https://www.toddgastelum.com/blog1 daily 1.0 2020-06-22 https://www.toddgastelum.com/blog1/2020/6/5/the-secret-to-delicious-salsa-is-a-verb monthly 0.5 2020-06-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1591388617883-YAIICIBTUOS8YNA1V9GV/Pico+Pica.png Blog - The secret to delicious salsa is a verb Pico Pica is a California-made salsa that is spiced with cumin, a common flavor in Mexican-American cuisine that is rarely used south of the border. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1591646787055-KZDKXIKDCL22CD6U1A9D/Tatemando.jpg Blog - The secret to delicious salsa is a verb Charring your ingredients—a process known as tatemar in Mexican Spanish—is the key to making delicious salsa. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1591636241046-C3B0BD1DN72EDU038FRY/Chile_morita.jpg Blog - The secret to delicious salsa is a verb These are moritas, a type of spicy dried chile that comes in a range of crimson shares. They are principally used by cooks in Veracruz, Puebla and Mexico City. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1591741954615-K5SV1NET0IG5INNEZBXU/Mazorca+prehispanica.png Blog - The secret to delicious salsa is a verb https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1591474615401-H3U3WF8DKI3GZ6X3ZZOF/jalape%C3%B1o+vs+serrano.png Blog - The secret to delicious salsa is a verb https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1591626951388-VR0BHFQ5RQUG8074YLQQ/Quesadillas+de+acelga.jpg Blog - The secret to delicious salsa is a verb This morning’s breakfast: crispy chard and bacon quesadillas topped with generous amounts of salsa verde, avocado and table cream. The salsa tied all of the flavors and textures together. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1591641007971-LZJY1974B9T5L7IJ9GFC/Manny+and+the+molcajete.jpg.png Blog - The secret to delicious salsa is a verb Manny the cat poses with my molcajete. I bought this one—carved in the traditional form of a pig—at a market in Cholula, Puebla. I snapped this photo when the molcajete was brand new; it no longer looks this pristine and has taken on a unique personality thanks to repeated use. https://www.toddgastelum.com/blog1/2020/6/1/the-american-dream monthly 0.5 2020-06-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1591051071673-NSBOQBY647HYMXL57ABB/The+American+Dream-01.jpeg Blog - The American Dream https://www.toddgastelum.com/blog1/2020/5/7/sopa-de-tortilla monthly 0.5 2020-05-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1589157857485-HBR78PPOGTDC2TJLQQYJ/Mazorca.PNG Blog - Searching for traditional Mexican flavors? Try my recipe for tortilla soup. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1589068530923-59FBD3O1MS2KYVGW9A1C/Fried+tortilla+strips.jpg Blog - Searching for traditional Mexican flavors? Try my recipe for tortilla soup. This is what your fried tortilla strips should look like. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1589071445415-MRSIF6QRM1LES7STQ45Z/Soup+base+sopa+de+tortilla.jpg Blog - Searching for traditional Mexican flavors? Try my recipe for tortilla soup. Once the puree can form soft ridges, it’s ready. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1588943511475-ZQ91I1O6ENDZVLLPVE5Y/Tortilla+soup+ingredients.jpg Blog - Searching for traditional Mexican flavors? Try my recipe for tortilla soup. Here’s everything you need to make tortilla soup—well, everything except the toppings. The tea towel showing Australian flora and fauna might seem like an odd choice of backdrop, but it’s the one I typically take to the market to carry my bundle of fresh tortillas. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1589069905379-5G3BDWOJ0N7P5MHI4WEP/Roasted%2Bveg%2Bfor%2Bsopa%2Bde%2Btortilla.jpg Blog - Searching for traditional Mexican flavors? Try my recipe for tortilla soup. The tomatoes are ready once they are charred on all sides and are beginning to soften. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1589157779001-VQY1W26987W36E1DLN7P/Tortilla+soup+no+garnish.jpg Blog - Searching for traditional Mexican flavors? Try my recipe for tortilla soup. A naked bowl of tortilla soup. It will taste so much better once dressed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1589069154951-XS09LGAP54TTSI5KNYGY/Fried+pasilla+chile+strips.jpg Blog - Searching for traditional Mexican flavors? Try my recipe for tortilla soup. These look about right—nicely blistered but not burnt. