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A little about Playa Zipolite, The Beach of the Dead . . .

Playa Zipolite, Oaxaca, Southern Mexico, on the Pacific Ocean. A little bit about my favorite little get-away on this small world of ours.

Zipolite, a sweaty 30-minute walk west from Puerto Angel, brings you to Playa Zipolite and another world. The feeling here is 1970's - Led Zep, Marley, and scruffy gringos.

A long, long time ago, Zipolite beach was usually visited by the Zapotecans...who made it a magical place. They came to visit Zipolite to meditate, or just to rest.

Recently, this beach has begun to receive day-trippers from Puerto Angel and Puerto Escondido, giving it a more TOURISTY feel than before.

Most people come here for the novelty of the nude beach, yoga, turtles, seafood, surf, meditation, vegetarians, discos, party, to get burnt by the sun, or to see how long they can stretch their skinny budget.

I post WWW Oaxaca, Mexico, Zipolite and areas nearby information. Also general budget, backpacker, surfer, off the beaten path, Mexico and beyond, information.

REMEMBER: Everyone is welcome at Zipolite.

ivan

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

THE FRONT BURNER Opening up to tastes of Oaxaca By MARCIA VANDERLIP Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Opening up to tastes of Oaxaca

A few months ago I bought a bottle of Vida, an organic mescal. It is made in the "lush, remote mountains and valleys of Oaxaca (wa-ha-ka) Mexico," a region I have long dreamt of visiting. When I opened the bottle to taste this twice-distilled mescal, I think I was expecting something akin to a fine tequila, but this was very different. It smelled of tobacco leaves and was a little like a very earthy, rustic, smoky scotch. Vida was also a little rough, I decided. I put it away.
Some months later, while sniffing spices at the World Spice Merchants in Seattle, I found some dried pasilla chilies from Oaxaca. I could not resist these smoky, deep red chilies. But I didn't actually use them until last weekend while I was making stock from chicken bones. I didn't have much to put in the stock, so I threw in a couple of carrots and a dried pasilla. I was rewarded with a rich, complex stock that was just a little smoky.
I put the stock in the refrigerator and pondered what I would do with it. That very night, I was watching "Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown." He was in Oaxaca watching the old-school cooks make tortillas over outdoor fires—and he was happily drinking shots of that smoky mescal.
The place and the people seemed beautiful, and once again I wanted to go to Oaxaca. But since I cannot, I decided to make Oaxaca-inspired soup, as my stock was already pasilla-infused.
Many elements of this soup are based on a vegetarian garlic and pasilla chili soup from a 2006 "Food and Wine" issue about Jacques Pépin in Mexico. I added the chili/chicken broth and shredded rotisserie chicken. I used less garlic (the other recipe used a whole head) and tortillas rather than bake croutons as the garnish. Next time I make it, I might cook the chicken in the pot with the chilies.
Regardless, this soup was seriously delicious, and it transported me to a place I have never been — maybe it was Oaxaca. I think I'll sip a shot of that smoky mescal with my next bowl. I have acquired a taste for Vida.

PASILLA CHILE AND CHICKEN SOUP

Look for these chilies in the Mexican section of markets, or in Mexican markets. I found good Oaxaca pasillas at World Spice Merchants at worldspice.com. I used three chilies: one in the stock and two soaked in the stock.
1 quart chicken stock, simmered with a pasilla chili
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 pasilla chilies
1 medium onion, diced
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 big tomato, diced
1 teaspoon of salt (to taste)
1/2 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano (Greek or Italian will do)
2-3 cups shredded, cooked chicken
Warm corn tortillas or fried tortilla strips
Make a simple stock with chicken bones, 1 quart of water, onion, carrots, celery and a dried chili. Refrigerate and skim off the fat. Reheat the stock, and when it begins to boil, pour it over two pasilla chilies in a bowl. Keep chilies immersed for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, sauté the onions and garlic for about 5 minutes, then add the chopped tomatoes, oregano and the chicken/pasilla broth. Heat to boil, then simmer for about 30 minutes. After it cools a bit, blend in small batches for a smooth broth. Serve hot with warm tortillas (or fried strips), avocado slices, cilantro and a squeeze of lime. It is also good with a dollop of plain yogurt or shredded Mexican cheese such as queso fresco.
Servings: 4

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ivan