Go Green, Save The Planet
El Paso Virtual Culinary Magazine
Summer & Mexican Food Refreshing partly of flavor
Mexican Food Is Full of variety p-3
How to make MOLE
Mexican Cuisine
Virtual Magazine
I
p-2 0107
2009
Vol I July, 2009
others. Just as one example, take enpamadas. A sweet bread made from egg, milk and sugar that resembles French pastry, it has a distinctive flavor all its own. Food, of course, isn’t the only consumable product of this rich land. There are more native Mexican beverages than you could sample in a summer.
Mexican Cuisine-
Chiles en enogada
Deliciuos Experience
S
ay ‘Mexican food’ and most will think of burritos and tacos. But those, and other very heavy foods, are the traditional product primarily of Northern Mexico. There’s much more to the country and its cuisine. Not only are there regional differences, but Mexico itself is a diverse land of Aztec, Mayan and Spanish influences, with a bit of French thrown in for good measure. The results show up in the varied dishes and drinks that all can be justly labeled as Mexican. Think pizza and your mind wanders to Italy. But there’s a traditional Mexican pizza made from corn tortillas that is not to be missed. Slice it into wedges then dip it into some salsa and you’ve got a fine snack. Frijoles refritos, refried beans, are used in a wide number of Mexican dishes. Beef, chicken and pork dishes
are everywhere in Mexican cuisine. They provide protein and great taste. But there are an equal number of much lighter dishes that have never seen a bean. Ostiones (oysters), ceviche (raw fish marinated in citrus fruits) and many other types of seafood are traditional Mexican servings. Cheeses are as popular in Mexico’s dishes as it is in French cooking. And the cheeses of Mexico are not just derivatives from their distant European rivals. Chiapas may resemble feta, but it is a pure example of Mexican expertise in cheese. Criollo may look and taste similar to Muenster, but no German snuck into the country to produce this outstanding native product. Desserts, as they are anywhere else, are highly popular south of the border. Flan (a kind of caramel custard) is the classic example, but there are many
Rompope is a rum-flavored Mexican liqueur that will be welcome in any room that enjoys a fine Irish cream. Everyone has heard of the famed margarita, but make one with a superb Mexican Controy and your guests will never forget you. And a Michelada, a Mexican cerveza with tabasco, soy sauce and Worcestershire will add zing to any party. But alcoholic drinks don’t come anywhere close to exhausting the options. Horchata, a traditional milk drink, will help sooth the stomach after all that booze. And Aqua de fresca made from a variety of fruit juices is an ever popular addition to the Mexican table at any time. Whatever your dining style and preference you’ll find a Mexican-style dish to suit. Whether you prefer to eat out or prepare your own, the choices are limitless. Buen Provecho!
M
exico itself is a rich and diverse culture composed of elements from the centuries, so is Mexican cuisine equally varied.
Mexican Food is full of variety
A burrito for breakfast is far from unknown. But there are many other choices on the menu, as well. Huevos rancheros is a great favorite for those who want eggs for breakfast. A tropical fruit salad is a perfect possibility for those who want to get their morning helping Mexican style. Have a busy lifestyle and need to eat breakfast on the go? You can still enjoy it Mexican style and have a pineapple tamale muffin. If you have more time, treat yourself to delicious apricot chimichangas - a combination of egg, Ricotta cheese on a flour tortilla, topped with apricots and a delightful sauce. If you happen to have some stale corn tortillas left over, use them to make chilaquiles. For lunch the options grow by leaps and bounds. A frittata made from zucchini, peppers and onions atop a layer of tortilla supported eggs and topped with Swiss cheese is healthy and filling. Haven’t had enough eggs
coincide with the larger intake during the evening meal. Still, it doesn’t have to be all heavy fats and huge amounts of calories. Seafood is an outstanding choice for a Mexican dinner and perfectly in line with tradition. Swordfish and tuna are common in the waters around Mexico and fishing is a tradition in the country that goes back centuries. For something a little different, try a shark burrito. For a tried and true Mexican dinner you can’t go wrong with a Red Snapper a la Veracruzana.
