Marti:

I don't really have a recipe for sopapillas because I've only focussed on the food in Mexico (especially the food in Central and Southern Mexico) and the cooks there have never heard of them. Sopapillas seem to have originated in New Mexico--a close cousin to the Native American fry bread. My friend, Barbara Fenzl, in her book Southwest the Beautiful offers the yeast-raised version (some people do an all-baking powder version, which typically comes out a little more biscuity). To make it she dissolves a package of yeast in a quarter cup of water. After bringing a cup of milk to a boil she adds 2 tablespoons of lard or shortening, lets it melt and cool. Stir the milk mixture in to the yeast mixture along with a teaspoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of sugar. She sifts 3 cups of flour with a teaspoon of baking powder, stirs in the wet ingredients, then kneads it on a floured board until smooth. After letting it rest for 20 minutes, she rolls the dough into a 1/4-inch-thick sheet, cuts it into triangles or squares (about 3 inches), then fries them in hot oil. They're typically served with powdered sugar and/or honey.


Sincerely,
Rick

Dear Elita:

I love going to Morelia. It's one of the World Heritage Sites declared by UNESCO (do you know that Mexico has among the greatest number of World Heritage Sites in the world?). Patzcuaro, nearby, is one also, though its quaint, small town colonial feel is very different than the great buildings of Morelia. There are some really wonderful contemporary and traditional restaurants in Morelia (Los Mirasoles comes to mind, though I wouldn't overlook the old-fashioned Cenaduria Lupita for an evening plate of enchiladas and pozole). But the plaza that gives its name to the chicken dish you're referring to (pollo moreliano or pollo a la plaza) is right near downtown (don't miss the corundas and atole while you're there). My favorite version of that chicken-simple enchiladas-and- vegetable dish, though, is on the square in Patzcuaro. There are a number of vendors and they're pretty much comparable. Don't miss the ice creams!


Sincerely,
Rick

Dear Matt:

Tex-Mex is a simpler style of cooking. And, since it's part of American cooking, it doesn't have to provide everything. Just think about it: You can go out for Tex-Mex one night, Chinese the next, and eat at a vegetarian restaurant the third night if you want. In Mexico, Mexico food is all you get. So there has to be a broad variety--from salads to soups to main dishes and desserts. Each region of Mexico (I typically say there are six regions, though I've heard people divide the country into as many as 32 regions!), there are different dishes. When you travel through Mexico's Yucatan, the dishes are very different from those you'll find, say in Oaxaca or Northern Mexico. So different, in fact, that you'd hardly believe you were eating food from the same country.

When I say that there are 6 regions, I am referring to Northern Mexico (which could easily be chopped up), West Central Mexico (think Guadalajara), Central Mexico (Mexico City and Puebla), Southern Mexico (primarily Oaxaca and Chiapas), Gulf Coastal Mexico (Veracruz) and the Yucatan. Each region has food that's more distinctive from other regions than, say, New Mexico cooking is from the food of New England.

Tex-Mex cooking focusses a fair amount on dried red chiles (think about the chile "gravy" that goes on cheese enchiladas and into chili) and little else. Regional Mexican cooking utilizes a lot of dried chiles, too, but many different varieties. Green chiles go into a simple tomato salsa in Tex-Mex cooking, but they go into dozens (if not hundreds) of dishes in Mexico. Needless to say, there are some similarities and a great many differences.


Sincerely,
Rick

Dear Crapshoot:

Since most of the bottled mole pastes in the United States aren't very good, I'd look for one that's sold in bulk (often from a plastic pale), typically in the meat department of the Mexican market. Look for one with proud regionality (here in Chicago most of them are from Teloloapan, Guerrero); if you can see the list of ingredients, make sure that chiles predominate, that there are a lot of ingredients (indicated complexity), that there aren't too many fillers like bread or crackers and that there aren't any preservatives (if the mole paste is well made, it is shelf-stable without adding preservatives). Just be aware that it has none of the perishible ingredients like onions, tomatoes and tomatillos. Or chicken broth. So when you get it home, you'll need to saute some onions and roast a few tomatoes and/or tomatillos to blend with the mole paste. If well made, the mole paste will already have been cooked, so all you'll have to do is dilute it to that "cold heavy cream" consistency with chicken broth and simmer it for an hour or so. You'll also have to season it with salt and sugar (just enough sugar to bring out the fruitiness of the chiles, but not enough to make it taste sweet). Hope this helps.


