Ingredients of Mexican and Southwestern Cooking - 5

Title:
Ingredients of Mexican and Southwestern Cooking - 5

Yield:
5 Servings

Categories:
Information




Ingredients:





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 PEPITA:  See Pumpkin Seed PEPPER: There is PIPER NIGRUM, Peppercorn, and


 the CAPSICUM FRUTECENS and CASPSICUM ANNUUM, the family of vegetables know


 variously as peppers and chilies. Peppercorns came to the Western world


 originally from Madagascar. The success of medieval spice traders made


 black pepper more widely availab and only a little less precious than it


 had previously been.


 


  Representing the FRUTESCENS contingent, bell peppers are related to chilie


 but lack the capsaicin (the compound that makes them hot), Bell peppers are


 therefore known as "sweet".  Until recently, bell peppers of any color than


 green were an oddity at many markets; today, there is a profusion of yellow


 red and purple ones.  Red and yellow are acknowledged to be the sweetest.


 Roast bell peppers as for chilies.


 


  PHEASANT:  This game bird fares equally well when cooked with a bravely


 seasoned sauce or a mild creamy one.  Serve it with a grain side dish; see


 Game.


 


  PILONCILLO:  This unrefined sugar is purchased in hard cones.  Like other


 "raw" sugars, piloncillo is beige to brown; the deeper the color, the more


 pronounced the molasses flavor.


 


  PINE NUTS (PINIONS, PIGNOLIS):  Pine nuts are the seeds of the Pinion pine


 They are delicious raw or toasted.  Store them tightly covered and either


 refrigerated or frozen, depending on how quickly they are to be used.  See


 NUTS for toasting and grinding.


 


  PLANTAIN:  This relative of the banana boasts a thick skin and large size.


 The fruit itself tends to be a deeper yellow than that of the banana.  Cook


 unripe plantain is eaten as one would a potato.  Plantains are sweetest whe


 ripe, which isn't until their skins are an alarming through black.  Like


 bananas, plantains will ripen after they have been harvested.


 


  POSOLE:  Sometimes hominy is called "posole," but the word authentically


 refers to a dish made with hominy as an ingredient.  See Hominy PRICKLY PEA


 This is the diminutive (egg size) fruit of the cactus of the same name.  It


 nearly impossible to avoid the prickles when peeling to reveal the


 garnet-colored flesh.  Prickly pears are sometimes sold with the prickles


 removed.


 


  PUMPKIN SEED:  With the shells or husks removed, pumpkin seeds are known
a


 PEPITAS.  Store them in a cool, dry place.  To toast pumpkin seeds, spread


 them in a single layer in an ungreased pan.  Bake at 350 degrees F. for 13


 15 minutes, stirring and checking for doneness frequently.


 


  QUAIL:  These little birds weigh in at about 1/4 pound.  They have richly


 flavored meat, what there is of it.  Quail are most commonly available froz


 See GAME.


 


  QUESO:  Spanish for "cheese." QUESO ANEJO:  The name means "aged cheese,"


 Spanish.  See CHEESE.


 


  QUESO FRESCO:  The name means "fresh cheese,) in Spanish.  See CHEESE.


 


  RABBIT:  Rabbits are raised commercially.  As with many uncommon meats, it


 said of rabbit, that it "tastes like chicken."  It doesn't; it tastes like


 rabbit.  Large rabbits aren't as tender as the little ones; it is well to


 marinate or stew older ones, or make rabbit sausage.  See GAME.


 


  RED PEPPER:  See Ground Red Pepper.


 


  RED PEPPER SAUCE:  This commercially bottled condiment is made from vinega


 spices and hot chilies.  It adds heat but little in the way of flavor.


 


  RICE:  Mexican cooking calls for long grain or medium-grain white rice. 
T


 occasional southwestern dish uses wild rice, which really isn't rice.  It
i


 the fruit of an aquatic grass once harvested only by Native Americans who


 lived by the Great Lakes.


 


  SQUASH BLOSSOMS:  Contrary to poplar belief, the blossoms used in southwes


 cooking are those of winter squashes such as pumpkin, not zucchini.  They
a


 a perishable item and are best used the day they are bought.


 


  TAMARIND:  This is an intensely pungent, tart pod about four inches long.


 Tamarind is usually bought packaged in a tightly compressed, sticky


 plastic-wrapped lump.  The flesh is riddled with fibers and seeds--not what


 you want in your food--and must be soaked before using.  Separate the tamar


 pods, pulling away and discarding as much of the pod as you reasonably can.


 Cover with water and let the pulp soak for at least an hour (overnight, if


 time permits).  Then squeeze the pulp well to extract the juice or rub as
m


 pulp as you can through a fine mesh sieve.