Mise en Place: A Gilda Teaches a Cooking Class

I'm madly gathering the fresh ingredients--tomatoes, tomatillos, onions, cilantro, chiles--that I'll need to teach a cooking class at Casa Carmen. Travel is by foot, mind you; I've covered many a mile between the market and my house today and not on flat terrain. When someone asks you how long it takes to get somewhere in San Miguel de Allende, the response should be: 10 minutes downhill, 25 pesos (by taxi) uphill.

What's more, it's never a straight shot from any two places, because you always run into someone you know and, before you know it, you've taken a detour for churros and chocolate. Life here is slow and hurried at the same time. Slow because you take time for friendship, hurried because if you want to get anything done, you need to limit your leisure time.
But, today, I'm on a mission.  I'm staying focused.   Even the most basic lesson about sauces that appear frequently at the Mexican table--pico de gallo, salsa de molcajete, and a salsa made with dried guajillo and cascabel chiles--require preparation!

So many sauces, so little time. We'll start with a visit to the Ignacio Ramirez market to identify some of the ingredients and then return to Casa Carmen to roll up our sleeves.

Stay tuned!