Best Ceviche Ever (with Recipe)

Last week we decided to take a break and visit some friends in Puerto Escondido. It is very easy trip from Mexico City with a short one hour flight. On the other hand, it is a 13-15 hour drive in car. With a one and four-year-old, that option was quickly discarded. We have been to Puerto before so this time instead of just enjoying the immediate surroundings we fished, surfed, dined, and enjoyed the town a little more.

My 4-year-old went with my husband and our hosts on an early morning fishing trip which netted great results: a 90 lb. Sailfish and two Mahi-Mahi or Dorados as they are called here in Mexico. Upon the return to shore, the local fish mongers prepared the fish right on the beach. I had the Sailfish prepared like thick salmon steaks and the Mahi-Mahi filleted. Immediately upon their arrival at the house, I decided to make a very simple ceviche with some of the Mahi-Mahi. I chose a simple ceviche because when you have fresh fish like this you want to taste it as much as possible and enjoy the great texture. This ceviche was one of the best I have ever had and the right-out-of-the-sea freshness made all the difference. Wow!

I took the Mahi-Mahi fillets and cut them into 1/2 inch cubes. This is important for a couple of reasons - first the fish needs to physically stand up to the lime. If you cut the fish too thin, the fish will disintegrate into a mushy mess. This is especially true with fish that is not very fresh. Second, you want to enjoy the full flavor of a fresh fish. Keeping it in cubes maintains the flavor in every bite as the lime doesn't totally penetrate the fish. It is very popular in restaurants these days to have exotic ceviches with lots of extra or non-traditional ingredients which overtake the subtle flavor of fresh fish (it may also be a sign that you are not having fresh fish). When you have fresh fish, keep it simple. Don't over complicate the delicate flavor. Everything else should take a back seat.

Okay, here comes my personal pet peeve -- throw away those funny plastic lime concentrate bottles. I know they are there . . . in the back of your refrigerator. . . mocking me. Only use fresh-squeezed citrus as noted in the recipe. In fact, I don't know when lime concentrate is ever needed in recipes. For this recipe, it is important for the acid in the lime to work as it should in "cooking" the fish. Concentrate just doesn't do the job very well. Additionally, I prefer the smaller or mid-sized limes. We don't have those big thick rind limes that you find in the States. I am sure they will work fine if you can't find the smaller ones.

Is your mouth watering yet? Anyone up for a Mexican Coastal Cooking Week in Puerto Escondido? Red Snapper a la Veracruzana, local Rock Lobster in Pipian, Grilled Chile Encrusted Shrimp? Let me know and we will make it happen!

Here is the link to the PDF file for the complete recipe. Enjoy!













As always . . . Peace, Love, and Good Food!
Chef Ana

Biggest Discount Ever at La Villa Bonita this Summer

Have you wanted to come to La Villa Bonita but couldn't quite find it in your budget? Your ship has come in. Now is your time. Pack your bags. Join us this summer! An offer like this will not be repeated.

Respected travel experts like Peter Greenberg are telling travelers that now is the time to travel to Mexico as hotels have a lot of space and are offering big discounts. As well, the timid and uninformed traveler will stay at home making you an even more desired and honored guest! You will be appreciated! La Villa Bonita is no exception.

Summer is a great time to join us at La Villa Bonita. Why? Because it is one of the most temperate seasons of the year. Crazy isn't it? Everyone thinks Mexico has to be hot during the summer. April and the beginning of May are our hottest months of the year in this part of central Mexico. Then cooling rains begin at night in mid-May to make the temperature very enjoyable. The rains start at about 10 at night making for wonderful sleeping weather and the sun comes out during the day keeping it cool but not humid. As the summer progresses, the gardens and mountains become vibrant green with numerous waterfalls emanating from springs in the surrounding mountains.

Ten years ago when we started the culinary vacation packages, we based them on my Iowan mother-in-law's desire to travel and actually learn about a culture instead of vegetating on the beach at some big box hotel. As many of you know, I married an Iowan and I appreciate the well-educated and well-traveled "gentleman farmers" (wink, wink). Phyllis is an incredible person! If you would like to meet her as well as other guests join us from June 21-28. It will be a very special week and we will have some fun "extras."

As well, we have plenty of room for other dates this summer in June, July and August. If you cannot join us for the big sale this summer, you can still get a great discount but you need to make your reservation for post-August dates by May 28, 2009. You will receive a 20% discount but you have to act fast (click on the picture for full details). As usual, the informed person always gets the best deal!

We hope to see you this summer.

