Excerpt: Made in Mexico by Rizzoli International Publications

INTRODUCTION XX ANTOJITOS XX Tacos Campechanos Tacos Dorados Tacos de Costilla de Res Rajas con Queso Tacos de Pescado Capeado Tacos de Chile Relleno de Camarón Tacos Gobernadores Tacos de Suadero Tlayudas de Chorizo Sopes de Pollo Costras Tacos de Chicharrón en Salsa Verde Tacos de Bistec en Pasilla Tostadas de Pulpo Tacos de Lechón Gordas Petroleras Tostadas de Atún Tostadas Cachoreadas Pambazo

D E S AY U N O S XX Chilaquiles Verdes Enchiladas Suizas Huevos Motuleños Huevos Rancheros Natas para Pan Dulce Aporreado con Huevo Huevos Encamisados

E N SA L A DAS Y CEVICHES XX Ensalada César Ensalada de Quelites Ensalada de Frijoles Ensalada de Palmitos Ceviche de Nopales Ceviche Tribilín Cóctel Campechano Almejas al Habanero Aguachile Rojo Ceviche Verde Salpicón de Res

PARA PICAR Y SOPAS XX Cucarachas Toritos Flor de Calabaza Rellena Fideo Seco Chiles Secos Rellenos La Discada Chorizo a la Sidra Sopa de Tortilla Carne en su Jugo Camarones Petroleros Caldo de Camarón Choriqueso Pozole Blanco Pozole Verde Crema de Frijol

P L AT O S FUERTES XX Birria Costillas con Verdolagas Chamorro Cantinero Cabrito al Horno Albóndigas en Caldillo Mole Rojo de Semilla Carnitas de Atún Carnitas Mole de Olla Chiles Rellenos Pavo en Pipián Blanco Mole a mi Manera Pescado a la Sal Pescado Tikin Xic Lengua en su Caldo Pescado a la Veracruzana Relleno Negro Cochinita Pibil Pollo en Escabeche Carne Tártara

POSTRES XX

APPENDIX XX Tortillas de Maíz (Corn Tortillas) Flour Tortillas Chorizo Rojo Hongos al epazote Salsa Verde Salsa Roja Salsa Campechana Salsa Macha Tamales Arroz Blanco Chiles Poblanos Asados Teleras Crema Basic Beans Frijoles Refritos Frijoles Charros

INDEX XX ACKNOWLEDGMENTS XX

Maria Va a la Florería Pan de Muerto Pastel de Elote Pastel Imposible Cuellos de Laurel Ate Flameado

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D I R E C T O RY

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TAC O S D E P E S CA D O CA P E A D O

Makes 16 tacos

This is a classic taco from Baja California that I’ve been seeing more and more in Mexico City (it’s also made with shrimp). La Guerrerense is a legendary carreta (food cart) in Ensenada that recently opened a Mexico City location in the Parián Condesa food hall. It’s become an obligatory stop for me when I’m in the Condesa neighborhood. Vodka is a chef’s secret for deep-frying that works in two ways; it inhibits gluten formation, to make a more delicate crust, and it evaporates faster than water, so batter becomes extra crisp. ½ cup cornstarch 1 ½ cups all purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 ½ teaspoons Kosher salt ¼ cup vodka

To make the slaw, mix the cabbage, onion, queso fresco, vinegar, lime juice, olive oil, and salt. Let macerate at room temperature while you fry the fish.

C A B B A G E S L AW

¼ head green cabbage, sliced thin ½ medium red onion, sliced thin ¼ cup crumbled queso fresco 2 tablespoons cider vinegar Juice of 2 limes (about ¼ cup) ¼ cup olive oil 2 teaspoons Kosher salt Vegetable oil, for frying 3 pounds boneless cod fillets, cut into 4 x 1-inch strips 16 flour tortillas (homemade, page xx, or store-bought) 2 avocados, each peeled, pitted, and cut into 8 slices

MADE IN MEXICO

Whisk together the cornstarch, 1 cup of the flour, the baking powder, and salt. Add the vodka and 1 cup cold water and mix until smooth; it should look like pancake batter. Let rest for 30 minutes. Put the remaining ½ cup flour on a plate.

