mexican | Cooking with a broad

Green Pea Guacamole

As a cookbook collector, there's always a few books that fall by the wayside, forgotten, gathering dust, at the back of a // read more

Pozole Rojo & Chinese-style Slow Roasted Pork Neck Bones

Pork neck bones are one of the last bastions of economy cuts available on the market. Once popularity in the restaurant marketplace hits, prices skyrocket and availability wanes. Lamb // read more

Papalo, a native herb to Mexico and South America, fell into my hands the other day in Sooke, a far cry from points south. Markus Weiland, chef and owner of Markus' Restaurant in Sooke, was // read more

Huevos Rancheros

Huevos rancheros is one of those dishes that appears more often on Canadian menus than those in Mexico. It comes in all sorts of styles, eggs on top of corn or flour tortillas, garnished // read more

Chayote and Apple Salad with Pomegranates in a Jalapeno-Lime Vinaigrette

Cabbage is quickly losing its appeal around here. Spring is in the air and I'm getting itchy for spring greens. I gave our local cabbage a fair shake for the last two months, consuming it // read more

Chile Colorado with Chicken and Vegetables

Like the next gal, I'm quite happy purchasing locally grown food, especially meats, and I make a concerted effort to seek it out. With only a few abattoirs on Vancouver Island, buying // read more

A 3-Chile Salsa with Oaxacan Smokiness

"Oaxaca loves smoky flavours," says Pilar Cabrera, "roasted tomatillos, mezcal, desserts of leche quemada." She is also referring to the smoked chile pasilla de Oaxaca, an ingredient being // read more

Corn Flake-Crusted Fish with Tomatillo Sauce

Taking cues from the tomatillo sauce from my previous post, and a Rick Bayless recipe for corn flake-crusted fish, I combined the two to create a delicious dinner. Both versions // read more

In Pursuit of Purslane

Purslane, aka verdolagas in Spanish, is a delicious wild edible, a ground creeper and hugely underutilized where I live in Victoria. Succulent and tart with a flavour similar to cactus // read more

Mixiote. Gift of the Maguey

Through many trips south of the border and the many cookbooks on my shelves, Mexico continues to deliver the delicious and the exotic and never ceases to pique my curiosity. A market is // read more

Sunday Rewards – Limonada & Comida

Mexican agua frescas, or fresh waters, are common throughout that country, usually held in big glass jars lining the counter of a comedor or fonda. They can be made with every kind of fruit // read more

Speaking with a Broad: Chef Patricio Sandoval at Villas Carrizalillo

Mention the name Sandoval in the restaurant world and the first thing that comes to mind is Ricardo Sandoval. With 28 modern Mexican restaurants under his belt, spanning North America and // read more

Drinking with a Broad. Tropical Afternoon Cocktails Part Two

Seeing Red Deep red hibiscus flowers, known as flor de jamaica in Mexico, are infused in water to create a cool refreshing agua. Its tart cranberry-like flavour, packed with vitamins, is // read more

Drinking with a Broad. Tropical Afternoon Cocktails

It's hot here. Very hot. And the thought of making a complicated lunch, or any lunch for that matter, seems far too daunting a task. But a woman must stay hydrated, so I have created lunch // read more

Enchiladas with Chicken and an Ancho-Tomato Salsa

Enchiladas, a dish of stuffed and rolled tortillas bathed in a chile sauce, has many permutations. At its most trashy, it contains an overdose of cheap gooey cheeses and is laden with salts // read more

Oaxaca’s Smoked Chile Pasilla stuffed with Peaches, Ricotta and Walnuts

Summer came and went far too fast. And by the time I caught up with its crazy fast pace, it was gone, but I still had designs on a few summer recipes I did not want to let pass. Case in // read more

Roasted Jalapenos stuffed with Mint and Two Cheeses

Once you get the hang of roasting and cleaning jalapenos, this appetizer dish, stuffed with goat and cream cheeses, and brightly flavoured with mint, is a hands down winner. Roasting a // read more

Salsa de Chile Pasilla de Oaxaca – Version Two

The smoked chile pasilla de Oaxaca, or chile Mixe ( pronounced, mee-hay) is unique to the state of Oaxaca. It imparts a fiery, smokey flavour to salsas, chiles rellenos, and vinegary // read more

Candied Jalapenos

Not only for salsas or roasted and stuffed with cheese, jalapenos can also be used for purposes of a sweet nature. Washed and dried, stemmed, seeded with the inner white membrane // read more

Chicken Estofado, A Oaxacan Version

In Mexico, and more specifically, Oaxaca, moles play an important part in the country's culinary repertoire. In Canada, we only see moles, usually red, and made with the addition of // read more

Post Christmas Empanadas

After three days of holiday cooking, eating and drinking it seemed vaguely unsettling to enjoy my morning coffee in a quiet, clean kitchen. No lists to go over, no ingredients to pull from // read more

Eating Local in Puerto Escondido

I spend most mornings in Puerto Escondido picking up fresh provisions from the local Benito Juarez market. The produce is perfectly arranged in tidy piles, or tied into bundles, and is of // read more

Chilaquiles Rojos with Huevos Revueltos

Coaxing nourishment and deliciousness out of what's leftover in the fridge can be either daunting or inspiring depending what the ingredients are and your mood at the time. Feeling a tad // read more

A Taco Party Vegetarian-Style

When meat's not your thing, you can pull together a rather tasty display of vegetarian fare without relying on soy nuggets or other aberrations of nature. You won't even miss the carne. // read more

Xoco – Chicago

Xoco is the newest restaurant from chef and Top Chef Master Rick Bayless, co-owner of Topolobampo and Frontera Grill. The casual eatery draws inspiration from Mexican street food, but // read more

Oaxacan-Inspired Pork and Chilie Soup

I call it a culinary haunting. Ever since the Christmas comida we enjoyed at La Capilla, I can't shake the thought of the soup we had as a first course. Slow cooked in a pit with the goat's // read more

Let Them Eat Potato Cakes (Making Tortitas de Papa)

A popular snack found at fondas and street food stalls throughout Mexico, potato cakes or tortitas de papa, are wonderful on their own - as any potato-based snack is - or gussied up with // read more

Chef Roberto Santibanez’ Chilie Relleno with a Picadillo of Chicken, Capers, Olives and Almonds

Stuffed chiles, or chiles rellenos in Spanish , show evidence of the many cultures that showed up on the shores of Mexico. For example, through trade came the introduction of olives, // read more

Cornflake-Crusted Fish in Tomatillo Sauce

Breadcrumbs are versatile but can be substituted in many dishes with crushed cracker crumbs or that breakfast staple, cornflakes. Think breaded and fried oysters whose briny goodness pairs // read more

Albondigas en Chipotle

Good 'ole meatballs. A 1001 variations, tasty little morsels all. Translated to the Mexican table, albondigas (Spanish for meatball) are a national standby, appearing regularly on comida // read more

Two Easy Tomatillo Salsas, Guacamole with Peaches and Chicken Kabobs

Tomatillos, that green fruit surrounded by a papery husk has been a staple of the Mexican diet for eons. It's easy to buy ones of uniform size in Mexico, but in Victoria, B.C., size // read more

Salsa Arriera "Mule Driver’s" Salsa

Any budding aficionado of Mexican cuisine should have one - or the whole collection - of Diana Kennedy's cook books. Therein you'll find a rich resource of dishes - obscure and well known // read more

Salsa, an ongoing exploration

One thing is certain, salsa in Mexico is always on the table. Going through my Mexican food journals and recipe files I was struck with the endless combinations and possibilities for that // read more