The origins of Molino Macuitl: corn and family. Part II

During the rainy season, we go out to collect huitlacoches and we prepare them in the following way: we husk corn kernels and sauté them with a bit of butter; we then add garlic, onion, poblano bell pepper strips, the huitlacoche, and add a little bit of mint.<br>

Essential ingredients for chile en nogada, which are harvested from the trees on our land. We are located in San Jerónimo Tecuanipan, 34 km from the city of Puebla and on the way to the majestic Popocatépetl volcano.<br>

My grandmother Carmen is in charge of our hens and turkeys. She feeds them criollo corn and collects their eggs before other animals eat them.<br>

Seasonal ingredient for chile en nogada, a dish we eagerly await each year, both because of its flavor and its subtle presentation. In addition to walnut trees, we have chirimoya, peach, apple, pear, lemon, lime, Chinese pomegranate, plum, and hawthorn fruit trees, to name a few...

In my home, mole de olor is a family legacy dating back four generations. It has a very particular flavor between its spiciness, sweetness, texture and aroma. Preparing it is very complicated, given that it has 21 ingredients, most of which we harvest.<br>

In our house in the mornings, and before going to the field to work, having an atole is the law of the land. It can be prepared with anything: corn masa, pinole, yellow, blue or colored corn flour. We add chocolate, cinnamon or cardamom to give it its aroma and flavor. <br>

The chili loco is very special in our cuisine. We use it both green and dry, for adobos, pipianes, longaniza, salsas and cumin tamales.<br>

It grows abundantly in our land, and is a frequent ingredient in our cooking. We use it in tamales, green pipián, chileatole and to season esquite. It is also added to quelites, halaches, huauzontles and verdolagas. <br>

We make the hotcakes with blue corn and a guayaba compote flavored with lippia (an herb with notes of lemon) and an apipisco or jaltomate (a small, black wild tomato) sala, and we finish it off with elder flowers, all seasonal ingredients.<br>

In our cooking, we make tlacoyos with three varieties of corn: yellow, blue and red. We can also use different fillings: black beans with avocado leaf, butter beans with guajillo chili and raw beans. <br>

At home, we have five seasonal varieties of chow chow. This in particular is cooked with tequesquite and white salt. Once peeled, we add honey and lemon. We eat it as a dessert, and in this form, it's a delicious experience. <br>