Fill a deep fryer, Dutch oven, or cast-iron pan with vegetable oil to a depth of 1 inch. Place over medium-high heat until it reaches 350–375°F on a candy or deep-fry thermometer (the oil will ripple and a drop of batter will sizzle immediately). Whisk batter again, in case it separated. Dredge the cod strips in the flour, then dip in the batter, letting any excess drip back into the bowl. Place gently into the oil, working in batches so the pieces don’t touch. Reduce heat to medium and cook the fish until golden brown, turning the strips if necessary to maintain even color, about 4 minutes total. Drain on a paper towel–lined plate. Warm the tortillas while the fish cooks. To assemble the tacos, divide the fish among the tortillas, and top with cabbage slaw and a slice of avocado.

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A N T O J I T O S

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T L AY U D A S

Makes 4 tlayudas

The first time I had a tlayuda was about 15 years ago, when I was in Oaxaca for a wedding. The night before, after a few mezcals, we went to a street stall that cooked tlayudas over charcoal (like “tostada,” the word “tlayuda” refers to both the tortilla and the finished dish). The tortilla boasted a flavor and texture that you don’t see much in Mexico City, though as Oaxacan cuisine becomes increasingly popular, more Oaxacan restaurants are popping up. One of my favorites is Pasillo de Humo, where chef Alam Méndez garnishes his tlayudas with such typically Oaxacan ingredients as guaje seeds, roast chile de agua, the herb chepiche, and chapulines, aka fried grasshoppers. This recipe is for chorizo, my favorite option, but cecina (page xx) is wonderful as well. 2 cups corn masa (page xx) 2 tablespoons pork lard or bacon fat, plus additional for cooking and brushing 1½ cups chorizo (page xx) 6 cups refried beans (page xx) ¼ head iceberg lettuce, shredded 4 roma tomatoes, thinly sliced 2 avocados, peeled, pitted, and cut into 8 slices 8 ounces queso Oaxaca or string cheese, pulled into thin ribbons Salsa (any type), for serving

Mix the masa with the lard. Divide into quarters and roll each into a ball. Place one ball between sheets of plastic (use plastic wrap or trim flat sheets from a plastic shopping bag) and, with a rolling pin, flatten then roll out each ball, starting from the center and rolling out, to create a 12-inch round tortilla. I usually flip the tortilla twice, peeling it off the plastic each time so the tortilla doesn’t crease too much. Repeat with the remaining balls to make 4 tortillas. Cook each tlayuda in a very large nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium heat (to keep tlayudas flat, peel away the top layer of plastic, lay tortilla-side down in the pan, then remove the top layer of plastic). Cook for about 2 minutes on the first side, then flip, and cook for another 2 minutes, and then flip again, add a drizzle of the pork fat and cook for another 3 minutes. The tortilla should start to harden and become somewhere between soft, chewy, and toasty. Cook the chorizo and reheat the beans, if necessary. To assemble, brush each tlayuda generously with lard or bacon fat, cover with a thin layer of beans, then top with the chorizo, lettuce, tomato, avocado, and finally the cheese. Pass the salsa separately.

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ENCHILADAS SUIZAS

Serves 4

Enchiladas are one of the more popular Mexican dishes in the U.S. for dinner, but in Mexico they’re most often eaten for breakfast. In Mexico, when you call something Suiza—“Swiss”— it means it has a lot of cheese and/or cream. Café Tacuba is a historic restaurant downtown that makes some of the best enchiladas Suizas I’ve had—or maybe they’re just like the ones I remember from my childhood. Either way, though the restaurant is now a crowded tourist destination, it’s worth a visit! SALSA SUIZA

2 pounds tomatillos (about 20 medium), husked 1/2 medium white onion 2 cloves garlic 1 sprig fresh epazote (about 8 leaves) 4 serrano chiles, destemmed, depending on your tolerance for spice 2 tablespoons kosher salt ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese ¼ cup heavy cream Kosher salt, as needed Shredded chicken 1 chicken (3–4 pounds), cut into 8 pieces 1 onion, quartered 2 stalks celery, halved 1 sprig each fresh marjoram, oregano, and parsley

1/4 cup vegetable oil 16 corn tortillas (homemade, page xx, or store-bought) ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese ¼ white onion, thinly sliced ½ cup Crema (page xx)

