Menudo

Menudo is prepared in the north of Mexico.

The soup contains tripe, hominy and chili. It is stewed for hours with garlic and other spices. It is also rich, red and has a thin paper-like coating.

Here is the list of ingredients necessary for making the Menudo from www.recipeland.com. Click here for step-by-step directions.

2 pounds tripe cut in 1 inch squares
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
14 1/2 ounces hominy, whole, canned
1 pound pork knuckles raw
4 each garlic cloves crushed
4 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon oregano
2 tablespoons butter

Some of these items may be hard to find in a typical grocery store. Click here to purchase some of them from mexgrocer.com.



Menudo is served in big open steaming bowls. It is usually eaten in the early morning hours after people have come home from a night out.

Menudo has been known to provide medical relief to people. This includes replenishment of two key vitamins to the body, A and C. These vitamins help stimulate gastric juices and fight off a loss of appetite according to http://www.vivacincodemayo.org.

Unlike tacos and enchiladas, Menudo is not a part of the Tex-Mex cuisine. If you are in a Mexican community, then you will be sure to find the soup.

Menudo can also be found in many restaurants. In Tucson, Arizona, you can find it at Rosa's Mexican Food. It is located at 1750 E. Ft. Lowell Road and is open seven days a week, 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. They can be reached by phone at (520) 325-0362.

Menudo is served at Rosa's on Saturday and Sunday for $6. It is served with cilantro, lime, onion and chiltipin on the side.

Click here to access the restaurant's Web site.

Chilles Rellenos

Chiles rellenos is a Mexican dish made from chile peppers (usually poblano or anaheim) that are stuffed, dipped in batter and fried. Its name in Spanish means "stuffed chiles". The stuffing of choice varies by region. Families who make the dish sometimes create it with their own twist on the ingredients.

The recipe consists of fresh green chiles that are "stuffed" with meat or cheese. When the budget for food is low, parents, children and other family members can rely on this recipe because a little goes a long way with ingredients being inexpensive. This is especially true for families with multiple members.

Here are the exact measurements of the ingredients needed for making Chilles Rellenos from wikihow.com-a recipe that serves 10.

* 20 large chiles, firm with stems attached
* 1 1/2 pound of ground beef
* 1 pound of cheddar cheese (or try Cotija cheese)
* 1 tomato
* 2 onions
* 12 eggs, whites and yolks separated
* Bowl of flour, for coating the chiles

Click here for a very in-depth step-by-step guide about how to make Chilles Rellenos illustrated with pictures.

Chilles Rellenos can be found in Tucson Arizona at El Charro Cafe. The restaurant has a few locations including ones downtown at 311 N. Court Ave., (520) 622-1922, Eastside 6310 E. Broadway Blvd, (520) 745-1922, 100 W. Orange Grove (520) 615-1922 and at 4699 E. Speedway (520) 325-1922.

Click here to look at the restaurants' menu. Restauranteurs can order either the "Original" Chile and Cheese Chille Rellenos for $9 or one with Grilled Shrimp for $11.

El Capirotada

The Mexican dessert, Capirotdada is full of texture and flavor. It has whipped cream and is rich with flavors. It serves as the Mexican version of bread pudding.

The dish is served warm and consists of apples, raisins, pecans, orange zest, cinnamon, brown sugar as well as a piloncillo syrup.

The dessert was originally meant for people to use up leftovers before they fasted for the lenten season. Original versions of the dessert consisted of only bread which were topped with raisins, nuts and baked with the piloncillo syrup.

However, these versions have been passed down through the generations and great new additions have been added. Each dish's flavoring continues to be adjusted until the finished product is full of amazing new flavors. These adjustments make the dessert an excellent one during the holiday season.

Here are specific measurements of the ingredients required for the making of a Capirotada from Susan Stewart at bellaonline.com. Click here to view the step-by-step details of the recipe.

Serves 4 to 6

1/2 cup dark brown sugar(packed)
1 1/2 cups water
2 cinnamon sticks
6 whole cloves

8 1/2-inch thick slices French bread OR Mexican "bolillos", toasted
2 eggs, separated

Canola oil for frying

1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup slivered almonds



Capirotada dishes can be found in Tucson at the Anita Street Market, located at 849 Anita Ave 85705. They can be reached by phone at (520)882-5280. Check out their website here.

