Pavo en Relleno Negro
Yesterday we were invited out to Oxtapacab to celebrate Day of the Dead with the lady who cleans our house and her familia. Unfortunately, we had other plans and were unable to make the hour-long trip out there this time.
This morning when she and her daughter arrived to clean, which they do once a week, they brought a little pot of pavo en relleno negro with them, and a stack of handmade, homemade tortillas.
If you have never had a handmade tortilla, then you've never really had a tortilla. The tortillas that arrived this morning, still hot, wrapped in a handkerchief and in a plastic bag, are thicker and tastier than the store-bought or machine-made kind. They are about the size of a Mayan lady's hand, and they are patted down from a round ball of masa, or corn meal. Then they are laid on the grill, which in this case (we know from past experience) is the top of a fifty-gallon drum. They are cooked to perfection, which is just slightly toasted, and then usually dropped into a hollow gourd which keeps them warm. Eaten with a little bit of salt or a little bit of butter, or dipped into something, they are rich and chewy and delicious.
Pavo en relleno negro is probably unlike anything you've ever tasted or seen. It is turkey and polenta-like corn dumplings in a relleno negro sauce. The relleno negro sauce is, of course, the key. It is made from a number of ingredients (we're not cooks so we don't really know them all) the most important of which is burnt chiles de arbol. They are burnt black and then crushed up into the sauce. So when you eat this delicious souplike stew, it looks like you are eating turkey in motor oil.
We must admit, it's hard to put that spoon in your mouth the first time... Now it's a favorite. If you come to the Yucatan, be sure to try it!
Comments
Dan 18 years ago
On the subject of recipes, you might mention the remarkable series of books on Cocina Indigena y Popular, produced by the Mexican Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes. The Merida bookstores have some of them, but I saw the largest selection at the museum of anthropology. There are about 50 books, each costing only $3-$4, covering the regional cooking of much of the country. Some titles: "La dulceria en Puebla", "Las flores en la cocina mexicana", "Aroma y sabores de Nuevo Leon", and "Recetario de pescados de Sonora". I'm pretty sure there is one for the Yucatan, but I regret that I don't have it.
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Working Gringos 18 years ago
Leyda,
There are recipies for Pavo en Relleno Negro on the web, but they don't look right to us (as if Betty Crocker wrote them), so we'll research it a bit more and get back to you.
If we were to buy some beach property near Merida right now, we'd probably be looking in the Gulf Coast area between Telchac Puerto and San Crisanto. See our Links page for many of the realtors who offer properties around there.
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Leyda Campbell 18 years ago
I have been looking for a recipe for Relleno Negro, and have not been able to find one. I love it and would like to make it here.
We are also interested in finding some property on or near the beach in a quiet area. Do you have any suggestions.
Thankyou,
Leyda
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LG 19 years ago
Far and away my favorite Yucatan dish, Relleno negro is indeed black, tasty (might be highly spicy or not) and something one MUST try to believe how good it is. With half a hard boiled egg usually floated on the top of a serving, one is challenged to classify this dish. Never mind, just enjoy!
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Working Gringos 19 years ago
Manuelito,
it makes me happy to know we're bringing you a little bit of home...i know we miss the food here even when we go away for a few weeks!
hasta pronto!
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manuelito 19 years ago
as long as i understand here u guys have like 4 years living in merida and i have the same living in us do u have any idea how painfull it is for me to read all the informacion that u have about the foods here,but i love it and i wanna say that u guys have a very nice web site here about my city thanks for bringing my city a little closer.i can taste that relleno negro heheheh
manuelito
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Working Gringos 19 years ago
You are SO welcome! please chime in with any memories or comments that you have...I would love that.
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Anonymous 19 years ago
Hi!
I have been reading all the information you have in your blog?... sorry not too good with computer lingo. Anyway i am soooo glad that I found it! I live in Rialto California and was born in Merida Yucatan. I love the stories and the pictures they make me miss home! hopefully I will go back soon. Keep up the good work and thanks!
Gina Matthews
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Working Gringos 19 years ago
That would have been a good idea...sorry! And its too late now, we ate the whole thing. It was spicy and delicious. Next week, she's bringing us something else...stay tuned!
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Yucatejano 19 years ago
Great photo! Give us a look in the pot next time!
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