Cemitas is Poblano for Dagwood Sandwich

There was so much good food in Puebla that it would be hard to choose a favorite. Cemitas comes close. This ridiculously big sandwich seems to stay the same size no matter how many bites you take.

My hostess Nuria had to call her husband to remind her of the name of the place she likes best. Both Nuria and Fernando pride themselves on knowing the best places to go for Poblano street food. I think they could write a book.

They both agreed that this place was the best. The workers were giving me dirty looks as I photographed the mayhem and I thought this was odd until I saw the signs posted all over that said No Photos! I guess their sandwich ingredients are a closely guarded secret.

All of the sandiches contained the weird herb papaloquelite which tastes like mint, gasoline and dirt all at the same time.  On its own, it’s not so nice but teamed with meat, it’s a real treat.

I thought when they asked if I wanted pata they meant duck.  They didn’t. Duck is pato. Pata is leg but it’s really a not so pleasant gelatinous pig’s foot.  I tried but I couldn’t finish it and ended up ordering a milanesa.

Do’t you think a stand with these would do well here in the states?

Chili with Giant White Limas

I made a chili the other night, completely ignoring all of your recommendations. I toasted and soaked 3 anchos, 1 chipotle and 2 guajillos. Then I blended them with onion, Mexican oregano, cumin and garlic, fried this paste until very thick and then thinned it out with water. Browned stew meat was added and this cooked until the meat was fork tender. I added too much water and thickened it with a walnut-sized ball of masa but it still was lacking something. This morning, I drained about a cup of Giant White Limas and added them. It was a poem, I tell you! Just out of this world.

My first instinct was to add new potatoes but the limas were a much better fit, and a chance to reinvent the large pot I made over the weekend.

Breakfast of Giant White Limas and Eggs

I’m back in love with Giant White Limas. As I’ve said many times, limas are great, but most of us grew up with mothers who had no idea how to make them. The dried aren’t starchy and actually are light and slightly sweet.

I had them for breakfast this morning with some scrambled eggs. These beans are huge and filling and make a great "approved" carb if you’re watching that kind of thing. I think it’s just a great way to start the day.

Great Quote

Sorry for the lack of a post today. I was going to make up some excuse but there isn’t one!
Instead I’ll pass on this great quote:

"It’s too easy to criticize hope.
And in the end, cynicism is a lousy strategy."
–Seth Godin

You Posole, I say Pozole

For the record, in Mexico, the finished dish is called pozole. It’s normally a fresh chile and tomatillo dish with pork or a dried red chile and chicken dish. I know there are exceptions. Lots of them. In the American Southwest, we call the dried nixtamalized corn posole, along with the finished dish.

In Mexico, the corn (often called "para pozole") is cooked with cal (the mineral lime) and then soaked for an hour before rubbing the skins and then pinching off the germ. Our version is done up until this step. All you need to do is soak and simmer. The germ is still there but the corn explodes anyway. I think it’s the smart way to go.  I avoid the canned at all costs. It’s gummy and rubbery and just kind of funky in general.

Swiss Chard Soup

Our regular customer Canice Flanagan tried out our Cargamanto beans and came up with this winning recipe. Let’s make soup this week!

Swiss Chard Soup with Cranberry Beans and Leeks

Niman Ranch bacon, sliced in 1" pieces
Shallots, sliced into rings
One bunch baby leeks, sliced into rings
Garlic
Whole dried red peppers, seeds removed
Red Swiss chard, chopped – stems reserved and sliced
Pink Swiss chard, chopped – stems reserved and sliced
Baby dino kale, stripped from stems and chopped
1 quart chicken stock
6 oz. Cargamanto beans (or Borlotti or any cranberry bean), cooked
Pioppini mushrooms – quick sautéed with garlic and sherry
1 lemon
Fresh sage – 1 tablespoon minced
Grated Parmiggiano-Reggiano (optional)

Sweat the bacon and then cook shallots and leeks until softened and beginning to brown lightly.  Add garlic, dried peppers and chard stems and cook 2 minutes. Add chopped greens, give them a good stir, and sauté until they begin to soften. Pour in chicken stock and add cranberry beans. Bring to a boil then reduce to low and and the sautéed mushrooms; allow to simmer until the greens are tender, about 8 minutes. Remove the red peppers and stir juice from one lemon and the minced sage. Serve immediately. Pass Parmesan at the table.

A New Bean From Puebla

The city of Puebla was a super surprise. I expected the food to be good but I had no idea quite how wonderful it can be. My friends Nuria and Fernando drove me to all ends to find great, representative food. I’ll go into some of my favorites later.

Nuria was also helpful in taking me to market after market to check out the beans. Like most markets in Mexico, inside was full of grain stalls that seemed to have three or four beans, rice and assorted dried dog food, all in sacks ready to be scooped.  You tend to see the same beans in all the stalls. They vary by region but within the region, they tend to be similar. Then you leave the covered market and wander around the edges and you find the smaller (as in tiny) farmers and Indian women and this is where you find the real gems.

Normally the women are sitting on the ground behind their wares and if you start to ask questions, you learn that these women know how to grow the beans, how to harvest them and of course, how to cook them. Just for the experience, I always buy something from these vendors because you always end up learning something.

Anyway, The Bean this trip was called Parraleño. It looks almost like steel. Some people felt it looked like a snake. I was assured by someone who never made them that they’d cook up like a black bean. They were wrong but they did cook up deep and dense and rich. I think I’ve found a new favorite. I’ll be growing them at our trial gardens in Napa this summer but I’m also working with the small farmer who grew them in Mexico. There’s a chance this may be our first imported bean. I’ll keep you posted!

Cooking With Clay, Part 7: Cazuelas from Puebla

While Puebla is best known for it’s pretty Talavera pottery with it’s ornate decoration and fusion of styles from the old world to the new, I of course go looking for the rustic pots and jars for cooking. Just outside of Puebla is the hip little town of Cholula and I found a studio there making traditional cazuelas.

The cazuelas are made from a form, not a potter’s wheel.

Obviously they come in all sizes. I considered renting the one shown above as a summer home.

Spreading the clay.

The crowded kiln.

I ended up not buying anything because these were loaded with lead. There are plenty of clever potters who know that the slightly more expensive lead-free slip can make them a lot more money. None of the potters I spoke with seemed to care much while almost all the craftsmen in San Felipe, just outside of Guanajuato were proud of their lead-free products. You can get small lead testing kits from any hardware store.

Chile Navideño from Puebla

I was just in lovely Puebla. I’ve never been and it was a gas. I met some wonderful people and the food was incredible.

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I brought back a sack of chiles called Navideño, which are a smoked red chile, like guajillo. The interesting thing is you can tell it’s a wood smoke. It’s absolutely delicious. I haven’t had much time to play with them but I made a quick sauce with one of the chiles, a little tomato and some oregano.

De Arbol Chiles at the Market

Joan (and Dan) are bringing a new batch of De Arbol chiles to the market tomorrow in San Francisco. These are the short, hot pain-inducing delights I’d mentioned earlier. You can cut them up for heat anywhere but I like to toast them briefly and then toss them into a blender. Pan roast some tomatillos, onion slices and garlic and then add it to the blender as well. Blend until smooth and you have a delicious Jalisco-style hot sauce.

These were grown and dried right here in Northern California. I’ll add them to the website, along with the starch corn and CAL, next week.