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Default Texas hili vs birria


Steve Wertz wrote:
> I'm still up in the air about whether I want to kill-file all
> responses to Google posts as well - otherwise I still have to see
> all that crap.> -sw


I'll miss you guys.

Jack

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Default Texas hili vs birria


Steve Wertz wrote:

> ObFood: I'm surprised I didn't get any suggestions for
> cooking/cleaning beef cheek meat. I guess we're all too busy
> bickering (myself included, of course).
>
> -sw


Maybe no one here has any experience with barbacoa, other than enjoying
massater muscle tacos on week ends. All I know is that the traditional
method has to do with wrapping cows heads in leaves, maybe banana
leaves, and burying them in a fire pit on Friday night and enjoying
them in tacos on Saturday and Sunday. I do like them, but I haven't
cooked any.

David

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Default Texas hili vs birria


Paul Covey wrote:

> While I am not an expert, and usually learn when things are going well
> in this group, I have saved stuff from the years I have followed the
> group and occasionally contributed. I have a recipe for birria that was
> posted here years ago, I believe by a contributor with whom many had
> issues, but who did have good recipes at times. For what it's worth, it
> follows. By the way, good to see David back.


Thanks, Jack, for the kind words.
>
> Birria de Jallisco II
>

And I have saved the recipe that you posted from that long-ago
"contributor." ;-)

David

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Default Texas hili vs birria


dtwright37 wrote:

> Thanks, Jack, for the kind words.


I apologize. I mean Paul, of course.

David, I think

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April Grunspan wrote:

> The real beauty of Mexican cuisine is its regionality. One can eat
> something in Guadalajara and not find it on a menu in Morelia or Puebla.


I'd like to see some recipes for regional Mexican dishes besides the
Sonoran style cooking that is so common along the border, but the
denizens of this NG seem unwilling to get away from the "my favorite
taco stand is such-and-such".

> The Yucatan is a culinary world unto itself, with black sauces and lots
> of turkey. Banana leaves are used instead of corn husks.


Oh, yes. I posted several recipes for Yucatecan food earlier this year,
and got no responses at all. I might as well have been barking at the
Moon for all the good my efforts achieved.

But the taco trolls were still flaming each other about what a taco
should or shouldn't be...



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Menu On The Wall wrote:
> Oh, yes. I posted several recipes for Yucatecan food earlier this year,
> and got no responses at all. I might as well have been barking at the
> Moon for all the good my efforts achieved.


I am only learning and have trouble responding, but am happy if you say
anything that opens the topic of Ycatecan foods.

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Default You want a Yucatecan recipe?


chipotle wrote:

> I am only learning and have trouble responding, but am happy if you say
> anything that opens the topic of Ycatecan foods.


Frijoles con Puerco, Estilo Yucateco

Pork and beans? This is NOT your boring, overly sweet and sticky
Campbell's pork and beans that comes in a can with a greasy chunk of
limp pork in every can. This is a main course.

Yucatecan cuisine evolved differently from that of the interior of
Mexico. Travel from Yucatan to Mexico City was so difficult, it was
easier for the criollos to travel to Cuba or Spain for cultural and
culinary purposes, and Europeans dared not penetrate the jungles of
Quintana Roo until the 1930's. But traditional Mayan cooking can also
be found in the cities of Yucatan and Quintana Roo today, you just have
to know
where to look.

Every Monday, you'll find this Mayan version of pork and beans
simmering on stoves all across the Yucatan. It's served at home and in
small front room restaurants, called cocinas economicas (inexpensive
kitchens), run by housewives supplementing their income by serving
home-cooked food for the mid-day enjoyment of the local working folks
and adventurous gringos.

This recipe was made by the Mayans with wild boar which is still hunted

in the interior of Quintana Roo, but cooks now use the domestic pig for

this tasty soup or hearty main course, depending on how you choose to
present it. This recipe should serve about six persons.

2 cups dried black beans sorted and rinsed
14 cups water
1 tbsp lard or oil
½ onion
2 pounds of boneless pork, cut into chunks
2 sprigs of epazote
3-5 serrano chiles
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Salsa de tomate verde (optional)

Some recipes suggest adding two cubes of commercial chicken bullion.
The MSG in the bullion will temporarily enhance the flavor so the
diners devour whatever is on their plates and crave more.

Place beans in a large pot, add 10 cups of water, lard and onion, then
boil for 5 minutes.
Cook covered over medium heat for 1 hour.
Add pork, remaining water, epazote and chiles. Cook covered over medium

heat for another hour. If too much water cooks off, add up to 2 more
cups of hot water.
Add the salt and cook for 30 minutes. Correct the seasonings.

