I lived in Torreon, Mexico for two months when I was 16. The mother of the family I lived with was a terrible cook, so my friend Linda and I quickly learned to stop by a little adobe house on our way “home” from school where the woman who lived there sold tacos (25 cents…
Category: Mexican
Salsa Macha
Slightly sweet, you can control the heat, completely delicious, and you make it in the blender. We first ate this at Cocina Chiwas in Phoenix — my favorite Mexican restaurant these days. Remove the stems and and most of the seeds from the chiles morita. You can also substitute anchos, guajillos or chiles de arbol or…
Crispy Potatoes with Avocado Salsa
I seriously think that my generation’s meals were ruined by the constant message that salt was dangerous to our health. I only just recently came to this conclusion, when I went to our local farmer’s market in Carefree AZ and bought the most delicious salsa that was absolutely perfectly delicious because salt was so obvious…
Pico de Gallo
If you buy those flabby, pale, tasteless, imitation pico de gallos in the deli case at the grocery store, it’s time to come to the light! There is absolutely no reason to do this ever again in your life when you can make this vibrant, fresh, flavor-packed version to serve with chips, tacos, quesadillas and…
Carne Asada, Street Tacos Style
We grew up on ground beef tacos — and I thought they were delicious at the time, but as I became an adult it was a major revelation to see the vast array of what tacos could be — carnitas (pretty much my fave), chicken, fish, guajillo beef and so many others. INGREDIENTS Marinade: 5 tablespoons low…
Chili de Arbol Salsa
Okay, let’s talk salsa. It is the soul of Mexican food. I know it’s easy to run to the store and pick up a mundane plastic tub of mushy out of season tomatoes, and old onions, but honestly why would you do that to your beautiful tacos? Once you start making your own, there is…
Roasted Butternut Squash Enchiladas in Ancho Cream Sauce
I’m pretty sure that I would choose these enchiladas as my last meal before dying. I usually make the sauce one day, and assemble and cook the enchies (enchiladas) the next. Seriously and decadently DELICIOUS! Ingredients: 1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes 1 Tbsp. olive oilsalt, to tastefreshly ground black…
Tortilla Soup
You can’t go wrong with a Cook’s Illustrated recipe — I completely love this soup! Makes about 9 cups, serving 6 Tortilla Strips : 8 corn tortillas (6-inch), cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips 1 tablespoon vegetable oil table salt Soup : 2 split bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds) or 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken…
Mexilicious Rice
When I left home and had to figure out how to cook for myself, one of my staples in my limited repertoire for a “fancy” dinner was a box rice product called Herb and Butter rice — but I can’t remember the company name. It wasn’t Knorr — or Rice-a-Roni . . . but I…
The LEGENDARY La Vic Orange Salsa
There are three La Victoria taquerias in San Jose — I’m not completely in love with their tacos as my favorite taqueria is around the corner from my house. But this . . . .this delectable orange sauce . . . kicks boring to the curb!!! I have been known to put it on…
Ciao Down Fish Tacos
Ciao Down on Fish Tacos I didn’t know I loved fish tacos until only a few months ago. I met some friends at Cascal, and we ordered several small plates, and after I had one of the fish tacos with a cucumber and jalapeño margarita, that’s all she wrote — that’s all I wanted…
Cafe Barber 