Dear Yadira:

Lengua (usually referring to beef tongue) is typical as a taco filling and as a main dish in much of Mexico. It's simple to prepare: Simply braise or simmer a tongue in water nearly to cover until it's tender (most cooks will add aromatics like onion, garlic, bay, thyme, marjoram and, occasionally, red chile). It takes 3 hours or more to become tender; in a pressure cooker, it takes 45 minutes to an hour, typically. I like to cool it in the broth, then strip off the outer layer (like a skin) of the tongue and cut out the cartilage on the bottom toward the back. Slice it crosswise, rewarm it with a little of the juice and you've got a fabulous taco filling to serve with spicy salsas (my favorite is roasted tomatillos with roasted garlic and chipotles). For a main dish, you can make it "a la veracruzana" by adding chopped peeled tomatoes, garlic, onion, capers, olives and the herbs mentioned above to the pot. When you remove the tongue from the broth, boil down the broth until it's a light sauce consistency. I like to add chopped fresh parsley, as they do in Veracruz, right before serving.


Sincerely,
Rick

Dear Lulumcbain:

It's probably true that "interior" Mexican food is leaner than Tex-Mex, but that doesn't mean you have to remake it. I grew up on Tex-Mex and I love ... but I don't eat it all the time. I mix things all up, mostly eating simple, leaner foods during the week (think salsas, salads, simple bean dishes, grilled or broiled meats, and anything in tomatillo or tomato sauces). Then celebrate on the weekend with richer dishes. That way you can have it all.


Sincerely,
Rick

Dear Mike:

Thanks for the support--especially on the Iron Chef thing. Funny how the judging goes on those thing ... probably not exactly like it's done at the Olympics. Oh well ... next time.

We're getting ready to do a bunch of new shows--this time focussing on the Yucatan Peninsula, so you'll get a bunch of new ideas for dishes to enjoy.

Thanks for watching.


Sincerely,
Rick

I'm one of those lucky guys who gets to do for a living what I'd otherwise be doing for pleasure. Being from a long line of restaurateurs, I knew the reality of the restaurant business (it's far from the glamorous occupation most people think it is) and I love it passionately. Many first-time restaurateurs say that they'd never wish for their kids to go into the restaurant business; I'm just the opposite. I think it's wonderful to be able to get great seasonal food, make it into delicious dishes, share those with our guests and provide a place for good times. Add to that a passion for the complex, varied cuisine of out little known neighbor and the opportunity to provide a place where well over a hundred people can thrive and grow ... well who wouldn't be happy?

Everyday I have the opportunity to spend some time with my family, do yoga and eat good food. Several times a year I am lucky enough to go exploring through Mexico (and film it for our Public Television shows). I'm always working on a new cookbook, which always invigorates me, while challenging my creativity and stamina. Like I said, I'm a lucky guy.


Sincerely,
Rick

Dear Amy,

Thank you for your kind words! I would love to meet you when you are in the restaurant. Just call ahead and ask if I will be there (I only travel a lot during book releases)...they can tell you at the front desk when you phone. See you soon!


Sincerely,
Rick

Dear Helen:

Soak 6 tablespoons rice, 6 ounces of blanched almonds and 1 to 2 inches of Mexican cinnamon stick and 3 2-inch long strips of lime zest (colored part only) with 2 1/2 cups of hot tap water over night. The next day blend it until the mixture no longer feels gritty. Pour it through a strainer lined with 3 layers of cheese cloth; once most of the liquid has seeped through, gather up the cheese cloth and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Add 2 cups water (or 2 cups milk, if you wish--some people I know even add a little evaported milk). Stir in enough sugar (usually about 1 cup) to sweeten it to your taste.