yet? Try an egg and chorizo enchilada. With a garnish of avocados you’ll get plenty of flavor. Too busy to cook lunch? Fine, grab a plantain or two. If you prefer a more potato-like flavor get these banana-like fruits ultra fresh. If you like a sweeter option get some that have had more time to ripen. Of course, you could go for that basic taco instead. But be adventurous and try a carne asada torta. A Mexican-style sandwich, it houses refried beans, tomatoes and lettuce served on a telera roll. A traditional Mexican dinner is light and small. Lunch is the main meal. But in English-speaking countries the tradition has been modified to
Even apart from the standard division of meals into three periods of the day there are a variety of Mexican foods that can be enjoyed anytime. Mexican desserts are enjoyed by everyone. Flan, an egg custard with caramel sauce, will please palates of any nationality. Churros are another traditional favorite. Similar to donuts, you can find them sold by street vendors on any corner in Mexico City. But even bread can be a Mexican dessert. Sopapillas have been popular for centuries. Covered in cinnamon and honey, they will satisfy any sweet tooth Expand your horizons and your view of Mexican cuisine. Try a variety of traditional Mexican dishes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, anytime!
Enchilado may have a mundane name (translated it means, ‘chili flavored’), but the taste is anything but. A type of anejo cheese, it’s aged and spiced with paprika or chili powder. It goes well with a variety of Mexican cervezas, not least of which is an outstanding Michelada. Michelada is a mixture of beer, tabasco sauce, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and lime.
Mention cheese and most people will think of France, maybe Italy, sometimes Germany or Greece. But rarely will the first image brought to mind be Mexico. Yet Mexico has a range of native cheeses that are delightful and even profoundly fine additions to the cheese world. In some cases they are similar to more familiar types. In many instances they are as different as the differing countries themselves.
Chiapas is a fine example of traditional Mexican cheese. Crumbly like feta, it has a delightfully tart taste that works wonders on beans. Chihuahua, named after the state in Mexico, is perfect for dishes calling for melted cheese. Popular in Mexican fondue (yes, that’s not just a French dish), it has a variety of other uses. Fried cheese (queso frito) is another favorite method of preparation. Cotija stands in sharp contrast. This cheese is made from aged goat’s milk. But unlike a ricotta it is sharp and tangy, not bland. Often grated over salads, it will add a nice tang to any dish. Criollo is a sharp, yellow cheese from an area near Taxco in the state of Guerrero. Similar in color and taste to a Muenster, it has a distinctive flavor that sets it apart from that more familiar cheese. It works equally well grated or melted and will enhance any Mexican dish calling for a yellow cheese.
Fresco is a creamy cheese that makes for the perfect spicy topping to many Mexican dishes. Enchiladas benefit from it and an empanada would be a lesser creation without a fresco. Manchego by comparison is mild and mellow. Hailing from the La Mancha region, its nutty flavor makes it perfect for pambazos sandwiches or all by itself. Oaxaca may be an unfamiliar name, but many who have enjoyed a great quesadillas have unknowingly tasted this stringy cheese. The Mexican version of mozzarella, it is perfect on a tlayuda. Tlayudas are a traditional Mexican dish made of a giant corn tortilla covered with frijoles refritos and asiento, refried beans and pork. When served plain, it’s usually wound into a big ball like yarn (but much tastier). Queso blanco is a soft, creamy, white cheese that makes a perfect spread. Similar to cream cheese, it’s milder and not aged. It’s just right for a small grilled tortilla snack.
All About Chile Pepper Picante !!!
