The Little Mexican Cooking School, Puerto Morelos Mexico

The thing that I like to do most when I have free time is cook so when we were on Vacation in Mexico we took the time to visit the Little Mexican Cooking School. The school is located in a small hotel in Puerto Morelos a picturesque fishing town not far from Playa del Carmen, about a half hour drive from the hotel zone in Cancun. 

The day that we attended was the first time their current chef was returning after a break so he was jovial but nervous - without reason! The entire class was well organised and entertaining and the recipes were wonderful. He took the time to plan out the cooking so that our meal was all prepared and ready to eat as a multi course meal.  

We started with some lectures on the local food and how to prepare it, some misconceptions about Mexican food and the history of some of the major ingredients. Then we moved into the large kitchen to prepare our dishes; a 4 course meal. 

For some of the attendees this included some basic guidance on knife skills, seasoning, mise en place and kitchen cleanliness but it was a great tutorial for the beginner and experienced cook alike. The range of dishes included salsas, soup, appetizers, a main dish and a pastry and covered a great variety of cooking skills was covered like baking, frying, sauteing and more. 

The kitchen is large and well kept and perfectly suited for cooking classes, I was particularly enamoured of this above stove mirror system which meant the whole room could see what the chef was doing on the stove. I wish that my school had had something similar for home economics classes as a teen. 

The recipes we cooked that day focused on Caribbean Mexican food; tropical and fresh flavours combined with the familiar spicy comfort food that many were used to eating Mexican in the US.  

The class took up a whole morning finishing with the meal as a lunch so be prepared to spend an entire day at the school. This was well worth the time out of our sight seeing and relaxing schedule though and was one of the more memorable vacation days we've had travelling. 

On leaving the school they provided us with a recipe book of everything we had done that day and a lovely apron each, that I use constantly. Here I'm going to give one of the recipes that they provided but I will say that the experience, the hands on fun and the time we had as a couple make the cooking school experience worth far more than the recipes we walked away with. Much recommended.

Chilled avocado soup with tortilla sticks and chilli oil

Fresh potato and corn gorditas; including all the salsas and salads

Crusted tuna fillet with mango salsa and cilantro lime rice

Chocolate Truffle Tart with Spicy Pecans

Spicy nut topping

1/4 cup dark agave

2tspn ground cinnamon

1 tspn ground orange peel

1/4 tspn dried chile arbol (ground)

2 tbspn brown sugar

2 cups pecans

1/2 tspn salt

Method

• Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper and set asside
• Mix the agave, cinnamon, orange peel, chile arbol, brown sugar and salt together in a small bowl
• Place the nuts in a skillet and set over medium heat. 
• Add the nuts to the skillet and cook while stirring frequently for 4 -6 minutes until they start to brown and a toasty scent is found
• Add the spice mix to the skillet and stir continuously until the mixture thickens and coats the nuts, approximately 2-3 mins
• Transfer the nuts to the sheet pan and separate with a spatula. Allow the nuts to cook then use to top pastry or on their own with cheese or dried fruit

Crust

3 cups plain flour

1 tsp salt

1 cup cold butter cut into cubes

1 large egg

1 tbspn white vinegar

3 - 5 tbspns cold water

Method

• Preheat oven to 220C (425F)  
• In a small bowl mix egg, vinegar and 3 tbspn water
• In a food processor combine flour and salt and pulse slowly. Add buttter and pulse until you get a small crumb consistency
• Add the egg mixture and continue to pulse until the dough comes clean off the sides of the mixer
• Portion dough into 2 equal disks and rest the dough in the fridge for 1 hour
• Roll out the dough onto a lightly floured surface into a 20cm (8 inch) circle 
• Transfer to a shallow tart pan, cover the bottom of the pastry with a circle of foil and 2 cups of dry beans (to dry bake the pastry flat)
• Bake pastry for 10 minutes
• Remove the beans and foil and continue cooking for another 10 mins until light brown in colour
• Rest the crust for 30 mins to cool before adding the filling

