#traditional mexican food recipes

[tastyfoodinfo]

Pambazo | Making A 100 Year Old Mexican Sandwich Recipe

Pambazo | Making A 100 Year Old Mexican Sandwich Recipe

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[dolphinosketch]

Mole recipe illustration.

This one is based on my client's instruction. It might be different from your home recipe.

[mx-noise]

Que no falte tu mole, tu dulce de camote, que no falten tus tamales, tu atole. Aunque aquí... Aquí me faltas tú.

-Metztlicitlalli (Texto)

[unityrain24]

ghhh... got lost under mexican cooking tutorials...

[foodffs]

Barbacoa Tacos are filled with tender chuck roast slow-cooked in a spicy, flavor-packed sauce that comes together quickly in a food processor. This traditional Mexican recipe is one of my favorites, and it is so incredibly versatile. Leftovers heat up wonderfully and are delicious in burritos, quesadillas, nachos, and chimichangas.

https://www.smalltownwoman.com/barbacoa-tacos/

[lucvly]

i loved your chris x latina gf hc’s. could you please do one for us matt girls 🙏

— matt with a latina girlfriend hcs! ⸰ 𖥔 ͙

warnings: swearing, mentions of alcohol, not proofread.

a/n: the amount of reqs i got for this omg??? also i feel the need to say i’m latina but i’m not mexican LMAO sorry to disappoint ☹️

— this isn’t matthew anymore this is mateo LMAO.

— my man was nervous about meeting your family. he kind of got freaked out hearing about the amount of people that were gonna be at the gathering.

— he asked you to help him practice greeting your family LMAOO it’s so cute. (“so, no handshakes?” “not unless you wanna get kicked out, mi vida.”)

— the family’s favorite gringo boyfriend !!

— sorry to burst some of your bubbles but this man cannot dance. sorry Not sorry !!! him dancing merengue or salsa would be sooo goofy. you tried teaching him but he just ends up stepping on you.

— your tías always try to dance with him unknowingly and he always steps on them LMFAOOAOA.

— at family gatherings he’s in the kitchen helping your mom cook and serve the food.

— you get a good laugh out of it because when your mom lets him try a spoonful of whatever she’s making his ass always has to drink at least two glasses of water because my god this man can’t tolerate spice.

— he’s always wanting to learn something new about your culture. he thinks the traditions and celebrations are super interesting.

— the fact that you’re incredibly family oriented is so attractive to him help??? he loves it. seeing you interact with your little cousins is so cute to him.

— ++ your little cousins always leech onto him at the gatherings. you’re convinced one of your baby cousins has a crush on him it’s hilarious.

— the first time you called him gringo he was like Huh??? you had to explain what it meant LMAO, your family calls him gringo a lot in a very loving way but it’s still Really funny.

— he’s such a kid bye? he’s exactly like one of those primos who’s absolutely wiped out by 10 pm. you always end up making those makeshift beds with two chairs and a blanket for him so he can take a nap.

— “y el novio?” except now your family just teases you because they know wherever you are, matt’s right there with you.

— your dad loves telling him embarrassing stories about you from back when you were a kid. it’s so bad ugh.

— surprisingly, he’s actually a really good cook. he’ll secretly ask your mom for your favorite recipes and make them for you. you think it’s the cutest thing ever. (he’s not very precise with the spices but he’s getting there.)

— takes spanish lessons without telling you so when you hear him talk to one of your tíos in spanish you’re like ?????

— he can’t roll his r’s SORRY!! you tease him for it all the time, so does your family. he thinks it’s funny because you’ve tried to help him pronounce “carro” or “burrito” over a thousand times and he still can’t do it.

— when he’s not driving, he sits in one of those plastic chairs in the backyard and drinks ice cold beer with your tíos.

— i feel like he’d be terrible at alcohol management so he’d be drunk with around three beers. your tíos get along so well with drunk matt, trust.

— spanish pet names?? he’s all for it. (“cariño”, “corazón”, “querido”.)

— + right before hanging up a call, he goes “te amo.” it’s SOO cute you’re gushing ugh.

— he definitely can’t dance but he loves listening to spanish music. i feel like he’d be a huge romeo santos and ozuna fan. argue w the wall !!

— he was so confused when you told him to take a bite of his cake and then pushed his face onto it. chris and nick were rolling on the floor laughing (he ended up doing it to them as well.)

