Rick Stein: The Road to Mexico: 120 Vibrant Recipes from California and Mexico

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And so to the capital, the melting pot that encapsulates a country that, despite its narrow stature, crosses three time zones. For that simple reason, locals casually refer to the city as ‘Mexico’. Not much has changed to the food that fed the former seat of the Aztec Empire. Scenes captured by Diego Rivera in his murals still come alive in the city’s bustling markets and working men’s taverns offer Pulque, the alco-pop of the ancients. Heat a tablespoon of lard or oil in a large flameproof casserole dish and brown one third of the beef. Transfer to a plate and then repeat until all the beef has browned, adding another tablespoon of lard or oil as needed. We’d even go to the effort of mixing up some chopped tomato into a salsa, mashing up an avocado, sour cream and coriander into guacamole to make it what we thought was more authentic. Large chunks of slow-cooked beef brisket in a deep dark rich sauce, full of spice and smokiness. Two types of chilli peppers and a special sauce known as adobo, as well as at least two hours stewing, make this an unctuous, hearty dish. We first heard of carne con chilli with our friends Clare and Dave – our mates we visit as often as possible in the UK.

In the same pan, add about 1tbsp of oil and brown the beef in batches, setting it all to one side when you’re done. You might need to add more oil as you go. Preheat the oven to l60°C/gas mark 3. Heat the oil in a large lidded casserole pan over a medium-high heat, and brown the pork on all sides. Remove the meat from the pan and add the onions, garlic, chillies and green pepper Sauté until beginning to char then add the vinegar and tomatoes and scrape any bits from the bottom of the pan. In a dry heavy-based frying pan, toast the guajillo chillies until fragrant but not burnt. Transfer them to a bowl and pour over 450ml of just-boiled water. Leave them to soak for 15–20 minutes. In the same pan, dry fry the tomatoes and garlic until softened and charred. Set aside the tomatoes and garlic until cool enough to handle, then peel off and discard the garlic skins and quarter the tomatoes, skin and all. For the mole, rinse and clean the chillies. Remove the membranes, stems and seeds, reserving a few teaspoons of the seeds. Toast the chillies in hot dry frying pan for about 20 seconds until fragrant but not burnt, then soak them in a bowl of just-boiled water for 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.Combine the sugar cumin, smoked paprika and salt and rub all over the pork, working it into the scored skin. Leave at room temperature for half an hour or in the fridge overnight. Tear the pasilla chilli into 4 or 5 pieces and put them in a bowl with 200ml of just-boiled water. Leave to soak for 20 minutes. Put the chilli with its soaking water and the remaining marinade ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour one-third of this mixture over the turkey breast and rub it in all over. Cover and leave the turkey to marinate in the fridge for 1–2 hours. In the same pan, roast the tomatoes and garlic until they’re charred. Remove the skin from the garlic and quarter the tomatoes. To make the batter, sift 125g/4½oz plain flour, the baking powder and pinch salt into a bowl. Make a well in centre and break in the egg. Bring in the flour from the sides to make a paste then whisk in the cold water to make a smooth batter. In part, it was a nod to Mexican mole sauce, but also because I just love using this stuff whenever I can.

Place the same pan over a medium heat and toast the bread, 1 teaspoon of the reserved chilli seeds, sesame seeds, almonds, coriander seeds, peppercorns and cinnamon until fragrant but not burnt. Set them aside and blend to a powder when cool. This is a sumptuous, relaxing dish perfect for a dinner party as you can make it ahead of time and have everything ready for whenever everyone’s ready to eat. Deep-fry the prawns in batches for 1 or 2 minutes until golden-brown and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper. Chilli con carne was a staple in our house. beef mince in a spicy tomato sauce with a tin of kidney beans served with white rice – it did its job.Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and fill a deep-fat fryer or a large, deep, heavy-bottomed pan two-thirds full with the oil. Heat to 180C (a cube of bread should turn brown in one minute when dropped in.) CAUTION: Hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended. Place the soaked chilies and roughly 150ml/5fl oz of their soaking liquid into a food processor. Add the garlic, tomatoes, salt and chipotles en adobo and blend until as smooth as possible. You don’t get the sweetness of the chocolate, or the herbaceous tang of the bitters; just an elevated level of flavour that really enhances the dish. I can see what the excitement over mole sauce is about now.

For Mexicans, their most revered dishes come from the south and their Mecca is undeniably Oaxaca, where locals still dress in traditional costume bringing to life the enduring descriptions of writers like D H Lawrence who fell in love with the area. In the same frying pan, dry fry the tomatoes and garlic until softened and charred. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then peel off and discard the garlic skins and quarter the tomatoes. The kind of food in The Road to Mexico is so versatile. These quesadillas made an excellent lunch, but I can also imagine serving them as a brunch or part of a colourful Mexican evening feast. A+, I say. Would recommend to a friend. Put the soaked chillies and about 150ml of their soaking liquid in a blender and add the garlic, tomatoes, salt and chipotles en adobo. Blend until as smooth as possible, then tip into the casserole with the onions and add the browned beef. Stir in about 300ml of the chilli soaking water. Reserve the rest in case you need more later. Add the remaining lard or oil to the pan and fry the onion for 3–4 minutes until softened. Add the cumin, oregano, allspice and bay leaf. Cook for 2 minutes.Place a heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat and toast the chillies for 20 seconds, until fragrant but not burnt. Place them into a bowl and pour over 450ml/16fl oz boiling water to cover them. Leave to soak for 15–20 minutes. Remove the guajillo chillies from the water, take their stalks off and rinse some of the seeds out if you can. Don’t worry if you can’t get all the seeds out. These chillies are for flavour more than heat. Cut the chillies into smaller pieces. Dave has also made me see cooking in a completely different light – not least with the way he roasts potatoes. To make the pico de gallo, mix all the ingredients together with ½ teaspoon of salt in a bowl and set aside.