T
hough some experts dispute the wisdom of calling chiles ‘peppers’, there’s no disagreement about what they add to Mexican food: great taste and a lot of zing. Chiles are now grown in many countries around the globe. India is one of the world’s largest producers today, growing a millions tons per year. But, while the chiles grown in Mexico may be a small percentage of the total (about 15%), they could never be ranked second in value. Grown in every state in Mexico, they are popular the world over.
to the popular hot sauce. In Mexico a few of these are grown in every garden in Veracruz and the native state that gives the chile its name. The Guajillopuya is also used to make a great many hot sauces, thanks to its rich flavor and ample capsaicin concentration. But the champion for heat has to be the habañero. Habañero is produced at about 3% of the volume of jalapeños (1,000 ha). But they make up for it by ranking at 300,000 SHU. Now, that’s hot!
There’s a lot more to chile peppers than just chemically induced ‘wow!’, though. Chile peppers are chock full of beneficial Jalapeño varieties account for about half vitamins. They contain twice as much percentagewise as carrots and five times the total acreage planted. They give a well known bite to a dish with a flavor that as much as tomatoes. They’re rich in vitamin A and supply ample vitamin B6. far outlasts the sting. There’s simply no substitute for this yellow-green fruit rated between 3-6 thousand on the SHU scale. Chile peppers, like many colored fruits, The Scoville scale measures the ‘zing’ of are rich in carotenes and other phytochile peppers. In pure form, the chemical chemicals. The nutrition value of these substances is a hot area of research. But capsaicin that gives chiles their bite is evidence already strongly suggests they rated 16 million. help reduce cell damage, thanks to their Anchos and serranos together account anti-oxidant properties. That helps keep for a little over half of the remainder of the cardiovascular system in top shape. Mexico’s chile acreage. The ancho from Poblano (that also gives its name to a But whether you enjoy chile peppers for great mole) matures to a deep red that their great taste or to test your staying mirrors the rich flavor within. Another vari- power, or just because you want to eat ety develops to a rich brown. Serrano, by healthy, you don’t have to compromise. contrast, is picked green to make a great With one ingredient you can have it all. sauce. Pasilla is another chile pepper that is a popular ingredient to a fine mole. Tabasco chiles are well known, thanks
chunky peanut butter then heat in a pan. Throw in some sautéed onions to add bite to the sweet flavor. Salsa Roja is just what the Spanish name means: red sauce. It makes a delicious paste when the tomatoes are stewed and spiced up with pepper. A dash of tabasco from the Mexican state of the same name is a terrific addition. The great taste is universal.
T
he title refers here to the sauce, or (in Spanish) mole, not to the popular dance. But a good salsa can make you want to move your body in an excited rhythm. To citizens of the U.S., salsa is nothing more than a mix of fresh chopped tomatoes with spices. But in Mexico, salsa recipes are as varied as the country itself. Like the word mole, salsa in Spanish also means ‘a sauce’. But that plain word can describe a great many delicious varieties. Salsa de Arequipa hails from the city in the Andes mountains that gave the sauce its name. Sometimes served with potatoes, it may also be made with eggs. Ajo chiles provide the nice ‘bitey’ spice of this
special dish. Salsa Cruda is just what the name suggests, plain salsa. But even plain it can be a delight. Made with uncooked chiles, tomatoes, cilantro and lime juice, add bell peppers for a little more zing. Chunky. Perfect just as it is. Salsa Fresca is very similar. Chopped a little more finely, other vegetables such as carrots and onions can be added. For a truly small chunk fresca, make it pico. Salsa de Mani is a delicious variation on the standard sauce, which uses a South American peanut sauce to turn it into a paste. Add a bit of jalapeño, then a 1/2 cup of
Salsa Taquera may sound ordinary when translated to ‘taco sauce’. But there’s nothing mundane about the taste of this great dish. Smoother than standard salsa, it’s made of cooked tomatoes, spiced with chiles, vinegar and garlic. While a native Mexican may not regard this as a true salsa, no citizen anywhere could argue with the results when it comes to flavor. Lest you think that all salsas are red (because of the tomatoes), add to the list some Salsa Verde, or ‘green sauce’. The name may be nothing special but the taste is. Use tomatillos as a base, then add ricado and chiles. Throw in a dash of cilantro and you have a thin salsa that pours like a dream. Whichever dish you’re preparing you’ll find a type of salsa that pairs perfectly. Whether fresh or cooked these sauces add spice to a meal. Which is to say, they add spice to life. What more could anyone ask?
