What is Authentic Mexican Food

I have recently been involved in a discussion about authentic Mexican food. The problem is how do you define "authentic".

If two people have two different recipes for the same Mexican food, both having been handed down through generations, which one is the "authentic" one? Are they both authentic even though they are different recipes for the same dish.

For the sake of argument, lets assume that they are both authentic. Now let's take one and adapt it for more modern times by using a canned or prepared ingredient, such as a jar of salsa verde. Is it still authentic or did it lose it's authenticity when you add a "prepared" ingredient.

There's some discord over the issue of authenticity out there in the Mexican cooking world and some passionate debate.

If you want to know what I think, here it is. I don't think there is any such thing as a purely authentic recipe in the sense that an antique could be authentic. A recipe is not a thing in itself, it is only a guideline for preparing food. I think any food that has a history of being prepared for more than one generation can be called "authentic" and that it will have many recipe variations because every cook has to make adaptations based on the ingredients available, cost, personal tastes and time constraints to name just a few things.

If you get your hands on a recipe that claims to be "authentic" but it calls for a can of this or a bottle of that and you're more of a purist, then by all means, make your own adjustment to add homemade this or that and then you have created your own authentic recipe version. A version that is no better and no worse than any other recipe for that particular dish in any way except that it suits your personal requirements.

So if you are lucky enough to get your hands on a recipe that makes a food you abolutely love, instead of examining the historical significance of the recipe, perhaps it's better just to share the food with family and friends and give thanks for the abundance and variety that our world has to offer.

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Mexican Coffee is Good for the Soul

It's a rainy, windy Sunday afternoon here in the north and I was just thinking what a perfect day to curl up with a good book and a cup of Mexican coffee.

Many Mexican coffee recipes I've seen make about 3 quarts of coffee. Unless you have a large family, lots of guest dropping by or a pretty serious coffee habit, that's just too much coffee.

I've pared down my favorite Mexican coffee recipe to make just two mugs full. Two mugs are just enough for me but you could share one if you wanted to or double (or even triple) the recipe.

Oh - and feel free to spike it with a little Kahlua or Irish Cream (which is my favorite).

Here's the recipe and then I'll tell you a few of my tricks.

Mexican Coffee for One (or Two)

1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups water
1 heaping tablespoon instant coffee granules
1 heaping tablespoon cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
pinch of salt

Makes 2 cups

Put everything in a sauce pan and heat over medium-low heat until there's lots of steam but don't let it boil. Remove from heat and pour into mugs. Sweeten to taste.

Notes:

Since I usually only have skim (non-fat) milk in my fridge, I use 1/2 cup skim milk with 1/2 cup canned evaporated milk for a little more creaminess. You can use non-fat milk, whole milk, evaporated milk or cream in any combination to make 1 cup.

If I have already made a pot of coffee, I'll substitute the perked coffee for the water and add just a bit of instant coffee granules to make it a bit stronger.

Pour some kahlua or irish cream into the bottom of your mug and pour the Mexican coffee on top (mixes it without using a spoon - one less thing to wash and put away).

Top it with whipped cream and sprinkle with cinnamon or cocoa powder if you want to impress somebody.

There - that's how I make Mexican hot chocolate. Now I think there's a chick flick with Johnny Depp calling my name.

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Mexican Day of the Dead - Dia de los Muertos

Dia de los Muertos, the Mexican Day of the Dead is celebrated each year on November 2nd.

For those of us used to the celebration of Halloween complete with funny ghosts and ghouls, the Day of the Dead may sound rather macabre. In fact, unlike Halloween when we all set out to scare one another with morbid decorations and scary masks, the Mexican Day of the Dead is a much more spiritual, emotional and festive occasion. Indigenous people believed in the cycle of life/death/rebirth and so view death as a part of the cycle of life.

The Mexican tradition is that, on November 2nd, the Day of the Dead, loved ones lost to death return to their homes and families for a single day. Often, a great feast, the Fiesta de Muertos, is prepared and shared with friends and family.

Families may attend the cemetery and the graves of loves ones past and this is where the fiesta will take place. Sumptuous traditional foods are prepared and festivities are held at the graves sides with the spirits or souls of dead loved ones all around.

Traditionally, the fiesta will consist of spicy meat dishes, sweet desserts and the bread of the dead, "pan de muertos", which is a special egg batter bread.

Here's a simple recipe for a traditional sweet dish for the Fiesta de Muertos.

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Calabaza en Tacha - Candied Pumpkin

1 small pumpkin (about 5 lbs)
6 cinnamon sticks
1/2 cup of orange juice
4 cups water
5 cups dark brown sugar

Cut the pumpkin into large chunks (about 2 inches square). No need to peel it but you can if you like.

Remove the seeds and strings from the pumpkin cubes. With a sharp knife make diamond designs over the pulp of the pumpkin to allow the sugar syrup to penetrate.

Put the sugar in a pan with the cinnamon sticks, orange juice, and water. Bring to a boil and stir until the sugar has dissolved.

Place the first layer of pumpkin pieces in the pan with the sugar syrup, pulp side down so they absorb as much juice as possible. The second layer should be with the pulp turned upwards.

Cover and simmer until the tops of the pumpkin pieces look somewhat glazed, and the pumpkin is soft and golden brown.

Let cool at least 2 hours.

