Oaxaca Cultural Navigator

Here’s what you can do with all those cucumbers (pepinos) in your garden! A thirst quenching liquid refreshment sure to delight all is Agua Fresca de Pepino con Limon. We had this last week in Oaxaca (at Los Descansos restaurant in Teotitlan) and it was delicious. Here is the recipe — really easy.

In your blender, add:

1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup hot tap water, blend to dissolve sugar (use sugar to taste)

1 medium English cucumber, washed, ends cut off (do not peel)

juice of 2 large limes or 4 small limes

1 cup water

12-16 ice cubes

Cut cucumber into 2″ cubes and add to blender along with lime juice and water. Blend until smooth. Add ice cubes, as many as needed to make the drink really “chilly.” Blend until drink is consistency of a smoothie.

Pour into a wine glass and serve immediately. Makes 4 6-ounce servings.

If you want to add some pizzaz, add one ounce of clear tequila for a refreshing twist on Margaritaville.

Karen Karuza arrived this morning to begin a four-day weaving and natural dyeing workshop with the Chavez Santiago Family, Francisco I. Madero #55, Teotitlan del Valle at their studio and gallery. Karen is an artist and has been teaching textile design at the Art Institute of Philadelphia for 20 years. Her son, Sebastian, age 14, who was born in Oaxaca, accompanied her. It was perfect because he could hang out with Omar Chavez Santiago, also age 14. Karen is not an experienced weaver, but took to the process instantly with expert guidance from master weaver Federico Chavez Sosa.

Federico and his daughter Janet Chavez Santiago first explained to Karen how the Zapotec loom is used and how it was warped. Then, they all went into the rug gallery where Federico and Janet pulled out many rugs woven with natural colors so Karen could see the choices of color combinations and patterns that she might use in the piece she planned to weave. Here, she could see the finished pieces woven by Federico, his wife Dolores, Janet, and sons Eric (age 24) and Omar.

Next, Federico and Janet took Karen upstairs to the area where the dyed wool is stored. Here, she could choose the colors she preferred. Then, they went back downstairs to the weaving workshop area where Federico showed Karen how to wind bobbins using the spinning wheel.

With Karen at the loom next to him, Federico then demonstrated the tapestry weaving techniques of Teotitlan del Valle, how to put the shuttle through the loom, use the foot pedals, and manipulate the yarn to achieve an even border. The two fourteen year olds, Omar and Sebastian, worked together to spin the wool onto bobbins that would be put into the shuttle.

As the family gathers around the loom, Federico teaches and coaches, Janet translates as necessary, and both father-daughter team encourage Karen as she begins the rhythm of weaving. Janet says, “When you have the idea how the loom works, it is easier to do it. It just takes practice.” Karen is learning quickly and after only a few hours, has created the beginning of a beautiful tapestry that she intends to use as a wall hanging when she returns home.

“This is really exciting,” she said. “I’m here because I want to be able to talk about traditional weaving techniques with my students and other textile faculty members. It’s professional development that will be very helpful in my work.”

After the 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. period of instruction is over, Karen, along with her son, gathered around the family table for comida — the mid-day meal — that included homemade sopa de elote con flor de calabassas and tasajo con queso, salsa y tortillas prepared by Dolores Chavez Arrellenas who is an extraordinary cook. Now, to get ready for tomorrow’s lesson, Omar is squeezing 100 limes by hand. The juice will be used to prepare the cochineal for the dyeing portion of the workshop.

Note: The workshops are held in the taller — home and studio — of Federico Chavez Sosa and his wife Dolores Santiago Arrellanos, in the village of Teotitlan del Valle, about 17 miles outside Oaxaca city. The gallery and studio is open daily, however, it is always wise to call ahead to make certain that someone is home! The phone number is (951) 52 44078. Add 011 52 if calling from the U.S.

Today we had comida at El Descanso in Teotitlan del Valle. They make a great Tlayuda (sometimes spelled Clyuda), which is an extra large crispy flour tortilla smothered with great stuff and resembling the thin-crusted pizzas one gets in restaurants in Rome. You eat it open face, cutting it with a knife and fork or tearing off pieces and folding it over just like pizza. It makes a delicious and fast meal. We ordered these and aguas frescas de pepino (cucumber) — a cool beverage of cucumber juice mixed with water, lime juice and sugar. Muy delicioso!

