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Words on Food: James Beard

" I have often said, when people complained about the time it takes to cook, that one can do a fine dinner for guests in an hour—an unforgettable dinner."
--James Beard in "James Beard's Menus for Entertaining," Delacorte Press, 1965.

Breakfast in Oaxaca

Breakfast in Oaxaca is as dazzling as the brightly colored handwoven tops the local women wear. Who could possibly want toast, scrambled eggs or oatmeal instead of this vibrant food?

Certainly not me.

Early each morning, before the sun drove the chill from the quiet streets, I would walk  down García Vigil and  cross busy Independencia to the  two zócalos, lush with trees. Passing the cathedral and the sidewalk cafes, largely empty at that hour, I would come to the Mercado Benito Juárez, crammed with indigenous clothing, herbs, fruits, vegetables, cheeses, mole pastes and much more.

A little farther, and I was in the cavernous, cheerful  Mercado 20 de Noviembre,  where cooks would tempt me with black mole tamales, empanadas stuffed with earthy Oaxacan cheese, entomatadas (rolled tortillas coated with tomato sauce)  and other  treats.

At the Comedor Chabelita, where I usually ate,  I might order salsa de queso—cheese in a  bowl of spicy tomato sauce, accompanied by fragrant corn tortillas. A tall glass of foamy, just-squeezed orange juice would come from a nearby stall.  Sometimes I would have coffee, and sometimes chocolate de leche, sweet spiced Oaxacan chocolate dissolved in hot milk and served with an airy bun called pan de yema.

Roving vendors would urge me to buy wooden spatulas, molinillos for beating hot chocolate, handcarved cocktail picks and  bookmarks crowned with animals. An aged beggar woman often came by for a peso or two and any leftover tortillas.

Shift to Los Angeles and the scene is quite different, but the breakfast is the same. Through the window, I can see cars passing on Pico Boulevard, but in front of me is a sumptuous plate of salsa de queso, seasoned with epazote like the salsa in Oaxaca.  On the side are beans blacker than night and a  coarse, chewy handmade corn tortilla as large as a dinner plate. I have chocolate de leche, brewed with chocolate from Juquila, Oaxaca. And there is pan de yema, if I want it.

This breakfast is served in the new dining room of  Tortillería y Antojitos Expresión Oaxaquena, a shop
that sells freshly made tortillas,   Oaxacan cheese, mole pastes, chiles de agua and other essentials,  along with excellent Oaxacan dishes. The food was mostly for takeout, because the shop lacked adequate seating.

Now there is plenty of room at tables set with bright checked Oaxacan cloths and colorful napkin holders shaped like fruits and vegetables. A green chapulín (grasshopper) is embedded in the floor at the entrance, a tribute to the tiny insects that Oaxacans like to eat.

The restaurant is open all day, but I usually go for breakfast. One day's $4.99 special included two empanadas— handmade corn tortilla turnovers--filled with quesillo, which is a long strip of  Oaxacan cheese formed into a ball; squash flowers and epazote. This came with guacamole so fresh it contained chunks of just-cut avocado; very good nopales (cactus) salad and a tiny container of black beans seasoned with anise-scented Oaxacan avocado leaf.

A memela is a long oval tortilla spread lightly with asiento, the savory remnants from frying pork fat;  black beans and melted Oaxacan cheese. Containers of avocado salsa and a fiery roasted red chile salsa come on the side.

Another option is salsa de huevo—eggs instead of cheese in tomato salsa. When you order these dishes, you also get a platter of chips drizzled with mole sauce and sprinkled with shredded cheese.
That's a lot of food for a very small price.

Breakfast drinks include chocolate de agua, made with water, as well as the richer milky hot chocolate. And the tortillería serves wonderful, cinnamon-scented coffee in a giant mug for only a dollar.

If you prefer to go later in the day, there's a full range of Oaxacan food, such as the pizza-like clayudas,  chicken with black mole and tacos and burritos filled with Oaxacan meats

The dining room isn't staffed, so you may have to go to the shop, which has a separate entrance next door, to pick up a menu and alert someone that you want to eat. . Then a waitress will come into the dining room to take your order and bring the food.  I usually pay my bill in the shop, which gives me a chance to see what Oaxacan goodies are on hand and to take home a bag of chips, which are as good as any I've found in Los Angeles.

Tortillería y Antojitos Expresión Oaxaquena is located at 2201 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles. Tel: (323) 766-0575. Hours are 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, to midnight on Friday and 3 a.m. Saturday night.

Shopping for Salpores

Salpores are the Salvadoran version of a scone, less rich  but equally  wonderful with a cup of coffee. You'll find them at all Salvadoran panaderías  (bakeries) and at Mexican panaderías where Salvadorans shop. The most common types are golden salpores de maíz (made with corn flour), pale salpores de almidón (yuca flour) and salpores de arroz (rice flour).

My favorites are the corn salpores at Pacific French Bakery in Los Angeles, because here they're given a special touch. Dollops of rich brown sugar are pressed into  the surface, so that you get not only mellow corn flavor but now and then a tantalizing burst of  sweetness.

Corn salpores are three for $1 at Pacific French Bakery,
4152-4160 Washington Blvd., Los Angeles. Tel: (323) 735-1700.