Make Mine Oaxacan - CANCELLED

OK, I talked to the folks at Taqueria La Oaxacena today. They ARE interested in doing a Oaxacan feast for us, including items not necessarily on their current menu*. The question becomes, what will the menu look like. Long story short, they've asked me to give them a wish list, so to speak, of dishes we want, and a budget, and they will then work with me to decide which items they can and wanna make. So, I'm asking for help. Please use this thread to suggest dishes to be served at our Oaxacan meal. I will use this info as well as info I gather from other sources to give them our wish list.

Here's some of the items based on initial discussions with them:

Grasshoppers
Yellow mole
Oaxacan style barbacoa
Oaxacan style pozole
Tlayudas (a crisp thin big tortilla like item covered with beans and cheese)
Memelos or memelitos, similar to sopes
Yellow mole - Yellow mole is much soupier than mole negro
Oaxacan style hot chocolate

I am thinking of a budget of $20-25 per person. Their preference would be to do it during the week and to do it at the Diversy location.

Rob

*I've been told that they are trying to figure out how to make tlayudas for the regular menu.

Rob.

This is great idea. I've always wanted to check this place out, but haven't been able to yet.

If possible, I'd love to try something with huitlacoche. I'm not sure that's something that is commonly used in Oaxacan cuisine, but it's something I've been curious to try.

Anyway, sounds like a great plan.

Josh

Rob -

Thanks for putting this together. I am in. The items from your list that interest me the most are these:

Grasshoppers
Yellow mole
Oaxacan style barbacoa
Tlayudas

$20 - $25 sounds quite reasonable to me - it's less than I usually spend there, but then again, I am quite a glutton when it comes to TLO's seafood....

I'm very excited about the prospect of this meal. I don't know much about Oaxacan cuisine beyond moles, chapulines, and Oaxacan tamales. So, the list you've started with looks pretty interesting to me.

Maybe we can wash it all down with some Oaxacan mescal?

Best,
Michael / EC

Wow, this sounds great. I'm all for more adventurous, more courses. Just more. I suppose if I had to eliminate from your list, I'd pick barbacoa and pozole, but mostly because my experiences with each aren't so extensive that Oaxacan-style would be noticeably different to me than any other style.

Oh, and I might just do one yellow mole.

Nice work, Rob.

yes, just one yellow mole, but otherwise how about more of the famous "seven moles of Oaxaca"?

Amata wrote:yes, just one yellow mole, but otherwise how about more of the famous "seven moles of Oaxaca"?

I am trying to be practical and reasonable. I think as the moles go, the yellow one is not that complicated. I do not think or expect they will be able to make certain really labor intensive things, ie., a lot of the different moles.

I do not so much need advice on the dishes I have already. I need advice on dishes I do not know, or know less about.

Rob

I'n addition to your list, I'd love to try something with huitlacohe as well - maybe a sopa?
Also maybe some banana leaf wrapped dish - tamale or otherwise.
Thanks!

[edited in:]
Salsa de gusanitos!:shock:

This website wrote:“I’m going to make you,” Conchita announced with gusto, “the best salsa you’ve ever tasted in your life!”

This is a terrific idea. I have had huitlacohe, and can certainly second the idea. And the yellow mole is certainly intriguing.

I am SO in! I know nothing about Oaxacan cuisine, but a good friend of mine (who cooks, so he knows food) is from there, so I'll get his input and pass it along if it covers something that hasn't been mentioned here already.

Sounds great! Looking forward. Has there been any date set yet. I have been to Oaxaca several times and love the street food.

If it is during the week, tuesday is a good day for me.

psychchef wrote:Sounds great! Looking forward. Has there been any date set yet. I have been to Oaxaca several times and love the street food.

Can you name me specific items to ask for?

VI,

I'm definitely interested. Standing by for the date.

