I have always loved Mexican food. As Winnipeg is seriously lacking in Mexican cuisine, whenever my travels brought me to the USA I would always seek out Mexican food. And I must admit that the food served in North Dakota differs greatly from that in Arizona. But when  arrived in Culiacan in 2010, I discovered what real Mexican food is.

I have lived in Culiacan, Irapuato, Guadalajara and now Mazatlan. The food in Sinaloa is definitely different than in Jalisco, and Sinaloa wins hands down. I have always wanted to take a course in Mexican cooking. The opportunity finally arose this month when I saw an ad on Find It Here Mazatlan.

Sofia Vargas is a very talented young lady whose new business enterprise is called Kahlo’s Kitchen. In fact, I was a part of the inaugural class of five gringas yesterday. Sofia and her mother were our teachers and they are to be commended for their efforts. The menu was selected well, and we were all drooling by the time we sat down to lunch.

Sofia and her mom demonstrated, but also let us become involved in grilling vegetables, preparing salsa as well as creating chilis rellenos. And of course we were great samplers of both jamaica and margaritas. Sofia had also prepared handmade cookbooks for each of us with all the recipes.

It was interesting to see how the vegetables were grilled, and the aroma was tantalizing.

Next came preparing the salsa, And it goes without saying that we sampled it as well.

Then came cooking the jamaica. Once it was chilled, small bits of canteloupe and watermelon were added. Extremely refreshing in the Mazatlan heat! Here is a photo of the hibiscus flowers before cooking.

Next was an explanation of various types of cheeses that are used to stuff the chilis. The tray provided us with samples of oxaca, chihuahua, panella and a regional organic cheese. Once stuffed, Sofia’s mom prepared the batter to dip the chilis in before frying. Doesn’t this look incredible?

We were also shown how to prepare red rice. It’s amazing how a simple tomato sauce turns plain rice into such a delicious delicacy.

The mango margaritas were awesome! Fresh fruit and tequila and no flavored syrups here. Salt and spice on the rims.

We then were treated to a sumptuous chocolate flan for dessert. it’s amazing how the flan separates from the cake batter as bakes.

I can hardly wait until the next class!