Mexican Restaurants Guide Chili’s Grill & Bar Mexican, Southwestern, Bar Scene, 1421 AIRWAY BLVD, EL PASO, TX El Taco Tote Restaurants, Catering, Mexican 2921 N Mesa St, El Paso, TX Good Luck Cafe Restaurants, Mexican 3813 Alameda Ave, El Paso, TX El Nido Restaurant Restaurants, Catering, Mexican 6110 Gateway Blvd E, El Paso, TX 3 Reviews
El Ciro’s
La Cuesta Mexican Food
Restaurants, Mexican, Carry Out
Restaurants, Mexican
Restaurants, Mexican
4800 Montana Ave, El Paso, TX (Map)
5218 Doniphan Dr, El Paso, TX (Map)
1926 Montana Ave, El Paso, TX
Andale Fine Mexican Cuisine
Little Diner Chihuahua Mexican Food
Restaurants, Catering, Mexican
Restaurants, Mexican
9201 Gateway Blvd W, El Paso, TX
9570 Dyer St, El Paso, TX
Casa Jurado Restaurants, Mexican 226 Cincinnati Ave, El Paso, TX Avila’s Mexican Food Rstrnts Banquet Rooms, Restaurants, Mexican 6232 N Mesa St, El Paso, TX Forti’s Mexican Elder Rstrnt Restaurants, Mexican 321 Chelsea St, El Paso, TX
904 Texas Ave, El Paso, TX
7209 7TH St, Canutillo, TX Chico’s Tacos
Delicious Mexican Eatery
Mexican, Restaurants
Restaurants, Mexican
5305 Montana Ave, El Paso, TX
3314 Fort Blvd, El Paso, TX Villa Del Mar Restaurant Puerto Vallarta Grill Mexican
Restaurants, Mexican
Restaurants, Mexican
7988 Gateway Blvd E, El Paso, TX
1611 Montana Ave, El Paso, TX El Paso Club Senor Fish Restaurants, Mexican, Seafood 9530 Viscount Blvd Ste 1A, El Paso, TX (Map)
Mexican Cottage Restaurants, Mexican
Restaurants, Catering, Mexican
Riviera Restaurant
Community Organizations, Restaurants, Mexican 201 E Main Dr Ste 18, El Paso, TX
W
hen most people think of Mexican cuisine they don't picture beverages to go with it. But in all cultures, the drink paired with the food is an important part of the entire experience. Imagine having a fine red snapper prepared Mexican style for dinner, then washing it down with orange juice or milk. Healthy, but somehow it just doesn't fit. Fortunately, there is a huge array of tasty, healthy Mexican beverages to go with every meal. Chocolate is popular in Mexican dishes, or even as a dessert bar. But it's more often consumed in the form of a hot chocolate drink. Mexican chocolate tends to be more granular and bitter than that from other countries. That makes it a perfect ingredient for a breakfast beverage. Melt the chocolate, add a bit of sugar to taste, and voila! Of course, beer is enjoyed south of the border, where it is called cerveza. And Mexican breweries are second to none in producing some truly fine beers. They make a fine
accompaniment to a lunch composed of burritos. But to make a great Mexican drink, try a Michelada. This drink is a mixture of beer, tabasco sauce, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and lime. Wow! But you can also enjoy a great fruit drink with that fine frittata for lunch. Aqua fresca (a Mexican cooler) comes in a variety of flavors such as guava, pineapple or mango. The agua de tamarindo is a great favorite down Mexico way, made from the tamarind. For something even lighter try the agua de Jamaica made from the Hibiscus flower. Naturally, that pre-dinner drink can quite rightly consist of a traditional margarita. Made from fine tequila and Mexican Controy, you'll be ready for a hearty meal after one of these. If you prefer your tequila straight, that's fine, too. Don't forget the lime, though. After dinner you'll just have to have
a Mexican coffee. Select some of your finest beans and brew the coffee dark. Then liven it up with a couple of ounces of tequila, Kahlua and brandy. For a real taste treat, add the same amount of Rompope, a kind of vanilla Mexican liqueur. Or, for something a little more straightforward, just try a bit of the Rompope all on its own. Between beer for lunch, a pre-dinner margarita and an after-dinner Mexican coffee you might just be ready for a good night's sleep. But the next morning could be a bit dicey. So, maybe you better have some of that milk after all. Have it Mexican style in the form of a good horchata. Horchata is a traditional Mexican drink made from rice, water, cinnamon, almonds and sugar. But milk is often added as well. It is reputed to be good for hangovers. Even if it's not, the taste will help you forget your headache!