The pork and beans can be ladled out of the pot and arranged on a warm
platter and served on plates and the soup can be strained and served in

bowls.

When the soup is almost ready, prepare the traditional garnishes -
finely chopped radishes, onion, cilantro, lime wedges and salsa de
tomate verde and put into small serving bowls.

Serve the soup piping hot and allow your guests to add their own
garnishes once they are seated at the table.

Salsa de tomate verde
3 cups water
2-½ tsps salt
2 cloves garlic
4 serrano chilies
1 pound green tomatoes (tomatillos), husks removed
½ cup loosely packed cilantro
¼ cup chopped onion

Bring water and 1 tsp. of the salt to boil in a saucepan. Add the
garlic, chiles and tomates verdes and simmer uncovered for 8 - 10
minutes.
Transfer garlic, chiles, tomatoes and liquid to a blender. Add the
cilantro and remaining salt and purée briefly.
Transfer to a bowl. Stir in the onion and let the sauce cool before
serving. Other recipes suggest heating the salsa de tomate verde and
pouring it over the meat and beans while it's hot. The extra salsa
can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

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Default Texas hili vs birria


Steve Wertz wrote:

> BTW: Did you try that news-server I mentioned?


I did, yes, and that was my second or third try, since I'd tried that
one and the ones from Houston and KC when I signed on. My be mostly my
ignorance, but I can't make any of them work. Thanks for the
suggestion. I'll keep trying.

David

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"Paul Covey" > wrote in message
...
> Wayne Lundberg wrote:
> > This note is directed to real experts in Mexican/American food. All

others
> > please simply read and learn.
> >

> While I am not an expert, and usually learn when things are going well
> in this group, I have saved stuff from the years I have followed the

..
Paul, in my humble opinion, this is about the most 'authentic' birria recipe
I have ever seen, anywhere. Since my expertise is in eating the stuff at the
rastro in Guadalajara, I can imagine the ingredients and means of cooking
you describe as that necessary process to give anybody the pleasure of true
birria.

Again... when done a bit soupy, it is about as close a Mexican dish can come
to true Texas chili. Mole is a close second only because the chiles in mole
are not chosen for their high Scoville factor but for taste and the meat is
chicken or turkey. Birria is definitely one of the very few Mexican dishes
calling for high Scoville numbers... as are Tortas Ahogadas (Drowned
Sandwiches) using a version of birria sauce, but hotter still.

Wayne in Chulajuana


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Default You want a Yucatecan recipe?


Fantastic! thank you. When the group does things like this, it is
worth the time and effort.
Tell us more about Yucatecan foods. Don't stop, please don't stop.
Is anyone else as happy as I am?


The Anti-Taco Speaks wrote:

>
> Yucatecan cuisine evolved differently from that of the interior of
> Mexico.




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Default You want a Yucatecan recipe?


chipotle wrote:
> Fantastic! thank you. When the group does things like this, it is
> worth the time and effort.


But this group would rather debate and argue about the fine points of
making tacos out of dog pecker meat. And, any response from them might
challenge the lack of attribution of the material in my little article
about Frijoles con Puerco, which came from multiple sources.

> Tell us more about Yucatecan foods. Don't stop, please don't stop.


If you google for "yucatecan" in this group, you'll find dozens of
posts about Yucatecan cooking from 1999.

> Is anyone else as happy as I am?


No, ensenadajim isn't happy. He's never happy. The only humor he knows
is sarcasm.

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Default You want a Yucatecan recipe?


"chipotle" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>
> Fantastic! thank you. When the group does things like this, it is
> worth the time and effort.
> Tell us more about Yucatecan foods. Don't stop, please don't stop.
> Is anyone else as happy as I am?
>
>
> The Anti-Taco Speaks wrote:
>

In my humble opinion posting Sopa de Lima recipe would be an impossibility.
My wife and I just came back from our trip to Cancun where we had a typical
Mexican lunch with her cousin, who is the manager at the Maya Palace resort
hotel. His wife and mother-in-law made us Sopa de Lima, known to be the most
authentic and well loved Yucatan dish. Believe me when I say this: It took
the two women six hours in the kitchen with only occasional 'breathers' to
sip some beer or wine or small dose of Tequila between tasks. That's over 12
man hours to make a soup to be consumed by five people. Of course Pablo, his
mom, my wife and I chatted and drank away in the patio enjoying the sounds
from the kitchen and occasional runs to the store for more beer and
supplies. It took us another two hours to go through the meal what with
starters, the main dish, side dishes and lastly flan and brandy.