Peace, Love, and Good Food
Chef Ana

Chef Ana's Top Ten Reasons to Love Tepoztlan

1. Tepoztecos do not support chain restaurants. Local producers and restaurants rule!
2. NO SWINE FLU HERE. YES, I INTENTIONALLY PUT THAT ALL IN CAPS. I AM TEXTUALLY YELLING!
3. Tepoztecos are subsistence farmers who live comfortably and are very happy people. Stubborn, but happy. It is amazing what you can do with corn, chiles, beans, tomatoes and squash.
4. No rat race. Whether for better or worse, Tepoztecos work until they have "enough," . . . then they go home and plan their next party. The social nature of your profession is almost more important than earning money. When I wanted to buy all of the masa for an event from the masa lady, she told me "If you buy everything, what the hell am I going to do for the rest of the day?"
5. Local traffic police remind me of a strange Mexican version of Andy Griffith's Mayberry (yes, I have seen this show, there is one officer that actually looks like Barney Fife. My Photoshop abilities officially suck).
6. Excessive amount of fireworks for every festive event (not to be confused with bullets, only Barney has them in town and he drops them a lot)
7. Did I mention we have a lot of parties here? No one can stop a Tepozteco party, quinceañera, birthday, birth and death of historical figures, beginning and end of wars, every saint, every chapel, every day, party, party, party! Nothing stopped here over the past few weeks, not even for a moment.
8. In two seconds, you know everyone -- La Casa Azul cheese house, Don Sergio the strawberry man, Doña Toña the butcher, the flower ladies from Tetela del Volcan, your favorite quesadilla stand, the tortilla and masa mill, the traffic cop, the mayor. They will know you long before you know them.
9. Absolutely courteous traffic. Did you read this one, Chilangos? Read and repeat, please. You are expected to let the other party go through on the narrow cobblestone streets. It is not only appreciated but you will receive the universal dictator's wave in return.
   
10. Don't Screw with Tradition -- not only are you are expected to yield to any procession, celebration, or party going on, you are expected to participate. Party on, Wayne! Party on.
    

Filming Day Two -- Now we are COOKING!

Okay, now we are COOKING! My guests are here, we are having a great time and we are knocking it OUT OF THE BOX! Went to the market today with guests and crew to purchase ingredients for pollo pibil with banana leaves. We also went to the molina or mill for the masa we are going to use for our tortillas from corn grown right here in Tepoztlan. Will offer the recipe soon for those who want to try it. Hope you enjoy the behind-the-scenes pictures.

Filming Starts for Series Trailer!

I am quickly posting some pictures today of the filming. So far we have filmed picking out ingredients in the Tepoztlan market, interviews with Robb and me, and we are just starting to film a cooking sequence at LVB. Trying to get a lot done before the guests arrive later this afternoon. Then I am cooking a gourmet meal for 9 on the terrace this evening! Whew. Hope you enjoy the pics. Will post more as the week goes along. Follow me on twitter at http://www.twitter.com/chefana

Television Series -- Next Steps

I have received a lot of questions about the television series this week. Last week, I signed an agreement with a division of Warner Bros. called the Wolper Organization for the development of my television series. Here is the link to the press release:
http://tinyurl.com/WarnerBros-Ana.

Basically what we are doing is developing the show concept, filming the trailer, and then the Wolper Organization through Warner Bros. Television will negotiate a home on major networks or cable. The first question that I am asked is whether this will be on the WB channel because it is being produced by Warner Bros. and the answer is most likely no. The WB and Warner Bros. Television are two separate divisions. Warner Bros. Television produces series for many of the major networks such as NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox, Food Network, Discovery, Travel Channel among many others. I am sure you have seen the Warner Bros. logo at the end of shows such as Heroes on NBC for example. That means that Warner Bros. produced the series and sold it to NBC. The job of the Wolper Organization is to find the right home for the series . . .but we are getting way ahead of ourselves!

First, we are going to shoot a trailer towards the end of this week and the beginning of next week on location at La Villa Bonita (www.lavillabonita.com) with 3 of our actual guests (God bless them!) and myself. In attendance as well will be Mark Wolper, the head of the Wolper Organization, our PR agent Karen Sperling, and a journalist and author, Karen Leland, who writes for the Huffington Post as well as major newspapers in the U.S. Quite the crowd! Need to get back to work! Lots to do! Follow me on twitter during the filming @chefana.

It is going to be fun!!

Peace, Love, and Good Filming
Chef Ana

Safety in Tepoztlan and La Villa Bonita

I am frustrated today. Many of our guests over the past month have been seeing very sensational reports about violence along the border. They call us up and ask how things are going, making it sound like we are under siege. I say that things are here as they have been for decades -- lots of corn, fireworks, and nice 80 degree weather.

