Series from 2011
This series brings authentic Mexican flavors, colors, textures and warmth into American kitchens. A former policy analyst focused on Latin American po…
In Tucson, Pati learns the basics of artisan bread-making from Don Guerra of Barrio Bakery. She crosses into Sonora, Mexico, to see where the wheat is from. Back in her kitchen, Pati creates a menu of tasty recipes using wheat flour.
Pati spends a day in Sonora's capital, Hermosillo, visiting some of the city's best culinary destinations. From gigantic burritos at Doña Guille, to a meat lover's feast with the owner of the popular restaurant Mochomos, mingling with the young crowd at La Ruina brew park, and a treat no trip would be complete without, Sonoran hot dogs.
Pati experiences two important Sonoran culinary traditions. First, on the coast in Bahía Kino, local fishermen receive "the blessing" from a woman from the Seri tribe before heading out on the water to catch giant sea scallops. Then, in the mountain town of Matape, Nere, one of Sonora's few female butchers, shares with Pati a tradition called "the benefit".
Pati learns that carne asada goes way beyond grilled meat in Sonora. It's an important weekly ritual that brings the whole family together. Back home, Pati throws a carne asada in her backyard for her husband and boys. First, she teaches them the basics of a true Sonoran carne asada. Then, for dessert, a whipped peanut buttercream and grape galette.
Pati tours one of Hermosillo’s oldest flour mills and gets a lesson on making coyotas, a traditional dessert, at a local bakery. In her kitchen, Pati shares her take on a classic Sonoran recipe – a carne con chile burrito.
Pati spends a day in the kitchen with her middle son, Sami, cooking recipes inspired by her travels in Sonora that she knows he’ll love – beef and potato chimichangas, rice with lentils and caramelized onions, and an avocado and radish salad.
Mocorito is known for one of Sinaloa's most beloved recipes: a slow-simmered pork dish called chilorio. Pati visits Victoria Gonzalez, a cook known for having one of the best chilorio recipes. Then she goes with Victoria to see her sister, Fabiola, who specializes in another Sinaloan classic, jamoncillo: a soft candy made of sugar and milk. In her kitchen, Pati perfects her own chilorio recipe.
Celestino Gasca is becoming a vacation destination with magnificent beaches and idyllic surfing conditions. Pati learns how to cook pescado zarandeado and how to harvest percebes, a tiny crustacean considered a delicacy.
Known as "Mexico's Breadbasket," Sinaloa produces about 40% of the meat and produce consumed in all of Mexico. Pati travels the countryside to get an up-close look at the wealth of resources Sinaloa has to offer. She visits a dairy farm known for its fresh cheese, tours a high-tech produce farm, and gets a fresh-water fishing lesson from a master fisherman.
Pati visits home cooks and an iconic restaurant to sample some of Sinaloa's most beloved dishes. She meets a family of bread bakers in Altata to try their rustic pan de mujer. And she goes to one of the most famous restaurants in Mazatlán, Cuchupetas, which is beloved by celebrities, politicians, and locals for delicious seafood and a one of a kind experience.
Pati travels to Tucson, Arizona, which claims to have the best 23 miles of Mexican food anywhere in the world. She visits restaurants and meets local chefs to get a deeper understanding of what Mexican food in America truly is.