Reason to love Tucson #437

Mexican food.

And not the kind you buy (although that’s phenomenal, too) but the stuff you can make with the groceries you can buy. Wow. Makes me want to stay near the border forever!

About a week ago, Helen made a vegetarian posada (a traditional Mexican soup that is usually made with pork and hominy; being vegetarian this one lacked the pork). Wow was it delicious. A week later and I’m still thinking about it. It’s got a sort of lightness to it since it’s a brothy soup (it’s such a healthy soup – just tomatoes, onion, chiles (fresh and powder), garlic, and hominy) but it’s substantial. It’s a full meal. (As I said, still remembering it with fondness!) While eating dinner, though, Helen mentioned a grocery store (Food City) that she enjoys going to for various things Mexican (including the posada/hominy for the soup). I’ve driven by the place quite often, but never shopped there (it looks rather run down from the outside, in a nondescript strip mall, etc).

After Helen’s recommendation, I decided to stop by when I was out grocery shopping. This happened last Thursday-ish. I doubt my time in Tucson will ever be the same. It was remarkable – five or six different fresh chiles, probably 10 varieties of dried chiles, a wide variety of tropical fruits and veggies and roots, spices you won’t find anywhere else. And this is just the produce section! Let’s not forget the 10 different varieties of horchata that you can indulge in, or the crazy selection of tortillas (or the fresh masa harina and tortilla press for the cook who wants to make her own), or the whole section devoted to Mexican cheeses. Wow. :-) So now I’m excited about what I can make with the stuff from this store. Calabacitas are certainly on tap. And I’m going to attempt a mole next week some time (ever seen a mole recipe? Here’s one that is pretty close to the recipe that I’m planning on using. Yikes!).

Having these sorts of resources so easily available – the sorts of spices and produce and ingredients that most people simply wouldn’t be able to get – is awesome. (And having them available for cheaper than you can find normal produce in a typical grocery store is even more awesome!) I’m excited to try out the new ingredients (starting with the various chiles…mmm…) and experiment with some new recipes. I’ll keep you posted as to successes. (And I’ll keep quite as to the failures, naturally!)