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I really want to call our first dish what it is, which is Mexican Shrimp Cocktail. But this version has so little to do with the American version that I didn't want to confuse anyone. CHILLED SHRIMP COCTEL is its own unique dish, and the name is the only similarity with the dish that you're thinking about. Whole poached shrimp are soaked in a sharp, slightly spicy tomato sauce with some garlic, crunchy vegetables, and chili peppers, then served topped with fresh avocado. This dish is part ceviche, part gazpacho, and all awesome.

Mexican street corn, or elotes, has become quite popular as of late. If Trader Joe's has a snack that's flavored like something, I consider it officially here to stay (those chips are delicious by the way.) In case you don't know, elotes is a very popular street food in Mexico, and consists of grilled corn that's slathered with a garlicky, lime-infused sauce, grated cheese, and maybe a few other condiments. It's delicious, and with a few smart changes makes a particularly nice hot casserole. That's what I'll be doing this week with my ELOTES CASSEROLE, with grilled-then-cut corn, queso fresco, mild chilis, and scallions, all ready to warm in the oven. This is a great way to have a real-deal street corn experience in a way that makes sense with a proper dinner.

TATEMADO DE COLIMA is one of the many, many pork dishes in Mexican cuisine. This one uses dried chilis for heat, which is a nice contrast to our other items this week, which use fresh chilis for that necessary bit of heat. While traditional recipes employ bone-in pork, I've chosen boneless pork shoulder for this rendition. Chunks of pork shoulder are slow-baked in a sauce of mild vinegar, garlic, dried chilis, and ginger until everything is tender and flavorful. I'll be serving this with some lightly pickled red onions and radishes, the traditional way to balance the bold rich flavors of the dish. This is a rich, saucy, meat-centric dish that still manages to not be too heavy, and it's a great way to have some traditional Mexican flavors that aren't easy to find around here.

While our main item this week can be served with a variety of sides, I think personally think it's perfect with a well-seasoned rice pilaf, specifically NEW MEXICAN GREEN RICE. Green rice, also called arroz verde or arroz poblano, is a typical rice dish in Mexcian cuisine that features toasted rice and roasted green peppers as the central ingredients. I'll be taking that a step further with a healthy dose of green herbs and toasted garlic, making this rice something that could even be the main part of a meal. This isn't some boring rice side dish that comes with your enchiladas at that local Tex-Mex spot... and when paired with the our hearty main item, this bright-yet-comforting rice shines even brighter.

Chocolate mousse is one of my favorite "forgotten desserts." As in, everyone loves it, but nobody serves it. I guess it feels too "old school"? Well we don't just follow trends around here, old school is perfectly fine if it's the good stuff. This week's MEXICAN CHOCOLATE MOUSSE is definitely the good stuff, with a distinct Mexican flavor direction. We'll start with a very nice dark chocolate mousse of course, adding cinnamon to bring it towards Mexican chocolate (chilis are also often added, but we don't want those in this particular dessert.) We could stop there and everyone would be happy, but I'm an overachiever... so we'll finish this with some fluffy whipped cream and crushed up spice cookie for complexity. The finishing touch will be some chopped up toffee from my good neighbor down here in Little Italy, MFG Toffee and Bark Co. Kathy, the owner, makes some particularly excellent toffee, and she's got just the one to top this mousse with and take things to the next level. Deep, dark, fluffy chocolate mousse spiced with cinnamon, whipped cream and spice cookie, then crunchy toffee to finish things off... what's not to like?