Dash of Spice and Life

If there was a noble prize for gastronomy I am sure Diana Kennedy would have won it a long time ago. For more than 50 years she has traveled relentlessly covering the smallest towns to document our culinary traditions. Her research combines her love for Mexican cooking, her passion for botanics and her environmental activism. […]

Olive Oils are tricky. If you look at the labels, there is: extra-virgin, virgin and plain olive oil. So what is the difference? Well, extra virgin as you know is the higher quality oil. What does this mean? That it has a naturally low-level of free oleic acid. In olive oils, the lower the level, […]

This is a joint project, of local restauranteurs Gonzalo Serrano and Salomé Álvarez (from Ligaya and Capicua) with Ricardo Muñoz Zurita, a know Mexican chef. Muñoz Zurita has published several books on Mexican gastronomy and runs both cafeterias at the National University. I especially admire this Ricardo, because he is in an amazing researcher who […]

I met Lisa Dupar at the IACP meeting in Austin on the night she was given 2011 IACP Award Winning Cookbook for First Book – The Julia Child Award. She gave me this book as a gift, as well as a little bag of her cocoa nib steak rub. I started skimming through the book on the […]

I can assure you most of the bottles labeled as balsamic vinegar are not really balsamic vinegar. Once you try authentic balsamic vinegar, you can never go back. Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale is a vinegar with a rich, dark texture. Contrary to the acid flavors of cheap vinegar, balsamic vinegar is sweet and slightly acid. It […]

In Mexico “Tortas” are another way to eat a fast meal, with a little more punch to it than only a taco. This Mexican sandwich is usually accompanied with some type of protein or a mix of different proteins, refried beans and some type of vegetable that can range from lettuce, tomato or avocado and […]