Let's Cook Some Mexican Food Trivia Quiz

Answer: fresh produce

Poblanos are green chili peppers. They are about the same size as sweet green peppers (which can be used when you can't find poblanos). As a last resort, you can use canned mild green chilies usually found in the international food aisle.

Answer: scramble the eggs together, divide into 4 equal parts

Many professional cooks use their hands, by letting the white fall through their fingers, while cupping the yellow in their hand. You can break the egg into a device made specifically to separate eggs. Most have an area just large enough to hold the yellow, causing the white to fall off. I prefer to pour the egg from one half of the shell to the other half, being careful not to break the yellow while the white falls away.

Answer: minced

Minced is the smallest of all these terms. Chopped is cut into irregular size pieces that can range from small (minced) to large (coarse). Diced is cut into regular size cubes and can also go from small to large. Julienned is cut into long, thin pieces (think match sticks).

Answer: scrape what you can off last night's garlic bread

You can buy minced and chopped garlic in jars at the grocery. A little crushing in the pan or skillet makes the pieces just the right size. Garlic presses are inexpensive and work well. You can find them at the grocery or gadget stores. Chefs simply put whole cloves on the cutting board, lay a butcher knife on top, and press down with their hand. A meat mallet also works.

Answer: Paste and sauce are not the same.

Tomato paste has been cooked for a few hours, is very thick and has a highly concentrated tomato taste. Tomato puree has been briefly cooked and tomatoes forced through a strainer. Tomato sauce is the 'lighter, thinner' version of cooked tomatoes.

Answer: Flat-leaved parsley

To most people Cilantro adds a citrus taste like lemon or lime but others find that it tastes like soap, a flavour few people want added to their food. The difference lies in a genetic variant that affects an olfactory-receptor gene that is sensitive to aldehydes, chemicals involved in our sense of smell and taste. The number of people affected varies between ethnic groups but in some populations over 20% have the gene variant.

You can use other herbs in the preparation of Mexican food to replace Cilantro as well as parsley but they all affect the overall taste in some way. Flat-leaved parsley is probably the most neutral of the options available as it is in the same family as Cilantro. Adding a squeeze of lemon or some lemon zest as well as parsley to the dish can produce a similar taste and look as Cilantro, thus making the dish as close to the original recipe as is possible.

However, herbs like basil, Thai basil, or a chopped mixture of dill, tarragon, and oregano can also be used; the dish won't taste quite the same but it should provide an acceptable variation.

Answer: the amount you can hold between your thumb and finger

Most recipes call for teaspoons or tablespoons of spices. It's important to be accurate with measuring because too much or too little spice can really ruin a dish. Some chefs keep salt (kosher) and pepper in bowls. The amount you can pick up between your finger and thumb is a 'pinch'.

Answer: dredge

Dredging or coating would be the correct terminology. You definitely get sticky fingers doing this. Drudge is a website run by Matt Drudge.

Answer: Pour sauce over well drained chilis.

You can put the sauce in an oven safe dish and place the chilies in the sauce, then keep them warm in a moderate oven until all are ready to serve. The sauce is an important part of this recipe.

Answer: chili rellenos con queso

Chilis stuffed with cheese are rellenos con queso. Chilis stuffed with spicy minced meat (called picadillo) are yummy too but I didn't have enough room to share the meat recipe with you, sorry. Enchiladas are tostados stuffed with meat, chicken or cheese, and covered with 'red' sauce and baked.