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 […]

It has become a big personal battle for me. Should I blame my nutritionist who biased me against creamy dressings when she highlighted the humongous amounts of calories they contain? No, the explanation is plain, simple and all about the taste: I enjoy a salad with crispy lettuce and feel the dressing just kills it. […]

Hi, I just started my blog and am still pretty new at this. I would love to hear all your suggestions and comments. Please be patient, I will try to post more and more information as the days go by. I have to confess that I thought it would be pretty easy. But I think […]

Just as the thermometer needle starts working its way up this summer I always have a craving for a Mexican “agua de sabor” (fruit juice translated “water with flavor”) or frozen “paleta” (popsicle). Mexicans love to drink a refreshing fruit juice at any time or bite into a frozen popsicle made of natural fruits. There […]

Achiote paste comes from the annatto fruit. The fruit is matured and then left to dry on the tree. Annato seeds are used as a coloring and food condiment. It is grown in Mexico mainly in Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatán as well as in Oaxaca, Sinaloa and Morelos. There are several ways to make the paste. […]