Above, in the foreground, tlayuda con tesajo (seasoned and grilled beef, sliced thin) and in the background, tlayuda con pollo.  The drinks are Agua Fresca Limon (left) and Agua Fresca Pepino (right)

Tlayuda For One:

1- 12″ flour tortilla toasted in the oven or on a stove top griddle

1/2 tomato, sliced thin

1/2 cup Queso Oaxaqueno (Oaxaca string cheese)

1/4 cup black beans, pulverized into a paste

1/4 cup diced onions, sauteed

1/2 avocado, sliced

1/4- 1/2 cup chicken pieces

Red or Green Salsa to taste

Spread the tortilla completely with the black bean paste. Evenly distribute the cheese over the top, then do the same with the chicken pieces, onions, tomato and avocado. Drizzle with salsa. Heat under broiler for 5 minutes or until cheese melts and chicken is lightly browned. One tlayuda will serve one person. Optional additional ingredients: diced peppers, diced pineapple; substitute pork or beef for the chicken.

This is a delicious alternative to the standard Margarita mix you buy from the store. Perfect for a summer refresher, and even more perfect when the cantaloupe is less than ripe–and refuses to ripen, because now you can use it for something other than the compost pile. Add a sprig of mint, it you please, and it becomes a Melon Margarita Mint Julep — we’re in the south now, honey.

1/2 cantaloupe, seeded, peeled and cut into 1″ cubes

1/2 cup simple syrup

3-4 T fresh lime juice (juice of a large lime)

1 cup water

12 ice cubes

3-4 shots of good quality Tequila

Combine all ingredients except the liquor in a blender and puree until smooth on high speed. Add the Tequila and blend for a second or two until mixed in. Pour into Margarita or red wine glasses. If you like a salted rim, rub the rim with lime, then turn it over and dip the rim into a cooled simple syrup, just enough to coat the edge, then dip the rim into plate of Kosher salt until the rim is coated. Invert and pour in the liquid.

Serves 4.

Simple syrup: Put 1/2 cup of sugar and a 1/2 cup of water into a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until sugar melts and liquid is clear and begins to come to a simmer.

I’m also going to try this with a honeydew melon!

Elsa Sanchez Diaz, who lives in Oaxaca, has been visiting us. She loves to prepare desserts and one day I came home to find this delicious treat sitting on the kitchen counter, ready to cut for an after dinner delectable. If you’re calorie-watching, think twice! This recipe uses sweetened condensed milk.

Ingredients:

1 - 12 oz. can evaporated milk (I use low-fat or non-fat)

1- 12 oz. can sweetened condensed milk

the juice of 4-6 fresh limes

2 tubes of Marias (approximately 24 cookies)

In a blender, combine the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and lime juice. Blend until the mixture is very thick. The next instruction is counter-intuitive: if the mixture isn’t thick, then you need to add more lime juice. It should be the consistency of cake batter.

Layer a base of the Marias (cookies) in a large rectangular glass baking dish. Spoon the batter over the cookies to just cover them. The cookies should be touching. Add another layer of cookies, then spoon more batter to cover. Continue layering the cookies and spooning the batter until you reach the top of the dish. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 7 hours. Bring out and let sit for five minutes before cutting into squares. Serves 10-12.

Note: You can find Marias in the Mexican food section of the supermarket or at a Mexican specialty grocery store. If you can’t find the Marias, then you can substitute vanilla wafers.

Topping Options: Sprinkle with chopped nuts, banana slices, canned peaches or fresh fruit.  I might make a gelatin using the canned peaches including the juices they’re packed in, and when it is semi-firm, pour it over the cake as a topping and freeze until it’s set up.

