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Sabroso - Winter2008
CUISINES OF MEXICO
By Jeff Becker Food
Photography by Joseph Burgess
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In Puebla, a golden fried corn dough wrapper holds a mixture of chorizo, squash blossoms, cheese and epazote—the perfect example of the ingenuity found in Mexican cuisine. Here, among the tiled facades of old buildings and the jut of ancient churches, a pair of men are talking excitedly about what they had for lunch. It is a topic to which they give great attention. Nearby, a woman is squeezing fresh orange juice by hand. Here, food is no joke.
Puebla is regarded by most as the capital of Mexican cuisine. Mole and Chiles en Nogada were created here, and the history of the food in the region is rich. Amidst the large churches and convents that sprouted here with Spanish conquest, it is said that nuns developed the techniques and tastes that define Mexican cuisine today, and according to Alejandro Dimakis, executive chef of D’Guste, a culinary school open to the public in Juarez, Mexico, it is a lie. For the most part, the Native Americans, not the nuns, forced into the kitchens were responsible for marrying the cooking traditions of their cultures with that of the Spanish – and thus Mexican cuisine was born.
Today, this notion is accepted by most chefs and students of Mexican culinary traditions, and whoever did the cooking back then, food in Puebla is a big deal. Known for the originality of the dishes found there and use of fresh ingredients, the food in Puebla reflects Aztec, Hispanic, Arabic and Asian heritage, all of which have intermingled to create a fresh and exciting cuisine.
Arroz con Huitlacoche (rice with corn fungus)
Serves 4
Yes. This is rice cooked with corn fungus. To get your hands on some, find it at mexgrocer.com. Give it a try. It tastes like mushrooms.
• 1 cup rice, soaked 15 minutes in hot water, rinsed and dried
• 1⁄2 medium white onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1⁄2 can huitlacoche, or chopped, fresh-cut huitlacoche from two ears of corn
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth, warmed
• 1 cup fresh corn kernels (optional)
• Salt to taste
Heat the olive oil and sauté the rice, onion and garlic until the rice is golden. Add the huitlacoche and cook until the juices
evaporate. Stir in the hot broth and the corn, salt to taste. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until the liquid is absorbed.
To learn more about these and other recipes, visit Chef Alejandro Dimakis’s cooking school, D’Guste, in Juarez, Mexico. |
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