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Oaxacan Food Recipes

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients
½ pound fresh small shrimp, cleaned (save the shells for stock)

For the shrimp stock:
¼ medium white onion
3 garlic cloves
Juice of 1 lime or lemon
A few black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1 chile de árbol
Pinch of salt

For the caldillo:
1 pound fresh nopales
2 tablespoons sunflower or vegetable oil
½ cup finely chopped white onion
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 pound tomatoes (2 medium-large round or 8-10 plum), boiled, peeled, and finely chopped
1 cup fresh peas
1½ tablespoons epazote leaves or 2 tablespoons dried
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley leaves
Salt to taste
4 eggs, beaten
1-2 limes, quartered


Method

For the shrimp stock:
In a heavy 4-quart stockpot, put the shrimp shells in 2 quarts of water with the onion, garlic, lime juice, peppercorns, bay leaves, chile de árbol and salt. Cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Strain the stock and reserve.

For the caldillo:
On a 10-inch dry comal, griddle or cast-iron frying pan, roast the nopales until they are brown in color, turning them to cook evenly on both sides, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool. When the nopales are cool enough to handle, cut them in ½ inch strips and then cut them cross-wise in 1½-inch long diagonals. Set aside.

In a heavy 4-quart stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and tomato. Fry for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1½ quarts of the reserved shrimp stock and the peas. Add the shrimp, epazote, nopales, and parsley. Cover and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes. Add salt.

Raise the heat, and when the soup comes to a boil, add the beaten eggs by pouring them around the perimeter of the pan in concentric circles so the liquid egg doesn't touch the egg already cooling. Simmer 5 minutes and turn off the heat. Serve immediately, with lime quarters.

Excerpted from ¨Seasons of My Heart, A Culinary Journey Through Oaxaca, Mexico¨
(Ballantine Books, November 1999, ISBN 0-345-42596-0)

This is a great salad to serve for a group of friends or family to start a big meal. The Ingredients are part of what you would be served in a botanas bar, hence the name. The dressing is inspired by my friend Cheryl's jalapeño jelly and Dijon mustard that are part of the homemade product line that we sell in Oaxaca. If you do not have jalapeño jelly, substitute apple jelly and add ½ teaspoon minced pickled jalapeños.

Makes 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

For the dressing:
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons jalapeño jelly
¼ cup fruit vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

For the salad:
1½ heads of green leaf lettuce or other mixed greens, torn into bite sized pieces
½ pound tomatoes (1 medium to large round or 4-5 plum), sliced
6 radishes, sliced
3 avocados, cut into ¼-inch wide slices
9 green onions, sliced
¼ pound quesillo, Muenster, Monterey Jack, or Armenian string cheese, cut into 1½-inch pieces, then shredded
½ bunch cilantro, leaves only
¼ pound chicharrón, broken into 1-inch pieces

Method

For the dressing:
Mix the garlic, mustard, jelly, and vinegar in a bowl. Add the olive oil, whisking well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

For the salad:
Cover an oval serving platter with the lettuce or mixed fresh greens, mounding it in the middle. Add a layer of tomato slices around the mound, leaving a 2-inch border of lettuce. On the inside edge of the tomatoes, alternate the radish and avocado slices. Sprinkle the green onions over the vegetables and add the shredded cheese. Cover all with the cilantro leaves. Before serving, dress the salad and sprinkle the chicharrón pieces over the top. Serve at once with hot soft tortillas ( blandas ) or crispy, hot totopos or tostadas.

Hint:
If you don´t have chicharrón, substitute bacon bits or sunflower seeds.

Excerpted from ¨Seasons of My Heart, A Culinary Journey Through Oaxaca, Mexico¨
(Ballantine Books, November 1999, ISBN 0-345-42596-0)

This mole is one of the most versatile of the seven moles. You can use pork, beef or vegetables instead of chicken. While the chicken is always seasoned with hierba santa, the pork is seasoned with cilantro and the beef is seasoned with pitiona (a local herb with tiny purple flowers). The vegetarian version usually has chepil (a local herb), fresh corn slices and squash vine tips. Any variety can use dumplings called chochoyones, made from dried corn dough or fresh masa.

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients
4½ cups or more chicken stock
1 chicken (3-4 pounds), cut into 6 pieces, skins removed (optional), back and neck reserved for stock
Salt
½ pound small new potatoes (6-8) scrubbed
½ pound green beans, cut diagonally into 3-inch pieces,
1 chayote, peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes
6 chiles chilcostles (about ½ ounce) or 6 chiles chihuacles amarillos (about 1 ounce) or 6 chiles guajillos (about 1 ounce), stemmed, seeded and deveined
2 chiles anchos (about 1 ounce) stemmed, seeded and deveined
5 chiles costeños amarillos or chiles de onza amarillo, stemmed, seeded and deveined
3 whole cloves
3 whole allspice
3 black peppercorns
1 teaspoon dried Oaxacan oregano
1 pound tomatoes (2 medium-large round or 8-10 plum)
5 large tomatillos (6 ounces total), husked
1 medium white onion cut in chunks
½ head garlic, cloves separated
1 tablespoon lard, sunflower or vegetable oil
4 ounces prepared corn masa for tortillas, or ½ cup masa harina for tortillas mixed with ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon warm water
2 large or 3 small hierba santa leaves

