Sal de Gusano Deliciousness

My recent travels to Oaxaca have introduced me to some very interesting ingredients, sal de gusano being one of my all-time favorites.  Sal de gusano, or "worm salt", is quite literally ground up sea salt, worms and chiles.  These aren't just any worms, they are maguey worms which are actually caterpillars that feed on maguey and agave plants.  I know it sounds a wee bit scary but I promise it's really very good.  I've been adding it to just about everything.  Its smoky and spicy flavor paired perfectly well with my burrata and strawberry dish.  Serve it as a salad or dessert - either way  your guests will love it!

Ingredients: 

Burrata

Sliced strawberries

Sal de gusano

Extra virgin olive oil

Balsamic glaze

Preparation: 

1. Cut burrata pieces into halves (or quarters depending on the size) 
2. Top the burrata with strawberries slices
3. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil and balsamic glaze on the cheese and strawberries
4. Sprinkle on the sal de gusano and serve!

Are you feeling daring?!  Pick up your own batch of yummy goodness here. 

Oaxaca // National Geographic

We are so excited to see that Oaxaca was named number 2 in National Geographic's article "100 Places That Will Change Your Life".  They're not kidding, Oaxaca is seriously magical. 

Taco Tuesday Takeover at Galaxy Taco with Chef Elexia de la Parra

Last night's Taco Tuesday Takeover at Galaxy Taco was a huge success! The tacos turned out super deliciosos!! I was so flattered when Chef Trey and Chef Christine invited me to be their first female guest chef. Flattered and nervous all at once. :) This was my opportunity to share with everyone what I was experiencing in Oaxaca on my Eat.Drink.Cook.Mexico. tours. Two of the tacos were truly inspired by traditional Oaxaca ingredients - mole negro, chapulines, quesillo and hoja santa. For the third we did a Barbacoa de Res taco and topped it with a tomatillo salsa. They were all a hit! Thank you to everyone that came out last night to share in their love for tacos!! Until next time.

Looking to add a bit of Oaxacan flavors to your kitchen? Check out Casa Artelexia for mole and Specialty Produce for chapulines, hoja santa and quesillo.

{Photos: The three close ups of each taco were taken by Carlos Walther-Meade}

Eat.Drink.Cook.Mexico.

Have you heard?! We are now curating Culinary Tours to Mexico, Eat.Drink.Cook.Mexico. Currently we have 5 trips planned to Oaxaca in 2016 - January, March, 2 in July and October/November for Day of the Dead. What can you expect? Lots of delicious food and beautifully handcrafted folk art. We take cooking classes, tour the markets (lots of sampling), dine at Oaxaca's top restaurants, meet & greet with the chefs, visit the sites and shop!! And, our service is top-notch. Our groups are kept to a maximum of 14 people, including my husband and myself, to ensure a personalized experience. 

Check out what we have planned for January 7th-14th.

Travelers will experience hands-on cooking classes using sustainable, locally sourced ingredients, special dinners at some of Oaxaca’s top restaurants, tours of its vibrant markets and visit the art studios of some of Oaxaca's most popular artisans. We’ve hand-picked each location, dined at each restaurant, and taken every class to ensure its quality – we do our research! Depending on our tour dates, itineraries will vary depending on different seasons and holidays within the region. 

Inclusions

Accommodations: You’ll stay at one of Oaxaca’s top-rated hotels located in the heart of the “Centro Historico” - just two blocks from Santo Domingo and 3 blocks from the Zocalo.

Transportation: All transportation is covered to take you to and from your scheduled cooking classes, shopping day-trip, and airport transfers while in Oaxaca. You will fly into Oaxaca where you will be greeted by your driver and taken directly to the hotel where we will be waiting for you with welcome drinks!! 

Cooking Classes: Chefs will take you to the local markets, teach you how to shop for the best local ingredients, show you the way around a traditional Oaxacan kitchen, and share their culinary secrets and recipes with you. Just a few items on the menu are various types of mole, tamales, salsa, stuffed flor de calabaza, arroz con leche and lots more!

Market Excursions: Soak in the enchanting atmosphere of Oaxaca’s popular markets. With a wide array of traditional Mexican crafts, household items, leather goods, native textiles, ceramics and more food than you can imagine, you will be immersed in a world of colors, flavors and textures.

Meals: 7 Breakfasts / 5 Lunches (Beer and Mezcal Included) / 5 Dinners at Oaxaca’s top restaurants (2 drinks included)

Happy Hours: We will enjoy some tasty cocktails at our 2 favorite rooftop bars with the best views of Santo Domingo.

Tastings: 1 Agua de Chocolate (BEST Mexican hot chocolate) and chocolate tasting, multiple Artisanal Mezcal tastings where you’ll learn about the process, categories and the proper way to sip, and a delicious sampling of all natural, freshly made ice cream and paletas.

Folk Art Shopping with Artisans: We'll venture out to the surrounding villages where you’ll be invited into the workshops of various artisans.

Oaxaca Travel Package

Join us this summer as we eat, drink and cook our way through Oaxaca! We'll be staying 8 days and 7 nights (Aug. 4-11) in a new boutique hotel located on a pedestrian-only street just a few blocks from Santo Domingo and the Zocalo. We'll learn to make tamales, moles, tortillas and many more Oaxacan specialties in the 4 cooking classes we have scheduled. We'll be working with a variety of food specialists, including a restaurant chef, a cookbook author and host of a 13-part PBS series on Oaxacan cooking, cuisine instructors and traditional cooks. We'll tour the top Oaxacan food markets, pick out our ingredients for the day's lesson and cook Oaxacan style. You'll grind your own ingredients in molcajetes and metates, make tortillas by hand and cook in clay pots over wood fed stoves.  In the evenings we'll dine at our favorite restaurants where we've set up special tasting menus - the best of each menu!  Contact us if you would like more info!

Oaxaca & Puebla

We are back!  Back from two weeks of rest and relaxation. It was pure and absolute magic. We ate and drank until our hearts were happy and our tummies were full. You cannot beat the flavors over there. No way, Jose. Every single place you go to is special in its own way. The people are sweet, attentive and warm. To be honest, you are kind of ruined when you get back. After a week of being home we were already dreaming to be back wandering the cobblestone streets of Oaxaca.  

Have you been to Oaxaca?  Is it on your bucket list?  Let us know if you are interested because we are thinking of returning in the summer and taking a few of you with us. I mean, if you like visiting beautiful places, eating amazing food and having loads of fun. Our plan is to go for 7-8 days to eat, drink, take cooking classes and do some shopping. If this is up your alley, shoot us an email!