World know “Margarita� was createded in Ciudad Juarez.
- How to make mole - How to make refried beans
- How to make flan
How To Make Mole
I
n case you’re wondering, the title does NOT refer to creating a small gopher-like animal or any dish containing it. No, mole is a delicious traditional Mexican sauce. In fact, it’s so traditional that the name derives from an Aztec word that just means ‘sauce’. The most popular type hails from Puebla, Mexico which gives its name to the full description: mole poblano. The basic ingredients are straightforward enough, though some of them may require a bit of digging to locate. Ingredients: 3 corn tortillas 1/2 short French roll 2 very ripe plantains (dark) 3 oz Mexican chocolate 5 plum tomatoes 6 ancho chiles 3 pastilla chiles 3 garlic cloves
1 small onion 2 tbsp almonds 4 tbsp peanuts 4 tbsp pecans 2 tbsp sesame seeds 5 tbsp raisins 8 pepper corns 1 stick cinnamon 1/2 tsp anise 1/2 tsp cumin 5 cups chicken broth 4 tbsp pork lard There’s quite a bit of preparation to make a fine mole, but the effort is worth it, as a taste of the results will prove. Grind up all the chiles, as well as the cumin and anise, very finely. Set them aside. Grind up the nuts to small chunks, but not powder. Sauté the nuts in the pork lard. If you prefer something less heavy use vegetable or canola oil. Then sauté the raisins in the same oil. In a fresh skillet, sauté the plantains in pork lard or oil until they’ve gone slightly crispy. Then sauté the bread in the same skillet. Mix the vegetables together with the sautéed plantains and add 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth. You can use a blender or stir well with a spoon or mixer, then strain the result. Strain the chile mix to remove any seeds, stir well, then add the result to the vegetable mix. Make a paste by mashing the
bread and tortillas well, then add them in too. Add 2 cups of chicken stock. Add another cup of chicken stock to the ground nuts and blend that in. Finally, melt the chocolate and add it to this soupy mixture and stir well. Now, for the hard part. Stir almost continuously for about 2 hours. This can be done by trading places among several people, or you can set a mixer on very low speed, preferably one that has a computerized timer so it can be turned off and on every few minutes for a few seconds. But you’ll need a mixer with a heating element since the blend also needs to be cooked over low heat while it is stirred. The result is enough to spread on dishes for a dozen diners and will keep well in the refrigerator for a week. How To Make Refried Beans Two simple steps and you’re on your way to some great tasting refried beans. Start with great tasting ingredients. Get the freshest possible dried pinto beans. Anything that has been sitting around in a bag for a few months, even dried, will not make for the best result. Plus, the older they are the longer it takes to soften them up. Make it easier on yourself while you make it tasty. Then lay the beans out, remove any small pieces of gravel, and rinse well in a collander. Yes, dried pinto beans will sometimes come packaged with small pieces of dirt or rock, depending on the source you buy them from. It needn’t ruin the taste and it doesn’t necessarily indicate poor quality beans.
