13 minute read
Finding The Real Taste of Mexico
Ask him about the word “authentic” and Rick Martínez, author of “Mi Cocina: Recipes and Rapture from My Kitchen in Mexico,” takes exception to the term when applied to particular recipes or cooking techniques from various global cuisines.
“I think that the idea of authenticity is an American construct that originated from trying to market historically non-white food to white audiences,” Martínez says. “Over the years, us Americans have been taught to look for cookbooks that are the most authentic, with the idea that there’s but one way to correctly prepare a dish. The reality is that in Mexico and other countries, if I invite 10 people over to my house today and ask them all to bring the same dish, you’ll get 10 different versions that are all incredibly delicious and refl ect the personality and the style and the fl air of the cooks who made them.”
It’s this eclectic vision as applied to Mexican cuisine that animates his recently released debut cookbook, “Mi Cocina,” and affords home cooks the opportunity to experiment with dishes that go far beyond the tacos and fajitas that might already be in their wheelhouse. Just as no single cookbook could claim to represent the scope of American cuisine without including both New Orleans jambalaya and New England clam chowder, Martínez breaks down the food of Mexico into eight regions, from Baja, California, to the Yucatan Peninsula.
Martínez hardly took a hands-off approach to compiling the material that went into his book. “Mi Cocina” is the product of an epic 586-day road trip he took all through Mexico in a used cherryred Nissan Versa sedan. Starting in October 2019, he traveled to all 32 Mexican states, 156 cities and towns, and covered more than 20,000 miles. Everywhere he went, he sought out and connected with local cooks.
“I’d ask the cooks a single question: ‘Out of everything you make, what do you like best?’” Martínez writes in the book. “With this as my criterion, 99.9% of what I ate was delicious. Out of the countless dishes I got to try this way, I selected a hundred of my favorites and created my own interpretation of each, not as an archetype or a be-all and end-all ‘best’ version, but as a highly personalized love letter to that dish, with my own unique sazón, of course—my personal fl air and signature that makes these dishes my own.”
The result is a cookbook of impressive breadth and variety, with basic instruction on stocking the kitchen with the staples of Mexican cooking along with make-your-own tortilla recipes. Home cooks can sample delights such as a sumptuous Albóndigas en Chipotle (herb and cheese meatballs in smoky sauce) or Mole Amarillo con Chochoyotes (chicken and corn dumplings in a velvety chile sauce) from Oaxaca (see
Rick Martínez’s journey of a lifetime brings him the recipe on page 54), and Burritos de Chilorio back to “Mi Cocina.” BY QUINTON SKINNER (braised pork, avocado, and cheese in toasted tortillas) from northern Mexico. Writing “Mi Cocina” entailed a long physical journey in that Nissan—which he still owns, parking it outside the home in Mazatlán he settled into in 2020 and shares with his rescue dog, Choco. It was also part of a profound personal journey for Martínez, weaving together threads of his own story and that of his family, and how food and cooking have been thematic constants in his life. Martínez is a third-generation Mexican American, born and raised in Texas. Although he has said he was viewed as a “brown kid,” he had never gone farther into Mexico than border towns. His parents generally tried to blend in with American culture, and when he was growing up, his mother explored the terrain of Betty Crocker-style cooking—he describes memories of such dishes as chicken-fried steak and salmon croquettes. Still, he recalls spending a good deal of time with his mother watching cooking shows growing up. Among them were famous programs such as Diana Kennedy’s and “Mexico: One Plate at a Time” with Rick Bayless. Today, he describes his fascination with those Mexican-cooking icons as a “love-hate relationship.” “Now I know that this desire was masking a deeper one: the desire to understand myself,” Martínez writes. “[A] British woman (Kennedy) and Rick Bayless, a white man from Oklahoma, got to represent the culinary diversity of Mexico while my Mexican Ameri“I want you to make can family