Tag Archives: Festival Gourmet International

So you think you know Mexican food?

Tuesday, 21 February 2017 Marc d'Entremont 1 Comment

“Thankfully, we’re starting to pull away from the idea that all Mexican food means burritos as big as your head.” Chef Rick Bayless ¹

Chef Luis Noriega’s Grilled Tuna topping Mint Scented Vermicelli

American Chef Rick Bayless has built his celebrity status on both introducing Mexican regional cuisine to the United States as well as creatively reinterpreting its concepts to a 21^st century palate. Naturally the word fusion comes to many people’s mind. Yet fused from where and with what – other ingredients from the Americas?

If you accept that concept – other ingredients from the Americas – than it’s not a fusion (a joining of unknowns) it’s creativity with native sources that form a cuisine of the Americas. It’s estimated that over 50% of commonly eaten foods by North American descendants of European immigrants were unknown to their ancestors prior to 1492 including vanilla, tomatoes, bell peppers, catfish and ducks.

tuna steak from Mexico's northwest coast — tuna steak from Mexico’s northwest coast

So if we can get beyond the self-imposed value judgment of authentic cuisine – aka a real Italian pizza is only made with (American) tomatoes…? – than perhaps we can revel in our human culinary diversity and sit down to an enjoyable meal full of terrific flavors.

When covering the recent 22^nd Festival Gourmet International in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, more than one first time visitor to both Puerto Vallarta and the festival commented how they had “no idea” cuisine in Mexico was so varied? The names of several popular American corporate chains of Tex-Mex food were often cited. The festival’s hallmark was highlighting Mexico’s ever-evolving New World cuisine.

Chefs Luis Noriega & Heinz Reize owner of Coco Tropical

Chef Luis Noriega’s illustrious international career has taken him from Acapulco to European capitals and Chef/Professor at leading Mexican culinary collages. He is chef/owner of Restaurant La Gula in the south central Mexican Pacific coast city of Zihuatanejo. At the November festival Chef Noriega conducted an in-depth daytime cooking workshop and lunch at Puerto Vallarta’s Coco Tropical on the beautiful beachfront Malecon.

Restaurant Coco Tropical, Puerto Vallarta Malecon

Grilled sesame crusted tuna steak on a bed of mint scented vermicelli may not sound Mexican, but more than half the ingredients are indigenous to the Western Hemisphere and the remainder were introduced through European domination more than 500 years ago. So the recipe is as “American as apple pie” – apples are indigenous of central Asia.

Chef Luis Noriega’s Grilled Tuna topping Mint Scented Vermicelli

Ingredients for 4 servings:

500 gr. (16 oz) fresh tuna steaks
to taste fresh ground sea salt & black pepper
100 gr. (3 oz) sesame seeds
50 ml. (3½ tablespoons) olive oil
100 gr. (3 oz) rice vermicelli
50 gr. (1½ tablespoons) unsalted butter
10 each finely chopped leaves of fresh mint
2 each small ripe avocados
2 each green chili piquin – very small HOT chilis – finely minced – or substitute ½ to 1 teaspoon (hot) hot sauce
50 ml. (3½ tablespoons) sour cream

Preparation:

Cook the rice vermicelli according to package directions
Mash the avocados and blend in the chili and sour cream to make either a chunky or a creamy guacamole.
Place the sesame seeds in a bowl, season tuna with salt & pepper and coat the tuna steaks.
Heat (preferably) a cast iron pan, add the olive oil and sear the tuna steaks for a minute or 2 per side until browned but pink in the middle. Transfer to a cutting board.
Drain the rice vermicelli and toss with butter and the mint.
Divide the vermicelli among 4 plates, top with slices of tuna steak and decoratively add a generous garnish of guacamole.

Serve with a fine Rivero Gonzalez Scielo Blanco (Chardonnay) from Mexico’s Valle de Parras, Coahuila and enjoy New World cuisine.

When you go:

Puerto Vallarta is served by many international airlines.

The 23rd Festival Gourmet International will be held November 10 – 19, 2017.

Disclosure: the author was a guest of the Festival Gourmet International, Puerto Vallarta Tourism, Restaurant Coco Tropical, Villa Premiere Boutique Hotel and Hotel Cathedral.