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When is a chili pepper not a pepper

Let's talk about peppers and chilies. Are chili peppers really peppers?
Or are chilies really something different than peppers.

Of course, the black pepper that we have in the shaker on the table is not related to chilies at all. It is native to South India and is totally unrelated to chilies. In this case the name pepper derives from the Sanskrit word "pippali".

But what about bell peppers? Or a chili pepper? Obviously, they aren't peppers as mentioned above, so what are they then? Are they chilies?

Acually - they are all in the same family (Capsicum) and are all "peppers" and at the same time they are all "chilies". In truth, however, it's probably more proper to call them chilies than to refer to them as peppers (even though some - like the bell pepper - are only known by that name).

Originally the word pepper referred to the table pepper we talked about above, not the chili peppers but the word "pepper" began to be used to refer to chilies with some chilies actually being named peppers. That's what has created all the confusion.

The easy way to remember is this rule of thumb. If you grind it from a pepper mill or shake it from a shaker on the table - it's not a chili.

So a bell pepper is really a chili, as is habanero chili pepper.

Many people consider bell peppers to be different than chili peppers (usually defining a chili as a pepper with heat) when in fact they are from the same plant family - they just have different amounts of capsaicin which is the chemical in their flesh that provides the heat.

The relative heat in a chili pepper is usually rated in "Scoville Units" after Wilbur Scoville who originally devised the test to measure the heat level of chilies.

Some Familiar Types Of Chilies:

Bell Peppers (green or red): These are the mildest of the chili family. Used in the dishes of many cultures. Green bell peppers are immature red bell peppers. Scoville units = zero.

Anaheim: Very mild. Six to eight inches in size and deep, shiny green. Often stuffed or added to salsas. Scoville units = 500 - 2,500.

Cayenne: From four to twelve inches in length. Deep green, yellow, orange, or red. Long, skinny, and wrinkled in appearance. Hot in taste. Scoville units = 30,000 - 50,000.

Jalapeno: Range from dark green to red. Use whenever recipe simply calls for hot chile peppers. They can be fresh or canned. Scoville units = 2,500 - 8,000.

Poblano: Dark green, shiny and large in size. Mild to medium on the hotness scale. They can be fresh or canned. Scoville units = 1,000 to 2,000.

Serrano: Fairly high on the hotness scale. Can be found canned, pickled, or packed in oil with vegetables. Often served in Thai or Mexican dishes. Scoville units = 8,000 - 22,000.

Habanero: The hottest pepper on earth. Often used to make scorching hot sauces. Scoville units = 300,000 - 400,000.

All chilies are good for you - with a good supply of vitamins A, C and E along with folic acid and potassium. Some scientific studies have also found that capsaicin can help to beat cancer cells - particularly prostate cancer.

So eat up! Whether it's the mild bell pepper, the nice heat of a jalapeno or the scorching heat of a habanero, your body will thank you.

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Salsa by the Dozen

The word "salsa" comes from the Spanish word for sauce. It's also related to the Latin word "sal" which means salad. So which is it? A sauce or a salad?

How about both?

Salsa can be made so that it resembles a sauce, such as the bottled salsa you would buy at your grocery store or those made in a blender with canned tomatoes. Salsa can also be a salad if you use fresh, chopped ingredients like fresh juicy tomatoes or sweet, delicious fruit.

Traditional salsa is made with tomatoes, but today, there's more interest in creating sweet delectable salsa from fruits like mangos, peaches and pineapple.

Essentially salsa, regardless of whether you start with a tomato or a mango, has the same type of ingredients. Something sweet like the tomato or other fruit; something sour like lime or lemon juice; something savory or spicy and finally, something salty.

Let's take a basic tomato salsa recipe. It has sweet tomato (whether canned or fresh) some lime juice for sour, an onion or some other savory/spicy ingredient and some salt. That's it - but that covers the four flavors that makes a perfectly balanced salsa.

So what if you wanted to make a fruit salsa. Let's look at a recipe for peach salsa:

2 cups peeled, diced ripe peaches
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 teaspoon minced jalapeno chiles
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 cup minced fresh mint
2 teaspoons frest grated ginger
Pinch of salt
(Combine all ingredients, let sit for one hour and serve)

We have peaches and red bell peppers for sweetness.
There's lime juice for sour.
Add some onion, chilies, ginger and mint for spice and depth.
Add a bit of salt and there you have it - a perfectly balanced salsa.

Now that we know the formula, it's easy to take any sweet ingredient and turn it into a salad style salsa. So let's create our own salsa:

Let's start with sweet chunks of pineapple - either fresh or canned (drained)
Add the juice of 1/2 a lime
Some chopped onion (red would be nice and mild - and colorful)
Basil goes great with pineapple so lets add a small handful of chopped basil
For a little heat, lets add a small jalapeno chopped (remove the seed and veins for less heat)
A touch of salt and there you have it.

Experiment with making your own salsa. Remember - something sweet, a little bit of something sour, something savory or spicy and a touch of salt.

Note: I just made and tried the pineapple salsa (above) that was based on our four elements of flavor - it was delicious.

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Welcome Mexican Food Lovers

Welcome to the Mexican Food Lovers blog. It is our intention to share our love of mexican food and mexican recipes. We'll discuss ingredients, recipes and mexican food in general.

Watch for our first post where we'll discuss authentic mexican salsa.

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