Pati Jinich is host of the popular Emmy and James Beard nominated PBS series Pati's Mexican Table, author of two cookbooks, and resident chef at the Mexican Cultural Institute in Washington, DC. This is her official website where she shares recipes from her show and new recipes in her blog, plus upcoming events, recent news, and more.
In Mexico, and many parts of the world, roasted turkey is mainly served during the holiday season. Imagine a place where shaved slices of juicy roasted turkey are served on a soft telera smothered with avocado and spicy rajas. This place exists, it’s located in the heart of downtown Mexico City and, here, you can devour a turkey torta during any month of the year.
Cotija cheese is a salty, slightly acidic, cow’s milk cheese with a strong personality. Named after the city of Cotija in the state of Michoacán, it has been produced in the region for over 400 years. Traditionally, after the dairy cows grazed in the mountain pastures throughout Jalisco and Michoacán during the rainy season…
The very first class I taught at the Mexican Cultural Institute, after I switched from being a policy analyst at the Inter American Dialogue, was October 18, 2007. I remember the date exactly, because it was a day after Sami’s 6th birthday. For months, I had been teaching him and his two brothers, Alan who was then 8 and Juju who was just 1, how to make sopes every night for at least 3 months.
Mexican cuisine is riding such a high wave these days. Compared to when I first moved to the US, 20 years ago, you can now find all the ingredients you need to prepare Mexican food. People are not only eating Mexican food out, but are bringing it into their home kitchens. There’s the #tacotuesday and the #taconight. Wherever you travel to in the US, there’s Mexican food to be found…
Maracuyá, also known as passion fruit in English, is one of the many exotic fruits of Mexico. It is grown in the tropical and semi-tropical regions of Mexico, like Oaxaca and the Yucatán Península. It is native to South America, originating in Brazil, and there are different varieties. In Mexico, the yellow- or purple-skinned varieties are the most typical.
From one day to the next, heirloom corn became a strong topic of conversation in Mexico. However, heirloom corn varieties have been a cornerstone of Mexican cuisine. Chefs in Mexico City, Enrique Olvera included, have been using heirloom corn in their restaurants for years to make fresh tortillas, tamales, gorditas, or other antojitos that are made after the nixtamalized corn is turned into masa.
What to do with a couple cans of sardines? Do what the people from landlocked Aguascalientes do: make the tastiest empanadas. Over the past dozen years, I have been amazed by so many things, as I’ve ventured into a deep exploration of Mexico’s cuisine to share it with the world – or whoever will listen. Its richness, its diversity, its depth, its accessibility, its generosity… One thing that has also stood out, everywhere, is the resourcefulness of its people.
I don’t know if I have shared this with you before, but I am obsessed with eggs. I just love them. In fact, many of my dear childhood memories have eggs in them. Like sitting next to my mom before she left for work, so many mornings, as she ate her usual scrambled eggs with ham, always cooked until tender, along with a piece of black toast with a thin spread of honey.
My first formal job, after switching careers from political analysis to cooking, was as chef and cooking instructor of the Mexican Cultural Institute in Washington DC. This was 2007. A year before, I had created a curriculum that aimed to open, one class at a time, a window into Mexican cuisine, history and culture for anybody living north of the border. What I didn’t know, when I began preparing it, was that classes were to be for a crowd of 100 people…
Oaxaca is one of Mexico’s most interesting states, rich with culture, ingredients and tradition, and is home to a small and simple eatery that a big part of the country’s foodies talk about. Itanoní is basically made up of plastic chairs, tables, colorful decorations hanging from the ceiling, clay comales and señoras who have a lot of experience cooking on them.