Footnote:

¹“Let’s Talk to Rick Bayless About Mexican Food.” The National Culinary Review, Vol. 41, Num. 2, American Culinary Federation, February 2017, St. Augustine, FL

Additional Puerto Vallarta articles by Chef Marc d’Entremont:

Oysters two ways in Puerto Vallarta

Vegan Chef Christian Krebs wows Puerto Vallarta

Cruising Bahía de Banderas with Mike’s Fishing Charters

Discovering the meaning of pride in Puerto Vallarta

Villa Premiere: excellence by design in Puerto Vallarta

Mexican New World Cuisine at Festival Gourmet International

Angus Beef recipe, Chef Luis Noriega and Puerto Vallarta

Wagu Tatki and Japanese Mexican Fusion

You can read more articles by Marc d’Entremont at:

Hellenic News of America

Travel Pen and Palate Argentina

Original World Insights

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Angus Beef recipe, Chef Luis Noriega and Puerto Vallarta

Thursday, 15 December 2016 Marc d'Entremont 7 Comments

Among the five course festival menu Chef Luis Noriega created for Coco Tropical, the Angus short ribs marinated in a fragrant mixture of sautéed dried peppers, herbs and spices then wrapped in banana leaves and slow braised was something I never tasted north of the Rio Grande.

Chef Luis Noriega’s illustrious international career has taken him from Acapulco, European capitals to Chef/Professor at leading Mexico culinary collages. He is chef/owner of Restaurant La Guia in the south central Mexican Pacific coast city of Zihuatanejo. Recently Chef Noriega conducted an in-depth daytime cooking workshop and lunch at Puerto Vallarta’s Coco Tropical for the 22^nd Festival Gourmet International.

Unlike many culinary festivals, Festival Gourmet International in Puerto Vallarta stretches over eleven days with dozens of events among one-time theme dinners and brunches, wine and tequila tastings to daytime cooking classes and lunches with guest chefs throughout the city. Additional participating restaurants offered nightly festival menus created by their sponsored guest chefs.

More than one first time visitor to both Puerto Vallarta and the festival commented how they had “no idea” cuisine in Mexico was so varied. The name of one popular American icon of Tex-Mex food was often cited. The breadth of the 22^nd annual Festival Gourmet International ranged from Pakistani to Austrian fusion menus.

Yet the festival’s hallmark was highlighting Mexico’s ever evolving New World cuisine.

Chef Heinz Reize has owned the beautiful oceanfront Restaurant Coco Tropical on Puerto Vallarta’s Malecon for years and is a founder of Puerto Vallarta’s Festival Gourmet International. This is not the first time Chef Noriega has teamed with his old friend.

Barbecued Beef Guerrero Style – 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 to 1-½ pounds Angus beef short ribs
2 dry Guajillo chili peppers
2 dry Ancho chili peppers
1/2 medium white onion diced
2 medium ripe tomatoes diced
2 garlic cloves diced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground clove
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon – preferably fresh ground stick
1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
1 pinch dry thyme
1 pinch dry marjoram
zest from one medium naval orange
2 each hojas de (leaves of) aquacate & guayaba (at Latino food markets)
1/4^th cup apple cider vinegar
2 each large fresh banana leaves (at Latino food markets)
or
1 12” X 18” sheet of parchment paper
24 ounces diced fresh yellow sweet potatoes (not yams)
3 tablespoons sugar
7 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice
7 tablespoons sour cream
pinch freshly grated nutmeg

Preparation:

Wearing gloves, remove the veins from the chilies and as many of the seeds you wish – they contain much heat – and sauté in a hot cast iron pan with one tablespoon oil for 5+ minutes. Add the onions and saute 5 more minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook additional 2 minutes.
Remove pan from the heat and add one cup boiling water – slowly or else it’ll splatter on you. Add the leaves, if available, and soak for 20 minutes.
In a dry small hot cast iron pan quickly toast the ground spices and orange zest stirring constantly for a minutes or until fragrant. Remove from heat.
In a blender add the vinegar, chilies, soaking water, toasted spices and dry herbs. Blend until liquefied. Transfer to a small saucepan and, over medium-low heat, simmer until reduced to a sauce.
In a very hot cast iron pan brushed with just a touch of olive oil sear the Angus beef on both sides for two minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and brush both sides liberally with the chili sauce.
Line a baking dish large enough for the beef with the banana leaves or parchment paper and fold the leaves over encasing the short ribs.
Cover and bake in a pre-heated 240° Fahrenheit oven for 4 hours.
During the last hour gently simmer the diced sweet potatoes with the orange juice, sugar and 1 cup cold water in a sauce pan for 30 to 40 minutes until fork tender. Mash along with the sour cream. Serve with slices of beef.

The dish was superbly paired with a Spanish petit verdot imported by Va de Vinos. This new import company is quickly adding to Mexico’s reputation for embracing fine wines. The deep berries of the petit verdot melded with the rich natural sauce of the braised beef.

Keep in mind, this was a major international festival, but Puerto Vallarta’s culinary scene is smoking every day.

When you go:

Puerto Vallarta is served by many international airlines.

For the 23rd Festival Gourmet International in November 2017 check the web site: http://www.festivalgourmet.com/en/

Disclaimer: the author was a guest of the 22^nd Festival Gourmet International, Puerto Vallarta Tourism, Restaurant Coco Tropical, Villa Premiere Boutique Hotel and Hotel Cathedral.