Boots that range from tribal to eccentric

Mexican cowboy boots are exotic, eccentric and ultimately can be very strange. To wear them, one needs not only a pair of tight-fitting jeans, a belt that matches the color of the sophisticated footwear and a hat with many Xs to indicate quality, but a lot of personality and an easy-going attitude that says: “Here’s the king of the party.”

The latest trend is the so-called tribal boots, says Guadalupe Mendoza, saleswoman in a shop in Plaza Santa Cecilia that specializes in these unusual items. “These boots are custom-made,” she said. “They are very expensive because they are not mass produced. It is an artisan’s work.” By expensive Mendoza means price tags that can top $5,000, depending on the length of the tip and the material used.

“This is something else: Now there are boots made from the skin of sea eels,” Mendoza said. “The classic ones are made from ostrich and cow skin.”

Mexican boots are very different from those worn by an American from the Midwest. Details, such as a lower heel, are minor. The main difference is that they have been created to be displayed, so that the cowboy wearing them will be seen and admired by others. That explains the unusual materials and the exorbitant prices.

Famous brands such as Louis Vuitton and Gucci stand out in the stores’ stock. “We have a lot. There are some with lights, gems and sequins,” said Mendoza. “When there is an important dance, that’s when we sell the most.”

The emergence of tribal boots

These pointy boots have arisen as part of a musical trend called “tribal guarachero,” which is very popular in the northern Mexican state of San Luis Potosí, explained Pedro Luis Salinas, a frequent visitor to the store where Mendoza works. “The dance is a combination of sounds with cumbia,” he said. “But it has an electronic touch.”

According to Esteban Cárdenas, who created a story and a nine-minute documentary for Vice magazine entitled “The pointy boots of Matehuala,” such boots “are part of the many fashions that exist around the tribal guarachero, a type of music popular among the younger, cross-border generations and which came about from the combination of the tribal, the Colombian cumbia, and pre-Hispanic ingredients such as chants and flutes.”

He says that “for some reason that nobody understands, the cowboys in Matehuala adopted that music; dance competitions are organized so that participants can devote time to create the choreography and to make the boots whose tips sometimes are more than two meters long.”

The boots as well as the rest of the outfit identify us and they stand out as a sort of social and cultural symbol. Use of certain accessories, however extravagant they might be, is a way to display our heritage with pride.

The boots ‘DJ’

The person responsible for the music that leads to dancing with these famous sharp-pointed boots is Erick Rincón, a young Mexican who for the past two years has been in charge of mixing pre-Hispanic and African sounds with the typical Colombian cumbia.

In the documentary developed by Cardenas, the DJ says that the first time he saw Mexican cowboys dancing with those unmistakable boots was at a rodeo in Dallas, Texas.

Photos by Juan Miret 

Preserving our flavors: Sauces that taste of history

Hispanic cuisine sustains itself through sauces, which serve as multicolored coatings with such particular flavors that they are dishes in and of themselves. They are so versatile they are the perfect and irresistible accompaniment for meat, poultry or vegetables.

Huasteca region roots

Pipián sauce may be the Cinderella of Aztec cuisine. “It is not well known, but I don’t hesitate in stating that it is the best one,” said Emmanuel Montes, a chef originally fromTamaulipas,Mexico. He spoke while preparing a version of that salsa in hisTulsarestaurant. “It has a special texture; besides, it brings out the flavor of the dish in which it is used. It is unique.”

Montes said that pipián sauce “is not the mole of the Huastecos; it is simply a wonderful creamy sauce; it is pipián and that’s all.”

His recipe combines the know-how from family and from travel to region known as the Huasteca, which takes in the Mexican states ofHidalgo,Veracruz,San Luis Potosíand Tamaulipas. “One time, traveling along thePanucoRiver, I had a chance to try this type of sauce,” he said. “The most popular are the red and the green ones. The one that I make is slightly orange.”

Among the ingredients that Montes uses are roasted pumpkin seeds, peanuts, sesame and chile ancho, which he describes as “a flavorful chili, because it is not hot; it just adds aroma and taste.”

The dishes chosen by Montes to be drenched in the sauce include a large chicken leg and a large serving of enchiladas. These were served with rice and black beans, which were sprinkled with white cheese. “The freshness of the pipián sauce is the key to success,” he said. “It is also a great alternative for vegetarian dishes, since it is a sauce that is so juicy and with so much flavor that it stands out.”

For a Jalisco ‘birria’

Francisco González, a Mexican cook, said he has perfected the best sauce for a birria, a sort of stew. He put it to the test at his mobile restaurant, usually parked near11th StreetandLewis Avenue. “Few people like to give out their recipe to accompany the birria,” he said. “But it is worth it, so that others may enjoy it.”

Birria is a dish made with mutton, lamb or goat, but it stands out due to the sauce that accompanies it. “Although birria complicated, anyone can make it. But when it comes to the salsa, that’s something else,” González said, while checking the ingredients for his top-notch sauce.

