Mexico City and Oaxaca offer distinct but equally compelling highlights. Mexico City boasts grand colonial architecture, ancient ruins like Teotihuacan, vibrant cultural spaces like Chapultepec Park, and the Frida Kahlo Museum. Oaxaca, known as the “heart of Mexican food and culture,” features the Monte Albán archaeological site, the stunning Hierve el Agua petrified waterfalls, and a rich indigenous heritage. The centuries old Mexican traditions of cultivating the agave plant and a variety of local chilis are the foundation for the following recipes. Mezcal is the vital ingredient for its signature cocktail and the blend of local chilis, each with its own flavor profile, combine to make mole sauce, the star of a number of tasty dishes.
Signature Drink: Mezcal Paloma
Ingredients:
- 2 oz mezcal
- 1/2 oz lime juice
- Grapefruit soda
- Salt rim
- Grapefruit wheel
Instructions: Rim glass with salt, add mezcal and lime, top with grapefruit soda.
Signature Dish: Mole Negro
Ingredients:
- 6 dried chiles (mulato, ancho, pasilla)
- ¼ c vegetable oil
- 1 chopped onion
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ cup each – pumpkin seeds, almonds, sesame seeds and raisins
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 2 tomatillos, chopped
- 1 t each –cinnamon, cloves and anise
- 2 corn tortillas, broken in small pieces
- 2 cups Chicken broth
- 1 oz Mexican chocolate, chopped
Instructions:
- Toast the dried chiles in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant, 2 minutes per side.
- Remove the stems and seeds from the chiles and soak them in hot water for 20 minutes.
- In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds, raisins, and broken tortillas, Cook for another 5 minutes.
- Add the soaked chiles and chicken broth to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Add the chopped chocolate and stir until melted.
- Puree the mixture in a blender until smooth.
- Return the sauce to the saucepan and simmer for another 30 minutes until thickened.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve over boiled chicken or pork with rice, beans and tortillas.
Instructions:
- Mix the lamb cubes with garlic, onion and spices and stir well
- Pour into dutch oven or tanjia (traditional clay pot)
- Melt butter and combine with olive oil, water and lemon cubes – pour over meat mixture and stir well to combine all ingredients
- Cover the pot and bake at 250 degrees for 5-6 hours, until meat is fork tender. (Recipes for this dish vary – some call for cooking up to 10 hours if using a tougher cut of meat.)
- Serve and sprinkle each portion with chopped cilantro
