The Flavors and Ingredients of Mexican Cuisine
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Many books on various cuisines not only have lots of recipes, but also information on the essential elements of the cuisine in question. In this case, we have a book that describes the fundamental flavors and ingredients that make Mexican food, well, Mexican food.
Title: "Easy Mexican Food Favorites: A Mexican Cookbook for Taqueria-Style Home Cooking" Author: Jennifer Olvera Excerpt: |
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Mexican Staples
To make Mexican home cooking easy and accessible, it's important to understand the ingredients and flavor-building techniques essential to the cuisine. Many of these are familiar because Mexican flavors have worked their way into mainstream cooking in the United States. However some of these might feel new. Take a minute to get to know the ingredients that will come into play over and over again in this cookbook. Stocking your pantry with these staples will ensure that you are prepped and ready to cook easy Mexican food favorites any night of the week.
In some cases, it's possible to buy prepared items - like canned beans, chipotles en adobo, and store-bought tortillas - in a pinch. Don't feel guilty doing so, since some of these are solid - distinctive, even - in their own right.
By having these essentials on hand, you can make family-friendly, crowd-pleasing menus that answer the call "What's for dinner?" with minimal effort and maximum pleasure.
In some cases, it's possible to buy prepared items - like canned beans, chipotles en adobo, and store-bought tortillas - in a pinch. Don't feel guilty doing so, since some of these are solid - distinctive, even - in their own right.
By having these essentials on hand, you can make family-friendly, crowd-pleasing menus that answer the call "What's for dinner?" with minimal effort and maximum pleasure.
Chiles
The following varieties of chiles are featured in the recipes throughout this book and are some of the most commonly used in Mexican cuisine. You can find them at well-stocked Latin grocers and online retailers (see Resources, page 217). While Latin ingredients are sold at numerous online resources, for chiles I particularly recommend MexGrocer and the Spice House.
Ancho: This dried poblano sports a deep, smoky flavor that pairs well with beef and appears in an ample number of soups and salsas, as well. It needs to be reconstituted.
Arbol: Less hot, but every bit as flavorful as the habanero, this brittle, dried chile doesn't need reconstituting when added to soups, pots of pinto beans, or tequila.
Morita (dried chipotle): This mildly fruity, dried chile is a smoke-dried jalapeño. When dried, it requires reconstituting. When canned and sold as chipotle en adobo, both the chile itself and its amazingly useful sauce can lend smoky depth to everything from salsas to soups and roasted meats.
Guajillo: Fragrant, earthy, and rather spicy, this dried chile is integral to moles and often appears puréed in red chile sauces.
Habanero: Wonderfully fruity and seriously spicy (up to 350,000 Scoville units, in fact), this usually orange, lantern-like pepper is integral to bottled hot sauces and a jewel of an ingredient in tongue-singeing sauces, soups, and salsas.
Jalapeño: This most common of chile peppers is picked while green and generally used fresh in everything from salsas to stews.
Poblano: This mild, dark-skinned chile pepper becomes the ancho when dried. When fresh, it can be roasted or turned into a vessel for Chiles Rellenos (page 142).
Serrano: Smaller and hotter than a jalapeño, this essential fresh pepper is often incorporated raw into relishes and salsas, such as Tomato-Serrano Salsa (page 45), as well as roasted and used as a staple in many a favorite Mexican entrée.
Ancho: This dried poblano sports a deep, smoky flavor that pairs well with beef and appears in an ample number of soups and salsas, as well. It needs to be reconstituted.
Arbol: Less hot, but every bit as flavorful as the habanero, this brittle, dried chile doesn't need reconstituting when added to soups, pots of pinto beans, or tequila.
Morita (dried chipotle): This mildly fruity, dried chile is a smoke-dried jalapeño. When dried, it requires reconstituting. When canned and sold as chipotle en adobo, both the chile itself and its amazingly useful sauce can lend smoky depth to everything from salsas to soups and roasted meats.
Guajillo: Fragrant, earthy, and rather spicy, this dried chile is integral to moles and often appears puréed in red chile sauces.
Habanero: Wonderfully fruity and seriously spicy (up to 350,000 Scoville units, in fact), this usually orange, lantern-like pepper is integral to bottled hot sauces and a jewel of an ingredient in tongue-singeing sauces, soups, and salsas.
Jalapeño: This most common of chile peppers is picked while green and generally used fresh in everything from salsas to stews.
Poblano: This mild, dark-skinned chile pepper becomes the ancho when dried. When fresh, it can be roasted or turned into a vessel for Chiles Rellenos (page 142).
Serrano: Smaller and hotter than a jalapeño, this essential fresh pepper is often incorporated raw into relishes and salsas, such as Tomato-Serrano Salsa (page 45), as well as roasted and used as a staple in many a favorite Mexican entrée.
Herbs and Spices
Achiote paste: Made from ultra-hard annatto seeds, this paste imparts smoky, peppery flavor to marinades and sauces. It's often diluted with sour orange and serves as a key, russet-hued ingredient in Cochinita Pibil (page 150).
Allspice: These peppercorn-looking berries are commonly toasted and ground to add warmth to salsas, moles, and stews. To save time, buy it ground.
- from "Easy Mexican Food Favorites: A Mexican Cookbook for Taqueria-Style Home Cooking," by Jennifer Olvera
Allspice: These peppercorn-looking berries are commonly toasted and ground to add warmth to salsas, moles, and stews. To save time, buy it ground.
- from "Easy Mexican Food Favorites: A Mexican Cookbook for Taqueria-Style Home Cooking," by Jennifer Olvera