Delicioso!

Patrick and I loved our culinary walking tour of Mexicantown. We tried some things we either never tried before, didn't know we were eating or never would've ordered for fear of what we were ordering.

The morning started with pastries, Mexican hot chocolate and a smoothie made with cactus leaves (nopales). Before Patrick learned that you actually have to clean and de-thorn the leaves before preparation, he got into a prickly fight with one of them at a market we visited.

Some other highlights included appetizers of carnitas, or "little meats," with green salsa at a little store on the tour. Wikipedia describes carnitas as "a type of braised or roasted (often after first being boiled) pork in Mexican cuisine."

We couldn't resist buying some carnitas and green salsa to take home. Later for lunch, we rolled them inside some of the corn tortillas we received from a 60-year-old tortilla factory, a stop on our tour.

We also tried some barbacoa, which wikipedia says, "generally refers to meats or a whole sheep slow cooked over an open fire, or more traditionally, in a hole dug in the ground covered with maguey leaves, although the interpretation is loose, and in the present day and in some cases may refer to meat that was steamed until tender."

While the beef barbacoa we tried likely wasn't prepared in a hole, we learned it's a specialty that only shows up in most of the stores on Saturday and Sunday. I'm so proud that we'll be able to order it now that we're in the know.

Other highlights included a taste of some chorizo sausage fried with scrambled eggs and topped with creme fraiche. We also tried some wonderful just-made guacamole from the Honey Bee Market and received a free T-shirt there. The back reads: Wake up and smell the chorizo.

It was quite a day. I don't know if I'll wake up tomorrow smelling the chorizo, but I took home lots of great recipes to recreate the day whenever I want.

If you need one, here's a recipe for Mexican hot chocolate from recipezaar.com...

1 quart milk
7 ounces mexican chocolate (we used ReyAmargo)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
chili powder (optional)

1. Cut the chocolate into small pieces.
2. In a saucepan, bring the milk to a boil and then add the chocolate.
3. After the chocolate is incorporated, add the cinnamon, vanilla, chili powder and salt.
4. Simmer for 10 minutes and then whisk briskly to a foam right before serving.
5. Divide evenly into 4 cups and serve.