Tacos , tacos and more tacos

Taco de Cecina con Queso de Oaxaca



Taco Campechano (Rest. Villamelon)





Taco de Bistec con Queso



Gringa




Tacos Especial del Rest. Charco de las Ranas

Pollo con Mole y Ajonjoli

Chile a la Moneda

Gordita de Requezon

This Gordita is not to be confused with my earlier post. This gordita (flat top grilled) is made from an entirely different masa. In this case, this one is made from blue corn. The masa is a lot lighter in taste and consistency, and flakier. This variation is as every bit as good as its fried counterpart. Masa is filled with requezon, which is a creamy cream cheese type of Mexican cheese, and formed into a disk. The disk is placed on a flat top and each side is browned until crispy. It is topped off with whatever you desire, but I went with sautéed nopales and cotija cheese.

The crispy corny masa is airy and flaky, with oozing melty requezon. The requezon is a bit on the salty, yet just salty enough to be enjoyed marvelously. The nopales don't have a bad taste, its more a matter of texture, they are mucilaginous (go ahead, google it). Along with the cotija and crispy masa the gordita takes on a life of its own. The moistness, juiciness and crunchiness set of a slew of culinary experiences all at once.

Never will it replace the original fried Gordita de Chicharron, but damn, it sure hits the spot.

Caldo Tlalpeño

If I could define any Mexican dish as comfort food, this would be it. Tlalpeño Soup, or Soup from Tlalpan, which was a small town outside of Mexico City. As the city grew, Tlalpan soon became part of the city, along with all its customs and dishes.

This hearty and comforting soup is not that far away from chicken soup, but not close enough to be associated with it. In a big pot with boiling water just add (roughly), shredded onions, carrots, garlic, chipotle chiles, xoconostle (bulb of cactus), green beans, chicken thighs, chicken breast, and other chicken pieces with some bone on them (for flavor purposes). Boil and cook the hell out of all of them until all the flavors have married with each other and the broth is thick and flavorful. The soup is garnished with cilantro and some chopped avocado when it’s served.

My first spoonful was packed with heat. The chipotles that were boiling away have let out all this wonderful spiciness that is nicely balanced out with the fresh veggies and the melt-in-your-mouth chicken. I was in luck that day, to top off my experience it was really rainy and horrible outside, so I really did get the full effect of what a good soup must do. At this point there was no avoiding the heat, so I enjoyed the ride. As I continued eating, my body slowly warmed up, and I felt, well, comforted.

Tostada de Pollo

Chicken Tostada. Maybe Mexicans version of an open faced sandwich, or maybe a slice of toast with a load of stuff on it. This is a rather simple dish that can be piled high with whatever ingredients you'd like.

The base is a corn tortilla, which is either fried to a crisp, or toasted until crunchy in the oven. A thin layer of refried beans is smeared atop the tortilla. Afterwards, the beans are coated with shredded lettuce and diced(or whole) smoky chipotle chiles. The chiles are then covered with shredded chicken, that has been stewed in chicken broth along with other spices. In a blink of an eye you have yourself a Chicken Tostada. Just top it off with some crema and salsa, and you have yourself a perfect snack or appetizer.

Like with any other open faced morsel, the first bite is always the hardest one. You know that stuff is going to start splashing and falling down your sides. With ease and surgeon like precision i took my first bite. Luckily, there was no splashing or falling, everything had made it into my mouth. The chicken was moist and juicy, the warm corn tortilla(oven toasted), was light, packed with great corn taste. The beans were smooth and creamy, and worked like glue to keep the tostada from coming tumbling down. The lettuce, along with the crema and salsa added great freshness.

It seems like I repeat myself with the same shpeal of the meat, and then the freshness of the whatever other ingredient in the dish. The truth of the matter is that Mexican cuicine is very balanced, and that you will mostly, if not always have a trinity of flavor profiles in each meal. You'll have corn, in some way or another, a protein, and then the condiments of salsa, lime or cream, depending on the dish. Why can't everybody take a hint and follow their lead?

Quesadilla de Queso y Flor de Calabaza

Somebody says Quesadilla, and you think of a big grilled flour tortilla stuffed with cheese and veggies and chicken, or whatever the hell they stuff into them at Chili's, TIGF, or Ruby Tuesdays..... NO!! Erase all these images from your head. Yes, they do use the same principles for making Quesadillas in Mexico, but they never, EVER, amount to the atrocities that are created here in the States.

Cheese and Pumpkin Flower Quesadilla. This fantastic creation is not grilled, but fried. Instead of using a regular tortilla, this version of the quesadilla is made with a light corn dough. The dough is flattened and packed with a cheese that is stringy, creamy and very flavorful from the Oaxaca region, named appropriately enough, Oaxaca cheese. After, the cheese is finished with fresh Pumpkin Flowers. The masa is folded and shaped into a half moon, or if you are familiar with them, an Empanada.

The quesadilla is fried until the masa(dough) is golden and crispy. By this point the cheese has melted and it has fused with the pumpkin flowers. You top off the quesadilla with crema and salsa. Since the masa is fried and cooked so fast their is no real greasyness to it, so you do really enjoy all the wonderful fresh and simple flavors of the quesadilla. As you bite into the crispy and corny masa the pumpkin flower infused cheese juices drip down to your chin. The salsa and crema helped to cool down the hot masa as they moved around in my mouth. The Pumpkin Flowers are now slighty salty from the cheese, and have a wonderful light and crisp flavor.

If Pumpkin Flowers aren't your thing, you can fill these quesadillas with many more things.... you can use cactus, onions, corn, pork grinds, chorizo, beef tongue, etc..... the ingredients are endless, but you must remember one thing. If you keep it simple you'll keep it good.