Mexican Food: Spicy, No! Rich in Flavor and History, Yes!

PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO – (March 26, 2010) – The history of Mexican food is long and distinct. Since before the 1500s, the making of fine Mexican cuisine has been in the making. The foods of Mexico are known for having rich flavors and brilliant colors, and are made from a variety of ingredients. Yet many people shy away from eating Mexican food because they buy into the myth that it is mainly a spicy cuisine.

“When people visit from America and try the food here, they are always pleasantly surprised,” explains Laurena Martini, executive chef of the Puerto Vallarta Beach Club (www.PuertoVallartaBeachClub.com), a new private boutique resort located on Los Muertos Beach along the Mexican Riviera. “They come in, somehow, believing it is going to be spicy and hard to digest, but they leave loving our food and wondering why it took them so long to discover it.”

If you have been shying away from trying Mexican foods, now is the time to give it a try. After all, most people like chocolate, and it was first a part of Mexican cuisine. While, over the years, Mexican cuisine has borrowed from other countries around the world, those other countries have also been inspired by the styles and ingredients that Mexico is known for. Today, Mexican food still follows many of its original traditions, including the frequent use of corn, beans, avocado, tomato, and tomatillo.

 

Some of the best-known and most popular Mexican dishes are Oaxaca ’s famous black mole, the popular pozole, or chiles rellenos. There are also a variety of tasty salsas, used for topping these dishes. Traditional Mexican food was cooked in ceramic pots or cast-iron skillets over an open fire. Much of the food was either steamed or fried, as it is today.

A trip to the local market is an explosion of sensory experiences where exotic fruit, vegetables, chilies, nuts, meats and seafood are found in stunning displays set up daily by the local vendors. Every state in Mexico has distinct cuisine based on climate, traditions and local produce grown there, but one thing is for sure,  beans, corn, tortillas and rice staple foods and can be found everywhere from the family run “cenadurias,” to the fine dining restaurants.

The famous black mole sauce of Oaxaca has over 50 different spices and chilies ground into a paste with dark cocoa beans to create a delicious semi-sweet sauce for chicken or turkey, which is then lightly sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds. The stuffed Poblano chilies (chiles rellenos) that are lightly coated in egg batter and filled with cheese or meat and deep fried and laden with a tangy tomato and oregano sauce, are a treat that many people love.

Mexican food can easily be prepared at home. If you haven’t tried your hand at making some of their dishes, give these recipes a try.

Shrimp and Mango Ceviche

300 grams fresh shrimp peeled and deveined

1 large ripe but firm mango

1 cucumber no seeds

half red onion finely diced

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp minced fresh ginger

1 small green chili with no seeds diced

half red bell pepper diced

2 tbsp chopped cilantro

juice of 2 limes and half an orange

2 tbsp olive oil

sea salt and pepper to taste

Serve chilled with slices of avocado and fresh tostadas or corn chips.

Marinate the shrimp in lime juice for 2 hours, drain and combine with the rest of ingredients. If you prefer you can poach the shrimp in boiling water, drain, chill and then combine with other ingredients.

Grilled Tomatillo Salsa

10 small Tomatillos

1 onion

3 cloves garlic

handful of cilantro

2 dried “chiles de arbol” also known as Cola de rata, or rats tail because of their thin long shape (a dried red chili very common in most stores).

1/4 teaspoon of dried oregano

sea salt and a tablespoon of olive oil.

Place all ingredients in a heavy bottom pan or on a grill and let them char slightly on the outside, then  smash in a mortar and pestle or in a food processor for a chunky consistency. Season to taste and serve with fresh white fish such as Mahi mahi, sea bass or snapper. Also great on quesadillas or with corn chips.

Chiles Rellenos for 6

6 poblano Chilies, peeled and seeded (char skin on a flame and place in a bag to sweat, the skin should peel of easily after they have cooled)

300 grams of Oaxaca string cheese or Monterrey Jack cheese If you can´t find Oaxaca cheese.

flour for dusting the chilies

6 raw eggs (separated)

4 cups of Homemade Mexican tomato and oregano salsa: simmer 6 ripe tomatoes, 1 onion, 5 cloves of garlic, and a couple of sprigs of Epazote herb in chicken stock or water. Once all ingredients are cooked, puree in blender and season with toasted oregano and a touch of cumin, in a hot pan add olive oil and pour the sauce into pan, simmer for another 10 minutes and season to taste.

A good oil for frying.

*Once peeled and seeded, stuff each chili with cheese and secure with a toothpick.

Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form and fold in the egg yolks, season with salt and pepper.

Dredge the stuffed chilies in seasoned flour and shake off any excess, coat in egg batter and fry in hot oil.  Once browned the cheese will be melted in the center, remove chili from pan and drain on paper towels, keep in warm oven until all have been fried.

Serve chilies with white rice and cover with tangy tomato-oregano salsa, you can sprinkle with chopped cilantro and rings of pickled red onion and a dollop of sour cream. Delicioso!

 

The Food and the Atmosphere

“Mexican food is delicious, yet unpretentious, it makes you feel like you are eating in a warm inviting home,” adds Martini. “I think that is why it is becoming one of the most popular cuisines in the world.”

The Puerto Vallarta Beach Club is a new, completely exclusive and “green” world-class resort, located on the Mexican Riviera. It features one-to-four bedroom rental villas, all with a private pool and house boy, located on a private beach. They provide accommodations for wedding parties, with the weddings being held on the property, and all arrangements being handled through the resort’s wedding staff.  Up to 22 rooms are available, when including sister-resort Villa Verano, a famous resort in its 25th year of business. At the Puerto Vallarta Beach Club, chefs go into each villa on an “on call” basis in order to prepare gourmet meals for the guests. Visit them online at www.PuertoVallartaBeachClub.com.