But just for fun, here's an attempt:
http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:...s&ct=clnk&cd=1




> >
> > Yucatecan cuisine evolved differently from that of the interior of
> > Mexico.

>



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Default You want a Yucatecan recipe?


Wayne Lundberg wrote:

> In my humble opinion posting Sopa de Lima recipe would be an impossibility.


What, cut and paste doesn't work on your machine?

> My wife and I just came back from our trip to Cancun where we had a typical
> Mexican lunch with her cousin, who is the manager at the Maya Palace resort
> hotel. His wife and mother-in-law made us Sopa de Lima, known to be the most
> authentic and well loved Yucatan dish. >


The Anti-Taco Speaks, and declares that there are culinary delights
unimagined by the proprietors
of taco stands and the paleteros who push their tamale carts near the
border. But you have to look
further than the menu on the wall...

First time I had Sopa de Lima was in the fine dining salon of the Hotel
Chichen Itza,
pictured at the top of this website:

http://www.mayaland.com/chichenitza.htm (1)

(1) Chichen Itza is too far from Cancun for a decent day trip, even if
you fly over. A day trip on a bus
is all day on the bus from early morning to late at night with only
about two hours at the ruins, giving
the tourist no time to visit the fine old hotel.

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Default You want a Yucatecan recipe?


The Anti-Taco Speaks wrote:
> First time I had Sopa de Lima was in the fine dining salon of the Hotel
> Chichen Itza,
> pictured at the top of this website:
>
> http://www.mayaland.com/chichenitza.htm (1)


I had the lime soup at the Mayaland Hotel you are referring to in
September of this year. Being at the back entrance (exit) at Chichen
Itza, it's kinda handy. While food is, obviously, a matter of personal
taste, I found the food there to be unremarkable. It IS, however, a
tourist high volumn restaurant in the hotel. I enjoyed the girls
dancing with beer bottles on their heads more than the food. I stayed
in Merida in the Hacienda Xcanatun...now THAT's good food.
www.xcanatun.com

Jack

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Default You want a Yucatecan recipe?


Jack Tyler wrote:
> The Anti-Taco Speaks wrote:
> > First time I had Sopa de Lima was in the fine dining salon of the Hotel
> > Chichen Itza,
> > pictured at the top of this website:
> >
> > http://www.mayaland.com/chichenitza.htm (1)

>
> I had the lime soup at the Mayaland Hotel you are referring to in
> September of this year. Being at the back entrance (exit) at Chichen
> Itza, it's kinda handy. While food is, obviously, a matter of personal
> taste, I found the food there to be unremarkable. It IS, however, a
> tourist high volumn restaurant in the hotel. I enjoyed the girls
> dancing with beer bottles on their heads more than the food. I stayed
> in Merida in the Hacienda Xcanatun...now THAT's good food.
> www.xcanatun.com
>
> Jack


This is the Sopa de Lima recipe from Hacienda Xcanatun:

For decades "Yucatecos" have enjoyed this traditional soup, a savory
combination of Yucatecan sour lime, chicken or turkey broth, vegetables
and crisp tortilla julienne. This easy to prepare recipe serves 4
generously.


INGREDIENTS :

1 Tbs. butter

1 garlic clove

½ onion, julienned

½ green bell pepper, julienned

1 tomato, peeled and chopped

1 lt. chicken or turkey broth

Juice of 2 Yucatecan limes (if not available, use key limes, although
taste will vary)

½ Yucatecan lime, grilled (if not avaiable, use key lime slices,
although taste will vary)

3 sprigs cilantro, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste.
GARNISH:

Yucatecan lime slices (3 to 5 per serving)

1 chicken breast, shredded

3 corn tortillas, julienned

Oil to deep fry corn tortillas

In a large pot heat butter, then sautée garlic, onion and green bell
pepper ; add tomato, chicken broth, lime juice and grilled lime. Boil
for 10 minutes, remove from fire, then remove grilled lime. At the same
time, deep fry the julienned tortilla until golden. To serve, arrange
lime slices, chicken pieces and julienned tortilla in deep dishes, then
add seasoned broth. Serve hot.



