Mexico News Headlines

Glassware was virtually unknown to the pre-conquest Mexicans. The first primitive Mexican glassware was produced in Puebla in the mid 1500's. For hundreds of years, with nothing more than a piece of molten glass, a long hollow pipe, and a few primitive tools, these artisans have produced glass items in a variety of shapes. Originally, Mexican glass was called bubble glass because of all the bubbles produced when methods were not as uniform as today. The blown glass technique consists of blowing through a pipe onto a red-hot glass mass, heated in a special oven. As the artisan blows, he can start molding the piece by turning it around with the pipe. When the piece starts cooling, using the appropriate tools, any figures can be molded. Color is added to the glass to give it a wonderful look, tones and effects. Some very experienced artisans add effect such as small bubbles in the inside of some pieces.

Baja California - Despite a lack of recognition abroad and a drug war that has made tourists flee, Mexico's winemakers see cause to celebrate as drinking habits evolve in the land of tequila.

Production increased almost 40 percent in the past five years, causing cheer at last month's annual Vendimia harvest festival in Baja California, where 90 percent of Mexico's wine is produced.

The two-week fiesta was expected to welcome more than 30,000 visitors to some 40 concerts, wine-tastings and contests around vineyards lying just over an hour's drive south of the border city of Tijuana.

"People have only just started to drink wine and to learn about it. So promoting it, educating people and holding these kinds of events are essential so that they feel more confident," said Hans Backoff, director general of the Monte Xanic winery in the Guadalupe Valley.

An ideal mix of sunshine, sea breezes and cool nights attracted the first winemakers, Spanish missionaries, to the Baja California peninsula over 300 years ago.

The industry faced protectionist laws from Spain in 1699 to ban wine production in its colonies. The Bodegas de Santo Tomas winery was the first to reactivate larger scale production after the 1810-21 war of independence, in 1888, and still exists today.

Mexican cheeses are yummy for the tummy

So many Tex-Mex favorites arrive at the table blanketed with yellow cheese that diners often overlook the genuine Mexican cheeses that are an important ingredient in more authentic dishes from Mexico. These cheeses are claiming more shelf space in local groceries, running the gamut from soft and mild to hard and salty, each with its own niche in Mexican cooking.

Mexican cheeses come in three types: fresh, white cheeses, melting cheeses and aged varieties. Fresh cheeses are generally made with cow�s milk and are used in dishes such as refried beans and chiles rellenos. The fresh cheeses soften when they are heated but don�t actually melt.

For melting, there are cheeses such as queso quesadilla, asadero and Oaxacan cheese. Unlike cheddar and some other cheeses used in Tex-Mex dishes such as enchiladas, Mexican melting cheeses melt without separating into milk solids and oil.

As its name suggests, queso quesadilla often is found melting between two tortillas, and it also is one of the frequent choices in queso fundido, a popular appetizer on both sides of the border. Sometimes called queso flameado, queso fundido is served up as a puddle of smooth, melted cheese enveloping peppers, sausage or vegetables.

Oaxacan cheese resembles a braided mozzarella and shares its stringier texture, though it also melts into a smooth, mild filling or topping.

Asadero is a melting cheese with a stronger flavor, also used for queso fundido, quesadillas or grilled cheese sandwiches.

One of the most visible types of Mexican cheese is cotija cheese, sometimes called the parmesan cheese of Mexico. It often is found, grated or crumbled, on top of everything from refried beans to eggs. Like parmesan, it has a very high melting point and a pronounced flavor.

Throughout Mexico and now much of the southwestern U.S., cotija cheese is sprinkled on roasted ears of corn at home, in markets and from street vendors. A swipe of crema agria, similar to sour cream, and a liberal shake of cotija cheese add a distinctive taste of Mexico to a popular street food.

Cheese hasn�t always been part of the Mexican menu: Spanish explorers brought the first dairy herds of sheep, goats and cattle to the Western Hemisphere. Prior to their arrival, the Aztecs, Mayans and other natives did not use dairy products in their cooking.

Even after dairy products became available, they weren�t as fully integrated into the local diet as they were in northern Europe. More than half of the population with Mexican ancestry is estimated to be lactose intolerant, so cheese has remained on the periphery of traditional Mexican cooking.

In the U.S., major brands such as Kraft and Sargento have ventured into the Mexican cheese market with queso fresco, cotija and asadero cheese products, but in Texas, there are plenty of imported cheeses from Mexico available in supermarkets.

The Mexican cheese producers have tried to widen their sales by developing recipes for popular American dishes with a Mexican spin, such as the Santa Fe Mac and Cheese and Mexican Caesar Salad.

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Mexican Caesar Salad

For the dressing

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

3/4 teaspoon anchovy paste

1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce

1/8 teaspoon ground red chiles (mild)

1/8 teaspoon ground cumin

Pinch cayenne

Dash Tabasco or other hot sauce

For the salad

6 ounces romaine hearts, torn into bite-size pieces

2 tablespoons grated queso cotija cheese

Corn chips, tortilla chips or croutons

Mix all the dressing ingredients well.

Place the lettuce in a salad bowl. Sprinkle with the queso.

Add just enough salad dressing to flavor the greens without drenching them (you�ll have excess dressing; refrigerate and use on other salads or as a marinade).

Toss well. Surround the edge with chips or croutons and serve.

MAKES: 2 salads; about 1/3 cup of dressing

SOURCE: �Kate�s Global Kitchen� by Kate Heyhoe

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Santa Fe Mac and Cheese

1 cup Crema Salvadore�a

� cup Queso Quesadilla Jalape�o, shredded

� cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

4 cups small elbow or shell pasta, cooked �al dente� and drained

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 cloves garlic, minced

� cup green chilies, chopped

2 tablespoons yellow onion, chopped

2 tablespoons red bell pepper, minced

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped

� cup seasoned bread crumbs

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In large bowl, mix pasta with butter. Add Crema Salvadore�a, cheeses, garlic, chilies, onion, pepper and cilantro.

Season to taste and pour into large casserole dish.

Top with bread crumbs and bake 40 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

Serve immediately.

SERVES: 4

SOURCE: Cacique USA

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Queso Fundido

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 large poblano chiles, seeded and cut into matchstick-size strips

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

4 ounces fresh mushrooms, chopped

2 1/2 cups grated queso quesadilla, asadero or Oaxacan cheese

2 green onions or scallions, thinly sliced

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Heat the oil in a large, oven-proof skillet or clay cazuela and saute the chile strips, garlic and mushrooms for 5 minutes.

Add the cheese and green onions.

Stir to blend well.

Place the cazuela or skillet in the oven and bake for 10 minutes, or until cheese is completely melted.

Serve immediately with tortillas or chips.

SERVES: 4-6

SOURCE: Sur la Table

Preparation:

Mexican cheeses are yummy for the tummy