Something to Crow About

Perhaps you'll excuse me as I strut around this blog the way a mariachi singer struts around the stage while I proclaim something that we mexicanitas had long suspected. Let me cry a triumphant ¡ajúa! to the very few—and very sad—Mexican food haters who think that Mexican food is bad for you (until they read this post). Because this misunderstood and supposedly fat and mean cuisine is not just delicioso, but it can also cut your risk of coming down with breast cancer if eaten everyday.**

Well, duh, we don't need no stinkin' scientific study from the April 2008 Journal of Clinical Nutrition to know that Abuelita's native home cooked comida is not just beyond delicious, but healthy as well, now do we? Not when we consume a diet high in fiber, low in fat (yes, you read right), and abundant in fruits and vegetables such as cabbage, chiles, squash, corn, and lean meats, fish and cheeses. Not when we eat beans almost everyday, or when we enjoy hearty but low fat water-based soups, tomato-based sauces and salsas and corn tortillas. Our cheeses, most of them partly skim, are the supporting players and not the main attraction to our dishes. It's actually no surprise here that the breast cancer risk for Mexican women is two-thirds less than the general population—so if you need an excuse to eat enchiladas, well, did you ever really need an excuse???

Which brings me to the subject of Chayote Salad, a little recipe from Morelos, and the perfect introduction to this green, pear-shaped, sometimes smooth, sometimes dangerously spiny relative of the gourd and squash families. Of course, when you bite into it, you might not think that it tastes like much of anything, except perhaps a cross between a zucchini and a cucumber, but it can absorb any flavor you want, combining beautifully with almost any dish. In a soup, it will impersonate a potato. Peel it and cut it into small pieces and add it raw to a green salad, and it will satisfy those crunch cravings. Simmer or steam it, peel it and slice it into wedges and allow it to absorb the flavors of red wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic and fresh roasted and dried chiles, and, of course, those sweet little grape tomatoes—all fussily arranged into a shape of a flower to amuse and perhaps annoy your family like I do mine. Now that it is warm outside, and I am able to look at a cold salad in the face again, I promised myself that I would eat something more exciting than just a green tossed salad from a plastic bag that you buy in the grocery store. It seemed just too easy and a tad boring, frankly.

And there is more: the green wrinkled split-brain look of a chayote conjures up images of the outdoor mercados (marketplaces) of Mexico where you will find an overwhelming variety of exotic fruits and vegetables and other ingredients. Then it hits you, this food is healthy and good. These are people who are downright passionate about their food—even those persnickety little 80 year old viejitas (little old ladies), who, if they lived in Florida, would be taking it easy playing bridge or getting their hair done, are instead running around cooking up a storm or terrorizing the produce venders by loudly commenting on every fruit and vegetable they see and sniffing everything in sight. If they can live this long and healthfully by eating all of that Wicked Mexican Food, then I want in. And if that means that I have to peel a nasty looking chayote, and getting stuck by a stinger or two, then it is a sacrifice I am willing to take (though you don't have to).

They say that revenge is sweet, but I believe that there is something else that tastes entirely more satisfying. Really, what can be more delicious than a plate of vindication for my favorite cuisine with a little gloating on the side, especially when it is served hot and spicy?

So stop eating all of those golocinas y "purundangas" (sweet stuff and our family's word for junk food) that your madrecita warned you about and eat a chayote, okey?

**Note: Cancer is an equal opportunity disease, cutting across all social, national, and ethnic barriers. If you have any Spanish-speaking friends or relatives who are battling cancer, please have them check out Lance Armstrong's Livestrong Foundation's Spanish-language webpage so that they can have access to support and necessary resources.)

Chayote Salad

Ensalada de Chayotes

Make sure that the chayotes are fresh. They should be firm with no brown spots or sunken areas. The original recipe has no chile in it, so you don't have to add any to the recipe if you don't want to. I found, however, that the grape tomatoes, toasted garlic, fresh roasted chiles and bits of red hot dried chiles and some chopped cilantro added some wow factor to this cold salad. You can remove the heart of the chayote if you want, but I like its nutty flavor. You can omit the red wine vinegar and olive oil and garlic and use your own low-cal or bottled red wine vinegar dressing if you wish. Adapted from Mexico The Beautiful Cookbook.

3 smooth skinned chayotes

grape or cherry tomatoes, split in half, as many or as little as you want
6 tablespoons olive oil

3 or more tablespoons red wine vinegar to taste (3 tablespoons are never enough for me)

2 cloves garlic

½ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano

¼ to ½ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
½ red onion, finely sliced
1 fresh Poblano chile, roasted, thin-sliced or diced; OR, 2 serrano chiles, roasted and chopped if you want more fire; OR, both chiles (Click here to learn how to roast chiles.) (optional)

1 dried whole or cut up chile de árbol or any small dried red chile (optional)

Cooking Instructions:Put the chayotes, one clove of garlic, and a pinch of salt in a large pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Then lower heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until the chayotes are tender when you pierce them with a fork.

