Volume 3, Issue 1
“Cooking Ex-Libris” is a CasaFestiva.com series exploring new recipes from my own cookbooks. Enjoy!
By Katy Budge
At the beginning of this century, the Sunday newspaper used to make a resounding plop when it hit the driveway. The hefty edition also had a multi-page travel section, with compelling articles and beautiful photographs that enticed you to travel the world. Also in this section were small blurbs advertising various trips, events, lectures, etc.
On one particular Sunday in 2002, one of those blurbs grabbed my eye. It was a “Food of the Gods” trip to the state of Oaxaca in Mexico. A few months later, we were on a flight bound for one of the vacations of a lifetime.
Once in the beautiful Oaxaca City, we embarked on gently led tours through food markets, ice cream tasting, and mezcal tastings. In the countryside, we saw rug weavers, tequila distillers, and were welcomed into humble homes with hearty almuerzos. We also got to dine at a variety of restaurants, including Iliana de la Vega’s Restaurante El Naranjo. One highlight was running into her on her way to the food market – as were we — and she couldn’t have been more gracious with her time and knowledge. (She’s now a sought-after chef in Austin, TX.)
The Cookbook
Needless to say, I was smitten with the culture and cuisine of Oaxaca, and promptly bought a few cookbooks upon returning home. The one I’ve returned to most often in the ensuing years is Susana Trilling’s “Seasons of My Heart: A Culinary Journey through Oaxaca, Mexico” (The Ballantine Publishing Group, 1999).
Throughout the pages of her cookbook, the American-born Trilling exudes appreciation for Oaxaca, where she has lived and taught cooking classes since 1988. She explains the importance of markets for commerce, trade, and cultural exchange. Traces the evolution of Oaxacan cuisine and ingredients from pre-Hispanic dishes through the arrival of the Spanish. Revels in the fact that local calendars are jam-packed with festivals and celebrations and their accompanying foods.
Of course, Trilling delves at length into the moles (MO-lays) of Oaxaca. And yes, it’s moles plural. She counts only six in this book, but there are usually “Seven Moles of Oaxaca” recognized: Negro, Rojo/Colorado, Verde, Amarillo, , Poblano, Chichilo, and Manchamanteles (my personal favorite because it translates to “tablecloth stainer”, supposedly because of the chiles). Suffice it to say, if you only know Mole Negro, you haven’t even scratched the surface of these complex dishes.
And, if you think of Mexican food as simple, you certainly haven’t delved enough into this intriguing cuisine. Moles are perhaps the most complex, with one recipe clocking in at 28 ingredients! Other dishes may seem easy, but a closer reading of the recipes reveals how to create layers of flavors with toasting, soaking, blending, grinding, simmering, frying, and even pushing things a bit to the burnt end of the spectrum.
Over the years, I’ve made several recipes from Seasons of My Heart, including Chichilo and Manchamanteles moles, Arroz con Cilantro, and Esquites – a Oaxacan corn soup. In deciding what to make for this latest “Cooking Ex Libris” post, I ruled out anything having to do with masa. Even though it’s a revered and oft used ingredient, an exercise in making tamales several years ago taught me my limitations when it comes to masa. It also taught me how much effort and love goes into making tamales, one of the reasons I despise all-you-can-eat tamale contests.
The Recipe
After a “short list” of about a dozen recipes, I decided upon Sopa de Agua de Pastor, aka Shepherd’s Soup. It’s a straightforward, easy-to-make recipe, but – as Trilling notes – it offers “a real Oaxacan sazón (seasoning).” And given the chilly atmospheric rivers that have been ripping through California, a delicious soup sounded pretty good!
This recipe is definitely a keeper. The broth was flavorful, with just the right amount of heat, and the use of diced queso fresco and avocados were a nice departure from the usual soup ingredients. (It doesn’t hurt that here on the Central Coast we have the best avocados in the world, IMHO.) Also, I wouldn’t hesitate to serve it for a special Mexican-themed event since all the colors of the country’s flag are in the bowl!
An aside: when we adopted what we thought was a chocolate Lab puppy, we named him Mole because of the chocolate in Mole Negro. Well, he turned out to be a Kelpie/Lab mix, but he was indeed the color of that delicious sauce, so it all worked out. And, when we adopted a second Kelpie a few ears later … I mean a few years later, we named her Zinny, for Zinfandel. Because what goes better with Mole?
Mole & Zinny