Hi Mary:
Williams Sonoma only orders the Sangria Roja mix once a year for their stores, but you can purchase the same sangria mix but under the Maraca label from our website www.fronterakitchens.com which can be ordered anytime. Rick


Sincerely,
Rick

HI Tequila lover,
Those chipotles in adobo will last a long time in your refrigerator. Take them out of the can and put them in another container, cover and refrigerate. Use it anytime you are making eggs, tacos, --or even use the sauce in mayo for a spicy twist. You will fine uses for it in most everything (I do.) As far as using tequila in cooking---last season, we did a whole show on tequila and I made a fabulous tequila infused queso fundido. See below...Rick
Tequila-Infused Queso Fundido

Queso Fundido Al Tequila

Serves 6 as an appetizer
1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
1 large (10-ounce) ripe tomato, cored, seeded (if you wish) and cut into -inch pieces
1 medium onion, cut into -inch pieces
Hot green chiles to taste (roughly 1 large jalapeo or 2 large serranos), stemmed, seeded (if you wish) and finely chopped
3 tablespoons tequila, preferably a silver (blanco) tequila
8 ounces Chihuahua or other Mexican melting cheese, such as quesadilla or asadero, shredded (youll have about 2 cups)
cup chopped cilantro

Heat the oil in a very large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high. Add the tomato, onion and chiles, and cook, stirring nearly constantly, until the onion begins to soften and brown, about 7 minutes. Add the tequila and cook quickly, stirring, until nearly reduced to a glaze. (If you tip the pan toward an open gas flame, it will ignite. If you choose this route, simply shake the pan back and forth until the flames subside and the tequila has reduced to a glaze.)
Reduce the heat to medium-low, sprinkle the cheese evenly over the vegetables and stir slowly and constantly until just meltedtoo long over the heat and the cheese will become tough, oily and stringy.
Scoop into a warm dish, sprinkle with the cilantro and serve right away with tortillas for making soft tacos. You may want a little salsa, too.




Sincerely,
Rick

Hi Margie--thanks for watching.
You will find that shrimp recipe--along with a bunch of others on our site under Television--Season 5 recipes. Thanks again and enjoy!


Sincerely,
Rick

Hi Veronica:
Yes, I have been to Michoacan before and just a couple of years ago, I took our staff. We all enjoyed it as our staff trips tend to focus on the people of the place that we have visited. I will be adding a TRAVEL notebook tab to our site www.rickbayless.com to make it easier for everyone to read about where I have been.


Sincerely,
Rick

http://www.rickbayless.com/recipe/category?categoryID=1


Sincerely,
Rick

Hi Katie,
I am sending you one of my favorite recipes for this dish. Chilaquiles is the comfort food of Mexico--you will find different versions and colors (red or green). The one below is made with chipotle chiles. Let me know how you like it.
Chilaquiles al Chipotle

Simple Chipotle Chilaquiles (Tortilla Casserole)
Serves 4 as a casual main dish
12 (10 ounces total) corn tortillas, cut into sixths, and fried or baked to make chips
OR 8 ounces (8 to 12 loosely packed cups, depending on thickness) thick, homemade-style tortilla chips (such as ones you buy at a Mexican grocery)
1 28-ounce can good-quality whole tomatoes in juice, drained
OR 1 pounds (about 3 medium-large round or 9 to 12 plum) ripe tomatoes
2 to 3 canned chipotle chiles en adobo
OR 2 to 3 dried chipotle chiles, stemmed
1 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
1 large white onion, sliced inch thick
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
2 cups chicken broth, vegetable broth or water, plus a little extra if needed
Salt
About 1/3 cup homemade crema, crme fraiche or store-bought sour cream thinned with a little milk.
1 cups coarsely shredded cooked chicken, preferably grilled, roasted or rotisserie chicken (optional)
cup finely crumbled Mexican queso aejo or other dry grating cheese such as Romano or Parmesan
2 cups sliced red chard leaves or lambs quarters (quelites), optional
3 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh epazote
OR cup chopped fresh cilantro
1. The chips. Make the chips or measure out the store-bought chips.
2. The brothy sauce. If using drained canned tomatoes, place them in a blender jar. If using fresh tomatoes, spread them onto a baking sheet and place them 4 inches below a very hot broiler. When theyre darkly roasted (theyll be blackened in spots), about 6 minutes, flip them over and roast the other side5 or 6 minutes more will give you splotchy-black and blistered tomatoes that are soft and cooked through. Cool. Working over your baking sheet, pull off and discard the blackened skins and, for round tomatoes, cut out the hard cores where the stems were attached. Transfer to a blender, along with all the juices on the baking sheet.
If using canned chipotles, add them to the blender, seeds and all. If using dried chipotles, toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat for about a minute, turning frequently, until very aromatic. Place in a small bowl, cover with hot tap water and let rehydrate 30 minutes. Drain and add to the blender.
Blend the tomatoes and chiles to a puree, but one that still retains a little texture. You should have 2 cups puree.
Over medium heat, set a medium-large (4- to 5-quart) pot or Dutch oven or a deep, large (12-inch) skilletyoull need a lid for whatever vessel you choose. Measure in the oil, add half of the onion and cook, stirring regularly, until golden, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for another minute, then raise the heat to medium-high. Add the tomato puree and stir nearly constantly for 4 or 5 minutes, until the mixture thickens somewhat. Stir in the broth or water and season with salt, usually about teaspoon if you are using salted chips. Cover the pot if not continuing with Step 3 right away. You should have 4 cups of broth mixture.
3. Cooking and serving the chilaquiles. Set out the remaining onion, crema, chicken (if using) and cheese. Put the pot over medium-high heat until the brothy sauce boils. Stir in chard or lambs quarters (if using), the epazote (if using cilantro, set it aside to add later) and the tortilla chips, coating all the chips well. Let return to a rolling boil, cover and turn off the heat. Let stand 5 minutes (no longer).
Immediately uncover and carefully stir to coat the chips evenly with the sauce and to check that the chips have softened nicelythey should be a little chewy, not mushy. (If theyre too chewy, stir in a few tablespoons more broth, cover and set over medium heat for a couple minutes more.) Sprinkle with the cilantro, if thats the herb youre using.
Either spoon onto warm individual plates in the kitchen or serve directly from the vessel it was made in. Drizzle the chilaquiles with the crema (or one of its stand-ins), strew with the remaining sliced onion and the optional shredded chicken, and dust generously with the finely crumbled cheese.
Working Ahead: The brothy sauce (Step 2) can be completed up to 3 or 4 days ahead; store in the refrigerator, covered. Chilaquiles lose texture once theyre made, so I complete the simple tasks of cooking and serving them when everyones ready to eat. Homemade chips for chilaquiles are fine made a day or two in advance.



