We all got stuck in with most of the chopping, peeling and general tricky work done in the kitchen just out of view by Oscar’s Sioux chefs so we only had to do the measuring, stirring, blending, frying, wrapping, tasting etc (i.e. the fun stuff). The cleaning too was outside our remit for which everyone was grateful. Our group was very mixed including Chinese, American, Canadian, Colombian, Swiss and of course Irish – and everyone was a foodie to one degree or another. Oscar kept everyone involved and the time passed quickly as we all cooked in a way we were far from familiar with. For the hell of it, here are the 22 ingredients in the mole de fiesta: turkey/chicken, garlic, onion, salt, water, pasilla chillies, mulato chillies, cooking oil, raisins, almonds, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, plantains, tomatoes, peppercorns, cloves, oregano, thyme, cinnamon, pork lard and Oaxacan chocolate shavings!
Finally everything was underway and Oscar offered us a drink, and discretely left us to our service. The table was beautifully laid, and the dished came out one after another – small portions, but enough that we were all stuffed and delighted by the time we got to finishing the rose petal ice-cream. I can’t wait to try some of these at home. Certain ingredients will have to be substituted but Oscar was very good at suggesting alternatives that would work instead of some less commonly found ingredients. Again that depended where you live. For those living in San Francisco the availability of Mexican ingredients was not a problem! We spent the afternoon wandering through the charming crumbling streets of Oaxaca, walking off the excesses of lunch. Well at least till dinner time!
This blog is part of an Off-The-Beaten-Track Travel Diary. Click on the links below to navigate through this journey.
