Living, Food, Mexico
I wrote this cookbook for the 10-year anniversary of my restaurant Cafe Juanita. I am filled with so much gratitude to the amazing team that works alongside me as we enter our 17th year in business.
If you have been to the restaurant we would really appreciate if you took a moment to post a review: https://g.co/kgs/kteosNN
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Marinade:
10 garlic cloves roasted
2 tablespoons lard or vegetable oil
3 ounces of red (rojo) achiote paste
2 tablespoons Mexican oregano
3 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
1 tablespoon whole cumin seed
1 tablespoon whole allspice berries
1 tablespoon juniper berries
1/2 cup orange juice,
1/3 cup lime juice
1/4 cup cider vinegar salt
For the Pork:
1 kilo pork shoulder or pork loin
2-4 banana leaves
2 Roma tomatoes
sliced 1 red or green bell pepper
1 white onion, sliced
12 bay leaves
Blend all marinade ingredients until it is a smooth sauce. Pour over pork. Mix well, cover and keep in the fridge for at least 6 hours and up to 24 hours.
Bake in oven 3 to 4 hours: Cooking this takes 3-4 hours, so plan ahead. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a large casserole with a double layer of heavy-duty foil, or a triple layer of regular foil – you want a good seal.
(Traditionally, cochinita pibil is wrapped in banana leaves, which add a wonderful flavor to the pibil. So, if banana leaves are available—you may be able to get them at the same store as the achiote paste, or at an Asian market—consider using them. Just heat the leaves first to make them more pliable.)
Pour in the pork and the marinade and close the foil tightly. Put the casserole in the oven and bake at 325°F for at least 3 hours. You want it pretty much falling apart, so start checking at the three-hour mark.
Remove bay leaves. Shred cooked pork meat with 2 forks: When the pork is tender, take it out of the oven and open the foil. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon to a bowl, then shred it with two forks. You don’t have to shred the pork, but I like it this way. Pour enough sauce over the meat to make it wet.
To serve, either use this as taco meat or over rice, garnished with cilantro, lime wedges and queso seco, a Mexican dry cheese a little like Greek feta. Pickled red onions are a traditional garnish, and if you like them, they’re good, too.
I love fresh homemade grapefruit soda. I got this awesome vintage juicer from my mum’s cupboard, she never used it anyway, and it is perfect for single servings. Squeeze your citrus of choice, add lots of ice and top with club soda.
*make it Paloma by adding a shot of tequila
*make it a Greyhound by adding a shot of gin or vodka
When I head off on a big holiday I usually have a tentative idea of how things will pan out and where I will end up.
However, a lot can be said for being open to letting unexpected delights and opportunities derail my original vision.
The seed for this current vacation was the spontaneous purchase of concert tickets to see the Dave Matthews Band in Lisbon. I bought the tickets on a whim six months before the trip when a friend sent me the DMB concert link so I could see about shows in Mexico, where I live.
I arrived in Lisbon with just the first five days of accommodations and the concert booked. After my first social media post a friend reached out who would be in Spain later in the month and would I like to join them touring Andalucía? Um… yes, done.
A few days later another amazing friend wrote to tell me she was eating and beaching around Sardinia alone and would I like to meet up. I booked a last minute flight and before you know it we were pigging out on culurgiones after a day in the cold turquoise waters.
I am still on this trip. Heading back towards Lisbon and then to Oslo to drive north and see some fjords.
One of my favorite things to say is ‘over preparation is procrastination’. I apply this when rolling out a new business idea and now also when traveling. So randomly buy a concert ticket or a flight and just keep saying yes.
Interested in following my adventures, check out my Instagram @livingfoodmexico
2. Healthy Food! An abundance of local fresh fruits and vegetables. Huatulco’s clean ocean also means fresh locally-caught fish!
3. Nature. Even just looking at the ocean or a light walk through the jungle will lower your blood pressure and stress levels. We will be surrounded by marina life, waterfalls, and birds.
4. Movement- Our retreat includes daily yoga and meditation adjusted to your level and needs. Reconnecting with your body is an amazing tool to heal your mind.
5. Cleansing- Our itinerary will lead you through a series of activities to bring flow into your life both physically and emotionally.
We Are Water Retreat: Unlock your inner strength and learn to flow
March 20th-25th, 2023
Huatulco, Mexico is the perfect backdrop to reconnect with yourself.
Join Jane Bauer and Kary Vannice for an oceanfront 5-night women’s retreat in paradise. This retreat includes daily yoga and meditation, gourmet healthy meals, excursions into nature for all fitness levels. Facilitated workshops and connection with other participants will help you come closer to your true purpose and allow you to embrace more joy.
You’ll return home feeling relaxed, restored and ready to move forward.
Jane Bauer has been teaching yoga since 2006. She is a restaurant owner and cooking school instructor.
Kary Vannice helps women with personal transformation, a positive mindset, and self-acceptance at Get Your Vibe Right.