Hammond

I'm definitely interested. I know nothing about Oaxacan cuisine so can't be of help w/suggestions

Here are some Oaxacan Food Specialties:
Alegria-sweet made with amaranth seeds and piloncillo
Almendrado de pollo-chicken in almond sauce
Asiento-Lard containing browned pork skin, often spread over toasted tortillas
Atole-thick corn based drink often flavored with chocolate, vanilla, nuts
Barbacoa-goat or lamb, grilled in pit, covered with avocado leaves
Champurado-atole made with chocolate
Chochoyotes-small masa dumplings
Clayodas (Tlayodos)-large dried tortillas spread with asiento
Enfrijoladas-folded tortillas with thick flavorful sauce of black beans, garlic, chile de arbol, and crushed dried avocado leaves
Heuvos Oaxaquenos-omelet like dish made with onions, served with chiles, garlic, and a tomato sauce flavored with serranos and epazote
Mezcal-distilled from smoked fermented heart of maguey plant

Moles
mole amarillo-yellow, made with regional chiles or quajillo, tomato, tomatillos
chichilo negro (black) made with burnt tortillas, avocado leaves, charred chiles chilhauacles
mole colorado (red) almonds, peanuts, spices, herbs, chocolate, anchos. often served with chicken
mole coloradito(light reddish brown) served with pork or chicken
mole manchamateles (deep red) "tablecloth stainer" made with pineapples,plantains, anchos, served with pork or chicken
mole negro(black) most common mole in Oaxaca, uses the chiles from Oaxaca
mole verde-tomatillos, epazote, herba santa, parsley, served with pork or chicken

Pipian-sauce like mole made of ground pumpkin seeds
Tamales Oaxaquenos-most common used mole negro as filling, but also have black beans as filling.

Well this is a start, drawn from some material from a group called Culinary Adventures, which does trips to Oaxaca.

I will look further for more ideas of what might be good to order.

I love the idea a huitlocoche as well. I have been to a market in Oaxaca, where they make their specialty of quesidillas with various fillings along with the famous Oaxacan cheese, among the fillings are huitlocoche, flor de calabasa(squash blossoms), among other items. I think an assortment of quesidillas would be great to order.

In the first Saveur issue (i believe) Peggy Knickerbocker has an article called "The Seven Wonders of Oaxaca" talking about the city, food, the moles.

We should also have a taste a variety of mezcal's along with the cold cervezas. There is even a delicious dessert mezcal available now.

I'm interested. Thursday or Friday night is out of the question for me, though.

Giovanna

As long as the date works for me, you can count me in!

Rob -

Any progress on this event?

I have yet to present TLO with their GNR plaque & thought it might be cool to do it at this event.

ChiNOLA wrote:Rob -

Any progress on this event?

I have yet to present TLO with their GNR plaque & thought it might be cool to do it at this event.

Thanks for the prompting. I went today and made what I would call the initial final plans (or is that the final initial plans).

We have a date!

September 24, 2005, although not an exact time, think 7 PM.

We have a budget, $20 pp. They will allow us to BYOB or you can buy drinks from them.

We have a tenetative menu including many of the dishes described above (and very few things on the current TLO menu for what it's worth...). It should be a lot of fun.

I suggested a max of 30 but he said he could go up to 80 but would like to do no more than 50. I'd like to get a pretty good count in the next two weeks, and then I will (start to) finalize things.

Rob

Hi,

Count me in!

Me and my wife are in.

Josh

Same day as Beefathon V? Yikes. I'm not sure if I can do both.

eatchicago wrote:Same day as Beefathon V? Yikes. I'm not sure if I can do both.

Woops!



I just picked a date outta the air (well I had another personal reason, but that's not that important)--something to give people enough time, but I will switch to September 17th. I am sure the date change will not be a big deal for them.

I hope the people "in" can still come, but since I plan on beefathoning, I DO think it is too much to have both things the same day.

Rob

Vital Information wrote:

eatchicago wrote:Same day as Beefathon V? Yikes. I'm not sure if I can do both.

Woops!

You mean your LTHCalendar isn't on the wall and marked up with all the planned LTH events?

I'm glad I didn't have to choose between the two. We'll both be there on the 17th.



Thanks for setting this up. I can't wait.

Best,
Michael

9/17 is a no-go for me, I'll be out of town.

I'm able to come to the dinner .

Giovanna

I'm in for 2.

A2Fay and I are really looking forward to this. Please count us in.
Thanks for setting it up!