In the meantime, roast and peel the chiles. Toast the other garlic clove in its skin over a hot skillet for about 5 minutes or so.

Discard the water and let the chayotes cool for about 5 to 10 minutes.

Take a potato peeler and peel the chayotes' outer skin. Cut each chayote in half lengthwise, then cut into quarter wedges, and then cut into eighths (see picture, top). Chill them in the refrigerator for an hour or so.

Remove the chayotes from the refrigerator. Take some paper towels and dry them off to remove any excess moisture. Peel the toasted garlic

In a small bowl, stir together the olive oil, vinegar, the toasted garlic, oregano, salt and pepper and let the flavors blend.

Chop the cilantro and dice the roasted chiles.

Toss together all the ingredients, including the red hot dried chile. Add more seasonings if you wish. Let stand for a few minutes before serving.

Eating Fire Without Getting Burned

In almost every Mexican family there is someone whose love for hot spontaneous combustion-inducing chile peppers surpasses belief. And in my family, that distinction belongs to my sister-in-law who I will call María, a woman whose love of hot chiles is downright infernal. She cannot leave the house without carrying in her purse a baggie of fresh chiles de árbol or some habañeros, two of the deadliest little chilitos known to man. Whenever I see her pop them into her mouth like candy, I feel the same horrified fascination that one feels when one watches a fire-eater at a circus. You know, she looks terribly smug and oh-so-cool—never breaking into a sweat or clutching her throat while crying out me enchilé! me enchilé! She simply looks at me with that beatific smile of hers. . . .

Really, her secret is no gran misterio. Just start with the mildest chile and build on from there. In time, you will taste the seductive sweet flavor lurking just beneath the searing heat of the chiles. You will feel it calling to you, enticingly beckoning you to eat and eat and eat while savoring every delicious bite. Only then will you understand why it is possible to eat fire without getting burned.

Los Chiles

Although many of the world's cuisines use chiles in their dishes to delicious effect, it is in Mexico where the chile is given its fullest expression. One can honestly say that it is the heart and soul of Mexican food. Whether fresh or dried, roasted over a comal, or blended with other ingredients, they create an explosion of taste that I could only liken to an exciting rollercoaster ride of flavor. With almost 200 varieties of chiles, it is impossible to list them all, but please give these a try and start eating a little fire of your own.

RED BELL PEPPER (not pictured): Very Mild. With a Scoville Unit (heat index) of zero, this is the perfect "training wheel chile" for little kids and nervous adults who don't eat chiles. More popular in Spanish and Italian food, it nevertheless deserves a spot in Mexican food because of its great color and its lovely sweet flavor. And besides, it is a chile after all, ¿no qué no?

ANAHIEM: Mild to Medium. A firm fleshed chile about 5 to 6 inches long, it is excellent for chiles rellenos and other dishes. A nice, not too sweet green flavor. It turns red and is sweeter to the taste when it is ripe. There are two kinds of Anahiem chiles: The mild Anahiem is still mild enough for those who want a little heat in their chiles without having to call the paramedics. When ripened and dried, it is called California Chile. The hotter dried version is called New Mexico Chile.
GÜERO (Goo-eh´roh): Mild. This is the chile my mamá used in her salsas for us kids. When I was a child, I thought it was hot, but tolerable. Now, this light colored and rather small chile hardly makes a dent. It is mild, but spicy enough to compliment Mexican food.

POBLANO (Pob-lah´noh): Medium-Mild. Fat and dark green, but pointy at the tips, this is the traditional chile for chile relleno. Although it is comparatively mild, its spicy and flavorful flesh will make you want to roast it and add it to almost any Mexican dish, whether it is a soup or a salad, a taco or almost anything you can think of. When roasted, it doesn't hold its shape as well as the Anahiem chile, but I think you will agree that its flavor more than makes up for the extra care that goes into making an authentic chile relleno.

JALAPEÑO (Hah-lah-peh´ngoh): Medium. This is the chile most Americans associate with Mexican food. It is a good all around chile for salsas, chopped up in soups, casseroles, with cheese. The list goes on and on. Smoked jalapeños are called chipotles.


SERRANO (Sehr-rah´noh): Medium-Hot. This dark green and rather thin chile is about 2 ½ inches long has the same basic uses as the jalapeño. Do not think that it is just a hot version of the jalapeño—it has a taste all its own. I sometimes like to put one in the pot while I am cooking my beans.


DE ÁRBOL (Deh Ahr´bohl): Hot. Don't be fooled by its shrimpy size. It carries a hot little sting that is tantalizing and addicting. Do as my sister-in-law does and kick your food up a notch by nibbling on this little stick of dynamite. It makes an excellent dried chile for fiery hot chile salsas and other sauces.

