Northern-Style Chorizo (Mexican Fresh Sausage Mixture)
Some of my earliest ranch memories are of the butchering/cooking sessions that followed every time we slaughtered a hog. This was always cause for celebration because all the women of the ranch congregated in our kitchen to help, laugh, and gossip, and everyone got...
Mole from Veracruz (Mole de Xico)
The mole de Xico or mole xiqueño is not as universally known outside of Mexico as the elegantly balanced mole poblano or as famous inside Mexico as the super-elaborate mole negro oaxaqueño (named for their cities of origin in neighboring Puebla and Oaxaca). But it’s...Corn Masa Dumplings (Bolitas de masa)
These dumplings are cousins of the chochoyotes of Oaxaca. The reason for their funny indented shape is that it helps cook them faster when added to a soup or stew. I would not try to substitute a fat other than lard. It holds them together compactly while making them...Dry Spice Rub
If you have visited marketplaces in Yucatan, you have seen colorful mounds of different spice pastes in many shades from black or green to yellow or red, for home cooks to buy in small quantities. These are the famous regional recados, complex and intensely flavored...Poached and Sautéed Chicken (Pollo guisado)
Poached and Sautéed Chicken (Pollo guisado) This is one of my real standbys, the basis of many dishes at Zarela. As the chicken emerges from the stockpot it is plain poached chicken, ready to be pulled into shreds and used as is. You can do this if you want — but I...
The many lives of Zarela Martínez
Culinary legend Zarela Martínez introduced finely tuned, highly researched regional Mexican cuisine to a national stage, and has continued to blaze trails for more than three decades.