Escabeche Casa del Sol
Escabeche Casa del Sol There once was an excellent restaurant called La Casa del Sol in Ciudad Juarez, Chihu, across the border from El Paso, Texas, owned by our dear friends the Estavillos. During the time I lived there (1973-1983) there were no really good, more...Tomato Sauce with Chipotle Chiles (Salsa de tomate con chile chipotle)
Tomato Sauce with Chipotle Chiles (Salsa de tomate con chile chipotle) I’ve had sauces like this in many parts of Mexico, including Veracruz, so I have to say it’s not unique to the state. Veracruzan cooks, however, find it as useful as I do. It makes a great...Ranch-Style Red Sauce (Salsa Roja Ranchera)
Ranch-Style Red Sauce (Salsa Roja Ranchera) I blush to say that I no longer remember just where I encountered this basic salsa, though I think it must have been someplace around Lake Catemaco. The fiery but wonderfully perfumed habanero chile is essential for the...Thin Tomato Sauce (Caldillo de tomate)
Alicia Leyva Tenorio of La Troje Restaurant in Orizaba seasons this useful cooked tomato sauce with a chicken bouillon cube. Her chiles are compas; in the U.S., árbol chiles are the best substitute. Thin Tomato Sauce (Caldillo de tomate) Señora Leyva serves the...Garlic Butter Enrichment (Ajo preparado)
Many cooks in the port city and throughout Sotavento — the prime fish and seafood areas of Veracruz state — swear by a sauce enrichment consisting of puréed garlic cooked in butter. Sometimes onion is added as well. People make up the mixture, or buy a...
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.