Sincerely,
Rick

Hi Chef Dreamer,
I really try to make sure that you can find the ingredients in my recipes easily. It really depends on what book that you are working from--my latest, Mexican Everyday--we really tested these with the home cooks who shop at mainstream grocery stores and the like. Some of the more difficult recipes in my earlier books might require that you venture into a Mexican grocery store--which I highly recommend to anyone!
Have fun and thanks,


Sincerely,
Rick

Hi Dayla,
This recipe is from my latest book Mexican Everyday. Also check out our new recipe section on the site.
Chorizo, Potato and Mushroom Tacos- "Tacos de Chorizo con Papas y Hongos"
Serves 4

12 ounces fresh Mexican chorizo sausage, casing removed
1 medium white onion, sliced -inch thick
6 ounces mushrooms (shiitake or oyster mushrooms are good), stemmed and sliced about inch thick (youll have about 2 cups)
3 medium (12 ounces) red-skin boiling or Yukon gold potatoes, grated through your graters largest holes
Salt
cup (loosely packed) chopped cilantro
12 warm corn tortillas, store bought or homemade
About cup Roasted Tomatillo Salsa or Guacamole or bottled salsa or hot sauce, for serving

Lay the chorizo in a very large (12-inch) skillet (preferably non-stick) and set over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently and breaking up clumps, until some of the fat starts to render and the sausage looks about half cooked, about 4 minutes.
Increase the heat to medium-high. If the chorizo hasnt rendered any fat, add about 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet. Add the onion and mushrooms and continue to cook, stirring almost constantly, until the onion and mushrooms begin to soften, about 3 minutes.
Sprinkle the grated potato over the mixture. Cook, continuing to stir frequently, until the potatoes are soft, about 5 minutes. If the potatoes begin browning long before theyre soft, reduce the temperature a little. Taste and season with salt if you think the mixture needs itsome chorizo is so highly seasoned, little additional salt will be needed.
Scrape the mixture into a deep bowl, sprinkle with cilantro and serve with warm tortillas and salsa or guacamole for making soft tacos.


Sincerely,
Rick

Hi Michael:
I would love for you to get your hands on the latest Saveur magazine that came out. I wrote a piece just on Mexico City--it is in Saveur's top 100 list. I think that is a great place to start. I am also including some links here for you to check out:
http://www.rickbayless.com/about/notebook/guide_oaxaca.html
http://www.rickbayless.com/about/notebook/mexico_journal.html (Some Mexico City stuff here to check out)
http://www.rickbayless.com/about/notebook/brief_guide.html

Have a great trip!



Sincerely,
Rick

Hi Mary,
Chile Ancho is the name for a dried poblano. You are right.


Sincerely,
Rick

HI Marissa,
I have a culinary assistant on staff that runs our test kitchen here and does the research for the cookbooks, television show and the like. Thanks for noticing--we like to give the reader as much information as possible to obtain the ingredients for our recipes.


Sincerely,
Rick

Hi John,
You can find those handy squeezers at Williams-Sonoma, Sur La Table, etc. They sell them for limes and for oranges. About the pizzas--sure you can add to them if you like. Sliced raw onion (I suggest rinsing the raw onion under water first), perhaps some pieces of a roasted poblano, roasted garlic, any thing that you like really. Let me know what combinations you come up with!


Sincerely,
Rick

We filmed in three restaurants in Playa: Cueva del Chango---a cool coffee/juice place--great for breakfast. Oscar y Lalo's--the one with the hammocks, right on the beach, and 100% Natural, a terrific spot for fresh fruit smoothie drinks. Have fun,


Sincerely,
Rick

Hi Maggi,
Thanks for watching the shows! You will find all of the recipes under the TV section on rickbayless.com. As far as vegetarian options--we try to offer many selections at our restaurants and try to give alternatives in my cookbooks. Thanks again,


Sincerely,
Rick

HI P&D,
Thanks for watching the show! Call ahead to the restaurant before your visit and let us know what you are looking to avoid and we can help you then. Our menu changes every month and we can always try to tailor something that you do not want to eat.
Thanks,


Sincerely,
Rick