Tomorrow for lunch I will go Mexican and it will be traditional, though none of the overly processed ingredients that leave you itching and tossing and turning from MSG nightmares. I will make my own tortillas from scratch, tortilla corn flour and water fried in hot oil until golden brown and served with homemade refried beans, boiled chicken, lettuce, tomatoes and yellow onions. The homemade refried beans you have to begin preparing at least a day in advance don't forget because it is imperative that you soak them and then pick out the shells, rocks etc. that get into the bag. I may even throw together a homemade salsa to top it all off. The thing about traditional Mexican food when properly prepared is that it is far different then the Mexican food one orders in Mexican restaurants in the states. The traditional food is actually blander and thus purer and more delightful to eat. I know that sounds peculiar but I shun from the addition of extra salt on food. I feel it takes away from the natural flavor of the ingredients instead of enhancing them. The only thing I will do differently then they do in Mexico or at least in old Mexico is that I won't use lard. I really don't care for lard as I think it has dangerous effects on the body over the long haul. One in a while doesn't hurt but once in a while can easily become habitual. As a side I will put together a wonderful Mexican rice dish using onion, garlic, green peas, tomato juice, broth, chicken legs and topped off at the end with slices of boiled egg. Another side that must be included is succotash. This dish is easy and cheap to create. All you need is zucchini squash cubed, corn and lima beans (optional) sauteed in oil with onion, garlic and a pinch of cumin.
Did you know that originally the Mesoamerican Mexican people prepared their food over hot fires or by boiling. It wasn't until the Spanish arrived that frying food became a common method of cooking food in Mexico. Before the Spanish arrived bringing goats, pigs, sheep, cows, olive oil, onions, and a variety of spices the Mexican people ate as well a large variety of foods including turkey, other wild game and insects, fish, corn, chili peppers, mushrooms, beans, various seeds and other vegetables, tubers and various plants. The combination of the culinary cultures created the brilliant foods we have today in that country. Who doesn't love Mexican food? I don't know anybody. Though there are numerous corn based drinks I don't think I will tackle those recipes though atole is quite good. As I always do while preparing my Mexican cuisine I will play Jose Feliciano songs even though he isn't Mexcian, the music makes me think of Mexico and the wonderful trips I have taken there over the years. It saddens me that the country is going through such terrible times making traveling to certain areas rather dangerous and unpredictable. I will never forget those trips to Mazatlan and driving out to the desert town of La Noria in the beat up old blue pickup truck driven by a man named Jorge with a gold tooth and a cowboy hat chatting away in Spanish as if we could understand a word he was saying. Mexican music playing over the radio as the countryside rolled past, orange dust from the dirt road leaving a cloud behind us as we drove. We entered the old colonial town and ate tortillas topped with chicken and washed down with coca colas before heading over to the old abandoned Hacienda Las Moras that today has become a luxury hotel. I have written of the grounds before so I won't go into the details here. Mexico is such a beautiful country with a vibrant culture, beautiful women, friendly elders always ready for some company and a good laugh. And doesn't seem to you that everyone down there loves to dance. I can't wait to get back there and go to one of the zocalos and dance with the pretty girls in their traditional Mexican dresses with fresh flowers pinned in their hair.
But what traditional Mexican lunch can be complete without a delicious flan? My grandmother used to make the most wonderful flan I ever tasted. Flan is a creamy custard with a hint of orange. The ingredients are as follows:
1 cup of heavy cream
3 egg yolks
3 full eggs
1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of whole milk
1/4 cup of orange juice
1 tablespoon of grated orange rind
1 tablespoon of cornstarch
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Cooking instructions:
Melt sugar in a pan until it turns a light yellow/orange color. It takes between five and twelve minutes depending on altitude. Pour melted sugar into molds and let cool.
Pour all the ingredients except the heavy cream into a bowl and with a mixer get it nice and smooth. Then add the cream and blend for a few seconds so mixture is smooth and mixed. Then pour mixture over the cooled sugar in the molds.
In a deep baking pan place the molds and fill the baking pan halfway with boiling water. Place the baking pan into the oven and bake for at least an hour or until the mixture is set but jiggles when shaken. Once ready let the flan cool and put into the refrigerator for about 3 and a half hours and then it is ready to serve. To serve it loosen the flan from the mold with a knife by sliding it around the edge of the flan and serve flipped upside down on a plate. It is wonderful.
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