A Little Salt and Lime

Santiago de Tequila, founded in 1530 by Franciscan monks, is a village located about 40 miles west of Guadalajara in the Mexican state of Jalisco.  The heart of the growing region of the blue agave plant, Santiago de Tequila is known as the birthplace of the spirit that bears its name, tequila.  Tequila is a variety of mezcal made from the blue agave plant cultivated in one of five select states in Mexico: Jalisco, Nayarit, Michoacán, Guanajuato and Tamaulipas.  Designated a World Heritage Site, Santiago de Tequila is a charming town centered around the stone church of Our Lady of Purísima Concepción (can you believe this girl finally figured out how to use accents in Blogger!).

Our Lady of Purísima Concepción

Interior of the church

Along the town square

Some of our lovely friends in Guadalajara set up a tour for us at the Hacienda San José Del Refugio at Casa Herradura, in the nearby pueblo of Amatitán.  An ancient symbol of luck and prosperity, the iconic horseshoe symbol of Herradura tequila has the shoe facing downwards, so that the good fortune may be poured out and enjoyed by all.  What a lovely sentiment that is actually indicative of the spirit of the Mexican people as a whole.

Hacienda San José Del Refugio was built in 1870 and is a small pueblito in and of itself.  Our trusty guide, Angel, led us through a fascinating 3 hour tour detailing the harvest, cooking, crushing, fermentation and distillation of the blue agave plant.  The blue agave is a fascinating plant that requires 7 to 10 years to mature and is only propagated by the Mexican long-nose bat.  Casa Herradura has 25 million blue agaves at every stage of maturation in cultivation to guarantee production of their plata, reposado, and añejo tequilas for years to come under the labels of Herradura and El Jimador.  Angel was true to his name and very attentive by keeping us well hydrated and providing libations along the way.  

Touted as the best selling drink in convenience stores across Mexico, El Jimador's New Mix comes in four flavors: Paloma, Vampiro, Margarita and Paloma Mango Spicy.  I chose the Paloma, a mixture of Squirt (grapefruit-flavored soda), tequila and lime.  It was slightly reminiscent of those wine coolers we used to drink in high school (not sure if that is a good thing), but it is refreshing on a hot day. 

And then there was the burro...

...who dispenses tequila along the way

A jimador is a farmer who harvests the ripe agave using a hoe-type tool called a coa.  There are many critical stages involved in this process, beginning with identifying a ripe agave, to cutting off the leaves of the plant, leaving only the pulpy center.  Planting, tending and harvesting remains largely a manual effort, with the knowledge being passed down from generation to generation.    

 

The heart, or piña, of the agave can be seen to the right of the photo

At this point, we tried a sliver of the piña, which was tasteless.  But after roasting in large ovens for 24 hours, then cooled for 24 hours, their starches are converted to sugars.
 

After cooling, the roast agaves are milled, and the agave juice is fermented for several days in (mostly) stainless steel vats.  The temperature of the juice rises as yeast converts the sugar to alcohol.  At this point, the alcohol content is similar to that of beer and wine.  The distillation process raises the alcohol level to the appropriate percentage, usually between 38 to 40 percent.

The tour culminated with a visit to the original Herradura factory and a delicious al fresco lunch.

Chicken mole, pork in chile verde and carne asada, oh my!

If you have the time, a tour of the Tequila region and Casa Herradura via the Tequila Express Train, La Leyenda, would be a fun option.  It leaves Guadalajara around mid-morning and includes a day of touring the new and old factories, tequila tasting, Mariachi music, folklorico dancing, roping demonstrations and lunch.  Check it out at www.tequilaexpress.com.mx.

Cantaritos

While walking the main square of Tequila, we tried a new cocktail (for us), called a Cantarito.  Sometimes called the "complex cousin" of the Paloma, this refreshing drink adds grapefruit, orange, and lime juices to tequila and a splash of Squirt.  Our bartender added a pinch of salt at the beginning to rest at the bottom of the cup, but you could also serve the drink in a highball rimmed with salt.  Enjoy!

For a little spice, add a sprinkle of Tajín, a seasoning of chile, lime and salt

Pinch of salt
2 ounces 100% blue agave tequila (plata)
2 ounces fresh squeezed orange juice
1 ounce fresh squeezed ruby red grapefruit juice
3/4 ounce fresh squeezed lime juice 
Top with Squirt
Sprinkle of Tajín


The whole experience left me singing Shelly West's #1 hit from 1983 (does this date me?):

Well it's Sunday morning
And the sun is shining
In my eye that is open
And my head is spinning
Was I the life of the party
I can't stop grinning
I had too much tequila last night
 
Jose Cuervo
You are a friend of mine
I like to drink you 
With a little salt and lime
Did I kiss all the cowboys? 
Did I shoot out the lights?
Did I dance on the bar?
Did I start any fights?

Many thanks to Casa Herradura and their friendly staff for their hospitality and conviviality.  All photos are by Marci Symington for www.texaztaste.blogspot.com.

Thank La Gloria

Occasionally when I visit San Antonio, I am there for such a short time that I don't always get my taco fix.  Thankfully, I can now rest assured that I will get my fill of tacos knowing that La Gloria Ice House just opened a restaurant right in the airport. 

You can search the States over looking for great cochinita pibil, and surprisingly enough, you will find it in the San Antonio International Airport.  Don't know what cochinita pibil is?  Well, pull up a chair.  A traditional Mexican slow-roasted pork dish from the Yucatan Peninsula, cochinita pibil is one of my favorite dishes that Hubby and I discovered on a road trip around the Yucatan one summer in 1999 (was that really 14 years ago?).  The preparation includes marinating pork shoulder (butt roast) in achiote paste (ground annatto seeds), orange juice and lime juice.  Cochinita means baby pig, so traditionally it called for the roasting of a whole suckling (marinated) pig, wrapped in banana leaves and buried in a pit with a fire in the bottom.  The Mayan word for pibil means buried.  I have included a more contemporary recipe at the end of this post that doesn't include having to find baby pigs or digging large holes in your backyard.  Whichever preparation you choose, you will become hooked.      