This truly is one of the safest places in the world. In all of my travels, there is nothing that compares to the sense of family, honest hard work, and preservation of traditions as in Tepoztlan. Our guests understand this after only a few moments in our little village. Many guests apologize to us at the end of their stay for bringing up the subject (which is totally unnecessary after seeing some of the media coverage with my own eyes!). My issue is how do I express that to my potential guests and other visitors to my country.

First of all, Tepoztlan is far, far away from the U.S. border where almost all of these incidents are based (about a 15 hour drive to be exact). Tepoztlan is a tiny community made up of small scale subsistence farmers of beans, corn and squash. They appreciate tourists but don't change their traditions for anyone, which is one of the reasons we moved here! It is one of the most safe and efficiently self-policed societies I have ever seen. Even though we have our cadre of local police officers that everyone says "hello" to on the street, everyone in this town knows who you are and what your business is whether you like it or not. It truly is like stepping back to a simpler place in time.

Secondly, I am asking former guests to convey their experiences about being at La Villa Bonita and in Tepoztlan in general. If someone has never been here, how can we better express what the environment is like than through the eyes of our guests. Over the next few weeks, I will be forwarding the comments of our guests.

Thirdly, I will be starting a grass-roots movement of former guests, Mexicans, expats, journalists, business owners, and vacationers to express a balanced view of this wonderful country. As soon as we are up and running I will keep everyone informed through Twitter (http://twitter.com/chefana), through my blog and on my newsletter.

I love my guests and their passion for my culture. I never tire of that expression of satisfaction when a guest makes chiles en nogada for the first time or when they taste that first tortilla they made with their own hands from the corn itself. It makes me very proud that people appreciate our cuisine and our culture but it saddens me to think that because of this media frenzy the perception exists that something has changed at La Villa Bonita or in this wonderful village of Tepoztlan.

As always . . .
Peace, Love, and Good Food,
Chef Ana Garcia

P.S. For a good article about the issues in Mexico take a look at this article written by a former producer of 60 Minutes who lives in Queretaro. He makes a lot of sense out of this situation. http://tinyurl.com/springbreakdothemath

Interview on Blogtalkradio.com

On Monday of this week, I gave a 45 minute radio interview on Blogtalkradio.com. Deb Bailey, who is a career and life coach specifically for women entrepreneurs, conducted the interview. I had a great time. Here is the link if you want to hear the interview in its entirety. The subject was "Women Entrepreneurs: The Secrets To Success." It was fun. I hope you enjoy it!

Click to listen: www.tinyurl.com/chefanaradiointerview

Grapefruit Curd Experiment

Many people have asked me what I do in my down time when I don't have guests in the culinary packages. One of my hobbies is to do my own canning and investigation of traditional methods of preserving fruits and vegetables. I have done lots of jams, jellies, compotes as well as preserves. So, this week I decided to do something with my funny little grapefruit.

In our citrus orchard on the property we have lots of different varieties. The previous owner was British and enjoyed her citrus. As a result we have many fruit-bearing trees that produce at different times of the year. We have 3 different types of lemons, 2 types of oranges, 5 types of limes, 3 types of grapefruit, and calamondines (I will do a blog soon on my calamondine liquor which is reposing right now!). A lot of these varieties are old, non-commercial varieties that are not prolific in size or quantity but have very distinctive properties that may not exist any more in the supermarket.

I have this strange little grapefruit tree that grows right next to our compost area(good place to grow, right?). It produces very small yellow grapefruit smaller than a baseball. They were so small that I doubted they had any usable juice. I opened them up and they had a enough juice to put it to use in something. I first used them as an "agua fresca" as we call them here which is juice of pretty much any fruit with a bit of sugar and water as a refreshing drink to accompany lunch with Robb and the boys. It was very good and didn't need much sugar. I decided on a whim to make grapefruit curd and see how it would turn out. I have made lemon curd from my orchard lemons before but never grapefruit. It should have a distinctive taste.

For a printer friendly PDF version click here.

For this recipe you will need 1.5 cups of juice, 2 sticks of unsalted butter, 2 cups of sugar, 12 egg yolks and your zest.

















Zest All Grapefruit


















Squeeze Grapefruit with Help of Small Person in Pajamas






















Separate Yolks


















Beat Yolks and Add to Saucepan on Low Heat


















Add the Sugar and Whisk


















Add the Juice and Whisk



















Stir on low heat for 10-15 minutes or until the mixture thickens. Do not bring to a boil.

