Regions of Mexico 6-Week Series (9/12 - 10/31)
Interest in native Mexican cooking has exploded. Its bold, diverse, and flavorful cuisine is so much more than the Tex-Mex dishes most Americans think of as Mexican food. With the country’s blend of indigenous, Spanish, African, and Asian influences, you’ll find a delicious range of zesty, rich, and spicy dishes. Methods for creating flavors…
Interest in native Mexican cooking has exploded. Its bold, diverse, and flavorful cuisine is so much more than the Tex-Mex dishes most Americans think of as Mexican food. With the country’s blend of indigenous, Spanish, African, and Asian influences, you’ll find a delicious range of zesty, rich, and spicy dishes. Methods for creating flavors impossible to experience anywhere else yield some of the world’s best street food. And with all that avocado, tomato, lime and garlic, with beans and chocolate and chilies besides, the cuisine is loaded with nutritional superfoods rich with antioxidants and healthful things. It doesn’t taste healthy though. It tastes like a fiesta in your mouth. Classes in this series cannot be made up. *THIS SERIES SKIPS THE WEEKS OF 9/26 and 10/3*
Week 1 – Northern Mexico: Cattle ranching and wheat farming are big business in this desert region bordering the US, hence the prominance of grilled meats and more than 40 different types of flour tortillas. This region also produces the widest variety of cheeses in Mexico including queso fresco (farmer’s cheese), asadero, and Chihuahua.
Recipes this week include:
• Tacos y pirates (carne asada grilled beef with flour tortillas)
• Barbacoa (braised beef)
• Queso flammeado (flaming cheese)
• Frijoles charros (cowboy beans, the perfect pot-luck dish)
This series is for adults 18+. Each class length estimate is 4 hours.
Week 2 – Baja and North Pacific: With two thousand miles of coastline, the Baja peninsula is known for its great seafood. And with its Mediterranean-like climate and the oldest and largest vineyards in Mexico, Baja has recently become a world class food and wine destination. The Caesar salad was born here, and fish tacos.
Recipes this week include:
• Shrimp aguachile (Mexican-style ceviche)
• Fish tacos
• Pescado zarandeado (grilled fish smothered in chili and spices)
• Concha (Mexican sweet bread)
This series is for adults 18+. Each class length estimate is 4 hours.
Week 3 – Bajio (Lowlands): Just north of Mexico City, this immense plateau surrounded by rugged mountains is rich in Spanish colonial history, and its farmlands yield many Mexican staples. The state of Michoacan is the avocado capital of the world and thought to be the birthplace of carnitas (Mexican pulled pork). Indigenous corn, together with rice, pork and spices from the Spanish, form the foundation for many dishes here. Lastly, the region is renowed for its sweet desserts such as cajeta (goat’s milk caramel) and arroz con leche (rice pudding).
Recipes this week include:
• Guacamole with homemade corn tortillas
• Tamales, tacos, and enchiladas
• Carnitas
• Chocolate ice cream with cajeta
This series is for adults 18+. Each class length estimate is 4 hours.
Week 4 – Central Mexico: The food of Mexico City and the country’s culinary heart, the town of Puebla, reflects its Aztec heritage, its convents, and extensive international influences. Many of the cuisines from the rest of Mexico are represented here in Mexico City’s street food, considered among the top-10 best in the world. Taco stands, torta (sandwich) shops and tamale vendors abound. Mole poblano, created by the Roman Catholic sisters in Puebla, ranks among Mexico’s classics.
Recipes this week include:
• Tacos al pastor (pork and pineapple)
• Mole poblano
• Tinga (stew of tomatoes, chipotle with meat or poultry) tostadas
• Arroz con leche (rice pudding)
This series is for adults 18+. Each class length estimate is 4 hours.
Week 5 – Oaxaca and South Pacific: The highlands of Oaxaca have remained the most indigenous region in Mexico, with at least a third of the region speaking native languages rather than Spanish. Oaxaca, revered as a culinary center both in Mexico and beyond, is best known for its moles, Oaxacan cheese (mozzarella-like), regional chili peppers, and chocolate. And with ample coastline, Oaxaca has a rich seafood cuisine.
Recipes this week include:
• Encamaronades (cheesy shrimp tacos)
• Vieras a la Diabla (devilish scallops)
• Elotes (Mexican street corn)
• Flan de café (Coffee flan)
This series is for adults 18+. Each class length estimate is 4 hours.
Week 6 – Yucatan and Southern Gulf: The Yucatán Peninsula is home to a melting pot of populations who settled in the sunny spot separating the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico. The cuisine emanating from this unique cultural mix is celebrated the world over. Achiote (annatto seed), citrus, habaneros, and smoke - all pillars of Mayan cooking - are ubiquitous in the dishes here.
Recipes this week include:
• Huevos motulenos (eggs with tortillas, beans, ham, peas, plantains)
• Papadzules (stuffed tortillas with pumpkin seed sauce)
• Fish tikin xic (grilled fish with achiote and sour orange)
• Coconut tres leches cake with flaming mangos
This series is for adults 18+. Each class length estimate is 4 hours.