Finishing School in Guadalajara: Breadcrumb Flowers and Cooking
Mexican Wedding Cookies (Polvorones de Nuez), Savory Corn Bread (Torta de Elote) Prompted by my upcoming trip to Guadalajara where I’ll be revisiting old haunts and seeing my university mates, I started thinking how I got to Guadalajara from El Paso, Texas, in...
A Heartfelt Tribute to a Much-Loved Friend: Alex Baker
If a Nordic God were to appear to me he would look like Alex Baker. He’d be tall and lean but muscular with well-developed thighs from years of running and he’d smell of green apples. I often thought if only he weren’t gay and a heartbreaker! I had a mad crush on him...
Roast Pork Sandwiches Jalisco-style (Tortas ahogadas)
Tortas are not only “cakes” or things in the shape of round cakes, but sandwiches. These wonderful open-faced sandwiches are traditional in Jalisco state. I have not seen them elsewhere. I became addicted to them after I persuaded my parents to transfer me from the...
Fruit Ades (La Samaritana Serves Aguas Frescas)
My mother had a strict rule at the ranch: We were allowed to have Coca-Cola only once a week, a small bottle every Sunday. The rest of the week she would make delicious refreshing agues frescas (fruit ades) of whatever fruit was available. Dried tamarind and hibiscus...
The many lives of Zarela Martínez
Culinary legend Zarela Martínez introduced finely tuned, highly researched regional Mexican cuisine to a national stage, and has continued to blaze trails for more than three decades.