In the evening of 27 October 2005, eight enthusiastic “foodies” arrived at The Cultural Kitchen, home of María Amalia Garza in Orleans.

After introductions all around and some lively conversation, I welcomed everyone on behalf of the Guild, explained the evening selection of Mexican wines and Tequilas and then passed the floor to María.

While María was handing out the recipes, I served a shot of Tequila José Cuervo Tradicional, chilled, to start the evening in a very traditional Mexican way. María talked a bit about where that specific tequila is made, since she visited Mundo Cuervo estate just this past summer.

María welcomed everyone to her kitchen, and proceeded to go through the menu for the evening, explaining how each dish was basically prepared and the history behind it. Time now to put on an apron and wash up to start cooking! We had to work our menu backwards, so that at the end we could eat our meal in order, so—first on the agenda, our talented members had to start prepping the Pipián Verde de Pollo (Chicken in Pumpkin Seed and Tomatillo Sauce). This dish is a traditional dish from southern Mexico, and it’s similar in technique to mole, but much simpler to prepare, so our friends started roasting and toasting pumpkin and sesame seeds and then blending them with tomatillos, garlic, Serrano chiles, and onions to make that thick, flavourful sauce. The sauce needed to simmer for quite a while to develop the flavours. While the sauce was cooking, the chicken was roasting in the oven.

Another group of members started working on the soup: Mushroom and Zucchini Soup with Jalapeño Chiles and Cilantro. This had a lot of prep work but the participants working on this recipe were quite expert soup makers, so it was an easy task for them!

While the soup was simmering, we tackled the appetizer portion of the dinner: Guacamole and Sopes con Machaca de Camarón (Corn Dough Boats with Shrimp Mash). Our friends had a lot of fun after María showed them the proper way to cut and pit an avocado, so everyone wanted to try it. This dish was done in a “molcajete”, the ancient Mexican version of a mortar and pestle, which produces a beautiful chunky guacamole. After the expert seasoning touches of Martin, the Guacamole was done and no one could wait to try it! It was a huge success, and it was surprising to some of the members to realize that there was no sour cream in the recipe!

We then started the Sopes. María demonstrated how to prepare and shape the “masa”, or corn dough for the Sopes. These little “antojitos” are cooked in a dry cast iron griddle and after they cool down sufficiently the edges need to be pinched to make a little container for our shrimp mash, which was being prepared by another team. After all the sopes were prepared, they were lightly fried on the bottom side and then filled with the shrimp, which was a mixture of sautéed onions, chiles, and tomatoes with the shrimp.

The last item to prepare was a special treat: “Sangrita”. This is a spicy orange juice that is traditionally drunk alongside Tequila in Mexico. Oranges and limes were juiced and combined with V8 and hot sauce to make the drink. 

Finally, more Tequila was poured to go with the Sangrita as we sat around the kitchen table and nibbled on Sopes and Guacamole. Everyone liked these treats, but it was agreed that we had very adventurous souls in the group who thought they could have used a lot more heat in the shrimp mash!

After our “Antojitos”, we sat at the dinner table and the wines were poured to go with our next two courses, the soup and the Pipián Verde de Pollo. While members tried to guess which was which, everyone was surprised to see that the Pipián went really well with each of the three wines. The sauce was almost creamy in consistency, but quite thick and it complemented beautifully the chicken as well as the marked acidity in the Cabernet and Petite Sirah and the full body of the Nebbiolo. It was a very elegant “marriage”.

The winner wine of the evening was the Nebbiolo produced by LA Cetto in Baja California. Full body elegance, with spicy and herbaceous notes on the nose. Tannins were evident and pleasantly soft, while the wine was lacking a bit of acidity. It was a 1999, definitely at the end of its “career” (= ready to drink)!

For dessert María treated us to a “Queso Napolitano”, her own recipe for a cheese and pecan flan which we enjoyed with coffee before María brought out another Tequila from her private collection: a fine Cabo Wabo Reposada!

Everyone was very relaxed and having a lot of fun in the casual setting of The Cultural Kitchen. It was getting late, so everyone said their goodbyes and heartfelt thanks to María for the evening. With recipes in hand and the promise of calling if any questions arose, we all went home.

2001 Cabernet Sauvignon XA LA Cetto $11.95

2003 Petite Sirah Casa Pedro Domencq $11.55

1999 Nebbiolo LA Cetto $14.95

Jose Cuervo Traditional, Tequila Reposado $49.95

Cabo Wabo, Tequila Reposado $89.50