— he asks if you can get some tres leches for his birthday because he loves it LMAOO. your dad introduced him to tres leches and it’s all he thinks about on a daily basis.

— he’s tried learning the cumpleaños feliz song– and yeah, he knows half of it, but he hasn’t managed to learn it all LMAO.

— if you grew up somewhere else, he desperately wants to go to your hometown just to get to know you better. when you do, he does everything to indulge in your culture. (going to festivals, meeting the people you grew up with, etc.)

— he loves obleas and arroz con leche. he thought arroz con leche was hella odd at first glance but once you convinced him to try it he was addicted HELP??

— ^ your mom gave him some arroz con leche to take back home because of the amount he ate throughout the whole night.

— when your family facetimes you and you’re with him it’s always: “bueno, y la boda cuándo es?” and once they say hello to you, they ask about matt and end up talking to him over the phone for like an hour.

— when you yell at him in spanish he’ll just wait until you stop and then asks you what that meant because he genuinely wants to know. his head is all: “wtf does maldito mean????”

— trying traditional candy from wherever you’re from is sooo funny. he’d be so obsessed with dulce de leche and arroz con leche, but make that man try any sort of candy with coconut in it (cocadas perhaps) and he’s fucking throwing up.

— his personal youtube channel would be active as fuck, at this point it became a vlog for the two of you with videos like: “trying traditional snacks with my gf!”, “cooking competition with y/n (she won)”, “traveling with my girlfriend.”

— he loves how many photo albums your family has. he especially loves your quinceañera album LMFAOO. you think it’s hella embarrassing because you were literally fifteen but he thinks it’s the cutest thing ever.

— when you cook, matt always takes some food back home and his brothers end up eating it. he gets so pissed because he strictly tells them not to touch that and since they know you cooked it, they steal it LMAO.

[lxstfathier]

i heard that you’re writing for Alejandro again? 👀 omggg so do you know that military colonels earn a lot of money?? any thoughts on that??? pleaseee i’ll take anything about that man spoiling and providing for reader 🥹

You heard right anon! i’m back and ready to be a gross whore again 🤓

And omg it’s almost as if you read my mind or something cuz you have no idea how much i’ve dreamed about that 😩 so let’s get to the point…

I had to look on the internet and it says that his monthly salary as a colonel can go from 70k to 120k mexican pesos. Probably he gets the highest pay. And that doesn’t make him super rich but it’s a good amount of money, enough to have a nice life.

Now, with that being said, yes, he is able to spoil you the way you’ve always dreamed of.

When you first start dating (granted that you’re not in the military as well) he likes to give you big bouquets of flowers every time he’s able to take you out on a date. Here in mexico they’re called “ramo buchon” so yeah, he gives you those for sure.

When the relationship progresses, he starts buying you jewelry, specially a necklace with his initial on it. And also some clothes for you to wear and look pretty, like short dresses in your favorite color, because he loves to see your beautiful legs and the soft skin of your cleavage.

If you get married, you better believe that Ale is gonna take the provider role super seriously. I totally see him as a man who aims for a traditional family. So he’s gonna do anything to ensure that you’re happy and well taken care of. He’ll buy you a big house, in a small town to keep you a secret from everyone, and pulls some strings to get you one of those highly trained dogs to protect you from any harm while he’s gone.

Whether you want to work or not, that’s your decision, but he would prefer you not to. Why would you do that when he already gives you everything you need? it’s better to spend your time shopping online, going to the local market, getting your nails done or learning new food recipes.

The only thing he expects in return is a pretty wife who runs to his arms every time he comes back home, a sweet little thing that distracts him from all the violence that he’s used to deal with <3

[oddballwriter]

Made with Love

꒦꒷꒦꒦꒷꒦꒷꒷꒦꒦꒷꒦꒦꒷꒦꒷꒷꒦꒦꒷꒦꒦꒷꒦꒷꒷꒦꒦꒷꒦꒦꒷꒦꒷꒷꒦

Summary: A blurb where you cook Steven some traditional hispanic food because he's curious about how it tastes. 

Warnings: No actual warnings that I actually know of. Reader is meant to be read as hispanic or be of some hispanic/latin background. Steven centric but Marc and Jake are also mentioned.  

Author’s Snip: Listen I just wanted to make something kinda cute and wholesome that also involves a bit of some culture that I have from my hispanic/Mexican heritage, I also just wanted to fully embrace latino Jake because I just wanted to.

