Citrus Chicken with Carrots and Baby Potatoes

Posted on by Pati Jinich
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4.50 from 8 votes

Citrus Chicken with Carrots and Baby Potatoes

Citrus Chicken with Carrots and Baby Potatoes recipe from Pati's Mexican Table Season 4, Episode 4 “Summer Evening Party”
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 25 minutes
Total Time1 hour 35 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: carrots, ceylon, chicken, Chipotle, cinnamon, cloves, lime, orange juice, pati's mexican table, potatoes, Tomatoes
Servings: 4 to 6 servings
Author: Pati Jinich

Ingredients

  • 1 pound roma tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 4 pounds chicken pieces such as thighs, breasts, drumsticks, patted dry
  • 1 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt or to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
  • 2 cups chopped white onion
  • 4 garlic cloves pressed or finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
  • 1/4 teaspoon true or ceylon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder or to taste
  • 1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice
  • 3/4 pound carrots peeled and diagonally sliced into about 1-inch pieces
  • 1 pound baby red potatoes

Instructions

  • Broil, char or roast the roma tomatoes until completely charred, mushy and juicy. If under the broiler, it will take about 9 to 10 minutes, flipping once in between. Once cool enough to handle, chop and place in a bowl, including the seeds and all the juices.
  • Heat oil in a large casserole or a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Add the chicken pieces and brown for about 4 minutes per side. Remove the chicken pieces and place them in a bowl.
  • Add the onion and garlic to the casserole and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until completely soft and the edges begin to brown. Sprinkle with oregano, thyme, marjoram, cinnamon and chile powder, and give it a good stir. Incorporate chopped tomatoes along with their seeds and juices, as well as the orange and lime juice, mix well.
  • Add the chicken, carrots and potatoes, and gently spoon the chunky sauce all over them. Reduce heat to medium low and cook covered for one hour, flipping the chicken and moving the vegetables around, once in between.

Notes

Pollo con Limón y Naranja, Zanahorias y Papitas

Bell Peppers, Cucumber and Chickpea Salad

Posted on by Pati Jinich
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4.84 from 6 votes

Bell Peppers, Cucumber and Chickpea Salad

Bell Peppers, Cucumber and Chickpea Salad recipe from Pati's Mexican Table Season 4, Episode 4 “Summer Evening Party”
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: bell peppers, chickpeas, cucumber, garbanzo beans, jalapeno, mint, peppers, red onion, red wine vinegar, vinaigrette
Servings: 6 to 8 servings
Author: Pati Jinich

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
  • 2 tablespoons chopped red onion
  • 1 jalapeno chile stemmed, seeded and finely chopped, or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt or to taste
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 15.5-ounce can chickpeas rinsed and drained (or about 2 cups home-cooked chickpeas)
  • 1 red bell pepper stemmed, seeded, cut into “matchstick” slices (2-inches by 1/4 to 1/2-inch)
  • 1 yellow bell pepper stemmed, seeded, cut into “matchstick” slices (2-inches by 1/4 to 1/2-inch)
  • 1 orange bell pepper stemmed, seeded, cut into “matchstick” slices (2-inches by 1/4 to 1/2-inch)
  • 1 green bell pepper stemmed, seeded, cut into “matchstick” slices (2-inches by 1/4 to 1/2-inch)
  • 1 cucumber peeled, seeded, halved and sliced into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, beat the lime juice, red wine vinegar and oils with a fork or whisk until emulsified. Toss in the oregano, mint, red onion, jalapeño, and salt and pepper and whisk again until fully incorporated. Add the chickpeas, and let it all marinate while you prepare the rest of the vegetables. You can also cover and refrigerate the marinating chickpeas for up to one day.
  • When ready to serve, add the bell peppers and cucumbers, mix well, and set on the table.

Notes

Ensalada de Pepino, Pimiento y Garbanzo

Cherry Tomato & Red Wine Jam

Posted on by Pati Jinich
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4.60 from 5 votes

Cherry Tomato & Red Wine Jam

Cherry Tomato & Red Wine Jam recipe from Pati's Mexican Table Season 4, Episode 4 “Summer Evening Party”
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Course: Sauce
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: baguette, bread, capers, cilantro, goat cheese, jam, pati's mexican table, pine nuts, red wine, red wine vinegar, scallions, Tomatoes
Servings: 2 cups
Author: Pati Jinich

Ingredients

  • 8 cups cherry tomatoes
  • 6 scallions chopped into 1/2-inch pieces white/light green and green parts separated
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil plus 2 tablespoons
  • To taste kosher or coarse sea salt
  • To taste freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red chile flakes
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1/3 cup fruity red wine such as cabernet sauvignon or malbec
  • 2 teaspoons light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons capers
  • 3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
  • To serve:
  • 1 baguette cut into 1/2-inch pieces and grilled
  • 12 ounces goat cheese
  • 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves and upper stems
  • Fine crystal sea salt optional

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, toss the tomatoes, white and light green parts of the scallions, 1/4 cup of olive oil, and salt and pepper until the tomatoes are well coated. Pour onto a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  • Put the baking sheet in the oven and let the tomatoes wilt, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. They should be wilted but remain intact. Remove the tomatoes from the oven and cool to room temperature.
  • In a large sauté pan over medium-low heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the crushed chiles and garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the red wine, sugar and vinegar and increase the heat to medium. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until the wine reduces by more than half and becomes syrupy. Reduce the heat to medium low, add the tomatoes, capers, and pine nuts. Stir all to combine and let simmer for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and place in a bowl for serving.
  • Spread some goat cheese on the grilled baguette slices, top with some of the tomato jam, and garnish with cilantro and the remaining chopped green parts of the scallions. If desired, sprinkle with sea salt for just before serving.

Notes

Mermelada de Jitomate

Tomatillo Salsita

Posted on by Pati Jinich
salsa verde or tomatillo salsa
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4.84 from 6 votes

Tomatillo Salsita

Tomatillo Salsita recipe from Pati's Mexican Table Season 4, Episode 3 “Taco Night”
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Sauce
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: chiles de arbol, cilantro, garlic, onion, pati's mexican table, Tomatillo Salsita, tomatillos
Servings: 3 cups
Author: Pati Jinich

Ingredients

  • 1 pound tomatillos husked and rinsed
  • 1 chile de arbol or more to taste
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/4 cup cilantro leaves and upper part of stems
  • 1 thin slice of white onion or about 2 tablespoons roughly chopped white onion

Instructions

  • In a medium saucepan, place the tomatillos, chile de arbol and garlic clove. If you are unsure of how much heat you want, add 2 chiles de arbol. Cover generously with water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, or until thoroughly cooked and tomatillos are mushy, but not coming apart.
  • Transfer the tomatillos, garlic and 1 chile de arbol to a blender. Add the cilantro, onion and salt. Puree until smooth. Taste for salt and adjust if need be. If you want more heat, add the second chile de arbol.

Notes

Salsita Verde

Achiote Adobo Marinade

Posted on by Pati Jinich
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3.43 from 7 votes

Achiote Adobo Marinade

Achiote Adobo Marinade recipe from Pati's Mexican Table Season 4, Episode 3 “Taco Night”
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Course: Sauce
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: achiote paste, bitter orange juice, guajillo chiles, onion, pati's mexican table, pork, tacos
Servings: 2 cups
Author: Pati Jinich

Ingredients

  • 2 guajillo chiles
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 cup roughly chopped white onion
  • 2 tablespoons achiote paste
  • 1 cup bitter orange juice (or substitute with 1/3 cup orange juice, 1/3 cup lime juice and 1/3 cup white distilled vinegar)
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground true or ceylon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt or to taste

Instructions

  • Stem and seed the guajillo chiles. Toast them on a pre-heated comal or skillet, set over medium heat, for about 1 to 2 minutes per side until they are toasted, but not burnt. Place the chiles in a saucepan, add enough water to cover them, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer for 12 to 15 minutes until the chiles are plumped up and rehydrated.
  • In a blender, place the chiles along with 1/2 cup of their cooking liquid and the rest of the ingredients. Puree until smooth. Use as a marinade.

Notes

Adobo de Achiote

Tacos de Canasta

Posted on by Pati Jinich
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5 from 5 votes

Tacos de Canasta

Tacos de Canasta recipe from Pati's Mexican Table Season 4, Episode 3 “Taco Night”
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: cheese, cilantro, corn tortillas, epazote, garlic, green onions, jalapeno, onion, pati's mexican table, requesón, tacos, Tomatoes
Servings: 12 tacos
Author: Pati Jinich

Ingredients

  • Vegetable oil for frying
  • 1/2 -inch slice of white onion
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 12 corn tortillas
  • 1/2 cup finely sliced scallions or cebollitas de cambray in Mexico
  • 1 jalapeno chile seeded and finely chopped, more or less to taste
  • 1 pound roma tomatoes chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt or to taste
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro or epazote
  • 1 pound (about 2 1/2 cups) requesón or farmer’s cheese

Instructions

  • Prepare a basket: Line it with large, thick layers of plastic wrap to cover the entire interior of the basket (they should be big enough that they cover the interior of the basket and fold over the top). Place a couple kitchen towels in the bottom of the basket on top of the plastic. Lastly, add butchers’ style paper or parchment paper on top of the kitchen towels and on the side of the basket.
  • In a large skillet over medium heat, heat enough oil to come 1/2-inch up the sides of the pan. Once hot, add the onion slice and garlic cloves, let them brown for at least 10 minutes.
  • Pass the corn tortillas, one by one with a set of tongs, “through hot oil.” That is, quickly fry for 3 seconds per side, and set on a cooling rack or plate covered with paper towels, until all are done.
  • In another skillet, set over medium heat, pour 3 tablespoons of the onion and garlic seasoned oil. Once hot, add the scallions or cebollitas and chile, and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes until softened. Add the tomatoes and salt, and cook stirring occasionally, for about 8 to 10 minutes until completely cooked and mushy. Stir in cilantro or epazote, cook for a couple more minutes and remove from heat. In a mixing bowl, combine the requesón, along with the tomato mixture and season with more salt to taste, if needed.
  • Pre-heat a comal or skillet over medium heat.
  • One by one, add a couple tablespoons of the cheese and tomato mix into a fried tortilla and fold into a half-moon shape. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas. (You may eat them at this point, but they won’t be “basket” or “sweaty” tacos yet!) Place the filled tortillas on the hot comal or skillet. Heat thoroughly for about a minute per side.
  • Arrange the heated tacos in layers in the basket as they come off comal. Once you are done, add another layer of paper over the tacos, cover with another kitchen towel, and finally the plastic, which should fold over it all from the interior lining of the basket. Let the tacos rest and sweat (at least 10 minutes) and keep covered until ready to eat.
  • Serve with your choice of salsa, slices of Mexican avocado or pickled jalapeños.

Corn Tortillas

Posted on by Pati Jinich
homemade corn tortillas
Print Recipe
4.78 from 9 votes

Corn Tortillas

Corn Tortillas recipe from Pati's Mexican Table Season 4, Episode 3 “Taco Night”
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: Antojos, Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: corn tortillas, masa, pati's mexican table
Servings: 12 tortillas
Author: Pati Jinich

Ingredients

  • 2 cups corn tortilla flour
  • Pinch kosher or coarse sea salt
  • 1 3/4 cups water or enough for a Play Doh consistency may vary with climate

Instructions

  • Set a comal, griddle or ungreased dry skillet over medium heat for at least 8 to 10 minutes, until very hot.
  • Meanwhile, cut 2 circles about the size of the tortilla press plates out of thin plastic bags, such as produce bags from the grocery store.
  • In a large mixing bowl, mix together the corn tortilla flour, salt and the water and knead in a circular motion. It should feel smooth and without lumps, like Play Doh. Though, it shouldn’t be too wet or sticky. If it doesn’t feel smooth and feels coarse when you attempt to make the masa balls, add a bit more water. Masa dries out fast, so if you leave it unattended, cover it with a clean moist kitchen towel or cloth.
  • To make the tortillas, one by one, make dough balls of about 1 1/2-inch in diameter. Place one plastic circle on the bottom of the tortilla press and place the masa ball on top. Place the other plastic circle on top of the ball and clamp down the press to make a flat disk. As you clamp down the press, jiggle it a little as you are getting to the bottom, this makes for a rounder tortilla. It should be about 5-inches in diameter and about 1/8-inch in height.
  • If the edges of the tortilla seem cracked and jagged, the dough needs a bit more water. Once you have a tortilla with smoother edges, you are set. (Alternatively, you can place a ball of dough between two plastic pieces and roll the tortillas out with a rolling pin).
  • Open the press, take the top plastic off, lift the bottom plastic with the tortilla in one hand and peel the tortilla from the plastic with the other hand. I peel it with my right hand, as I am right handed. Lay it on the griddle, skillet or comal softly, but swiftly.
  • Once the tortilla is on the hot surface, don’t touch it for the next 30 seconds! Even if it didn’t lay completely straight, resist the temptation to fiddle with it. Let it cook until it can be flipped without sticking to the comal, just like pancakes, or until a spatula can easily lift it. Another sign that it is ready to be flipped, is it becomes opaque on the side that it was cooking on.
  • Turn over, and cook for a minute, until opaque and starting to get brown freckles on the side that is now on the hot surface. If it is opaque but it has white-ish areas, you need to leave it a bit longer until it becomes freckled with brown spots.
  • Turn over once more, and now after 10 to 15 seconds, the tortilla should puff up like pita bread, if not all over tortilla, at least in an area of it. If it is not puffing, gently tease it by poking with your finger softly in an area of the tortilla around the center. Once it puffs, let the tortilla cook for another 15 to 20 seconds, so that it cooks internally in the puffed up area. That is the difference between ok tortillas, and to die for, malleable, fully cooked, soft tortillas.
  • Transfer each cooked tortilla to a clean kitchen towel or a cloth-lined tortillero.
  • If eaten that same day, tortillas may be kept wrapped in a clean kitchen towel or cloth. If not, wrap in a kitchen towel, place inside a closed plastic bag, and store in the refrigerator. They will keep for up to 3 days, afterwards they will turn too hard. Reheat on hot comal for 30 seconds or so on each side before eating. They can also be frozen and kept for months.

