Here's my recommendation: just say 'no' to liquid smoke. And chipotles? They really have no place in cochinita pibil. So charring is the way to go. My recommendation is that you build a small charcoal fire, sear the bone-in pork shoulder over the coals until rightly browned, then nestle it into the banana-leaf-wrapped slow-cooker. You'll love the result, I think.

Sincerely,
Rick

You're right about one thing:  kids tend to be more adventurous eaters if they get involved in the preparation of the foods.  And if they grow the food, it's even a more sure-fire way to open their minds.  From the time my daughter was able to stand up at the counter, I included her in meal preparations--often giving her the task of making a little "appetizer" plate of vegetables and cheese that we could enjoy before dinner.  It was mostly just arranging, but by the look on her face, you knew she felt a big part of our pleasure at the table.

Since I work evenings, we've always set down to breakfast together as a family. I'm very active, so after Lanie heads off to school, I usually work out or do yoga.  By 11, I'm usuallyl at work:  first I taste through all the preparations we're serving at lunch, hang around through the beginning of service, then move on to other projects--developing products for our prepared foods line, or working on a new book or television show, or collaborating with the restaurant chefs on new menu items.  There's lots of boiler-plate stuff thrown in there, too, like answering e-mails and working our staffing situations and solving mechanical problems in the restaurant.  That list is practically endless.  Before we start evening service, I taste everything we're serving again, then I work with the chefs during service, training and helping and ensuring quality.  And, of course, I talk with a lot of our guests--some are celebrating special occasions, some have cooking questions, some want travel advice.  Yeah, it's a pretty cool job!

Sincerely,
Rick

Typically the head is steam-roasted in a pit in the ground. After placing the head, typically wrapped in agave leaves, in the super-heated pit, the pit is sealed, trapping all the steam. That's how they achievesteam-roasting. Nowadays, many people put the head in a huge brasier, seal it with a top or foil and cook the whole thing in a large oven, meaning that the head meat comes out with a slightly stewed texture.

Sincerely,
Rick

I'm not exactly sure what variety of "finger pepper" your grandfather would have been growing, but practically every spice-loving culture has at least one that they're wild about. Most seem to be a variety of cayenne, which grow very well in most US gardens, even in pots. I also love growing poinsettia chiles; when the erect chiles turn red, they look like a poinsettia flower. Perfect for container growing. To pickle them, I usually bring a half-and-half mix of vinegar and water to a boil, add enough salt to make the liquid taste a little salty, then pour that mixture over the chiles packed into a sterilized jar. Usually I've put a few halved cloves of garlic, a sliced onion and/or some herb sprigs in with the chiles.


Sincerely,
Rick

Chicago actually has about the best selection of fresh, traditionally made corn tortillas in the United States. When my friends come from Mexico, they marvel at the qualitysome even say the flavor and texture of ours surpasses most of what you can find in Mexico City right now. My favorite tortillerias in Chicago are El Popocatpetl (which for 20 years has supplied our restaurant with the fresh-ground corn masa that we use to make the handmade tortillas we serve); Atotonilco is similar. El Milagro is another wonderful tortilleria, offering a slightly different flavor in their corn masa. All are located in the Pilsen area, but distribute their tortillas to most all the Mexican groceries in town. I know some of them also supply Mexican groceries in the suburbs, but my experience buying Mexican ingredients in your area isnt very extensive. For a great experience, visit one of the tortillerias for just-baked corn tortillas. Their aroma will fill your car on the way hopebegging you to taste at least one on the drive.


Sincerely,
Rick

Dear Elissa:
Of course, most people think that it's impossible to find fresh local ingredients in the winter in northern climes, but a century ago, farmers were quite good at growing a variety of ingredients year 'round. Maybe not the variety we're used to finding in our grocery stores today, however. Certainly there were the storage crops, the parsnips dug throughout the winter, the cabbages and the like. Most of the fruit was canned or dried from summer harvests, since, as we all know, there were no freezers. So when we run into the grocery store to pick up some romaine or mesclun greens, a bag of oranges, a few berries and a bunch of broccoli ... we're buying into a style of eating that must rely on a good amount of fuel to move food from one place to another. To eat local in the Midwest, means being willing to change your diet from season to season.

All that said, we've come a long way in our restaurant to put local food on the tables year round. Here's how we've done it: We've worked with a couple of farmers to grow sweet winter spinach and mache for us in unheated hoop houses for us from November through April. We've got another farmer that is growing microgreens under lights; another who does sunflower and pea tendrils in a green house; still others are using cold frames to get us baby greens before spring hits. We spin our menus to rely heavily on storage crops and preserved crops, meaning we're experts in root vegetables and how to utilize our freezers. In fact, one farmer freezes 16,000 pounds of tomatoes for us during the summer for us to use in cooked tomato sauces throughout the winter. We installed a temperature-controlled "root cellar" to take some of the storage pressure off some of our small farmers, and we set up several large freezers so that we could process the best of local summer fruit for ices and ice creams during the winter.
So our approach is really this: be a partner with the seasons, but learn about all the technological support that can be utilized to extend the seasons--hoop houses, green houses, cold frames, freezers, temperature- and humidity-controlled storage rooms. Though it may be more work, to us it's worth it. Without great local agriculture year-round, the food we offer in our restaurant can never reach it's potential greatness.


