The credit for this recipe goes to Big Daddy, whoever he is. Feel free to spice this up by adding a couple of teaspoons of minced serrano or jalapeño chiles.

Ingredients

• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled, diced, and steamed

• Olive oil

• 1/4 pound bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces and rendered until crisp

• 1/4 red onion, diced

• ½ red bell pepper, diced

• ½ yellow bell pepper, diced

• 2 ears steamed corn, kernels cut from cob

• 2 tablespoons minced cilantro

• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

In a skillet, fry the sweet potatoes in the olive oil until crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl, mix well, and place in a warm oven until serving time.

This brick-red mole, courtesy of Restaurante El Naranjo, is made with chile ancho, sesame seeds and almonds.

Ingredients

• 10 ancho chiles

• 1 pasilla chile

• 4 large roma tomatoes

• 4 medium cloves garlic, unpeeled

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 2 slices day-old bread

• 15 blanched almonds

• ½ cup sesame seeds

• 10 black peppercorns

• 1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano (preferably Oaxacan)

• 3 whole cloves

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 1 piece Mexican cinnamon (approximately 1 inch)

• 3 cups chicken stock

• Salt

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• 8 pieces chicken or pork

• ½ medium onion

• 3 garlic cloves

• Salt

Instructions

Clean the chiles with a damp cloth, then discard the seeds and stems. Roast the chiles slightly on a hot skillet. Transfer to a pot with hot water, and let them soak for 20 minutes.

On a separate skillet, dry-roast the tomatoes and the unpeeled garlic cloves.

Add 3 tablespoons oil to a skillet and fry the bread until pale gold. Add the blanched almonds, sesame seeds, oregano, black peppercorns and cloves. Reserve.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a big pot, blend the chiles with enough fresh water, and add to the pot. Let it fry for about 8 to10 minutes. Blend the reserved nuts and spices along with the tomatoes, garlic, and enough water. Add to the cooking pot.

Blend the cinnamon with a little water and pass through a sieve over the mole. Simmer until thickened, about 20 minutes.

Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Let cook for 15 minutes, then add salt and sugar to taste. The mole should cover the back of a spoon.

Add boiled chicken (see below), let simmer for 10 minutes, and serve with rice and tortillas.

To cook the chicken: Bring 2 quarts water to a boil, add ½ onion, 3 cloves garlic and salt. When boiling, add the chicken pieces and let it boil until the meat is done.

Here is Harald Zoschke’s recipe for truffles. He notes: “If you are a chocoholic (like me), and like it spicy (like me), you’ll love these melt-in-your-mouth chocolate truffles. They have a pleasant zing, which you will notice shortly after you taste the nice chocolate-fruit flavor. Best of all, this is a truffle recipe that’s easy to prepare! Melting the chocolate in a bowl over hot water is necessary because it would burn easily with direct heat, rendering it useless. Also, avoid even smallest amounts of water getting in contact with your melted chocolate; it would get lumpy, and you would have to start over, melting fresh chocolate.”

Ingredients

• 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate bars or chips (“morsels”), high quality, like Valrhona or dark Lindt

• 1/3 cup whipping cream

• ½ teaspoon natural vanilla extract

• 4 teaspoons fruity hot sauce like Sgt. Peppers Tropical Tears, Melinda’s Mango or Florida Heat

• Clear wrap, parchment paper or confectioner’s cups (mini edition of muffin paper cups)

Instructions

If you are not using chips, cut the chocolate into about pea-sized pieces.

Put the chocolate in a stainless steel bowl and set it over a saucepan which is filled half with water (double boiler). Heat the water just below boiling and turn of the heat. The chocolate will start to melt.

Heat the whipping cream in a small saucepan until it just comes to a quick boil. Add the vanilla and the hot sauce, and let cool for 5 minutes.

When the chocolate is completely melted, stir until smooth with a hand whisk or an electric mixer.

Pour the whipping cream mix over the chocolate and mix until both liquids are perfectly blended (less than 2 minutes; don’t overdo it). Again, use either a hand whisk or an electric mixer.

Pour the hot mixture into the prepared pan or into confectioner’s cups and refrigerate for a couple of hours.

If you did not use confectioner’s cups, cut the cold truffles into small pieces and either enjoy right away, or store them in airtight containers in the refrigerator.

There’s nothing like a little wasabi to perk up ceviche. Just make sure you add it at the last minute, right before serving. You can eat the ceviche from tall glasses, or pile it on a salad of spinach, green onions, and tomatoes, topped with wasabi mayonnaise. A crusty slice of toasted garlic bread goes well with this.

Ingredients

• 1 pound white fish of choice, such as snapper, cut into ½-inch cubes

• 1 cup lime juice

• ½ cup water

• 1 teaspoon lime zest

• 2 teaspoons habanero hot sauce

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 1 cup tomato juice

• 1 small onion, minced

• 1 tablespoon minced cilantro

• 1 tablespoon wasabi paste

Instructions

Combine the fish, lime juice, water, hot sauce in a non-reactive bowl, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Remove from the refrigerator, stir in the remaining ingredients, and serve.

Richard Sterling developed this recipe, which is his version of how the Spaniards transformed Montezuma’s favorite beverage, with the addition of alcohol. He commented: “Salud! Drink to the Old World and the New.”

Ingredients

• 12 ounces prepared hot chocolate (not too sweet)

• 2 tablespoons honey

• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 jiggers pepper vodka

• 2 tablespoons heavy cream

• Cayenne powder and cinnamon sticks for garnish

• Grated chocolate and dried red chiles for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Combine the chocolate, honey, vanilla and vodka in a small pitcher. Pour into two long stemmed glasses or Irish coffee glasses. Float the cream on the tops of the two drinks. Dust with a pinch of Cayenne pepper and garnish with cinnamon sticks, or dust with grated chocolate and garnish with dried red chiles. Cut them lengthwise and fix them to the edges of the glasses.