Notes

Tortillas de Maiz

Churros Don’t Need Translating Anymore

Posted on by Pati Jinich

Some Latin foods don’t need translating anymore. That is the case of churros. Crisp and golden on the outside, soft and almost moist in the center, and covered in a gritty mix of sugar and cinnamon. They have to be some of the most, if not the most, irresistible fritters.

Mexicans don’t get the credit for inventing them though. That battle is still disputed between the Portuguese and the Spanish. But we do owe the Spanish for helping churros find their way to our Mexican kitchens, where we have found a way to make them our very own. More than five centuries later, so rooted they have become, it is hard to find a town, small or large, that doesn’t sell them.

You can find churros being sold by street vendors in little paper bags, in baskets, or in stands that have a heating light to keep them warm – people tend to underestimate how chilly Mexican nights can get. But there are also churrerías, places that only sell churros and different kinds of hot chocolate to accompany them.

Then there are extra dipping sauces that, of late, have become fillings. Some industrial churro press machines pump out churros with an inner tunnel that can be filled with dulce de leche or cajeta, chocolate or fruit jams. I go for the traditionally plain ones, without the inner tunnel, with cajeta or dulce de leche on the side to dip as I please.

churros

Just like other extremely popular street food goodies, many people have the misconception that something so good must be impossible to make at home. Well, wrong and wrong. All you need is a good recipe – and my boys and I did the legwork for you – and a churro-making tool.

On the recipe, it was a team effort. You know how many takes my boys sampled? The dough was too thick, then too sweet, then too crackly. Or once shaped into churros, it hardened too fast, its center dried too soon and the grooves didn’t stay smooth.

Finally, we nailed down the most irresistible and fool-proof one. With the recipe nailed down, the issue became the tool. As the perfect masa needs to be heavy and thick, it resists being pushed around in a cookie cutter or in a pastry bag. Ask my oldest son, he came to the kitchen to my rescue one too many times to help push the dough out from a cookie cutter press, we ended up breaking, and the pastry bag attempts were too much of a work out.

I finally caved. Though I am usually one to complain about stores trying to sell you special tools for certain cooking tasks, or for dealing with ingredients that do not require a special tool at all. Take the egg slicer, for example. Not only does it not work, it is messy and it does not make impeccable slices. Or the nutmeg grinder, nothing a normal grater can’t handle. I have to admit, the humble plastic churro press (less than $20 and many brands available online), is a great thing to have if you want fresh churros at home just about any afternoon.

Since the dough can be made in just a few minutes, you can have churros pressed and fried, seamlessly in less than a half hour.

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5 from 5 votes

Churros con Cajeta or Dulce de Leche

Some Latin foods don’t need translating anymore. That is the case of churros. Crisp and golden on the outside, soft and almost moist in the center, and covered in a gritty mix of sugar and cinnamon. They have to be some of the most, if not the most, irresistible fritters.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Cajeta, Churros, cinnamon, dough, Dulce de Leche, fried, pati's mexican table
Servings: 16 churros
Author: Pati Jinich

Ingredients

  • Vegetable oil for frying plus ¼ cup
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup sugar plus ¼ cup
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon plus ½ teaspoon
  • 1 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt
  • 2 cups flour
  • Cajeta or dulce de leche optional dipping sauce

Instructions

  • In a large, heavy and extended casserole, or cast iron, high-sided skillet, heat about 1 1/2-inches of canola oil over medium heat until the oil temperature reaches 350 degrees (or test with a piece of tortilla or bread; it’s ready when the oil bubbles actively all around it). It will take awhile to heat, so get this started before making the dough.
  • On a large plate, combine 1 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon. Set aside.
  • In a medium saucepan, combine the water, 1/4 cup oil, vanilla extract, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the flour all at once, turn off the heat and use a wooden spoon to stir vigorously until the mixture forms a dough as smooth as possible with no flour lumps. It will take about 2 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
  • Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip or a churro press. Pipe the dough into about 6 to 8-inch pieces (or if you want to replicate a churro store, pipe a rope-like dough of about 24-inches) and carefully place in oil. Fry for about 3 to 4 minutes, until golden and crisp, flipping in between. Use tongs to remove them and place on a paper towel lined baking sheet or drying rack.
  • While the churros are still very hot, toss them in the sugar and cinnamon mixture to coat. If desired, serve with cajeta or dulce de leche as a dipping sauce and Mexican hot chocolate on the side.

Mango Pecan Tart

Posted on by Pati Jinich
chardonnay mango tart
Print Recipe
4.15 from 7 votes

Mango Pecan Tart

Mango Pecan Tart recipe from Pati's Mexican Table Season 4, Episode 2 "Adventures in San Miguel"
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: American, Latin American, Mexican
Keyword: apricot, champagne, jamaica, Kent, mango, pastry cream, Pecan, Pie, tart
Servings: 10 servings
Author: Pati Jinich

Ingredients

  • 3 large, ripe champagne or Kent mangoes

For the crust:

  • 1 1/2 cups pecans
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
  • Pinch kosher or coarse sea salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 4 tablespoons cold butter

For the Pastry Cream:

  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch

For the glaze:

  • 1/4 cup apricot jam
  • 1/4 cup white wine from a bottle that you would like to drink

Instructions

For the crust:

  • Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place the pecans in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times until finely ground. Add the flour, sugar and salt and pulse again a few times until combined. Add an egg and the butter, pulse again a few times until thoroughly mixed and the butter has broken into the smallest of pieces, making it hard to distinguish it from the mix. The mix should resemble a coarse meal; it will not appear to be a homogeneous dough, but it will be all crumbles. That’s what you want.
  • Turn all the pecan mix into a tart pan with a removable ring. Press into bottom of the pan with your hands, leveling it all around. As you press, the mix will start looking like dough. Press a bit to the sides to form a 1/4-inch border all around.
  • Bake for 15 minutes, until cooked through and appears to be lightly golden. Let it cool completely.

For the pastry cream:

  • In a medium saucepan, set over medium heat, pour in the milk and vanilla, stir well with a whisk and let it come to a simmer. Just until it begins bubbling around the edges. Remove from heat.
  • In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks along with the sugar and the cornstarch. Slowly, in a thin stream and with the help of a ladle, pour the milk into the beaten eggs, whisking along to combine thoroughly until all the milk mixture has been poured. Transfer it all back into saucepan. Set over medium heat, stirring occasionally and keeping a good eye on it, let it come to a simmer. Simmer for about 1 to 2 minutes, until it thickens to thick cream consistency. You may stir with a spatula as it simmers so it doesn’t stick to the bottom. Remove from heat. Let it cool, wrap with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator until ready to use.

For the glaze:

  • In a small saucepan, combine the jam with the wine. Set it over medium heat. Stir or whisk a couple times, until it dissolves and it begins to simmer. Let it simmer 1 to 2 minutes. Set aside.

To assemble the tart:

  • When ready to assemble the tart, vertically slice the cheeks of the mangoes. With a small knife, cut around the cheeks to make it easy to remove from the skin, and scoop out with a spoon. Cut the cheeks into slices.
  • Pour the pastry cream onto the crust. Place the mango slices, going around the tart until you reach the center. With a pastry brush, brush the glaze all over the mangoes. If the glaze has cooled, heat for a few seconds until it becomes liquid again.
  • Place the tart in the refrigerator at least for an hour to set and chill.

Notes

Tarta de Nuez con Mango

Orange Blossom Rice

Posted on by Pati Jinich
Print Recipe
4.50 from 6 votes

Orange Blossom Rice

Orange Blossom Rice recipe from Pati's Mexican Table Season 4, Episode 2 “Adventures in San Miguel”
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: chicken broth, orange, orange blossom water, pati's mexican table, pepitas, pumpkin seeds, rice, scallions
Servings: 6 to 8 servings
Author: Pati Jinich

Ingredients

  • 2 cups long-grain white rice
  • 3 tablespoons corn or safflower oil
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped scallions
  • 4 cups chicken broth store-bought or homemade, or veggie broth or water
  • 2 tablespoons orange blossom water or the rind of an orange (trying to get the least amount of white pith, mostly the orange peel), agua de naranjo o de azahar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt or coarse sea salt
  • 1/2 cup raw and hulled pumpkin seeds lightly toasted

Instructions

  • Place rice in a bowl, cover with hot water, and soak for about 5 minutes. Strain and rinse under cold running water until the water runs clear; drain well. If you don’t have time to soak and drain the rice, you can skip this step…
  • Heat the oil in a medium saucepan or casserole, over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the drained rice and cook, stirring often, until the rice becomes milky white and feels heavy in the pan as you stir, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the scallions and stir and cook until softened, 2 to 3 more minutes.
  • Add the chicken broth, orange blossom water or orange peel, salt and stir. When the mixture starts to boil, cover the pot, reduce the heat to lowest setting and cook until the rice is cooked through and the liquid has been absorbed, about 20 minutes.
  • If the rice grains don't seem soft and cooked through, add a bit more chicken stock or water and let it cook for another 5 more minutes or so. Remove the pan from the heat and let it sit covered for 5 to 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside.
  • Serve and decorate with the lightly toasted pumpkin seeds.

Notes

Arroz con Flor de Azahar y Pepitas

Fish with Plums, Pasilla and Tequila

Posted on by Pati Jinich
Print Recipe
5 from 6 votes

Fish with Plums, Pasilla and Tequila

Fish with Plums, Pasilla and Tequila recipe from Pati's Mexican Table Season 4, Episode 2 “Adventures in San Miguel”
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: grouper, orange juice, pasilla, pati's mexican table, plums, red snapper, rock fish, tequila, Tilapia
Servings: 6 servings
Author: Pati Jinich

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil plus 2 more for cooking the fish
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 1/2 cups slivered white onion
  • 3 cloves garlic pressed or minced
  • 4 ripe plums halved, pitted, sliced
  • 4 to 6 pasilla chiles stemmed, seeded, sliced
  • 1/4 teaspoon brown sugar or to taste
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt or to taste, plus more to season the fish
  • 2 tablespoons silver tequila
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 6 tilapia fillets (about 6 ounces) skin on, or another flaky and mild tasting fish of your choice such as red snapper, rock fish, or grouper

Instructions

  • Heat the oil and butter in a large heavy skillet set over medium heat. Once the butter melts and begins to sizzle, before it browns, add the onion. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until it softens and begins to gently brown around the edges. Add the garlic, mix well and cook for another minute. Toss in the sliced plums and chiles, sprinkle in the sugar and salt, stir, and cook for about 6 to 7 minutes. The plums should be cooked and gently browned and the chiles softened.
  • Pour in the tequila, gently tilt towards the fire to ignite it, cook until flames disappear. Add the orange juice, stir, and cook for a couple minutes more. Set aside.
  • Heat a couple tablespoons oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Season the fish with a sprinkle of salt and freshly ground pepper. Sear the fish, skin side down first, for 2 to 3 minutes, until skin has crisped and browned. Flip the fish to the other side and cook until desired doneness, my choice is 2 to 3 minutes more.
  • Serve with a generous spoonfull of the chunky plum sauce on top.

Notes

Pescado con Salsa de Ciruela, Pasilla y Tequila

The Chicago Tribune: A bowl of charro beans answers a hankering

Posted on by Pati Jinich

“When I was growing up, my dad often would make a big pot of beans, usually navy, flavored with ham, and offer us kids bowlfuls. He’d eat them all himself, though. We weren’t eating beans. Are you kidding?

Flash forward a number of decades and, of course, I love having a pot of beans on the stove. Whether dad’s favorite or black beans, cannellini or cranberry, a bowl of beans is a welcome comfort.