El Carne Adobada

The dish, Carne Adobada is a pork dish marinated in chile and spice until it is full of flavor. It is a meat, usually pork, stewed in a red sauce. Its name means cured or pickled meat. Its history includes the slaughtering of an animal, which happened at certain times throughout the year. The meat would have to be preserved until later. By means of refrigeration and food preparation and storage, this older way of doing things has changed, but the Carne Adobada is still a famous and popular dish however.

Carne Adobada is capable being placed cooking on the stove to fulfill the hungry needs of visitors if it's purposes are for a party. The dish can be kept ready for several days by To keep the dish ready for quite a few days just add water and sauce to the pot while also keeping the meet moist and hot. Carne Adobada takes 24 hours or more to marinate; 48 hours to get it in its proper form.

Carne Adobada appears plain on its own. The dish should be served in a way that recognizes its spicy goodness.Adobada is one of the best ways to prepare meat for a tamale stuffing. This increases its versatile nature. When it is done being made, filling up a wheat or corn tortilla and adding it to a meal is a great way to use the recipe.

The dish can also be made as a dish with red chile. Click here http://whatscookingamerica.net/CynthiaPineda/CarneAdovada.htm for more information on how to make this variation of the dish.

Here are the specific ingredients and measurements involved in the making of a Carne Adobada from the food network website, foodnetwork.com.

Click here http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_20836,00.html to view the complete website for the recipe.

2 1/2 pounds pork roast
1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons all-purpose flour
2 quarts red chile sauce

Cut pork roast into cubes. Cook in a large saucepan, until the pork is browned. Add the garlic and salt and cook for 30 seconds. Sprinkle with the flour. Pour the red chile sauce over meat and boil over a low heat for about 20 minutes. Take off stove and serve with any potatoes or vegetables of your liking.

Carne Adobada can be found in the state of Arizona in Phoenix, Glendale, Scottsdale, Ahwatukee and Gilbert.

One Phoenix location includes the Arriba Mexican Grill located at:
1812 E. Camelback Rd.
Phoenix, AZ 85016
They can be reached at 602-265-9112


The Carne Adobada at this establishment is priced at 8.99. Take a look at the restaurant's take out menu in the link below, for its other offerings.

http://www.arribamexicangrill.com/menus/ArribaToGo.pdf

Get your hands on a Raspada

Have you ever tried a Mexican snow cone or a Raspada? Well, if you have not, you should!! They're that good!! They come with the freshest of fruit on top of a delicious scoop of fresh vanilla ice cream. But it's not the kind you get at the circus, the shaved ice is nicely poured into the dish below the ice cream scoop and fresh fruit.

A Raspada is a Mexican snow cone - paper cups (replacing the old leaky paper cones) that is filled with crushed or shaved ice and covered in a sugary sweet flavored syrup or real fruit juice. Some people know them by other names like snowballs, sno-cones, water-ice, Italian ices, or Hawaiian shaved ice.

Raspadas are the Mexican version of a "snow cone" or "flavored shaved ice". They are made in many flavors. People can buy flavored syrups if they want, in order to make them at home. Click here for a website that allows you to order syrups and ice shaving machines online.

Here is an easy recipe for making a fresh strawberry Raspada from diana's desserts.com. Click here to access the website and to obtain more information on specific measurements for ingredients required for the making of a Raspada.

In a blender or food processor, puree strawberries and pour into a 2 1/2- to 3-quart pan; add sugar until you get the taste you want. Stir occasionally over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Stir in lemon juice; let mixture cool, then cover and chill at least 2 hours or up to 1 day.

Shortly before serving, finely crush or shave ice in an ice crusher or shaved ice machine. Or drop cubes into a spinning food processor to crush fine. Spoon ice into paper cones or chilled small cups or bowls. Pour strawberry sauce over ice. Garnish with mint. Serve at once. It is best to serve them on a hot day for a great cool and refreshing taste.

Raspadas can be found at many locations in Tucson including Raspados De Frutas Oasis Fruit Cones. They have three locations at 1002 W. St. Mary's Road, 4126 S. 12th Ave and in the Chevron gas station at 1600 W. Valencia.