Filling

1 cup heavy cream

5 oz (125g) dark chocolate

1 tablet Mexican chocolate

1/4 cup melted butter

2tbpsn toasted ground coffee

2 oz liqueur - Xtabentun for Mexican flavour or your choice of spirits

2 tspn Vanilla extract 

1 tspn ground cinnamon

Method

• In a small pot bring the heavy cream to a boil and then take off the stove
• Mix the chocolates and butter into the cream folding well until you see that the butter is encorporated
• Add the rest of the ingredients to the chocolate and mix
• Pour the chocolate mixture into the tart shell and place in the fridge for 3 hours to set completely
• Top with spicy nuts, cream or other garnish of your choosing
• Serve with fresh berries and wild honey

The Little Mexican Cooking School

http://www.thelittlemexicancookingschool.com/

A hands on, all day cooking class 

Fun for beginners and foodies alike

Av Javier Rojo Gomez
77580 Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo
Mexico

Review: Colibri Mexican Bistro, San Francisco

Whenever we have international visitors they invariably want to try the local and very authentic Mexican food. While there are many choices for budget friendly taquerias in the Mission sometimes a more refined outing is called for and this is when I take them to Colibri.

The front of the restaurant is an unassuming shop front not far from Union Square but inside are wonderful fresh Mexican dishes that never fail to impress.

Guacamole $12USD

The guacamole is made to order with the ingredients and heat of your choice. It comes served in a heavy stone bowl, with various chili sauces and a choice of fresh handmade tortillas or chips (or maybe both!). 

Empanadas $13USD

Freshly empanadas (baked wheat dumplings) stuffed with ground pork, onion, garlic, and roasted peppers. Served with a chipotle sour cream and pink pickled cabbage. The stuffing isn't too heavy and the dough is light and crisp. I can't get past the pickle though, I wish there were about 5 times as much of it.

Duck in Mole Verde $20USD

Pan seared duck breast cooked to perfection and served in a green mole sauce with peppery green leaves and a fried potato cake. The sauce is divine and the accompaniments set off the dish perfectly.

Carnitas $18USD

This isn't the kind of carnitas you're going to find in the back of  food truck; prime pork is marinated and served with guajillo and arbol chili salsa. I advise asking for additional fresh tortillas for the carnitas and excusing yourself as you wolf them down with your hands.

Pechuga Rellena de Huitlacoche $18USD

If you're a fan of earthy tastes then huitlacoche (a black corn fungus) will likely light your taste buds on fire. For me it's a little overpowering but I'm assured that this chicken breast stuffed with vegetables and huitlacoche is delicous.

Mole Poblano $18USD

The over the top delicious and decidedly moreish Mexican dish of ground spices, nuts and chocolate over bone in chicken. This is a wonderful rendition and leaves you wanting more.

Arroz a la Mexicana $5USD

Frijoles Negros $5USD

Nopales Asados (cactus) $8USD

Ensalada Mixta $10USD

Sides are very reasonably priced and all excellent - no rice left all day in a steam truck this is light spiced and delicious. I generally skip the rice and beans and get a salad, but sometimes the staples are just right. Think about the size of your party and order 1 side between 2 people - most of the main dishes are very rich.

Room for dessert? Growing up with a lot of Spanish food the flavours of Mexican desserts always appeal to me - creamy caramels and subtle spices. 

Churros Rellenos  $8USD

Fried donuts stuffed to the gills with thick dulce de leche caramel served with caramel sauce and rich ice cream.  

Caballeros Pobres $8USD

A freshly made creamy pastry is fried and dusted in sugar and cinnamon. This strikes me right in the nostalgia bone being very similar to the leche fritta dessert I grew up with (recipe).

A quick nod to the drinks at Colibri - their beer and tequila selection is excellent and may be worth a stop for drinks and small plates only. Their coffee is some of the best in the Bay Area, strong thick Mexican espresso that goes perfectly with the desserts. 