A recent hankering sent me searching out a recipe for charro beans, a Mexican dish with more complex flavor than the typical refried beans. I’d had them at restaurants, but never cooked them. They prove simple to make, deriving their smoky flavor from a few ingredients. A version from TV cooking show star and cookbook author Pati Jinich, of ‘Pati’s Mexican Table’ on PBS, was just what I wanted…”

To read the entire article, click here.

Juju’s Mango Smoothie

Posted on by Pati Jinich
Print Recipe
4.84 from 6 votes

Juju’s Mango Smoothie

Juju’s Mango Smoothie recipe from Pati's Mexican Table Season 4, Episode 1 "Good Morning, Mexico!"
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time3 minutes
Total Time8 minutes
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: banana, breakfast, mango, orange juice, pati's mexican table, smoothie, vanilla
Servings: 3 cups
Author: Pati Jinich

Ingredients

  • 2 cups diced fresh mango or thawed from frozen
  • 1 teaspoon Mexican vanilla extract
  • 2 cups orange juice preferably fresh squeezed
  • 1 ripe banana sliced

Instructions

  • Combine the mango, vanilla, orange juice, and banana in a blender and puree until smooth. Add a couple handfuls of ice cubes and puree until well blended.

Notes

Licuado de Mango de Juju

Warm Nopalitos with Sauteed Corn and Guajillo

Posted on by Pati Jinich
Print Recipe
4.58 from 7 votes

Warm Nopalitos with Sauteed Corn and Guajillo

Warm Nopalitos with Sauteed Corn and Guajillo recipe from Pati's Mexican Table Season 4, Episode 1 "Good Morning, Mexico!"
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Aguachile, cactus, cactus paddles, Corn, grill recipes, Guajillo, Mexican, Nopalitos, noplales
Servings: 8 servings
Author: Pati Jinich

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons safflower or corn oil separated
  • 3 pounds fresh nopales rinsed, cleaned and diced
  • 1 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt or to taste
  • 2 garlic cloves peeled and finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup chopped white onion
  • 2 ounces (about 7 or 8 chiles) guajillo chiles cleaned, seeded and chopped
  • 2 cups fresh corn kernels from about 3 cobs, or thawed from frozen
  • 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice

Instructions

  • Heat two tablespoons of the oil in a large heavy skillet (that has a lid) over medium-high heat. Add the diced nopales, sprinkle the salt and stir for a minute or two. Place the lid on, reduce the heat to medium and let the nopales cook and sweat for about 20 minutes, stirring once or twice. They will have exuded a gelatinous liquid that will begin to dry out. Take off the lid, stir and make sure most of the liquid has dried up; if it hasn’t, let them cook for a couple more minutes until it does.
  • Pour in the third tablespoon of oil, mix with the nopales and incorporate the garlic, chopped onion, guajillo chiles and corn. Mix well and let it cook for about 3 to 4 minutes. Squeeze in a tablespoon of fresh lime juice, mix and place the lid back on. Let the nopales cook for another 3 to 4 minutes and turn off the heat. Taste for salt and add more if need be.
  • If you have any leftovers, they make a wonderful filling for quesadillas.

Notes

Nopales con Elote y Guajillo Salteado

Big Brunch Enchiladas

Posted on by Pati Jinich
Big Brunch Enchiladas
Print Recipe
4.67 from 6 votes

Black Bean Sauce Egg Enchiladas with Chorizo and Queso Fresco

Black Bean Sauce Egg Enchiladas with Chorizo and Queso Fresco recipe from Pati's Mexican Table Season 4, Episode 1 “Good Morning, Mexico!”
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Avocado, black beans, chipotles in adobo, Chorizo, corn tortillas, cotija, Eggs, Enchilada, goat cheese, pati's mexican table, Pickled Jalapeños, queso fresco
Servings: 12 enchiladas
Author: Pati Jinich

Ingredients

  • 3 cups cooked black beans and their cooking broth or 2 cans black beans, drained, plus 1 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons adobo sauce from chipotles in adobo sauce
  • 1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce seeded, optional
  • 2 tablespoons vinegary sauce from pickled jalapeños or escabeche
  • 1 pound Mexican chorizo casings removed, roughly chopped
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1/3 cup chopped scallions plus extra for garnish
  • 8 large eggs beaten with a fork or whisk until foamy
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt or to taste
  • 12 corn tortillas
  • 1 cup crumbled queso fresco cotija, farmer’s cheese, or goat cheese
  • 4 to 6 Pickled jalapeños seeded and chopped, optional as garnish
  • Ripe avocado slices optional

Instructions

  • Place the cooked black beans and their cooking broth, or water if using canned beans, in a blender along with the sauce from the chipotles in adobo and the vinegary sauce from the pickled jalapeños, puree until smooth. Place the puree in a medium saucepan and heat over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until very hot. Reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting and keep warm. The puree should have the consistency of heavy cream.
  • Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once it is hot, add the chorizo and cook, crumbling as it cooks with a wooden spoon or spatula, until it has browned and crisped, about 5 to 6 minutes. Scrape into a bowl, cover and set aside.
  • Pre-heat a comal or cast iron skillet over medium heat.
  • Meanwhile, heat the oil in a medium, or 10-inch, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the scallions and cook until soft and translucent and the edges begin to brown lightly, about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, pour in the beaten eggs, sprinkle with the salt, and cook, stirring often and gently, until desired doneness. I like to stop cooking the eggs when they are still soft and tender, not dry, which takes about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
  • Heat the corn tortillas, a pair at a time, on the pre-heated comal or skillet about 30 seconds to 1 minute per side. You want them to be completely heated and even slightly toasted. (Alternatively, the tortillas can be quickly “passed through hot oil,” that is quickly fried, 10 seconds per side, in pre-heated oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.) One by one, place the heated tortillas on a plate and spoon about 3 tablespoons of the scrambled eggs onto each tortilla. Roll and place on a platter seam side down. Continue with the remaining tortillas.
  • When all the tortillas are stuffed, rolled, and set on the platter, pour the bean puree on top. Cover with the cooked chorizo, crumbled queso and extra scallions. Add as much chopped pickled jalapeño as you like, as well as avocado slices.

Notes

Enchiladas de Huevo con Salsa de Frijol con Chipotle, Chorizo y Queso Fresco

Black Beans from the Pot

Posted on by Pati Jinich
frijoles de olla or black beans from the pot
Print Recipe
4.63 from 8 votes

Black Beans from the Pot

Black Beans from the Pot recipe from Pati's Mexican Table Season 4, Episode 1 “Good Morning, Mexico!”
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time1 hour 25 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: black beans, cilantro, epazote, onion, pati's mexican table
Servings: 5 cups, plus cooking liquid
Author: Pati Jinich

Ingredients

  • 1 pound dried black beans rinsed
  • 1/2 white onion
  • A few sprigs of cilantro or epazote optional
  • kosher or coarse sea salt to taste

Instructions

  • Place the beans in a big heavy pot and cover with enough water to cover the beans by at least 3-inches, about 12 cups of water. Incorporate the onion and bring to a rolling boil. You may also add cilantro or epazote. Let the beans simmer over medium heat, partially covered, for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the beans are soft and then add the salt. Don’t add the salt in the beginning, or it will toughen the beans.
  • Let them continue simmering for another couple minutes, or until the beans are so soft, they come apart if you hold one between your fingers, and the broth has thickened to a soupy consistency. If the beans are not yet soft and the broth is drying out, add more hot water. Remove the cooked onion and herbs with a slotted spoon before serving.

Notes

Frijoles de Olla

Campechanas

Posted on by Pati Jinich

Just four ingredients that you may already have at home make for one of the tastiest treats in the Mexican pan dulce repertoire: campechanas.

Not all panaderías in Mexico have campechanas though. And not all the panaderías that do carry them have fabulous campechanas. In fact, I have found that campechanas sold on the streets tend to be the very best ones.

Campechanas are one of the things I look for the moment I touch Valle de Bravo, a small town about a 2-hour drive from Mexico City. I grew up vacationing there with my family, and I still go as often as I can. It is a town whose campechanas are of the finest sort. Very puffy and dry with the perfectly crisp caramelized top, they are sold in thin plastic bags by the dozen in so many street corners.

It is practically impossible to keep them whole once you hold one up, or even as you try to take one out of the bag. The moment you take a bite, forget about it: it has crumbled all over the place into pieces that make for delirious bites. Once you have one, you can’t stop until there are no more.

Campechanas

When we visit Valle de Bravo, aside from eating them right there on the spot, I always bring extra back home. I place them all in a platter and start by breaking one and passing the plate around. A minute later, someone else broke the next one, and then another and another. A few minutes later, they are all gone. I laugh just remembering how we pass that plate around. My father-in-law, I think, is the one who can’t resist them the most.

Although it is called campechana, as if from the state of Campeche, as far as I have researched, that is not where its name comes from. Though pan dulce in this style can be found throughout the entire Yucatán Peninsula, which includes the state of Campeche. Ironically, they don’t seem to go by that name there.

This is how easy it is to make them: thaw puff pastry, roll it out, sprinkle it generously with sugar, and roll it again for the sugar to settle into the dough. Bake on a buttered baking sheet until they puff up and then raise the heat to caramelize the sugar. In less than 15 minutes, you are done.

My only warning is: watch out for the sugar not to burn. It’s not too much to ask with as simple a recipe as this one, no?

p.s. You can buy your frozen puff pastry in just about any super market. They are typically of phenomenal quality. If you insist on making your own puff, see how by clicking here.

campechanas
Print Recipe
4 from 4 votes

Crisp Caramelized Puff

Just four ingredients that you may already have at home make for one of the tastiest treats in the Mexican pan dulce repertoire: campechanas. Not all panaderías in Mexico have campechanas though. And not all the panaderías that do carry them have fabulous campechanas. In fact, I have found that campechanas sold on the streets tend to be the very best ones.
Cook Time11 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: pati's mexican table, puff pastry
Servings: 12 large campechanas
Author: Pati Jinich

Ingredients

  • 1 pound puff pastry store bought or homemade
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • Unsalted butter for greasing baking sheets
  • All-purpose flour to dust countertop and rolling pin

Instructions

  • If using frozen puff pastry, thaw for 20 to 30 minutes before rolling it out.
  • When ready to roll out, preheat oven to 400°F. Generously butter two baking sheets.
  • Flour your counter, as well as the rolling pin. Roll out both puff pastry sheets gently to about 9- or 10-inches by 11-inches. Cover them entirely with the sugar, as evenly as you can. Then, roll again with the rolling pin, with the purpose of not making the sheets larger or bigger but setting the sugar in the puff pastry.
  • Cut the sheets into rectangles of about 3- by 5-inches with a knife. You should have 12 chubby rectangles.
  • Place the campechanas on the baking sheets. Position rack in the upper third of the oven. One batch at a time, bake for 7 to 8 minutes at 400°F, then raise the oven temperature to 500°F and bake for an additional 4 to 5 minutes. Just until all sugar has melted and caramelized. Don’t let any extra minutes go by, or the caramel will burn and turn bitter.
  • Repeat with the other batch. Once cooled completely, cover so they will stay crisp.

Notes

Campechanas 

NBC Today: Game-changer guacamole

Posted on by Pati Jinich

I stopped by the Today Show to make a few of the avocado snacks we’ll be eating in my house for the Super Bowl. With some help from Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford, we ended up with quite a spread: Garlic Shrimp, Fennel and Orange Guacamole; Avocado, Roasted Asparagus and Cherry Tomato Salad; and Salmon topped with Greens, Bacon and Avocado. Watch the clip right here…

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

To get the recipes, click here.

Ponche: Or My Mom’s New Year’s Warm Fruit Punch

Posted on by Pati Jinich

My mom is the best cook I know.

Growing up in Mexico City, she used to make the most incredible ponche, or warm fruit punch, every New Year’s Eve. Just once a year.

My sisters and I used to pace up and down the kitchen as she peeled, diced and threw the ingredients – many of which were only available at this time of year in the markets – into a gigantic pot. To tame our impatience she would peel a few pieces of the fresh sugar cane meant to go into that pot, and cut it into smaller sticks, so we could chew and suck its sweetly tangy juice, ever so slowly, as we waited for the ponche to be served.

Coincidentally, the ponche was always ready as guests were about to walk in the door. Then, she would start ladling the ponche into big mugs as we each called out our requests. I asked for extra sugar cane and tejocotes, or crabapples, one of my sisters asked to have hers without raisins, another with no fruit but just the punch liquid, and another with extra fruit and no prunes.

After the kids were served, she would grab the bottle of rum and spike the ponche for the grown ups. Everyone held their cups with both hands, trying to sip as steam covered their faces with each attempt, as it used to be served so very hot.