Strain

















Add Butter Slowly

















Add Zest and Stir

















Cool and Add to Ball Jars with Help of Small Person in Pajamas

















Seal Ball Jar in Hot Water as with any Preserve

Mole Tricks and Tips

Greetings Mexican Foodies! I thought I would add a little background information on why the mole is such a great vehicle in Mexican cuisine. My recipe for Thanksgiving and Christmas turkey leftovers utilizes a basic mole.

Don't be afraid of the mole! Many people think mole preparation is difficult which is not true! Ingredient lists may be long but the process is simple and almost always the same. At La Villa Bonita our guests learn this simple technique along with helpful pointers.

(1) History Lesson. The word "mole" comes from the Spanish verb "to grind" or "moler." So you will fry almost all ingredients and grind them to get the mole sauce consistency. At the time of the Spanish colonization of Mexico, it was thought that nutrition in food was better absorbed if ground. When the Spanish arrived to Mexico during the colonization they adapted to use what ingredients were available in the indigenous diet -- dried chiles, nuts, seeds, spices, etc. The result is a truly Mexican dish that features the indelible mixture of Spanish and indigenous influences.

(2) Key Technique. Fry all ingredients separately. Each ingredient has a different frying and burning point. They all need to be individually "fried, dried and set aside." If you put all of the ingredients together when frying, some will burn before others are cooked.

(3) Don't Be Afraid of the Lard. Lard is a frying agent in most moles for the preparation of the individual ingredients and in "frying" the sauce once all the ingredients are ground. I know! I know! Over the past 20 years many have a unnatural aversion to lard or "manteca" as it is called in Spanish. Some traditional and less processed ingredients have been demonized over the years but new studies have shown that lard is actually better for you in comparison to substitutes such as Canola oil, processed vegetable oils, shortening, or margarine. Lard is mostly monounsaturated fat which is better for you than saturated fat. Many processed or partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, moreover, contains large amounts of trans fatty acids which are bad, bad, bad and hard to digest! Lard gives mole a special flavor, provides the right consistency when you fry the completed mixture and is more forgiving because it has a higher smoking point. Come on! You cannot beat its flavor and cooking properties . . . and if it is better for you to boot? Is there really a choice?

(4) Party, Party, Party. This is a party dish which is why you will always see recipes in big batches. The great thing about mole is that it keeps so well in the freezer. Do big batches and freeze them without the meat in ziplock freezer bags (take out as much air as possible and freeze as flat squares -- saves space in the freezer). Now you can enjoy mole year round in smaller batches. Just heat, adjust consistency with chicken stock, and add your meat. The great secret is that mole actually tastes better when you freeze and reheat. The flavors marry in a better fashion when reheated! Use on eggs, over dobladillas, with any type of beef, chicken, turkey or seafood that trips your fancy. I have stored mole for up to a year and it tasted fabulous.

(5) Experiment! Mole is a technique not a recipe. I can't stress this enough. Most of my guests are too recipe-focused. Once you learn the technique, go crazy! Create your own masterpiece. There are numerous mole recipes across Mexico -- red, yellow, green, brown, and black. Every good cook has his or her own mole recipe that is guarded from prying eyes. Use different smoked or dried chiles, seeds, nuts, spices until you find the perfect combination. Let those flavors marry and try it out. Send me an email. I would love to hear how it turns out.

Peace, Love and Good Mole,
Chef Ana

Great Traditional Mexican Recipe for Holiday Turkey Leftovers

Greetings Mexican Food Bloggies!

Okay, it has taken me a while for my first post but it is a good one. Here is a great recipe for using turkey leftovers with a traditional mole de guajolote(turkey) in dobladillas which are folded and softened tortillas. Spice up your next day's turkey with this great recipe.

http://www.lavillabonita.com/newsletters/dobladillas.html

Sign up for my newsletter through out site www.lavillabonita.com and you can get this recipe as well as other great recipes -- one per month as well as information about my culinary vacation packages and public appearances.

Saludos,

Ana

Welcome!

I hope you enjoy my new blog! This is an open invitation to all of our future and former culinary package guests, LVB Newsletter subscribers and Mexican food enthusiasts to discuss Mexican food techniques, recipes, La Villa Bonita vacation packages or travel to Mexico in general. I will be checking my blog as often as possible to keep it fresh and new.

I offer a special invitation to our future and former culinary package guests. If you have any questions about a recipe or technique that you did with me at LVB or if you are coming soon and have questions about what your experience will be like, I would be happy to assist.

Again, thanks for joining. We look forward to meeting you at La Villa Bonita.

Chef Ana