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"Jack Tyler" > wrote in message
ups.com...
>
> The Anti-Taco Speaks wrote:
> > First time I had Sopa de Lima was in the fine dining salon of the Hotel
> > Chichen Itza,
> > pictured at the top of this website:
> >
> > http://www.mayaland.com/chichenitza.htm (1)

>
> I had the lime soup at the Mayaland Hotel you are referring to in
> September of this year. Being at the back entrance (exit) at Chichen
> Itza, it's kinda handy. While food is, obviously, a matter of personal
> taste, I found the food there to be unremarkable. It IS, however, a
> tourist high volumn restaurant in the hotel. I enjoyed the girls
> dancing with beer bottles on their heads more than the food. I stayed
> in Merida in the Hacienda Xcanatun...now THAT's good food.
> www.xcanatun.com
>
> Jack


Not the same resort hotel. Pablo manages the Maya Palace in Cancun, not
related to the site next to Chichen Itza. But that's OK. He has to put up
with dancing girls with bottles on their heads too. It's a tourist trap. The
Merida hotel looks really neat. I'll keep that one for future reference as
it has a lot of appeal to my kind of life pleasures.

Wayne

>



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Default Texas hili vs birria

Wayne Lundberg wrote:
> "Paul Covey" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>Wayne Lundberg wrote:
>>
>>>This note is directed to real experts in Mexican/American food. All

>
> others
>
>>>please simply read and learn.
>>>

>>
>>While I am not an expert, and usually learn when things are going well
>>in this group, I have saved stuff from the years I have followed the

>
> .
> Paul, in my humble opinion, this is about the most 'authentic' birria recipe
> I have ever seen, anywhere. Since my expertise is in eating the stuff at the
> rastro in Guadalajara, I can imagine the ingredients and means of cooking
>

Wayne, the person who I think was the original poster would be very
pleased with your using the "auth" word in rating the recipe (in the
abbreviations of my children, lol)!

I live in upstate NY, so don't have much opportunity to have good
Mexican food (why I learn from you folks). However, it is interesting
you say birria should be soupy, as I was in Las Vegas about a year ago,
and went to a Mexican restaurant well off the strip which I'd read
through google searches was supposed to be wonderful. I ordered birria,
which no Mexican restaurant would make here, and it was a wonderfully
soupy and hot dish. By the way, most of the tables had been pushed
together in the middle, and a huge family of all ages was having a
joyous dinner together. That told me a lot about the restaurant.

And on the topic of mole, I did a google search on our group, trying to
remember if there had been good discussions and recipes posted, and
found that there were many, several excellent. Wayne and David were
involved among others, including Linda and many other old regulars. I
suggest those who didn't get to see them do the search as I find mole
fascinating. By the way Wayne, I think my favorite post of all time was
yours that told how to make mole, the one that started with selecting
the oldest turkey you have, the slaughter, etc. Not that I would ever
make it that way, but it was great. I always liked that you included
the cultural ambiance if that is the right word. To me, that really is
more important for the dreaded "auth" word, than whether specific
ingredients are used in Mexico, etc.
Paul
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Paul Covey wrote:

> However, it is interesting
> you say birria should be soupy, as I was in Las Vegas about a year ago,
> and went to a Mexican restaurant well off the strip which I'd read
> through google searches was supposed to be wonderful. I ordered birria,
> which no Mexican restaurant would make here, and it was a wonderfully
> soupy and hot dish.


Good grief. What we have heah, is *unrelenting* fail-yah to comun-cate.
It leads to the endless argument of whether chili should have beans in
it, and what an enchildada or taco is. Now the controversy is how WET
birria is "supposed to be".

How wet do you want your birria to be? Do you want to eat it with a
fork, or with a soup spoon? It's up to you.

How in hell can you people talk about what is "authentic", if you have
no idea of what you're talking about?

Now Paul indicates that he doesn't know what birria is, nor does he
know what mole is.
But he has an opinion about his misconceptions.

In order to communicate about any technical subject, you have to know
the terminology, or you remain adrift in a sea of ignorance.

A major difficulty in discussing Mexican cooking is that the
terminology is in a foreign language, and the same terminology is
applied to different dishes, confusing the uninformed reader, until the
nature of the art of the Mexican kitchen finally dawns upon him.

Combine that with the ad hoc nature of Mexican cooking with whatever
comes to hand, and the fact that many illiterate Mexicans learned to
cook regional dished by watching their mother cook, and then Americans
trying to figure out what goes into any given recipe thrash about
wildly on Usenet and you have mass confusion and argument.

Birria means "MESS". Barbecued ribs could be a form of birria. Or
birria could be a stew.

