2 cups (2 oz.) Jamaica "flowers"
¾ cup sugar, plus a little more if necessary

Bring 6 cups water to a boil, add the ‘flowers’ and sugar, and stir while the mixture boils for a minute. Pour into a non corrosive bowl (preferably one that won’t stain) and steep 2 hours. Strain through a sieve, pressing on the ‘flowers’ to extract as much liquid as possible. Taste for strength and sweetness. If it is too pungent, add water; if too tart, add sugar. Cover and refrigerate, stored in a non corrosive container, until time to serve.

Camarones Enchilados
Shrimp in Creamy Chile Sauce
Serves 4 as an appetizer

5 dried guajillo chiles
1 dried chipotle chile (optional)

1 ½ cups fish stock
3 tbsp. Olive oil
16 large shrimp, unpeeled
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 tbsp. mayonnaise, preferable homemade
4 limes, sliced

Rinse guajillo and chipotle chiles. Heat a large skillet (with a lid) over medium-high heat, add chiles, and cook, turning, until fragrant, about 40 secs. Transfer chiles to a bowl, cover with boiling hot water, and soak until soft, about 25 mins. Drain chiles and remove and discard stems and seeds. (It is best to wear rubber gloves when handling chiles because oils can irritate skin.)

Place chiles in a blender. Gradually add fish stock and purée until smooth. Press through a sieve into a small bowl. Heat oil in same skillet over high heat. Add shrimp and cook, turning once, until pink and firm about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from skillet. Reduce heat to medium, add garlic to skillet, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 –2 mins. Carefully stir in chile purée (it tends to spatter). Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until flavors blend, 10 mins.

Just before serving, add mayo to chile mixture, whisk until well blended, then add shrimp. Cook uncovered until heated through, about 2 mins. (Take care not to overcook the sauce, or the mayo WILL CURDLE.) Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Garnish with lime and serve warm with corn tortill as or rice if desired.

Cheguiña
Masa-Thickened Chile Soup with Beef

2 lbs. Beef short ribs (have your butcher cut ribs into 2" pieces)
7 cloves garlic; 5 unpeeled for stock, 2 peeled for chile paste
15 black peppercorns
5 dried guajillo chiles
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
½ small white onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
Pinch freshly ground cloves
2 tbsp. veggie oil)
5 tbsp. masa harina
2 tbsp. dried epazote, crumbled
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lime, cut in wedges
4 sprigs fresh epazote

Place ribs, unpeeled garlic, and peppercorns in a large pot. Add 2 qts. Water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, skimming, until meat is very tender, about 2 hours. Remove ribs, then strain stock into a bowl and set aside. When ribs are cool, pull meat from bones. Discard bones and set meat aside.

Rinse guajillo chiles. Heat a large skillet over med.-high heat, add chiles, and cook, turning, until fragrant, about 40 secs. Transfer chiles to a bowl, cover with hot water, and soak until soft, about 25 mins. Drain chiles and remove and discard stems and seeds. (It is best to wear rubber gloves when handling chiles because oils can irritate skin.) Place chiles in a blender, add peeled garlic, tomatoes, onions, and cloves. Purée until smooth. Press through a sieve into a small bowl. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Carefully add chile purée (it tends to spatter). Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 mins.

Mix masa harina with 1 cup of water and stir into chile mixture. Cook for 1 min., then add reserved stock, beef, and dried epazote. Season with salt and pepper, and heat through, 5-10 mins. Garnish with lime wedges and fresh epazote, and serve warm.

Frijoles Negros Colados
Serves 6 – 8

1 lb. Black beans, picked over and rinsed to remove stones or grit, soak the night before
1 whole head of garlic, unpeeled
3 medium onions, 1 left unpeeled
2 dried árbol chiles
12 dried avocado leaves or aniseed infusion
½ cup veggie oil

Cook the beans with enough cold water to cover by at least 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low, add garlic, 1 unpeeled onion, chiles and leave, and cook 1 – 1 ½ hrs, adding more water if necessary. Season to taste at the end. Drain the beans, reserving about 1 –1 ½ cups of the cooking liquid. Discard the onion, garlic, chilies and leaves. Working in batches as necessary, purée the beans in a blender, adding enough of the reserved cooking liquid to facilitate blending. This mixture could be strained through a medium-mesh sieve.

Cut the remaining 2 onions into thin slices. In a large, heavy saucepan, heat the oil and sauté the onions about 8 minutes. Strain the onions and discard. Add the beans to the flavored oil and reduce the heat to low and cook, covered, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, for about 15 minutes.

Aniseed infusion: In a small saucepan, combine 1 tsp. Aniseeds to 1 cup water. Boil over high heat until slightly reduced, strain out the seeds, and let cool to room temperature. Use in place of avocado leaves.

Cochinito con Picadillo de Frutas
Serves 8 – 10

Cochinito: 1 12-15 lb. Whole suckling pig, cleaned or 1 12 lb. Pork shoulder, or 1 fresh ham (order with crackling) or 1 pork loin.
2 cups fresh orange juice
1/3 cup fresh lime juice

Adobo Sauce: 1 bottle (8 ¼ oz.) Adobo (in Mexican food section of supermarket)
Rinse meat thoroughly, then pat dry. Score crackling in cross hatch pattern. Rub inside and out with adobo sauce. Transfer to a large roasting pan, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

Cooking directions: If cooking a pig: Preheat oven to 350°. Season pig with salt and pepper, then lay it on one side and spoon stuffing into its stomach. Close stomach with skewers, then pour orange and lime juices all over pig. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and roast for 2 hours, basting regularly with pan juices. Remove foil, roast for 30 minutes, then turn and roast for final 30 min.

