EatMx: Real Mexican food, at home and on the road

Habanero Lovers, You Could Win This

The hottest place in town today was the Mercado La Paloma in downtown Los Angeles. 

What made it hot was habanero chiles--hundreds of them--heaped before contestants in the third annual habanero eating contest sponsored by Chichén Itzá, the Yucatecan restaurant in the Mercado. 

Eight men and two women competed. This took courage, because the winner of a previous contest had to go to the hospital, or so I heard.

Chichén Itzá took precautions by providing jugs of milk to soothe blazing mouths and plates of cochinita pibil tacos, rice and beans to line stomachs before the fire hit.

Each contestant worked from a bowl of 30 chiles, the top amount eaten in previous competitions. There were extras that came in handy because a new record was set this time. The two who tied for first each ate 31 chiles. 

First place winner María Durán, from the state of Mexico, said at the start that she expected to eat only 10 chiles. She's at the right in the photo above. Standing behind the contestants is Chichén Itzá chef-owner Gilberto Cetina.

Co-winner Martín Martínez (above), who is from Guanajuato, said he planned to eat "todos" (all) in the 20 minutes allotted. This he did and more, downing 13 chiles in the first five minutes alone. Each top winner will receive $500.  

The second place finishers weren't far behind at 27 chiles. They were Octavio Sebastián from Michoacán (at right, above) and Antonio Banderas from Durango state. They'll get $300 each.

Third place was a tie between Scott Wilbur of Irvine, who's not in the photo despite the sign, and Jerry Chitmongran (above) from North Hollywood. They won $200 for eating 17 chiles each.

Contestants next year will start off with 31 habaneros, which is the new official record.

Want to try your hand, or rather mouth, at this? Then circle Father's Day, which is the official day of the competition, on next year's calendar and get in touch with Chichén Itzá. Even if you don't win a prize, you'll at least get lunch, and a T-shirt that says you survived the contest. 

Like These? You Can Taste Them Soon

Wonderful tastes of Mexican food were set out at Guelaguetza the other night--not from that restaurant, but samples of what other Mexican restaurants will serve at the upcoming LA Street Food Fest Summer Tasting at the Rose Bowl June 29.

This means you will be able to taste everything that was served and much, much more that day. Not just Mexican food but treats from Short Order, Fred Eric's D'elish at Tiara Cafe, Dog Haus, the Grilled Cheese Truck, The Donut Snob, Chunk-n-Chip and many other places.

Zeroing in on the Mexican dishes, (The Taste of México is an event partner), look at the incredible bowl of greenery at the top. From Mariscos El Coraloense in Bell Gardens, it's shrimp aguachile in a cilantro sauce heated up with serrano chile.

Here's what a sample serving of aguachile looked like. El Coraloense, which bases its seafood dishes on the cuisines of Nayarit and Sinaloa, also served crab tostadas with pineapple.

Yuca's presented its signature cochinita pibil--shredded pork in a Yucatecan red sauce colored and flavored with seasoned achiote paste (above).

No need to explain what the Ceviche Project handed out (above).

A beautiful display of fresh squash blossoms announced what you could taste from Casa Oaxaca in Santa Ana: squash flowers stuffed with the Oaxacan cheese quesillo, then coated and fried like chiles rellenos (above). The dark sauce over the top is huitlacoche mole.

Other local Mexican eateries that will take part in the Summer Tasting include Guelaguetza, La Casita Mexiana, Mexikosher, Lotería Grill and La Monarca Bakery.

Tickets are limited to 5,000 to keep the crowd at a manageable level. The price is $50 for all you can eat and drink. Can't resist such a deal? Then get your ticket at the LA Street Food Fest website. 

Searching for Pan Dulce in Oxnard

Life has premium moments, like discovering a new panadería.

As a pan dulce addict, I am always looking for places where I might find breads that are different from, and perhaps even better than, those I've already tried.

This time, the allure was increased by being in a new town--Oxnard. The sure way to locate a panadería was to get a local tip, and the logical place to ask was a taco shop.

This is how I found La Central Bakery, a paradise of Mexican goodies. In the cooler (at left in the photo) were boxes of tres leches cake and two kinds of flan--flan napolitano (a rich, plain custard) and flan de elote (corn).

Above them was chile preparado (above), red chile ready to use in tamales, and containers of mole negro (black mole) paste.

The front counter was stacked with snacks such as duros and popcorn (above), boxes of cookies, bags of bread, bolitas de tamarindo (tamarind sweets) and tubs of lard.  La Central is a tortilla factory too and on weekends has hot foods.

But my eyes went to the stunning display of pan dulce in the showcases, and I soon had a trayful: Wheat semas, one of them topped with piloncillo; a long lengua (tongue) sprinkled with pink sugar, a pretzel-shaped alamar, a bun decorated with white frosting and coconut, and a small, chunky cornflour bread.