Birria is messy to eat because it is covered with chile SAUCE, or that
the dish is actually SOUPY. Birria is usually made with inexpensive
trash meat, like the spine of a steer or the spine and ribs of a goat.

You can prepare a soupy, wet mess and it would be a SOPA, or you can
prepare a drier mess that you can eat with a fork, and it would be a
SECO, but it would still be a mess that could be called "birria".

Now, familiar terminology. If you were making Irish stew, you'd boil
the meat and add the vegetables later, so you wouldn't overcook them
and everybody would *know* that you were cooking a stew.

If you wanted to remove the meat and vegetables from the pot and serve
them on a platter in the middle of the table, you'd do that, and you
might called what was left in the pot "soup".

Why is it so hard to see that you can do the same thing with your
birria at home?

The Spanish word for "stew" is GUISO. You make a birria or any other
guiso the same way you'd make an Irish stew. But the term "guiso" is
rarely used. Birria is a guiso, whether it is served as a SOPA or is
served as a SECO.

GUISADO is something that has been stewed, whether it's the backbone
and ribs of a goat or if it's stewed prunes. GUISOTO is a pathetic
stew, a sort of unpretentious ad hoc preparation like marinara sauce.

> By the way Wayne, I think my favorite post of all time was
> yours that told how to make mole, the one that started with selecting
> the oldest turkey you have, the slaughter, etc.


There you go again, with the misunderstanding. MOLE means MASS, it's a
soft mass, and it has nothing to do with a turkey or a chicken or a pig
or a goat.

MOLE is a SAUCE made of boiled, processed, and finally fried chiles and
spices that whatever meat you're using may be boiled in, or finished
in.

A meat that is in a mole sauce may be served as a seco or as a sopa.
Such a dish could also be called a guiso.

The *name* of a mole rarely indicates what kind of meat or fowl is in
the sauce. The name of the mole frequently indicates what color it is,
from the vegetable used for coloration, or it indicates the region that
the mole comes from.

And, there is a messy mole which stains linen table cloths. That's why
it's called "tablecloth stainer". The name of the mole doesn't mean
that the *tablecloth* is part of the recipe...

I hope the above communication hasn't severely damaged anybody's
overweening sense of expertise here ;-)

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"Paul Covey" > wrote in message
...
> Wayne Lundberg wrote:
> > "Paul Covey" > wrote in message
> > ...
> >
> >>Wayne Lundberg wrote:
> >>
> >>>This note is directed to real experts in Mexican/American food. All

> >
> > others
> >
> >>>please simply read and learn.
> >>>
> >>
> >>While I am not an expert, and usually learn when things are going well
> >>in this group, I have saved stuff from the years I have followed the

> >
> > .
> > Paul, in my humble opinion, this is about the most 'authentic' birria

recipe
> > I have ever seen, anywhere. Since my expertise is in eating the stuff at

the
> > rastro in Guadalajara, I can imagine the ingredients and means of

cooking
> >

> Wayne, the person who I think was the original poster would be very
> pleased with your using the "auth" word in rating the recipe (in the
> abbreviations of my children, lol)!
>
> I live in upstate NY, so don't have much opportunity to have good
> Mexican food (why I learn from you folks). However, it is interesting
> you say birria should be soupy, as I was in Las Vegas about a year ago,
> and went to a Mexican restaurant well off the strip which I'd read
> through google searches was supposed to be wonderful. I ordered birria,
> which no Mexican restaurant would make here, and it was a wonderfully
> soupy and hot dish. By the way, most of the tables had been pushed
> together in the middle, and a huge family of all ages was having a
> joyous dinner together. That told me a lot about the restaurant.
>
> And on the topic of mole, I did a google search on our group, trying to
> remember if there had been good discussions and recipes posted, and
> found that there were many, several excellent. Wayne and David were
> involved among others, including Linda and many other old regulars. I
> suggest those who didn't get to see them do the search as I find mole
> fascinating. By the way Wayne, I think my favorite post of all time was
> yours that told how to make mole, the one that started with selecting
> the oldest turkey you have, the slaughter, etc. Not that I would ever
> make it that way, but it was great. I always liked that you included
> the cultural ambiance if that is the right word. To me, that really is
> more important for the dreaded "auth" word, than whether specific
> ingredients are used in Mexico, etc.
> Paul


Thank you Paul... and for those of you following these threads, here is that
infamous blood curling post:
..
You may not like what you are about to read, but my source is Cocina
Prehispanica Mexicana by Heriberto Garcia Rivas, and Plantas curativas
Mexicanas by the same author. Also extensive study of pre-Columbian Mexico
since I was 8 years old digging up ancient artifacts under our mango tree on
the ranch in Veracruz, visiting Olmeca sites and a whole lot of time in the
museum of anthropology in Mexico DF which included one to one conversations
with scientists in the basement of said institution.

