Cooking Around the World: Mexico

Back on track in our Cooking Around the World Adventure because Dylan wrote on his "to accomplish this summer list": Cook with Mommy. Learn more about countries by cooking around the world.

Talk about a guilt trip. Yes, I have been remiss. Fine. We have actually been cooking, but not systematically and not blogging. So, here we go.

Mexico

A few little known facts...

Mexico and Luxembourg are the only two countries in the world that are spelled with the letter X.

In the 1990s Mexico accepted the indigenous languages as official languages for the country so Mexican legal documents can now be written in any of the 60 languages!

An underground river 95 miles long flows beneath Mexico. The river occupies a lengthy series of limestone caves below Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. Two SCUBA divers from Europe spent four years exploring these caverns and discovered that the second and third largest Mexican cave systems were actually connected.

The piñata, the quintessential Mexican party game, was actually invented in China! The piñata was originally filled with seeds, not candy, to ensure favorable conditions for the new year’s growing season. The piñata arrived in Mexico when the monks from Spain introduced the custom.

Here are some of the foods we've cooked from Mexico...

My boys love to pick up conchas whenever we go to the Mexican market, so I made a version with cardamom and cocoa powder: click here for the recipe.

This Posole de Camarones was a delicious, hearty lunch one day.

And another day, we made a Mexican meatball soup: Albóndigas.

During the holidays we made this Mexican Christmas Punch: Ponche Navideño.

A good friend joked that he'd bring over some Taco Bell when we got to Mexico on our list. I think we're covered. Check. Moving on.

Comments

Quick Pickled Red Onions and Radishes

If you've been reading my blog for even a short amount of time, you probably know how much I love to pickle things. I was just telling a friend you can pickle - with vinegar - or you can ferment - with salt - for similar delicious effect. The latter has digestive benefits and I love to do that, but when I need that pop of sour flavor quickly, I whip up quick pickles that are ready in as little as a day or two. I've Pickled Blueberries , Pickled Asparagus , Pickled Cranberries , Pickled Pumpkin , and even Pickled Chard Stems ! This I did last night for an upcoming recipe challenge that requires I include radishes. Ummmm...of course I'm pickling them! Ingredients makes 1 quart jar radishes, trimmed and sliced organic red onions, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mandolin slicer) 3/4 C vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar) 3/4 C water 3 T organic granulated sugar 1 T salt (I used some grey sea salt) 6 to 8 grinds of black pepper Proce

Aloo Tiki {Pakistan}

To start off our Pakistani culinary adventure, I started us off with aloo tiki - potato cutlets. I'm always game for tasty street food. I found a couple of different recipes and incorporated those together for this version. Ingredients 6-8 small red potatoes, scrubbed 1 T cumin seeds 1 T fresh chopped parsley 1/2 t ground coriander 1 t minced garlic Procedure Boil the potatoes until they are tender. Drain and let cool. Mash the potatoes. Traditionally they are mashed without their skins. I left the skins on. In a small pan, toast the cumin seeds on high heat until the begin to give off an aroma and begin to darken. Remove from heat and transfer to a plate to keep them from cooking any more. Blend all of the spices into the mashed potatoes, then shape into small patties. If you wet your hands, the potato mixture won't stick to them. Heat a splash of oil in a large, flat-bottom pan. Dip each patty into beaten egg and carefully place in the oil. P

Hot Chocolate Agasajo-Style {Spice It Up!}

photo by D For my Spice It Up! kiddos this week, I was looking for an exotic drink to serve while we learned about saffron. I found a recipe from food historian Maricel Presilla that mimicked traditional Spanish hot chocolate from the 17th century where it was served at lavish receptions called agasajos . When I teach, I don't always get to shoot photos. Thankfully, D grabbed my camera and snapped a few. Ingredients serves 14-16 1 gallon organic whole milk 3 T dried rosebuds - or 2 t rosewater 2 t saffron threads, lightly crushed 3 T ground cinnamon 3 whole tepin chiles, crushed 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise 1 C organic granulated sugar 1 lb. bittersweet chocolate Procedure In a large soup pot that can hold a gallon plus, combine milk, dried rosebuds (or rosewater, if you are using that), saffron threads, ground cinnamon, chiles, vanilla beans, and sugar and warm over medium heat till it steams. Whisk to dissolve sugar, then lower heat an

Culinary Adventures with Camilla

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