The woman behind the counter pointed to a plain bun as her favorite.  This contained a surprise that I couldn't see, raisins at the bottom. A flat, round chamuco was composed of yellow dough wrapped in a band of plain dough and sprinkled with sugar. It was thicker and more elaborate than other chamucos I have bought.

I also picked out a large flaky oreja (palmier or elephant ear cookie) and a thick sugar-sprinkled cookie that might be made from corn dough. I won't know until I taste it. It's in the foreground in the photo above.

Although new to me, La Central has been around since 1948. It is family owned and uses the same recipes that have been popular since it opened. Here is the side view as I approached it, walking along Meta Street.

La Central Bakery and Tortilla Factory, 600 Meta Street, Oxnard, CA 93030. (805) 483-8434.

There's a Nispero in This Margarita

In a village in Oaxaca, people talked to me about nisperos. This was the first time I had heard the Spanish word for loquat, and luckily, I have a nispero tree in my front yard.

During the season, which is now, I've made jar after jar of jam; I've cooked sliced loquats in syrup, and I came up with this pineapple-loquat margarita, which is pure, foamy heaven.

If you don't have a loquat tree, look for the fruit at farmers' markets, but do it now. The last of my fruit is wrinkling on the tree, which indicates the season is ending. 

PINEAPPLE-LOQUAT MARGARITA

2 fresh loquats, peeled, seeded and trimmed 
1/4 cup cut-up fresh pineapple 
2 ounces silver tequila
1 ounce triple sec
1/2 ounce simple syrup
Juice of 1 key lime
3 ice cubes 

In a blender container, combine the loquats, pineapple, tequila, triple sec, syrup and lime juice. Blend this thoroughly and then taste. If the pineapple is not sweet, you may need to add more simple syrup.

When you have flavored the drink to taste, add the ice cubes and blend until foamy and most of the ice is pulverized.

Turn into a cocktail glass and drink immediately before the foam subsides.

Makes 1 serving. 

How to Get a Recipe: Ride the Bus

Some people get recipes from books and magazines, others from the Internet. But I got this one while riding on a bus, L.A. Metro's line 20, which runs along Wilshire Boulevard.

Heading toward Beverly Hills, I struck up a conversation with a Salvadoran woman. She started to tell me about her pollo guisado, a chicken dish so interesting that I wanted to make it at once.

Unfortunately, I had to get off before she could give me all the details. In our hurried exchange, she couldn't think of the actual name of an ingredient she called semilla blanca (white seed).  

Studying Salvadoran cookbooks, I figured this was sesame seed. We had already eliminated such possibilities as white peppercorns. 

I had to guess at quantities and procedures, but the chicken turned out very well. The flavor was extraordinary, unlike anything I have made before.

It's so like a Mexican mole that I am including it in EatMx.com. The best part is, you can make the sauce one day, cook the chicken the next and then combine them. What could be easier than that? 

POLLO GUISADO
From an Unknown Salvadoran Woman

The Sauce:

1 pound tomatoes
3 dried California chiles
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon raw pepitas
1/4 cup almonds, blanched
1 1/2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons sesame seeds
1 teaspoon powdered chicken stock base
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon anise seeds

On a griddle lightly sprayed with nonstick spray, roast the tomatoes, chiles and garlic. Remove the chiles as soon as they are softened and fragrant, about 1 1/2 minutes. Continue roasting the tomatoes and garlic until spotted with black. Separately, roast the pepitas in a covered skillet until lightly browned.

Remove the stems and rinse out the seeds from the chiles. Tear them into pieces and place in a small saucepan. Add water to cover and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and let the chiles stand until softened.

Remove the loose peel and stems or stem ends from the tomatoes. Cut them in halves or quarters if large. In a blender container, combine the tomatoes, drained chiles, garlic, pepitas, almonds, coriander seeds, sesame seeds, chicken stock base, curry powder and anise seeds. Blend 2 minutes, stopping and starting the blender several times. 

Remove the sauce to a container with a lid.  Rinse out the blender with a small amount of water, or use some of the broth, if you are cooking the chicken the same day. If preparing the sauce in advance, cover the container and refrigerate it overnight. Makes 2 cups sauce.

The Chicken:

2 pounds boneless chicken pieces
3 cups water 
1 wedge onion
1 clove garlic
Salt

Place the chicken in a Dutch oven. Add the water, onion, garlic and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, loosely covered, 30 minutes for breast meat, a little longer for dark meat. Turn off the heat and let stand in the broth until cooled. Drain off the broth and reserve. Set aside the chicken.

Place the sauce in the pan in which the chicken was cooked. Bring just to a boil. Add the chicken pieces. Simmer, loosely covered, 15 minutes, or until heated through. If the sauce has become too thick, thin with some of the broth. Reserve any remaining broth for another use. 

Serve the chicken covered with the sauce. Accompany with rice.

Makes 4 servings.