Notes: I'm not translating the dishes just look it up if you don't know what they are. Also this wasn't proof read before posting 

I’ll shut up now. Enjoy! And don’t be afraid to request.

꒦꒷꒦꒦꒷꒦꒷꒷꒦꒦꒷꒦꒦꒷꒦꒷꒷꒦꒦꒷꒦꒦꒷꒦꒷꒷꒦꒦꒷꒦꒦꒷꒦꒷꒷꒦

One of Steven's, and the rest of the system's, favorite things after a long day of working is coming home to your cooking. You taken on the role of being the one to make dinner after you saw that the boys could barely scrape together good food for themselves thanks to their short free time and deemed their boy dinners unacceptable.

You had a knack for making their favorite foods and keeping track of their varying palates and preferences. Of course there was Steven being vegan, but the other two had their own preferences. Marc didn't really have much of any preferences but you did find that he was a big fan of the french onion soup recipe that you make.

Jake wasn't all that picky either since he hardly came out and would just eat left overs. But after a while you found that he loves himself some hispanic foods, and by god were you happy to accommodate. When he came back from missions he would usually crash on the bed and let the others wake up in the body afterwards, but you would somehow figure out that he's the one fronting and make him some traditional dishes which he couldn't help but stay just to eat it.

You made him all kinds of dishes. Tamales. Pollo y arroz con mole. Chilaquiles. Ceviche con tostadas.

You did feel a bit bad since you knew Steven didn't like meat. But Jake would beg you to make the dishes how they're usually made, which commonly involves meats, and Steven never held it against you if you did feed Jake using the traditional recipes.

Though Steven did mention that he always wondered what they tasted like. Just he's had a vegan taco but at this point everyone in the world's had a taco and the like. He wants to try the food that actually comes from and is made with their original recipes. But he knew that hispanic food often had meat in it and he didn't want you to have to go through the trouble of making a new recipe just because of him.

But when Steven set aside his bag, took off his coat, and sat down at the table he found what looked like food that was intended for Jake. It was what he learned was called ceviche and tostadas, which often contained shrimp. He opened his mouth to speak but you beat him to it.

"Don't worry. It's completely vegan." you smile. "Love," he mutters, "Thank you. But you really didn't have to go through all this trouble just to make me something tha-" he continues, but you stop him again.

"It wasn't that troublesome. It's the same process. I just changed the shrimp out for something else." you explain. "But," you add, raising your finger. "That's the only thing I changed about it. Everything else is authentic to the original, like you said whenever you mentioned you wanted to try some food, so I held back no spices." you warn.

Steven smiles and nods as you go and grab some drinks before sitting in your chair. "Thank you then." he chirps. "I know that it shouldn't be that spicy. At least by Jake's standards since he douses his in hot sauce." Steven comments. You giggle, "I always tell him that if he wants something spicy then I can just make him aguachile." you remark.

As it turns out Steven held up just fine and even said that he enjoyed how much flavor the dish had to it with an added"I understand why Jake likes it so much.".

[jacobfryes-hoe]

If they are still open requests, how would the four lords with a Mexican s/o regarding cultural exchange?

No problem!! also so sorry I've left this for so long, I've no good excuse I was just being lazy.

disclaimer: gifs are not mine!! I don't know much about Mexican culture and couldn't find much info and have gone based of what I could find so i hope this is fine :)

Alcina Dimitrescu

Alcina would be more than happy to discuss your culture, she is intrigued by it and would love to partake in your traditions.

would have her maids make your favourite foods from your childhood, and would wine and dine with you - happily eating your Mexican food and spice wise she can handle it quite well. (the girls can't though)

finds Mexican fashion to be quite beautiful and elegant and honestly finds it so attractive.

definitely listens to romantic Spanish music at the end of a stressful day.

Donna Beneviento

Donna is mostly intrigued when you show her Mexican fashion and loves to make little clothes inspired by Mexican fashion because she finds it amazingly beautiful.

loves classical Spanish music when she's doing her doll-making.

she loves cooking your childhood recipes with you, but she can only handle so much spice when it comes to eating it.

like Alcina would love to partake in your traditions with you.