As life sometimes goes, my parents divorced. A long time ago, actually. I must have been fourteen or so. Since then, my mom has only made ponche once for New Years Eve, at my in-laws in the small town of Valle de Bravo after my oldest son was born. It was as crazy good a ponche, as ever.

ponche ingredients

I am very lucky though. Although my parents are divorced, and I don’t get to spend New Year’s with all my sisters and their families and my parents, as if they were a couple still, we get together as often as we can. We are all growing old, of course, but everyone is still here, tagging along.

Most years, I get to spend New Year’s with my in-laws and my husband’s entire family. Although they don’t make ponche, my mother-in-law makes one mean tamal casserole, and all her grandchildren (they are so many!) have a blast. This year, I am planning on making for them my mom’s New Year’s punch. Maybe my mom will come visit, one never knows.

I am even more lucky, and you are too, because I called my mom yesterday morning to get some extra details on the recipe.

I am sharing the recipe with you to say gracias. Thank you for allowing me to come into your homes with my recipes and stories. Thank you for taking the time to write and say hi. Thank you for sharing with me your stories; for telling me what you have tried or hope to try in your kitchen. Also for telling me what you don’t want to try.

Because food connects us all. And because the ponche tasted almost as sweet yesterday when I made it for my boys, as when my mom used to make it for her girls. I hope it tastes even sweeter to you, for whomever and whenever you decide to make it.

With my best wishes for the new year and with all my gratitude,

Pati

ponche

P.S. This recipe is to start you off. You can also use any other fruits you fancy. Pears are great, so is pineapple. Other fresh and dried fruits, and even nuts, work their wonders when being simmered all together in a warm drink with a base of piloncillo and cinnamon.

ponche
Print Recipe
5 from 3 votes

New Year’s Warm Fruit Punch

My mom is the best cook I know. Growing up in Mexico City, she used to make the most incredible ponche, or warm fruit punch, every New Year’s Eve. Just once a year. My sisters and I used to pace up and down the kitchen as she peeled, diced and threw the ingredients – many of which were only available at this time of year in the markets – into a gigantic pot.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: apple, apricot, ceylon, cinnamon, cocktail, crabapples, guava, orange, piloncillo, prunes, Recipe, rum, sugarcane, tejocotes
Servings: 10 servings
Author: Pati Jinich

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces tejocotes or crabapples fresh or preserved
  • 3 quarts (12 cups) water
  • 2 true or ceylon cinnamon sticks
  • 8 ounces piloncillo about 1 cup packed if grated, or dark brown sugar
  • 1 pound sugarcane peeled and cut into pieces of 4" to 5” in height and ½" width, or thawed from frozen
  • 8 ounces yellow Mexican guavas cut into bite-sized chunks, or thawed frozen
  • 2 apples of your choice peeled, cored, cut into bite-sized chunks
  • 1/2 cup pitted prunes roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup dried apricots roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup raisins or to taste
  • Rind of an orange
  • 1/2 cup rum sugar cane liquor, brandy or tequila, optional

Instructions

  • In a medium saucepan, bring a couple cups water to a boil. Add the tejocotes, remove from heat and let them sit for 5 minutes, drain. If using the preserved tejocotes, just drain. Once cool enough to handle, peel them, cut them in half and discard their seeds.
  • In a large pot or clay pot, pour 12 cups water with the cinnamon and piloncillo, set over medium-high heat. Once it comes to a simmer, reduce heat to medium and add the sugar cane, along with the guavas, apples, prunes, apricots, raisins and tejocotes. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring every once in a while. Add the orange rind and simmer for another 10 minutes.
  • If you will take your ponche spiked, this is when you add the rum. Stir and cover until ready to serve.
  • Discard the cinnamon and orange rind before serving. Serve in mugs, trying to add a bit of each fruit.

Notes

Ponche de Año Nuevo

Mole de Olla

Posted on by Pati Jinich

I don’t think twice about eating a hot stew in the summertime. And, as far as I know, millions of Mexicans feel the same way.

You will see Pozole served in fondas in the middle of June, hot Caldo de Camarón as one of the most popular items on beach restaurant menus, and the famed Mole de Olla being ladled, sizzling hot from the pot, in markets all over the country at peak midday heat.

I’ve read that having something hot in the summer will actually cool you off. It turns out chiles are thought to have the same effect.  All these Mexican stews, quoted above, have rich broths that are usually flavored with one or more kinds of chiles.

I find these kinds of one-pot meals to be the epitome of how practical and creative human beings can be: economical, filling, and so tasty, they have all you need for a meal in a bowl. All cultures have their ways of making stews. In Mexico, Mole de Olla is a dearly loved one, and it is a dish that, unfortunately, hasn’t become popular abroad… yet.

Mole de Olla has little to do with the mole sauce so many people outside of Mexico equate with Mole Poblano. That delicious, super thick sauce made of dried chiles, seeds, nuts, spices, tomatoes, onion, garlic, chocolate, and numerous other ingredients ground together. Mole de Olla, however, (translates as Mole in a pot) is a revered stew.

As with many of the Mexican stews, the first step for a Mole de Olla is making a broth with the meat, along with some onion, garlic, and herbs. I particularly like to add fresh mint to mine. The meat is cooked until it is practically coming apart, and the broth is as flavorful as can be. The simmered herbs and veggies are removed, as by then they will be extremely mushy and most of their flavor transferred to the broth.

The second step is to take that rich-tasting broth to a higher dimension of flavor. A seasoning sauce is made with ancho and pasilla chiles, toasted sesame seeds, and tomatoes. Usually, xoconostles (a very tart and sour fruit of the cactus plant) are used, but since they are quite hard to find in the US, I substitute for tomatillos, which are tart, not as sour as xoconostles, but hey, they do the trick. The meat broth then simmers a second time as it marries with the seasoning sauce, adding so much depth of flavor: a gentle but addicting heat, a lovely acidity, and a whisper of nuttiness.

As a third step, fresh veggies are added. Corn, zucchini, chayote squash, green beans…but this time, the veggies are cooked just until tender and crisp and also full of flavor.

mole de olla

Mole de Olla is a humble dish. A stew made with a piece of meat and fresh veggies that are available year round. Yet, it turns out to be a full blown delicious meal. As anything Mexican, once it is set on the table and everyone gets a share of succulent meat, a lot of deep-tasting broth, and a share of all the veggies, extra garnishes are set on the table to dress it up and enhance the dish even more. You get a chance to squeeze in fresh lime juice to brighten up the stew, and you also get to spoon on crunchy and pungent white onion and cilantro.

This stew is a joy to eat. People eat it almost in a ceremonial fashion. Each person with a set style of their own. Some people eat the corn first, some people leave it for last. Some people first finish the broth and then go for the meat and veggies, or tuck them into tacos.

I eat a bit of everything as I move along. But one thing is definite: once I start, I don’t stop for a second, not even to look around. I sip a little broth, take a spoon with some veggies, some meat, more broth, and with my hands I take some bites of the corn… until there is almost absolutely nothing left in the bowl. At this point, I raise the bowl to finish the last sips of broth.

Then I wish for another go, just to repeat the experience. Though I always realize I am full, content, and feel so at home.

P.S. Fall is around the corner, and guess what, Mole de Olla is also fabulous for cold nights. So don’t store this recipe for the summer, keep it out, all year round.

mole de olla

Print Recipe
4 from 7 votes

Beef and Veggie Mole Stew

I find these kinds of one-pot meals to be the epitome of how practical and creative human beings can be: economical, filling, and so tasty, they have all you need for a meal in a bowl. All cultures have their ways of making stews. In Mexico, Mole de Olla is a dearly loved one, and it is a dish that, unfortunately, hasn’t become popular abroad… yet. Mole de Olla has little to do with the mole sauce so many people outside of Mexico equate with Mole Poblano. 
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Ancho, beef, chayote, Corn, green beans, lime, mint, onion, pasilla, pati's mexican table, stew, tomatillos, Tomatoes, Zucchini
Servings: 6 to 8 servings
Author: Pati Jinich

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds beef stew meat or beef shank meat cut into 1 1/2-inch to 2-inch chunks and bones added to the pot
  • 1/2 white onion
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 tablespoon kosher or coarse sea salt or to taste
  • 10 cups water
  • 1 large sprig of fresh mint or between 10 and 12 leaves
  • 3 dried ancho chiles stemmed and seeded
  • 3 dried pasilla chiles stemmed and seeded
  • 1 pound (about 4) ripe tomatoes preferably Roma
  • 1/4 pound (about 1 or 2 depending on size) tomatillos
  • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds lightly toasted
  • 2 chayote squashes peeled and cubed (about 3 cups)
  • 1 large zucchini cubed (about 3 cups)
  • 3/4 pound green beans trimmed and cut into about 1-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
  • 3 ears of fresh corn husked and cut into thirds
  • 3/4 cup finely chopped white onion for garnish
  • 3/4 cup Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
  • 3-4 limes quartered, for garnish

Instructions

  • In a large heavy-bottomed casserole or pot, place the meat, half onion, garlic cloves, bay leaves, mint and a tablespoon of salt. Cover with 10 cups of water and bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Skim off any foam that rises to the surface, and reduce the heat to low or medium-low heat, cover and simmer for an hour.
  • Meanwhile, place the ancho and pasilla chiles in a medium bowl, cover with boiling water and let them rehydrate for 10 to 15 minutes. Place the tomatoes and tomatillos in baking dish under the broiler, until they are completely charred and mushy, about 10 minutes. In a small skillet set over medium heat, place the sesame seeds and toast, stirring constantly, anywhere from 1 to 2 minutes until they start to become golden brown, but not completely dark brown.
  • In the jar of a blender, place the soaked chiles, along with 1/4 cup of the soaking liquid, the broiled tomatoes and tomatillos, and the toasted sesame seeds, and puree until completely smooth.
  • Remove the lid from the large casserole, remove the cooked onion, mint and garlic cloves (if some remains, it is totally fine) and pour the chile mixture in with the meat. Stir, cover again and cook for another half hour.
  • Remove the lid, raise heat to medium heat, add the cubed chayote squash and the corn, and cook partially covered for 15 minutes. Add the green beans and zucchini, and cook partially covered for another 10 minutes. Taste for salt and add more if need be.
  • Serve in bowls, making sure that each bowl has a serving of meat, corn, chayote, green beans and zucchini. Place white onion, cilantro and halved limes at the table, for people to add as last seasonings and garnishes.
  • Note: Traditionally, this recipe uses xoconostles, which are hard to find in the US. Instead, I use tomatillos, which have a similar tart flavor.

Notes

Mole de Olla

NBC Today: Lime-Rubbed Chicken & Mexican Red Rice

Posted on by Pati Jinich

I spent the morning at the Today Show, cooking up a couple of my favorite recipes for summer with Natalie Morales and Al Roker. We made Lime-Rubbed Chicken and, to go with it, Mexican Red Rice.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

To get the recipes, click here.

A Piece of Mexican Lime Pie

Posted on by Pati Jinich

Not for nothing is there a saying that goes “as American as apple pie.” Pie in the US is American comfort food of the first order.

Pie in Mexico is pay.

Pay: a sweet taste of el sueño Americano, a bite of the ideal life en los Estados Unidos. Just like a milkshake, just like a Hollywood blockbuster, just like being able to wear a pair of laid-back Levi’s jeans.

In the 80s, when I was a tween like my son Sami is today, my school friends and I would go for a thick and tall slice of pay, right after watching an American blockbuster film. Which wasn’t often. Back then, you had to wait anywhere from a few months to a year for any of these movies to make their way down to Mexico, if they ever did.

lime pie without topping
Cooled pay de limón next to freshly whipped meringue, en su punto, ready to be spooned on top.

Anyone who traveled to los Estados Unidos and had seen Indiana Jones, James Bond, Star Wars, E.T., or Superman when first released, was the envy of the entire grade. Once, and if, the movie made it to Mexico, we would stand in long lines to try to get tickets. Moviefone was decades from happening. Online tickets were light years away.

There was a movie theater located on top of the very tall and very modern Torre Comermex building on the corner of Periférico y Avenida Reforma. If you had gotten in line soon enough, or if you were lucky, you’d be allowed in and, by way of a sleek elevator up to the theater, to watch the movie that had been talked up f-o-r-e-v-e-r. And then some.

It was BIG.

lime pie topped with meringue
Fresh meringue capriciously spread on top.

On the bottom of the Comermex building, at street level, right next to the entrance to the parking lot, there was a popular coffee-shop style restaurant called Shirley’s. My guess, as well as my mother’s, was that it was named after Shirley Temple, but I never fact checked it. It had big glass windows, puffy and shiny plastic seats, waitresses dressed like those American waitresses from the blockbuster films and, bueno, waiters wearing bow ties.

Whether or not we were successful getting into a movie, we ended up in Shirley’s for  a slice of pay.

If we could do both, it was BIGGER than big.

If  you had more than five pesos, you could have a milkshake, too.

That was the BIGGEST. Ever.