The service is to be commended also; I've only ever had excellent and quick service with no loss on the taste or quality. The prices are a little upmarket if you're used to bean and burrito Mexican but for a group dinner this is by no means expensive. Definitely recommended. 

Colibri Mexican Bistro

http://colibrimexicanbistro.net

White table Mexican

Great service and better coffee

438 Geary St

San Francisco

CA 94102

Ph: (415) 440-2737

View Larger Map

Keto Friendly Recipes: Carb free "taco" salad

Looking for a quick and easy family meal? This takes less than 20 mins to prepare and contains only 2g of carbs.

Carb free "taco" salad

500g chicken breast

1/2 a head of romaine lettuce

1 medium Hass avocado

2 tbspn sour cream

1 tbspn hot sauce

3 tbpsn hot salsa

60g shredded cheese

oil for frying

Method

• Cut the chicken into strips then season lightly with salt
• Oil the pan and put onto a medium heat, when the oil is hot add the chicken strips
• Brown the chicken then add the hot sauce to the pan, I use Tapatio Hot Sauce for preference
• Stir fry the chicken until lightly coated in the hot sauce
• Peel the avocado and then cut into cubes
• Shred the lettuce into small strips suitable for fitting on a fork
• Toss the avocado, lettuce and sour cream in a bowl (Mayonnaise can be used to dress if preferred)
• Place the warm chicken on top of the lettuce mix
• Spoon on the salsa and then sprinkle with cheese
• Feeds 2 lightly or 1 substantially
• Fantastic the day after so great for school lunches or leftovers

Recipe: Fresh Mexican Salsa

Fresh Mexican Salsa

1 red onion
1 ear of corn
1 red capsicum
1 large avocado
1 tomato
1 handful of coriander (cilantro)
1/2 a lemon
1/2 tspn chilli flakes

Method

• Dice the onion and capsicum and add to a bowl
• Cut the avocado roughly into cubes
• Cut the corn kernels from the cob and add to the bowl
• Dice the tomato and add to the bowl
• Dice the cilantro and add to the bowl with the chilli and lemon
• Mix thoroughly until the lemon juice coats the ingredients
• Serve with corn tortillas and refried beans for a complete vegan meal
• Great with my vegan chilli
• Serves 2

Review: Darley St Bistro, Newtown

At some magic point the Botany View Hotel underwent a major reconstruction and went from a dodgy old man pub with tiles on the wall to the place to be in South Newtown. There's the lively poker games and rowdy trivia nights and Sunday night live music... but more than that there's the Darley St Bistro.

I was convinced to go by a friend with a bit of intrepidation in my voice. This pub is about 2 doors up from me in Newtown and I still had no compulsion to go based on the looks. Boy was I surprised, the food is eye rolling, plate pointingly good and has now become a staple in my eating landscape. The only unfortunate thing I can say about the Darley St Bistro is that the rest of the neighbourhood seems to have found it too and getting a table at prime dinner time is now a nightmare.

Nonetheless it's definitely worth a try, especially if you can get there at lunch when you're more likely to get a comfy seat outside. Every meal we've tried here has been good, but do try something that's not just standard pub fair... it's far too good.



Home made gnocchi with chorizo, arugula and basil oil $14

Now when you order gnocchi at the pub, you kind of expect mass produced hard nuggets to appear. These soft delicious and butter fried gnocchi were a real surprise. Swimming with fresh arugula and slices of crisp fried chorizo. A great meal on a warm Sunday afternoon with a pint.



Confit of pork belly with broccoli and sweet corn mash $24

Sweet soft pork belly with a crisp top and a chili jam are presented with sweet creamy soft corn mash that cuts through the fat. You'll never be so happy to stop caring about the fat intake.



Chicken Burrito with Guacamole $20

You might think this is "just a burrito" but as the chef said to me once "it's made with a bit of love." Newtown is quite light on good Mexican but this kills my cravings ten fold and leaves me salivating for another for days. Filled with rice, just the right amount of chilli sauce and cheese and crisped in a soft tortilla it's topped with a creamy chipotle sauce and served with guacamole and sour cream.