Now, I love to cut corners and figure out ways to prepare and eat healthy food — quickly.  Once, I cooked with heavy cream, butter and flour to make buerre blanc and sauce meuniere.  Now, salad and fresh fruit are the mainstays.  Once, I learned to make a chocolate hazelnut torte — a three-layer extravaganza with chocolate ganache, shaved chocolate curls adorning a chocolate whipped cream frosting, all perfectly turned out for the ooohs-and-aaaaahs.  So, as I give you these cut-the-corners recipes, know that I’m translating from the difficult to the simple for your dining pleasure.  Buen probecho!

Elsa and I were in the kitchen together last night. It is wonderful to have her and Eric with us in the house. Each day, they get up in the morning, drop me off at my office, and take my car out to the destination of the day …. usually to the mall, or Target (tienda favorita), or TJ Maxx or Marshall’s. There is no Target in Oaxaca and it is a mesmerizing experience. For them, these outings are like my yearnings to search out San Martin Tilcajete or Santa Maria Atzompa on a quest for the perfect piece of pottery or alebrije. Clothing, electronics, and daily essentials are less expensive in the U.S. and discount shopping for my Oaxacan friends becomes a cultural adventure. Last night, they take a respite from eating cheese burgers and fries to helping me make Mole Coloradito. Here’s how it goes.

I have a jar of ground chile chocolate paste in my refrigerator that I brought back from Oaxaca six months ago — a purchase I made at Mayordomo on Calle 20 de Noviembre, south of the Zocalo — and keep in a glass canning jar, tightly covered. It is a standard mix of almonds, Oaxacan chocolate (spiced with cinnamon) and pasilla peppers. (If you want or need to make your own paste, consult the Food Network for a scratch recipe.) You may be able to find a jar of the paste in a Mexican food store, too. So, here is what you will need.

For the Mole Sauce — This Has a Big Bite Flavor:

16 oz. — mole colorado paste (this is a very thick mixture that has the consistency of almond paste)

2 or more cups of beef broth

1 - 12-oz. jar of Paul Newman Tequila Lime Salsa

In a blender, add the mole paste, the beef broth and the jar of salsa. Pulse until smooth. The consistency should be like heavy cream. That’s It. Muy Delicioso!

For the Carne (beef):

1-1/2 to 2 lbs. good quality beef stew meat, cut into 1″ cubes

3 T. fresh parsley, chopped

1 large onion, diced

6 cloves of garlic, peeled, left whole

3 dried pasilla chiles, seeded and chopped

2 c. water

salt to season

In the morning, before you go to work or go off for the day, put all ingredients into a crock pot, stir, cover, and set on highest temperature. When you return at 6 or 7 p.m., the meat will be perfectly cooked. Use the liquid beef stock from the crock pot to make your mole sauce.

For the Arroz (rice):

2 cups of regular white rice

4 cups of water

salt to taste

Combine the rice, water and salt in a 4 quart sauce pan. Bring to the rolling boil. Cover. Turn heat down to low and continue to cook for 10 minutes at a low simmer. Turn the heat off. Let rice sit for 20 minutes as it continues to steam cook.

Oaxaquenos traditionally serve the Mole Colorado over the rice, and serve the meat next to this. Serve plenty of tortillas that have been warmed on the griddle (flour or corn). As accompaniments, serve with sauteed zucchini or crooked neck yellow squash and black beans.