tried to enculturthis food. It’s not an exact ate with meatloaf and Chef Boyardee.” replica of anything I ate Today, Martínez credits this feeling of rememanywhere. It’s the food bered resentment with an I enjoyed eating the most as acknowledgment that friction underneath the surface created for American home of his youth truly fl owered in the self-discovery that led to cooks. It’s easy to make “Mi Cocina.” with ingredients you “Those programs gave me a glimpse of this world can find in the grocery and this culture. I hadn’t store with equipment understood that a piece of my heritage had been lost you already own.” when my family came from Mexico more than 100 years –rick martínez ago,” Martinez says. “It also inspired me to write this book. I had always wanted to learn more and to understand where I came from. I had made this declaration as a 19-year-old boy that I wanted to be like Diana Kennedy and travel this country and know this food.” While he was always attracted to the world of food and cooking, in his early adulthood his parents pointed him toward getting what he has called a “real” degree (in European history and Spanish history
MOLE AMARILLO CON CHOCHOYOTES
Mole Amarillo con Chochoyotes
MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS
I love this dish because of the chochoyotes, which are masa dumplings with a dimple in them that holds onto the mole. Growing up in Texas, my mom made chicken and dumplings when it was cold and dreary out, and it was like getting a hug and kiss from her. This dish could be the Mexican comfort equivalent with chicken, a rich and thick, albeit spicy stew, and soft maíz dumplings cooked in that rich bright, spicy, and slightly sweet mole. –rick martínez
For the Chochoyotes
1 cup harina de maíz, such as Bob’s Red Mill Masa Harina 1 tablespoon rendered lard or unsalted butter ¼ teaspoon Morton kosher salt
For the Mole Amarillo
3 large chilies chilhuacles amarillos or chilies guajillos, stemmed and seeded (see Editor’s Note) 2 tablespoons rendered lard, olive oil, or vegetable oil 4 (2.2 pounds) whole chicken legs ½ medium white onion, chopped 2 large fresh yellow chilies güeros/ caribes, banana, wax, or bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and chopped 3 medium tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and chopped
at the University of Texas at Austin), which led to years working in advertising and marketing. Eventually he graduated from the French Culinary Institute (now Institute of Culinary Education) in New York, then worked as a cook at ABC Kitchen and a food stylist with the Food Network before he moved into food writing and ended up as a senior editor at Bon Appétit magazine. In 2020, however, he resigned from the popular “Test Kitchen” video series along with other creators alleging inequal pay for staff and contributors of color. It was a major step into the unknown.
“I think that we Americans believe you don’t walk away from money, from opportunity, from security,” Martínez says of that time. “But the reality for me is that at that moment, I was not happy, and I was tired of trying to perform for people who didn’t necessarily really want my content at their publication. For my own sanity, I decided to walk away.”
In that moment, the COVID-19 pandemic was creating massive uncertainty. Also, the very day Martínez signed the papers to close the deal on his house in Mazatlán, the story of him and several of his colleagues leaving Condé Nast broke in The New York Times.
“I was thinking, ‘oh my God, what have I done?’” he recalls. “I had zero income and no prospects on the horizon. It could have been a huge mistake, but in that moment, I was really happy. I had started to realize that dream of myself from when I was a 19-year-old boy: my Mexican kitchen, going to the market for fresh produce and protein from local farmers, the handmade clay ceramic plates and dishes that I had collected. That was fulfillment for me.”
That vision—from watching those cooking shows about Mexico to feeling a centuries-old heritage calling him to the country of his ancestors—carries Martínez into new endeavors. He’s a regular contributor to The New York Times food section and hosts a companion video series to “Mi Cocina,” as well as “Sweet Heat” and “Pruébalo” on YouTube. He also teaches live weekly cooking classes for the Food Network Kitchen and cohosts a podcast.
