After yesterday we had a slow start to the morning and a leisurely breakfast in the hotel starting with orange/papaya juice and a cappuccino, followed by chorizo and queso toast with pico de gallo – which was excellent!
Breakfast
At 11 am our culinary experience began with meeting Esperanza a lovely Zapotec woman who was to be our guide and teacher today.
Esperanza
The Benito Juarez market (one of two markets in the central district of Oaxaca) was our first stop of the day where we were introduced to a zillion types of chilis, as well as cheeses, tortillas and pretty much any type of fresh produce you can image. Exiting with a full shopping bag we stopped briefly at a bakery/chocolate shop featuring sweet breads (bread with sugar and chocolates) as well as mole chocolate, in addition to a pottery store. A taxi was flagged down and we headed for our cooking class at the top of the Alcala.
On the menu of todays class was salsa picante, guacamole (a type beyond your wildest dreams), and quesadilla de flora de calabara`
Lunch was wonderful but more to come!!
The next course was mole rojo – the signature dish of the day. As mole takes time due to the complexity and number of ingredients required ( 28) – a long leisurely afternoon ensued creating our masterpiece, a sauce which turned chicken and rice into something amazing.
Dinner!
A tip of the hat to our chef and guide Esperanza. It was a great day – no need for dinner tonight.
Tomorrow we plan on a major retail excursion in the morning, followed by a trip to the Santo Domingo cathedral museum. Until then buenos noches.
Travels with Anne 