INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Toast chiles in a dry, hot skillet over medium-high heat until pliable,
about 3 to 5 minutes; turn often to prevent burning. Remove seeds and veins
from chiles and discard. Soak each type of chile separately in hot, salted
water to cover for about 20 minutes. Drain, and reserve liquid.
2. Grind marjoram, cumin seeds, oregano, bay leaf, thyme, and cloves in a
spice grinder.
3. In batches, combine drained chiles, ground herbs, garlic, salt, vinegar,
and 1/2 cup soaking liquid in blender. Transfer to a large bowl. Add
chicken, and marinate for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.
4. Cut three 16-by-16-inch parchment-paper squares. Place a drumstick,
thigh, and an avocado leaf in the center of each square. Bring the four
corners together, and tie with string. Place in a steamer, and steam over
simmering water for 1 hour.
5. To serve, remove string, and open parchment paper, folding under
slightly. Serve with fresh, warm tortillas.
Notes: (within recipe because they're too long for the Notes section) The
origins of mixiote date back to pre-Columbian Mexico when small packages of
chile-seasoned meat were wrapped in a transparent skin from the maguey-tree
leaf. When steamed, the leaf wrapper infused the meat with a distinctive
herbal flavor. However, since each maguey leaf takes eleven years to grow,
the trees have become endangered. Josefina Howard of Rosa Mexicano
restaurant in New York City, renowned for her classic presentation of
regional Mexican cuisine, substitutes parchment paper with outstanding
results.
Her recipe for Mixiote De Pollo uses chicken thighs and drumsticks
marinated using three varieties of dried chiles. She roasts the chiles in a
dry skillet, seeds and deveins them, and then soaks them in hot water. She
also tucks a fresh Mexican avocado leaf into each parchment package for
added flavor.
She steams the savory packages over simmering water for about an hour. If
you don't have a proper steamer, improvise as Josefina often does. Put a
colander, lined with a kitchen towel, in a large pot filled halfway with
simmering water. To create a steam-proof seal, arrange two kitchen towels
around the perimeter of the pot, and set the lid firmly in place.
Serve each package on a plate with fresh, warm tortillas. Cut the string
from each package, and soak up the chile sauce with a tortilla. This recipe
can easily double to serve six.
Born in Cuba and raised in Spain, Josefina lived in Mexico for twenty-eight
years, where she developed her passion for the country's rich and varied
cuisines. Since opening Rosa Mexicano in 1984, she has established a
reputation for presenting classic Mexican cuisine that showcases the
distinctive flavors and preparations of the country's thirty-two states.
To learn more about avocados, please see the February 1998 issue of MARTHA
STEWART LIVING.
Recipe by: http://www.marthastewart.com
Posted to recipelu-digest by "Valerie Whittle" <catspaw@inetnow.net> on Feb
16, 1998

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