Evening star., 1950-07-17

Guest column for Violet
Faulkner,s : t0lto Is on U1cdtion.l p.
South Of the border and over
the Rio Grande the hospitable
people of Mexico are widely known
for their distinctive foods which.
reflect a bit of the old Spanish,
Latin American and creole cook
ing. High seasoning is q particu-S
lar characteristic Of their unique
cookery, with garlic and chilli
sharing top honors. You are
readily aware of this as you go
through the country, eat their
dishes and see the brilliant red
chilli hanging to dry on the sides
Of the houses.
Most Mexican families grow
chilli in their gardens. The chilli
pods, which are a very significant
source of vitamin A in the MeM-
can diet, are picked from the vines
when pink. The pods are strung
on long strings and hung on the
sides Of the houses to dry. The
pink color soon turns to an in
tense red as the chill dries in the
sun. In time, the long strings
are taken down and the pods are
put in the oven to bake thor
oughly dry. Then the pods are
put through grinder and this
supply of chilli powder will last.
the family whole year, UP until.
the next season. A goodly supply
of the hot seasoning powder is
needed, as it Is featured in al
most all dishes. the most popular
being chilli con carne.
Chill con carne is prepared In
large quantities and is made daily
in some homes, depending upon
the size Of the family. If not all
is consumed in one day, all well
and good. for the longer it stands
the better 1t is. The combina-
ton Of fiavors Of the ground beef.
onion, garlic, tomato paste. chilli
and seasoned cooked beans all
blend into an appetizing, fasci-
mating dish.
The basis for chilli con carne Is,
Of course. beans. In Mexico the
pinto beans. called "frijoles." are
used in preference to the Idaho
reds or the kidney beans. The
pinto beans are prepared just as,
any dried beans. They are soaked
and then cooked until tender and
seasoned. Sometimes the beans
are served as vegetable without
the meat sauce. In this case.
cubes of beef are combined with
the chilli sauce in place of ground
beef. Should there be some
beans left over, the common way
Of serving them at the next meal
is fried. This second meal dish
goes by the name of "re-fried
beans" A small amount Of water
is added to the beans together
with chopped onion for season.
ing, and last of all, shredded
cheese. Then the beans are put
in a hot, ungreased, heavy skillet
and turned until heated through
and the cheese is melted. Often
times the refried beans are served
on tortillas, sandwich fashion. In
fact, this combination is fire.
quently found in the lunch boxes
of Mexican school children,
] Tortillas are served with all
meals In Mexico just as we serve
bread in this country. The tor
tillas are best served hot, broken
apart and buttered. If desired.
The dough for the tortillas is a
simple one. A small ball of the
dough is broken of and rolled to
form a paper-thin circle about 10
inches in diameter, or any desir-
able size. These circles are baked
on top Of the range in a hot, un-
creased, iron skillet or on q hot
griddle. AS a rule. the tortillas are
made with flour and are known as
bread tortillas." However, some
times cornmeal replaces part Of
the flour, and all-cornmeal tor
tillas are popular. particularly for
|enchiladas. Either blue or yellow
cornmeal Is used. The color, Of
course, is due to the color Of the
corn.
Along with chilli con carne, or
beans and tortillas, a typical Mex
ican meal would include q salad
called guacomole salad. This fav-
orite Mexican salad is a combina-
ton of mashed avocados. minced
onions, bright tomato quarters,
and crispy head lettuce. For a
beverage, either goats milk or
coffee is served. Dessert is either
pineapple or ice cream to balance
the highly seasoned foods.
At first the Zesty, high season.
ing of the native dishes Of Mexico
seems a bit too intense for the
tastes Of most of us. Once accus-
toned to it, however, the liking for
the Mexican cookery grows by the
day. Folks who have lived in
Mexico or down near the border
for any length of time usually con-
tinue to cook many of the Mexi-
can dishes. possibly substituting
foodstuffs for the un-
available or varying the native
dishes to suit their tastes. They.
too, repeat. "nluy bueno.y', which
means very good" in true Mexi-
can style.
Chill Con Carne with Beans). ,
Yield: 6 servings. tt
/ pound ground beef. &
ia to cups pinto beans Cor red
beans). E
Salt and pepper.
2 tablespoons shortening.
2 large onions, cut fine.
2 cloves garlic, cut fine.