A Mexican Fiesta: Food and Recipes Galore

Chef Rick Bayless Tapes PBS TV Show in Baja California

American cuisine celebrity Rick Bayless, mostly known for his Iron Chef America participation and appearance in Top Chef, recently visited Baja California, Mexico to tape 13 episodes for his PBS television series “Mexico, One Plate at a Time.” On a YouTube video, Bayless shared his experience while taping: “The reason why I am so captivated with this place is because of the incredible products that you can find here, amazingly talented chefs, seafood, world-class wines. It’s pretty stunning what you can find here.”

Anthony Bourdain Praises Baja California Cuisine

Known for his adventurous approach to food and travel, Chef Bourdain found a new spin to food and travel in abundance on his most recent trip to Baja California, Mexico. Currently one of the most influential food celebrities, Anthony Bourdain, host of such television programs as “No Reservations” and “The Layover,” recently praised the emerging cuisine of Baja California in an interview with the Austin American-Statesman newspaper. Read more about the interview on the culture page of MexicoToday.org. 

Mexico Food Stats

Worldwide, it is common for grain sorghum to be used as a food grain for humans. In the United States, sorghum is used primarily as a feed grain for livestock and the feed value of grain sorghum is similar to corn. 

Recently, the high demand for sorghum has proven to be a positive phenomenon for the U.S. Mexico purchases around 78 million bushels of sorghum from the United States each year, and, “In any given year, Mexico alone accounts for roughly 25 percent to 30 percent of U.S. sorghum exports.”

As John Miller from Southwest Ag Consulting explained, ‘The demand for sorghum by Mexico should increase given that the U.S. market is coming off of a drought and will boost production.’

(Source: mexicotoday.org)

What are the favorite Mexican beers?

What happens when a group of guys get together over hot chicken wings to do a  beer taste test in San Miguel de Allende? 

We find out all about the different Mexican beers, aside from those coming out of the most popular breweries in Mexico, Grupo Modelo and FEMSA. Click here for a full inventory of 7 different beer and see why this group of guys considers Mexicali the best national beer. 

Red-Hot Margarita for Valentine’s Day

Directions:

To make the Red Hots infusion, in a small saucepan, combine the Red Hots, water, cinnamon, brown sugar, orange zest, and clove. Bring to a boil, then simmer over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, or until the Red Hots have dissolved. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve and discard the solids. Cover and refrigerate until cold.

To make the limeade, in a medium bowl, combine the lime juice, granulated sugar, and water. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Cover and refrigerate.

To finish the margaritas, in a pitcher, mix together 2 cups of the Red Hot infusion, 1 1/3 cups of the limeade, the tequila, and the orange liqueur. (You can mix up a batch of the margaritas up to 2 hours in advance and refrigerate.) Pour a generous 1/2 cup (4 ounces) of the mixture into a cocktail shaker over ice. Shake vigorously for about 15 seconds, and then pour through the strainer spout into your favorite margarita or martini glass. Garnish with a few lime slices.

Tip: After a round of Red Hot Margaritas, switch to sparkling limeade, made by combining lime juice with sparkling water and sweetening with simple syrup.

Black chickpea, crab and fennel verrine recipe with apple and avocado

Check out this recipe via La Tartine Gourmande that combines chickpeas, crab and fennel in a ceviche-like mixture that is perfect for lunch outdoors. 

You need:

• 200 g (1 heaped cup) cooked black chickpeas
• 200 g fresh crab meat, diced
• 1 large avocado, pitted and finely diced
• 1 medium fennel bulb, finely sliced
• 1 medium red apple, cored and finely diced
• Black sesame seeds, to taste
• 6 pink radishes, finely sliced

Dressing:

• Sea salt
• 2 limes
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (or fresh)
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped coriander
• 2 tablespoons hazelnut oil
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• Red peppercorn, ground, to taste

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the lime juice with the sea salt, garlic, and ginger.
• Add the oils and whisk to emulsify.
• Season with ground red peppercorn to taste, and stir in the coriander. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine the chickpeas, crab meat, avocado and apple. Toss gently with the fennel and radishes.
• Add the dressing and toss gently. Sprinkle with black sesame seeds, and serve.