Sincerely,
Rick

Dear Gabriella:

Rice is a staple in Mexican homes, so, yes, it is nearly always around to accompany main dishes. Rather than the typical red tomato rice, I most often make the Gulf-style white rice with lots of garlic. For certain dishes, to the white rice I'll add roasted poblano chile and fresh corn, as they do in Puebla. Or when making that white rice, I'll add some pure ground chile to the liquid (which is usually chicken broth), giving it a deep red color and a beautiful red chile flavor. Or replace half of the liquid with the black broth from cooking black beans, for a wonderful Yucatan-style black bean rice. That last one (as well as the plain white rice) is delicious with diced fried plantains stirred into the cooked rice.

Beans, while typical with a lot of the antojitos (corn masa "snacks" served for almuerzo/brunch and supper), can be varied as well. Whether served whole in their broth (frijoles de la olla) or mashed and fried (frijoles refritos), beans come in a wide variety of colors--and each color has its special flavor and texture. Beans can be cooked with different herbs (from epazote to avocado leaves) and mashed with all kinds of flavorings, from garlic to cheese and chicharron.

Of course, many of the braised main dishes come with their own vegetables and need no accompaniment. A wonderful pork shoulder roast that's braised in roasted tomatillo sauce and Mexican white sweet potatoes (camote) is just about one of the most delicious things on the planet. Sometimes I'll add some spinach to the pot just before serving, making it even more complete. Since vegetables aren't really served "on the side" as they are in the United States, you have to look for them either pureed into the sauce, braised in the sauce for a main dish ... or served in the soup that's served as the first course.

One of the favorite soft taco fillings in Toluca is wild greens (like quelites or quintoniles) that are blanched and added to well-cooked onion and garlic. I use that as a "side" for some dishes, especially dishes that have a red chile sauce.

Hope this helps.


Sincerely,
Rick

Cafe de Olla is one of my favorite coffee drinks--totally different than the "half-caf double skim latte" world most of us live in. Traditionally it's brewed in a pot (hence the "coffee from the pot" name)--water, unrefined sugar (piloncillo), cinnamon, cloves, maybe some orange zest, get simmered together before the coffee is added and steeped. Everything gets strained and served. In our restaurant, we do a slightly different version, by adding crushed piloncillo and the flavorings to strong drip coffee and letting that steep a little while. In fact, we just brew the drip coffee right into the pot with the sugar and flavorings.

Don't overlook Mexican chocolate, even though the grocery-store Ibarra and Abuelita are a little sweet and lacking in chocolate flavor. Go to gourmetsleuth.com and you'll find the Mayordomo chocolate from Oaxaca. These are well made (I've visited the plant) and some of them are quite dark and bittersweet.

Good luck!

Rick Bayless


Sincerely,
Rick

Dear Fabian:

My favorite chipotle barbecue sauce combines in a blender 2 roughly chopped garlic cloves, 1 cup ketchup, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 2 tablespoons Wocestershire, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 3/4 cup water and 2 canned chipotle chiles (I usually add a tablespoon of their canned liquid as well). Blend until smooth, then simmer over medium-low heat until slightly thickened. Taste and season with salt if necessary. Sometimes I make it with 1/4 cup brown sugar and 2 tablespoons honey.


Sincerely,
Rick

Dear lettyboop30:

Cooking takes practice--it's a craft. And like most crafts, you'll pick it up fastest when you're not anxious about doing it "right." I tell new line cooks here: You won't really know how to cook until you stop thinking about it. The hundredth steak you cook medium-rare, when your fingers instictively touch it and know to pull it from the fire, marks your real entry into the cooking profession. In cooking, as in most crafts, thinking things through too much can get in the way of your doing your best. It's not as much "paint--or cook--by number" as it is a general sense of what the food needs to be good. Relax and practice with a heart that's open to the food and you'll master the craft.



