They are very much a mélange of Old and New World ingredients and ideas. The syncretism of modern-day Mexican cooking goes back a long way, really to very soon after the 1519 conquest. The conquistadores brought many ingredients over from Spain and their far-flung empire. Spain itself had been under Moorish domination for some 500 years, so their cuisine had a great deal of foreign influence.

A customary Mexican Christmas meal is usually served late on Christmas Eve. If it is a typical large family gathering, there are children playing all over the place while the adults sit and talk, and it´s fun.

As a guest not familiar with Mexican customs, you might be wondering when on earth the meal is going to be served. But it will eventually come - you can be glad that it is no longer usually served after a very late Catholic mass, la misa de gallo - and the table will be laden with dishes. There could be a turkey, often smoked, or roast leg of pork. Then the side dishes are generally all the three that appear below, or at least two of them. It´s quite a bit to cope with at this late hour but, cooked well, it´s really delicious and unusual.

I´ve given recipes for these dishes before, but I keep changing them as the years go by and other cooks give me ideas. So, I present to you this year´s versions of what is traditionally served in Mexico for the Christmas meal.

ROMERITOS CON TORTITAS DE CAMARÓN

This dish is a lot of work, so I am cheating a bit with this recipe as instead of making your own mole, you will be buying it at a market. You can choose what kind you would like, but, in my opinion, the darker the better. Romeritos are not rosemary, but rather a wild green which you can find at any supermarket at this time of the year.

3 1/2 pounds romeritos

1/4 pound dried shrimp

3 tablespoons finely ground toasted bread crumbs

4 eggs, separated

Vegetable oil for frying

1/2 pound mole en pasta

Chicken stock

1 large can tomato purée (puré de tomate)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

8 medium-size nopales (cactus paddles), cooked and diced

20 small new potatoes, cooked

Remove the romerito needles from the stalks. Discard the stalks and wash and drain the needles. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water with a pinch of baking soda to a boil, add the needles and boil for 20 minutes. Drain completely, squeezing out the water, and set aside.

Meanwhile, clean the dried shrimp, removing the heads. Put them on a baking sheet and dry them out in a 325°F/165°C oven for 30 minutes. Remove and cool completely.

Place in a blender and grind them fine, like the bread crumbs but not like powder. Remove to a bowl and mix in the bread crumbs.

Beat the egg whites until almost stiff and beat in the egg yolks one by one. Stir in well the dried shrimp mixture. In a heavy skillet, heat over medium heat about 1/2-inch of oil. When it is hot, add, without crowding, dollops of about 1 tablespoon of the shrimp mixture. Fry until golden brown on the bottom, turn over and fry until golden on the other side. Remove and drain well on paper towels. Repeat until all the mixture is fried.

Put the mole paste in a bowl and slowly beat in enough stock to make a thickish sauce (about 2 cups of stock). Heat a scant amount of oil in a deep clay casserole (cazuela) over medium heat. Add the mole (watch out as it will splatter) and cook for 7 to 8 minutes. Slowly pour in about 2 more cups of stock, the tomato purée, the oregano, cinnamon and cloves. Don´t salt as the shrimp fritter will still be somewhat salty. Lower the heat and cook for 15 minutes. Add the cooked nopales, the potatoes and the romeritos and cook for 10 minutes. Carefully stir in the shrimp fritters at the end and heat thoroughly. Makes 6 to 8 servings, depending on what else you are going to serve.

BACALAO A LA VIZCAINA

1 pound dried bacalao (cod)

1/4 cup olive oil

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 medium-size white onion, finely chopped

5 large tomatoes, roasted

1/2 cup stock

2 bay leaves

1 large sprig fresh thyme

1 large can tomato purée

1 4-ounce jar capers

12 small green olives stuffed with pimento

18 small potatoes, boiled

1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley

1/4 cup pickled (en escabeche) jalapeño chiles with some of the juice

Garnish: Pickled chiles gueros, if you can find them

Put the bacalao in a nonmetal bowl. Cover with water and soak, covered, for 2 days, changing the water frequently. Drain and cut the fish into pieces. Put in a large saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Cook for 1 minute and then drain. Remove and discard the skin and bones. Shred the bacalao and set aside.

In a large heavy saucepan, or clay cazuela, heat the oil over medium heat and cook the garlic and onion until they just start to brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Purée the roasted tomatoes with the stock and add to the onions with the bay leaves and thyme. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and cook until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes.

Add the bacalao, tomato purée, capers, olives, potatoes, parsley and jalapeño chiles with juice. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, until the fish is tender. Garnish with the chiles gueros. Makes about 6 servings, again depending on what else you are serving.

Vicky Cowal is a weekly contributor to The Herald Mexico. VickyCowal@prodigy.net.mx