CATEGORY |
CUISINE |
TAG |
YIELD |
Dairy |
Mexican |
Cheese, Info/tips, Mexican |
1 |
Servings |
INGREDIENTS
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Dictionary of MEXICAN Cookin |
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This is part 4 of 6 |
INSTRUCTIONS
GROUND RED PEPPER: From ground dried cayenne chilies, this is often
called "cayenne pepper". See Chili, Cayenne. GUAVA: These
yellow-green fruits with pale faintly pink flesh are about the size of
a plum. They are intensely fragrant when ripe. Guava paste is only
one of the fruit pastes beloved of Hispanics, often served with cream
cheese as dessert. The fruit is cooked with sugar until thick, then
canned or shaped into blocks. HOMINY: These corn kernels have been
soaked and lightly cooked so that the outer coating can be removed.
INSTANT CORN FLOUR TORTILLA MIX (MASA): This commercial product is the
shortcut in making fresh corn tortillas. It is fresh corn MASA that
has been dried and ground. JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE (Sunchoke) This
knobbed root keeps well in the refrigerator or other cold place.
Jerusalem artichokes discolor after peeling. Dip them in acidulated
water as the flesh is exposed. Enjoy Jerusalem artichokes ray in
salads, or broiled, sauteed, mashed or in a gratin. JICAMA: The flesh
of the jicama root is often compared to that of the water chestnut,
both for flavor and crunch. Jicama is related to the sharp-tasting
turnip but is so mild in flavor that, when eaten raw, it is usually
sprinkled with lemon or lime juice and chili powder. After the brown
fibrous skin has been pared away, jicama flesh does not discolor. Look
for smallish jicama, which will be sweet and moist. JUNIPER BERRIES:
The fruit of an ever green, juniper berries give gin its distinctive
flavor. They are sometimes used to flavor game dishes. These
blue-green berries are purchased dried. Add them (sparingly) whole to
saucy foods for subtle flavor or slightly crushed for more impact.
LARD: This has been perhaps the most frequently used cooking fat south
of the boarder since it was introduced by the Spaniards. For tender,
flaky pastries, lard can't be beat. It is little known that lard, for
all its reputation, has approximately half the cholesterol of butter.
MANGO: The skin of this oval fruit is washed in gold, pink, red, and
parrot green. The flesh is deep yellow, juicy and richly perfumed.
Mangoes have flat, oval pits. To slice the fruit, free it from the
pit in large pieces. MASA: Literally "dough" in Spanish. MASA is
cornmeal dough made from dried corn kernels that have been softened in
a lime (calcium hydroxide) solution, then ground. Fresh MASA is
commercially available in Mexico, but it is tricky to work with and
dries out quickly. MASA comes finely ground, for tortillas, and
coarsely ground for tamales. It is easier to use instant corn flour
tortilla mix when making tortillas. NOPALES: These leaves of the
prickly pear (nopal) cactus are firm crunch pads. Let size be your
guide in buying them; the smaller the pad, the more likely it is to be
tender. Use tweezers to remove spines, a sharp paring knife or
vegetable peeler to remove their bases. With a flavor similar to green
beans, NOPALES are eaten both raw and cooked. NUTS: In southwest
cooking, nuts are sometimes ground and stirred into sauces as a
thickening agent. In addition to giving the sauce more body, raw nuts
add, of course, their own particular flavor. Toasted nuts are more
often used as a garnish or in baking. TOASTING NUTS: Toasting
enhances the flavor of the nut. To toast nuts, spread them in a single
layer in an ungreased pan; bake at 350 degrees F, stirring and
checking for doneness frequently. Nuts are toasted when they are
lightly browned. Let almonds, pecans and walnuts bake for 7 to 12
minutes. Pine nuts toast more rapidly, in 5 to 7 minutes. TO GRIND
NUTS: To grind nuts, place 1/3 to 1/2 cup at a time in the workbowl
of a food processor or blender. Process them in short pulses just
until ground (longer and you will have nut butter). PAPAYA: A nearly
oval fruit with creamy golden yellow skin, orange yellow flesh and
scores of shiny black seeds conveniently packed in its center. When
slightly underripe, the flesh is firm (perfect for making into
relishes); When ripe, it is so juicy as to be almost melting. PECAN:
This oil-rich nut is an American native. See Nuts for toasting and
grinding. PEPITA: See Pumpkin Seed PEPPER: There is PIPER NIGRUM,
Peppercorn, and the CAPSICUM FRUTECENS and CASPSICUM ANNUUM, the
family of vegetables know variously as peppers and chilies.
Peppercorns came to the Western world originally from Madagascar. The
success of medieval spice traders made black pepper more widely
available and only a little less precious than it had previously been.
Representing the FRUTESCENS contingent, bell peppers are related to
chilies but lack the capsaicin (the compound that makes them hot),
Bell peppers are therefore known as "sweet". Until recently, bell
peppers of any color than green were an oddity at many markets; today,
there is a profusion of yellow, red and purple ones. Red and yellow
are acknowledged to be the sweetest. Roast bell peppers as for
chilies. From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at
www.synapse.com/~gemini
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