We just got back from a week in Oaxaca, Mexico! What an amazing trip - we ate delicious food and we saw some really amazing sites.
 |
| Chapulin (grasshoppers) and Queso Fresco |
 |
| Local Oaxaca Mescal |
We took a cooking class at Casa Crespo - we learned how to make tortillas, tamales, soup, ague fresca, avocado soup, sweet corn ice cream, rose ice cream, salsa, & mole.
 |
| Our cooking instructor took us to a local market to pick up ingredients |
 |
| Tortillas |
 |
| Tortillas |
 |
| Bryan making tortillas |
 |
| Chopping veggies for the squash blossom tamales |
 |
| salted agave worms |
 |
| Mexican Street Corn - like hominy coated in mayo, cojita cheese, chili powder & lime juice |
 |
| Monte Alban Ruins |
 |
| Botanical Garden (mostly cacti & succulents) |
 |
| Taco Alley - choose your meat, your veggies (onion, peppers etc) then they grill everything for you and serve you what you've chosen along with fresh tortillas, avocado, salsa, peppers, guacamole etc. |
 |
| Agave |
 |
| Pinas ready for roasting |
 |
| Goats! |
 |
| Real Minero Pelenque (mezcal distillery) we visited in Ocotlan |
 |
| Everyone served Mezcal out of these tiny gourds |
 |
| This was our taxi back from Real Minero |
 |
| Walking around Ocotlan before heading back to Oaxaca |
 |
| We met that gentleman our first night in town. He went to med school in Boston and now lives on the West coast. He offered for us to come with him to Real Minero which we had wanted to do also and he offered to translate the tour for us. It turned into a really amazing day! |
 |
| Molotes de Papa (fried doughy masa & potato) topped with jicima slaw, cotija cheese & some kind of yummy sauces |
 |
| Mezcal |
 |
| A pina roasting pit |
 |
| A traditional roasted pina mashing table |
 |
| For every agave harvested, it's best practice to replant two. This is an agave nursery for those seedlings. |
 |
| Pinas are roasting in that heap - they'll cook here for 3-4 days |
 |
| The pina mash fermenting in a giant tank |
 |
| Roasted pina (which tasted like roasted pineapple) being crushed into mash by a horse |
 |
| Pinas ready for roasting |
 |
| We made some friends - we all went on a pulenque tour, out to hiereve el agua and to some villages. A truly amazing day! |
 |
| How amazing is this waterfall?? We parked and hiked down into this ravine where this beauty existed like a secret. Everything above this was totally dry and brown. |
 |
| Happy Agave Christmas! A Zocalo restaurant decorating an agave & chyote like a Christmas tree! |
 |
| Chilaquiles Verde (My new goal is to learn to make these) Fried tortillas tossed in green or red sauce. Usually topped with onion & cotija cheese with beans, chicken or fried eggs. |
 |
| Chilaquiles Rojo - chilaquiles with grilled pork |
 |
| Oaxacan Chocolate |
 |
| All of the churches were extraordinary. We saw two weddings in this chapel while we were in town. The weddings looked like the most fun celebrations! |
 |
| The Teotetolian village near Oaxaca is known for it's beautiful textiles. We brought back this rug! |
I'm so happy we got to go on this trip! I'm so thankful for all of the amazing people we met while we were there and love that I got to do this fun trip with the Love of my life! I'm so glad we adventure together.
I can't recommend Oaxaca enough. You must visit!
Oh Ashley!!I read with excitement about your trip. You both know how to get the most out of travel. How wonderful. Our several trips to south Texas--we only saw border towns and there is so much more to Mexico. The combination of cooking and seeing beautiful buildings was right up your alley. You are right, seeing it all with "the love of your life" is the best. I have no desire to travel anymore, without Truman, it would just not be the same. I am glad you two are making the most of travel, I am glad we did too. MaMaw P. S. thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete