Miss List #1

In keeping with the David Letterman Top 10 List style, the #1 answer is anti-climatic, but "drum roll please" anyway.....

#1: Real Mexican Food

I've already harped on this subject, but humor me and let's cover it one more time. I'm not talking about Tex-Mex... nachos or burritos... which aren't purely Mexican inventions... I'm talking about the real stuff, my favorites being:

Real Mexican-style tacos on homemade corn tortillas with nothing but cilantro, (onion if you like it), and the hottest salsa in the restaurant. As you know, if they bring it to you automatically, it's not the hottest salsa in the restaurant.

Carnitas are another favorite. Fortunately, I can make that one myself, since it's not that hard and doesn't require exotic ingredients. My other favorite dishes I used to cook at home were chicken tinga, made with chipotle peppers and onion, but without tostadas that wouldn't be much fun to eat... and green mole with shredded chicken. That one has multiple availability issues (green mole sauce and tomatillos).

And lastly, my own personal version of cochinita pibil (Once Upon a Time in Mexico reference)... the pork chile verde... Oh how I love chile verde. I haven't figured out the recipe for that one, but I have a similar one that will do when I want to have it at home. Of course it's another one of those dishes made with tomatillos, one of the things I can't get here. So watch out Mexican restaurants, when I return to the States for my next visit, have my chile verde ready!!!

I'm serious. :)