Rick Stein: The Road to Mexico: 120 Vibrant Recipes from California and Mexico

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For the mole, rinse and clean the chillies. Remove the membranes, stems and seeds, reserving a few teaspoons of the seeds. Toast the chillies in hot dry frying pan for about 20 seconds until fragrant but not burnt, then soak them in a bowl of just-boiled water for 20 minutes. Drain and set aside. In the same pan, add about 1tbsp of oil and brown the beef in batches, setting it all to one side when you’re done. You might need to add more oil as you go. To make the batter, sift 125g/4½oz plain flour, the baking powder and pinch salt into a bowl. Make a well in centre and break in the egg. Bring in the flour from the sides to make a paste then whisk in the cold water to make a smooth batter.

We’d even go to the effort of mixing up some chopped tomato into a salsa, mashing up an avocado, sour cream and coriander into guacamole to make it what we thought was more authentic. Toast the guajillo chillies (no oil) in a heavy-bottomed pan until aromatic and slightly smoking but not charred, then put them into a bowl and soak them in the 450ml of boiling water until step 5 (or at least 20 minutes). In a dry heavy-based frying pan, toast the guajillo chillies until fragrant but not burnt. Transfer them to a bowl and pour over 450ml of just-boiled water. Leave them to soak for 15–20 minutes. In the same pan, dry fry the tomatoes and garlic until softened and charred. Set aside the tomatoes and garlic until cool enough to handle, then peel off and discard the garlic skins and quarter the tomatoes, skin and all. Heat a tablespoon of lard or oil in a large flameproof casserole dish and brown one third of the beef. Transfer to a plate and then repeat until all the beef has browned, adding another tablespoon of lard or oil as needed. To make the guacamole, pound the chilli in a pestle and mortar with the onion and ¼ teaspoon of salt, into a lumpy paste. Add the avocado and break up the flesh roughly with a fork. The result should be lumpy not smooth. Stir in the lime juice, to taste, and the chopped coriander.

Tip the remaining 50g/1¾oz flour into a shallow bowl and season generously with salt and pepper. Mix together the breadcrumbs and coconut in a seperate bowl. Add the remaining lard or oil to the pan and fry the onion for 3–4 minutes until softened. Add the cumin, oregano, allspice and bay leaf. Cook for 2 minutes. Preheat the oven to l60°C/gas mark 3. Heat the oil in a large lidded casserole pan over a medium-high heat, and brown the pork on all sides. Remove the meat from the pan and add the onions, garlic, chillies and green pepper Sauté until beginning to char then add the vinegar and tomatoes and scrape any bits from the bottom of the pan.

Heat a tablespoon of lard or oil in a large flameproof casserole and brown the cubes of beef all over. It’s best to do this in batches, adding another tablespoon of lard or oil as needed. Transfer each batch of meat to a plate. Then add the remaining lard or oil to the pan and fry the onion for 3–4 minutes until softened. Add the cumin, oregano, allspice and bay leaf. Cook for 2 minutes, then turn off the heat. Preheat the oven to 180°C/ Fan 160°C.To make the pico de gallo, mix all the ingredients together with ½ teaspoon of salt in a bowl and set aside. In the same frying pan, dry fry the tomatoes and garlic until softened and charred. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then peel off and discard the garlic skins and quarter the tomatoes. Important: don’t taste this sauce yet. It will put you off, make you think you’ve wasted your time and induce much anger. It tastes like sour over-brewed tea. The tomatoes have to cook more and the beef will infuse beautifully. Give it time.

Chilli con carne was a staple in our house. beef mince in a spicy tomato sauce with a tin of kidney beans served with white rice – it did its job.Meanwhile, to make the chipotle crema, mix the chipotles en adobo, soured cream and mayonnaise with a squeeze of lemon juice and a pinch of salt and set aside. We first heard of carne con chilli with our friends Clare and Dave – our mates we visit as often as possible in the UK. Add 1tbsp oil to the pan and soften the onion over a medium/high heat. Add the bay leaves, oregano, cumin and allspice, and cook for another few minutes. The kind of food in The Road to Mexico is so versatile. These quesadillas made an excellent lunch, but I can also imagine serving them as a brunch or part of a colourful Mexican evening feast. A+, I say. Would recommend to a friend. Place the soaked chilies and roughly 150ml/5fl oz of their soaking liquid into a food processor. Add the garlic, tomatoes, salt and chipotles en adobo and blend until as smooth as possible.

Large chunks of slow-cooked beef brisket in a deep dark rich sauce, full of spice and smokiness. Two types of chilli peppers and a special sauce known as adobo, as well as at least two hours stewing, make this an unctuous, hearty dish. Toast the chillies in a frying pan on a high heat for about 20 seconds until fragrant but not burnt. Place them in a bowl and cover with boiling water for 20 minutes. Drain and set aside. This is a sumptuous, relaxing dish perfect for a dinner party as you can make it ahead of time and have everything ready for whenever everyone’s ready to eat.

Combine the sugar cumin, smoked paprika and salt and rub all over the pork, working it into the scored skin. Leave at room temperature for half an hour or in the fridge overnight. So run home I did. I marked the slow cooked stews (Beef Barbecoa with Chipotle, Garlic & Oregano, I’m coming for you) and myriad of feasting recipes for a later date and flipped straight to the Street Food chapter, for speedy craving satisfaction.