Mexico Cooks!

Taquería La Tía in Uruapan, Michoacán :: 37 Years in Business and Counting!

One of the many, many waterfalls in the Parque Nacional Eduardo Ruíz, Uruapan, Michoacán.  I took this photo of the Barranca de Cupatítzio over 20 years ago, and the park hasn't changed much in all that time.

Uruapan (ooo-roo-AH-pahn), the second largest city in Michoacán, is most famous for two marvelous things: the Parque Nacional Eduardo Ruíz, in the heart of the city, and the annual Tianguis de Artesanías Domingo de Ramos (Palm Sunday Artisans' Market), that is normally a two week event starting each year on Palm Sunday.  Uruapan, with a population of approximately 500,000, is an important economic center, in large part because of its location between Lázaro Cárdenas and Morelia.  The park, an easy walk from anywhere in downtown Uruapan, consists of about 1.7 square miles of land, much of which is pine and oak forest.  A small part of that area is open to the public, with wandering easy-to-walk paths, many, many waterfalls, and gentle slopes.  Wonderful friends took me there the very first time I visited Michoacán, in 1982.  The park hasn't changed a lot and it continues to be a delight to the senses. 


Part of the opening parade of artisans at the annual Tianguis de Artesanías Domingo de Ramos.  The artisans parade from the Parque Nacional to the main plaza in Uruapan's center, complete with regional dress, floats, pirekuas (typical music of the Purépecha indigenous people), and town after town carrying its arts and crafts through the parade.  If you're lucky, an artisan will toss small articles made in her or his town--and you'll catch a little souvenir to bring home with you.

The Tianguis de Artesanías Domingo de Ramos showcases as many as 1400 artisans from everywhere in Michoacán, showing and selling their work each year during the week before and the week after Easter.  The event was cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19, but everyone is hoping that the fair will be active again in 2021.  Mexico Cooks! will let you know.

Uruapan isn't a famous destination for international tourism and much of the city is unknown territory dedicated to residential areas and big business.  The city does have many hotels, mostly for business travelers, but the hotels are always eager to accommodate tourists.  In the photo above, you see the downtown Mercado de Antojitos--a really fun market specializing in all sorts of Michoacán sit-down snacks.  

Starting fairly recently, Mexico Cooks! has had the opportunity once or twice a month to travel with a small group to Uruapan.  We always leave Morelia in time to get to Uruapan in time for breakfast--and what a breakfast!  Our group is quite fond of tacos de guisado--and "guisado" is a tough word to translate.  Translated loosely, it's "stewy things"--like chicharrón en salsa verde, huevos revueltos con chorizo, aporreadillo, and a long list of others.   Chicharrón en salsa verde is fried pork skin in green sauce; huevos revueltos con chorizo are eggs scrambled with spicy pork sausage; aporreadillo is a local dish made with cecina (in this case, very thin dried beef), scrambled egg, and a light tomato broth flavored with chile.  There's a stand on the main avenue leading into Uruapan, on the right-hand side of a very busy street, where tacos de guisado have been the specialty since 1983--and that's where we stop for breakfast: Taquería La Tía (Auntie's Taco Stand).


The only sign is on the wall under the counter, behind the benches where diners sit and difficult to see.  The final "A" is long gone from "Taquerí--" oops!  The stand has seating for about 10 people and there is often a line waiting to sit down.  But oh, it is so worth the wait!


In the center of this trio of aproned women is doña Graciela Mercado Diego, a daughter of the founder, doña Margarita Diego Reyes.  On the left is Marisela Sánchez Mercado, who is the main cook and the tortilla maker.  On the right is Erika Sánchez Mercado, who works with her mother and sister to run the stand.  These three incredible women open the taquería Monday through Saturday from 5:00AM until noon.  Maricela prepares, with some help from her pinche (Mexican kitchen slang for the person who helps peel and chop vegetables, cut up meats, and do anything that needs to be done)--15 different freshly made guisados a day!  That's an incredible feat.  The guisados, spooned from clay cazuelas or old-fashioned enameled pans into the freshly made tortillas waiting on your plate, are uniformly delicious and the tacos are "bien servidos"--large portions.


Luisa's first taco: egg scrambled with chorizo, topped with frijoles de la olla (beans fresh from the pot).  It's mouth-watering.


My first taco: aporreadillo served atop delicious red rice.  Each of us snarfed down these first tacos and ordered one more apiece.


Luisa's second taco: chicharrón en salsa verde topped with frijoles de la olla.  I am not a fan of chicharrón en salsa, but I think I might be the only person in Mexico who isn't crazy about it.  I like my chicharrón crunchy, not sauce-y.  That's a big glass of fresh orange juice in the right top corner of the photo; we each had one, naturally sweet and newly squeezed.

