Mexico II ~ Little Mexican Cooking School

This year the school was in a much larger building.  Instead of a private home, it is now held in a leased Bed and Breakfast Hotel. Much of the instruction is given on the outside 'patio' where a breeze blows in off of the ocean to help move the air around.  Believe me, that is a real plus!

The indoor kitchen is likewise much larger.  They have a cool stove with a big mirror over it so that one can see what is cooking without having to put faces up close and personal :-)

First on the menu was making sopes.  We made these the last time as well, but since this was a different chef we learned a few new things.

Five different salsas were then made for the sopes as well as for the tamales we would be making for the lunch.  Ryan got to make the Guacamole because I told the chef that he made the best G. in the world :-)  And it was, too!

While we were busy cooking and learning, we were served some Jicama that had salt, chili arbol and lime mixed with it.  It was okay.  We also were offered several types of whiskey.  This area is, of course, well known for its whiskey making.  Actually, they grow the guava plants here, and ship it to the west side of Mexico where they make it into whiskey. The woman who owns this cooking school really, really seems to love her whiskey.......   The upper right picture shows Ryan grating some raw sugar that went into the tomatillo sauce.

Here Darrell is working with the poblano chilis that went into the Sopa de Poblano

The making of the salsa de tomatillo for the roasted chicken

Chili pasillas along with black beans, onion, garlic avocado leaves and avocado oil made up the filling for the tamales.

Making the tamales

Torta de Chocolate

The kind women who cleaned up after us and assisted the chef at times.  Love the colorful dresses!

Our lovely lunch :-)