INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

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 availab and only a little
less precious than it had previously been.  Representing the FRUTESCENS
contingent, bell peppers are related to  chilie 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.  PHEASANT:  This game bird fares
equally well when cooked with a  bravely seasoned sauce or a mild
creamy one.  Serve it with a grain  side dish; see Game.  PILONCILLO:
This unrefined sugar is purchased in hard cones.  Like  other "raw"
sugars, piloncillo is beige to brown; the deeper the  color, the more
pronounced the molasses flavor.  PINE NUTS (PINIONS, PIGNOLIS):  Pine
nuts are the seeds of the Pinion  pine They are delicious raw or
toasted.  Store them tightly covered  and either refrigerated or
frozen, depending on how quickly they are  to be used. See NUTS for
toasting and grinding.  PLANTAIN:  This relative of the banana boasts a
thick skin and large  size. The fruit itself tends to be a deeper
yellow than that of the  banana. Cook unripe plantain is eaten as one
would a potato.  Plantains are sweetest whe ripe, which isn't until
their skins are an  alarming through black. Like bananas, plantains
will ripen after they  have been harvested.  POSOLE:  Sometimes hominy
is called "posole," but the word  authentically refers to a dish made
with hominy as an ingredient.  See Hominy PRICKLY PEA This is the
diminutive (egg size) fruit of the  cactus of the same name. It nearly
impossible to avoid the prickles  when peeling to reveal the
garnet-colored flesh.  Prickly pears are  sometimes sold with the
prickles removed.  PUMPKIN SEED:  With the shells or husks removed,
pumpkin seeds are  known a PEPITAS.  Store them in a cool, dry place.
To toast pumpkin  seeds, spread them in a single layer in an ungreased
pan.  Bake at  350 degrees F. for 13 15 minutes, stirring and checking
for doneness  frequently.  QUAIL:  These little birds weigh in at about
1/4 pound.  They have  richly flavored meat, what there is of it.
Quail are most commonly  available froz See GAME.  QUESO:  Spanish for
"cheese." QUESO ANEJO:  The name means "aged  cheese," Spanish.  See
CHEESE.  QUESO FRESCO:  The name means "fresh cheese,) in Spanish.  See
CHEESE.  RABBIT:  Rabbits are raised commercially.  As with many
uncommon  meats, it said of rabbit, that it "tastes like chicken."  It
doesn't;  it tastes like rabbit.  Large rabbits aren't as tender as the
little  ones; it is well to marinate or stew older ones, or make rabbit
sausage.  See GAME.  RED PEPPER:  See Ground Red Pepper.  RED PEPPER
SAUCE:  This commercially bottled condiment is made from  vinega spices
and hot chilies.  It adds heat but little in the way of  flavor.  RICE:
Mexican cooking calls for long grain or medium-grain white  rice. T
occasional southwestern dish uses wild rice, which really  isn't rice.
It i the fruit of an aquatic grass once harvested only by  Native
Americans who lived by the Great Lakes.  SQUASH BLOSSOMS:  Contrary to
poplar belief, the blossoms used in  southwes cooking are those of
winter squashes such as pumpkin, not  zucchini. They a a perishable
item and are best used the day they are  bought.  TAMARIND:  This is an
intensely pungent, tart pod about four inches  long. Tamarind is
usually bought packaged in a tightly compressed,  sticky
plastic-wrapped lump.  The flesh is riddled with fibers and  seeds--not
what you want in your food--and must be soaked before  using. Separate
the tamar pods, pulling away and discarding as much  of the pod as you
reasonably can. Cover with water and let the pulp  soak for at least an
hour (overnight, if time permits).  Then squeeze  the pulp well to
extract the juice or rub as m pulp as you can  through a fine mesh
sieve.

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