If cooking other meats, follow cooking directions for pork loin. Place stuffing in a large roasting pan, lay shoulder on top, and roast as for pig, pouring orange and lime juices over the meat, covering loosely with aluminum foil and basting regularly with pan juices.

Picadillo de Frutas:
1/3 cup veggie oil
3 med. white onions, peeled and diced
6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
3 large tomatoes, finely diced
2 tart green apples, peeled and diced
6 med. red potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cups diced fresh pineapple
6 carrots, peeled and diced
½ cup raisins
¾ cup pimento-stuffed olives
3 pickled jalapeños, stemmed, seeded and diced; 1/3 cup juice reserved
1 ½ tbsp. worcestershire sauce
12 sprigs fresh thyme
12 bay leaves, crumbled
1 tbsp. ground Mexican cinnamon
2 tsp. Dried Mexican oregano

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil in a large pot over med.-high heat. Add onions and garlic, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 min. Reduce heat to medium and stir in tomatoes. Cook until juices evaporate, about 3 min., then add apples, potatoes, pineapple, carrots, raisins, olives, jalapeños, juice, wor. sauce, thyme, bay leaves, cinnamon, and oregano. Season with salt and pepper, and simmer, stirring often, for 15 min. Set aside to cool completely. Place in a butter covered dish and bake at 350° for 1 hour.

Mole Amarillo con Chayote y Ejotes
Yield: about 2 cups

1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1 Tbl. butter
6 small fresh yellow chilies, cut in half and seeded
3 yellow bell peppers, quartered and seeded
8 fresh green tomatillos, husked and blanched for 30 sec.
3 cloves peeled garlic
½ tsp. Cinnamon
½ tsp. Ground allspice
1 tsp. Sugar
pinch nutmeg
salt to taste 2 tbls. veggie oil
1 lb. Green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
4 chayotes, peeled, seeded, and cut in med. dice

In a large, thick-bottomed pan, sauté the onions in the butter until soft and sweet but not caramelized. Add the yellow chiles and yellow bell peppers, and cook covered over low heat until soft (about 30 min). Add about ¼ cup of water to prevent sticking. Chop the tomatillos and place in a blender together with the onions, chiles, bell peppers, and the remaining ingredients, except for the oil. Purée, adding a little water if necessary. Cook the green beans and chayote for 15 min. Combine and heat the veggies and yellow mole.

Nieve de Aguacate
Avocado Ice
Yields 1 quart

2 ripe Hass avocados, peeled and seeded
2 cups whole milk
1 cup simple syrup (recipe below)
¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice

In a blender or food processor, process the avocados and milk to a perfectly smooth texture. Add the syrup and lime juice. Freeze by manufacturer’s directions for your ice-cream maker. Or still-freeze by placing a a 1 quart container (preferably stainless steel) and freezing for 2 hours. Return to blender or food processor and beat the mixture until it is a fine-textured slush. Return to the freezer for 1 more hour; remove and beat in the same manner. Return to the freezer until ready to serve.

Simple syrup:
Yields 1 cup
2 cups water
1 cup granulated sugar

Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan. Heat gently, stirring constantly, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook until reduced to 1 cup. Let cool to room temperature; store, refrigerated, in a tightly covered container.

Pan de Muerto
Serves 8

1 tsp. dry yeast
¼ cup lukewarm water
4 cups unbleached flour
6 eggs
1 tsp. Salt
½ cup sugar
2 tsp. aniseed
1 tsp. Freshly ground nutmeg
½ cup butter, melted
1 tsp. orange flower water
egg wash (1 egg white plus ½ egg yolk)
sugar for sprinkling

Combine the yeast with the water and 1/3 cup of the flour and let stand until the mixture doubles in volume. Place the remaining flour in a large bowl, make a well in the center and place the eggs, salt, sugar, aniseed, nutmeg, butter and orange-flower water in the well.

Beat together, then add the yeast mixture, combining it with the dough. Knead on a floured board for 15 mins. Or until the dough no longer sticks to the surface.Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with a cloth and let rise in a warm, draft-free area for 3 hours or until doubled in volume.

Preheat the oven to 450°. Pinch off about 1/3 of the dough and form into a 2 inch ball and a long rope. Mold pieces of the rope to resemble little bones. Set aside.

Shape the remaining dough into a round loaf and brush with the egg wash.  Place the ball of dough in the center of the loaf and arrange the "bones" in a circular pattern around the ball. Brush with the remaining egg wash.  Bake for 10 mins. In the hot oven, lower the temperature to 350° and continue baking for 30 mins. Sprinkle with sugar and serve at room temperature.

Cookbooks
México The Beautiful Cookbook
Authentic Mexican by Rick Bayless
The Food and Life of Oaxaca by Zarela Martínez
The Great Chile Book by Mark Miller
Magazine: Saveur, Cuisine of the Matriarchs, Jan./Feb. 1997

Updated: August 28, 2001