That said... mole was the main sauce used in cooking the heart, limbs and
muscles of sacrificial victims tossed down from the height of the pyramids
on those many festive days when the Aztecs celebrated major military
victories and major ceremonies. But mole did not start there... when you
look at the ingredients; they are pure, unadulterated natural American
continent stuff... from the chocolate to the many dried chilies and papaya
juice that goes into real mole. You see... at the heart of mole there is a
tenderizing effect plus superb tickling of the tongue and palate.


At our ranch the tradition was to kill the oldest turkey in the yard; the
one that could no longer service the harem, and put him into mole sauce for
at least two days of very slow simmer and slow boil as more ingredients went
into the mole. We would feed the old turkey a special diet of nuts, almonds,
raisons and fruit (much as the Aztecs would prepare their sacrificial
victims prior to slaughter). (Sounds a bit like stuffing our Thanksgiving
turkey doesn't it?)


Basic ingredients are chile ancho, chile passila, squash seeds, peanuts,
chocolate, tomatoes both red and green tomatillos, maza nixtamal (corn
dough) and brought to the picante level through the addition of dried red
tree chiles, chile piquin or serranos. Some variations include native
vanilla, papaya juice if the turkey is really old, etc.


A traditional mole diner will consist of fried/steamed white rice (a welcome
addition to Mexican food brought by the conquerors) , black
bean soup (frijol de holla), beer, tequila or sugar cane alcohol
(aguardiente), and endless stack of fresh off-the-grill corn tortillas, and
a lot of people talking and taking their time eating this wonderful meal.
The mole itself spooned liberally over the chunks of turkey onto the rice so
that when scooped up with a quarter tortilla section you get a superb
combination of sauce, turkey and rice or sauce, turkey and beans thus
alternating and giving maximum pleasure.

Remembering La Constancia, on the other side of the river between Mtz. de la
Torre and San Rafael, only a few miles from Casitas on the coast of the Golf
of Mexico, in Veracruz, were my horse Relampago (AKA Maria Bonita) and I
would hunt, and hunt, and hunt.


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Wayne Lundberg wrote:
> "Paul Covey" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>
>
> Thank you Paul... and for those of you following these threads, here is that
> infamous blood curling post:
> .

That was an excellent one, but the even more blood curling post I was
thinking of was:> Mole is for festive events. Doing it right takes a bit
of effort and time.
> Using a mole sauce such as Dona Maria or other, found on most US supermarket
> shelves, will save time, but is only the beginning.
>
> Select the oldest turkey from your flock, the one that is no longer any use
> to the harem, and slaughter him. Drain the blood and pluck all the feathers,
> burning off the little fluffy feathers over a fire. Cut him up and put to
> boil, slowly allow to simmer. While the old turkey is tenderizing, make your
> mole sauce using the bottled salsa by adding to sautéed onion and garlic,
> thin with the broth from the turkey and when you feel it's right, combine
> the two and let the thinned sauce combine with the turkey for at least two
> hours more.
>
> Traditional mole dinners include red rice, beans, corn tortillas, salsas,
> tequila and beer, soda and fruit juices for the younger set.
>
> The whole family should be involved in the process and the meal should be
> eaten between great conversation, laughs and jokes.
>
> Wayne in Chula Vista

Paul


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Ahhhh.... Paul.... you have made my day... again!

So true. For a Sunday with the family and friends and little time in the
kichen, and a lot of time in the eating, the Dona Maria is a true solution.
What with so many condiments already at the reach in so many stores, thanks
to the great marketing by the Herdez and Clemente Jaques people.... it
really is a simple matter of having a nice glass of wine nearby, sipping
from time to time, and putting it together.

In fact, right now, I'm getting ready for my wife to come home after her
Flamenco Dance Class and have things ready for her to sit in her favorite
chair and watch her favorite novela.... a substitute for a few friends in
the house to enjoy the goodies... I told her to bring a homelsss person!

On the counter in the kitchen are refried beans from last Sunday's pressure
cooker bonanza lasting until today (slightly fermenting due to time, but OK
because of regrigeration), diced onion, deep fried thin slices of bacon, the
grease used to make the refried beans, tostadas, cheeses, lettuce, avocado,
sliced tomatoes, rajas de jalapeno..... wine, beer, Tequila, aguardiente if
one wants anything stronger than a good jalapeno burst.