Wash this puppy down with a prickly pear margarita and you will be set for your flight

Colorful painting adorn the walls

I even love the chairs

To be sure, if you have the time in San Antonio, definitely visit La Gloria's original spot in the old Pearl Brewery at 100 East Grayson.  It's great to go with a large group, as the restaurant serves small plates, and half the fun is trying as many dishes as possible.  

I am crazy busy spending time in the wee hours of the night sorting through our photos from our fabulous trip to Guadalajara and environs.  In the meantime, I hope to pique your interest with a couple photos from our week in Mexico that I posted on Instagram...

El Jimador

La Iglesia de Tequila

The Danza de los Voladores in Tlaquepaque

Cochinita Pibil

For the dish:
3-4 pounds pork shoulder (butt roast), cut into pieces
1 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed
1/2 cup lime juice (about 4-5 limes), or 1 cup of apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 three ounce package of achiote paste, available in Latin markets *** 
2 tablespoons dried oregano, preferably Mexican
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

For pickled salsa:
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1-2 habanero peppers, thinly sliced (use kitchen gloves while doing this!)
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon oregano

Combine the juices, salt, achiote, oregano and cinnamon in a blender and puree.  Add mixture to pork and marinate overnight in the refrigerator in a non-reactive container (glass, stainless steel or plastic).  
The next day, preheat the oven to 325ºF.  Using a deep pot, (I use a Le Creuset Dutch oven), line it with a double layer of heavy-duty foil.  Pour in the pork and marinade, and cover tightly with more foil and the lid.  Braise for about 3 hours.  When pork is tender (it should fall apart with a fork), remove from heat.  Shred the meat with two forks, remove excess fat, and season with salt, if necessary.
Meanwhile, prepare the pickled onions by combining the thinly sliced onions, peppers, vinegar and oregano.  Serve the shredded cochinita pibil over corn tortillas with the salsa.  Buen provecho!      

*** There is no substitute for achiote.  Achiote is the Nahuatl word for the shrub that is the source of a fruit, from which the annatto seeds are extracted.  Another idea for the paste is to rub directly on fish, poultry or meat. 

Time for Tubing

If you asked our kids what one of their favorite things to do while in Texas, they would reply, "Tubing down the Guadalupe River".  For the uninitiated, the act of tubing entails sitting in a large inflatable inner tube while floating down a river.  It is imperative to have a tube containing a cooler filled with drinks, and some may even have tubes with stereos, as the "activity" can last all day.  (I use the word "activity" lightly, as it is certainly not a calorie burner.)  

While we have taken up this tradition with the kids for the last four years, it was only this past summer that we finally made a stop in New Braunfels at Buc-ee's (on I-35 between Austin and San Antonio), a must-do for any serious tubing adventure...and, in truth, for anyone visiting Texas.  At a whopping 67,000 square feet of retail space with 60 gas pumps, Buc-ee's is hailed as the largest convenience store in the world.  Owners Arch "Beaver" Aplin, III and Don Wasek opened their first store in 1982 in Lake Jackson.  With the aim of providing the cleanest restrooms and the cheapest gas and ice, they have expanded their convenience store empire to 19 stores across the roadways of Texas, all located outside major cities but near popular tourist attractions.  The target market is the road-weary traveler, one who is tired of paying for overpriced items on the road while putting up with dirty bathrooms.  It is nirvana for those who love to snack on the road.  Please excuse the over-used cliche, but you have to see it to believe it.  It is the Disneyland for those salty-snack, 40-oz. soda-loving addicts.  As I was snapping away with my camera, a clerk asked me, "Are you new here?".  Why, yes, I was, but how could she tell?  Was the Tory Burch dress a dead give-away?  She proceeded to show me around the store, starting with one of my favorite salty snack items...jerky.  Not regular jerky, mind you, but over 10 different kinds at a jerky bar, for example Hill Country Turkey, Peppered Beef, Teriyaki Turkey and Beef, and Sweet and Spicy Beef.  There is also a nice selection of dried sausages, summer sausages filled with cheese and jalapenos, and marinated meats for the grill.  You will find basically everything from pickled quail eggs to jambalaya stuffed chickens to toxic-colored Buc-ee's corn puffs.  From a row of computer stations, order a made-to-order deli sandwich, or a chopped BBQ sandwich.  I chose the chopped pork and found some fresh spicy green chile salsa with which to top it.  Check it out:

Yum, yum, yum...jerky

Feel free to try as many as you like, until you find your favorite

The Hill Country Bohemian Garlic Beef Jerky was my personal fave

 

The length of the store is longer than that of a football field

There are 75 soft-drink spigots in a row...and chewy ice!

A Dippin' Dot bar... mix and match from over 10 flavors

There are over 23 flavors of fudge...try the Texas Heat with cayenne pepper

Chopping brisket

A selection of BBQ sandwiches, from brisket, turkey, pulled pork and sausage

Toxic-colored Buc-ee's Nug-ee's...they are spicy!

It is hard for me to resist a pink cowboy hat

So now we have our hats, our cooler, our Dippin' Dots...what else do we need?

Oh yeah, some inner tubes

Wait a minute, this smoker is way cool, but how do I get this back to AZ?

Check out the cut-outs of the state of Texas

Yes, I am now a believer

Que tengan un buen fin de semana.  We are off to Guadalajara, Mexico, and some cool parts of Baja (maybe even a stop at the illustrious Hotel California), so stay tuned for our culinary adventures!