Karl Heisenberg

straight away he's insisting her can handle the spice and insists you cook him the spiciest recipe you know, but to do so would be a waste because he can't handle it and you'd end up having to put milk in it for him - but it is fun to watch him try and act like the spice isn't getting to him even though his face is bright red and his eyes are watering.

this dirty boy would suggest you dirty talk to him in Spanish because it's in his words "spicy" but you can just remind him how he can't handle spicy.

Honestly, he doesn't too much care for traditions but would do it for you if that's what you want.

doesn't care for the music, and doesn't like it because he can't understand it.

Moreau Salvatore

Moreau can't handle spicy food, it upsets his sensitive stomach a lot to the point it hurts, but this little sweetheart would still try your food to avoid hurting your feelings by turning it down.

loves listening to you talk about anything and loves even more so listening to you talk about something you hold dear to you and also getting to know you.

loves how colourful Mexican style can be, Moreau just loves bright colours, something about them just makes him happy.

would go out of his way to learn about your culture because he cares for you so much and wants to show you that, also would gladly participate like Alcina and Donna with your traditions because they are important to you.

[lara635kookie]

Red Crackle Week Day 5: Domestic Life (Headcanons)

• They do travel a lot

• But I imagine they would live in San Diego

• In a cozy apartment

• Gray cooks

• No questions asked

• Usually just dinner

• Because the other meals they don't normally are on their home

• Carmen can do the basics

• But she might cause a disaster on the kitchen

• So Gray handles it

• Just like he is the one that usually drives the car

• And Carmen drives the motorcycle

• In comparison, Carmen likes her things organized

• And Gray, he is a little more chaotic

• So they divide according to their strengths

• Sometimes they help the other

• But the only chore they actively do together is grocery shopping

• Which might take a while

• Because they can't exactly draw too much attention

• And maybe some little discussions here and there about what they really need to buy or not

• They order things on weekends, tho

• Gray would try to impress Carmen with his mexican and argentinean food

• Some recipes were more successful than others

• So always that it is a latam food

• They cook it together

• Doing latino food together is like their little tradition

• To just have a good quality time with each other

• So even though they can't do it as frequently as they would like

• They still enjoy it

• Usually on fridays, end of the month

• Idk why tbh, but Gray just passes me some huge dog person vibes

• Like, he doesn't hate cats

• But in comparison, I just feel he would like dogs more (maybe because he is a golden retrivier lmao)

• So they would have a little small/medium sized dog

• According to the rules of the building

• Who is probably full of middle-aged people that they barely interact with

• And they are good neighbors

• And their dog is a good pet

• It would probably be a very loving and loyal, trained male dog

• That they disagreed a lot on what to name it

• But to be cute, I think they would settle for "Wolf", or something similar

[captain-mj]

How does the team react to Graves’ Gumbo? Do they ask questions about his southern culture?