Sincerely,
Rick

Dear Cora:

The flour tortilla came out of the northern Mexican cooking of several centuries ago--when the Spanish settled there, planted wheat and then started making something that resembled the corn tortilla--which, of course, was and still is a staple of the Mexican diet. Besides, flour tortillas are easier to make than bread, since they don't require yeast, a long proofing (raising) time or an oven. At the time flour tortillas were developed, Texas was part of northern Mexico, so it is conceivable that flour tortillas did come from what is now thought of as Texas ranch cooking, though we have no definitive evidence of who made the first flour tortilla.

Bread--typically a crusty bolillo roll--is often served in central Mexico, especially at restaurant meals, because the cuisine is definitely a fusion of Spanish/French/indigenous Mexican ... and restaurant meals tip toward the European influences. Corn tortillas, which are still eaten considerably more than bread and flour tortillas in almost every part of Mexico, are always available in homes and restaurants, though sometimes you'll have to ask for them in restaurants, since they're considered more "homey."


Sincerely,
Rick

Dear Jaula (do you know that means 'cage' in Spanish?):

Thanks for the support. Dogs and a baby? Sounds like the place I used to reside, so I understand. Not that it means I'm going to start making house calls. Best I can offer is a cookbook or two. Mexican Everyday has the easiest, quickest recipes (though, unfortunately, there are no child care suggestions or recipes for tasty puppy chow). That's as close as I can come to bringing Frontera Flavors your way.

Cheers!


Sincerely,
Rick

Dear Dale:

Once you've roasted the pepper, charring the skin evenly all over, it's customary to let it "sweat" in one of two ways: either in a plastic bag (which will trap both steam and heat, softening the flesh of the pepper more) or in a bowl with a towel over the top (which allows more heat to escape). Once the pepper has cooled enough to be handleable, rub off the blackened skin (the steamy "sweating" will help soften and release it). Only then, in my opinion, can you give it a quick rinse to remove any stray bits of skin. But you're right: water will rinse off some of that smoky flavor, so either skip the step entirely (perhaps you'll want to wipe the pepper with a paper towel to ensure that all the charred bits are removed) or do it very quickly.



Sincerely,
Rick

Dear Bob:

The name of the barbacoa restaurant in the southern Mexico City suburb of Tlalpan is Restaurante Arroyo. It's one of my very favorite places to go on Sunday afternoons when big family groups fill the several thousand seats and listen to Mariachis, Nortenos and Jarochos sing and play while eating wonderful pork carnitas, guacamole, tlacoyos (oval stuffed masa cakes), chicharron and, of course, slow-cooked, maguey-wrapped lamb barbacoa with spicy salsa borracha. It's worth the 45 minute drive from downtown (traffic's not bad on Sunday).



Sincerely,
Rick

Dear Josie:

You have to know what you're doing when canning salsas and hot sauces, or you can get into trouble. If you'd like some basic information and recipes, I'd recommend you go to http://www.cahe.nmsu.edu/pubs/_e/e-323.html, a University of New Mexico web site that will explain the basic details. If you just want a basic recipe that you can share with others, I'd recommend that you make the Roasted Fresh Chile Salsa on page 150 of Mexican Everyday.(Essentially, you roast 4 ounces of habaneros and 4 garlic cloves until softened, blackened and slightly blistered--do it in a dry skillet over medium--then you puree the peeled garlic and whole chiles (take the stems off) in a food processor with a couple of tablespoons of lime juice and enough water to give it a salsa consistency; season with salt.) That is a really hot salsa that you dribble on--but the flavor is incredible. A less spicy salsa is the Rustic Roasted Tomato Salsa (page 146, same book) that roasted a couple of habaneros and three cloves of garlic and then blends them with a 15-ounce can (or about 1 3/4 cups) of diced roasted tomatoes (Muir Glen brand is what I use). Add a little chopped cilantro and chopped white onion, season with a squeeze of lime and some salt and you're ready to go.
But if making and distributing salsa using all those habaneros is more than you want to tackle, just put the habaneros in the freezer in a plastic bag. They'll be perfect (you can even roast them straight out of the freezer), for small batches of salsa throughout the year.


Sincerely,
Rick