Duck with “The Curé’s Sauce” (Pato con salsa del cura)
My inspiration was a recipe by Débora Iñiguez de Vives, published in that wonderful book La Cocina Veracruzana. She uses the true canate (a kind of migratory wild duck that winters in the Papaloapan River Basin), cut into serving pieces and braised in the flavorful...
“Swaddled Baby” Seafood Omelet (Niño envuelto)
I’ve seen this name used for a dessert rolled around a filling like a jelly roll. But it isn’t (or wasn’t) familiar in a savory context. I had no idea what to expect when we picked it from a menu at the La Viuda restaurant in Alvarado. What they brought us was a...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...
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.