Soursop (Guanábana) or Other Tropical Fruit Drink
This recipe — so simple I’m almost embarrassed to use the word “recipe” — is meant as a general model for the many aguas frescas based on Oaxaca’s wealth of tropical fruits. When I first started visiting the area, I could never have...
Mole from Veracruz (Mole de Xico)
The mole de Xico or mole xiqueño is not as universally known outside of Mexico as the elegantly balanced mole poblano or as famous inside Mexico as the super-elaborate mole negro oaxaqueño (named for their cities of origin in neighboring Puebla and Oaxaca). But it’s...
Spicy Vanilla Chicken
This vanilla chicken recipe is surprisingly easy to make and luscious. It hails from Papantla, in northern Veracruz, where vanilla was discovered. This has become one of my favorite buffet party dishes by adapting the recipe somewhat. I marinate chicken drumettes in...
Chicken Noodle Soup Veracruz-style (Caldo de pollo con fideos)
I always loved the brothy soup with pilaf-style noodles (you brown them in hot oil before cooking them in the broth) that I grew up with up in the north of Mexico. No canned chicken noodle soup for us! So I was delighted to find a closely related dish from the...
Plantain “Lasagna” with Refried Black Beans and Mole
Plantain “Lasagna” with Refried Black Beans and Mole My Facebook friend, Joyce Colon, told me about a layered plantain dish she grew up on in Puerto Rico. It occurred to me that I could do something similar with plantains, refried beans, mole, and shredded cheese atop...
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.