Pay de limón with quickly baked meringue, right out of the oven.
Pay de limón with quickly baked meringue, right out of the oven.

We’d walk into Shirley’s wearing our jeans, our nicest sweater, our weekend shoes (I’d even wear a ribbon around my ponytail), and wait for our turn for a table. Once seated, I’d meticulously review the dessert part of the menu, as if I didn’t know it by heart. It was just really nice to read, again and again, all the pay choices there were. Ok, there were three choices, but three is more than one…

All the pay’s were chilled. There was pay de chocolate, an outrageous pay de plátano with whipped cream and an extremely flaky crust, and pay de limón. After you ordered your slice, you could see the waitress retrieve it from the fridge. Slices were gi-gan-tic.

lime pie with baked meringue
I love how baked meringue looks, so I took another photo…

Pay de limón was the most impressive, as the tart filling had a meringue top layer that seemed to pile up to the sky. As if the American cooks, all the way from up north, had ladled that meringue from the clouds. What was most impressive was how it held its height, as you ate your way through it.

There was a pop culture fever, and it is still true today that Mexicans seek out new and up-and-coming entertainment, fashion, and food fads from the US.

First slice out of lime pie
First slice out.

The Shirley’s closed. The movie theater at the top of the Comermex also shut its doors. The building was bought and redone, and it’s now a bank. No more pay’s there, that’s for sure.

This recipe tastes like that pay de limón from a Mexican era that has long gone.

It has a nod to the summery classic Key Lime Pie, but instead of key limes, what packs the punch are super plump and juicy Mexican limes. This dessert really gets all they’ve got, as it uses a generous amount of juice as well as the zest. All that tartness from the limes is rounded out by the sweet and creamy sweetened condensed milk. The filling is much more creamy and less gelatinous than what I remember, but I like it even more.

And, of course, there is a big puffy meringue on top but never as high. I don’t need it to be so tall, anymore.

lime pie
I did… ate the first slice.

To be honest, I feel as much excitement making this pay de limón for my boys, with the show stopping baked meringue on top and that irresistible tart and creamy filling, as when I used to eat a similar version in Shirley´s decades ago. Back when you had to stand in line to get a ticket to see a movie that you couldn’t even dream of downloading on an iPad.

Print Recipe
5 from 5 votes

Mexican Lime Pie

Pay de limón was the most impressive, as the tart filling had a meringue top layer that seemed to pile up to the sky. As if the American cooks, all the way from up north, had ladled that meringue from the clouds. What was most impressive was how it held its height, as you ate your way through it. There was a pop culture fever, and it is still true today that Mexicans seek out new and up-and-coming entertainment, fashion, and food fads from the US.
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: lime, Meringue, pati's mexican table, Pie, Sweetened Condensed Milk
Servings: 10 servings
Author: Pati Jinich

Ingredients

For the crust:

  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature, plus more to butter the pie dish
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • Pinch kosher or coarse sea salt
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour plus more to dust the pie dish and roll out dough
  • 1/2 cup whole milk

For the filling:

  • 5 large eggs
  • 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
  • Zest of 2 green Mexican limes
  • 2/3 cup fresh-squeezed green Mexican lime juice
  • 3 tablespoons heavy cream

For the meringue:

  • 3 egg whites
  • 1 cup confectioners' sugar

Instructions

  • Butter and dust a 9-inch pie dish with flour.

To make the crust:

  • In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sugar, salt, and egg yolks, and continue beating until well combined. Reduce speed to low, add a 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour at a time. Lastly add the milk and beat just until the dough is fully combined and comes together. Roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and let it sit in the refrigerator for a half hour, or until it is firm enough to roll.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Generously dust your counter and a rolling pin with flour. Roll out the dough into a 1/4-inch thick circle large enough to fit the pie dish. Place the dough on top of pie dish and gently fit it into the inside of the dish, as well as covering the edge. You may cut around the edge with a paring knife, if you have extra hanging over. Poke the bottom of the pie crust 10 times with a fork, as well as 10 times around the edge. Cover with a layer of aluminum foil or parchment paper, and fill with either pie weights or a cup of dried beans. Place pie dish on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, remove the beans and the aluminum or parchment paper, and place back in the oven for 8 to 10 more minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let cool.

To make the filling:

  • In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the eggs on medium speed, until foamy, for a couple of minutes. Pour in the sweetened condensed milk, and continue beating for a minute or two. Pour the heavy cream, along with the lime zest and lime juice and continue beating for a couple minutes more, until fully combined and thickened.
  • Pour lime mixture into the pie crust, fill up to the brim (right before it starts to spill!). Place on top of baking sheet and into the oven. Bake for 50 minutes, or until completely set. Remove from the oven.

To make the meringue:

  • In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites over medium speed until soft peaks start to form, or you start seeing soft shapes in the egg whites as the whisk moves along. Pour in the confectioners’ sugar, 1/4 cup at a time. Continue beating until you achieve meringue consistency, the mixture is shiny, thick and you see deeply marked shapes as the whisk moves along. You can also tell if it’s ready, if you stop the mixer and raise the whisk, the mixture should hold stiff peaks. With a rubber spatula, spoon the meringue on top of the pie, spread along very gently, making waves or peaks as you cover the entire pie. Place on the baking sheet and into the oven for another 10 minutes or until the meringue has set and its top is lightly browned.
  • Remove form the oven. Let cool. Place in the refrigerator. Serve chilled.

Notes

Pay de Limón

Big Brunch Enchiladas

Posted on by Pati Jinich

An intrinsically Mexican dish, enchiladas are not one but a multitude of possibilities that can dress up a corn tortilla. Simply the sound of the word enchilada makes any Mexican’s mouth water in less than a millisecond and is cause for celebration.

One of the dearest antojos or antojitos (translate to whims or little whims), enchiladas are corn tortillas that may be heated up or lightly fried, either folded or rolled, with or without a variety of fillings, always bathed in a salsa or sauce, and garnished with a a few from a long list of possible toppings. From crumbled queso fresco and a drizzle of crema, to raw or pickled onion, chiles or other vegetables, Mexican avocado, chorizo, shredded lettuces and cabbage, just to name some.

Considering the variations of fillings, salsas, and toppings, enchiladas not only embody different regional cuisine identities, but also the whims of different cooks.

Here is my latest one, I call it the Big Brunch Enchilada.


Before filling the corn tortillas with soft scrambled eggs, seasoned with sautéed scallions, I opted to quickly fry the tortillas. As we Mexicans say, pasamos las tortillas por aceite caliente: we dip the tortillas in very hot oil for a couple seconds to make them malleable and even more resilient to withhold the sauce and garnishes. If the oil is very hot, the tortilla will not absorb the oil, but will be transformed. You can opt to not fry and instead heat the tortillas on a hot comal, skillet, or griddle, for a minute per side until thoroughly hot and barely crisp.

However, please, for the love of anyone or anything you love the most, don’t use flour tortillas to make enchiladas.

Just, please, don’t! I am begging here.

Flour tortillas are sweeter than corn tortillas, they are less resilient to withhold sauce, fillings, and garnishes and become a mushy mess of the worst sorts if given the enchilada treatment.

Please, please, please, proudly stick to corn tortillas.

big brunch enchiladas
As for the salsa or sauce, the most well known are enchiladas verdes soaked in a green salsa, enchiladas rojas soaked in a red salsa, and enchiladas de mole. All, of course, with their multiple variations.

For my Big Brunch ones, I am bathing them with a rich, thick and earthy black bean sauce, common in the Mexican Gulf Coast. I tend to have trouble deciding whether to eat my black beans with chipotles in adobo sauce or pickled jalapeños. Truth is, if I use one, I usually end up adding the other one too and mixing them up. So here, I am adding and combining both. The homemade black beans, or store bought ones if you don’t have time to cook them, are seasoned with the smoky, sweet and spicy adobo sauce from chipotles in adobo, as well as the vinegary pickling sauce from the pickled jalapeños. I couldn’t be happier with the result.

Forget about a light garnish, add tons of meaty and crisp bites of Mexican chorizo.

big brunch enchiladas
Fresh, tart and slightly salty crumbled queso fresco.

big brunch enchiladas

Bright fresh scallions (I love scallions!) that contrast with the cooked scallions scrambled with the eggs.

big brunch enchiladas
To finish off, punchy chopped pickled jalapeños go on top.

big brunch enchiladas
I liked these enchiladas so much, I couldn’t even decide on an ending photo for the blog post. So I am showing you the view from the top and from the side.

big brunch enchiladas
These enchiladas ended up being not an antojito but an antojote, a huge antojo of mine. Made to be eaten for a big brunch, they passed the critical approval of all my boys to the point that they were fighting for each piece on this plate. This is the one time when I don’t complain about them fighting.

Since this is a sign of success in my kitchen, the recipe is now yours!

I hope you give it a try for your Cinco de Mayo fiesta, your Mother or Father’s day brunch, or anytime you may want to indulge. As complex as they may sound, they are super easy and fast to make. Here’s how.

big brunch enchiladas
Print Recipe
4.60 from 5 votes

Enchiladas with Chipotle Black Bean Sauce, Chorizo and Queso Fresco

An intrinsically Mexican dish, enchiladas are not one but a multitude of possibilities that can dress up a corn tortilla. Simply the sound of the word enchilada makes any Mexican’s mouth water in less than a millisecond and is cause for celebration. One of the dearest antojos or antojitos (translate to whims or little whims), enchiladas are corn tortillas that may be heated up or lightly fried, either folded or rolled, with or without a variety of fillings, always bathed in a salsa or sauce, and garnished with a a few from a long list of possible toppings. 
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Course: Antojos, Breakfast
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Avocado, black beans, chipotles in adobo, Chorizo, corn tortillas, Eggs, Enchilada, pati's mexican table, Pickled Jalapeños, queso fresco
Servings: 12 enchiladas
Author: Pati Jinich

Ingredients

  • 3 cups cooked beans and 1cup of their cooking broth or 2 drained cans black beans plus 1 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons adobo sauce from chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
  • 2 tablespoons vinegary sauce from pickled jalapeños in vinegar or escabeche
  • 1 pound Mexican chorizo casings removed, roughly chopped
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil plus more oil if frying the tortillas
  • 1/3 cup chopped scallions plus extra for garnish
  • 9 large eggs beaten with a fork or whisk until foamy
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt or to taste
  • 12 corn tortillas
  • 1 cup crumbled queso fresco cotija, farmer’s cheese, or goat cheese
  • 6 to 8 pickled jalapeños seeded and chopped, for garnish
  • Ripe Mexican avocado slices optional

Instructions

  • Place the cooked black beans and cooking broth (or water if using canned) in a blender, along with the sauce from the chipotles in adobo and the vinegary sauce from the pickled jalapeños, and puree until smooth. Place in a medium saucepan, heat over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until very hot. Reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting and keep warm. The puree should have the consistency of heavy cream.
  • Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once it is hot, add the chopped chorizo and cook, crumbling as it cooks with a wooden spoon or spatula into small bite sized pieces, until it has browned and crisped, about 5 to 6 minutes. Scrape into a bowl, cover and set aside.
  • Pre-heat a comal or cast iron skillet over medium heat.
  • Heat the oil in a medium 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add the scallions and cook until soft and translucent and the edges begin to brown lightly, about 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, pour in the beaten eggs, sprinkle with the salt, and cook, stirring often and gently, until desired doneness. I like to stop the cooking when the eggs are still soft and tender, not dry, which takes about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
  • Heat the corn tortillas, a pair at a time, in the pre-heated comal or skillet, about 1 minute per side, until completely heated through and even slightly toasted. Alternatively, you can heat enough oil to have 1/2" in a medium skillet set over medium heat, once very hot but not smoking, quickly pass each tortilla through the oil (4 to 5 seconds) and place on a plate or drying rack covered with paper towels. You know the oil is ready if when you dip a tortilla, the oil bubbles actively all around the edges and the tortillas begin to puff up after a few seconds.
  • One by one, place on a plate and spoon about 2 generous tablespoons of the scrambled eggs onto the center of tortilla. Roll it into a soft taco and place in a platter, seam side down.
  • When all the tortillas are stuffed and rolled on the platter, pour the bean puree on top. Cover with the cooked chorizo, crumbled queso and extra scallions. Add as many chopped pickled jalapeños as you like. Decorate with ripe avocado slices if you want to take those enchiladas way over the top.

Notes

Enchiladas de Huevo con Salsa de Frijol con Chipotle, Chorizo y Queso Fresco

Forbes: From Political Analyst To Mexican Chef On PBS

Posted on by Pati Jinich

“A few months ago, I was channel surfing on TV, and landed on an intriguing show on PBS called Pati’s Mexican Table. Not a lover of food shows by any stretch of the imagination, I found myself somehow riveted to the screen. Pati Jinich was the chef, preparing in an effortless and jubilant way what looked to be a sumptuous authentic Mexican dish for her young son. I remember there were prawns in the dish, and the food looked so inviting. Her small boy was enraptured, gobbling it down for dinner. While I certainly know TV is not real life, I was struck by Pati – by the sheer joy and love she shared about Mexican food, culture and tradition. It was palpable and jumped off the screen, and made me want to record every show, to learn how to cook authentic Mexican dishes and adore the process, just as she did.

