The Yule Almendrado

When friends ask what I’m cooking for Christmas, the answer will be almendrado de pollo, not roast turkey.

Mexican Christmas dinners are a tradition in my house. It’s fun to hunt out interesting new recipes and to shop for ingredients and decorations while traveling. This year’s itinerary took me to from Mexico City to Puebla, then out to the gulf coast of Veracruz and over to Oaxaca--areas so rich in cuisine that I came back overloaded with ideas for dinner.

Because people are overwhelmed with elaborate food during the holidays, I settled on dishes that are light and easy to handle, both for the guests and the cook.

The main course, almendrado de pollo, is chicken in a tomato-almond sauce, from Oaxaca. This is not a complex Oaxacan mole but a simple combination of tomatoes, broth, ground almonds and sliced chicken. It’s not spicy. The only seasonings are salt and pepper. You can make it in the morning, then heat the chicken in the sauce just before serving.

The rice that accompanies the chicken will be tinted green with spinach--another Oaxacan concept. It will also contain corn--certainly not the juicy sweet corn that we get in the summer, but starchier corn, more like that of Mexico.

Instead of refried or boiled beans, there will be calabacitas--squash seasoned with oregano and thyme, two herbs that appear often in Mexican cuisine. I’ll use the pale green zucchini that is labeled “Mexican squash” in some Latino markets as opposed to “Italian squash,” which is ordinary dark green zucchini. The flavor is more delicate, in my opinion.

The appetizer will be guacamole, spread on toasted bolillo slices instead of tortilla chips. I’ll season it with anise-scented Mexican avocado leaves, ground to a powder. You can buy the powder in some parts of Mexico. Mine came from the market in Coatepec, Veracruz. Occasionally sacks of the dried leaves turn up in Oaxacan markets here, supplied by backyard growers.

There won’t be margaritas, because mixing them for company is a real chore. Each has to be composed separately so that the balance of flavors is perfect. I also shake them by hand, which requires spending more time with the cocktail shaker than with the guests. Instead, I’m serving Mexican wine, a Tempranillo from Bodegas de Santo Tomas in Ensenada. It’s a fruity red, a good match for the chicken.

We’ll end with a sumptuous fig ice cream flavored with mezcal, which is the smoky-tasting agave liquor produced in Oaxaca. The idea came from an ice cream parlor in Puebla that specializes in wildly original flavors.

Afterward, we’ll have cafe Americano, which is the Mexican name for black coffee. It will be the real thing, because my freezer is stuffed with coffee beans from Puebla, Oaxaca, Veracruz and Chiapas.

In Mexico, Christmas is celebrated with great fervor. Artificial trees and Christmas decorations were already on sale in October, just like here. Department stores displayed tortilla holders decorated with holly and bells, lengths of Christmas print fabric for tablecloths, Christmas potholders and many other things. Shops dealing in artesanias (typical crafts) offered nacimientos (nativity scenes), some small enough to cram into a suitcase already overloaded with cooking paraphernalia.

I’ll work several of these into my decorations. One, by a French Basque artist in Orizaba, Veracruz, consists of more than 30 copper-colored figures. They’re so small you can hold the entire set in one hand. Another, from Amozoc in the state of Puebla, is a complete Nativity scene constructed in a walnut shell--an amazing feat.

In Santo Tomas Jalieza, Oaxaca, I bought hand-woven red, black and white placemats that I’ll place on a plain red tablecloth, along with red napkins and red goblets. The tree will sparkle with Mexican tin ornaments, some picked up last spring at a fair in Tehuacan, Puebla. I’ll wrap the base in the boldly colored striped fabric called cambaya bordada, which some restaurants in Mexico use for tablecloths. The patterns, in brilliant pink, purple, blue, yellow and many other shades, look very traditional.

The nice thing about a Mexican Christmas is that it doesn’t end Dec. 25. Still to come is El Dia de Los Reyes Magos, the feast of the Three Kings, Jan. 6. That’s a food holiday too. You can buy a rosca de reyes, the special ring-shaped sweet bread for that day, at many panaderias in Los Angeles. Whoever gets the slice containing a tiny doll is obligated to entertain those present at yet another event Feb. 2, El Dia de la Candelaria. And so it goes--one excuse after another to celebrate with friends and family and, always, to eat well.

**

Chicken in Almond Sauce

(Almendrado de Pollo)

Active Work Time: 30 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 45 minutes

Use the broth from cooking the chicken in the sauce and also in the recipe for Arroz con Espinacas.

