Recipe: Achiote Paste Used At Palenque Restaurant In San Diego

Achiote Paste Used At Palenque In San Diego
Contributor: Palenque Restaurant, San Diego

1 tb annatto seeds
1 ts black peppercorns
1 ts dried oregano
4 whole cloves
1/2 ts cumin seeds
one-inch piece of cinnamon stick
1 ts coriander seeds
1 ts salt
5 cloves garlic; minced
2 tbsps white vinegar
1 1/2 tsps flour

Makes about 1/2 cup Use a pepper mill or coffee grinder to grind the annatto seeds. Mix the ground annatto with the peppercorns, oregano, cloves, cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, coriander seeds and salt. Grind together using a pepper mill or a molcajete, a Mexican mortar and pestle. Add the minced garlic, using a fork to blend it together. Add the vinegar and flour, mixing it all into a paste.

Maria Luisa Vilchis (this is her old, family recipe) does most of the cooking at Palenque, where she prepares dishes from Veracruz, Puebla, Yucatan and other regions of Mexico. Throughout the year, she tries to coordinate the menu with Mexican cultural traditions. Used at the restaurant for: cochinita pibil, chiles en nogada (pasilla chiles stuffed with pork, beef and fruits and covered with a walnut sauce) and pozole, a soup made with pork and chicken stock.