We'll spend the rest of the day in occasional trists to the kitchen,
occasional pauses on the new HDTV pre-recorded novelas, a bit of teasing,
maybe some mutual affection stuff.... and a lot of thanking God and Mother
Nature for our gifts silently and without invading the other person's
beliefs or thoughts.

This is the start of a great weekend!

Bye

Wayne


"Paul Covey" > wrote in message
...
> Wayne Lundberg wrote:
> > "Paul Covey" > wrote in message
> > ...
> >
> >
> >
> > Thank you Paul... and for those of you following these threads, here is

that
> > infamous blood curling post:
> > .

> That was an excellent one, but the even more blood curling post I was
> thinking of was:> Mole is for festive events. Doing it right takes a bit
> of effort and time.
> > Using a mole sauce such as Dona Maria or other, found on most US

supermarket
> > shelves, will save time, but is only the beginning.
> >
> > Select the oldest turkey from your flock, the one that is no longer any

use
> > to the harem, and slaughter him. Drain the blood and pluck all the

feathers,
> > burning off the little fluffy feathers over a fire. Cut him up and put

to
> > boil, slowly allow to simmer. While the old turkey is tenderizing, make

your
> > mole sauce using the bottled salsa by adding to sautéed onion and

garlic,
> > thin with the broth from the turkey and when you feel it's right,

combine
> > the two and let the thinned sauce combine with the turkey for at least

two
> > hours more.
> >
> > Traditional mole dinners include red rice, beans, corn tortillas,

salsas,
> > tequila and beer, soda and fruit juices for the younger set.
> >
> > The whole family should be involved in the process and the meal should

be
> > eaten between great conversation, laughs and jokes.
> >
> > Wayne in Chula Vista

> Paul



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dtwright37 wrote:
> Steve Wertz wrote:
>
>
>>ObFood: I'm surprised I didn't get any suggestions for
>>cooking/cleaning beef cheek meat. I guess we're all too busy
>>bickering (myself included, of course).
>>
>>-sw

>
>
> Maybe no one here has any experience with barbacoa, other than enjoying
> massater muscle tacos on week ends. All I know is that the traditional
> method has to do with wrapping cows heads in leaves, maybe banana
> leaves, and burying them in a fire pit on Friday night and enjoying
> them in tacos on Saturday and Sunday. I do like them, but I haven't
> cooked any.
>
> David
>


I will post two recipes I found in a google search of this group - there
are others.

>
> This is a repost of a recipe I made for a rec.food.cooking cook-in that I
> attended recently in LA. The recipe calls for a whole cows head, but it
> can be made reallly with any cut of meat. Commonly mutton is used. The
> recipe I give is an adaptation from a recipe for leg of lamb barbacoa
> (can't remember the spanish name) from "Life and Food of Oaxaca" by
> Martinez. The recipe would no doubt be good for lamb, goat, tongue (the
> best part of what I served in my opinion) and I have even seen a chicken
> version (I think in one of Rick Bayless's cookbooks). Anyway, as I served
> it, it was not stew like, but it could have easily been shredded and added
> back to the broth or to a stock. I have had it served both as tacos and
> as a soup like dish.
>
> This is the recipe for the barbacoa de cabeza. I have been told that it
> is
> the best meat to make barbacoa with. Just don't tell your compadres that
> it
> is made from the head of a cow until after it is served.
>
> Barbacoa de cabeza
>
> Ingredients
>
> 1 cows head
> 4 med. onions.
> 5 serrano chillies
> 2 t cumin seeds
> 1 t whole cloves
> 1 T allspice berries (this was a bit too much, I think)
> 1 T mexican oregano
> 1/2 t ground thyme
> 10 garlic cloves
> 1 t salt ( I had to add more salt to the cooked meat)
> 1 T black pepper corns
> 1/3 cup vinegar
> 1 sm hand full california bay leaves
> 1 beer (pacifico, I think)
>
> This is an adaptation of a more simple recipe given to me on
> alt.food.mexican-cooking. I made some modifications with the help of a
> recipe for barbacoa de cabrito (goat) from Zarela Martinezs' "the food and
> life of Oaxaca." This is basically what I did. I purchased the frozen
> head a few days ahead of time and let it thaw in the fridge. I chopped
> the garlic and seeded chillies in a small food processor. I ground all of
> the whole spices except the bay leaves. The cumin, cloves, allspice,
> oregano, thyme, salt, pepper and vinegar were added to the chillies and
> garlic and ground to a smooth paste. This paste was rubbed all over and
> as much inside the head as possible. The head was transferred into a
> larger turkey cooking bag and the onions and bay leaves were stuffed in
> and around the head. The beer was pour around the head for added moister.
> I am not sure this was needed as there was a lot of liquid that cooked out
> of the head. The bagw as closed and the head was placed in a 225F oven
> for 12 hours. The meat was boned and served with fresh tortillas. The
> tongue (the best part in my opinion) was "skinned" and sliced.
> --
> I'll talk to ya later.
>
> Richland W. Tester (Currently doing chemistry for food....well, money to
> buy food anyway)


