|
 It’s not likely you’ll find a good, heavy molcajete made of the densest basalt (lava rock) for sale in the United States, simply because the best ones weigh and cost a lot, and there’s not a huge call for them. Light-weight “tourist” models look nice on the shelf but are so rough and porous that you’ll forever be finding grit in whatever you grind in them. In Mexico, we suggest you search through the markets for a stall that primarily sells mortars and metates (the sloped flat grinding stones). When you see a local buy one, choose something similar (Rick loves the solid-feeling, nearly smooth ones that hold 3 to 4 cups and have a decorative pig or ram’s head carved on the side).
 To season your molcajete, grind a handful of wet, raw rice in it once a day for several days, until you’ve smoothed out some of the rough edges in the bowl and the rice no longer looks dirty. This takes a little elbow-grease, but it’ll give you a chance to practice the traditional grinding technique. Hold the metlapil (the pestle) in your hand so that your fingers are parallel to its length (not wrapped around it), with the smallest end toward your palm. Keep your wrist rather loose to allow you to rotate the pestle easily around the bowl while exerting an even pressure from your palm. Wrapping your fingers around the circumference of the pestle is not only awkward (since the fleshy underpart of your hand gets in the way), but it encourages a pounding motion, which is not what this is all about.
When making salsa in the mortar, the idea is to work the ingredients together a little at a time. Start with the hardest (or most difficult to grind) items, because you’ll need a little more time and space to get them to the consistency you want. Then work in the softer, juicier stuff, though avoid the temptation to fill your mortar too full or you won’t have space to grind uniformly.
|
