The Mexican Slow Cooker: Recipes for Mole, Enchiladas, Carnitas, Chile Verde Pork, and More Favorites (25 page)

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Authors: Deborah Schneider

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SALT.
I suggest kosher or sea salt; iodized table salt has a slight bitterness.

SAUSAGE, CHORIZO.
Mexican chorizo is a fresh, soft pork or beef sausage flavored with garlic, dried chiles, black pepper, and vinegar. It must be thoroughly cooked before eating. Do not substitute Spanish and Filipino chorizos, which are dried sausages.

SAUSAGE,
LONGANIZA
.
Mexican
longaniza
is a fresh pork sausage flavored with garlic,
spices, and herbs. It is uncured and must be thoroughly cooked before eating. Substitute fresh garlic sausage.

SPICES.
Because of medieval Spanish culinary influences, during colonization, “sweet” spices such as Saigon cinnamon and clove appear in many savory dishes along with black pepper. Other common spices include native allspice (which tastes like a cross between pepper and cinnamon), bay leaf, and cumin.

STOCK.
See
Caldo.

TOMATILLOS.
Resembling small green tomatoes in papery husks, tomatillos taste fresh and surprisingly tart. Choose small to medium tomatillos for the best results. Before using, remove the husks and wash the tomatillos well with warm water to remove the sticky coating.

TOMATOES.
Meaty Roma tomatoes are the best choice for Mexican cooking. Other types of tomatoes are too juicy and full of seeds. The flavor of fresh tomatoes can be intensified by charring, boiling, or pureeing seeded tomatoes in a blender and frying the puree.

To roast tomatoes, line the bottom of a heavy skillet with aluminum foil and place over high heat. Place the whole tomatoes directly on the foil (don’t add any oil) and allow them to blacken before turning them. Turn the tomatoes and continue to char on all sides. In cooked dishes, canned tomatoes in juice are an acceptable substitute.

TORTILLAS.
Fresh, warm corn tortillas make an appearance at nearly every meal. (See
Transforming Masa
to make your own.) Flour tortillas are served like bread with meals, or they can be fried into cinnamon-dusted
buñuelos
.

VANILLA.
With its mild flavor and lovely scent, Mexican vanilla is among the finest in the world. Always use a good-quality real vanilla extract for baking.

About the Author

DEBORAH SCHNEIDER
is the executive chef and partner of SOL Cocina in Newport Beach, California, and was dubbed “the reigning queen of San Diege Chefs” by
Bon Appétit
. She is the co-author of Williams-Sonoma’s
Esentials of Latin Cooking
and author of the James Beard-nominated
Cooking with the Seasons at Rancho La Puerta, Amor y Taco, and ¡Baja! Cooking on the Edge,
which was one of
Food & Wine’s
Best of the Best of 2006. She lives in San Diego, California. Visit
www.chefdebcooks.com
for more.

The Mexican Slow Cooker: Recipes for Mole, Enchiladas, Carnitas, Chile Verde Pork, and More Favorites (25 page)

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