Not only is this a tasty treat but it is one that can be purchased for anywhere around $2.00 and $4.00.

Pico de Gallo is not just a salsa with chopped fresh chiles, tomatoes, onions and cilantro. It is also a red chili powdered spicy and tangy Mexican fruit salad.

The word in spanish means “Rooster’s beak." It is called this because the chiles used in the seasoning powder duplicate the looks of a rooster's beak. It is made from tomatoes, onions, chilis and also lime juice or lemon juice. Lemon juice is a typical thing to add to the food in Mexico.

The food can also be a tart and spicy fruit salad. Pico de Gallo is called a fruit salad in some parts of Mexico. The food is used the same way other salsas are used, except with less liquid. The Pico de Gallo is used in fajita dishes, burritos and tacos.

The salad has seasoning with a salty taste to it. It adds to the already tangy taste tossed in lime juice. Some commonly used fruits include the likes of cantaloupe, honeydew, oranges, cucumbers and jicama. Additional seasonal fruits such as nectarines, mangos, papaya, kiwi or plums can also be included in the salad as well. Fruits are diced into chunks and combined in a variety of ways.

Click here, to enter into the Food Network's website and into the world of Chef Emeril to find out the specific measurements of the ingredients included in a Pico de Gallo salsa. Ingredients include diced tomatoes, diced red onion, diced jalapenos, minced garlic, juice of 2 limes, cilantro and salt and pepper. All of these ingredients combined give the dish its famous spicy and tangy taste.

Here is a step-by-step explanation of how to go about preparing a Pico de Gallo salsa recipe from cookingmexicanrecipes.com. View the website here.

1) Slice the tomato in quarters and remove seeds. Chop into small chunks.

2) Add the rest of the ingredients and stir. Allow the mixture to sit in the refrigerator 30 minutes or so to let the flavors mingle.

3) Serve this Pico De Gallo recipe with any mexican food recipes or with chips for some great snacks or meals.

4) This is such a delicious appetizer you may want to double the recipe because it disappears fast.

Below is a step-by-step explanation of how to go about preparing a Pico de Gallo fruit salad dish from recipezaar.com. View the website here.

1) Wash all fruit and/or vegetables (the ones you prefer), peel and dice into chunk size pieces.

2) Place in a large bowl and mix with clean hands to distribute evenly.

3) Cut the lemons into wedges and place in a serving dish.

4) To serve, place 2 cups of the fruit mixture into an individual serving bowl, squeeze some lemon juice on top and then sprinkle with the "Pico de Gallo" red chilli powder seasoning.

5)Enjoy!

You can find this dish in the heart of South Tucson, AZ at Taqueria Pico de Gallo. It is located at 2618 S. 6th Ave. The food establishment has grown into more than just its original structure of a taco stand. Find out more information about Taqueria here at the roadfood.com restaurant review website.

El Flan: Mexican Caramel Custard Dessert

For something sweet, caramel and Mexican, dive into a Flan.

Flan is a Mexican custard dessert very popular in Spain and Mexico. The creation is the Spanish, Portuguese or Mexican version of Creme Caramel or Creme Brule.

It is a good dessert if you are watching your weight. Nutritiondata.com reports an average serving of Flan weighs in at just over 200 calories with about six grams of fat. Exact numbers and more information on nutrition facts can be found here.

The food is made by placing a ring shaped pan into a hot water bath. Once it is set, it is then taken out of the mold where it is ready to be served. The official definition of the food is a "crust with either a sweet or savory filling." When in the water bath, a crust is formed. It is then cooled and filled with a sweet custard filling.

Basic ingredients include whole eggs, vanilla extract and milk with a caramel coating. Many lovers of this dessert favor a simply organic vanilla extract. However, there are numerous alternatives including almonds, pistachio, lemon, and an assorted selection of other fruits.

Here are the specific measurements for the main ingredients necessary for making the Flan from http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/flan.htm:

1 3/4 cups whipping cream
1 cup milk (do not use low-fat or nonfat)
Pinch of salt
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

An in-depth explanation regarding the step-by-step process of making the Flan can be found here.

There is at least one restaurant in Tucson named Micha's del Norte where people can experience the flan for themselves. A Flan costs $3.50 here. Micha is located at 1220 E. Prince Road (Mountain and Prince). Click here to view the restaurant's website.

