Vegetarian cooking, 'slow food' indigenous to Mexico + recipe: Poblanos & corn

The original Mexican cuisine was that of the Aztecs and Mayans, replete with recipes using corn (maiz), beans, chocolate and just a little later, tomatoes, chiles, mushrooms,vanilla, avocado, papaya, pineapple, squash, sweet potato, peanuts, fish and turkey and herbs. These ingredients are still the foundation of so much that is Mexican cooking.

"Traditional Mexican cuisine is a comprehensive cultural model comprising farming, ritual practices, age-old skills, culinary techniques and ancestral community customs and manners. It is made possible by collective participation in the entire traditional food chain: from planting and harvesting to cooking and eating. The basis of the system is founded on corn, beans and chili; unique farming methods such as milpas (rotating swidden fields of corn and other crops) ....; cooking processes such as nixtamalization (lime-hulling maize, which increases its nutritional value); and singular utensils including grinding stones and stone mortars.... Mexican cuisine is elaborate and symbol-laden.... Collectives of female cooks and other practitioners devoted to raising crops and traditional cuisine are found ... across Mexico. Their knowledge and techniques express community identity, reinforce social bonds, and build stronger local, regional and national identities. Those efforts ... also underline the importance of traditional cuisine as a means of sustainable development (according to source Mexidata).

The Spanish invaded Mexico in 1521, and influenced both ingredients used and the cooking methods. When the Spanish soldiers arrived in the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan ... they combined their imported diet of rice, beef, pork, chicken, wine, garlic and onions with the native foods of pre-Columbian Mexico. Spanish influences lead to the emergence of dishes such as lomo en adobo (pork loin in a spicy sauce), chile rellenos (large, mild-flavored chilies stuffed with cheese, beef or pork), as well as quesadillas and guacamole. Cows, goats and sheep were introduced by the Europeans, and so, therefore was cheese, key in so many Mexican dishes. (For more on Mexican cheese, see Discover Mexican cheeses ... in the Mission district).

One local restaurant celebrates the "Three Sisters" (corn, beans and squash) in their cuisine: Gracias Madre's with its warm interior, a vegan menu and tagline "Organic Mexican Cuisine", plus the 2010 Best New Restaurant designation. With the menu of really inviting selections, including (from the Antojitos the group, ($6-8)... literally translated as "cravings", these "street snacks" are traditionally masa-based, and include Gorditos, Hauraches, Sopes, Tamales and Quesadillas )Coliflor con Queso Fundido (Cauliflower and Cashew Cheese Gratin topped with garlic breadcrumbs), Papas al Horno (oven-roasted potatoes with garlic and topped with cashew nacho cheese and Empanda de Camote con Chipotle (hand-pie filled with chipotle-flavored sweet potatoes served on a bed of molé). The Entradas ($11-15), include a Platillo de Legumbres (plate of vegetables)- rice, beans and two items from a list of veggie specialties and Poblano Chilies (chiles are dry-roasted using a comal ....For detailed instructions, see recipe for Rajas de Chile con Maiz below), a process with imparts a smokey flavor and maintains a texture that is significantly less "watery" than boiling, for example, might.

The following is an excerpt from my review (for full review, follow this link): If the food was a bit uneven, there is no doubt that Gracias Madre has what it takes to make you forget that this is vegan cuisine, the chef has a deft hand when it comes to the preparation of almost all of the vegetables and the flavors and many of the cooking techniques are truly Mexican. The rice and the well-fried black beans (no, they are not actually re-freid beans, see Using leftovers a la Mexicana Part II; beans ) were pure Mexican food casera-style (home cooking). But for just under $40 with tax and tip, we were not full (perhaps because we shared an entreé, so we might have been full at, let's say, over $50?!), this, without beverages (aguas frescas are $5/6) or desserts ($8); and we were there for almost and hour between being seated and paying our bill. Great dining is about so much more than great food... this was almost great food in a very cozy atmosphere, it just wasn't a $$$ meal.

Corn is best known in Mexican cuisine as Elote (see recipe in Add a little chile to your BBQ); below is another dish, perhaps not as well known but a real culinary journey to Mexico, combining the sweetness of corn with the bite of poblano chiles.

Rajas con Maiz Poblano strips with corn, recipe by Tres Señoritas Gourmet

8 poblano chiles

4 ears corn

1 cup Mexican sour cream (crema)*

1 lb. Queso Oaxaca*, made into long strips ("string cheese")

Fresh ground nutmeg

* available at Chico's Produce on 24th St. near Alabama

Prepare the chiles by dry-roasting, either on a comal (see Of chiquihuites, comals and cazuelas) or over an open flame right on your stove top. Turn frequently, allowing all sides to char. Remove and place chilies immediately into a plastic bag, tie the bag well so that the chiles can sweat. This will make it possible to remove their thin outer skin. To do this, take the chilies out of the plastic bag after about 10 minutes and run them under cold water, peeling off the skin. It should seperate easily; where its "stuck", if its not a large area, just leave the skin on. If there's a larger piece of skin that won't come off, return the chile to the fire with that area down, towards the flame and repeat the process.

While the chiles are roasting, boil a large pot of salted water and drop the corn ears in for about 3 minutes. Remove and run the corn under cold water so the cooking process stops. Remove kernels to a large pot.

Now, remove the stems from the chiles, slice open and remove the seeds. Slice chiles into long, thin strips, about 1/8"-1/4" wide. Add to the pot with the corn kernels.

Add the Queso Oaxaca and the crema. Return the pot to the fire and cook over a medium flame, stirring almost constantly, until all the cheese has melted and mixed well with the sour cream. Serve with fresh ground nutmeg.