The base of the sauce is made up of tomatoes, tomatillos (the Mexican green tomato), chile de árbol, jalapeños, vinegar, chile ancho, chile serrano, ground cloves, cumin, oregano, black pepper, onion, garlic and salt to taste. “The important thing is the balancing and the amount of ingredients,” said González. “If we go overboard with any of them, then that is all we will taste in the sauce.”

González put the ingredients in a pot of boiling water for 15 minutes. “Then it is blended, although the original method is using a molcajete” he said. “That’s all. The only thing that is missing is the birria.”

A wise adage reminds us that “there is no better sauce than a good appetite.” However, the pipián sauce and the sauce for the birria might be an exception.

Videos

Chef Emmanuel Montes - ‘Salsa Pipián’

http://hispanodetulsa.com/rescatando-nuestros-sabores/

Francisco González - ‘Salsa para Birria’

http://hispanodetulsa.com/una-salsa-para-la-birria-video/

Photos by Juan Miret 

Discovering our tastes – Creole breakfasts: feasts that seem like lunches

Our breakfasts are lengthy feasts that may look more like a lunch than anything else. But, that’s the way we are. For the morning meal of Hispanics, there’s no room for saying: “mine without onions,” or “the sauce on the side” or “light butter please.” No, our creole breakfasts are just that and nothing more: a breakfast with everything. It is like a saying in Spanish about being served lentils that suggests that one eats what is served – or eats nothing.

There are no half measures.

For chef Sumito Estévez, breakfast “is a whole culture,” as he said in a note entitled “Sylvia’s Breakfasts,” published in his blog in 2009. “I’m not exaggerating one bit about breakfast.”

In general our breakfasts are very different from the corn flakes invented in 1906 by Will Keith Kellogg.

With such a feast, Hispanics live up the adage: “Eat breakfast like a king, have lunch like a prince, and dine like a beggar.”

Venezuelan creole breakfast

Hispanics start the day with a voracious appetite and proof  of that was the breakfast served in the restaurant “Los Bohíos” in the city of Coro in Falcon state in Venezuela. The menu was simple, stated in just two words: Creole breakfast. That was it. First there was black coffee, sweetened with brown sugar in a tiny, soufflé type cup known as “guayoyo.” Next was a plate with bits of cheese, lightly salted; these were the appetizers.

The traditional arepas are called “pelá” in that region. This is because cooking takes place in a griddle or comalthat is heated with wood or coal, and after they are cooked, they have to literally be scraped or “peeled” with a knife to remove the soot. The smoky flavor and bits of tender corn make the arepa a dish unto itself.

Finally comes the dish that will end the fast. There are so many components that it could be said that there is a competition for space between them.

A juicy plate of shredded meat, dotted with colorful bell peppers, is the main attraction. Next to it is a large serving of black beans, sprinkled with shredded white cheese, and bordering it is a fried egg with the yolk cooked through and with crispy edges, so it looks like a puff pastry.

Receta del desayuno criollo venezolano

Recipe for a Venezuelan creole breakfast

The recipe is from chef Armando Scannone and can be found in his book, “Mi Cocina,” (My Kitchen).

Arepa Pelá

12 servings

Ingredients

1 pound of white corn

23 cups of water

5 tablespoons of baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

Oil to grease the griddle or comal

Preparation

The corn should be cooked a few hours in advance or the day before, so that it will be cold when one grinds it to make the dough.

Select the corn.

Wash the corn in a pot with running water until the water runs clear. Drain.

Put the corn in a large pot with water to cover well — about 13 cups — and the baking soda. Stir. Bring to a boil and cook uncovered for 1 hour, until it is “al dente.”

Remove from heat and let cool in the same pot with the water that remains.

Once cooled, drain the water, wash and let drain in a colander.

Place the corn on a table and grind until all the husks are removed. Wash again.

Put the corn into another pot with about 10 cups of water and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Then wash and drain.

Grind the corn.

Knead in a large bowl for about 10 minutes.

To make the arepas, make two-inch balls of dough and flatten a bit.

Place in a preheated oven, heated with firewood (f a wood-fired oven is available.)

Set the griddle or comal on a burner. When hot, add a little oil and spread.

Cook the arepas for about 15 minutes, turning once letting the other side cook for about 8 minutes.

The burned part is scraped off with the blade of a knife.

Serve hot.

Carne Mechada (shredded meat)

6 servings

Ingredients

2.2 pounds of beef, preferably flank steak

Meat marinade:

2 tablespoons oil

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

¾ cup grated onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 teaspoons of salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon cumin

Seasoning for the meat:

¼ cup oil

4 tomatoes, seeded, chopped into quarters

1 red pepper, seeded, chopped into quarters

1 onion, chopped into quarters

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons tomato sauce

Preparation

Clean the meat and make several cuts so that it is 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Mix the ingredients for the marinade and cover the meat well with this mixture.