El Salpicon

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istockphoto_891924_salpicon_mexican_food.jpg)

There is the Chile Salpicion and the Mexican Salpicion.

This dish consists of shredded beef or chicken is a "spicy Mexican beef salad." It serves a lot as a meal while serving more as an appetizer. Makers of this dish can adjust the temperature of the heat by reducing or by getting rid of hot Chipotle peppers or replacing them with more mild ones.

The dish can be served either hot or cold. It is plentiful as a meal while also serving more as an appetizer. The Salpicon is an excellent dish when having a party because you can partially prepare it a few days before the day of your event.

Since this is not a mainstream food item on many Mexican restaurant menus you may have to do a little bit of traveling to experience the tastiness of this delicious dish. One popular restaurant, Pepin, in Scottsdale, AZ, serves this dish with shrimp, octopus and calamari. Click here to view the restaurant's website.

There are three parts to the dish:

The brisket, dressing and the salad itself.

The brisket, or a beef brisket, consists of chopped onions, stocks of beef, bay leaves, garlic, Chipotle Chile peppers, salt, and black peppercorns. Details on measurements and such can be found here.

The dressing for the salad has a beef broth, chipotle peppers, olive oil, lime juice, white vinegar, ketchup, minced onions salt and black pepper.

The salad its self has tomatoes, avocados, red onion, cubed Monterey Jack cheese, fresh cilantro with the option of adding radishes. To take a look at the preparation and execution in the cooking process of a Salpicon spicy Mexican beef salad, see below.

Here is a step-by-step explanation from www.recipezaar.com that describes what is involved in creating a Salpicon.

1. Prepare brisket: In a Dutch oven or a small stockpot, combine meat with onion, stock, bay leaves, garlic, chipotles, salt and peppercorns.

2. Bring mixture to a boil over high heat, skimming off any foam.

3. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 3 1/2 to 4 hours or until the meat is falling-apart tender.

4. Let cool 30 minutes in cooking liquid.

5. Reserve 2 tablespoons cooking liquid for salad dressing and save remainder, refrigerated, for a Southwestern soup or stew.

6. Pull meat apart into shreds.

7. (The dish can be made ahead to this point and refrigerated 1 or 2 days. Before proceeding, warm foil-wrapped meat in oven.) To make dressing: In a blender or food processor, combine reserved brisket liquid, chipotles, olive oil, lime juice, vinegar, ketchup, onion, garlic, salt and pepper and purée.

8. To complete salad: In a bowl, mix brisket with about 3/4 of the dressing.

9. Transfer brisket to a serving platter or bowl and toss it lightly with tomatoes, avocados, onion, cheese and cilantro.

10. Drizzle additional dressing over top, enough to make the mixture moist.

11. Garnish with radish roses if desired.

12. Serve warm with fresh hot tortillas, or chilled with tortilla chips for dipping.

(information from: http://www.recipezaar.com/65156)

The History of the Commercial Fajita

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Tex-Mex! You've heard the name but what does it mean and where does it come from?

Tex-Mex is the combination of two words "Texan" and "Mexican". The phrase began appearing in the 1940's to describe the mexican dishes prepared by Texas cooks. But it was not until 1973 that the Fajita started appearing on menus. The first time this was done was at a Tex-Mex restuarant by the name of Ninfa's Restaurant in Houston, TX.

The dish became popular and by the early eighties Fajita stands and hotels, such as the Hyatt's La Vista Restaurant, quickly began selling thousands of these dishes per month. Beef and chicken were becoming a larger part of people's diets and Fajita's used these dominant meats. People could find Fajitas on menus almost anywhere. In the past thirty years, the Fajita has made its way from local establishments to commercial marketplaces like TacoCabana.

There is a long standing history behind Fajitas. Click here for an article that gives a more in-depth time line than described here. The article gives you the history of the Fajita before it became commercial.

Click here for a restaurant in Tucson Arizona by the name of La Parrill Suiza that has Fajitas listed on the Menu.

Burritos can be detrimental!!

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Picture this: thousands of screaming fans at a University of Arizona football game; at halftime the thousands of fans sit down and watch children play football. The thousands of fans see a guy wearing a Sombrero that is faded red talking on a cell phone for 10 minutes straight.