To my surprise, shortly after, I was able to connect with Pati about her new book by the same title, Pati’s Mexican Table, and I had the opportunity to speak at length with her about her fascinating journey from Mexico, to Washington as a political analyst, to serving as a top Mexican chef with her own popular PBS show focused on Mexican food and heritage…”

To read the entire article, click here.

Potato and Poblano Rajas Salad

Posted on by Pati Jinich

If you are going to try a new potato salad, it has to be this one.

It’s rich. It’s filling. Yet at the same time, it’s light and bright. How can this happen? You may wonder…

Soft tender potatoes are combined with an exuberant poblano chile rajas, or strips, and lightly caramelized red onion mix. It’s not a creamy salad, but one that has an unexpected vinegary kick, laced with olive and sesame oils.

In my kitchen, it’s a well documented fact that poblano chiles love the company of allspice. And it is no secret that potatoes love to be showered with tarragon. Mix it all up, and I want to eat the entire serves-six-people bowl.

Of course, potato salad is as familiar and old-fashioned as apple pie, but you have never tried one like this. It brings the character of Central Mexico, where the combination of papas con (poblano) rajas has a long history at the table. But this may be the first time you see that combination in a salad form.

I dreamed it up while sitting at my desk wondering how I could bring the legendary combination of potatoes and poblano rajas to your table. Maybe it was the seesawing March forecast teasing spring, after the coldest winter in years here in Washington, DC, that put the idea of potato salad in my head…

Perfect, I thought, if it comes out as I am hoping, to bring this substantial salad to your table for Easter, or Passover, or a cookout, or any occasion you may have in mind this spring, where a big bowl of the best-ever potato salad will come in handy. And: I loved it!

Don’t think about this as a potato salad with chile peppers.

No.

poblano chiles

We are not using a spicy chile for the heat. We are adding the grand poblano chile, which is more like a stunning vegetable with mild heat than what many people consider all chiles to be.

Not only is the poblano a large, shiny, curvy, dark green beauty – it also has the most extraordinary rich, fruity, spirited flavor.

However, the poblano chile is a bit timid in it’s raw form and calls for a little coaxing, or prep work, before it can bring out its finest flavor, color and texture. Though, not to worry, it’s very easy to master the process of charring, sweating, and peeling the chiles.

prepping poblano chiles

Once you prep the poblanos a couple of times, you’ll see it’s no harder than roasting a red bell pepper. And the reward is in the deepened flowery, smoky, mildly spicy flavor of your transformed poblanos.

This salad is versatile, too. I like it warm, but you can eat it any way you prefer or best suits the occasion: warm, room temperature, or cold.

And it’s filling enough to eat as a main course for a quick lunch or as a side dish for a celebration table, for sandwich night, or for a backyard BBQ.

Seriously, give it a try.

potato and poblano rajas salad

Print Recipe
4 from 6 votes

Potato and Poblano Rajas Salad

If you are going to try a new potato salad, it has to be this one. It’s rich. It’s filling. Yet at the same time, it’s light and bright. How can this happen? You may wonder…Soft tender potatoes are combined with an exuberant poblano chile rajas, or strips, and lightly caramelized red onion mix. It’s not a creamy salad, but one that has an unexpected vinegary kick, laced with olive and sesame oils.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: onion, pati's mexican table, poblanos, potatoes, vinegar
Servings: 6 servings
Author: Pati Jinich

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds baby red potatoes
  • 3 poblano chiles charred, sweated, peeled and cut into strips
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 1 1/2 cups halved and thinly sliced red onion
  • 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/4 cup sesame seeds
  • 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt

Instructions

  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Drop in the red potatoes and cook for about 20 minutes, until they are cooked through and the tip of a knife goes in without much resistance, but the potatoes are not falling apart. When ready, drain into a colander. Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut into halves.
  • In a large deep skillet or casserole, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Once it is hot, add the sesame oil. Stir in the red onion and cook for about 12 minutes, stirring once in a while, until they have completely softened and edges have begun to slightly brown. Incorporate the poblano chile rajas (strips), stir, cook for a minute or two.
  • Add the tarragon, allspice and sesame seeds and cook for a couple minutes. Pour in the white wine vinegar and rice vinegar, stir, cook for another minute and turn off the heat.
  • Place the potatoes in a large bowl, pour the onion, rajas, oil and vinegar mixture on top, and gently toss. Serve warm, at room temperature (how I like them the best) or cold.

Notes

Ensalada de Papitas con Rajas

Yucatán Style French Toast: Ultra Decadent

Posted on by Pati Jinich

It’s ironic. The farthest away from Mexico I’ve been, the closest I’ve felt to my home country and the more I’ve gotten to know it.

Namely, there are 2,419 miles between my home in the DC area and the home I was born and raised in, in Mexico City (I’ve seen it in Google maps a thousand times with my boys), it’s a 44-hour drive if you go non-stop and a 5-hour flight with no connections.

Distance matters. It weighs, in tons of pounds of nostalgia that can be soothed in the kitchen. Distance has made my time in Mexico intense and adventurous, and the foods I am able to replicate in my American kitchen that much more precious.

It has been 15 years since we packed our bags to move from Mexico City to Texas. Since then, I’ve taken every opportunity to go back to visit. There is always something new to learn and something to rediscover. And there is always a dish that sticks with me in such a way that it has me running back home to make it for my boys. If they request it, time and again, it becomes a home staple that I hope to pass on.

That’s the case with the ultra decadent Yucatán style French toast, also known as caballeros pobres. I even included it on an episode called Brunch at the Jinich Home, from Season 3 of my TV series. It is very similar to a dish called Capirotada, in fact, some consider it Yucatan’s version of it.

Pati's Mexican Table shoot
Here’s Dan, our amazing director, showing me how the food looked on camera on the set at home.

We love eating it on Sundays for a late and lazy brunch.  It marks the weekend for us, when we can linger at the table. When I don’t mind making things that may have a few more steps, or may be messier to prepare, all of which the boys love to take on.

Dany and I tasted it for the first time in Yucatán 5 years ago. As we sat down at Los Almendros, a classic restaurant in Mérida, I did what I always do – which drives Dany crazy – and asked the waiter 3 questions:

1. What’s your favorite thing to eat from the menu? I can hear Dany saying “what do you care what he likes to eat Pati, what if he has a completely different taste preference than you, or what if he is pushing things out of the kitchen that aren’t selling?”

2. What is the most traditional food on the menu? I can hear Dany saying “some dishes may be included to show the restaurant’s authenticity regardless of how good they may be…”

3. What is, by far, the best seller here? I can practically see Dany rolling his eyes…

For #1, waiter said “caballeros pobres!” The poetic and contrasting name of the dish hooked me: translates to “poor gentlemen”. For #2, he said “caballeros pobres, it has been on the menu since the restaurant opened in 1962, it’s a dessert that’s existed since anyone in Merida can remember.” By that point I was ready to run to the kitchen to get one. For #3, he said “everybody orders caballeros pobres.” Ok. Done deal.

I am a fan of the French toast food category. The Yucatán style, however, is in a  league of it’s own.

french bread slices

It uses what is known in Mexico as pan francés or French bread, which is like a baguette but a bit thicker. Some versions use bolillos or teleras (just smaller in size). You are safe to use any crusty bread of your choice.

Then the thick slices are entirely soaked, drenched, in a mix of milk, vanilla and sweetened condensed milk. You heard that right: sweetened condensed milk.

pouring sweetened condensed milk

You know you want it.

I made it for a class on Yucatecan food at the Mexican Cultural Institute.  The 120 attendees were all oohs and ahs when I demoed the dipping of the bread in the sweetened condensed milk mix. Practically every one, wanted seconds, which I didn’t plan for.

coating bread slices

There’s more. Instead of dunking the bread in beaten whole eggs, the eggs are separated. The egg whites are beaten until stiff peaks are formed, as in a meringue, then the yolks are gently added to form a thick coating: a capeado.

dipping bread into egg mix

Hence, there may lay the gentlemen status of an everyday bread that is first soaked in a sweetened condensed milk bath, to be then fully dressed in a fluffy cape.

coating bread in egg mixture

Once luxuriously dressed, it is crisped and browned to golden status.

frying the french toast

That is not all: though at home we can happily eat it like that with a bit of honey, maple syrup or confectioner’s sugar.

fried french toast without syrup

The caballeros pobres are then sauced with a simple syrup flavored with true cinnamon, a few whole cloves and raisins.

syrup

You can make the syrup ahead of time and reheat it. You can also make it while you are dressing and browning the bread.

Wait: I am still missing the last garnish: chopped, crunchy, nutty almonds.

finished french toast with syrup and garnishes

Ok, wait, again: Some people add sherry to the syrup. That takes it to adult territory, which would pair well for a grown up brunch.

Of all the versions of Yucatán style french toast this recipe below is my favorite. Crispy, chewy, moist. I prefer to eat it hot and with the warm syrup on top as a main dish for a weekend breakfast or brunch. However, in Yucatán it is traditionally served very cold and for dessert. Then again, I have to admit that I always make extra to have leftovers in the refrigerator, so I can sneak into the kitchen at just about anytime, to eat them cold.

yucatan style french toast
Print Recipe
5 from 2 votes

Yucatán-Style French Toast

Of all the versions of Yucatán style french toast this recipe below is my favorite. Crispy, chewy, moist. I prefer to eat it hot and with the warm syrup on top as a main dish for a weekend breakfast or brunch. However, in Yucatán it is traditionally served very cold and for dessert. Then again, I have to admit that I always make extra to have leftovers in the refrigerator, so I can sneak into the kitchen at just about anytime, to eat them cold.
Prep Time35 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: almonds, bread, ceylon, cinnamon, raisins, Sherry, Sweetened Condensed Milk, vanilla
Servings: 6 to 8 servings
Author: Pati Jinich

Ingredients

For the syrup:

  • 4 cups water
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup raisins or to taste
  • 1 ceylon or true cinnamon stick
  • 3 whole cloves
  • 2 tablespoons Dry Sherry optional

For the toast:

  • 6 eggs separated
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • Vegetable oil for frying
  • 1 large French baguette or thick baguette of your choice cut into 3/4-inch slices
  • 1/2 cup chopped almonds

Instructions

  • Place a medium saucepan with the water, sugar, raisins, cinnamon and cloves over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and let it cook until it achieves the consistency of a light syrup and the flavors from the spices have infused the liquid, about 35 minutes. Turn off the heat. If you like a hint of alcohol in your dessert, add the sherry. Remove the cinnamon stick and cloves. Cover to keep warm.
  • Meanwhile, beat the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer or with a hand mixer over medium-high speed until they hold stiff peaks. Reduce the speed to low, add the yolks one by one and continue beating just until incorporated, so the volume will not decrease much.
  • In a large bowl, combine the milk, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla, stir until incorporated.
  • Set the bowl with the milk mixture beside the bowl with the beaten egg whites and yolks.
  • Fill a large sauté pan with about 1/4-inch of oil and heat over medium heat until hot, but not smoking, and you see ripples in the oil when you tilt the pan.
  • One at a time, dunk each piece of bread in the milk mixture until soaked, immediately dip into the egg mixture to completely cover, and place the coated slice in the hot oil. Fry for about a minute on one side, until golden brown, flip to the other side and do the same. Add as many bread pieces as will fit into the pan without over-crowding. When finished frying, place the bread pieces on a baking dish covered with paper towels to drain.
  • Traditionally, the “poor gentleman” pieces are placed on a platter, covered with the syrup and refrigerated. But I think they are a thousand times tastier served hot! Cover the pieces with warm syrup, sprinkle chopped almonds on top and serve.
  • If you have leftovers, cover the battered and fried bread pieces with the remaining syrup and almonds, and store covered in the refrigerator. I admit they are also fabulous cold.

Notes

Caballeros Pobres

Sweetened Condensed Milk

Posted on by Pati Jinich

I grew up in Mexico City with sweetened condensed milk in my family’s pantry. It is an ingredient that is part of my upbringing, it speaks of home to me.

We had it not only for breakfast, dessert, milkshakes, smoothies, snacks and after school treats (drizzled over fresh fruit or spread over Maria cookies). We also poured it on top of baked plantains and sweet potatoes  (in my view, it’s all they need to take them to the stratosphere), which in my memory remains one of the sweetest things. It was part of our everyday lives.

My mom and dad worked full time during the week, but my sisters and I always had a flan, pound cake or gelatina to look forward to. Every day of the week.

Now, many years later, I feel so lucky to have it in my American pantry too. I love making those traditional sweet things that nurtured me growing up for my boys, now that I have a family of my own. And we also have so much fun coming up with new recipes and modern spins too!

