I’ve mentioned it several times, but I’m a big fan of quelites. The word is an umbrella term for any wild, native Mexican green, usually one that has small leaves (smaller than spinach or chard).
Mexico City supermarkets don’t sell them. I usually find them on the outer edges of the tianguis, where the vendors often come directly from farms. They set up directly on the sidewalk and sell gorgeous, non-uniform produce: round, plump squash with raised ridges; prettier than usual squash blossoms, tortillas, tlacoyos, and bags of these quelites.
In the past I’ve bought quintoniles, which have a purplish tinge. But last week I saw another type of quelite I’d never bought before — quelite cenizo. The name translates to “ash quelite,” because some of the leaves look like they’ve been dipped in ash. My batch was pretty much all green.
I’ve never paid more than 15 pesos (just over a dollar) for a kilo of quelites. They don’t cook down as much as spinach does, and they’re highly nutritious, so there’s really no excuse not to buy them.
What do you do with quelite cenizo?
As is the case with most quelites, you can stew them. In Mexico, this is known as “guisar.” The traditional preparation calls for washing the quelites very well beforehand — they tend to collect a lot of dirt — and them simmering them gently in a pot of water until tender.
From there, you can chop them up (or not, if you’re lazy like me) and sautee them in chopped onion and garlic. You could add a chile sauce, like tomatillo with serrano. But I like them plain. After cooking, you serve them with beans and tortillas.
Last night I used my quelite cenizo as an enchilada filling. Post on that to come. I’ve also mixed them with vegetables and served them over quinoa.
What does quelite cenizo taste like?
They’re mild and slightly sweet, similar to quintoniles and other quelites I’ve tried. The great thing about them is they don’t turn slimy once you’ve simmered them in water. All quelites I’ve tried, including one called nabo, hold their texture.
If you eat quelites, let me know below — what’s your favorite way to prepare them?
8 Responses to Adventures in Mexican produce: Quelite cenizo
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Who is Mija?
Mija is Lesley Téllez, a food writer and culinary guide based in Mexico City. In 2010 I co-founded the tourism company Eat Mexico.On FB!
I am lucky the Jackson Heights farmer’s market on NYC sells quelites in the summer (never asked which kind). I like to stuff green Italian peppers with feta and quelites a la mexicana con carne: onions, garlic, tomatoes, serranos and ground beef. I bake the peppers in salsa roja and serve with rice or burgul wheat.
We too are fascinated by the variety of quelites.
Having lived in Louisiana for a while, we ate collards, mustard and turnip greens, which never seem to be available in most of Mexico. When you can find nabos, you wonder what became of the greens.
Would be interesting to know how quelites nabo came to be so called.
Wow. Yum. I hadn’t thought about a chile-type filling before… hmmm…
Awesome! These definitely look like some version of what we call lambsquarters or goosefoot (see the shapes of the leaves). It’s a really common weed, at least in the US, and here in Cambridge/Boston it grows everywhere, especially in the tree-wells that line city sidewalks. Loving disturbed ground, it also pops up in gardens, and our local farm grows some of the best around (inadvertently). The “ash” you mention — a dusty covering under the leaves — are a hallmark characteristic.
Like the amaranth (quintoniles) you posted earlier, these are basically best as a “potherb”: steamed or briefly boiled/blanched and then (or just) sauteed with some oil, garlic, and pepper. Or used as a Spinach substitute. (Unlike amaranth, however, I find that goosefoot, at least when young and tender, is even edible raw; so I find myself grazing on it as I walk through the city — making sure, of course, to pick above the dog-pee line.)
We’ve been blanching and freezing a bunch this summer so we’ll have some this winter. No great recipes yet, but we’ll definitely have to try some Mexican style preparations. Do let us know if you come up with any other good uses!
Love the new site design, from the talavera tile to the rosa mexicano border, it’s all beautiful.
Congratulations on your new “look.”
Quelites take some getting used to but
are tops on my list of healthy Mexican
greens.
Happy Eating!
Lynda
Mi abuelita cocinaba el quelite con huevos revueltos. Siempre encontrabamos el quelite a la orilla de la villas del tren. Hoy vivo en Texas y no he mirado quelite en las tiendas. Cuál será el nombre en inglés?? Alguien sabe?
[...] a few years ago on a sidewalk in the Roma. A woman was selling it out of a big plastic bag, and I, ever the quelite-scouter, stopped to ask her: “Qué tipo de quelite es?” She said flor de nabo. I loved how [...]