110 GOURMET TRAVELLER
1 cinnamonquill
3 staranise
5 allspiceberries
3 wholecloves
190 gmshavedpiloncillosugar
(seenote)orbrownsugar
Rindfroma 1.5kgpineapple,
coarselychopped
1½ tbspwhitechiaseeds1 Dry-roastspicesina
smallsaucepanoverhigh
heat,stirringuntilfragrant
(1-2minutes;seecook’snotes
p152).Addsugar,a pinchofsalt
and250mlwaterandbringto
theboil.Oncesugaris almost
dissolved,removefromheat
andcooluntillukewarm.
2 Placerindin a largejug,pour
spicedsugarsyrupoverrindand
add more water (about 300ml)Tepache
SERVES4-8“Tepacheis anaguafrescamadewithfermentedpineapplerind,”
saysOlvera.“Itis wonderfulnotonlybecauseofitsflavour,but
becauseyouareusingwhatwouldotherwisebescraps.Somuch
ofthepineappleflavouris storedinitsrindand,througha simple
fermentation,youcanextractallthatflavour.Chia seeds have
been added for more texture. Enjoy very cold.”untilrindis covered(weigh
rinddownwitha smallramekin
tokeepit submerged).Cover
topwithmuslinandsecureit
withstring.Leavetofermentat
roomtemperature,stirringonce
a day,untilthereis foamonthe
surfaceandliquidis slightly
viscous(2-3days).
3 Strain,discardingsolids.Add
chiaandstiroccasionallyfor
15 minutestoavoidclumping,
thenrefrigerateforatleast
1 houranduptoa week.You
canadjustthesweetnessby
addingeitherwaterorsugar.
Serveoverplentyofice.
NotePiloncillo,alsoknown
asrapadura,is available
fromselecthealth-food
shopsandonlinefrom
fireworksfoods.com.au.Friedorscrambledeggsor
poachedorgrilledchicken
(optional),toserve
½ cup(120gm)Mexicancrema
orcrèmefraîche
½ cup(60gm)crumbledqueso
fresco(seenote)
1 smallwhiteonion,thinly
sliced
½ cupcorianderleaves
(optional)
SALSAROJA
6 (600gm)Romatomatoes
¼ largewhiteonion,skinon
2 serranochilliesor4 jalapeño
chillies,ortotaste
1 largegarlicclove,skin on
2 tbspvegetableoil
TOTOPOS
750 ml(3cups)vegetableoil
450 gmstaletortillas,each
cutinto6 wedges1 Forsalsaroja,heata frying
panoverhighheat.Place
tomatoes,onion,chilliesand
garlicinpanandcharonall
sides(15-20minutes).Remove
from heat and cool to roomChilaquiles
SERVES 4“Thisis oneofthemostloveddishesinMexico,”saysOlvera.
“Everyonehasa favouriteversion:somepreferthetotopos(chips)
soggy,somelikethemstillcrunchy(I’moneofthelatter);some
likethemwithsalsaverde,somewithroja,andsomedivorciados
(divorced)– salsaverdeononesideandsalsarojaontheother.
Somelikethemtoppedwitha friedorscrambledeggandothers
withpoachedorgrilledchicken...orboth.Butmostpeoplewould
agreethatdrinkinga beerwitha bowlofchilaquilesis theperfect
way to have a weekend breakfast, especially after a long night.”temperature.Peelonion
andgarlic,thenpulsetomato,
onion,chilliandgarlicin a food
processoruntilchunky.Salsa
rojawillkeeprefrigerated
fora week.Makes500ml.To
serve,heatoilin a saucepan
overmediumheat,addsalsa
(it shouldhiss)andbringtoa
simmer. Keephotuntilserving,
addinga littlewaterif necessary
(it shouldbesoupy).
2 Fortotopos,heatoilina
saucepanovermediumheat
to180°C.Frytortillasinbatches
untilcrispandgoldenbrown
(3-4minutes).Drainonpaper
towelsandsprinklewithsalt.
3 Toserve,dividetotopos
amongbowls,thenladlehot
salsaover.Topwitheggsor
chicken,if using,thena spoonful
ofcrema.Sprinklewithqueso
fresco,onionandcoriander.
NoteQuesofrescois difficult
tofindinAustralia,butfarm-
stylecottagecheese,such
asBrancourtsbrand,makes
a good substitute.