The last few days I was in Oaxaca, I gorged on avocados — thoughts about calories to the wind. I mashed them, sliced them, added them cubed to soup, to eggs, to chicken tacos. One day, I bought 6 avocados for a dollar and made enough guacamole to last for days. I knew when I got home to Chapel Hill it would be a cold day in hell before I would ever see an avocado for 20 or 25 cents each. A teeny weeny Haas avocado in any local NC super or organic market is costing $1.29 to $1.99 each. Must be the cost of gasoline to get it here! I roll by them in the market, looking longingly, fingering the skin to check for ripeness, then just can bear to pay the price for such a small bit of food. In Oaxaca, avocados, papaya, melon and bananas are grown locally, so they are abundant and inexpensive, even in winter (which is like early summer in California). California pears and peaches, pineapples from Costa Rica and Guatemala are readily available and are not exhorbitant. Restaurant fare varies according to where one chooses to eat, of course. On the high end, a comida midday meal at Casa Oaxaca can easily run $50 USD per person. I’d rather eat at La Biznaga or La Olla, knowing I was buying healthfully prepared food, spend about $7-10 USD for a meal (although one could eat there for as little as $4-5), and put the money I “saved” toward buying an alebrije or rug. Other good bets for meals are restaurants Marco Polo, and Maria Buena in the same price range, and at the San Martin Tilcajete crossroads, Jacobo Angeles’ new restaurant, La Azucena. I’ve taken to eating in the markets when the stall looks clean and the food is either grilled or boiled or steamed to oblivion. In Tlacolula, on Sunday market day, Stephen and I went to a grilling stall where the raw red meat was draped over metal display racks like at a butcher after we saw the long lines in front of the place. One thing I’ve learned from traveling the world, especially Asia, is that where large groups congregate, it’s got to be good food. So, we picked out our piece of meat, they grilled it, along with the onions we bought at an adjacent stall. Stephen went off to forage for bread baked that day, a hunk of Queso Oaxaqueno, and drinks. With food in hand, we strolled out to the church courtyard, plunked down on the raised concrete edge of a flower bed, and ate our “lunch-dinner” just like the locals. The cost was about $6 for both of us including everything. Delicious and no worries!

There’s a night life now in Teotitlan. It is called “Samburguesas.” Samuel is the proprietor and he unfolds his awning every evening around 7 p.m. on the side of the market that faces the church. The grilled burgers are delicious, as are the tacos al pastor. These tacos are made from grilled pork meat that is sliced off a vertical roaster, topped with grilled pineapple, and served over two small soft handmade corn tortillas. A plate of condiments is put on every table that includes guacamole, red onions, salsa fresca, and hot peppers (watch out for those peppers). You dress your own tacos. They cost about 50 cents each. Beer is available, though it is usually warm. Throughout posada season, Samburguesas is really busy, and townspeople just love the idea of getting out around 8:30 or 9 at night for cena, and it’s a place for teens to gather, too, beyond the street corners.

Oaxaca is famous for its Aguas Frescas … those sublime fruit drinks perfect for sipping while sitting on the zocalo or strolling down the Alcala Macedonia. Fresh fruit waters come in a variety of flavors: pineapple (pina), cantaloupe (melon), watermelon (sandia), mango or papaya. They are made in a blender with water, sugar and ice (hielo). Ice made from purified water, which the good restaurants always use, is not a problem….no worries! Now that I’m home, I’m yearning for those delicous Aguas Frescas. I bought a cantaloupe the other day, cut it open and discovered it was not yet ripe…and once cut, too bad. So, I quartered it, seeded it, cut the flesh into bite sized pieces, put it in the blender with the following recipe, and lo and behold, Agua Fresca de Melon — fabulous.

• 1 large cantaloupe, peeled, seeded, with flesh cubed into 1″ pieces
• 2 T. sugar or 1 T. Splenda
• 2 cups water
• 8-10 ice cubes
• Optional: 1/2 cup non-fat plain yoghurt

This is a delicious vegetarian, corn based soup that I adapted from the kitchen of Dolores Chavez. I guarantee you will love it. The tomatillo adds just enough of a bite to be satisfying without any fire. Chayote squash is green and looks like a pear — most supermarkets near a Mexican immigrant population will have it.

• 1 can creamed corn, 12-16 oz.
• 1 can whole kernel corn
• 6 cups water (or if you prefer, chicken stock)
• 4 tomatillos, peeled and quartered
• 4 lg. carrots, peeled and sliced
• 4 yellow crook neck squash or 2 chayote squash, cut into 1-2″ chunks
• 1/2 large white, red or yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, sliced thin
• 2 T. EV olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

• Combine the two cans of corn in a blender and pulse until coarsely pureed. Add to stock pot and combine with the liquid. Sautee the onion and garlic together in 2 T. olive oil until glazed and slightly browned. Add to the stock pot along with the raw carrots, squash and tomatillos. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Salt and pepper to taste. Delicious on Day 2, 3, and 4, too!