My first day in Oaxaca was thrilling and something I was looking forward to for quite some time! I walked from Las Bugambilias B&B to Pilar’s cooking class at Casa de los Milagros, operated by Pilar’s brother Rene. (Three beautiful rooms each with private bath @ $120USD each.) Our group of seven included a couple from Guadalajara celebrating their anniversary, two couples from Washington state who come to Oaxaca frequently, and me.
I was as enthralled by the kitchen arranged around a U-shaped maize-colored concrete counter with commercial cooktop and sink strategically positioned, as I was about the Amarillo menu: quesadillas with mushrooms and Oaxaca quesillo (string) cheese, sopa de flor de calabaza (squash blossom soup — my absolute favorite), mole Amarillo de pollo (yellow mole with chicken), and for dessert — arroz con leche. For the salsa, Pilar chose Salsa de chile pasilla oaxaqueno.
Squash blossoms ready for stuffing with quesillo, perhaps?
Today, no one is vegetarian, so we go with the menu as presented, pick up our colorful shopping bags and climb into Pilar’s CRV and a taxi to travel to the Mercado de la Merced, eight blocks from the casa, at the corner of Calle Republica and Murguia. Pilar grew up in Barrio de la Merced. She personally knows each vendor and going through it is an expedition in determining and selecting the very best, freshest, most fragrant ingredients. She knows that what she buys is organic , grown by small farmers from the local countryside. Our shopping list includes fresh masa for making homemade tortillas, quesillo for the quesadillas, rice, fresh whole milk (not pasteurized and likely coming from a contented cow early that same morning), mushrooms (and we also find corn smut — huitlacoche, considered a delicacy that we will add to the quesadillas). We also buy epazote, a leafy herb for the quesadillas, and cream for the soup.
Pilar describes huitlacoche
Someone asks and Pilar advises that it is fine to take photos of the food and to ask people if they would agree to have their photos taken. She never pays anyone for taking a photo, although people ask for 10 pesos (about a dollar). Sunday is the best day to go to this market, when vendors come with folk art and crafts. She points out the comedor “La Guierta” frequented by Rick Bayless.
La Guerita, a Rick Bayless favorite
We pass by ancient women vending calla lilies (alcatraz), roses from Ocotlan (Pilar says she loves rose petal sorbet), piles of chiles, handcrafted cheeses, and arrays of beautiful squash blossoms. We stop at the family-owned chocolate stand where I buy molded treats to take home for hot chocolate and choco-cafe (100 pesos for one kilo). We open our bags like little birds opening our beaks as Pilar buys and deposits chile pasilla (smokey and dark red), a plastic bag filled with fresh whole milk, squash blossom, choyote squash, mushrooms, and masa.
A young woman sits on the ground in front of two large baskets of chapulines. Pilar points to them. These are not fresh, she says. See how dull they are, they must be shiny to be good. We sample tejate, a pre-Hispanic drink made from ground maize, cacao, and the seed of the mamey fruit.
Sipping tejate
We learn that poblano chiles are from Puebla, and are not popular in Oaxaca. Chile Oaxaca is small and yellow. Chile serrano is called jalapeno when it is green and chipotle when it is red. Black chilehuacle is the principle ingredient for mole negro (the most complex and difficult to prepare). Never wash dried chiles, says Pilar, it degrades the flavor. Clean it instead by wiping with a cloth.
Piles of basil, rosemary and other herbs grown for herbal cleansing and aromatics lean against the rough wood walls of the herbalists’ stall. These are not used for cooking like in North America, Pilar says. Bright yellow chicken is either painted or dipped in a corn-coloring; these are not organic. Only white chickens are organic. Chico zapote is a brown-yellow color but tastes like a sugary pear. There are many types of mango, and mango pina is sweet and juicy with a green skin.
La Petrita vendadora de chocolate
We meandered, sampled and savored, breathed in the aromas of the small diners assembled around the inner courtyard, soaked in the visual excitement of colors, shapes and people. After an hour of food shopping, we climbed back into our liveries and returned to the kitchen where we would get down to serious business.
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Mole Amarillo (Yellow Mole with Chicken) Recipe by Pilar Cabrera Arroyo, Buen Provecho!
This recipe enthralled me, captivated me, educated me about how easy it can be to prepare a traditional Oaxacan recipe. With Pilar’s permission, I am sharing this recipe with you to enjoy and savor. Buen Provecho! Eat hearty and enjoy!
Pilar Cabrera's Mole Amarillo
Oaxacan Yellow Mole by Pilar Cabrera Arroyo (serves 6)
Ingredients:
1 chicken, cut into 6 pieces
1/2 medium onion, chopped coarse
5 garlic cloves, peeled
6 Cups water
1 – 1/2 t. salt
1 medium chayote squash, peeled, cut in slices
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
1 C. green beans (fresh), tops removed
7 guajillo chiles
2 amarillo chiles
1 chilcoxtle chile
4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1/4 medium onion
1 black pepper
1 clove
1 pinch cumin
1 tomato
1 t. corn oil or lard
3 yerba santa leaves or 1 bunch cilantro
1 C. masa
salt
PREPARATION:
1. Chicken and Vegetables:
Put the chicken pieces into a pot with the onion and garlic. Fill the pot with water and add salt to taste. Cook for 35 min. on medium heat until chicken absorbs all the liquids.
Boil the chayote, green beans and potatoes in water until they are cooked but still firm, “al dente” (about 7 minutes). Set aside.
Peppers on the burner--90% charred!
2. Sauce:
Roast chiles by putting them on the grill of the gas burner. Sear them, turning regularly until they are 90% charred. Put them in a plastic bag or in bowl covered with plastic wrap to sweat, then peel. Remove seeds. Put them into a bowl of water to cover. Use heavy pan to press the chiles. The liquid will be used in the sauce.
Use a heavy pan to press the chiles
Roast the onion, garlic and tomatoes on a comal or griddle (high heat) until evenly toasted. Set aside.
Strain the soaking chiles and put them in a blender with the garlic, onion, tomato, pepper, clove and cumin. Mix in blender until smooth and creamy.
Heat the oil in a hot pan. Add the blended mixture. Cook for 5 min. on medium heat. Set aside.
Put the masa (corn meal) in a blender along with 1-1/2 C. chicken broth and blend until smooth. Add this to the sauce and cook for 5 min. stirring constantly over medium heat. Season with fresh yerba santa or cilantro and salt. Cook for 7 min. over low heat until sauce begins to thicken. This should be the consistency of gravy.
Cooking the mole sauce with chicken and vegetables
Finally, add the cooked chicken and vegetables. Veggies should be firm and chunky. Remove from heat when chicken and vegetables are warm. Serve hot. Be sure the veggies are not mushy.
This is a fresh, delicious mole, simple to prepare and not complicated. Black mole, for which Oaxaca is famous, takes hours to prepare.
Serve with rice, black beans and fresh tortillas.
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Posted in Cultural Commentary, Food & Recipes, Oaxaca Mexico art and culture, Travel & Tourism, Workshops and Retreats
Tagged Chicken, Chili pepper, cooking, food, Garlic, Mexico, Mole, Oaxaca, Pilar Cabrera Arroyo, postaweek2011, recipes