Step one requires softening up the beans. You have two basic ways to do that, either by boiling or using a pressure cooker. A pressure cooker takes a little less time and is a bit easier. But boiling is fine, too. In either case, place 2 1/2 cups (about 1 lb) of beans in about 3 quarts of water, ensuring that it covers the beans a couple of inches. For boiling, boil about 2 1/2 hours stirring occasionally. A pressure cooker will require only about half an hour. With either method, examine the beans and look for the majority to slightly split the skin. That indicates that the beans have absorbed a lot of water and the skin has softened enough for the added pressure to slightly break the skin. Then drain the beans in a collander and shake gently. Add a small amount of water (about 1/4 cup) to a cold iron frying pan and pour in the beans. Add a pinch of salt or other seasonings as desired. Good choices are a bit of chili powder or a small amount of garlic. Then mash the beans slightly with a potato masher. They should be lumpy, not perfectly smooth. Think of mashed potatoes that have not been mashed enough. That’s just about right. Now drain any excess water and add a bit of lard or canola oil to the pan. Heat the pan to a medium-high level. As the beans fry, continue mashing, but still not too vigorously. The beans should remain somewhat chunky. Too much mashing turns them into soup. That’s all there is to it! Of course, there are a hundred tasty alternative recipes. Some frijoles refritos recipes call
for adding chunks of onion to the pan and sauteeing them before adding the beans. That’s fine. Spice it up with a little bit of jalapeño if you want. For more spice, add more chili powder, but take care not to overwhelm the beans (or your tongue). In some recipes the beans are soaked overnight. That may work, but it often leads to excessively smooth refried beans, especially if you start with fresh ingredients. Be sure that when soaking and boiling you skim off any gray scum that floats to the top as the beans are being prepared. Now for the most important part. Enjoy!
How to make a Classic Flan Calling flan a caramel custard is to do it an injustice. No mere pudding, this traditional Mexican dessert is the crème de la crème of sweets. Of course, not surprisingly, there are a hundred and one variations on the basic recipe. But sometimes the original is so much more than one can expect, to alter it is to approach cooking blasphemy. Start early in the day so your flan has plenty of time to cool before
serving. Then get ready for a bit of heaven. Ingredients: 5 whole eggs 2 egg yolks 4 cups of milk 1 1/2 cup of sugar 2 strips of lemon zest 1 cinnamon stick Coating: You can start with the ‘frosting’ first. Spread a 1/2 cup of sugar on the bottom of a saucepan and warm to medium-low heat. The goal is to brown the sugar, turning it gooey without burning. At a certain point it will start to melt. Don’t stir, but you can give the pan a little shake to prevent sticking. Once the sugar is golden brown remove from heat and pour into a dozen warmed custard cups. You want the sugar to remain like syrup and not crystallize.
Warming custard cups is simple. Put an ounce of water into each cup and put them into the microwave for a minute, then remove and a water.
Flan Body In a saucepan, combine milk, lemon zest (the outer peel of the fruit) and the cinnamon stick. Bring to a vigorous boil, then lower the heat and simmer for ten minutes. Remove and let stand. In a bowl, mix the whole eggs and egg yolks together with a cup of sugar. Pour the milk mixture into the bowl through a fine sieve. Whisk until the result is well blended. Pour the result into the coated custard cups. Arrange the cups into a baking pan, then pour in an inch of water, being careful not to splash any into the custard cups. Then bake at 300F/150C for an hour and a half. Check the flan periodically to ensure that the water has not all boiled away. Remove the pan from the oven carefully, avoiding dumping the boiling water onto the floor or knocking over the custard cups. Remove the cups and let them cool for several hours in air. Preparing flan takes a bit of effort, but the results will be worth it. If you doubt it, just ask the people who can’t tell you because their mouths are too full of flan. A big thumbs up will do nicely.
Utensils and Cookware for Mexican Cuisine
tion material to prepare tortillas, fish and many other traditional Mexican foods. Comals come in an astounding variety of shapes and sizes, too.
As in every culture, Mexican cuisine is prepared not just with traditional native ingredients but with the tools to shape and cook them. Those tools have developed over centuries of experience and combined today with modern technology to give the chef the best of both worlds.
