimichanga here. These modifications of northern Mexican food are a far culinary cry from what most Mexicans eat.

What you will find are soft corn-tortilla tacos; steamed pork in banana leaves; fresh fish soaked in smoky achiote (ash-ee-OH-tay) sauce; chicken stuffed with corn truffle; enchiladas with cream, cheese and a mild green or red salsa; corn- and bean-based soups and — for those with a desire to tap into what thrilled the taste buds of the prehispanic Indians — seared maguey worms and fried grasshoppers.

Mexico's drool-inducing, two-bite tacos are made of a warm, soft (and often homemade) corn tortilla covered with American-friendly chicken, beef and pork, as well as the more exotic Mexican favorites: eye, snout, feet, head, bone marrow, cheek and tongue. Another favorite is tacos "de barbacoa," sheep that has been steamed for several hours in underground stone ovens.

Taco stands can be found on virtually every corner of this buzzing metropolis. Among the best known chains is Tizoncito, which claims to be the inventor of the taco "al pastor" — a Middle Eastern-influenced dish of pork marinated in a number of "secret" spices that leave the meat orange-red, pungent and tender.

The meat is sliced off one taco at a time as it slowly roasts on a vertical spit similar to those used to make Greek gyros, then combined with onion, cilantro and chunks of fresh pineapple.

Part of the fun of eating tacos in Mexico City is watching a server, decked out in white apron and burger-flipping cap, as he slices the meat and pineapple from the spit, hurls them in the air with a long, ominous-looking knife and then catches them in the tortilla with his other hand.

One tip: If you don't want to stand out like a sore "gringo," you must learn the proper taco-holding technique. After folding the small flat tortilla and its ingredients into a tube, place one hand over the taco, grasp it between your thumb and three middle fingers, and bite off the end closest to your mouth — always keeping the "pinky" finger free, as the joke goes, to flick off any stray flies that might land on the other side. Whatever you do, don't eat it like a hot dog.

....

You'll also find tamales, made with the same masa, or corn-based dough, used for tortillas but mixed with lard to provide a mealy substance that is steam-cooked in either corn husks or banana leaves and flavored with meats, red or green salsas, and chocolate and chili-based mole (MOE-lay); and numerous variations of sopes (SOH-pays), smaller, sometimes thicker tortilla disks eaten unfolded and flat. The masa of some sopes is filled with beans and cottage cheese; others are topped with different meats, cheeses, hard-boiled eggs and salsa.

...

f you want to return home claiming to have eaten one of Mexico's most traditional dishes, then you have to try mole, a rich, creamy, complex sauce made from a variety of spices and ground nuts, several types of chilies and in some cases cinnamon-laced Mexican chocolate. Depending on its origin and additional ingredients, mole can be black, red, yellow or green, and usually is served over pork, chicken or turkey. Both the central state of Puebla and the southern state of Oaxaca are famous for their moles, which can be found in any number of traditional Mexican restaurants scattered throughout the city.

Two other classics are mixiote (meesh-ee-OH-tay), a Central-Mexican dish of chicken or pork steamed in cactus or banana leaves and topped with chili-infused sauce; and pibil (pea-BEAL), an entree from the southern state of Yucatan comprising pit-roasted pork or chicken that often has been flavored with achiote before it is roasted in banana leaves.

......
If you've always wanted to appear on "Fear Factor" or simply are a history buff, you may want to sample Mexican prehispanic specialties including ant eggs, known in Spanish as escamoles (ess-ka-MOLE-ays), maguey worms, or fried grasshoppers, known as "chapulines" (pronounced chahp-ooh-LEAN-ays).

Escamoles have their own unique taste, and vary according to how they are prepared, but some have likened their flavor to corn, barley and even shrimp. They look much like white corn kernels when served. Chapulines are crunchy, with a consistency similar to fried onions, though the taste is mostly of the chili in which they usually are soaked. Though these foods are hundreds of years old, they remain delicacies for the modern Mexican palate.

Also worth knowing is the increasingly popular contemporary cuisine, which employs traditional ingredients to make unique versions of Mexican classics.

Full article here: Mexican food

[Jesus]

Enchiladas.

This is a very "simple" dish to create, take some tortillas (cold are better than freshly made ones), bring some shreaded chicken, roll the tortillas with the chicken inside, put some green salsa (or mole or tomato salsa) in a pan and heat it for a few minutes.

The name "Enchiladas" refers to the spiciness of the salsa. There is an alternative offered in some (not many) places, they change the salsa for a thick broth of mashed beans (similar to refried beans, but more liquid), changing the name to "Enfrijoladas" (immersed in beans)

Serve on a plate, cover with the salsa, if you like, add some rings of raw onion and sprinkle some white fresh cheese. Refried beans go along very nicely.
An alternative is to grate the enchiladas with Chihuahua cheese or Manchego or Oaxaca cheese. Some places will add cream on top.



Seems very easy but there are many ways in which this can go wrong: consistency, thickness and flavor of the salsa; thickness of the tortilla, etc. So, is not easy to get a good plate of enchiladas.

In Mexico city having some enchiladas is a daily routine, in the most traditional cafes you have your enchiladas with a "Café con leche" coffee with more hot milk than coffee.

[Jesus]

Flautas.

Ok, you take a very funky tortilla, it is not round, but oval, sometimes the height would be double or more than the with. You add some shredded chicken and roll it tight, you may even use wood toothpicks to hold it together.

This time instead of adding it to a pan full of salsa verde, the tortilla will get fried in oil, lots of it, just like making frech fries. And the result will be a "Flauta" (Flute) in honor of such musical instrument.

On the plate you put the flautas, add a nice portion of cream and white cheese, and to balance all that fried food, you add some shredded lettuce (just to calm your remorse, more than really balancing the equation, and is a refreshing complement).