January 12, 2007, The January kitchen, Romeritos & Shrimp with Mole Poblano, By Gonzalo Martínez

The holidays might be over in other parts of the world, but here in Mexico we celebrate throughout the month of January. Mexicans’ kitchens, the hearts of our family homes, are filled with women—mothers, aunts and abuelas cook as families gather to continue the holiday fiestas.

After New Year’s Day comes the Feast of the Three Kings on January 6, a wonderful holiday when children put out their shoes before going to bed, hoping to find them magically full of toys in the morning. The big treat is rosca de reyes, a sweet yeast bread ring decorated with candied fruit and baked with a little baby Jesus doll inside. Whoever gets the baby in his or her slice must throw a party on February 2, el Día de Candelaria, which finally brings an end to the Christmas season.

When I was growing up, our family always spent New Year’s at our grandparents’ rancho in Tabasco, where they raised everything from cattle to cacao. It was a huge family gathering, with aunts, uncles and cousins, and the tradition was not to bring anything, since our grandparents considered the honor of our company to be enough. A cow and a pig were killed right on the patio and provided so much meat that we always had leftovers to share with friends and neighbors.

The January holidays feature special dishes such as shrimp and nopales (cactus) soup. Romeritos are in season, and they are added to shrimp cakes in a soupy tomato sauce. Don’t confuse romeritos with romero (rosemary). Romeritos are a green, weedy herb that have a bit of a lemon flavor. And, of course, tamales are the tradition. In Tabasco, the tamales are square, full of chunks of meat and wrapped in banana leaves. But here in San Miguel, they are made of masa and rolled with chile, meat or dried fruits inside.

Why are tamales so popular? First of all, they are not expensive. If you are very poor, you fill them with chile. If you have some money, you add chicken. And if you have lots of money, you fill them with beef or pork. Maybe you’ll have nothing to eat for the rest of the week, but every Mexican family has tamales at New Year’s. Since they are time-intensive and require a special steamer for proper cooking, I suggest you don’t try to make them, but instead buy them from one of the many women who are steaming up their kitchens this month, cooking tamales both sweet and savory. Find them in the mercados before they sell out at noon or at Las Monjas.

I hope your New Year is a creative one and that you spend some adventurous time experimenting with Mexican dishes. ¡Felíz Año Nuevo!

This is a typical Mexican dish with sautéed shrimp and mole, based on a recipe that traditionally uses dried shrimp cakes instead of fresh shrimp. Serves 6 people.

Ingredients:

6 diced nopales, cleaned and washed

1 lb. romeritos

2 tablespoons salt

2 ½ liters of water

2 cups mole poblano (available at the grocery store or mercado)

12 large shrimp (size 16/20), peeled and deveined

In a sauce pot, cook the diced nopales with the salt for 15 minutes. Add the romeritos and cook another 15 minutes. Drain the water and reserve.

In a sauté pan, heat the mole poblano then add the shrimp. When it comes to a boil, add the nopales with the romeritos and simmer for 10 more minutes.

Serve with fresh, hand-made tortillas.

Gonzalo Martínez is the executive chef at Casa de Sierra Nevada ( www.casasierranevada.com ). Born in San Miguel, he spent 12 years working with renowned chefs in some of the finest US restaurants, including the legendary Windsor Court in New Orleans. Each month in Atención, Gonzalo shares recipes and secrets of seasonal products and innovative Mexican cooking.