Stole this format from my wife @lanaartsiebby (love you!)

~~~~

Soap: Apparently a lot of traditional Scottish foods are coated in black pepper, so man was unaffected by the spiciness. He really liked it, even if he refused to tell Graves that. Has questions but won't ask them. Bonus: he seems like the type of person to be really thrown off by crawfish until he eats one

Ghost: Remembers his time in Texas. It wasn't the fondest of times, but he did like the food. Probably doesn't ask questions because he knows enough in his opinion.

Rodolfo: The man can respect a good cook. Definitely talks with him about the differences in food. Graves mentions the different Mexican influences in southern culture and food and Rudy liked that.

Alejandro: Refuses to eat it. Is betrayed when Rodolfo and Valeria does. Will just ask Alex.

Price: Nearly kills him the first time. Learns to like it. His spicy tolerance has increased a lot while dating Graves.

Gaz: Coughed when he breathed it in and had to sit down for a minute. Likes it but was definitely thrown off. Has a few questions.

Graves: Disappointed it doesn't taste like his mom's. Wishes he could ask her for her recipe. Answers any questions as openly as he can because he's really interested in theirs and is hoping for a culture exchange

Valeria: Likes southern food. Doesn't ask questions because she doesn't care. Doesn't need to forgive Graves as she isn't mad at him but she takes the food regardless. Bonus: She has never felt fear about food in her life. Has eaten a chocolate covered scorpion (they're mildly spicy! I love them!)

Farah: Was excited to try it. Really liked it. Asked a couple of questions about the culture and Graves was happy to ask her questions back.

Alex: My boy is from TEXAS I do not take CRITICISM and he is used to this food. Answers some questions with Graves so they can compare the differences. Almost come to blows over the pronunciation of kolache and proper cooking of beignets

Laswell: I'm thinking of co-opting her for Southern people as well. Gives me Georgia vibes so gumbo isn't something she'd be terribly familiar with. Likes it. Stays out of the fist fight until she hears one of them bash peanut brittle. Wins.

Roach: Mildly afraid because he is a British person. Ended up liking it but it was very spicy to him. Graves and him have a language barrier but they're working on it. He writes down a bunch of questions Bonus: Would complain about the crawfish making eye contact with him.

[beautiful-basque-country]

The food served at Basque restaurants in the US equally fascinates and horrifies me: pinto beans without sacramentos, pickled tongue (an icon in euskoyankee cuisine), salad with a strange dressing and fresh cheese (yes, that white thing), chips, spaghetti, green beans and more unknown things.

It’s side dish paradise. A festival of “create your own dish”. And you can’t identify anything on the table despite it being “authentic Basque cuisine”:

It fascinates me how the meaning of the same signifier (Basque cuisine) changes depending on circumstances and environment. For the Americans of Basque origin this - and not any other thing, not the Basque cuisine from here [EH] - is the cuisine that defines their ethnic identity. How not to love them, if they offer you rice with mussels as Basque-ness heaven 😍

The truly magical aspect of Basque-American cuisine is that it was developed to adapt to the available ingredients (much meat, few fish) and to the more and more americanized taste of their fellow diners. It was need what brought them away from the culinary canon of their homeland. Don’t tell someone from Bakersfield, Reno or Boise that what they eat isn’t a true Basque recipe because they will hit you. As they should.  Their concept of identity, of what’s traditional or super Basque is as valid as our own. A big part of the Basque women that created the Basque-American recipes arrived in America from a rural and poor place. Their food references didn’t include anything fancy or some dishes that were created at the beginning of the 20th century that eventually succeeded here, like cod pil-pil. They moved to the US out of need and they used to live like this:

Other euskoyankee recipes came directly from shepherds, men with few or no cooking experience but that were very hungry. They had to live alone with the only help of a pot and a fire. Basque shepherds invented a unique breakfast - bread, cheese and honey, mixed with boiling hot coffee - that was talked about in the Californian press in 1929: 

They also made popular the so-called sheepherder bread, that’s still a classic in California and that they would make in an iron pot. Shepherds would get up in the early morning, make the dough with some saved yeast, and let it rise while they got ready to work. Later, in a hole digged in the ground, they would put some red hot coal and then an iron pot with the dough in, and covered it with the lid, more coal and dirt. When they came back from work, their bread was ready and still warm. This type of bread is completely unknown in Euskadi, but it’s an icon of Basqueness in the US. There are even competitions.

Another characteristic of euskoyankee food is more how it’s eaten, and not what. The first Basque restaurants in the US were dining areas inside hostels, with a fixed menu and a communitary style. Long tables, everyone eating the same. Just like when we go to a sagardotegi.

