‘Lo Tengo‘ – ‘I have it’, the store with EVERYTHING, Patzcuaro, Michoacán.

‘Lo tengo‘ – ‘I have it’ – this should be the motto for the state of Michoacán in Mexico. I was first there in 1976 and keep going back. As do the Monarch butterflies (hopefully).

Some of my favourite places in this state: Morelia for its elegance and architecture, Uruapán for its waterfalls and coffee, Parícutin because of the story and Patzcuaro just because (too many things to list). And then there’s the food. Below is the menu from my Mexican cooking class featuring the food of Michoacan, taught by Rossana Ascencio.

Monarch butterflies migrate to the hills above Morelia – here one settles on the mossy ground

Michoacán Menu

Sopa Tarasca: Although similar to other forms of  ‘tortilla’ soup, at least in the garnishes of cream, cheese, avocado, crumbled pasilla chiles and deep-fried julienned tortillas, this soup has a base of pureed tomatoes, Guajillo chiles and Flor de Mayo beans. (How to we made it.)

 La sopa Tarasca with all the fixings: cheese, cream, julienned deep-fried tortillas, crumbled pasilla chiles and avocado

To accompany the soup, we made Tacos de Carnitas con Guacamole, a dish from Uruapán. (How to we made them.)

Tacos de Carnitas con Guacamole

Along with the sopa and tacos we had Agua de Horchata, a cool refreshing drink based on strained rice, toasted cinnamon, milk, sugar and ice. (How we made it.)

Agua de Horchata

The main course was a complex (and filling) mix of enchiladas, vegetables and chicken called Enchiladas Placeras Estilo Pátzcuaro. (How to we made them.)

Enchiladas Placeras Estilo Pátzcuaro

The dessert was  Wildberry Atole ‘Custard’ with Home-made Almond Ice Cream. In Spanish the ice cream is called ‘pasta de nieve’ that translates to ‘almond paste of snow’. (How to we made it.)

Wildberry Atole with Almond Ice Cream

Chef Rossana, our Mexican Cooking Class instructor, is on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MiMetate