It seems that I didn't take a photo of my own second taco.  I probably ate it too fast to think about it!  All the more reason to go back to Taquería La Tía as soon as possible.

Doña Graciela asked that I tell you that during Lent, the menu changes and is based on especialidades de la Cuaresma--Mexico's Lenten dishes.


The photo is of doña Margarita, the founding matriarch of Taquería La Tía (and doña Graciela's mother).  She had 15 children, four of whom have passed away.  Doña Margarita herself died just six years ago and is of course much missed.  She is always present in her photograph, watching over the taco stand.  Rest in peace, doña Margarita, Taquería La Tía is in good hands.

Come with us to Taquería La Tía in Uruapan!

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More of Mexico Cooks! Pre-Pandemia Wanderings :: All Over Mexico, Part 2

I'm sure you remember that old saying, "Life is uncertain, eat dessert first."  Mexico Cooks! is a firm proponent of that--at least for beginning today's report. This sweet, delicious offering is on the menu at La Conspiración de 1809, just at the back of Morelia's cathedral.  In the photo, you see a pavlova, a crisp meringue filled with pastry cream and frutos rojos (red fruits)--in this case, Michoacán's locally grown strawberries, blackberries, and red raspberries.  Driscoll's also grows blueberries here in Michoacán.  The company leases fields from local owners and trains local workers to cultivate, harvest, and pack the berries.  Next time you're in your supermarket, take a close look at the Driscoll's label.  Many of the berries that you purchase, no matter where in the world you live, are grown just a few kilometers from Mexico Cooks!' home. Click on any photo for a larger view. 


A doorway to a private home in the community Santa Fe de la Laguna, Michoacán.


Elotes tatemados (roasted young corn, still in its husk) for sale in a large Mexico City market.  


These are also elotes (young corn), boiled rather than roasted, for sale at the same market stand.  It's hard to choose which to buy, roasted or boiled, both are so delicious!  


Chambarete entomatado (beef shank cooked in a sauce of tomate verde (tomatillos), onions, chile, and other spices) until the meat is falling-off-the-bone tender.  Available daily at Fonda Marceva in Morelia's centro historico.  It's one of my favorite things on their menu--come to tour Michoacán with me, and we'll definitely eat at Marceva.  Photo courtesy my friend chef Eddie Álvarez.


Preparing fresh chicharrón (fried pork skins) at a market booth in Mexico City.  Book a market tour with me and we'll visit this booth--and we'll have a taste of hot-from-the-vat chicharrón.  Everybody loves its crisp, greaseless texture and taste.  


Escobetillas (stiff brushes made from plant root material bound together with thin wire), used for scrubbing dirty dishes.  Seen in a Oaxaca market.  Each one measures approximately 5"-6" in length. 


My longtime friend don Rafael, a copper worker in Santa Clara del Cobre, Michoacán, for 62 of his 70 years.  Yes, he started hand-hammering copper vessels when he was eight years old.  Today, he is a prize-winning grand master of the art.  In the photo, he's demonstrating a hammering technique to one of my tour groups.  Each beautiful copper item in this workshop is entirely made by hand.  Let's go! 


Souls burning in Hell, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato.  Wood carving.  


Longaniza (the long sausage without links) and Oaxaca-style chorizo, with small round links, displayed on a market stand, Oaxaca City.


Two little devils at once, 2019 Encuentro de Cocineras Tradicionales, Oaxaca.  Wait, what, two?  Yes, in the background is a hand dolly, known here in Mexico as a diablito, a little devil.


Puerco estilo cubano (Cuban-style roast pork).  The men on the right-hand side of the photo sit on benches and turn, turn, turn the spits until the pork is tender, juicy, and ready to serve.  I've eaten big plates of this meat every year for the last three years.  It's truly something to look forward to at the Encuentro de Cocineras Tradicionales, Oaxaca.


The Unión de Palmeadoras (tortilla makers' union) from Tlaxiaco, Oaxaca had a wonderful booth set up, selling hand-made Tlaxiaco-style tortillas.  Those are fiery chiles pequín, in the dish.


The fiestas patronales in San Jerónimo Purenchécuaro, Michoacán, featured Moorish dancers.  These two young men posed for me.


San Jerónimo Purenchécuaro is widely known for one of its several artesanías (handcrafts): these are velas escamadas (elaborate, hand-made beeswax candles).  These particular candles were placed at one side of the main altar in the church in San Jerónimo Purenchécuaro; other banks of candles were placed throughout the church.  Beautiful but ephemeral, the candles are meant to be burned.


Golden cempasúchil (a type of giant marigold) and wine-red pata de león (cockscomb) are Mexico's most typical flowers for Día de los Muertos.  These are for sale at the wholesale flower market in Mexico City.  


