Mexican food again :)

I didn't realize getting good Mexican food in the UK was that tough.  I've only been to one place and it was pretty good so I guess it never really occurred to me. La Cantina in Southampton.  I know it's not close to where many of you live, but just in case your ever in the neighborhood.

http://www.la-cantina.co.uk/da/11299

I'm in Salisbury, so that is not too far away from me.  I'll keep that restaurant in mind! 

El Gringo, Malton, N. Yorkshire

1/2 hr north of York
15 minutes from Castle Howard

Si......divine......

i can put in a vote for la-cantina. really nice atmosphere- on the water- food was 8/10.  great dark n' stormies.

I've been idly tossing around the idea of picking a weekend this summer and inviting anyone from UKY round to ours for a big Mexican-food potluck - enchiladas, taco soup, whatever people fancy and are good at making out of British ingredients!  Would anyone be up for that sort of thing?

Meg, I am so down for a Mexican/Border food fiesta!!  I live in Durham, and I am just dying for something authentic border style!

I used to live in southern New Mexico (Las Cruces), where I did my MA, and I was totally hooked on the border style cooking.  I've tried making a version of green chile using spanish chiles and english pork, but it's just not as good!  I have even tried making my own tortillas according to the recipe that one of my Mom's friends uses, but they just don't seem to come out right.  I'm buying a tortilla press next time I'm home.

I'd be more than happy to help organize a Mexican-style food event in the North...maybe in the style of a good western chilli cook-off, only sometime after July--what do you guys think?

I'm in too!  ManderW, I've done a respectable NM border-style red chili sauce (very hot!) for enchiladas here - with dried NM chillies I brought back from the US last time.  I still have a few lurking in the cupboard but just not sure how many to make how much sauce.

I used to live in southern New Mexico (Las Cruces),

Total hijack, but that is where I'm from.  Mexician food from there is just the best.  Can't beat Hatch chile!

Yay for NM thread hijackers! I lived in Las Cruces for several years as a child, spent a couple of miserable years on the eastern border of NM, then moved back to T. or C., where my parents still live. Hatch chile is indeed the best on earth!

I have a large stash of Hatch red chile powder that I smuggled over in my suitcase--probably more than I'll ever use, as I prefer green to red. I'd be glad to share, as I can always get more from my parents if need be.

Awesome!  I've got a small bottle of powdered dried green chile, but it just doesn't taste as intense as the whole chiles.  I have part of a bag of red anchos as well, although they have been around for a while, and some miscellaneous hot sauce. 

I wonder how many more people on here have southern NM connections?  Most people had barely ever heard of the place when I moved to England, so it's kind of unexpected that there are so many! 

I'd really like a trip to Chope's now...or one of those made-to-order burritos from the gas station (I can't even remember which one now--was it Pic Quik?)

Can't really claim NM connections, but we went to Las Cruces on family vacations when I was a child because my brother was stationed at White Sands for a few years.  The food was way too hot/spicy for my small palate then, but I tried!

As an adult, I went back to NM on vacation - not to the border area, but camping north of Santa Fe.

It's a fab - and enormous(!!) state.

I'd really like a trip to Chope's now...or one of those made-to-order burritos from the gas station (I can't even remember which one now--was it Pic Quik?)

Chope's is the best!  It is almost cruel to mention it without the remotest possibility of going there.  The burritos are from pic quik, are they called Santa Fe or something like that?  It really seems like a small world right now. 

Meg, I am so down for a Mexican/Border food fiesta!!  I live in Durham, and I am just dying for something authentic border style!

I used to live in southern New Mexico (Las Cruces), where I did my MA, and I was totally hooked on the border style cooking.  I've tried making a version of green chile using spanish chiles and english pork, but it's just not as good!  I have even tried making my own tortillas according to the recipe that one of my Mom's friends uses, but they just don't seem to come out right.  I'm buying a tortilla press next time I'm home.

I'd be more than happy to help organize a Mexican-style food event in the North...maybe in the style of a good western chilli cook-off, only sometime after July--what do you guys think?

*hijack*

my BF's from cruces, i've been there a million times! there is no better chile on earth than what i've had in cruces.

 

Man, what did I ever bring up Chope's for...now I am more homesick than ever!

I tried making a "green chile inspired" stew the other day as a result of this thread.  To my surprise, it came out okay, but I had to add a lot of bottled chipotle sauce because the peppers I was using (from Spain) weren't hot at all!

I suppose I should have my Mom bring me some more hot sauce as a wedding present, or else talk to the people at MexGrocer.

Don't I remember seeing a website for someone who grows chillies in the UK? Maybe we need to mob them and ask them to grow some New Mexico chiles for us. It seems like we could get a large, vocal, chile-deprived mob together.  I'll take a look and see if I can find it again.

ManderW, maybe you needed a few jalapenos for heat as well as the Spanish peppers for flavor?

I can't believe the number of NM connections floating around here--the other places I lived in the US I had a hard time finding anyone who'd even heard of New Mexico, never mind knowing anything about the food. Most people thought it was Tex-Mex, grrr. There were about 8 or 10 of us from NM in university together, and we had enchilada parties. That was in California, but the food just wasn't the same.

I can vouch for El Panzon The head chef (Grant) use to work in NY and I believe his wife is Spaniard.

It's not authentic Southern Californian, Mexican food, but it's pretty close. The guacamole is good, as well as the tacos..... There's a dish with chicharrones - now this is not the actual crunchy chicharrone you'd find at your local mexican grocers, but it's the meat from the pig, but the fat attached..... it's really good, even though it's not supposed to be called chicharrones 

The taco shells, well they're not the actual corn tortilla's hand friend, but the food inside the taco makes up for it

It's more a very open pub (meaning brown wooden floors with brown wooden blocky tables and chairs) that just so happens to serve mexican. They show football matches on a screen, when they're on, and there is loud music in the evenings, so if you're planning on carrying a conversation, I'd go for eating their before 5-6pm.

Me and my british husband had our wedding their, and Grant was very helpful with giving us suggestions on what mexican dishes we could serve

Anyways, I have a question! I like using corn tortillas for making chile ciles (sp?) but I can only find those big corn tortillas that Discovery and Old El Paso make :/ I'm not convinced they're real corn tortillas, because the smaller ones you'd get in California, the ones mexican restuarants use for their chips and for their hard shell tacos, well I tried these name brand tortillas, and they don't fry as well as the Cali corn tortillas! What makes the UK corn tortillas different from the brand Guerrero?

My mom sent me some Guerrero tortillas via surface mail in December, and I barely got them! Do you think they're still good? They look ok, except for some white powderyness going on.....

Can I get these sort of tortillas in the UK? Or are the materials to make these tortillas available here?

Also, is there any mexican restaurants that make tamales! The beef ones..... Or could I make my own? I have no idea how to make tamales, so it would be great if someone could point me to an easy to follow recipe and let me know where to get supplies :/ As well as how to make good guacamole, like the kind we'd get at those little holed up mexican shaks :p

Can I get these sort of tortillas in the UK? Or are the materials to make these tortillas available here?

i have only ever seen these online (through Cool Chile Co.) or in a Mexican specialist deli in Edinburgh called Lupe Pintos, who also have a branch in Glasgow, and do mail order.