Sincerely,
Rick

Dear Ismael:

I'm glad you like the shows and that it whets your appetite to travel to Mexico (my favorite place).

The cake was a very simple upside down cake that I do in a non-stick 10-inch skillet. It's not a party cake, but something we like to have around our house. It's on page 301 of my latest book, Mexican Everyday. It's really easy: you melt 6 tablespoons butter in the skillet and, when it brown, pour it out into a bowl. Sprinkle 1/2 cup brown sugar over the butter that remains coating the skillet, then spread on an even layer of fruit (It'll take about 3 cups--cubed pineapple or mango, or whole raspberries, black berries or blueberries). In another bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup flour, 3/4 cup whole wheat flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda and 1 teaspoon baking powder. Into the melted butter, whisk 3/4 cup white sugar, 1 egg and 3/4 cup buttermilk or yogurt. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Pour over the fruit and bake at 375 degrees until the cake is set, about 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes and turn upside down onto a plate.


Sincerely,
Rick

Dear Freeman:

Help me out here. I mean ... "a special sauce"? Was it tangy (like one made with tomatillos or pickled jalapenos) or spicy (like one made with chile de arbol or habanero) or savory (like one made with Worcestershire--very popular in Mexico City). Was it red chile or green chile? Did it have garlic or cilantro (both clearly identifiable flavors).

Youv'e dangled me so far out on the limb, all I can do is tell you my favorite Mexico City beef taco (my version): Saute some small cubes of chuck steak and thinly sliced white onion in a large hot skillet skimmed with oil until the meat browns and the onion is soft and golden. Add some chopped garlic, a splash of Worcestershire, a little dark beer (like Negra Model) and quite a bit of roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped poblano pepper. Cook it until the meat is as done as you like and most of the liquid has evaporated.

Probably not what your friend made, but it's good.


Sincerely,
Rick

Dear Scott:

Scoop the second half of the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap. Cover it with another piece of plastic wrap. Press the dough into a square the size of your pan. Peel off the top piece of plastic. Slide the dough (still on the bottom piece of plastic) onto one hand, fingers spread, then flip it over onto your filling. It's really pretty easy.

Make sure your dough isn't too dry. That's what will make it crumbly. Sometimes I'll put a little shredded cheese in the dough to give it more moisture.

I think it's best to cook the tamal covered with foil the whole time (this traps steam and keeps it from drying out). When it's done, you can raise the temperature of the to brown it. This is the time you could sprinkle it with a little cheese, to give it a beautiful look. Beans are a good addition to the filling because they will help hold the two halves together.

Hope this helps


Sincerely,
Rick

Dear Saltyblood:

Yes, I realize that I have the best job in America ... and I aim to keep it! A question for you: why the moniker "Saltyblood"?


Sincerely,
Rick

Dear Guera:

Ah, the old tradition versus innovation question. You know I'm a traditionalist at heart, but that doesn't mean I'm not always looking for the best or most efficient or tastiest way to do something. I mean, for me, if a cuisine isn't evolving, it's dying. So go for it: add your two cents to the culinary bank of good ideas. Besides, when it comes to rehydrating dried chiles, you and I are thinking along the same lines. Boiling chiles extracts a lot of their good flavors, leaving behind a lot of bitterness. But you don't want to offend your mom, now do you? So bring the water to a boil, add the chiles, let the water return to a boil, then turn it off. Just tell your mom that you don't want them to get away from you, to get overdone. After about 20 minutes, distract her and pour off the water, so that they don't cook any more. They should be ready.


