The Gourmets of Mexico

It would be hard to establish exactly when Mexican gourmet cooking began. Did it start in the valley of Oaxaca 700 years before Christ? Or did it all begin in 1325 in Tenochtitlan, what is now Mexico City? Regardless of when it began, the cuisine keeps on living, producing delicious, sophisticated and exciting new dishes that mix contrasting flavors in sometimes surprising ways.

The culinary imagination of the Mexicans seems to have no limits, for food is at the forefront of everybody’s life. Every time I travel south to visit with my relatives I hear of new ways to prepare dishes with ingredients as old as cilantro, hibiscus and grapes. I taste new recipes and read new books with daring mixtures of fruits, beef, vegetables, seafood and spices blended in imaginative and flavorful dishes.

Consider, for example, a lunch served in my sister’s house, which included tacos of hibiscus flowers for appetizers. I’d known that hibiscus could be used to prepare jamaica, a refreshing, red drink similar to a fruit punch, or a comforting hot tea. Until that day, though, I didn’t know it made a great taco filler. The hibiscus flowers are boiled until soft, then the water is drained and the flowers are fried with finely chopped onions and serrano chiles. Finally, you add a teaspoon of chicken bouillon and fry the flowers until golden. My sister made the tacos in small tortillas and served them as botanas (appetizers).

Another new dish I tasted at the house of Angelita Borbolla, one of my mother’s friends, was a grape and poblano chile soup. Not only is it one of the most elegant and delicious soups I have ever tried, it is also very simple to make. On another occasion, Angelita prepared what she calls chiles ardidos, or “burnt” chiles. These are pasilla or ancho chiles stuffed with Manchego cheese, bathed in a sauce of piloncillo (brown sugar), onion and aromatic herbs.

On another night, when we visited my comadre Lolita Olivares, we tasted her amazing cilantro soup. The conversation at the table became a lecture on cilantro, a plant that has become a staple of Mexican food but which originated elsewhere. In Mexico, cilantro is indispensable for the traditional Mexican hot sauce, but it is also used fresh in all sorts of tacos.

That night, during our dinner conversation, we concluded that there isn’t enough time in one lifetime to taste the cuisine prepared in each of the 32 Mexican states. Not only is there so much rich and plentiful history, but the present is ever evolving with innovative dishes being created with a never-ending harmony of flavors.

Napkins and tray from Jordano’s Marketplace, Santa Barbara.

Cilantro Soup

Active Work Time: 35 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour

1/2 cup almonds

1 bunch cilantro, stemmed

1 bunch parsley, stemmed

8 ounces cream cheese

6 cups chicken broth

3 large epazote leaves or 1 sprig

Toast the almonds on a baking sheet at 350 degrees until lightly browned, 5 to 6 minutes.

Blend the cilantro, parsley, almonds and cream cheese in a blender or food processor until the mixture is as smooth as possible, 2 to 3 minutes. It’s OK if it’s not totally smooth.

Heat the broth in a large saucepan. Add the herb-cheese mixture to the pan and simmer over medium-low heat until the flavors have melded, about 15 minutes. Add the epazote and simmer the soup another 5 minutes. Remove the epazote before serving.

4 to 6 servings. Each of 6 servings: 252 calories; 899 mg sodium; 41 mg cholesterol; 21 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 6 grams carbohydrates; 11 grams protein; 2.42 grams fiber.

Panela Cheese With Oregano

Active Work Time: 10 minutes

Total Preparation Time: 25 minutes plus 4 hours marinating

You can also make this with queso fresco or mozzarella. You can slice and toast Mexican bolillos instead of the baguette, if you prefer.

1 (12-ounce) package panela cheese

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup corn or vegetable oil

2 tablespoons dried oregano, finely crushed

French baguette slices, toasted

Fresh oregano sprigs, for garnish

Set the cheese in a baking dish. Prick the top of the cheese with a fork.

Mix the garlic, olive oil, corn oil and oregano. Pour about 1/4 cup over the cheese and cover it. Refrigerate the cheese at least 4 hours or overnight. Bathe the cheese at least 4 times with the mixture.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees and bake the cheese until it’s softened and beginning to melt, 15 minutes. Garnish the cheese with the oregano sprigs and serve immediately as a spread on the baguette slices. The cheese can be reheated for 6 to 8 minutes if it starts to harden.

6 to 8 servings. Each of 8 servings: 283 calories; 159 mg sodium; 33 mg cholesterol; 27 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 2 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams protein; 0.51 gram fiber.

Cold Poblano and Grape Soup

Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 1 hour 15 minutes plus 2 hours chilling

Vegetarian

4 or 6 poblano chiles

30 green grapes, seedless

2 tablespoons butter

1 large shallot, halved

4 cups Mexican crema

4 cups plain low-fat yogurt

1/2 to 1 cup milk

Using tongs, roast the chiles over a stove-top flame, turning them so the chiles blacken evenly on all sides, 3 to 5 minutes. (You can also place them under the broiler for a few minutes to blacken.) Put them inside a plastic bag about 5 minutes. Remove the charred skins, rinse and remove the seeds and veins. Set the chiles aside.

Peel the grapes and set them aside.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the grapes to the skillet. Cook, stirring, until the grapes soften slightly, about 2 minutes. Remove them from the heat. Discard the shallot.

Blend the crema, yogurt and chiles in a blender until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the mixture to the saucepan and stir until it’s well combined with the butter and grapes. Stir in 1/2 cup of milk if the soup is too thick. It should have the consistency of a creamed soup.

Chill the soup at least 2 hours. If the soup is still too thick, stir in a little more milk. Serve in a crystal bowl set in crushed ice.

8 servings. Each serving: 401 calories; 191 mg sodium; 68 mg cholesterol; 30 grams fat; 18 grams saturated fat; 24 grams carbohydrates; 12 grams protein; 2.31 grams fiber.

Avocado Dressing

Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Be sure to use good quality olive oil; otherwise the dressing will be bitter. Or use half good quality olive oil and half vegetable oil.

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon lime juice

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 bay leaf

1/2 avocado, peeled and pitted

1/2 cup water

1 cup olive oil

Blend the mayonnaise, garlic, onion, lime juice, thyme, salt, pepper, bay leaf, avocado, water and olive oil in a food processor; it should have the consistency of ranch dressing. When ready to serve, pour over a mixed green salad.

2 cups dressing. Each of 2 tablespoons: 70 calories; 44 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 8 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 1 gram carbohydrates; 0 protein; 0.22 grams fiber.