Right now and until approximately March of next year, Mexico's fresh guasanas (garbanzo beans) are in season.  Not dried, these are harvested fresh and steamed lightly in salt water.  Each pod contains two individual green, fresh garbanzos; we eat them like edamame, squeezing the garbanzos out of the pods directly into our mouths.  Some people like to douse a bagful with liquid chile (what you see in the bottle), but I prefer the clean, green taste of the guasana.


One of my favorite places to go, whether with old friends or with tourists new to Mexico City, continues to be Azul Histórico.  The food is exquisite, the restaurant itself is marvelously beautiful, and the service is always attentive.  Here, the "hostess" is a catrina, all gussied up Oaxaca-style for Day of the Dead.

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More of Mexico Cooks! Pre-Pandemia Wanderings :: All Over Mexico, Part 1

In February 2019, Mexico Cooks! returned to live once again in Morelia, Michoacán.  It's been a joyful return, to the welcome of wonderful old friends, well-remembered streets and markets, and the beautiful colonial city itself.  I found a terrific house in Morelia's Centro Histórico, walking distance to most anywhere I need to go.  You can expect to hear a lot more from me in the months to come about the cuisines, customs, and creativity of the people of Michoacán.  The photo above is Morelia's Cathedral by the light of the full moon.


Workshop for creating a flavored salt.  In a volcanic stone molcajete (that's part of it, in the photo), I ground roasted maguey worms, dehydrated pineapple, sea salt, and a chile de árbol or two.  The flavor of mine was just so-so; a fellow behind me made a fantastic salt, flavored with a roasted scorpion.  Who knew!  Each of us participants got to bring our salt home in a test tube.  


Late this spring, a friend and I traveled to San Miguel de Allende, where we saw friends and tried some of San Miguel's many restaurants.  My personal favorite meal was brunch at Marsala: Cocina con Acentos, a truly innovative and delicious Mediterranean niche in the center of the city.  The photo shows my plate of Marsala-style eggs Benedict, accompanied by a so-good mimosa.  In addition to a full menu of brunch choices, one is also invited to partake of the buffet of freshly baked scones, cheese biscuits, marmalades, a magnificent house-made terrine, and a number of other take-what-you want items.  I can't wait to go back!

One of the highlights of the trip to San Miguel de Allende was the opportunity to meet in person a man I have long admired from afar.  Charles Hall manages Rose Anne Hall Designs, a highly successful family business which produces mouth-blown glass items for the home, as well as the most beautiful hand-made candles in Mexico.  Under Charlie's direction, the business dedicates itself to hiring people with disabilities--or what would appear to be disabilities--but who are enabled by the opportunity to create.  Charlie is a businessman, a philosopher, and a humorist, and a wonderful human being.  


In the lovely traditional kitchen at the home of good friends in Santa Fe de la Laguna.  It's always a privilege to be with them.


Cocido, or caldo de res, in my own kitchen and ready to serve.  So simple, and so delicious.  


Embarcadero San Pedro near twilight, Pátzcuaro, Michoacán.


If you've been reading Mexico Cooks! for very long, you know that I have a strange fascination with pig heads.  The staff at this market booth are all great people and love showing off their wares.  This handsome fellow has a mouthful of alfalfa.  They are also a bunch of goofballs: they always encourage my market tour clients  to kiss the snout--and I must say that in the spirit of fun, quite a few do!


These miniature chairs--about the size to seat a one-year-old baby--were all but viral on Facebook when I uploaded the photo.  Turned upside down with potted plants on the bottoms of the straw seats, the chairs make a charming entrance into my home.


Last--but definitely not least--was my outrageously wonderful end-of-June birthday party, with the crowning touch of this spectacular cake.  A huge shout-out to the Colegio Culinario de Morelia, to chef Joaquín Bonilla, to chef Juan Carlos Montaño, and to the crew who brought and served this marvelous creation.  Between the delicious cake, the just-right frosting, the assortment of cookies and candies--and gold leaf!--that decorated the masterpiece, party guests were thrilled and so was the birthday girl.  Such a wonderful birthday gift!  Mil gracias a todos ustedes del Colegio!

Come back next week for a look at the rest of Mexico Cooks!' year 2019.

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Calabaza en Tacha :: A Sweet Winter Treat from Mexico

Looking for something different to serve for Thanksgiving?  How about calabaza en tacha--calabaza de Castilla (a winter squash) cooked in a deliciously sweet syrup?  As a side dish instead of sweet potatoes--or in addition to sweet potatoes!--this Mexican-style squash is sure to be a hit with your family and guests. Photo courtesy Mercado Libre.

