The Other Side of the Tortilla
Mexican recipes, culture and travel destinations
Back in November, I did a cooking show with a live studio audience at the Kenmore Live Studio in Chicago. It was so much fun, I can’t wait to do another! For those who may have missed the show in person or couldn’t watch the live stream online, Kenmore was kind enough to put the show on YouTube so I could share with all of you.
¡Buen provecho!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_8wf4HcK-Y[/youtube]
A few weeks ago I attended a dinner given by the Mexico Tourism Board and Chef Carlos Gaytan at his restaurant, Mexique, in honor of the recent UNESCO designation of Mexican cuisine as an Intangible Cultural Heritage. The Tourism Board over the last several weeks has hosted authentic Mexican dinners in a number of major North American cities to celebrate, including Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Miami, Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver, so I was thrilled to receive the invitation.
Did you know that French recipes and cooking techniques during the French occupation of Mexico in the 1860s became an important element in the evolution of modern Mexican gastronomy?
Gaytan’s concept behind Mexique is modern Mexican food with French influence. Hailing from Huitzuco, Guerrero, Gaytan’s love of food helped him rise from pantry cook to executive chef. He trained with French chef Dominique Tougne of Bistro 110 (Gold Coast) and has also spent time in the kitchens at Bistrot Margo (Old Town) and the Union League Club (Loop), all in Chicago. If you live in Chicago or are visiting, I highly recommend you visit Mexique for a meal.
One thing that left an impression on me at the dinner was when Carlos explained why he doesn’t serve mixed drinks in his restaurant: they take away from the palate and so instead, he serves wine and tequila. And God bless him for telling everyone in the dining room that tequila should be sipped. Someone at a table near me chimed in that “only heathens drink tequila shooters,” which caused an eruption of laughter at my table.
And I can’t end without showing you what we ate. It was a lovely four-course tasting meal with excellent wines and ended with tequila. I can’t wait to return to Mexique for another meal!
PRIMERO: Ceviche
Ahi tuna, avocado mousse, chipotle aioli, mango habanero galette…
This past weekend I attended the Mercado Navideño at the National Museum of Mexican Art here in Chicago with my friend, Daniela. It’s been awhile since my last visit so I was eager to see the new exhibits as well. But I loved all the gifts, decorations and crafts that remind me so much of the Museo de Arte Popular (of which I have only ever visited the gift shop) in Mexico City. I sent a picture message from my iPhone of the beautiful paper maché piggy bank to my suegra because she collects all kinds of puerquitos (little piggies). She loved it and said when I arrive, we’ll make plans to go visit the museum since she couldn’t remember ever taking me there before.
If you live in Chicago or are visiting during the Thanksgiving holiday next year, check out the mercado – it’s typically the Friday through Sunday right after Thanksgiving. Some of the items were pricey (compared to purchasing the same item in Mexico) but for the most part, they had a lot of beautiful gifts at reasonable prices. And you can’t visit the National Museum of Mexican Art without also making a stop in the gift shop on your way out! I loved the mini papel picado, juguetes and all kinds of books about Mexican art and culture. I may go back soon for some books on regional art and food!
In just a few short weeks, I’ll be landing in Mexico City for the holidays (and as you may have guessed, the first thing I do after leaving the airport is make a stop for some tacos al pastor). I’m so excited that I’ve actually got a countdown clock going on my computer – only 24 more days!
On Twitter, there’s a great little hashtag party every Monday known as #MexMonday and it’s all about celebrating Mexico. I was delighted then while surfing the internet to get my daily fix of all things Mexican when I stumbled upon this cute little quiz on Chilango.com, my favorite magazine all about Mexico City. And for those of you who don’t know, Chilango is a slang word for people from Mexico City, much like how people from Chicago are called Chicagoans, people from New York are called New Yorkers and people from Los Angeles are called Angelenos.
It’s a 10-question quiz (en Español) called ¿Qué tan chilango eres? I was pretty proud of my score considering that I was born in the U.S. and am only an honorary Chilanga… And yes, I actually did know how many metro stations are in Mexico City. Blame it on my affinity for asking my suegro a million questions about usually useless random facts whenever we’re running errands together during my visits. Some things, you just don’t forget.