For a fixed price you get soup, salad, the famous pickled tongue, pasta, cheese, salsa (Mexican style), bread, wine and a main dish that changes everyday: lamb stew, oxtail, sweetbreads, fried chicken, etc. Is this what we understand as Basque cuisine? Of course not, but it isn’t less authentic than ours. Here our food tradition evolved in one way, and there, in another. We are nobody to put labels or to believe we are guardians of anything. It’s even possible that some Basque-American recipes are older than many we consider a classic and super traditional on this side of the Atlantic. Let me remind you that the old Basque cuisine was extremely simple and humble.  

Original Twitter thread by Basque journalist and foodie Ana Vega

[freneticfloetry]

Owen has a popular food blog that cheerfully promises 'healthier' versions of traditional recipes. Carlos is an up and coming Austin chef trying to celebrate actual traditional recipes, and he can only get sent links for 'how to make frijoles refritos in half the time with half the fat (hint, the secret is avocado oil)' and 'tamales - the secret ingredient is flax seed' before he starts a flame war. The problem is there's been a confusion and he thinks Owen's name is TK, and he doesn't know that the cute pastry chef at his favorite bakery who keeps slipping him an extra pain au chocolate with his bread order is actually TK. Go.

LMAO LIM YOU’RE KILLING ME.

1. When the first link slides into his DMs from a random anonymous Instagram, pointing to an article on lettuce wraps replacing tortillas for Taco Tuesday, Carlos elects to ignore it — he’s already at war with the TexMex chains and Taco Bells of the world, he doesn’t have energy to answer every armchair chef who thinks they’ve unlocked the secrets of making Mexican food for the health nut masses.

2. Chefs eat terribly, Cheat Days are bullshit, and there’s a reason why Carlos works out the way he does. That reason is carbs. And also, maybe, the guy with the gorgeous green eyes behind the counter at the panadería down the street who bakes bread that makes him want to take off his pants. They make terrible food puns at each other daily. It’s the most comfortable Carlos has ever felt while flirting.

3. He’s not sure what this Tyler Kennedy seems to have against actual flavor, but at this point it feels personal. Several unsolicited links later, he’s barely skimmed a post on using coconut oil in the masa mix for tamales before he’s furiously typing a comment that starts — all caps — IS NOTHING SACRED, JUST LEAVE THE LARD ALONE.

4. One day there’s a number on the side of his Cronut box that he stares at for far too long. But before he knows what’s happening he’s wrapped up in a text exchange with TK from the bakery, swapping stories about his abuela’s recipes and his food blog nemesis and the friction growing up gay in a kitchen has always caused with his father. TK can somehow sympathize on two fronts with one dad, and tells him all about how he started baking with his mom almost out of spite.

5. Carlos has always been fascinated by baking, if a little vexed — cooking is art, but baking is science. TK offers a private lesson after hours. They end up with flour in a few unexpected places, but he definitely learns a thing or two.

Send me a potential AU and I’ll tell you five fun facts that would happen in a story.

[seethesunny]

🩵🩵🩵💐 once you receive this lovely bouquet of flowers you have to mention five things you love, publicly, and send it to 10 of your favorite followers if you want. SPREAD POSITIVITY! ⛅️

5 more things that I love! Thank you for sending this ask btw, you're so nice :)

I love the sunset! I live in an Island and the most beautiful shades appear in the sky (I can brag about it) but it's something so vivid and beautiful to watch, I've painted it so many times and it's still my fav sight in the whole world. 🌅

I love loooove Mexican food and it's such a joy to be passed down the recipes from my family, you can tell habits and traditions from that alone.

I love listening to 70's music (my dad's fault), it was such a good period of time that I don't mind the genre. Shout-out to Fleetwood Mac btw.

I love stickers! Who doesn’t like stamping a bunch of stickers on something?? If I didn’t have the bad habit of buying and hoarding collecting them instead of actually putting them somewhere...

I love sharing my ideas with someone and being listened to, it feels nice. (Special dedication to Koku for being there to yell about Boston smugglers and the aus, and the sequels, and the headcanons, and canon pain).

[bss-samsiyye]

Adeia 2023

- The gods have been very good to my garden this year. I even had four plants make a miraculous recovery after I was certain they would die. So this year I'm thanking them for it with honey libations and by repotting everyone to air out the soil and fertilize it, and focusing mostly on asking for regular rain. We had some rain this winter, which should NOT happen, and on the other hand I've never seen less rain in a wet season...which of course did not stop my city from flooding because it used to be a wetland. I'm asking Ba'al for lots of rain next summer.

Pictured here: wild amaranth, rosemary, marigold, arnica + lavender, wild Mexican tea and a baby chayote.

- I also prayed for Demeter's blessings for the sustainable urban designs I'm submitting to the relevant government departments some time next week, and for a proposal I want to introduce in my neighborhood to switch to native grass species, plant more flowers for native pollinators and upgrade outside lighting to be more firefly-friendly. I also asked her, and Persephone, to protect agricultural land, which is being threatened by both global warming and an increasingly violent political situation.