Sincerely,
Rick

Mexican oregano is easy to grow from seed, but bring it indoors during the coldest winter months as it doesn't like frost or freeze (though it will take pretty cold weather). I've had one plant going for 10 years. As with most plants called oregano, the leaves actually taste better if you let them dry, so I suggest that you cut it back in the late fall, plucking all the leaves from the pruned branches; let those leaves dry spread on a baking sheet or screen, then store them for winter use. A good place for Mexican oregano seed is Seedsofchange.com. Seeds of Change also offers Mexican oregano in seedlings, sold together with a number of other Mexican culinary plants.


Sincerely,
Rick

Ouch! You got medicinal epazotethe stuff thats brewed into a tea (and strained) to treat stomach problems. The epazote stems (which have little flavor, but contain the greatest concentration of the medicinal ingredient) are used in the medicinal tea; the leaves are used for culinary purposes. You can buy fresh epazote by mail from Melissas, but it will be expensive. For less expensive epazote, either grow it during warm weather (seeds are available from Johnnys Seeds) or look for it in a very well stocked produce department or in a Mexican grocery.


Sincerely,
Rick

Hey there,
These tiny, buttery morsels will gently crumble in your mouth. I hope you enjoy them.
Polvorones Mexicanos (Mexican Shortbread Cookies)
Makes 24 2-inch cookies
4 ounces(1 stick,8 tblsp)butter, preferably unsalted for the freshest flavor
1 cups flour(all-purpose white or whole wheat works well, as does 1 1/3 cups white or whole grain spelt)
cup sugar
teaspoon salt
Optional toppings: 1/4 to 1/3 cup of any one of the following: finely chopped Mexican chocolate, finely chopped nuts (I love pecans), pumpkin or sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, chopped dried or candied fruit, sprinkles (grajeas in Spanish), whole currents, crumbled banana chips, even oatmeal or a sprinkling of anise seeds
Cut the butter into 8 pieces, scoop into a bowl and microwave for 45 seconds at 25% power to soften a little.
Measure the flour, sugar and salt into a food processor. Pulse several times to mix thoroughly. Add the butter and pulse until completely mixed (usually 10 to 12 times) but not homogenous. Dump the crumbly dough onto your work surface and press into a ball. Cut a 12-inch piece of plastic wrap, lay the dough in the center and cover with a second piece of plastic wrap. Use your hands to press the dough into a disk that's -inch thick. Use a rolling pin to flatten it evenly to -inch. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Peel off the top piece of plastic. Use a cookie cutter or knife to cut cookies, gather scraps and roll them between plastic to cut more cookies.(If it appeals, roll the dough into a square and simply cut into square, rectangular or diamond shapes.) Transfer cookies to an ungreased baking sheet, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Sprinkle one of the optional toppings evenly over the cookies. Gently press in. Bake 15 to 17 minutes, turning the baking sheet once half way through. Cool 2 minutes, then use a spatula to transfer them to a wire cooling rack. If you chose no toppings, sprinkle the finished cookies with powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar while they're still warm. Store in a tightly sealed container.


Sincerely,
Rick

In Tulum, there is a wonderful, upscale restaurant called Hechizo. Wonderful dining experience, using lots of local ingredients, but weaving them together in a non-Mexican way. Worth a visit, though. My family and I had a wonderful meal overlooking the water down in the Sian Ka'an Biosphere at lodge down there (I dream about going back and staying in the "cabins"--which are permanent tents on the beach, no electricity, just waves lapping to put you to sleep.
Just north of Tulum is a beach-side restaurant called Oscar y Lalo's, which offers a postcard perfect setting for good seafood. My favorite is to eat a big plate of their salt-and-pepper ceviche, then lie in a hammock overlooking the water.


Sincerely,
Rick

My roasting pan is aluminum (Lincoln Wearever Roast Pan - 20X17.5X7) and most restaurant supply stores carry it or will order it for you. I imagine that the pan you're talking about will work, but just remember: your pit should be six to eight inches bigger than the pan all the way around. If the pit's too big, you'll loose too much heat in the open spaces.


Sincerely,
Rick

Queso Fundido al Tequila


Sincerely,
Rick

Hi J,
I don't really teach too many classes throughout the US anymore. Mainly appearances and events where I will teach a few recipes, and answer questions. Look at the NEWS section on the home page for info on where I will be. Thanks,


Sincerely,
Rick

Dear Olivia:
Unfortunately, I don't have much good news for you. While I occasionally run across sour limas at Maxwell Street Market in Chicago on Sunday mornings, I have never found a commercial (or internet) source for them. The sweet limas show up in our markets here in Chicago pretty regularly, but they are completely different. The ball-shaped cheese you refer to is Edam cheese and it comes from Holland (if you can believe that!). It is widely available in the United States; the brand that is commonly sold in Yucatan is El Gallo and, if I'm not mistaken, it is specifically made in Holland for the Mexican market.
Thanks for the Iron Chef support. How about a rematch?


Sincerely,
Rick

Hi Karen,

No, I do not have plans to have a restaurant in NYC. We are happy in Chicago!


Sincerely,
Rick