MADE IN MEXICO

To make the salsa suiza, in a medium pot, combine the tomatillos, onion, garlic, epazote, and chiles, with just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes. Transfer to a blender with salt and purée until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Then turn the blender to low speed, add the cheese and cream, and blend for about 30 seconds, until well incorporated. Add salt if necessary and set aside. To prepare the shredded chicken, place the chicken, onion, celery, and herbs in a heavy pot and cover with water by one inch. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, until the thigh meat is cooked through and pulls easily away from the bone. Remove the chicken and let cool to room temperature (strain the broth and save for another use). Once cool, remove the skin, pull meat from the bones, and shred the meat with your fingers. (The chicken can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Reheat before using.) Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil begins to ripple, using tongs, dip the tortillas in one at a time and fry them for about 5 seconds (just to soften), draining excess oil back into the pot. Place the fried tortillas on a paper towel–lined plate. Add about 2 tablespoons shredded chicken to each tortilla, roll up the tortillas, and place them in a large baking dish, seam side down. Repeat for all 16 tortillas. Cover with salsa suiza, and sprinkle the mozzarella on top. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, until the edges are brown and crispy and the cheese has also started to brown. Top with onion and crema just before serving.

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D E S AY U N O S

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E N SA L A DAS Y CEVICHES

Mexico is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world. Though some Mexican meals might seem to be meat and tortillas and little else, Mexicans eat a range of fruits, vegetables, and legumes throughout the day—and not just in salsa. Corn, squash, beans, chiles, cactus, avocados, tomatoes, tomatillos, and various greens are all native and have been part of the regular diet since pre-Hispanic times. When the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés arrived in Tenochtitlán—what is now Mexico City—his breathless reports back to the king of the markets’ abundance read like fantastical fairy tales. This biodiversity isn’t just on land; the country is almost surrounded by water (not to mention its many large lakes and rivers), containing some of the world’s best fish and shellfish. It comes daily to Mexico City’s wholesale fish market, La Nueva Viga, which is the world’s second largest in volume. As a result, Mexico City has a phenomenal seafood culture for a landlocked city, bringing together all the country’s coastal cuisines. Ceviche and its close relatives aguachile and cóctel showcase seafood in its purest form, and I encourage you to think of them more as blueprints than hard-and-fast recipes. Tweak ingredients, quantities and sauces to fit your own tastes, using the best seafood available.

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LA DISCADA

Serves 6

On a trip to the state of Durango for my mezcal company, one of our producers offered us a feast that I’d never experienced, called a discada. The name comes from the discs that are used in the plows on the fields: Workers would remove one to use as a pan over an open flame, and cook their entire meal on it. It’s a rustic fajita of sorts, which usually has chicken, and anything else that’s on hand. Like many dishes from Northern Mexico, meat is the star, so use the best-quality meat you can find. I’d never seen la discada in Mexico City until I spotted it on the menu at La Nacional, a bar that focuses on regional spirits (not just mezcal!) from throughout Mexico. To pair with these drinks, they also have food specific to the same regions. Their discada was perfect with a glass of sotol from Durango. 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 pound boneless chicken thighs, sliced into ½ inch strips 6 slices bacon, chopped up fine 1 white onion, sliced thin 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped 1 pound smoked pork chops, or country ham, roughly chopped

Add oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat, and when hot, add chicken. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 5 minutes total. Add the bacon, onion, and garlic, and cook about 5 minutes, until bacon has rendered most of its fat and is starting to crisp. Add the pork, chiles, and tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes, or until the tomatoes break down and the onions are soft. Add lime juice and season with salt and pepper. Serve with corn tortillas and salsa roja (page xx) or verde (page xx).

2 canned chipotle chiles, minced 2 tomatoes, roughly chopped 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice FOR SERVING

Corn tortillas (homemade, page xx, or storebought) Salsa Roja (page xx or xx)

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PARA PICAR Y SOPAS

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Mezcal is distilled from cooked agave; tequila is simply mezcal made from one specific agave type in specific approved regions. There’s a story about where mezcal came from: In a cave in central Mexico, the natives were drinking pulque (fermented agave sap). In these warm fire-lit caves, the pulque evaporated and the alcohol condensed, thus creating the first agave distillation. Whether this story is true, or distillation arrived with the Spanish (that’s still an issue of academic debate), mezcal has been around for at least 500 years.