Random things get thrown at the guy's Sombrero for 10 minutes. I took it that the fans did not like the fact that the guy was wearing a Sombrero when the sun was not out.

This is what went down at the Arizona Wildcat versus the New Mexico Lobos football game on Saturday Sept. 17. As I was witnessing this, I got to thinking what would happen if someone actually through something big and heavy like a burrito from Chipotole at the guy. Would a fight erupt? Who would be involved? I scoped out a potential catastrophe waiting to happen.

A Burrito has a lot of grimy edibles like beef, cheese, beans and sour cream; things that can cause a lot of mess and aggravation to someone. This can be detrimental if one of these things comes flying at you from above at excessive speeds. It can cause a person to become very angry. I know I would. In fact I would probably be extremely heated and want to beat the person up regardless of what it took. The experience can sometimes be detrimental to a person, especially if they least expect it.

If it hit them and they felt the splat of gooey meat, beans and melted cheese on their face, they would most likely become a crazy menace.

Click here to access more information about burritos from the website of Chipotle Mexican Grill.

Driving On Down Past the Border

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My father came to visit me here at the University of Arizona in the fall of 2006. He was on his way to Colorado stopping first in Arizona to pay me a visit. I am from Connecticut and have not had the chance to see my father that often since coming to college, so this was a special trip. He had made one visit before and would make many more. This was the first one.

My dad rented a car from the Tucson International Airport and came to pick me up on a Saturday after arriving the night before. We drove down into the border town of Nogales. It took us about an hour to drive into the border town before we noticed a mexican eatery near the side of a narrow street, where we decided to stop to eat lunch. I still remember the experience to this day - the eatery had red awnings displayed with Coca-Cola logos. Underneath these red awnings were sturdy plastic picnic tables.

We arrived in mid-afternoon and the cafe was quiet. No one was around. Traditional Mexican music played out of speakers underneath the awning. My dad and I sat down and the waitress came over to us to ask us what we wanted. She spoke in Spanish with my dad while assisting me with my order. We had trouble communicating our order to her.

This was my first time eating real fresh authentic mexican food. It tasted quite good. I had a chicken quesadilla with rice and beans while my dad had four hard shell beef tacos. We had never eaten real mexican food like this before. My experience with Mexican food had always been with chain and fast food restaurants like Taco Bell, Del Taco, Taco Johns and Taco Cabana. At this cafe the food tasted fresh; not processed like the restaurants above. You could taste the goodness. It was hearty and seemed more healthy then a gordita from Taco Bell.

The meal was inexpensive, just a few dollars for two people. In the states a meal this good would be much more expensive. It is worth it to spend money on a tank of gas to visit Mexico on a nice sunny day to enjoy this type of food experience.

Traditional Mexican Music

Casablanca

On Friday, I went to my Fraternity's Bidnight party at Casablanca Mansion at the corner of Franklin and Stone. The greek system at the University of Arizona has a rush week where they recruit new members interested in joining a perspective fraternity. Every participating fraternity has a party at the end of the week where they celebrate the bids handed out to potential new members. The function is either at a fraternity's house or a local establishment around Tucson like my fraternity's bidnight party was.

Casablanca is a restaurant known for its Mediterranean Cuisine with a Mexican feel. The food was very good with the Hummus sauce and the Falafels.

The DJ at the party played a lot of Mexican music. It made me feel like I was dancing, partying and eating great food at a club in Nogales. I do not normally dance to Mexican music but that night I was. There was even a belly dancer. It was the highlight of the night. Everyone loved it. The restaurant has spanish rock nights or Kintos on Saturday nights.

See for yourself on the web at http://www.casablancabarandgrill.com/index.html

Introduction

My name is Justin Stock. I am a senior majoring in Journalism. Throughout the course of the semester I plan on serving on the copy editing team for Borderbeat. I also plan on writing weekly blogs about real authentic Mexican food. Most people know about the Tacos and Burritos. I want to find out what other foods there are that are not as popular as the Tacos and the Burritos. I also plan on writing news articles about various issues across the Border.

Below is a link to a website that I will use to start my research. It is a website about how to cook Mexican food. The website gives me a starting point about where to look next for more research such as the quick appetizer:

Mexican Food
Quick Appetizer