MANZANO (Mahn-zah´noh): Hot. This lovely orange or red hottie is almost apple-like in appearance and in flavor. Only no Granny Smith can burn you down to the ground as deliciously as this one. About 2 ½ in length and almost as wide, its firm, thick flesh is perfect in salsa fresca and in cooked salsas.
HABAÑERO (Hah-bah-ngeh´roh): Extremely Hot. Beneath its innocent bell-like face lays the heart of a killer. This muy matón of chiles with the sweet, fruity taste is very high in beta carotene--and an excellent truth serum if you suspect that you have a no-good mentiroso (liar) of a boyfriend. Just drop this little bomb in his salsa to find out. It is also available dried.
(Note: All chiles vary in heat intensity, even within the same variety. What is mild to me may not be mild to you. If you are not used to eating chiles, then please have some dairy product handy, such as milk, sour cream or yogurt, in order to smother the heat. Rice or bread can help, too. Don't drink water. It just doesn't help.)

Say Si to Real Mexican Cheese

Please do as our Mexican-born cousins and eat only authentic cheeses on your Mexican recipes. Why? If I may be allowed to damn with faint praise, using anything else is just eh. Cheddar or colby cheese? Good for mac n' cheese, only so-so on authentic Mexican food, especially when it is so smothered with the stuff you can hardly taste the forrest for the cheese. And please don't even mention gooey nacho flavored "cheese product" that is just one molecule away from plastic in my delicate presence, porque me voy a morir--because I'll die if you do.

Taste these quesos and see for yourself that they are just perfect for the strong flavors of Mexican food. Somehow they just go together in a beautiful ballad of heat and cool, salty and sweet that makes me want take in all of that chili-laden flavored deliciousness until I can have no more. If you are mystified as to what is the right cheese to put on enchiladas and other Mexican dishes, then look no further. Here is a list of some excellent Mexican cheeses that, while no means complete, will make you say bye-bye to radioactive nacho-cheese poison:

COTIJA (coh-tee΄hah): A white cheese that is dry and grainy, salty, sometimes with the texture of feta. Like Parmesan, it has a strong aroma with a sharp flavor. It tastes oh so sabroso grated over refried beans or a large platter of enchiladas, in salads, soups, on tostadas and tacos. It also available pre-grated for added convenience.

QUESO FRESCO (keh-so fres´coh): In Spanish it means "fresh cheese". It is also known as queso casero and queso ranchero. Slightly grainy in texture, it is part-skim and more delicate tasting. Its slightly salty, slightly sweet flavor is perfect crumbled over beans, or enchiladas, in salads, soups or tostadas. If cotija is too strong for your palate, then queso fresco is the way to go. Some say that feta cheese is a good substitute, but I disagree. Feta is much saltier than queso fresco.

PANELA (pah-nel´a): A semi-soft, cool, delicately flavored, part-skim cheese. It is smooth textured and, like queso fresco, is the perfect accompaniment for the hottest chili sauces and salsas. Just cut it up in wedges and serve it to your guests. For a quick snack or pick-me-up, just put some in a hot corn tortilla with a bit of super hot salsa. Or, eat it with a piece of fruit. I don't know about you, but I'm hopelessly in love with panela.

QUESO CREMOSO (keh´so creh-moh´soh): A rather soft and creamy cheese with a high fat content.

QUESO ENCHILADO(keh´soh en-chee-lah´doh): (See top picture.) This lovely cheese is coated with chili powder and is crumbly and semi-soft, but firm. Don't let its fiery exterior fool you—the inside is as mild as can be. It is a good topping for tacos, beans, or salads.

QUESO QUESADILLA (keh´soh keh-sah-dee´yah): Okay, this is it—the perfect cheese for all of those Mexican dishes, like chiles rellenos and quesadillas that call for a cheese that melts beautifully. It's a nice topping for nachos or if you prefer melted cheese over your enchiladas. Once you taste it, you will forget that ghastly orange stuff for all time. Also available with bits of roasted chili peppers.

ASADERO (Ah-sah-deh´roh): With the same properties as queso quesadilla, but stronger tasting.

QUESO REQUESON (keh´soh reh-keh-sohn´): The Mexican ricotta cheese. Stuff a chile relleno with this cheese and cubed queso quesadilla. After eating one, I think you can die happy now. QUESO OAXACA (keh´soh huah-hah´kah) This cheese is braided into a cute ball and melts easily. When served fresh, it is just like string cheese. Similar to mozzarella cheese, but a little more flavorful. I love it in soup or over some calabacitas (zucchini) with tomato and poblanos.
What I especially love about these cheeses is that contain only milk, salt and enzymes—that means nada artificial ingredients and colors. Auuuuuja!

Where to buy them? Right in the cheese section of your grocery store. If it doesn't carry them, then talk to your grocer and ask him or her to order some for you. Better yet, go across the tracks to the other side of town and shop for them at the Mexican foods market. (For those readers who are not familiar with Mexican markets, you will find foods that you will never find in a regular supermarket. (Prickly pears, anyone?) If all else fails and you cannot find these sabrosisimos cheeses, well, perhaps Monterey Jack, feta, or any Italian style cheese, such as parmesan, ricotta, or mozzarella will have to do I suppose.

Just make sure it's an honest piece of queso.