I’ve whinged on about the lack of Mexican food this far north plenty before. It simply doesn’t exist in the restaurant ecosystem of eastern Canada. One burrito shack and a tamale stall at the farmer’s market for a whole province, both of which have to dull down the cuisine for the tender Maritime palate, simply doesn’t make the grade. But there’s hope. The few Mexican cookery holdouts like myself resort to imported ingredients and home-made fare to get our carnitas and mole fix.
Not that it’s such a horrible fate mind you. Home cooks and roadside stalls are the backbone of cuisine south of two borders. Run by delightful men and women who each possess their own seemingly endless catalogue of information handed down and cultivated through years of practice, they feed a nation deliciously and cheaply making use of what’s on hand. Rice and beans never had it so good.
That flow of kitchen secrets can sometimes be hard to find farther north. Luckily we have a champion in the affable Rick Bayless whose personal cause for decades has been seeking out those secrets and sharing them with the world. From his seminal book on the topic twenty years ago, “Authentic Mexican”, to his more recent books
Why am I telling you this now? Because his public television series “Mexico One Plate At A Time” has just started streaming full free episodes of the latest (tenth) season. In high definition no less. This most recent set of thirteen shows focuses on the chefs of Mexico City and really tries to paint of picture of the culinary landscape of modern Mexico while explaining the roots from which it comes. Find links to these as well as the last couple seasons on his website alongside printable recipes from the same and a host of other enjoyable links, blogs, and the like. The show videos themselves are hosted by the easily-accessible-from-anywhere Vimeo streaming service. Did I mention they’re free?
Being the self-appointed ambassador for bean cookery north of the borders, I recommend watching the last episode first, entitled “It All Begins With Beans”. At the end he gives simple recipes for frijoles charros and the classic Mexican red tomato rice that anyone anywhere on the globe could manage. He uses a slow cooker and a rice maker but I’ve made them both in my ordinary Dutch oven* either on the stove top or in a low oven many, many times before successfully. Cheap, healthy, tasty. Both recipes should be in your repertoire.
* In his slow-cooker version of beans that simmer for four hours he can skip pre-soaking. I choose to overnight soak mine in water and then proceed in a similar fashion cooking them for less than half that time.
You can see my take on both cowboy beans and tomato rice above but I refuse to give you detailed recipes on the basis that they should both be your own. And so simple you don’t need a recipe after a few practice pots. Insert interesting flavours, simmer slowly until delicious. It’s just that easy but I’ll give you a few hints: tomato juice, smoked chipotle chiles in sauce, vegetable aromatics, and good stock. That should get you started.
I usually eat a few bowls the day I make them with a stack of good tortillas then include the rest in tacos al carbon or Colorado-style burritos over the next few days. You can also whip up an amazing batch of smashed ‘re-fried’ beans after they’ve spent a night in the fridge if that’s your preference and if by some miracle you have surplus rice, a pot of tortilla soup is in your future. Trust me when I tell you leftovers won’t be a problem.