For the chochoyones:
8 ounces prepared masa for tortillas, or 1 cup masa harina for tortillas mixed with ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water
1½ tablespoons lard or corn oil
½ teaspoon salt, or more to taste

Method
In a heavy 4-quart stockpot, heat the chicken stock, Add the chicken pieces, cover, lower heat and cook until tender, about ½ hour. Add salt to taste. Remove the chicken pieces from the stock and cook the potatoes, green beans and chayote in the stock, each one separately, until each vegetable is just done. Set aside. Reserve the stock.

Bring 2 cups of water to boil. On a 10-inch dry comal, griddle or in a cast-iron frying pan over medium heat, toast the outer skin of the chiles until they start to blister and begin to give off their aroma. Remove chiles from the comal and soak in the hot water for 20 minutes. Drain the chiles and reserve the water. Place the chiles in a blender with 1½ cups of the chile water and grind until smooth. Pass through a sieve or food mill to keep chile skins from going into the dish. Set aside in a bowl.

On the comal, toast the cloves, allspice, peppercorns, and oregano until they give off their scents. Remove and place in a blender.

In a 2-quart saucepan, boil the tomatoes and tomatillos in 1 cup of water until they just change color. Skin the red tomatoes, discard the skins. Add the tomatoes with the tomatillos, onion, garlic and 1 cup of the reserved stock to the blender and blend until smooth. Pass through a sieve or food mill to remove the seeds. Set aside in a bowl.

In a heavy 4-quart stockpot, heat the lard until smoking. Fry the chile puree over medium heat, about 15 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the tomato mixture and spices to the chile mixture and fry together about 15 minutes.

Put the masa and 1 cup of the stock in a blender jar and blend well. Add to the tomato and chile mixture. Allow to thicken, about 15 minutes, stirring constantly. Add 1 tablespoon of salt or more, to taste. Thin the mole with 2 to 2½ cups of the stock, or more if needed. It should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add the whole hierba santa leaves to the mole. Keep warm.

For the chochoyones:
In a small mixing bowl, mix the masa with the lard or oil until well mixed. Add salt. Make 18 balls about the size of a walnut. With your finger make an indentation in each. While the mole is simmering, add the chochoyones one by one and allow them to cook for 5 minutes.

Return the chicken and vegetables to the sauce. Adjust the seasoning and serve hot, with plenty of fresh corn tortillas.

Hint:
You can make the sauce a bit thicker by adding more masa to the sauce for Empanadas de Mole Amarillo. These are filled with chicken, covered with the mole sauce, then cooked on the comal and are a popular snack eaten in outdoor stalls.

Excerpted from ¨Seasons of My Heart, A Culinary Journey Through Oaxaca, Mexico¨
(Ballantine Books, November 1999, ISBN 0-345-42596-0)

 Chepil is a pre-Hispanic herb that grows wild in the rainy season. You often see the women and their children gathering it in the cornfields, a few days after a big rain, their arms laden with their findings. It is so popular in Oaxaca that some people grow it all year-round to sell in the markets, although it can be dried to use out of season. Chepil is used in soups, stews, tamales and, of course, rice. Serve this rice with Estofado de Pollo.

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients
1 cup chepil leaves, salad burnet, parsley, watercress leaves, chives or fenugreek
2 tablespoons butter, sunflower or vegetable oil
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
7 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups white rice
Salt to taste

Method
In a deep, heavy 8-inch frying pan with a lid, heat the butter and sauté the onions over medium heat until they are clear, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté 2 minutes longer. Add the chepil, and sauté about 2 minutes more. Add the chicken stock, and bring to a boil. Add the rice, stir well and add salt.

Return rice to a boil, lower the heat to simmer and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, covered, until all the water is absorbed and the rice is dry. Do not peek at or stir the rice during the cooking process.

Excerpted from ¨Seasons of My Heart, A Culinary Journey Through Oaxaca, Mexico¨
(Ballantine Books, November 1999, ISBN 0-345-42596-0)

For the budin:
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

Put the raisins in a small mixing bowl and add the mescal. Leave the raisins to soak for 1 hour.

Spread the bread cubes on a baking sheet and bake them in the oven until lightly toasted, 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside. Turn off the oven.

Put the chocolate in a double boiler over medium heat. When the chocolate becomes pasty, add the coffee to the chocolate. Reduce the heat to simmer and continue to cook until the chocolate is melted.

Put the eggs, cream, sour cream, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon in a medium size bowl and stir with a whisk until blended. Stirring the egg mixture continuously, pour in the melted chocolate and continue stirring until thoroughly blended.

Add the raisins, mescal and toasted bread cubes to the bowl and stir well. Set aside at room temperature until the bread completely soaks up the mixture, about 2 hours (This can be made a day a head).