Yes, for sure, the kitchen gets a lot messier when I am concocting things with my boys, but we have such good times together in the kitchen. The boys get so involved, and to be honest, they have fabulous ideas. Juju and I are now playing with a take on lime pie with fluffy meringue on top. Will keep you posted!

Why an ingredient like this is so versatile comes as no surprise: it is made with whole cow’s milk. The water is removed, hence the condensed, and sugar is added. It was originally a way of preserving milk, to spread the health benefits of that ingredient to more people and also to make it convenient. You can have it handy for so many uses in your pantry at anytime.

Right now, I am sitting at my desk in my office, working away, writing blog posts for you and editing recipes. I am doing so while sipping a strong cup of coffee sweetened with a drizzle of sweetened condensed milk. Like I do every morning. Sweet.

Tamalera

Posted on by Pati Jinich

I grow really fond of my cooking tools. Most of the Mexican ones have come straight from Mexico. Some have been passed down from my family, like the comal my mom gave me in hopes I would become a good cook. Some I have shamelessly taken, like the lime squeezer, which comes from her kitchen, too. The many wooden spoons I have come from different regions in Mexico and have come tucked in my suitcase. As for the molcajete, I asked my father-in-law to get me one from the Mexico City market, and he lugged it for me in his carry-on bag (he reminds me to this day!). Yet, I found my tamalera, a special pot for steaming tamales, here in DC!

When my dad visits from Mexico, ever since we moved to the U.S., he has brought some for me. And I didn’t start making tamales at home, until I had kids. First, I used a vegetable steamer. Once I moved to DC, I found this one at Panam, the mostly Mexican (Latin) grocery store on the corner of 14th Street and Parkwood Pl.

Yes, you can improvise and steam tamales in a seafood or lobster steamer, a Chinese steamer, any steamer, or even a pasta pot if it has an insert that sits above the bottom. However, the tamaleras are one of a kind. No wonder: Mexicans have been steaming tamales since pre-Hispanic times, so it’s no surprise the Mexican tamalera outdoes all other steamers when it comes to cooking tamales.

the three parts of the tamalera: pot, lid and stand

See above, the tamalera has three parts: the pot, the lid and a stand. The tamalera is tall for setting the tamales upright. It has a removable, perforated platform or stand to place the tamales on so they sit above the water. It is sturdy: if you pack it up with tamales it gets heavy!

tamalera with the stand in

Most cooks line the platform with soaked corn husks or any other husks or leaves you will use in your tamales, like banana leaves. That ensures not many water bubbles go through the perforations. Some larger tamaleras have vertical dividers that allow for cooking three different kinds of tamales at once and also help to set the tamales upright; mine doesn’t, because it is rather small.

Tamaleras are also fitted with lids for keeping the steam in, which is so vital for even cooking of tamales. Yet, I tend to pack it up with tamales and cover it with extra husks or leaves, so many times the lid won’t close tight, so… I wrap a towel through the handles, so there will be no steam escaping.

tamalera with towel

But if I did what I need to do, get a bigger tamalera, I wouldn’t need to worry about that towel.

Corn Husks

Posted on by Pati Jinich

Corn has been a central part of the Mexican diet and culture since ancient times. Not only is it eaten fresh in its many varieties, its dried kernels are used for an infinity of things, including masa to make everything from tortillas to tamales. It’s husks are also treasured as an ingredient to wrap and cook food in. Tamales, of course, have remained the wrapped and cooked food par excellence in Mexico. Methods have varied from steaming, to cooking over comales or the open fire, to cooking in underground pits.

Now, the use of fresh or dried leaves for wrapping and cooking foods is not exclusive to Mexico. Grape leaves were used since ancient Greece and banana leaves in the Philippines, to name some. In Mexico, there has been a large variety of ingredients for this use like banana leaves, avocado leaves, chaya, hoja santa leaves, large spinach leaves and even some exotic flower leaves. Still corn husks, fresh or dried, have been and remain a crucial one.

Corn husks not only help keep the food in place, they also keep it moist, seal in the flavor, and impart their own essence, fragrance and taste. The flavor and aroma vary depending on whether the corn husks are fresh and tender, fresh and mature or dried.

To assemble, fresh corn husks are carefully taken from ears of corn, washed and used to wrap some types of tamales, usually those made from fresh corn like the famous Michoacán uchepos. However, most tamales that use corn husks use them dried, as they can be stored for a long time – as long as they are not stored in a sunny or moist area – and are available year round.

To use dried corn husks, they need to be soaked for about 10 minutes in warm water to make them pliable, thus preventing tears or breaks and making them more flexible for folding around the masa. I usually start soaking them as I begin to make my tamales, and they are ready by the time I am ready to form my tamales. Nothing happens if you soak them for hours on end. The husks are also used to line the tamaleras or steamers to keep the water away and steady the tamales.

Corn husks are most commonly sold dried, stacked together in plastic packaging. In Mexico, you will see them in abundance hanging from market stands. They are becoming more available in the US, as well. Look for them in the Latin aisles of your supermarket, at your local Hispanic or international market, or online. If you happen to get more than you need, you can give some to your kids, for them to fashion puppets or dolls.

The Washington Post: Tex-Mex Cooking

Posted on by Pati Jinich

“It was 1997, and I was excited. A year after moving to Dallas from Mexico City, where I was born and raised, I would finally have the chance to get what Tex-Mex cooking was all about. I was visiting San Antonio, the capital of Tex-Mex, at one of its most famous Tex-Mex restaurants. And then the food came.

The large, oval combo platter in front of me was supposed to be cheese enchiladas with red rice and refried beans, but all I could see was a thick blanket of cream-colored sauce with melted, yellow processed cheese on top, threatening to spill over the plate and possibly even out of the restaurant. I couldn’t tell whether the tortillas were corn or flour, and they were barely filled; the mealy red rice had a watered-down tomato taste and an overdose of cumin; the refried beans were runny and — oh, heresy! — there weren’t enough of them to eat along with each bite. I was hungry, and curious, so I ate it all. In a strange way, it was comforting, but I was perplexed. After I finished, I told the Mexican waiter: No entiendo lo que me acabo de comer. I don’t get what I just ate.

I still think about that meal because it is emblematic of the problems people have with Tex-Mex. Mexican food purists take swipes at it, claiming it is simply bad Americanized Mexican food, while Texans rush to defend it as its own breed…”

To read the entire article, click here.

Tres Leches and Strawberry Mexican Gelatin

Posted on by Pati Jinich
tres leches and strawberry gelatin
Print Recipe
4.67 from 6 votes

Tres Leches and Strawberry Mexican Gelatin

Tres Leches and Strawberry Mexican Gelatin recipe from Pati's Mexican Table Season 3, Episode 13 “My Piñata Party”
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time2 hours 20 minutes
Total Time2 hours 40 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: cranberry juice, evaporated milk, gelatin, jello, pati's mexican table, pomegranate juice, strawberries, Sweetened Condensed Milk, tres leches, vanilla
Servings: 8 servings
Author: Pati Jinich

Ingredients

For the tres leches gelatin:

  • 1 cup whole or 2-percent milk
  • 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin powder or about 2 tablespoons
  • 1/2 cup lukewarm water

For the strawberry gelatin:

  • 2 cups cranberry or pomegranate juice
  • 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin powder or about 2 tablespoons
  • 1/2 cup lukewarm water
  • 1/2 pound strawberries stemmed, rinsed and quartered

Instructions

To prepare the tres leches gelatin:

  • Bring 1 cup of milk to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low and allow the milk to simmer for 5 minutes. Add the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk and vanilla extract, and stir to combine. Increase the heat to medium-high to return to a simmer, then reduce to medium-low and let simmer for 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and pour into a large mixing bowl.
  • Pour 1/2 cup of lukewarm water into a medium bowl and add 2 envelopes of unflavored gelatin. Stir until well combined, then let it rest until the mixture puffs up (it will increase slightly in volume and appear as if it’s solidifying) – approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Meanwhile, fill a small saucepan with 2 to 3 inches of water and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Place the bowl with the puffed-up gelatin mixture on top of the saucepan with the simmering water. Let it rest there, stirring occasionally, until the gelatin has completely dissolved and the mixture has a barely amber color – approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat.
  • Pour the dissolved gelatin into the bowl with the tres leches mixture and stir to combine.

To prepare the Strawberry Gelatin:

  • Pour the juice into a large mixing bowl. Repeat the same process to mix and dissolve the gelatin as outlined in the second paragraph above. Pour the dissolved gelatin into the juice and stir to combine.
  • To layer your tres leches and strawberry gelatin: In plastic cups or single-portion gelatin molds, use a liquid measuring cup or small pitcher to fill about 1/3 of each cup with the tres leches mixture. Place the cups into the refrigerator until the gelatin sets (appears solid and does not slosh when moved), about 20 to 30 minutes. Do not put the bowls with your remaining tres leches mixture and juice mix in the refrigerator.
  • Remove the cups from the refrigerator and pour the juice mixture on top of the tres leches, filling about another 1/3 of the cup, and add some strawberry pieces. Cover the cups with plastic wrap, return them to the refrigerator, and let chill for at least 2 hours before serving.
  • (You are at free will to play with your combinations! You can decide how many layers - one or ten! - and how thick or thin you want to make them. You can choose which flavor you want to start with, or if you want to alternate. Continue until you are done using all of the flavored mixes.)
  • If you want to use a large 8- to 10-inch serving mold, fill it halfway with tres leches mix and refrigerate until set, about 20 to 30 minutes. Then pour the juice mixture on top and carefully add the strawberry pieces. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before unmolding. It should be firm and not feel sticky or sag, and it should slide easily out of the mold with a few gentle shakes.
  • Hint: If your gelatin mixtures start to solidify while you are waiting for layers to set in the refrigerator, not to worry! Adding a little at a time, stir water into the mixture until it becomes liquid, again.

Notes

Gelatina de Tres Leches con Fresas

Mixed Melon, Lime and Coconut Agua Fresca

Posted on by Pati Jinich
Mixed Melon Lime Coconut Agua Fresca
Print Recipe
4.80 from 5 votes

Mixed Melon, Lime and Coconut Agua Fresca

Mixed Melon, Lime and Coconut Agua Fresca recipe from Pati's Mexican Table Season 3, Episode 13 “My Piñata Party”
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time2 hours
Total Time2 hours 15 minutes
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: cantaloupe, coconut water, honey, lime, mint, pati's mexican table, watermelon
Servings: 16 servings
Author: Pati Jinich

Ingredients

  • 12 cups (about 1 8-pound watermelon) seeded watermelon cubed
  • 4 cups cantaloupe cubed
  • 2 cups coconut water
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 6 limes juiced)
  • 1 liter seltzer water
  • Lime slices to garnish
  • mint leaves to garnish

Instructions

  • Working in batches, combine the watermelon, cantaloupe, coconut water, honey and lime juice in a blender. Pulse until well pureed. If desired, pass the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer. Refrigerate in a large punch bowl until well chilled, about 2 hours.
  • Serve with a splash of seltzer and garnish with lime slices and mint leaves.

Notes

Agua Fresca de Sandía, Melón, Limón y Coco

Red Pozole with Traditional Garnishes

Posted on by Pati Jinich
red pozole
Print Recipe
5 from 8 votes

Red Pozole with Traditional Garnishes

Red Pozole with Traditional Garnishes recipe from Pati's Mexican Table Season 3, Episode 13 “My Piñata Party”
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time5 hours 15 minutes
Total Time5 hours 25 minutes
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Ancho, chicken, guajillo chiles, hominy, onion, pati's mexican table, pozole, radish, refried beans, tortilla chips
Servings: 12 servings
Author: Pati Jinich

Ingredients

For the pozole:

  • 1 pound dried hominy or 3 29-ounce cans hominy, drained and rinsed
  • 1 head garlic papery outer layers removed, but not entirely peeled (if using dried hominy)
  • 2 whole chickens (about 3 pounds each) rinsed and cut into serving pieces, or a combination of 3 pounds chicken and 3 pounds pork shoulder or butt
  • 1 white onion peeled
  • 5 fresh cilantro sprigs
  • 1 tablespoon kosher or coarse sea salt plus more to taste

For the chile puree:

  • 2 ancho chiles (about 1 ounce) rinsed, stemmed and seeded
  • 3 guajillo chiles (about 1 ounce) rinsed, stemmed and seeded
  • 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped white onion
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • Pinch of ground cumin
  • 2 whole cloves
  • 1 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt or more to taste
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

For the garnishes:

  • 5-6 limes halved
  • 10 radishes rinsed, halved and thinly sliced
  • 1 head of romaine lettuce rinsed, drained and thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup chopped white onion
  • Dried ground chile such as piquín, ancho, chipotle or a Mexican mix
  • dried oregano
  • Crispy tostadas or tortilla chips store-bought or homemade
  • refried beans store-bought or homemade (optional)

Instructions

To make the pozole:

  • If using dried hominy, place it in a large soup pot. Add water to the pot to cover the hominy by at least 3-inches. Add the head of garlic. Don’t add salt now or the hominy will toughen. Bring to a boil and simmer over medium-low heat, partially covered, for 4 to 5 hours, until hominy is tender and has begun to “bloom” or open up. Occasionally skim the foam from the top as the hominy cooks and make sure it doesn’t dry as it cooks, adding more hot water if need be. If using canned or pre-cooked hominy, start with step below.
  • Meanwhile, place the chicken (and pork, if using), in a large soup pot. Add water to cover the top layer of chicken by at least 2 inches. Add the onion, cilantro and the tablespoon of salt and bring to a boil. Simmer, partially covered, until chicken is cooked through and tender, about 35 minutes. Drain, reserving the cooking broth. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and bones and shred the meat into bite-sized pieces.
  • In the soup pot, combine the cooked hominy and its broth (discard the garlic head), or the canned hominy and 2 cups water, with the shredded chicken and its broth. Taste for salt, add more if need be, and simmer all together for 10 minutes more.

