RECIPE: Margarita de Jamaica / Hibiscus Margarita

Agua de Jamaica is the lemonade of Mexico. The pitcher is prepared daily and is a tangy thirst quencher that graces kitchen counters across the country. The tea is made from dried Hibiscus flowers and sugar to taste.

Now, let’s elevate this a couple notches with booze.

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This version is your classic Margarita but with the addition of Jamaica syrup instead of agave nectar, which adds a tangy, floral, richness. Rimmed with Poctli’s comal roasted, Sal de Jamaica, this cocktail is an elegant pre-dinner surprise that will have your guests obsessing over the color and unique texture of the jamaica.

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces Mezcal or Tequila

• 1.5 ounces Hibiscus syrup (see below)

• 1 ounce lime juice

• Salt for the rim

• Lime slice garnish

• Seltzer water

Method:

1. Make the Hibiscus syrup by boiling 1/4 cup of dried jamaica blossoms in 1 cup of water with 1/4 cup of sugar. Simmer on medium-low heat until reduced to a thin syrup, roughly 10-15 minutes. Strain out the blossoms and cool to room temperature.

2. Combine mezcal, jamaica, lime juice in a shaker with ice. Shake until a thick foam appears on the top of the surface.

3. Dip the glasses into lime juice and then into the salt.

4. Pour the mixture into a glass with crushed ice and top with a splash of seltzer water. Garish and enjoy!
   

RECIPE: Aguayón Estilo Oaxaqueño (Oaxacan Roast Beef)

This dish is simple yet elegant in its presentation and flavor profile. I compare it to the great braises of European cooking (i.e. Beef Bourguignon, Ragu) and but with the strong fruity profile of the Pasilla chile in the sauce that makes it truly Mexican. This recipe is loosely based on Diana Kennedy’s Aguayón Estilo Leonor from “The Essential Cuisines of Mexico.”

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I plate this with blanched green beans and boiled turned potatoes. On the side serve with fresh corn tortillas, a salsa de chile de arbol, and a full bodied red wine (Bordeaux, Pinot Noir, Cabernet, Merlot.)

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 2lbs beef roast (rump roast preferred)

• Salt

• Pepper

• 2 tablespoons Olive oil

• 3 pasilla chiles

• 1 chile de arbol (optional, see note in Method)

• 2 cups chopped tomatoes

• 1/2 cup sesame seeds, toasted

• 1/2 inch slice of bread (kaiser roll preferred)

• 2 garlic cloves

Method:

1. Salt and pepper every side of the pot roast before placing it in a dutch oven with hot olive oil. Brown on all sides and remove from heat leaving the juices and browned bits in the dutch oven.

2. Open the chiles and remove the stem, seeds and veins. Toast the chiles over a comal until brown and blistered but not burnt. If you burn them, the sauce will become too bitter. If you want the sauce to be spicier, then use the chile de arbol as well, keeping the seeds intact but removing the stem. Soak the chiles for 10 minutes in water until ready to blend.

3. Add the soaked chiles, tomatoes, toasted sesame seeds, slice of bread and garlic to a blender with 1.5 cups of water. Blend on varying speeds until smooth.

4. Add this mixture to the dutch oven and cook for five minutes, adding more water as necessary. The sauce will splutter. Add the pot roast to the pan and fill the pot with water so that the beef is 3/4 submerged. Cover and simmer for 4 hours until tender on low heat.

5. Remove the beef from the pan and allow to rest while the sauce reduces uncovered until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

6. Arrange the beef with the green beans and boiled potatoes. Serve with warm tortillas and salsa.

RECIPE: Cacahuates enchilados (Chile Roasted Peanuts)

With summer drinks and BBQs a common happening, it's a great to have a simple snack on hand - and a homemade one is sure to impress your guests. Cacahuate is derived from the Nahuatl word, cacahuatl or cocoa bean. This recipe incorporates chile and lime, making it the perfect snack followed by a chilled beer. When the chile de arbol is roasted, it smells of peanuts, which compliments the natural peanut flavor well.

Cacahuates enchilados

Ingredients:

CACAHUATE /ka.ka.wa.te/

Classical Nahuatl:

Noun

1. cocoa bean.

• 5 chile de arbol, whole stem intact

• 2 cups peanuts, unsalted

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil

• 1 lime

• 2 teaspoons salt

Method:

---

1. On a comal over medium heat, toast the chile de arbol until a darker shade of brown. Do not burn or else the chiles will be bitter. Cut the chiles in half, not allowing the seeds to spill out.

2. In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and add the peanuts. Turn them constantly until they start to become fragrant. Add the chiles and toast until well incorporated, about two minutes.

