My Mexican Kitchen

On my shopping list last week:

Limes (lots)
Cilantro
Jalapenos
Corn Tortillas
Tomatillos
Crema (Mexican sour cream)
Avocados
Mangos
I actually followed through with my intentions to use these ingredients by...cooking!  But my timing wasn't very good-- my husband was out of town for the first iteration:  Black Bean-Chicken Tostadas with Salsa Verde.  I even fried the corn tortillas to make the tostadas.  I was pretty impressed with myself, even if dinner was finally ready over an hour late.

What happened to me?  I got hooked on Rick Bayless.  I think I am wearing out his welcome in our home by constantly beginning sentences with, "Rick Bayless says...".  Actually now all I have to say is "He says..." and my husband knows who I mean.  Rick Bayless brought real "interior" Mexican cooking to the U.S.  Maybe he wasn't the first.  There's also Diana Kennedy, and she's a lot older than Rick, but based on my limited knowledge, I think of him as analogous to Julia Child with French food.  At least he's my Julia Child when it comes to Mexican food.  What excites me as I learn about the food eaten in Mexico is that it is so much broader than Tex-Mex.  I haven't discovered everything there is to discover about Tex-Mex, and I'm not knocking it, but after reading so many Tex-Mex restaurant menus, the prospect of exploring a greater range of food I'd never known about is enticing.  And some of the equipment used to make the food is so ancient, primitive, and earthy, which adds to the intrigue.  I think I'll be getting a molcajete ,a Mexican mortar.  "He" says basalt is the kind to get.  Rick's show, Mexico: One Plate at a Time, airs on PBS weekly, and maybe even on the Food Network (?).  About half of the scenes are shot in Mexico, the other half in Rick's Chicago home.  I love the scenes from Mexico, of street and restaurant food being prepared and eaten.  I ordered a DVD from the first season of the show, but have only seen one episode of what's airing currently.  It was enough to get me going.  I also bought the companion cookbook, of the same name as the series.

Slight problem with this new manifestation of my multi-faceted obsession with things Mexican-- I can't even think about eating anything other than Mexican--true Mexican-- food right now, and I'm even beginning to turn up my nose at Taco Cabana (well, a little bit).  I did manage to eat the pizza my husband made today.  And if I'm cooking, I'm sure he'll be happy to eat Mexican, until I calm down a little, and it doesn't hurt that Rick's classic margarita recipe is killer.