The second is definitely from the old poster who is the person who I
believe posted the birria recipe I gave you last week.
> BARBACOA
>
> Serves 20 to 25 people
>
> Ingredients:
> 1 leg of lamb, 7-9 lbs
> 4 1/2 lbs of lamb ribs
> 1/2 lb garbanzo beans, soaked
> 2 lbs cubed carrots
> 6 bay leaves
> 10 garlic cloves
> 10 tomatillos, diced
> 2 tsp salt
> 1 tsp black pepper
> 2 white onions, cut in fourths
> 4 liters of pulque, beer or water
> 8 roasted maguey cactus leaves (substitute parchment paper)
> 12 avocado leaves
> 6 serrano peppers (optional)
>
> Put the liquid, garbanzo, carrots, bay leaves, garlic, tomatillos, salt,
> pepper, onion, serrano peppers and 4 avocado leaves in the bottom of a
> large steamer.
> Line the rack with the maguey leaves, put the meat on it, mixing in the
> remaining avocado leaves and cover all with more maguey leaves. Cover
> the pot and seal with masa or a mixture of flour and water, enough to
> have the consistency of masa.
> Cook for 4 hours.
>
> Serve with corn tortillas, frijoles de olla and your favorite salsa.


Paul
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Wayne Lundberg wrote:

>
> I only know oxtail in a Utah stew. Never had it in Mexico that I can
> remember.
>
> Wayne
>
>


The Mexican grocery sells a bunch of them... I haven't seen back bones
but can ask the butchers. Our big Mexican groceries always have full
service meat departments... a rare occurrence in this day and age.
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Birria Bandito wrote:
> Sonoran Dude wrote:
>> Birria Bandito wrote:

>
>>> In order to be *authentic* birria, it has to be made with trash meat
>>> that upper class people would never touch. Eating birria in a Mexican
>>> cafe or roadhouse is like slumming, it's like eating soul food.

>
>> I'm on my way to get ox tails now... what is your recipe?

>
> The worst mistake that Americans tend to make about Mexican food is
> thinking that there are *rules* about how to make it.
>
> When Mexican paisanos cook, they use whatever is at hand. Americans
> need recipes to get started cooking paisano-style, though.
>
> You can substitute ox tails for the backbones in this recipe for "sopa
> de gato". It is a mildly spiced birria.
>
> 1 kilo of backbones of beef, veal or goat
> 250 grams of chick peas, soaked from the previous night
> 250 grams of peeled and cut carrots in cubes
> 500 grams of chayotes, cut in cubes
> 250 grams of green beans, cleaned and cut in pieces
> 1 kilo of peeled tomato, without seed and cut in cubes
> 1 small sprig of coriander
> 6 pasilla chiles
> salt to taste.
>
> Cook backbones in sufficient water, and little by little and according
> to the necessary time of cooking for each vegetable, add the carrot,
> chayote, green beans and chick peas.
>
> Finally the tomato is added, the coriander and let boil about 10
> minutes, salt to taste.
>
> Deseed and devein the pasilla chiles, blister them in a frying pan,
> then chop and puree them in a blender and add to the pot. Serve with
> chopped cilantro, and chopped onion, as well as lemons divided in
> wedges.
>

Try it this weekend.. thanks!
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Sonoran Dude wrote:
> Wayne Lundberg wrote:
>
> >
> > I only know oxtail in a Utah stew. Never had it in Mexico that I can
> > remember.
> >
> > Wayne
> >
> >

>
> The Mexican grocery sells a bunch of them... I haven't seen back bones
> but can ask the butchers. Our big Mexican groceries always have full
> service meat departments... a rare occurrence in this day and age.


I have eaten oxtail soup all my life in Texas. However, it wasn't in a
Tex-Mex dish... merely the richest, tastiest beef broth you can make.

Jack

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