California Rancho Cooking
Mexican and Californian Recipes
by Jacqueline Higuera McMahan
Let's
catch some of the fast fading rays of summer and heat
things up one last time before the coming of fall.
Here in California, the sun never stops and we are literally
weaned on chiles.
But
despite the year-round sizzle people still move with
the seasons. So you'll find pumpkin empanadas in fall,
red chile, pork and cactus stew (great on hot and
cold days), grilled trout wrapped in gig leaves, chile
rellenos, mole, Spanish potato salad on summer picnics,
walnut orchard pie, and crema de arroz. Jacqueline
Higuera McMahan draws deep into her Rancho ancestry,
the Higuera and Chavarria cooks, as well as "descenientes"
from other Rancho families.
So
what is California Rancho Cuisine? Rather then delving
into a history lesson of Spanish invasion let's reduce
it to the Spanish conquerors loving four key Mexican
items: tomatoes, chiles, corn and chocolate. Add to
that lavish amounts of olive oil and herbs like marjoram
and cilantro and you've got the basics covered.
And
rather than read your way into the California Rancho
heart, you have to lick the mole off your fingers,
feel the chile in your blood, inhale the warm goodness
of a fresh tortilla. It's as simple as that. As the
author writes: "In the end, the cooking I prefer
can be gathered into a traveling enchilada. Where
it came from and where it ended up is not as important
as how it tastes."
This
book was originally released two years ago, and it
is back, with a new cover and the same classic recipes.
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