Mexican food, for real
Mexican cuisine is some of the food we love most, whether we're chomping on carnitas or carne asada tacos. But how do we know if we're feasting on authentic Mexican cuisine, or just some gringo-ized grub?
A couple quick hints: If the restaurant serves a chimichanga or specializes in something called "fourthmeal," chances are it's not true Mexican cuisine.
The debate can get hotter than a habanero pepper when folks discern between "real" Mexican restaurants and spots that just want to make a quick buck off burritos.
Kurt Spataro certainly has a passion for authentic food from south of the border. The Sacramento, Calif., chef spent more than seven years traveling through Mexico and studying its regional cuisines. He opened Centro Cocina Mexicana in 1994, which serves such Oaxacan specialties as mole Negro, in a trendy setting.
"It's the original soul food," says Spataro about Mexican cuisine. "It's really satisfying to eat and really satisfying to cook. It's not only delicious and satiates you, but there's something that's so old and ancient about it. When you re-create these old things, it connects you to something deeper than having a meal."
But some of the dishes considered Mexican aren't from south of the border at all.
Those sizzling fajitas are a Texas invention popularized in the 1980s. Ask for the deep-fried burrito known as a chimichanga in Mexico and you could receive a puzzled stare.
Nachos and enchiritos? We won't even get started on that one.
A glut of inauthentic food makes it tough for Diana Kennedy to eat at Mexican restaurants when she visits the United States. Kennedy, who lives in Michoacan, Mexico, is one of the world's authorities on Mexican food and author of such seminal cookbooks as "The Cuisines of Mexico."
"When it's done well, it's such exciting food," says Kennedy, by phone from Mexico. "But why is it that guacamole can be so marvelous and so horribly done? And tacos, the idea of some intriguing stuff in a fun bite of a tortilla, has been taken on by the world in good, bad and indifferent forms."
First, the basics
The basis of Mexican food blends a pre-Columbian diet (corn, chilies, jicama, beans) with culinary influences from Spanish conquistadores and other settlers (garlic, beef, onion, chicken). The variety of climates, agriculture and other regional characteristics make for the exceptionally diverse cuisine we know as Mexican food.
In the northern states, you'll find plenty of barbacoa de chivo (barbecued goat). It's all about fish in Veracruz, the southeastern state in the Gulf of Mexico. Grasshopper tacos? That's a staple of Oaxacan food, along with chocolate and a variety of mole sauces.
"In Mexico, there's the basic peasant food, the survival food for people who don't have access to markets," says Kennedy. "Then there's the popular foods on the street, which are tacos with lots of fillings that are delicious. You've got the more sophisticated and complicated food on the higher end. There's a contrast of flavors and textures in Mexican food that's just fascinating."
Like other ethnic foods, these traditions sometimes get diluted or distorted when they reach American palates. Cheddar cheese, that orange stuff sprinkled on many an American enchilada, is rarely used in Mexico. Beans and tamales without lard might as well be heresy to traditional Mexican cooks.
Portion sizes can also vary between the two countries. The burrito may be a lighter snack in Mexico, but not around these parts. Many domestic burritos are practically the size of a puppy.
"In Mexico, unless they're copying the Americans, when you buy a burrito they don't make it massive and pile it with lettuce, beans and meat," says Bernadette Gutierrez, a gourmet Mexican cook from Sacramento who studied with Diana Kennedy. "That's something for the Americans, the big eaters. I think people are looking for authentic Mexican food, but it's hard to find here."
Prep time: 35 minutesCook time: 30 minutes2 cups cooked black beans2 avocado leaves, optional2 tablespoons vegetable oil or flavorful lard, plus more for frying tortillas12 corn tortillas½ cup cooked chorizoGarnish:1 small white onion, cut into rings4 ounces queso fresco or farmer's cheese¼ cup Mexican crema or ¼ cup sour cream thinned with a little milk2 tablespoons chopped cilantroChipotle chilies en adobo, cut into rings, optionalIn a food processor or blender, blend the cooked beans with the avocado leaves, if using, until smooth. Add a little water if necessary to facilitate the blending.Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook the bean puree for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Taste the bean puree and add salt to taste. Add more water if puree is too thick. It should be thin enough to pour.Pour oil in a shallow pan to ¼-inch depth. Place over medium heat and fry each tortilla briefly on both sides. Drain well. While the tortilla is still warm, dip it into the bean puree. Spoon some of the chorizo (about 2 teaspoons) and bean puree onto the tortilla and fold into quarters. Repeat process with remaining tortillas.Arrange three filled tortillas on each plate. Spoon a generous amount of the bean puree over each. Garnish with the onion rings, cheese, crema, cilantro and chipotle chilies, if desired. Makes 4 servings.Note: The cook time does not include the time to cook the beans.Per serving: 572 cal.; 22 g pro.; 57 g carb.; 29 g fat (9 sat., 10 monounsat., 9 polyunsat., 1 other); 41 mg chol.; 922 mg sod.; 11 g fiber; 2 g sugar; 45 percent calories from fat.Recipe from Kurt Spataro of Centro Cocina Mexicana
Prep time: 25 minutesCook time: Depends on desired doneness4 tablespoons minced garlic1 tablespoon coarsely ground black peppercorns1 teaspoon salt5 Mexican limes or 2 lemons, juiced3 pounds skirt steak, sliced into 6 servings½ cup bay leavesPlace the garlic, peppercorns, salt and lime juice in a food processor or molcajete and grind to a coarse paste. Place the steaks in a small roasting pan and baste them on all sides with the marinade.Place the steaks on a large platter and cover with about 6 bay leaves on each side. Stack steaks on top of one another in a large bowl; add any leftover marinade; cover with plastic wrap. Marinate steaks in the refrigerator for 4 hours. Remove and discard bay leaves before grilling or broiling the steaks, but not if you intend to barbecue them (the burned bay leaves add to the flavor). Makes 6 servings.Note: The prep time does not include the 4-hour marinate time.Per serving: 362 cal.; 46 g pro.; 4 g carb.; 17 g fat (8 sat., 7 monounsat., 2 polyunsat.); 112 mg chol.; 529 mg sod.; 0 g fiber; 0 g sugar; 44 percent calories from fat.From "Recipe of Memory" by Victor M. Valle and Mary Lau Valle
