Who says you can’t have a fiesta in the wintertime? (Especially when it’s 48F outside. It’s like spring in the winter!) Unlike mexicanized restaurant food in the U.S., actual food in Mexico is fresh, vibrant, and light in a satisfying and hearty kind of way. Case in point: a crisp, refreshing version of pozole, served [...]
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Now that summer is on the way, I’m thinking about gardening and veggies and mounds of fresh produce. It’s still a little bit chilly out, though, so I’m also still enjoying warm dishes hot off the stove. In keeping with the winter-to-spring transition, this Vegetable Medley Stew is a cross-seasonal dish — it’s warm and [...]
Although we’ve become accustomed to the taste and style of European-made chocolates (most American chocolatiers stick to Continental methods when it comes to cocoa), the great chocolate traditions originally came from Mexico — specifically, the Aztec civilization. They drank their chocolate unsweetened, accenting their frothing cups with chilies, cinnamon, and vanilla rather than sugar. Not [...]
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Americans eat oats for breakfast and in the occasional cookie. Scots eat them for breakfast, too…and for lunch and dinner and everything in between. They eat them in scones and stews and porridges and even with fish. And why not? Not only are oats one of the most nutrient-rich grains on the planet, they have [...]
The next time you have a big pot of chili or stew — in this case, I had made a batch of Moroccan harira — try creating a quick lasagna/casserole with your tasty leftovers. All you have to do is cook some noodles (anything from penne to ziti to linguini), layer the noodles and stew [...]
This African-influenced stew hovers somewhere between being a thick, Italian pomodoro sauce and American chili. You can spoon it over rice or couscous, serve it with crispy flatbread (in this case, a toasted pita with Parmesan cheese), or eat it all on its own. Be sure, though, to buy good-quality tomato sauce–it will be the [...]
Adding almonds to chili may seem odd, but their smooth character provides an intriguing contrast to the piquancy of the dish. So does the sesame paste…although you may want to use actual seeds if you’re a big fan of crunchiness. Cinnamon and chiles combine to form a spicy backdrop to the mellow chicken broth base. [...]
