Before the Internet, women used to exchange recipes over the back fence.
That still happens, even without the back fence. At Cenote Xocempich in Yucatán, I took part in an outdoor exchange around a hot comal where Mayan women were making tortillas.
As they worked, they handed me fresh tortillas so hot that I could hardly hold them, the pure corn flavor and aroma so potent that I couldn't stop eating them. A few minutes later, they wouldn't taste the same.
And so I lingered at the comal, set over a wood fire on the ground. Soon the conversation turned to what the women cook at home, dishes like achiote-seasoned chicken steamed in banana leaves, tortillas spread with pepitas (squash seeds) mixed with beans and baked and pollo (chicken) mechado.
When I asked about that last dish, María del Socorro Alcocer (at left in the photo at the top) gave me her recipe. She told me to marinate the chicken with sour orange juice and recado blanco, grilll it, then simmer it with grilled chile xcatik, onions and garlic, as in the photo above.
So simple, except at home I can't get sour oranges or recado blanco, a Yucatecan spice blend.
I solved that by going to the market in Mérida, where I bought the recado in two versions, a paste and a powder. Then I recreated the powdered mix with the ingredients that María had described, tasting my blend side by side with the real thing.
Chile xcatik wasn't a problem. It's like our pale yellow güero chiles. Sour orange juice was more difficult. I hear that people from Yucatán grow sour oranges in Los Angeles, but I haven't seen them in markets.
For the small amount that I needed, I blended orange juice with Meyer lemon juice, which is less sharply acidic than the juice of other lemons.
Here is the recipe, with thanks to María. Taste the yellow chiles before you use them. Sometimes they are mild, but those I bought turned my pollo into one very fiery bird.
POLLO MECHADO
From María del Socorro Alcocer
2 pounds chicken pieces, such as thighs, weighed after they are trimmed and the skin removed
Sour Orange Juice
Recado Blanco
Salt
1 onion, unpeeled, quartered
4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 or 2 xcatik (yellow) chiles
1/2 cup chicken broth
Place the washed chicken pieces in a casserole. Add the Sour Orange Juice, the Recado and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix well. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator at least 2 hours, turning a couple of times.
Spray a large grill pan with non-stick spray and heat over medium high heat. When hot, add the chicken pieces. Do not crowd. If necessary, grill in 2 batches. Grill for 10 minutes, turning once.
Remove the chicken pieces and place in a Dutch oven. Prepare the onion and garlic. Check to see if the chiles are hot by cutting off a small piece and tasting. If they are mild, use both. If hot, use one, or less.
Place the onion quarters, garlic and chiles on the grill pan and grill until spotted with brown.
The garlic will be done first. Remove from the pan, slip off the skins and place in the Dutch oven.
When the chile or chiles are lightly browned, place whole in the Dutch oven.
When the onion quarters are browned, slip off the skins, cut off the stem ends and place in the Dutch oven.
Add the chicken broth and 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook at a gentle simmer 40 minutes.
Serve the chicken, onions and garlic with rice, spooning some of the juices onto each serving. Discard the chiles. Or if mild, add some to each serving.
Makes 4 servings.
Sour Orange Juice
1 tablespoon Meyer lemon juice
Orange juice
Place the lemon juice in a measuring cup. Add orange juice to make 1/3 cup.
Recado Blanco
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon finely crumbled dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
Combine the cumin, garlic powder, oregano and black pepper in a small cup. If necessary, pound the oregano in mortar so that it is pulverized.
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