Sincerely,
Rick

Dear Scott:
The problem with these darn computers is that they haven't figured out a way to e-mail tastes. And until they do, it'll be hard for me to know exactly what that salsa at Las Brasas is (though I have to say, you've whetted my appetite for going there!). It sounds like it could be a chipotle salsa with tomatillos and garlic (probably they're both roasted; at least that's how I like them in that salsa). So I'd try roasting some fresh tomatillos under the broiler until they're soft and a little blackened (should take about 5 minutes per side), then blending them with some roasted garlic (roast the peeled cloves alongside the tomatillos) and canned chipotle chiles (you'll probably want to add a little of the canning liquid as well). If that's not it, try doing a combination of roasted tomatoes and tomatillos. Or boil the tomatillos rather than roast them (which is common in the North as well). And good luck!


Sincerely,
Rick

I have done several different chiles through the years, so I don't know which you're referring to. So I'll give you my current easy favorite: Brown 1 pound each coarsely ground pork and beef with 1 chopped white onion in vegetable oil or bacon drippings. Stir in 3 garlic cloves (finely chopped), 1/4 cup pure ground ancho chile powder, 1 to 2 teaspoons ground chipotle chile powder, 2 tablespoons flour and stir for several minutes to toast the chile. Stir in 2 cups beef broth, 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice (preferably fire-roasted), 1 teaspoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican), 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin and enough water to barely cover. Simmer gently for an hour or so with the lid slightly askew. Stir in a can or two of beans if you wish, season with salt and serve.


Sincerely,
Rick

Dear Dana:

It's a recipe from my latest book, Mexican Everyday. You almost don't need a recipe for it: What I did was to roast and clean a couple of poblano peppers, scoop them into a blender with a few cloves of sauteed garlic, add 1 1/2 cups of milk and 1 1/2 tablespoons of masa harina (the powdered corn masa that, when reconstituted, is used to make tortillas). Blend it all, pour it into a saucepan, whisk it as it comes to a boil, season it and you're read to serve it over a piece of seared salmon. If you want, you can add baby spinach to the sauce, simmering it for a minute or so until wilted.


Sincerely,
Rick

Dear Charles:
There are some great places around where you'll be staying, in the section of town that's called Polanco. My top pick for a beautiful, very modern Mexican meal is Enrique Olvera's restaurant called Pujol. For great tacos in the area, don't miss El Farolito. Or a wonderful wine tasting of Mexico's best boutique offerings at the Riedel Wine Bar on Campos Eliseos, also in Polanco. In the Zona Rosa, there's nothing better than an old fashion meal at the beautifully maintained, 50-year-old Fonda El Refugio. Quaint and delicious (old fashioned) food. While you're in Mexico City, you'll probably want to explore the hip section of town called Condesa. The hotel Condesa DF, in a huge renovated 200-year-old building, has a very cool rooftop bar that will be a great (and romantic) place to watch the sunset. The dining room isn't Mexico, but it's got some pretty good food.




Sincerely,
Rick

Oh, Robert:
You've opened up a difficult subject. Yes, a pressure canner should be able to handle your mole, but canning low-acid preparations is always tricky. You'll have to make sure that your processing time is long enough or you could hurt people. Another suggestion is to prepare your mole through the "cooking down" stage--before you add broth and simmer. Freeze the base in small amounts, then, when you're in the mood for mole, simmer the base with broth while you're preparing the rest of dinner.


Sincerely,
Rick

Dear Deb:

When travelling in Mexico, or any developing country, you should be careful about what you eat. No one wants to foolishly ruin a vacation. It can take months, even years, for your body to become accustomed to the "flora" of another country (I even know people who struggle with intestinal upset when they go to Europe). If you're always eating well-cooked food, you shouldn't have a problem. Raw food--especially anything you can't peel--becomes more questionable. So when it comes to salads, I only eat them when I'm sure they've been washed in purified or disineffected water. At a place as small as Mismaloya, I could ask (and be confident) that the salad was properly washed--not something I'd do in a tiny family-run restaurant that's struggling to make ends meet. The other place a I eat salads in large hotels, because they typically have more at stake than independent restaurants. Using those two criteria, I've never had a problem. And by the way, there is an iodine-based product you can buy in markets and pharmacies in Mexico, called Microdin, which you can use to wash your own fruits and vegetables in your hotel room.


Sincerely,
Rick