Need some help on mexican ingredients

All -

Just got back from taking 4 days of excellent cooking classes in San Miguel Mexico and I am all hyped up to re-create some of the recipes we made and I was curious if someone could point me in the direction of a store that might sell the following some what near Lakeview:

Masa Dough (corn dough)
Ancho, Guajillo, and Chipotle dried peppers
Pork Lard

I am guessing some of the local Mexican stores will be able to supply these, just figured you all might be able to point me towards one that might have all three ingredients.

you shouldn't have much of an issue procuring any of the above, virtually anywhere(even da Jewels carry masa and various dried chiles in whole and ground form)

for all-in-one you might try one of the Supermercado Guanjuatos(the only ingredient I'm unsure about is the preferrably-housemade lard)

Do a search for manteca to find the lard

Carniceria Jimenez, which has multiple locations, has an amazing array of Latin American foods -- everything you'd likely need, from ingredients to ready made.

One hint on the lard/manteca front: ask at the meat counter of a Mexican grocer for manteca, rather than the lily-white processed stuff. They'll give you the amount you need too.

FWIW: regular grocers often only carry dried masa (masa harina.} I've seen the fresh version at Food For Less and nicer Jewels and Dominicks but it's hit or miss. Trader Joe's or Treasure Island might be worth a call.

If you're looking for the chilies, check in those weird endcaps in the produce aisle; they often have the roasted & dried peppers hidden there.

Christopher Gordon wrote:for all-in-one you might try one of the Supermercado Guanjuatos(the only ingredient I'm unsure about is the preferrably-housemade lard)

Chris,

Good suggestion, Carnicerias Guanajuato (note the additional ~a~) is a full service Mexican grocery just West of Lakeview. In addition to grocery items there is full-on meat counter, carniceria and taqueria.

Couple of doors North is Taqueria Traspasada a good all around taqueria with goat offered on the weekends.

Enjoy,
Gary

Carnicerias Guanajuanto
3140 N California
Chicago, IL. 60618
773-267-7739

Carnicerias Guanajuato
1436 N Ashland
Chicago, IL
773-7725266

Taqueria Traspasada
3144 N California
Chicago, IL 60618
773-539-4533
Open 7 days

Great! Thanks for all the help everyone!

I checked Jewel and was unable to find a couple of the chiles I was looking for (in the dried form). Additionally, I was thinking about even snagging some Masa from a local tortilla production house if that is even possible. However, I have yet to dig into that topic yet.

Gracias!

U may want to try La Casa Del Pueblo, they carry several different kinds of lard, inclunding ones from Mexico, and several varieties of masa in those big tubs, as far as chiles or concerned extensive variety of both dried and fresh.

Location: Pilsen, 1810 S. Blue Island Ave.

For fresh, warm masa with nothing added you can go to El Popocatepetl" at 1854 W. 21st St. in Pilsen. They have masa for tortillas, masa for tamales, tortillas specifically for chips. (also ready made tortillas and chips)

Maxwell St.! Maxwell St.! If you haven't been to the Sunday market, you're missing some of the best ingredient shopping.

There's one vendor in particular (although several sell chiles) who has a great selection of the usual chiles--guajillo, pasilla, ancho, piquin--along with some I've never used (morita? pulla?), and they're extremely inexpensive. Right now, he's located on the East side of Roosevelt, about halfway from the south end of the market to Dominick's.

If you need a street parking pass for the market, I've got an extra loaner.

crrush wrote:Maxwell St.! Maxwell St.! If you haven't been to the Sunday market, you're missing some of the best ingredient shopping.

There's one vendor in particular (although several sell chiles) who has a great selection of the usual chiles--guajillo, pasilla, ancho, piquin--along with some I've never used (morita? pulla?), and they're extremely inexpensive. Right now, he's located on the East side of Roosevelt, about halfway from the south end of the market to Dominick's.

If you need a street parking pass for the market, I've got an extra loaner.

you probably are already aware, but fyi: the morita is a chipotle

I typically dunk a couple in my Texas chili and let 'em stew. I don't usually include pork products in my chili, but when assured that it'll be served to folks who don't dig on the pig...moritas give a nice smokiness
instead of using smoked pork products...

While we're at it the pulla is a smaller, hotter version of a guajillo, with the same general flavor profile.

But there are two types of chipotles/smoked jalapenos. Chile ahumado (smoked green jalapeno) and chile morita (smoked red jalapeno)--thus, the hotter-ness.

Good idea on the chili...

Hi,

I have never quite been happy with my reheating of packaged corn tortillas at home.

A few weeks ago, I was watching a show where they reworked recipes to make them 'healthier.' In their efforts to get as much flavor from every ingredient, they reheated their tortillas over direct flame.

I rewarmed packaged tortillas over a live flame last night. It took a little longer than I thought. A few times, I turned my attention away and saw the tortilla catch on fire. Everyone enjoyed the char and added crispness.

Regards,

Cathy2 wrote:I rewarmed packaged tortillas over a live flame last night. It took a little longer than I thought. A few times, I turned my attention away and saw the tortilla catch on fire. Everyone enjoyed the char and added crispness.

Agreed - it's easier to warm flour tortillas via oven or microwave, but direct, high heat is important for corn. They really need to be toasted for full flavor and suppleness. A griddle, if hot enough, can do the job, but may need a bit of oil for best results.

Mind you, toasting/griddling flour tortillas is pretty awesome too, but tends to lead to less-supple rather than more-supple results.

A Cook's Illustrated show this weekend made fish tacos and they, too, warmed up the tortillas on a gas stove top.

Hi,

What was I doing before with mixed results:

- Sprinkling some water, then griddle. Sometimes they'd fall apart.
- Griddle as-is, which was just ok.

Once I took corn tortillas directly from the bag to the table. That was no good.

I bought wheat tortillas simply because they worked better out of the bag. In restaurants, I always went for corn. This method of cooking over the flame seems to be the most satisfying.

Regards,