December 15, 2016
If you have been to Mexico, and I am sure you have, you know how important pickles are to the layers of flavours in this simple yet complex cuisine. Almost every dish is accompanied by some pickles, be it the bright and colourful pickled red onion, mildly spicy jalapenos, pickled radishes or pickled fruits. The most commonly seen are the pickled red onions that go so well with the variety of seafood so abundant in... View Article
December 12, 2016
We landed at Cancun airport a week ago after a short and reasonably comfortable Westjet flight from Toronto. We stepped outside into the colourful vegetation and fragrant air of the Mexican Caribbean and felt immediately at home in the familiar surroundings. Even my limited Spanish held up for the brief conversations along the way. Next we had to endure the usual ordeal of car rental, having to do with mandatory insurance that can quadruple the... View Article
February 15, 2015
I have been to Merida before but this time it was a little different. I think that visiting a place a second time is so much more interesting. You are less of a tourist then and can immerse yourself deeper in the life and culture of the place. We drove to Merida to take a cooking class at Los Dos cooking school but this is not all we did. This time we explored the gorgeous... View Article
January 28, 2015
I have taken a liking to salads that are composed of many vegetables, all finely chopped and tossed together in a harmonious pile. They are easier to eat than a large leafy salad and the flavours blend together so nicely with the dressing, just my kind of thing. I have had one such salad recently on a side trip to Merida last week. We went there to take a cooking class at Los Dos cookings... View Article
January 26, 2015
Last week we headed west of the Mayan Riviera to Merida to explore the Gulf of Mexico side of the Yucatan Peninsula. The Yucatan Peninsula separates the Caribbean sea from the Gulf of Mexico and includes three states: Quintana Roo, Yucatan and Campeche. The Yucatan is home to the Mayan people and is distinct from the rest of Mexico by its culture and cuisine. The new double lane highway from Cancun to Merida now has... View Article
January 26, 2015
One item that appears on almost every plate here in the Yucatan peninsula are the brightly coloured pickled red onions. If you look at any cook’s kitchen here you are sure to find a jar or a dish of this lovely condiment hanging around to be used with just about every food other than dessert. There are various ways of making these pickled onions but what is unique here is that they make them with... View Article
January 13, 2015
I am learning a little about Mexican cooking while we are vacationing here. The more I learn, the more there is to learn. I have been experimenting with different rice dishes lately and this red rice turned out to be one of my favourites. I used achiote paste that I heard about at a cooking class with Claudia of Can Cook in Cancun and after discussion (mostly with hand gestures) with staff at our place... View Article
March 3, 2012
We stumbled upon this dreamy Hacienda quite by accident but it turned out to be the highlight of our visit to the Yucatan. We stayed there on the way back from Merida to Cancun and couldn’t believe our luck. The 10 room Hacienda is situated on the outskirts of the quaint Mayan town of Izamal. It is surrounded by beautiful gardens attended to by a local Mayan couple, Paco and Hermita who live on the... View Article
