The students are often asking us, "Hey, do Mexicans eat turkey at Christmas?" Some do, although you'll find the ones in Oaxaca are often not exactly plump and juicy. Personally, I like a good bacalao, reflecting our Spanish roots, at Christmas but, for those of you who HAVE to have a turkey...

Here's a recipe from the El Sol de la Costa (Puerto Escondido) website for Turkey Mole. Some of the chiles you may need to get at a Mexican or Latin American grocery store.

Here's an easy recipe for a dessert we've made at a school a number of times. Advanced students can use the Spanish version:

Cold Lime Pie

Ingredients

1 package of Maria-type¹ cookies
¾ cup of butter (softened)
1 can of sweetened condensed milk (300 ml)
1 package of regular Philadelphia Cream Cheese (250 gr)
½ cup of fresh lime juice (never use concentrated lime juice!)

Preparation

Grind the cookies in food processor to a powder and mix them with the butter into a dough. If you think the dough is too dry you may need to add more butter.

Cover the pie mold with the dough and put it in the freezer for 10 minutes to harden.

Put the cream cheese, condensed milk and lime juice in food processor at high speed until mixture is smooth and creamy. Pour mix into the hardened pie crust. Even out the mix on the crust.

Put it in the freezer for at least 3 hours. And switch it to the fridge 30 minutes before serving.

¹Maria is a type of cookie you should be able to find at any grocery that carries Latin American or Spanish products

Pay Frío de Queso y Limón

Ingredientes

1 paquete de galletas marías
1 1/2 barra de mantequilla (ponla en una taza en el microondas por 20 segundos para suavisarla)
1 paquete de 80 gm. de queso philadelphia
1 lata de la lechera
1/3 vaso de jugo de limón

Se muelen las galletas y se le añade la mantequilla suavisada y se revuelven hasta hacer una pasta suave. Ahora forras el molde con esta pasta (trata de apretar con una cuchara para que quede firme y sin ningún hoyito. Mete en el congelador para que se vaya endureciendo, y espera 10 minutos. Luego en la licuadora mezclas el queso philadelphia, la lechera y el jugo del limón, una vez que apagues la licuadora inmediatamente vacíalo sobre la base del pay endurecido y con una cuchara trata de emparejar dentro del molde. Ahora mételo por 3 horas en el congelador y cuando los saques sírvelo con un vaso de leche fría.

To continue our series on Oaxacan street food, we turn to the hamburger:

The Oaxacan version is probably a little different than what you're used to at home. For one thing, hamburgers here always come with a thin slice of jamón, which isn't literally "ham" but more like "luncheon meat". Along with the usual condiments like lettuce, mustard and ketchup, you get slices of jalapeño pepper. A common variation is the Hawaiana which, like the Hawaiian pizza, comes with pineapple. They usually come with cheese, like a nice slice of manchego.

There are hamburger carts everywhere, especially later in the evening. This picture was taken at our personal favorite: the Hamburguesas al Carbón stand on Avenida Universidad, near the Plaza del Valle shopping center. There is a bit controversy as to whether the other, identical-looking stands around town with the same name are locations of the same "chain" or, merely impostors of the original.

In any case, wherever you try an authentic Oaxacan hamburger, you'll be glad you didn't go to McDonald's or Burger King!

If any of you have been to Oaxaca, and done even the slightest bit of street food sampling, you're probably familiar with the tlayuda. If so, skip this next paragraph...

Tlayuda, here in Oaxaca, refers to a large, toasted corn tortilla (as differentiated from the blanda, which is soft). It also refers to a tasty treat made with such a tortilla: something like a pizza, with various toppings but, always including asiento (a type of lard), beans (prepared in a sauce-like consistency), and cheese, either quesillo or queso fresco. Usually, these tlayudas will come with one of Oaxaca's traditional meats: tasajo (a cut of beef), cecina (a spicy pork cut), or chorizo (spicy sausage), although you can get a meatless one too.

As is the case with all Mexican antojitos, each person prepares their tlayuda differently. Probably the most famous tlayudas are at Tlayudas Libres, in Oaxaca's centro. The Libres establishment is featured in Lonely Planet, and they now have various locations throughout the city. Now, let me be clear: they make a fine tlayuda at Libres but, personally, I prefer the Cenaduría Lupita, better known to locals as Las Tlayudas del Atoyac.

At Libres, the focus is on the topping: your tlayuda comes with a mountain of cheese, shredded cabbage, brimming over with beans and the sauce of your choice and, of course, plenty of your favorite meat. The result is a filling meal but, the tortilla is almost lost in the explosion of tastes. At Atoyac, the tlayuda -- the tortilla itself -- is the focus: toasted to perfection and coated with just the right amount of beans and cheese. Instead of sauce, slices of deliciously spicy chiles de agua are provided and you can add as many or as few as you like. They also bring you chepiche, a flavorful herb, and radishes, as optional garnish. In addition to the "traditional" meats I mentioned above, you can also get falda de costilla: delicious pork ribs.

Another advantage of the Tlayudas del Atoyac: they open at 3 p.m., whereas Libres doesn't open until 9:30 p.m. Whereas Oaxacans generally eat tlayudas for dinner, or as a late-night snack, we know our foreign students are often hungry enough for a filling dinner long before 9:30! The big disadvantage of Atoyac is its location: prohibitively far from the centro for visitors without their own transportation. Taxi is the best bet (any taxi driver will know "las tlayudas del Atoyac").

Here's a great short video made by our friend Karina Ruiz exploring the delicious phenomenon of Oaxacan street food. Warning: may cause hunger pains!

The song "Oaxaca, Oaxaca" in the video is sung by local legend Rey Oh Beybi. It's from a compilation CD called "Canto Callejero de Oaxaca."

iTunes Music Store link for "Oaxaca, Oaxaca"