Form Oaxaca with love

MEZQUITE's pan-roasted chicken breast on mole negro sauce, is served with molotes de plàtano macho - plantain fritters - and seasoned black bean purée.
An enjoyable culinary trip to the southwestern state of Oaxaca..

Orange sorbet.. spiked

MEZCAL
An agave-distilled spirit native to Oaxaca, made by the underground roasting of the plant's heart, a centuries-old method that gives mezcal its distinctive smoky flavor. It is traditionally served straight with an orange wedge and chased by some "sal de gusano" or crushed-worm salt. (the worm that lives in the plant is roasted and crushed with some chile powder and salt).

MEZQUITE's orange sorbet is spiked with a little mezcal and sprinkled with a bit of sal de gusano. cheers!

Tasty appetizer

Chipotle chiles are nothing more than smoke-dried jalapeños. There's a variety called chipotle meco, the same used in this recipe.
The smoky-flavored chipotles are rehydrated and stuffed with chihuahua cheese, battered and fried.

Dragon fruit sorbet

Otherwise known as "dragon fruit", pitahaya is the fruit of a vine-like succulent plant native to Mèxico, it is widely known and cultivated in Asian countries, Hawaii, Australia and Israel.
Its sweet & tart flavor has made it a classic nieve in Mèxico for centuries. A sweet delight on a warm day.

Lime cured scallops

This ceviche-style dish is very simple but tasty, and very hot too!
The subtle flavor of the scallops is given a spicy kick by marinating them in a blended mix of lime juice, green serrano peppers, cilantro and cucumber.
A classic dish from the coastal states of Mèxico.

"Drowned" octopus

The baby octopus are slowly cooked in a reduced chile de àrbol, and tomato sauce with a hint of parsley. Served on a tostadita, it makes a flavorful appetizer.

Peanuts

Peanuts origin dates to 7400 years back in Peru, where the oldest traces of this plant and seeds have been found. It spread all over the American continent; in Mèxico, it was called - cacáhuatl - meaning "cacao on the ground" as the peanut pods rest on the ground.
The Spaniards then took it to Europe and the far East, where it became a very popular ingredient in Asian gastronomy.

In Mèxico peanuts are commonly found as a bar snack, roasted, salted and spicy; or in more elaborated dishes as a sauce, also as sweet treats such as caramelized pralines or peanut brittle.

See the following post for a sweet dessert made with cacahuates..