Let it sit for at least a half an hour.

Preheat the oven.

Place the meat on a baking sheet and place in oven for about 10 minutes or until done.

Remove from oven and shred the meat, separating into strands.

Heat ¼ cup oil in a skillet or pot; blend the tomatoes, onion and pepper and add the oil; cook for about 3 minutes over medium heat.

Add the shredded beef, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and tomato sauce.

Stir, cover and simmer at low heat, stirring occasionally, for about half an hour until the sauce thickens, the seasoning cooks and the meat absorbs all those flavors.

Taste and add salt or pepper if needed.

Black beans

(6 servings)

Ingredients

2.2 pounds of black beans

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 large onion

1 medium green pepper

6 cloves of garlic

1 teaspoon cumin (or more, to taste)

1 bunch of cilantro

¼ cup oil

3 strips of bacon

2 pig’s feet

Preparation

Select the black beans.

The night before, the beans are placed in a container with water and a teaspoon of the soda. The water should be at least two fingers above the beans (as they will expand a bit). Stir and remove any beans that float; cover and let sit overnight.

The next day, wash well with water, then place on burner with enough water to cover; add the green pepper, seeded and cut into four pieces. When it softens, add the pig’s feet; when these soften, replenish the water. All this is done before adding salt, otherwise they won’t soften.

Once soft, add the salt. In a pan with oil, brown the diced bacon, chopped onion and crushed garlic; when golden brown (almost burnt), add to the beans and add the cumin.

Let simmer until the broth thickens and they take in the flavor of the seasoning.

Some 10 minutes before turning the burner off, add the sprig of chopped cilantro.

Photos by Juan Miret 

Our Cuisine: hearth of eccentricities

The monumental variety of the Hispanic cuisine kitchen would overwhelm even the most indulgent gourmet. For culinary experts such as the renowned Catalan chef Ferrán Adria and his Venezuelan counterpart, Sumito Estévez – who are considered at the vanguard of the deconstructive movement – have pegged the expectations of the taste of the future on the ancient recipes of Latin America.

The presence of insects, spiders and a rodent as large as a goat are more than just exotic dishes at the table; they are a unique experience of Hispanics, whose cuisine is appetizing, surprising and tasty.

“The worst thing for innovation is to be predictable,” Adria said during the inaugural conference of InnovaLatino: Fostering Innovation in Latin America, an event held in May in Madrid. “We must change our mindset because it is not just a job but a way of understanding life,” he said. Referring to the Aztec and Mayan cultures, he said, “I’ve always bet on Latin America. If you don’t have an identity it will be very hard to be someone in the world of gastronomy, and they have it.”

Estévez said in September at a food festival in Peru that “virtually all cuisine intellectuals, the same ones that look for trends and possibilities, have been predicting that the next haute cuisine movement will come from our continent (Latin America). He added that “we have to be ready for it, and when our time comes, rise to the occasion.”

Menu of oddities

Mexico

The Aztecs since pre-Hispanic times ate insects. In fact, historians say that the emperors delighted in succulent dishes of grasshoppers, ants, stink bugs and worms. And, obviously, they were sprinkled with strong spices and very hot chilies. Over thousands of years, this exotic practice has made its way into renowned restaurants and is part of the menu of important cooks.

A dish that has been gaining popularity outside of Mexico’s borders is cream of grasshoppers. The basic ingredients are onions, garlic, tomatoes, potatoes, chicken, olive oil, parsley, salt and pepper to taste – and grasshoppers. Of this last ingredient, 160 grams are needed to serve four people.

Colombia

Opaque yellow. Big head. Tiny torso. Huge abdomen. Giant pincers. Originally from the region of Santander. It’s an ant known by those in South America as a “large-bottomed” or “big-butt,” an ancient treat for Colombians.

Only the abdomen is eaten; the legs, antennae and heads are discarded. That large section is placed on the grill. As a final touch, salt is added.

These leaf-cutter ants have been eaten in Colombia for centuries, especially by the indigenous Guanes. Some claim the food provides aphrodisiac powers.

Peru

In the southern area of Peru, specifically the Madre de Dios jungle, there is a dish as scary as the Japanese puffer fish: roasted tarantulas.

The Peruvian recipes have included arachnids since 1800, especially in cattle-raising regions. Chefs recommend that the spiders be cooked alive.

Adria says Peruvian cuisine has the widest range internationally because of the mixture of cultures and the high quality of its products. It is “ready to conquer the palates of the world.”

Venezuela

During the Lenten season in this South American country, which is predominantly Catholic, red meat is not eaten, yet fish has a match: the capybara, the world's largest rodent. It is herbivorous.

Farms in Venezuela raise them for domestic consumption, provided they meet legal requirements to sell them to the public. 

Photos by Juan Miret