Main Ingredients:

See below ingredients and instructions of the recipe

Cooking Preparation of the Recipe:

1 x Dictionary of MEXICAN Cookin
1 x (This is part 5 of 6)

PHEASANT: This game bird fares equally well when cooked with a
bravely seasoned sauce or a mild creamy one. Serve it with a grain
side dish; see Game.
PILONCILLO: This unrefined sugar is purchased in hard cones. Like
other "raw" sugars, piloncillo is beige to brown; the deeper the
color, the more pronounced the molasses flavor.
PINE NUTS (PINIONS, PIGNOLIS): Pine nuts are the seeds of the Pinion
pine. They are delicious raw or toasted. Store them tightly covered
and either refrigerated or frozen, depending on how quickly they are
to be used. See NUTS for toasting and grinding.
PLANTAIN: This relative of the banana boasts a thick skin and large
size. The fruit itself tends to be a deeper yellow than that of the
banana. Cooked unripe plantain is eaten as one would a potato.
Plantains are sweetest when ripe, which isn't until their skins are
an alarming through black. Like bananas, plantains will ripen after
they have been harvested.
POSOLE: Sometimes hominy is called "posole," but the word
authentically refers to a dish made with hominy as an ingredient. See
Hominy PRICKLY PEAR: This is the diminutive (egg size) fruit of the
cactus of the same name. It is nearly impossible to avoid the
prickles when peeling to reveal the garnet-colored flesh. Prickly
pears are sometimes sold with the prickles removed.
PUMPKIN SEED: With the shells or husks removed, pumpkin seeds are
known as PEPITAS. Store them in a cool, dry place. To toast pumpkin
seeds, spread them in a single layer in an ungreased pan. Bake at 350
degrees F. for 13 to 15 minutes, stirring and checking for doneness
frequently.
QUAIL: These little birds weigh in at about 1/4 pound. They have
richly flavored meat, what there is of it. Quail are most commonly
available frozen. See GAME.
QUESO: Spanish for "cheese." QUESO ANEJO: The name means "aged
cheese" in Spanish. See CHEESE.
QUESO FRESCO: The name means "fresh cheese" in Spanish. See CHEESE.
RABBIT: Rabbits are raised commercially. As with many uncommon
meats, it is said of rabbit, that it "tastes like chicken." It
doesn't; it tastes like rabbit. Large rabbits aren't as tender as the
little ones; it is well to marinate or stew older ones, or make
rabbit sausage. See GAME.
RED PEPPER: See Ground Red Pepper.
RED PEPPER SAUCE: This commercially bottled condiment is made from
vinegar, spices and hot chilies. It adds heat but little in the way of
flavor.
RICE: Mexican cooking calls for long grain or medium-grain white
rice. The occasional southwestern dish uses wild rice, which really
isn't rice. It is the fruit of an aquatic grass once harvested only
by Native Americans who lived by the Great Lakes.
SQUASH BLOSSOMS: Contrary to poplar belief, the blossoms used in
southwest cooking are those of winter squashes such as pumpkin, not
zucchini. They are a perishable item and are best used the day they
are bought.
TAMARIND: This is an intensely pungent, tart pod about four inches
long. Tamarind is usually bought packaged in a tightly compressed,
sticky plastic-wrapped lump. The flesh is riddled with fibers and
seeds--not what you want in your food--and must be soaked before
using. Separate the tamarind pods, pulling away and discarding as
much of the pod as you reasonably can. Cover with water and let the
pulp soak for at least an hour (overnight, if time permits). Then
squeeze the pulp well to extract the juice or rub as much pulp as you
can through a fine mesh sieve.
TEQUILA: A pale, sharp-tasting liquor distilled from the agave
plant, which thrives in an arid, hot climate. The stem of the agave,
known also as the "century plant," is used in making both PULQUE and
tequila.

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