I loosely followed recipes in Diana Kennedy's The Essential Cuisines of Mexico. Kennedy's recipe for plain white rice (arroz blanco) is revelatory to me. It calls for stir-frying the rice for several minutes until it changes color, and then steaming it slowly in twice as much liquid as I'd use in an Asian rice recipe, with a towel under the lid to absorb the steam. The result is fluffy and delicious.
The chicken is excellent too. This is the second time I've made it. Some tips: Bake uncovered to allow the cream to reduce. Cook only until the center of the chicken reaches 160 F. Puree hotter chilis along with the rajas into the cream to add a little kick (one Thai bird chili per 2 cups of cream is plenty). Young smoked cheddar worked very well and much better than sharp aged cheddar. But the cheese isn't necessary; the dish is delicious without it.
I also made a Yucatecan jicama-orange salad in a bitter orange sauce, following a recipe in Kennedy's book.
No comments:
Post a Comment