Pumpkin canneloni with blue cheese sauce $16

The filling of these canneloni is soft and sweet delicious, but full of veges and light enough to make you feel good afterwards. The edges of the canneloni are crisped and caramelised and the soft blue cheese sauce cuts through the sweetness with its acidity. Be warned though, this is a large serving, don't be scared to give up.



Corned beef with mash, honey mustard sauce and greens $18

This is not your grandmother's corned beef! The meat is soft and shreds perfectly under a fork, it's only barely pickled but tangy enough to excite. The mash isn't anything special but you will chase the sweet acidic sauce with it. Topped with one of my favourites - asparagus. Just perfect.



Lemon Myrtle Cheesecake $12

It's highly unlikely you'll have space left for dessert, but if you do they're definitely worth it. No boring neufchatel French cheese cake this packs a punch with the citrusy taste of Lemon Myrtle, an Australian native seed that adds bite and texture to a dense creamy dessert. Recommended.

As if this wasn't enough the Botany View also stocks a range of premium beer and cider on tap. $16 for a jug of Bulmers? Yes please. Get yourself down there, there's no excuse for eating at The Townie when this food is on offer barely 10 mins walk away.

Botany View Hotel

Dinner: 7 nights 6.30pm - 9.30pm
Lunch: Fri, Sat and Sun 12pm - 2.30pm

597 King Street Newton
PH: 9519 4501
Fax: 9517 9004

Pub atmosphere, fully licensed
Children welcome upstairs in family eating area only

Recipe: Vegan Chilli

This recipe is a repost of one of our sharehouse favourites; it's full of vegies that the kids will eat and perfect for any vegetarian or vegan visitors. For the more standard eaters add some cheese and sour cream and you're set.



Vegan Chilli

1 large brown onion
2 cans kidney beans (or 1 large bowl of kidney beans soaked in water over night and then par boiled in salt)
1.5 cups sweet corn
1 large capsicum
1 large can of diced tinned tomatoes
1 tablespoon chilli flakes
1 tablespoon chilli powder
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspon oregano
1/2 teaspon marjoram
Olive (or other vegetable) oil for frying

Method

• Dice the onions and fry in a small amount of salt with a fair quantity of oil - make a pool about the size of the palm of your hand in the pan. Add the chilli flakes to the onion, and garlic if desired.


• Add the beans with a little of the juice, more of it adds a slightly thicker consistency to the chilli from the bean proteins. The secret to really good thick chilli is to take a potato masher at this point and mash about half of the beans once they are hot from frying. This allows you to 'refry' the insides and releases much more of the protein into the sauce


• Dice the capsicum and fry with the beans and onion, once this is soft add all the spices and fry into the vegetable mixture, add more oil if required. Once the vegetables have fried with the spices for about 2 minutes then add the tomatoes with a cup or two of water. Remember if you're feeling lazy you can add a pack of taco or chilli con carne seasoning rather than individual spices; be sure to check for animal stock powders though and remember that these spice packs usually contain bean flour or corn starch and so may require a little more liquid or oil to counteract.


• Once at boiling point add the sweet corn and turn the temperature down to reduce the sauce some what. If you have the time over the course of a day, adding more water and then reducing multiple times makes a softer thicker chilli as the beans and corn are softened.


• You can serve this with just corn chips or rice cooked with chilli; however my favourite is to serve it in white flour tortillas with shredded lettuce, guacamole and tomato. Tortillas and plain salted Corn Chips should always be Vegan friendly but check for animal sourced preservatives on the packaging. Rosita's Mexican Meal Range are available at all Woolworth's and are not only Vegan friendly but damn good quality and Australian owned and made.


• For those intent on animal products... This recipe works quite well with meat, just replace half the beans with some lean beef mince and reduce the amount of oil used. Service with sour cream and cheese for the dairy tolerant and thin of waist.