Fresh Mexico_ 100 Simple Recipes for True Mexican Flavor - Marcela Valladolid [2]
As my three-year-old, Fausto, sleeps and dreams beside me this evening, I have a dream of my own:
It’s a festive evening and Jane Smith from Columbia, Missouri, has invited several friends over for a Mexican dinner. She set a beautiful table with talavera plates and dark red Aurora’s Kiss dahlias in a giant copper vase. The menu is as follows:
Chilled Avocado Soup with Scallops
Rack of Lamb with Ancho Crust
Sage and Sweet Potato Mash
Roasted Cabbage with Oregano and Oaxaca Cheese
Apricot Tequila Ice Cream topped with Pomegranate Pine Nut Brittle
Nowhere to be seen: chips drowning in bright yellow cheese.
Rosemary-Skewered Shrimp Marinated in Chipotle
Tilapia Ceviche
Baja-Mediterranean Ahi Tuna
Deviled Eggs with Ancho, Sour Cream, and Cilantro
Spicy Crab Cakes Topped with Guacamole
Smoked Marlin Quesadillas
Pedro’s Oysters on the Half Shell
Tijuana-Style Sushi Roll
Jalapeño and Cheese Stuffed Olives
Cuitlacoche Crêpes with Poblano Chile Cream
Avocado Egg Rolls with California Chile-Prune Sauce
Avocado Mousse
Rolled Mushroom Taquitos with Roasted Tomatillo-Cilantro Salsa
Puff Pastry-Wrapped Jalapeños Stuffed with Oaxaca Cheese
Mascarpone-Stuffed Squash Blossoms with Raspberry Vinaigrette
Seared Queso Fresco with Tomatillo Salsa and Tortilla Chips
Ancho, Pecan, and Honey-Glazed Chicken Drumettes
Goat Cheese Tart with Chipotle-Raspberry Chutney
The Duck Burrito
Grilled Spicy Quail
We all know and love the burrito offered in our favorite Tex-Mex joints in the U.S. You know the one I’m talking about: the bulging flour tortilla stuffed with rice, beans, grilled chicken, guacamole, sour cream, shredded cheese, and salsa. But I grew up with a different kind of burrito, a slimmer (and healthier) version, stuffed with shredded beef and served with a side of pickled jalapeños or Chiles Toreados— a simple dish that often showed up on the dinner table to appease our appetites before the main course was served.
On my last trip to Mexico City to visit my congressman-of-a-brother, Antonio, we went to MP Café & Bistro, a wonderful restaurant in his neighborhood, Polanco. I was traveling with my mom and we had both heard wonderful things about the chef/owner, Monica Patino, and her duck burrito appetizer, so we ordered them. The rumors were true. The duck burritos, served with a tomatillo salsa, were absolutely delicious. The presentation of the dish was superb: a timbale of shredded duck meat, a small plate with the tomatillo salsa, and four mini flour tortillas served in a mini bamboo steamer. My mom was in love.
We went to that place for dinner every night we were in Mexico City. Not only were we hooked on the duck burritos, we were enamored of the restaurant’s ability to provide our favorite combinations of flavors and ingredients, presented in a manner that rivaled that of the best restaurants around the world, in a chic but comfortable environment. To paint a better picture, consider that I drank a berry martini with my burritos instead of a Corona. In short, we liked dressing up for the burrito! That is what I’m offering you here.
You don’t need to put on heels or a tie to prepare and serve the Baja-Mediterranean Ahi Tuna, but you can absolutely consider any one of these appetizers for a special evening with your friends. They are easy to prepare and offer a twist on the dishes your guests know and love. As beloved as our taco stands are and always will be, it’s nice to have a more sophisticated alternative for authentic Mexican food.
The recipes in this chapter (and in the whole book, as you can see) are a lot like the duck burrito we discovered in the capital city (and like me, for that matter): petite and delectable, with a modern twist but traditional at the core, packed with