- Collected organic waste in a jar for three days to mix with the plants' new potting soil. A friend of my grandmother's gave us chicken eggs from his sustainable farm so I felt more pressed to not just throw the egg shells away and show my thanks.

Pictured here: a grinding stone shaped like a pig, for Demeter, and crushed eggshells in a jar mixed with wilted carrots.

- The wheat I planted last year suffered an untimely death by pet rabbit (his name is Apollo) and the one I planted in March to replace it is taking it's time, so I offered it only in spirit.

Pictured here: rabbit-appropriate wheat (with some chickweed) and a green wheat stalk for the gods.

- I also planted cattails (ethically sourced from my local zoo's restored wetland habitat) to keep it water-themed. Some will go in my garden, others to friends' gardens, and a few to my grandmother's artificial pond.

- For the food offering, I wanted to prepare chiles en nogada, stuffed (big) peppers with walnut and goat cheese sauce and pomegranates for decoration. The ingredients for it are in season so I thought it was appropriate, but it's also a reminder that we have to think about where our food comes from and protect those sources. Chiles en nogada are a traditional September dish; unfortunately, the recipe has changed in recent years because one of the ingredients used in the stuffing, called acitrón, comes from a barrel cactus species which is now endangered. Alas, it's quite a labor-intensive dish and it's a busy weekend for my family, so we're making it next week instead.

[abramsbooks]

RECIPE: Pollo in Guajillo (from Asada by Bricia Lopez and Javier Cabral)

This grilled chicken has gotten me through so many long days working at Guelaguetza. There were times when I ate it for lunch every day, sometimes with a big salad, sometimes with homestyle french fries, or with rice, beans, and tortillas. It tastes great any way you eat it and it reheats beautifully. This is a solid recipe to make on a Sunday and eat throughout the week. I purposely did not soak the chiles, in order to create a rustic marinade that has more texture; the flavor of burnt chile once it is grilled makes this chicken recipe stand out.

Serves 4

12 guajillo chiles (1¾ ounces/50 g), stems and seeds removed

½ large white onion (5. ounces/150 g), roughly chopped

8 cloves garlic, peeled

¼ teaspoon black peppercorns (about 12 peppercorns)

1 whole clove

1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano

2 tablespoons grapeseed oil

¼ cup (60 ml) orange juice

2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1½ tablespoons sea salt

2 pounds (910 g) bone-in chicken thighs

In a cast-iron skillet over medium heat, lightly toast the chiles, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Remove from the skillet and set aside.

In the same skillet, add the onion and garlic, turning once or twice until they are lightly charred, about 10 minutes. Remove from the skillet and set aside.

Add the peppercorns, clove, and dried oregano to the pan and lightly toast until they are aromatic, about 2 minutes. Transfer the toasted spices and oregano to a molcajete or spice grinder and grind until finely ground.

In a high-performance blender or food processor, add the toasted chiles, onion, garlic, ground spices and oregano, oil, orange juice, rice vinegar, lime juice, cinnamon, and salt. Blend until most of the chiles have come apart.

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Using a gallon-size resealable bag, add the marinade and the chicken. Seal and let sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

Remove the chicken thighs in their marinade from the fridge to allow them to reach room temperature before grilling.

Start a charcoal or gas grill. The gas should be set to high. If using a pellet grill, preheat your grill to 450°F (230°C) for at least 15 minutes. If using charcoal, the coals should be red but entirely covered with gray ash.

Remove the chicken from the marinade and put them on the grill directly over the medium fire, skin side up. Close the lid and cook, turning once, about 15 minutes on each side. The chicken is cooked when its internal temperature reaches 175°F (79°C) on a meat thermometer. Transfer the meat to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes.

Oaxaca authors Bricia Lopez and Javier Cabral are back with the first major cookbook about how to create asada—Mexican-style grilled meat—at home

In millions of backyards across Southern California, an asada means a gathering of family, friends, great music, cold drinks, good times, and community—all centered around the primal allure of juicy, smoky grilled meat with flavors and spices traditional to Mexico. The smell of asada is a cloud of joy that lingers in the streets of Los Angeles. With Asada: The Art of Mexican-Style Grilling, Mexican food authorities and the authors of Oaxaca, Bricia Lopez and Javier Cabral, are back with more than 100 recipes that show you how to prepare the right dishes and drinks for your next carne asada gathering. Asada will both guide you in crafting mouthwatering food and inspire the right laidback atmosphere.

Everyone says they love a spicy margarita and asada tacos, but very few understand the culture that informs these flavors. Divided into the eight crucial elements of any carne asada: botanas (appetizers), carnes (meats), mariscos (seafood), side dishes and vegetables, salsas, aguas frescas, cocktails, and dessert, Asada walks you through every step. From Lopez’s secret “michelada marinade” to game-changing salsas that will elevate any grilled meat, this cookbook is the ultimate guide to making and beginning to understand the magic of asada.

For more information, click here.