November in Oaxaca

I'm out of clever titles for the day.  Maybe tomorrow!

As I read this before posting, it should have been about three posts.  But, here it is anyway!

The month has flown past.  Friends Beth and Fish arrived in Oaxaca a couple of days after we did, and settled right in at the pretty Casa Colonial.  They wasted no time in hitting the streets the next day, while Stuart and I were in Teotitlan with friends for a fabulous afternoon of cooking and eating and sampling mezcal.  Fish managed to buy not one, but two rugs within the first 24hours in town!

While Beth and Fish shopped, we headed to Teotitlan with Tom and JoAnn.  Michelle hosted chef Jose Luis in her spacious house in Teotitlan, set on the side of the mountain just across from San Francisco Lachigolo, and invited friends to help him cook.  And, taste his family's mezcals.  Several of us joined Jose Luis at the small mercado in Teotitlan to do the shopping, and then we took turns in motocabs which hauled us up the hill to Michelle's house with three people and several bags of food in each cab.  Once at Michelle's, I admired the view from her patio, and joined in the washing and prepping tasks.  Jose Luis started a fire in the grill with hand-made charcoal we bought at the mercado, and a team began roasting chiles, squash, tomatoes, garlic and onions.  Another team peeled and chopped chayotes, quesillo and raw tomatoes.   Someone cooked the tasajo, and then some chorizo while the rest of us chopped, mashed and stirred together three of the most delicious salsas I've ever eaten!  (Recipes below)   After eating until we couldn't eat more, we moved out to the patio to enjoy the afternoon sun and conversation, and more mezcal.  Eventually, JoAnn and Tom, Stuart and I shared a cab back to the city.  It was a wonderful way to begin our winter in Oaxaca!

Beth and Fish came to Oaxaca to study spanish at Oaxaca Spanish Magic, the language school I've attended off and on for three years.  Flor has a great staff of teachers, and an efficient agenda tailored to people who are here only for a couple of weeks at a time.  The classes are 3 hours daily, in the morning. Beth and Fish worked hard in the mornings, took a break for comida, and hit the books again most afternoons. We met after class most days for comida, laughing that we ate our way through Oaxaca with them!  Not to be missed:  Los Danzantes, La Cuisine, Itanoni, our favorite tlayuda puesto in the Juarez mercado, nieves in the park, tacos everywhere, drinks on the gozobi rooftop...where is my list?!?  The Sunday rock-and-roll concerts at Casa Colonial began while they were here, and we had a terrific time polishing our singing skills with all the other old rock-and-rollers on the lawn.  We also managed to squeeze in a trip to Tlacolula, Tule and Sn. Martin Tilcajete. 
The photo below:  Stuart, Fish, Senor Joaquin Hernandez (wood carver in San Martin Tilcajete) and me enjoying a shot of Sn. Hernandez's personal mezcal bottle.  Fish and Beth hauled home beautiful treasures from his shop!

Stuart and Sue, Beth and Fish, in the beautiful cactus-fence alley, in the Oaxaca Ethno-botanical garden.




below:  evidence of Francisco Toledo's incredible vision and planning in the gardens.

Sue arrived, to spend a week with us.  We began the eating circuit with her, much to our pleasure!  Sue is a great tourist, and wanted to see everything possible. She and Stuart went up in the mountains to La Cumbre on the Hooking it in Oaxaca weekly hike while I stayed in town that day to work on the Libaray Bazar prep.  In the week Sue was here, we also went to Tule, the Sunday market at Tlacolula, hiked up the Escalera to watch the sunset and see the lights come on in the Three Valleys, toured the world-class Ethno-botanical gardens and went to Monte Alban.

Sue, in a beautiful embroidered blouse from San Antonino.  A great find!

A pair of earrings similar to these Sue found may find their way into my possession!

 Did I mention food?  This is a pitaya, otherwise known as dragon-fruit.  We had great fun talking about this for a couple of days before we actually cut it open....beautiful inside!  Texture a bit like a kiwi, with a taste similar to an asian pear.  Not a very good description!

Stuart and Sue, taking a break on the wall by the Sto. Domingo.

 Back at Teotitlan...recipes are below.
 Below:  Michelle and chef Jose Luis, just before we serve the main courses. 

 Chayote wrapped in hierba buena:

Stuart and Michelle...yes, there was mezcal involved in the apron choices!

Here are the basics of the dishes we prepared with Jose Luis.  The beginning of almost all Oaxacan cooking begins with roasting the vegetables, chiles and tomatoes.  We devoured the salsas with grilled tasajo, and with the best chorizo I've ever tasted, on hand-made tortillas.  If you can put your hands on some good guavas, the dessert is to die for!  These are truly seat-of-the-pants recipes,without portions or serious instructions!

Salsa #1

Roasted Tomatillas, raw garlic minced, salt. 

Peel and roast tomatillas, grind in mocojete, stir in minced raw garlic and salt.

Salsa #2

Roasted jalapenos, avocado, roasted garlic, roasted onion, cilantro

Blend in a blender, adding egg yolk, tiny bit of oil and line juice.  Stir in salt.

Salsa #3

Roasted tomatoes and pasillo de Oax chiles, roasted garlic and roasted onion. 

Grind the tomatoes and pasillo chiles in mocojete, stir in  chopped onion.

Salsa #4

6 roasted tomatoes, 1.5 roasted onions, raw garlic. 

Grind the tomatoes and garlic in mocojete, stir in chopped onions.

Chayote wrapped in Hierba Buena

Chop chayote, onions, garlic, plantains and quesillo.  Saute until soft, with a very little oil.  Add salt at the finish.  Put a spoonful on hierba Buena leaf, add a bit of quesillo, roll, and bake about 25-30 minutes until leaves are soft, not browned.

Jose Luis’ chicken

Boil chicken pieces, quartered onion, smashed garlic and salt in water until the chicken is cooked through.  Cool, and shred chicken.  Reserve the broth.  In a baking dish, layer banana leaves, shredded chicken, solid layer of avocado leaves.  Cover with banana leaves and foil.  Back 25-30 minutes.

Dessert

Guavas. Cut the guavas in half, scoop out the seeds.  Lay the fruit flesh-side-down in a baking pan.  Sprinkle sugar, pour crema and whole milk, chopped basil.  Cover with foil and bake until thickened.  Cool, grate chocolate on top!