For years I'd been reading about mixiotes, chile-marinated meats wrapped in the skin of the maguey plant, and had yet to track down the exotic wrapper in the country's marketplaces. Until recently.
The maguey, or century plant, dots the Mexican landscape and are commonly associated with pulque, that milky lightly fermented beverage that predates mezcal. But that's not all. The tough outer skin of each giant pointed leaf is peeled off, and used as a wrapping before the meat is pit cooked to perfection. What a thrill then, to find a bundle of the rare specimen, beautifully wrapped, while wandering the market in Jalapa.
Their texture is tough and very much like parchment paper - even stronger - and you can still see the pointed ends from the original leaf shape.
Once home, I used a Diana Kennedy recipe for mixiotes as a springboard. I created a chile paste using toasted guajillo and pasilla chilies, soaking them in a mixture of hot water and beer. The beer is a substitue for the pulque - which I couldn't seem to locate in my neighbourhood!
Here and garlic were handground in my trusty molcajete and add to the chile mix. Blended together they became a smooth, velvety paste to be slathered over meaty beef ribs to marinate for 12 hours.
Once the maguey skin was soaked in hot water and unfurled and one rib per leaf, with extra chile marinade was gift wrapped.
Traditionally, mixiotes would be steamed-cooked in a pit, but I had to suffice with a big roasting pan and the packages elevated from the bottom with a rack and steamed with beer and water for two hours.
I served the dish with garlic mash and green beans, and allowed each guest to unwrap their gift at the table.
Completely delicious. Completely exotic.
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