Otra vez en Morelia

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Update on what happened in Morelia:

Went to see Avatar 3D in spanish (for half the price as in the states)...AMAZING!!!! Apparently this movie took 14 years to make and you can totally tell with the colors, the imagination with the characters, and in 3D it was superb. I mean, it had all the same ingredients as a typical hollywood film (action, romance, sequence of events), but it was a slightly new storyline which made it original. And I could understand 95%!o(MISSING)f the spanish = thumbs up.

More dancing....

Made some more good food...including learning how to make enchiladas! I jotted down some notes while learning and tried to formalize the recipe, but there it is below. I was sad to leave Morelia, but am okay to leave my friend's complicated love life - at the time he was juggling 2 ex's and a pursuit all at the same time! Goodness...

I'm here now in Oaxaca and will post soon about it! Love,
Mon

ENCHILADAS DE CHELA (serves a LOT, like maybe 20 people)
25 Chiles Guajillos (fresh)
12 Potatoes
15 Carrots
3 Garlic Cloves
1 Tbsp Salt
1 C Water
1/2 Green Cabbage
2 White Onions
2 Kg corn tortillas (about 60...but they´re the small ones, 5" diameter)
Cheese (optional)
Limes (optional)
More Salt, Cooking Oil

Split the chiles and remove the seeds and stems. Put in a pot and cook until soft. In another pot cook the carrots and potatoes until soft - when they are done, remove from water, remove the ends of the carrots, peel the potatoes (optional), and roughly cube potatoes and carrots (about 1/2" on each side), then cook again in a pan with oil and salt to desired brown-ness, set aside when done. When the chiles are soft, remove from water and place in a blender with garlic and the 1 Tbsp of salt. Blend until smooth then strain through a colander into an empty bowl. Pour the water through the colander over what´s left in it to get more flavor out, then toss what´s left in the colander. Chop the cabbage into thin strips and finely cube the onions, put in their respective bowls and set aside. Coat a pan with oil, take a tortilla, dip in the chile mixture, lay flat on the pan and sprinkle onions and optional cheese all over. Cook about 20 seconds and then roll or fold the sides into each other and move to the side of the pan to keep warm while you cook more in the middle. Repeat until the pan is full and then serve them on a plate with the potatoes, carrots, chopped cabbage, more optional cheese, and optional limes. With a shot or two of tequila - riquísimo!

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Photos

Purhepecha dancers in the square
traditional indigenous dance involving lots of foot stomping with sandals and masks of old people. they walk around hunched over then suddenly come to life with the music in the background.

La fuente de las tarrascas
my favorite statue in morelia and popular meeting place. three bare-breasted women holding a humongous platter of produce and food.

Chilaquiles verdes!
The counterpart to the red ones...deliciosos! con aguacate, salsa mexicana, crema, queso... with papaya on the side and fresh orange juice.

Learning to cook enchiladas!
Chiles guajillos

Cook and chop potatoes and carrots
check

Cook the potatoes and carrots again
with more salt and oil...mmm...

White onions
chop finely

Don´t forget the tequila!!
this is very important

Blend chiles
and put them in a bowl so that you can dip tortillas in them!

Enchiladas de Chela
my friend who taught me how to cook this wonderful meal