María de la Luz Padilla, the marvelous woman who spoils Mexico Cooks! by doing all my housework, gave me a squash.  She brought two home from her rancho (the family farm) out in the country, one for her and one for me.  The 8" diameter squash wasn't very big, as winter squash go, but it was plenty for me.  Mari's first question, after I had happily accepted her gift, was whether or not I knew how to cook it.  "Con piloncillo y canela, sí?" (With cones of brown sugar and cinnamon, right?)  

Here's a crosscut of a really big calabaza de Castilla.  It measures about 22" in diameter.  Mexico Cooks! photo, Mercado de Sonora, Mexico City.

Even though I knew how to spice the squash and knew how to cut it apart, knowing and doing these things turned out to be worlds apart.  Faced with the project, I waffled and hesitated, intimidated by a large vegetable.  The squash sat on the counter for several days, daring me to cook it before it molded.  Then one of the cats toppled it over and rolled it around the counter, so I moved the squash outside onto the terrace table and gathered my nerve. 

On Sunday, I finally decided it was Cook the Squash Day. Mari was due to arrive early on Monday morning and it had to be done before she scolded me for letting it sit for so long.  I chose pots, knives (a 10" Sabatier carbon steel chef's knife, more than 50 years old, was my go-to knife), and gathered the rest of the simple ingredients for a mise en place.

The squash with the first section cut out.

Cutting the squash in sections was the only difficult part of preparing it.  The shell of the squash is hard.  Hard.  HARD.  I was careful to keep the knife pointed toward the wall, not toward my body.  With the force I needed to cut the squash open, one slip of the knife could have meant instant and deep penetration of my entrails.  Later that night, my friend Araceli told me that her mother usually breaks a squash apart by throwing it from her home's second floor balcony onto the concrete patio!  The next morning, Mari told me that her husband had cut their squash apart with a machete.  I felt really tough, knowing that I'd been able to cut it open with just a big knife and a few pointed words.  (That's shorthand for 'the air turned blue above my counter').

The squash, cut into sections and ready for the pot.  On the counter behind the squash is a 1930's Mexican covered cazuela (casserole), the top in the form of a turkey.

Once I had the (expletives deleted) squash cut open, I scooped out the seeds and goop and cut it into sections more or less 4" long by 3" wide.  I did not remove the hard shell, nor should you.


Piloncillo (raw brown sugar) cones in two sizes.  The large one weighs 210 grams; the small one weighs 35 grams.  I use the small ones in the recipe below.

Meantime, I had prepared the ingredients for the almíbar (thick syrup) that the squash would cook in.  Mexican stick cinnamon, granulated sugar, and piloncillo (cones of brown sugar) went into a pot of water.  I added a big pinch of salt, tied anise seed and cloves into a square of cheesecloth and tossed the little bundle into the water.  The pot needed to simmer for at least three hours, until the syrup was thick and well-flavored.

Clockwise from left: Mexican stick cinnamon, anise seed, piloncillo, and cloves.

Several hours later (after the syrup thickened well), I added the pieces of squash to the pot.  Cooking time for this very hard squash was approximately an hour and a half over a low-medium flame. 

As the squash cooks in the syrup, it softens and takes on a very appetizing dark brown color.  Calabaza en tacha is one of the most typically homey Mexican year-round dishes for desayuno (breakfast) or cena (supper).  Well-heated and served in a bowl with hot milk and a little of its own syrup, the squash is both nutritious and filling.

Squash for breakfast!  On Monday morning, Mexico Cooks! served up bowls of squash with hot milk, along with a slice of pan relleno con chilacayote (bread filled with sweetened chilacayote squash paste).  Mari thought my squash was almost--almost--as good as hers.

Calabaza en Tacha estilo Mexico Cooks!

Ingredients
One medium-size hard shell winter squash (about 8" in diameter)
6 cups water
14 small cones of dark piloncillo (coarse brown sugar)
2 cups granulated sugar
4 Mexican cinnamon sticks about 2.5" long
2 pieces of orange peel 
1 Tbsp anise seed
1 tsp whole cloves

Preparation
Heat the water in a large pot.  Add the piloncillo, the granulated sugar, the orange peel, and the cinnamon sticks.  Tie the anise seed and the cloves into a cheesecloth square and add it to the pot.  Cook over a slow flame until the liquid is thick and syrupy, approximately three hours.

While the syrup is cooking, prepare the squash.  Cut it into serving-size pieces as described above.  If the squash shell is very hard, take adequate precautions so that you do not hurt yourself as you cut it in sections.  You can always throw it from your second-floor window onto the patio!

Add the squash pieces to the thickened syrup and simmer until the squash is soft and takes on a deep brown color.  Cool for 15 minutes or so before serving.  Re-heat for desayuno (breakfast) or cena (supper).  Serve with hot milk poured over it.

Makes about 16 servings.

¡Provecho!

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