Cost 1400 USD
(300 USD to reserve your spot)
Includes: 5 nights accommodation
All meals, excursions, and activities.
11 poblano chiles
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
2 liters of milk, divided
2 tablespoons powdered chicken stock
1/2 white onion
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons white flour
Roast the chiles:
Gas stove or oven method.
Gas stove: place poblano chiles on the open flame and cook until charred.
Oven: Preheat oven to 425°F. Rub whole poblano chiles with one tablespoon of vegetable oil, and place on baking sheet. Roast 30 to 45 minutes, or until charred on all sides, turning with tongs.
Transfer to bowl, cover, and let steam 15 minutes. Rub off skins and remove seeds and stems.
Add the steamed chiles, 1 liter of milk and powdered chicken stock to blender. Puree until very smooth. Transfer to a large soup pot.
Make Roux:
Saute onion in 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil on low for 7 minutes. Add butter and melt. Add flour and mix well with a whisk until blended with the onion.
Add roux to blender with 1 liter of milk. Blend.
Add roux/milk to blended poblano in the large soup pot.
Bring to boil and then lower temp and let simmer 15 minutes.
When using shrimp in a cooking class I always encourage students to buy shrimp with the heads, if they can. While cleaned and deveined shrimp are a convenience when you need to cook something quickly, there is something to be said for the meditative aspect of cleaning your shrimp, and ripping the heads off is a better release than squeezing a stress ball. In addition, the heads and peels are a flavorful base for seafood stock. Here is one of my favorite recipes using shrimp heads which showcases the versatility of a ‘waste not, want not’ attitude. Happy cooking and eating!
Shrimp Mousse
Ingredients:
10 shrimp heads rinsed in cold water
1 tomato
2 tbs. garlic oil
sprigs of dried thyme
1/2 dried guajillo chile- seeds removed
1 package cream cheese
Splash of white wine
Salt
Saute all ingredients on medium heat, except cream cheese, in a frying pan
for 10-15 minutes. Cool.
Puree shrimp head mixture with cream cheese in a food processor until
smooth.
Pass through a sieve to remove any pieces of shell.
Pour into a ramekin or teacup and place in the fridge for a couple of hours to set.
Serve with toast or crackers.
Christopher Columbus took 8 Iberian pigs with him on his 1493 voyage. After Hernan Cortes overthrew the Aztec empire in 1521 he traveled to Oaxaca and he brought pigs that were descended from the pigs Columbus brought to Cuba. Since then, the pig has been an important part of Mexican food culture. From tacos al pastor to cochinita pibil to lechon- there are many ways to cook a pig and it is almost always a feast for the senses.
While I love my pork slow-cooked, sometimes I just don’t have the time. So I have worked on finding a fast way to cook pork without losing the delicious flavor and pull away tenderness.
Here is my recipe for a fast cooked, yet tender pork.
Pork Belly Tacos
Provecho
Salsa Verde is perfect the perfect topping to almost any taco. The tangy tomatillos pair beautifully with pork, chicken and fish. This salsa recipe makes quite a bit but you can freeze half if you won’t use it all in the next week.
Salsa Verde:
2 garlic cloves
3 serrano chili peppers – check heat levels and use more or less depending on how hot you want to go
1 kilo (2.2 pounds) small green tomatillos, husks removed
3 cups water or chicken stock
1 cup cilantro
½ cup sour cream
Boil the garlic, chili peppers and tomatillos in the water or chicken stock until tomatillos darken in color but are still firm. Place garlic, chili peppers and tomatillos in a blender. Fill half way with water or chicken stock and blend. Add cilantro and blend. Let cool slightly and add sour cream and blend. Transfer to a pot and simmer on low until reaches desired thickness. Taste and add salt if needed.
For information on taking a cooking class with me, in-person in Huatulco, Mexico or online:
http://www.HuatulcoCookingClasses.com
chiles.chocolate@yahoo.com
In last night’s online cooking class we made this sweet, yet savory, corn bread pudding with poblano chilies. I love this dish served with brunch or as a main served with salad. I originally came upon this recipe in a cookbook detailing Frida Kahlo’s favorite dishes.
For information about upcoming classes: http://www.HuatulcoCookingClasses.com Contact me to be added to our mailing list: chiles.chocolate@yahoo.com
Corn Bread Pudding
Mix butter and sugar together. Blend corn and milk in a blender. Mix flour, baking powder, salt and egg yolks together. Add corn/milk and sugar/butter. Mix well.
Beat remaining egg whites and when fluffy fold into corn batter. Pour into a oiled/buttered loaf pan. Bake at 175 C/ 350 F for 45 minutes.
Chiles in Cream
Sauté onion in butter on a medium heat for 10 minutes, add sliced poblanos and cream, turn heat to low and continue to sauté for 3-4 minutes.
Served corn bread pudding with poblano chilies in cream on top. Yum!
Jane Bauer 