3. Remove from heat and add the lime juice and salt while still warm. Serve while warm.

RECIPE: Pride Pineapple Mule Cocktail

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Happy Pride! It's a good year to be gay and orgulloso! This cocktail is my interpretation of a refreshing Pride after a long day in the sun. With the Morris Kitchen Ginger syrup and the Los Amantes (the lovers in Spanish) this cocktail follows the tradition of the mezcal mule, but with pineapple to make you sweeter. The comal roasted pineapple and spicy ginger dance on the palette, invoking the subtle smoke in the mezcal.

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Comal Roasted Pineapple

Makes one cocktail

Ingredients:

• Pineapple, sliced in 1 inch thick rings, rind on

• 2 teaspoons Morris Kitchen Ginger Syrup

• 1 ounce lime juice

• 2 ounces Los Amantes Mezcal Joven

• splash of seltzer water

• candied ginger and pineapple leaf as garnish

Method:

1. On a comal over medium high heat, roast the pineapple slices until black and charred. Cut away the rind and core, and blend with 2 ounces of water for 3 minutes, alternating between high and low speeds. Filter the juice through a fine mesh stainer to remove the pulp.

2. Add crushed ice to a shaker and add ginger syrup, 4 ounces of roasted pineapple juice, lime juice, mezcal. Shake thoroughly.

3. Pour into a glass and top with a splash of seltzer. Garnish with candied ginger and pineapple leaf.

RECIPE: Cucumber Mezcal Margarita

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Cucumber Mezcal Margarita

When I think of a refreshing cocktail, I immediately think of cucumbers, lemon, ice. Native to India, cucumbers were brought to New Spain post-conquest. This Old World squash is high in moisture and I prefer the English variety for cocktails as the sugar content tends to be higher, meaning a sweeter cocktail without additives. Leave the skin on the cucumber, it will add a lovely green hue to the drink.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 5 inch piece of English cucumber, cut into cubes

• 3 ounces lime juice

• 1.5 ounces lemon juice

• 1.5 ounces agave nectar

• 4 ounces Casamigos Mezcal

• 10 Chili pequin or 3 chili de arbol toasted on a comal until fragrant OR Poctli Sal De Muchos Chiles

• crushed ice

Method:

1. Add the cucumber, lime juice, lemon juice, and agave nectar to a blender and blend thoroughly for 3 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer.

2. Pour the mezcal and cucumber mixture into a shaker and shake.

3. Squeeze lime juice onto a plate, dip the glass rim into the lime juice and then the chili powder to rim the edge.

4. Add crushed ice to the glass and pour the cucumber mixture over and serve. Garish with another slice of cucumber.

RECIPE: Chiles Rellenos

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Chile Relleno Sauce Ingredients

Chiles Rellenos, or stuffed chiles, is a classic Mexican recipe from the city of Puebla. A stop along the route on the journey from the port of Veracruz to Mexico City, Puebla was influenced by Europe's passing visitors inspiring cuisine that mixed the best of both continents. The first mention of the recipe is from 1858.

With a delicate meringue coating and a cheesy interior, the robust flavor of the fresh chile shines through in this archaic dish. This dish is a bit labor intensive, but it is so versatile in terms of what you can stuff inside the chile, I often make this for my vegetarian friends. 

Serves 4

Ingredients:

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Chiles Rellenos

• 4 Poblano chiles, fresh and stem intact

• 3 tomatoes

• 2 garlic cloves

• 1 white onion slice, 1/2 inch

• 3 Guajillo chiles

• 3 Puya chiles

• 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano

• 3 allspice berries

• 1 inch piece canela (Mexican cinnamon)

• 3 eggs

• 2 cups vegetable oil

• Oaxaca or Monterrey Jack cheese, 8 ounces sliced

• 1/4 cup flour

Method:

1. Over a high flame charr the Poblano chiles until the skin is blackened. Be sure to charr every area of the chile or else the skin will stick leaving a tough exterior. Place the chiles in a bowl and cover with a plate until they are cool enough to handle. Slide the skin off the chile and leave the stem intact. Set aside.

2. Over medium-high heat, roast the tomatoes, garlic, onion slice on a comal until charred and fragrant - place in blender. Toast the chiles over the comal until fragrant and a darker shade of red being careful not to burn them - place in blender. Add the oregano, allspice, canela and 1 cup of water to the jar and blend for 4 minutes, alternating speed to ensure that no large skin pieces remain. Pass the liquid through a strainer into a sauce pot over medium heat. Salt accordingly and cook for 30 minutes until the liquid has reduced by half.

3. Separate the eggs and reserve two of the yolks. Whisk the meringue to soft peaks and slowly add the egg yolks, one at a time. Heat the vegetable oil to 350 degrees.

4. Slit the chiles in the center and add the cheese slices. Dredge the filled chiles into the flour mixture, coating the entire outside surface. Gently lay the chiles, one at a time, in the meringue and fold the mixture over, covering the entire chile. Lay the chiles into the oil and fry until golden brown on each side. Remove to a towel to collect the excess grease.

5. Laddle the tomato-chile sauce into a bowl and lay the chile relleno on top. Serve with rice and beans on the side.