Gorditas (Little Fat Ones)
Gorditas were a favorite way to entertain in Juárez. My sister Clarissa had friends who would hire a woman to come to their house and make gorditas for parties. So I started doing them for my clients, with great success – people love watching a steady stream of fresh...
Tamales with Corn and Poblano Chiles (Tamales con elote y chile poblano)
I long for the flavor of tamales de elote, made with puréed fresh corn kernels. But our starchy, flavorful Mexican corn cannot be replaced with United States sweet corn, which creates a terribly insipid, watery effect. So I evolved something a little different using a...Green Chile Con Carne (Carne con chile verde)
Green Chile Con Carne (Carne con chile verde) This dish of my mother’s is great for doubling. It freezes well, and she recommended to keep a few pints of it on hand. It’s good as a filling for burritos, tostadas, and crisp taco shells (just drain it well first), and...Flour Tortillas (Tortillas de harina)
This Europeanized (but now totally Mexican) takeoff on the pre-Columbian tortilla idea was made possible by the Spanish introduction of pigs (for lard) and wheat, which grew beautifully in parts of the north central regions. In my childhood in the North we had corn...
Blackberry Atole (Atole de mora)
I don’t know anything more truly Mexican, or more baffling to foreigners, than atoles. It’s a concept that we who grew up with them have trouble describing in English. I’ve tried calling them “gruels” and seen otherwise broadminded Anglos look pained at the thought....
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.