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1589070678895-NKF733TUP0PUUGF46R6A/Chile%2Btatemado.jpg Blog - Searching for traditional Mexican flavors? Try my recipe for tortilla soup. Once your chiles have blistered like this guajillo chile, immediately remove them from the heat source. https://www.toddgastelum.com/blog1/2020/4/10/mexico-city-braces-for-covid-19 monthly 0.5 2020-04-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1586134100571-SWKBW1ME40I1K5I0JRZT/Covid-19+Guadalupe+NL+guerra+ad.PNG Blog - Mexico City braces for COVID-19 The best poster I’ve seen to encourage citizens to stay at home comes from the municipal government of Guadalupe, Nuevo León (a suburb of Monterrey). It states simply, “We’re not asking you to go to war” and is followed by a hashtag that translates to #StayAtHome. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1586137017404-TBI25PY3Z6C4NXR32H0G/Susana+Distancia.jpg Blog - Mexico City braces for COVID-19 A Susana Distancia poster hangs over an empty Plaza de las Vizcaínas in central Mexico City. The public health campaign features a superhero designed to teach citizens how to socially distance and stay safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1585783600707-TTETDGOEU6QKB5KS070G/Ba%C3%B1os+Se%C3%B1orial.jpg Blog - Mexico City braces for COVID-19 Public baths in Mexico City were among the first wave of businesses to close due to the arrival of COVID-19. The hastily posted sign on this establishment states that it will remain shuttered until further notice. The grinning skeleton on the security shutters was painted months ago and is an unfortunate coincidence. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1586136412558-80LIY4W747M0RJ3V4KXS/Ma%27lele+con+m%C3%A1scara.PNG Blog - Mexico City braces for COVID-19 Instagram has become a fascinating repository of cultural expression in the Covid-19 era. https://www.toddgastelum.com/blog1/2019/8/28/september-19-2017 monthly 0.5 2020-04-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1568161866428-ZGNXPTOLNQLT3C4J6JKF/Genova_street_earthquake_damage.jpg Blog - 19S Genova Street in the Zona Rosa on September 20, 2017. The damaged high-rise building on the left has since been demolished. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1567043678305-QHI9994NI27BZDWJ6VFC/evacuation_quake.jpg Blog - 19S After evacuating the building , my colleagues and I were rattled by the quake, yet we had no real idea as to the extent of the damage. We waited in the hot sun for three hours, checking our phones for information and trying to get in touch with our loved ones. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1569291030349-ZILSJ87W532XW3D7VPS3/chimalpopoca_collapse.jpg Blog - 19S This is the site of Bolivar 168, a four-story commercial building that collapsed around the corner from my apartment. I’d walked past this building hundreds of times, yet it was so unremarkable that I couldn't even remember what it looked like. At least 21 people—mostly immigrants—died here, employed in precarious circumstances. It took just three weeks to clear the rubble. Within two months, the site was being used as a parking lot, the victims already largely forgotten. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1568156425756-SWRETB168YNBPP4L2D03/earthquake_cartoon.jpg Blog - 19S Before the earthquake, I had been working on my drawing skills and had dreams of making comics. I drew this comic nine days after the earthquake. To date, it’s the last comic I ever made. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1566999322480-VK05WG46RTHGWLMD9PLP/IMG_3226.jpg Blog - 19S This piece of street art in my neighbourhood perfectly captured the collective emotional state of Mexico City after the quake. It has since been painted over, but the effects of our trauma linger. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1568146418140-1QD9CXTZ5SA8RZ62FN02/facebook_post_19sept2017.png Blog - 19S https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1568153726335-GHEFJUSIF3MC877DBSXZ/earthquake_damage_colonia_juarez.jpg Blog - 19S As we walked the 4 km to my apartment, Ismael and I passed many damaged structures like this building in Colonia Juárez. It was one of the most unsettling walks I’ve taken in my life. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1567000777024-HGXL65QHH7AMWCVUD891/making_sandwiches_after_quake.jpg Blog - 19S Feeling overwhelmed and impotent in the face of disaster, Ismael and I made sandwiches for the volunteers working to free quake victims. I still don’t know what prompted me to take this photo—though the effects of shock likely played a role. https://www.toddgastelum.com/blog1/2019/8/15/feliz-cumpleaos-nacho-anaya-garca monthly 0.5 2019-08-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1565906403082-6Q9DZARUHJY7ROFP3M7I/Vietnamese_nachos.jpg Blog - Happy birthday Señor Nacho! Apparently, bad nachos are also a thing in Vietnamese movie theatres. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1565903493439-S6ERD23IWUZJEPJ3FNV4/Cinepolis+tostitos.jpg Blog - Happy birthday Señor Nacho! Keep in mind that these movie theatre nachos have been worked over by a food stylist before being photographed and photoshopped, and yet they still provoke sadness. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1565884639726-Y9J9606N91T40G2J2GRQ/Google+doodle+Nacho.png Blog - Happy birthday Señor Nacho! Today, Google honors the inventor of nachos with a Google Doodle https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1565904456972-DCGR6OLVHMDVO4DV1Z8Q/Chile_en_nogada.PNG Blog - Happy birthday Señor Nacho! Mexico’s Google Doodle on September 16, 2014 https://www.toddgastelum.com/blog1/2019/8/13/how-to-cure-a-clay-pot monthly 0.5 2020-04-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1565759968025-2E0G635VBL67XMKD0D7K/atole.JPG Blog - How to cure a clay pot - 10. Keep stirring until you have a milky solution. Add more corn flour if necessary. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1565752927167-MAVV4Z94FMAK7IUI8GRU/things_for_curing_clay_pot.JPG Blog - How to cure a clay pot - Here’s what you’ll need: A cazuela de barro Corn flour (masa harina) or corn starch A heaping tablespoon of calcium hydroxide (cal) A clove of peeled garlic Tap water https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1565759533567-J5XKDP5JECFEI4RVDFCI/second_coat.JPG Blog - How to cure a clay pot - 7. Add a second coat and let dry. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1565761374235-1HYYE8PNET3BV334C81B/rinse.JPG Blog - How to cure a clay pot - 13. Discard liquid and rinse out any corn flour. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1565759745177-VARWU7Z56GKSO04EHP1J/add_masa_harina.JPG Blog - How to cure a clay pot - 9. Add around six heaping spoons of corn flour and stir. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1565759238618-T1BKIHN41HR5F8WFMVTO/first_coat_cal.JPG Blog - How to cure a clay pot - 5. Use a brush or cloth to apply the calcium hydroxide solution to the bottom of the pot. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1565758615011-NTIHFP95BUDFUJZ2PIBC/rub_garlic_base.jpg Blog - How to cure a clay pot - 1. Cut garlic clove in half and rub it all over the bottom of the pot. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1565758774663-PHLY0RVLFOMMYND5EYYX/rub_garlic_sides.JPG Blog - How to cure a clay pot - 2. Rub garlic over sides of pot as well. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1565759615152-C55M6Y88E4GY7DKALYO9/water_on_stove.JPG Blog - How to cure a clay pot - 8. Fill close to the top with tap water and set on stove. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1565752824987-MPTDGEEY5G5X3H9O63NM/cazuela_de_barro.JPG Blog - How to cure a clay pot I found this beauty in Real del Monte, Hidalgo https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1565760878044-DB5RQHPGOSNRYNZP5M8Z/boil.JPG Blog - How to cure a clay pot - 12. Boil for twenty minutes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1565760763982-VKCBYR68MHSQ8MA3WZBS/bring_to_boil.jpg Blog - How to cure a clay pot - 11. Bring to a boil, stirring to prevent flour from accumulating on bottom. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1565758835443-MNMQUQ0XT8IBIZDVCPHP/garlic_rub_inside.JPG Blog - How to cure a clay pot - 3. And also on the inside of the pot. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1565759460541-HFUCHMCQUGNC71GSTCTG/dry_first_coat.jpg Blog - How to cure a clay pot - 6. Once finished, let the pot dry for around five minutes to allow the clay to soak up the solution. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1565761426289-N4O9A87QTORSPRUHTTJ4/let_dry.JPG Blog - How to cure a clay pot - 14. Let dry. And you’re done! :) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1565759011186-7D8ZAO9RUV2KG0B7D5A7/cal_in_water.JPG Blog - How to cure a clay pot - 4. Add a cup of water to the calcium hydroxide and stir to combine. https://www.toddgastelum.com/blog1/2019/8/7/how-organized-criminals-caused-a-tortilla-shortage monthly 0.5 2020-04-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1565228726556-SQBGU06MRWESWV34Y70N/sorry_no_tortillas.jpg Blog - How organized criminals caused a tortilla shortage Source: store.somexican.com https://www.toddgastelum.com/blog1/2019/8/5/el-paso monthly 0.5 2019-08-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1565034031960-S6PAUOSMJ2LF8H4IKWU0/Helguera_El_Paso.PNG Blog - El Paso https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1565034132549-0ZPRGK96NWDMMCAXRE7L/Rocha+Lagrimas+de+Cocodrilo.PNG Blog - El Paso https://www.toddgastelum.com/blog1/2019/7/21/children-of-the-corn monthly 0.5 2020-04-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1564855589258-VXZ35DZVVOGH8SKMRWVN/nixtamal_corn.JPG Blog - Children of the corn: Maizajo helps to save real tortillas To nixtamalize corn, the dried kernels are cooked and left to soak in an alkaline solution of calcium hydroxide. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1564855834438-QW3H9ILXCZJNP0ZJ14VS/nixtamalized_corn_in_mill.JPG Blog - Children of the corn: Maizajo helps to save real tortillas Fresh masa from the mill. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1564857005546-MZ5RMKQ2VX0ZZNJ2GXS4/tortilla_press.JPG Blog - Children of the corn: Maizajo helps to save real tortillas A tortilla press is used to form tortillas. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1564857053111-MUOLYY0FDZ1EK6FGQ9VL/tortillas_on_comal.JPG Blog - Children of the corn: Maizajo helps to save real tortillas The best way to cook a good tortilla? Flip it three times on the comal. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1564856795936-WUYIQH6Z1HCS4JCLM980/interior_maizajo.jpg Blog - Children of the corn: Maizajo helps to save real tortillas The interior of Maizajo, with millstones displayed at left. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1563753449025-XUYYHS51ZJNS7V41Z0GF/santiago_mu%C3%B1oz_olotera_maizajo.JPG Blog - Children of the corn: Maizajo helps to save real tortillas Co-founder Santiago Muñoz demonstrates how to remove corn kernels from a corncob using an olotera. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1564855755416-IJNPSI6MBCRV6I5SQP66/Alvaro_and_mill.JPG Blog - Children of the corn: Maizajo helps to save real tortillas Álvaro prepares to grind nixtamalized corn. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1563737669747-NR906G6H5OIPP9Y0A6OO/Mexican-native-corn.JPG Blog - Children of the corn: Maizajo helps to save real tortillas A basket of native Mexican corn https://www.toddgastelum.com/blog1/2019/7/6/welcome-to-the-neighborhood monthly 0.5 2020-04-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1562449028539-BAYDMS30VBJ5OMIS6AZ1/cats_tin_roof_Mexico_City.jpg Blog - Welcome to my neighborhood Cats on a warm tin roof on Nezahualcóyotl street, Mexico City. https://www.toddgastelum.com/blog1/category/Earthquake monthly 0.5 https://www.toddgastelum.com/blog1/category/Recipes monthly 0.5 https://www.toddgastelum.com/blog1/category/Sandwiches monthly 0.5 https://www.toddgastelum.com/blog1/category/Mexico+City monthly 0.5 https://www.toddgastelum.com/blog1/tag/masa monthly 0.5 https://www.toddgastelum.com/blog1/tag/corn monthly 0.5 https://www.toddgastelum.com/blog1/tag/nachos monthly 0.5 https://www.toddgastelum.com/blog1/tag/Maizajo monthly 0.5 https://www.toddgastelum.com/blog1/tag/tortillas monthly 0.5 https://www.toddgastelum.com/blog1/tag/Google+Doodle monthly 0.5 https://www.toddgastelum.com/blog1/tag/Nacho+Anaya monthly 0.5 https://www.toddgastelum.com/blog1/tag/earthquake monthly 0.5 https://www.toddgastelum.com/blog1/tag/nixtamalization monthly 0.5 https://www.toddgastelum.com/blog1/tag/19S monthly 0.5 https://www.toddgastelum.com/blog1/tag/Mexico+City monthly 0.5 https://www.toddgastelum.com/contact daily 0.75 2020-04-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1585759414595-PUBPNDWHUZGG0ZXL9TYY/Tortas_Lupita.png Contact Romita, Mexico City, 2019 https://www.toddgastelum.com/about daily 0.75 2020-04-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1585703803903-4KJHRTAJ4J613H4V1ENU/Todd+photo+MTL.jpg About https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1585756746904-IYR822CVPJ9W5DTR8AL4/Mazorca+prehispanica.png About https://www.toddgastelum.com/dried-tortilla-powder daily 0.75 2020-05-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1589062049532-DFW121B8Q97ZP1B8ZN1Y/Dried+tortilla+powder.jpg Dried tortilla powder This is toasted tortilla powder, your new friend in the kitchen. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1589065134604-6B48OMUNPAQ6SLXGLZCS/Tostadas+on+comal.jpg Dried tortilla powder These tortillas have been toasted to perfection. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1589066270145-FRCNID3WZOBZX2XQH3KD/Mazorca.PNG Dried tortilla powder https://www.toddgastelum.com/disinfecting-fruit-and-veg daily 0.75 2020-06-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1591468877740-J5ZNY7JX8B8G6EIHZ92Z/Mazorca+prehispanica.png Disinfecting fruit and veg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1591472526046-ZAX81JOJBT8M6FNIXOUD/abundance-agriculture-bananas-batch-264537.jpg Disinfecting fruit and veg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c377141b98a7805093782f0/1591470241019-PPCGLIAY9QZCNCXJ8P6G/Bleach%2Blabel.jpg Disinfecting fruit and veg This jug of bleach clearly indicates that it contains 6.15% sodium hypochlorite.