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Bring a kettle of water to a boil.

Divide the pudding mixture into twelve 6 ounce buttered ramekins. Put them in a baking pan large enough to hold them all without touching. Slide out the oven shelf, put the pan on the shelf, pour in the boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake until the puddings are fully set but still moist, about 50-60 minutes. Place the ramekins on a cool rack.

After 15 minutes remove budín from the ramekins.

For the Salsa de Tuna:
In a sauce pan, over medium heat, reduce the mandarin orange juice and sugar to 3 ounces of liquid. Set aside to cool. When cool add the puree and the Cointreau.

For the topping and assembly:
Whip the cream and vanilla.

Spoon the salsa de tuna on a plate, place the budín in the middle of the salsa and add the whipping cream on top. Dust with finely grated Mexican chocolate. Garnish the plate with flowers. Serve immediately.

Note:
The salsa de tuna will last two days in the refrigerator.

Excerpted from ¨Seasons of My Heart, A Culinary Journey Through Oaxaca, Mexico¨
(Ballantine Books, November 1999, ISBN 0-345-42596-0)

This recipe tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen, but uses the mole paste you bought on your last visit to Oaxaca. Need to restock but aren't able to visit us in Oaxaca? You can order mole Negro, Coloradito and Rojo pastes and our unique Oaxacan Chocolate at Aurora Export.

Makes 4-6 servings or 3 cups mole coloradito sauce

Ingredients
3 cups chicken stock
4-6 pieces of chicken, skin removed if desired
Salt to taste
¾ pound tomatoes (1½ medium to large round or 3-4 plum), cut into quarters
1 tablespoon sunflower or vegetable oil, or lard if desired
8 ounces mole coloradito paste
1½ ounces Seasons of My Heart Chocolate Oaxaqueño or other brand of Mexican Chocolate, grated

Method
In a heavy 4-quart stockpot, heat the chicken stock over high heat. Add the chicken pieces, lower the heat, add salt, and cover. Poach the chicken for about 30 minutes, or until the juice runs clear when pierced with a fork. Remove the meat from the stock and set aside. Strain the stock, skimming off the fat.

In a dry cast-iron frying pan, fry the tomatoes until they give off their juices, about 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the tomatoes, and then let the mixture dry out somewhat. Puree the mixture in a blender, adding up to ½ cup stock to help release the blender's blades. Strain the stock through a food mill or strainer.

In a heavy 2-quart saucepan, or clay cazuela, heat the oil, then add the mole coloradito paste and fry well over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. When the paste is very hot, after 5 minutes, slowly add the tomato puree. Stir until well incorporated, about 5 minutes. Thin with the remaining stock, and chocolate, and let it reduce a little, about 15-20 minutes. It should be thick enough to just coat the back of a spoon.

Reheat the chicken in the stock.

Place a cooked chicken piece on each plate or wide soup bowl. Ladle a good amount of mole to cover the meat. Serve immediately with a stack of fresh corn tortillas or use to make Echiladas or Tamales Oaxaqueños.

Hint:
Beef, turkey or boneless pork shoulder can be substituted for the chicken.

Makes 4-6 servings or 3 cups mole negro sauce

Ingredients
3 cups chicken stock
4-6 pieces of chicken, skin removed if desired
Salt to taste
1 pound tomatoes (2 medium to large round or 4-5 plum), cut into quarters
¼ pound tomatillos (5-6 medium), husks removed and cut into quarters
1 tablespoon sunflower or vegetable oil, or lard if desired
8 ounces mole negro paste
1½ ounces Seasons of My Heart Chocolate Oaxaqueño or other brand of Mexican chocolate,
grated
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)

Method
In a heavy 4-quart stockpot, heat the chicken stock over high heat. Add the chicken pieces, lower the heat, add salt, and cover. Poach the chicken for about 30 minutes, or until the juice runs clear when pierced with a fork. Remove the meat from the stock and set aside. Strain the stock, skimming off the fat.

In a dry cast-iron frying pan, fry the tomatoes and tomatillos until they give off their juices, about 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the tomatoes, and then let the mixture dry out somewhat. Puree the mixture in a blender, adding up to ½ cup stock to help release the blender's blades. Strain the stock through a food mill or strainer.

In a heavy 2-quart saucepan, or clay cazuela, heat the oil, then add the mole negro paste and fry well over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. When the paste is very hot, after 5 minutes, slowly add the tomato and tomatillo puree. Stir until well incorporated, about 5 minutes. Thin with the remaining stock, add the chocolate and sugar, and stir for about 20-25 minutes. It should be thick enough to just coat the back of a spoon.

Reheat the chicken in the stock.

Place a cooked chicken piece on each plate or wide soup bowl. Ladle a good amount of mole to cover the meat. Serve immediately with a stack of fresh corn tortillas or use to make Enmoladas de Mole Negro or Tamales Oaxaqueños.

Hint:
Turkey or boneless pork shoulder can be substituted, or any combination of the three.

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