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Salt

1/2 cup blanched whole almonds

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic

1 1/2 pounds tomatoes, peeled

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

Place the chicken breasts in a Dutch oven or large skillet. Add water to just cover, about 3 cups, and salt to taste. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, 15 minutes. Drain, reserving the broth. Combine the almonds and 1/2 cup of broth in a blender and blend until the nuts are very finely chopped but not pureed. Set aside.

Wash out the Dutch oven or skillet and wipe it dry. Add the oil and heat over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Meanwhile, puree the tomatoes in the blender. Add the tomatoes and ground almonds to the onion mixture. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt or more to taste and a few grinds of pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes. If the sauce becomes too thick, thin with a little broth.

The chicken and sauce can be prepared in advance to this point and refrigerated until needed. Slice the chicken breasts lengthwise. Reheat the sauce in a large skillet. Add the sliced chicken to the skillet and cook until heated through, 10 to 15 minutes.

6 servings. Each serving: 344 calories; 567 mg sodium; 112 mg cholesterol; 14 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 10 grams carbohydrates; 45 grams protein; 2.83 grams fiber.

**

Rice With Spinach (Arroz con Espinacas)

Active Work Time: 15 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 45 minutes

2 cups spinach, loosely packed

3 cups chicken broth, divided

2 tablespoons oil

1 1/2 cups rice

1/2 onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup fresh corn kernels, cut from 1 small ear (do not use sweet corn)

Salt

Wash the spinach leaves and remove the stems. Place them in a bowl and microwave on high until thoroughly cooked, about 2 minutes. Place the leaves in a blender container and add 1/2 cup of broth. Blend until pureed. Pour into a 1-quart measure and add more broth, or water, to equal 3 cups.

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the rice and cook until fragrant and the rice changes color slightly, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion starts to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the corn kernels, the spinach mixture and 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer gently until the liquid is absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to very low, using a heat diffuser if necessary, and let steam 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.

6 servings. Each serving: 163 calories; 473 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 6 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 23 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 1.68 grams fiber.

**

Zucchini With Oregano and Thyme

(Calabacitas)

Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 15 minutes * Vegetarian

Look for Mexican zucchini, which is pale green with faint, thin striping, at Latino markets.

1 pound Mexican zucchini

1 tablespoon olive oil

Scant 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, finely crumbled

Salt (about 1/2 teaspoon)

Freshly ground pepper

Cut the zucchini in half crosswise, then cut each half lengthwise. Then cut into wedges. Arrange them in a single layer in a microwave-safe 13x9-inch baking dish. Drizzle with the olive oil, then sprinkle with the thyme, oregano and salt and pepper to taste. Microwave on high until just tender, about 5 minutes.

6 servings. Each serving: 31 calories; 199 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 2 grams fat; 0 saturated fat; 3 grams carbohydrates; 0 protein; 1.04 grams fiber.

**

Fig and Mezcal Ice Cream (Helado de Higos y Mezcal)

Active Work Time: 10 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 40 minutes plus 8 hours marinating and 3 hours chilling

If you can’t find mezcal, substitute another liquor, such as dark rum, Bourbon or tequila.

5 dried black figs

1/4 cup mezcal

2 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

Dash salt

1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1 cup whipping cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Prepare the figs the night before: Remove the stems. Cut the figs in very thin slices crosswise, then cut lengthwise to form very small pieces (less than 1/4 inch). There should be 1/2 cup. Place the figs in a bowl, add the mezcal and stir to mix. Cover and let stand overnight.

The next day, combine the eggs, sugar and salt in a bowl and beat until well mixed. Scald the milk in a saucepan over medium heat until it is barely bubbling, 4 to 5 minutes. Gradually beat it into the egg mixture. Turn the mixture into a saucepan and cook gently over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until barely thickened, 6 to 8 minutes. Do not allow to boil. Strain the mixture through a sieve. Add the corn syrup, whipping cream and vanilla. Place the mixture in the refrigerator until cold, 1 to 2 hours. Stir in the figs and mezcal.

Process in an ice cream freezer following the manufacturer’s directions. Spoon the ice cream into a container with a tight cover and place in the freezer 2 to 3 hours before serving.

1 quart. Each half-cup serving: 464 calories; 196 mg sodium; 153 mg cholesterol; 16 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 75 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams protein; 2.25 grams fiber.