“I think, honestly, when you’re happy doing what you do, people
6 garlic cloves, finely grated 2¼ teaspoons Morton kosher salt 1 teaspoon black peppercorns 1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican ½ teaspoon cumin seeds 4 allspice berries 1 whole clove 1 hoja santa leaf or ¼ cup each mint and cilantro leaves 1 dried bay leaf 3 cups homemade chicken stock or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock 2 (6-inch) baked tostadas de maíz (corn tortillas), broken into small pieces (see Cook’s Note) 1½ pounds summer or winter squash (such as zucchini or butternut), peeled if necessary, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces ½ pound green beans, ends trimmed 1 medium chayote or large Yukon Gold potato, peeled (and seeded if using chayote) and cut into 1-inch pieces
1. Make the Chochoyotes: In a medium bowl, mix the corn masa flour, lard, salt, and ¾ cup warm water until combined. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to allow the masa to hydrate. 2. Make the Mole Amarillo: Meanwhile, soak the chilies for the mole: In a large saucepan over high heat, bring the chilies chilhuacles amarillos (or chilies guajillos) and ½ cup water to a boil. Cover the pot, remove from the heat, and let sit until the chiles have softened, for 30 minutes. Transfer the chile mixture to a blender and puree until completely smooth. Set aside. 3. To shape the chocoyotes, scoop tablespoon-size portions of masa and roll into balls. Gently press your thumb into the middle of the ball to create a large and deep dimple, then transfer to a sheet pan and repeat with the remaining masa. Loosely cover with plastic wrap until ready to cook. 4. In a large heavy pot over medium-high, heat the lard. Working in batches if necessary, cook the chicken, turning once, until browned on both sides, for 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside. 5. To the same pot, add the onion, chilies güeros, tomatillos, garlic, salt, peppercorns, oregano, cumin, allspice, clove, hoja santa, and bay leaf and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until the vegetables are tender but just before they start to brown, for 6 to 8 minutes. Add the stock, tostadas, and reserved chicken. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, tender, and falling off the bone, for 35 to 45 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a medium bowl and let cool slightly. 6. Working in batches, carefully add the chile mixture and the liquid to a blender and puree until completely smooth. Transfer the mole to a large bowl. 7. Rinse and dry the pot, then return the mole to the pot and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Add the squash, green beans, and chayote and cook until almost cooked through, for 10 to 15 minutes. 8. Nestle the chicken into the pot and gently add the chochoyotes. Cook until the chochoyotes float to the top and are cooked through, for 5 to 10 minutes.
Editor’s Note: If chilhuacles amarillos or guajillos are not available, the pasilla pepper would be the closest substitute, and then the ancho pepper.
Cook’s Note: To bake the tostadas de maíz (corn tostadas), arrange a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 450°F. Brush both sides of 2 (6-inch) corn tortillas with 1 teaspoon vegetable oil per tortilla. Season with kosher salt and arrange on a sheet pan. Bake the tortillas until they’re golden brown in spots and crisp, about 10 minutes. Let cool before serving.
–Rick Martínez
gravitate toward it,” Martínez says of his work today. “My popularity soared exponentially when I fi nally started to act like me and not the person others wanted me to be.”
It has been a long journey—that old Nissan Versa has seen its odometer turn over once, and now has about 120,000 miles on its new cycle—but for Martínez, it’s meant to be shared. Don’t call what he’s doing “authentic,” but all his creative enterprises are defi nitely meant for anyone to enjoy.
“Going back to that idea of authenticity, one reason people are scared of different cuisines is because they feel like there’s going to be something in the way,” he says.
RECIPE AND PHOTOS FROM “MI COCINA: RECIPES AND RAPTURE FROM MY KITCHEN IN MEXICO” BY RICK MARTÍNEZ © 2022 REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION FROM CLARKSON POTTER, AN IMPRINT OF PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE. PHOTOS © 2022 BY REN FULLER.
“Either because they can’t find an ingredient at their local store and don’t want to pay $50 on Amazon for it, or because a technique feels really scary.”
Don’t be scared, Martinez says. “I want you to make this food. It’s not an exact replica of anything I ate anywhere. It’s the food I enjoyed eating the most as created for American home cooks. It’s easy to make with ingredients you can fi nd in the grocery store with equipment you already own.”
Everyone is looking for a sense of discovery, after all, whether it comes from our past, our sense of possibility, or from the fl avors in our kitchens.
“So I think: just remove the restrictions of the idea of authenticity from yourself,” Martínez says. “Just have fun with it. Use a different dried chili. Change the pork recipe into a vegan recipe. Use beef instead of chicken or zucchini instead of pumpkin. Use the ingredients you like, have fun, make these recipes your own—and I think you’ll learn to be an even better cook.” ■
