Tamales are the epitome of Mexican food and one of the classic tastes of the Hispanic kitchen. Tamales are “mother” food or comfort food, Latin style. The dough is made from masa harina or “masa flour,” the ground corn that has been soaked in lime, then dried for storage, to make the corn kernel softer and more digestible than regular cornmeal. It is the corn flour used to make tortillas and tamales have that wonderful strong corn flavor that is so characteristic in Mexican cuisine.
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When I eat dinner prepared by an Indian cook, often they will make rice with whole spices dotting it. From excellent cook and foodie friend Julia Scannel, her quick weekday night fluffy rice she learned when working on a book…
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We always see these wonderful looking whole snapper at the Asian market and they look so inviting. Here is the Chinese method for steaming a whole fish in the steamer baskets over a large rice cooker; it retains the texture…
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I started making steamed puddings in my restaurant days. Barbara Hiken brought in a recipe from one of the waitresses for persimmon pudding and we made it that day. And never made another recipe since it was so darn good.…
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This is an inspired recipe from creative consultant and recipe writer Julia Scannel, a friend of mine. She traveled in Mexico to help write a veritably unknown little book called Cooking With the Chiles & Spices of Mexico published by Culinary Alchemy, a self-published gem of a book I was lucky to get as a gift from her. This green rice is to be served alongside enchiladas and chile rellenos.
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