May Feature – Mexican Ingredients

I’m very excited for this month’s Ingredient and Pantry Page theme. I’ve had a lot of fun with some great ingredients lately, but there have been a lot of green veggies and I’ve got a hankering for something a little bit more adventurous.

As I mentioned in my other theme post, this month will be dedicated to the culinary delights of Mexico. In a few days, it’ll be Cinco de Mayo, and it seems like every blog under the sun is rolling out a recipe or a roundup with Mexican ingredients (not a whole lot of Mexican food per se, but that’s a whole other ball of wax). Only a small handful of ingredients will see the most of the action – avocadoes, jalapenos, and salsa are going to get a lot of attention. They’re great, but they’re only tiny handful of the ingredients and pantry staples that make Mexican cuisine phenomenal. In addition to unfamiliar gems like annatto, chapulines (they’re delicious), and a seemingly endless variety of peppers, several world-famous ingredients are actually Mexican in origin; chocolate, the aforementioned avocadoes, and even vanilla all have their origins in the area. Honestly, I could spend a whole month just on peppers – the banner image above shows just how different a handful of varieties can be, and each one has a different heat level and flavour profile. Plus it’s fun to shake the round one (a cascabel, aka a rattle pepper – you get the idea). Whatever ingredients I get to this month, you can guarantee in depth, well-researched coverage that will help you bridge the gap between curiousity and confidence. All you need is the right information and a few awesome recipes before you can whip up something that will blow fast food fajitas out of the water, and that’s just what you’re going to get.

There’s a lot of potential ground to cover this month, and a lot of choices to make. Honestly the subject (as always) deserves more than a month, but hey, I’ve gotta keep the ball rolling (I’m like food-blogging version of the Littlest Hobo that way). So if there’s an ingredient or pantry staple that you’d particularly enjoy seeing, or that you’d like to learn more about, let me know. Feel free to fire off a comment below, or to get in touch via email ([email protected]). I’d love to hear from you.

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