To make the chile puree:

  • Place the chiles in a 3-quart saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the chiles have softened and rehydrated. Place the chiles, along with 1/2 cup of their cooking liquid, the onion, garlic, cumin, cloves and salt in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. If using a food processor, be sure to wrap a towel around the joint between the lid and the base to catch any escaping liquid. Pass the sauce through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl, pressing gently on the solids with the back of a wooden spoon to extract as much liquid as possible.
  • Heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil in the 3-quart saucepan over medium heat until hot, but not smoking. Add the chile puree, bring to a boil and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally and allowing it to thicken.
  • Add the red chile sauce to simmering pozole, let it cook for an additional 25 minutes, adjust the seasoning, and serve in soup bowls. Arrange the garnishes in smaller bowls on the table and let your guests customize their pozole. Or, if making ahead, let the pozole cool then cover and refrigerate, and reheat when you are ready to serve.

Notes

Pozole Rojo

Watermelon, Tomatillo and Mozzarella Skewers with Lime-Honey Vinaigrette

Posted on by Pati Jinich
watermelon tomatillo mozzarella skewers
Print Recipe
4.75 from 4 votes

Watermelon, Tomatillo and Mozzarella Skewers with Lime-Honey Vinaigrette

Watermelon, Tomatillo and Mozzarella Skewers with Lime-Honey Vinaigrette recipe from Pati's Mexican Table Season 3, Episode 13 “My Piñata Party”
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Antojos, Side Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: ginger, honey, lime, Maggi sauce, mozzarella, pati's mexican table, tomatillos, vinaigrette, watermelon
Servings: 6 servings
Author: Pati Jinich

Ingredients

For the vinaigrette:

  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
  • 1 teaspoon grated ginger
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • Zest of 2 limes
  • 5 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon Maggi sauce

For the skewers:

  • 6 cups seeded and cubed ripe watermelon
  • About 12 ounces tomatillos husks removed, rinsed, and thinly sliced (about 3 cups)
  • 1 large package of small fresh mozzarella balls (about 8 ounces)

Instructions

To make the vinaigrette:

  • Place the cilantro, ginger, honey, lime zest and juice, and Maggi sauce into a large mason jar and shake vigorously to emulsify. Alternatively, place all of the ingredients in a bowl and whisk to emulsify.

To make the skewers:

  • Slide the watermelon cubes, tomatillo slices and mozzarella balls onto wooden toothpicks or small plastic skewers, alternating between each ingredient. Serve with the lime-honey vinaigrette as a dipping sauce.

Notes

Brochetas de Sandía, Tomate Verde y Mozzarella con Vinagreta de Miel y Limón

Spinning Top Cocktail

Posted on by Pati Jinich

SPINNING TOP COCKTAIL
Trompo Zacatecano

Serves: 1

INGREDIENTS
For rimming the glass:
1 lime wedge (about 1/4 of a fresh lime)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons ground chile powder, such as chile piquín, ancho, chipotle or a Mexican mix, or to taste
2 tablespoons kosher or coarse sea salt

For the drink:
1 1/2 cups ice cubes
4 tablespoons (2 ounces) mezcal or tequila
3/4 cup grapefruit soda
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1 to 2 fresh mint leaves

TO PREPARE
Run the lime wedge around the rim of a glass. Place the sugar, chile powder and salt on a small plate and dip the rim of the glass in the salt to coat.

Add the ice cubes to the glass, then pour in the mezcal, grapefruit soda and pineapple juice, stir gently. Tear the mint leaves into several pieces and drop them into the glass, stirring gently so they release their flavor into the drink.

© 2010-2014 MEXICAN TABLE, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Grilled Romaine and Red Bell Peppers with Ancho Chile Vinaigrette and Cheese

Posted on by Pati Jinich
grilled romain salad
Print Recipe
4.80 from 5 votes

Grilled Romaine and Red Bell Peppers with Ancho Chile Vinaigrette and Cheese

Grilled Romaine and Red Bell Peppers with Ancho Chile Vinaigrette and Cheese recipe from Pati's Mexican Table Season 3, Episode 12 "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun"
Prep Time8 hours 10 minutes
Cook Time12 minutes
Total Time8 hours 22 minutes
Course: Salad
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: ancho chiles, bell peppers, feta, grill recipes, grilled salads, lettuce, pati's mexican table, piloncillo, queso fresco, vinaigrette, vinegar
Servings: 6 servings
Author: Pati Jinich

Ingredients

For the vinaigrette:

  • 6 to 8 (about 3 ounces) ancho chiles rinsed, stemmed and seeded
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped white onion
  • 1 clove garlic finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
  • 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher or coarse sea salt or to taste
  • 2 teaspoons brown sugar or grated piloncillo or to taste

For the salad:

  • 3 red bell peppers
  • 3 heads romaine lettuce
  • olive oil to drizzle
  • 1/2 cup queso fresco mild feta or farmers’ cheese, crumbled

Instructions

To make the vinaigrette:

  • Using kitchen scissors or a sharp knife, cut the stemmed and seeded chiles lengthwise into thin strips and place them in a mixing bowl. Add the onion, garlic, vinegars, oil, salt and sugar to the bowl and toss to mix well. Transfer everything to a container with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate for at least 8 hours before using.

To make the salad:

  • Place the red bell peppers either on a tray under the broiler, on a heated grill, or on a heated comal on the stovetop, and char on all sides, flipping as each side chars, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. Once cool enough to handle, remove the stems and cut into slices (without removing the skin or discarding the juices).
  • Slice the romaine lettuces in half lengthwise. Drizzle each half with a small amount of olive oil and sprinkle on a pinch of salt and pepper. Place them on a heated grill or comal and quickly char, about 1 minute per side.
  • Serve lettuces on a platter along with the red bell pepper strips, ladle the ancho chile vinaigrette on top and sprinkle with the cheese.

Notes

Ensalada de Lechuga y Pimientos Asados con Vinagreta de Chile Ancho y Queso

Mango Guacamole with Grilled Tortilla Wedges

Posted on by Pati Jinich
mango guacamole
Print Recipe
5 from 5 votes

Mango Guacamole with Grilled Tortilla Wedges

Mango Guacamole with Grilled Tortilla Wedges recipe from Pati's Mexican Table Season 3, Episode 12 “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time2 minutes
Total Time12 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Avocado, cilantro, corn tortillas, flour tortillas, guacamole, jalapeno, lime, mango, onion, serrano chiles, tortilla chips
Servings: 6 servings
Author: Pati Jinich

Ingredients

  • 2 ripe Mexican avocados halved, pitted, meat scooped out and roughly mashed or diced
  • 1 cup fresh ripe mango peeled and diced
  • 3 tablespoons chopped white onion
  • 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro leaves
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped jalapeño or serrano chile seeded optional, or to taste
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt or to taste
  • Corn or flour tortillas cut into wedges and grilled

Instructions

  • Gently mix the avocado, mango, onion, cilantro, chile, lime juice and salt in a bowl, or mash in a molcajete. Serve with grilled tortilla wedges.

Notes

Guacamole de Mango

Honey Chipotle Ribs

Posted on by Pati Jinich
honey chipotle ribs
Print Recipe
4.78 from 9 votes

Honey Chipotle Ribs

Honey Chipotle Ribs recipe from Pati's Mexican Table Season 3, Episode 12 “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”
Prep Time35 minutes
Cook Time2 hours
Total Time2 hours 35 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: apple cider vinegar, chipotles in adobo, grill recipes, honey, ketchup, Maggi sauce, pati's mexican table, ribs, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Pati Jinich

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Ketchup
  • 2/3 cup honey
  • 4 tablespoons sauce from chipotles in adobo sauce
  • 3 chipotle chiles from chipotles in adobo sauce minced, seeded optional, or more to taste
  • 10 garlic cloves pressed or minced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/4 cup dijon mustard
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 4 tablespoons Maggi or soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons dried oregano
  • 3 pounds baby back or spare ribs

Instructions

  • In a medium bowl, combine the ketchup, honey, sauce from the chipotles, chipotle chiles, garlic, olive oil, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire, Maggi, black pepper and oregano. Mix well.
  • Line a large roasting pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Pour some sauce on the bottom of the pan, put in the ribs and pour the remaining sauce on top. Cover with foil, sealing the entire top of the pan, and marinate for 30 minutes up to 24 hours. If marinating more than 30 minutes, keep the ribs refrigerated.
  • When ready to cook the meat, remove it from the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Slip the pan with the ribs into the oven and roast for 1 1/2 hours. Take the ribs from the oven and carefully remove the aluminum foil, taking care not to be burned by the steam. Spoon the thickened sauce from the bottom of the pan on top of the ribs and place them back in the oven to roast another 20 to 30 minutes, or until they are beautifully browned and sticky. Remove from the oven, let rest, then slice into 2- to 3-bone pieces and pile on a platter.
  • Alternatively, after you remove the foil, you can finish off the ribs on the grill at medium heat, for about 15 minutes.

Notes

Costillitas con Chipotle y Miel

Cucumber Martini

Posted on by Pati Jinich
cucumber martini
Print Recipe
4 from 5 votes

Cucumber Martini

Cucumber Martini recipe from Pati's Mexican Table Season 3, Episode 11 "Mex-Italian!"
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time1 minute
Total Time6 minutes
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: cocktail, cucumber, gin, lemon, Limoncello, pati's mexican table, simple syrup
Servings: 1 serving
Author: Pati Jinich

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 ounce gin
  • 1 ounce Limoncello
  • 1 slice of lemon to macerate
  • 1 slice of cucumber to macerate
  • 1/2 ounce simple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon diced cucumber

Instructions

  • In an empty shaker or martini mixer, combine the gin, limoncello, lemon and cucumber slices, and the syrup. Mix and macerate all the ingredients for about 5 minutes. If making a large quantity, let it sit in the refrigerator in a pitcher for up to 12 hours.
  • Fill the shaker with ice and shake vigorously for 1 minute. Strain and pour the liquid into a chilled martini glass. Decorate the martini with the small pieces of cucumber and a spiral of cucumber skin.

Notes

Martini de Pepino 

Guajillo and Garlic Pasta

Posted on by Pati Jinich
guajillo garlic pasta
Print Recipe
5 from 5 votes

Guajillo and Garlic Pasta

Pasta con Guajillo y Ajo recipe from Pati's Mexican Table Season 3, Episode 11 “Mex-Italian!”
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: cotija, garlic, guajillo chiles, pasta, pati's mexican table, rosemary, spaghetti
Servings: 6 servings
Author: Pati Jinich

Ingredients

  • 1 pound thin spaghetti or vermicelli
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 5 garlic cloves finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried and crumbled
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried and crumbled
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh marjoram or 1/2 teaspoon dried
  • 5 guajillo chiles stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
  • kosher or coarse sea salt to taste
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated queso Cotija Parmigiano-Reggiano, Romano, ricotta salata, or Pecorino Romano
  • 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh parsley optional for garnish

Instructions

  • Bring salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and let it come to a boil again. Boil, uncovered, until pasta is al dente, about 7 to 8 minutes. Scoop out 1 cup of the pasta cooking water and set aside. Drain the pasta.
  • In a large skillet or casserole, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Once it is hot, but not smoking, add the garlic and cook just until fragrant, 20 to 30 seconds, stirring continuously. Stir in the rosemary, oregano, thyme and marjoram, and cook for 30 to 40 seconds. Add the guajillo chiles and cook, continuing to stir, for another 20 to 30 seconds. You want them to gently brown, but not burn.
  • Add the pasta to the skillet and toss well. Pour in the reserved pasta water, toss and cook for another couple minutes. Remove from the heat. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Serve garnished with freshly grated cheese and chopped parsley.

Notes

Pasta con Guajillo y Ajo