But before it can get to the pan an ingredient has to be put into the right form. One superbly useful pair of tools for doing just that are the molcajete and the tejolote. These are the traditional mortar and pestle used to grind ingredients. Whether used to grind corn for masa by hand or powderize a dried chile pepper, they’re indispensable to any kitchen that prepares fresh Mexican cuisine.
One of the most basic and widely used is the comal - the humble iron skillet. Hardy and versatile a good comal will last generations. It will provide a high heat reten-
Another tool that can be used for that purpose, one that requires less effort, is the molino de maiz. Its primary function is to grind corn, but it can be used on chile peppers, garlic and a wide variety of other foods and spices. While more contempo-
rary grinders are electric, even the ones with a hand crank are easy to use (and great fun). But there is yet another step before that tortilla makes its way to the comal. Mashing corn to make a ball of masa is great, but tortillas are flat. To pound them by hand is acceptable, but requires a lot of effort. Make life easy on yourself by getting a tortilla press. If you make Mexican dishes, one of these cast iron presses will repay you many times over. Tortillas are used throughout Mexican cuisine. While you’re at it, don’t forget the tortilla warmer. You’ll usually make more than you consume in one round. A warmer will keep the tortillas steamy hot, ready for the next eager diner. But cooking, per se, isn’t the only function performed when preparing a Mexican-style meal. Aqua de fresca, horchata and many other drinks are mixed or blended. A traditional molinillo de madera is a great tool on those occasions.
These wooden, hand-held mixers/ crushers can mash fruit and stir juices. Whether you’re making a delicious fruit drink, a hot chocolate beverage or an arroz con leche (thickened milk and water with rice and sugar), one of these will come in handy.
When you think of grinding or mixing, don’t neglect the lowly batidor. A simple masher, it can be used for potatoes, carrots or anything else that needs to be made into a pulp. Add to the tool set a rodillo de madera, a wooden rolling pin, and you can make that delicious ensaimada sweet bread you’ve been dying to try. There’s no end to the list of utensils and cookware you could acquire. The more you have, the wider array of dishes you’ll be prepared to tackle with traditional tools. That turns cooking from a chore into great fun.
quer, but here instead to enjoy and wonder. Thru nature we get our foods and nutrition. So we should respect our mother earth, because without her, we will have no future vision.
Dining and Fun Editorial
T
he Dining and Fun’s virtual magazine is the most exciting website to come around in a long time. This website is dedicated to the art of dining, drinks and different foods. Unlike the old way of introducing, showing, advertising, displaying, preparing or cooking food, Dining and Fun hopes you can make every meal and dining experience an art form. DFUN website, as some of our visitors call it, wants to show you how different foods can paint a variety of flavors on your pallet. At DFUN, we want to sophisticate your tasting senses and expand your knowledge of foods. Unlike the other websites DFUN is going to involve the food coinsures, with ways to make your eating experience just that an experience, and not just another meal. We decided to make our information available via the web, so that another tree won’t be dead, we believe in going green, so our plant can be pristine. If you can say it on the web, it will go straight to your head. We know that we are small, but like to see the trees to grow tall. Nature is here not to destroy and con-
Our first issue will be on Mexican food. We make this first selection because, after hamburgers, hot dogs and apple pie, nothing is more America than Mexican food. Just the words tacos, burritos, refried beans, salsas, enchiladas, margaritas, arroz con frijoles, sopapillas and chimichangas conjures up the thought of not just a food but a tradition, culture and fun. So why not start with Mexican food! Dining and Fun will get together with local markets and restaurants to bring specials to the food coinsures and to make the whole experience interesting, educational and of course fun. DFUN co-editor
Gilbert Velez
Editor In Chief
Isabel Delgadillo Co Editor
Gilbert Velez Assesor in Style
Alfredo Pegnaloza
July 2009
Content Mexican Cuisine Deliciuos Experience p-2 Mexican Food Is Full of Variety p-4 Chesses of Mexico p-5 All About Chile Peper p-7 Sauces p-8 Mexican Restaurants Guide p-10 Mexican Drinks p-11 Recipes p-12-13 Utensils and Cookware for Mexican Cuisine p-17