MEZCAL There is a term in Mexico called malinchismo, which is to value something foreign over the Mexican version of the same thing. It’s something that I’ve thankfully seen much less of in Mexico City in recent years, especially in the food and drink world, which no longer holds up France and Italy as benchmarks for great cuisine. Mezcal is now considered one of the world’s great distillates, but despite the fact that tequila kept expanding in popularity, it’s only recently that mezcal has been thought of as anything more than Oaxacan moonshine. For us chilangos (Mexico City natives), it wasn’t considered up to the level of great whiskey, gin, or brandy. Part of this, of course, is that the available mezcals were commercially produced brands that bore no resemblance to the artisanal mezcal available now in almost any big city. The first time I tried mezcal was at age 17, en route to the beach in Oaxaca—it’s not a fond memory. But as I learned and tasted more, I came to understand how delicious and varied it could be, and the importance that it’s held all over the country. In 2009, I started my own mezcal brand, Mezcales de Leyenda, sourcing and exporting great mezcals from several different states. The huge popularity of real mezcal today, in Mexico and beyond, is a great strike against malinchismo, and I’m thrilled to be able to play one tiny part in it. MADE IN MEXICO

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CHORIQUESO

Serves 4

This is my version of queso fundido, or Mexican fondue (the name is a portmanteau of chorizo and queso). Mexican cuisine doesn’t use a lot of melted cheese—even quesadillas, despite their name, don’t automatically have cheese—so this is a real luxury. I still have the same love for queso fundido that I had as a kid, but now add things like roasted poblano chile, huitlacoche, or seared mushrooms. Still, my favorite addition is chorizo. The salsa verde really brings this together. Queso fundido is a natural with beer, and a fun dish to share among friends. Salón Corona is one of many historic cantinas in El Centro, and I can’t count how many afternoons I’ve spent there with friends, making choriqueso tacos on chilly afternoons. 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, grated 8 ounces Monterey jack cheese, grated ½ cup cooked Chorizo Rojo (page xx) or store-bought chorizo 8 flour tortillas (homemade, page xx, or store-bought), for serving Salsa Verde (pages xx or xx), for serving

Preheat the broiler. Mix the shredded cheeses. Spread the chorizo in the bottom of a shallow ovenproof gratin dish. Place on an oven rack that’s about 6 inches from the broiler. Cook until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown in spots, about 10 minutes, watching carefully so it doesn’t burn. Meanwhile, heat the tortillas on a dry griddle and place in a napkinlined dish to keep warm. Serve choriqueso with the tortillas, passing the salsa verde separately.

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PESCADO A LA VERACRUZANA

Serves 4

The popularity of Veracruz-style fish in Mexico has spread far beyond the coastal state of Veracruz. It’s a simple dish with very bright, strong flavors that are reminiscent of the Italian sauce puttanesca. I was once competing on a TV show starring Bobby Flay, and to get to the final round to compete against Bobby, I had to pass a round where we had twenty minutes to cook a surprise ingredient, which was sole. I knew right away I would prepare it a la Veracruzana, since it’s such a crowd-pleaser. It worked. The cuisine of Veracruz has strong Afro-Cuban as well as Spanish influences, stemming from the importance of its eponymous capital’s port, which is Mexico’s oldest and largest. El Tajín is an elegant place to taste many classic Veracruzano dishes, as well as other dishes from throughout Southern Mexico. 4 tablespoons olive oil ½ yellow onion, minced 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 2 tablespoons white wine 3 bay leaves, preferably fresh 4 plum tomatoes, chopped 1 teaspoon fresh oregano leaves 1 sprig fresh thyme 10 pitted Manzanilla (or other green) olives, roughly chopped 2 tablespoons capers 2 canned pickled jalapeño chile, chopped Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley 1 large whole red snapper (3–4 pounds) or other flaky white fish (or substitute 1½ pounds boneless skin-on fillets) Cooked white rice, for serving

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook just until the onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the wine and bay leaves and cook until the wine has almost completely evaporated. Add the tomatoes, oregano, thyme, olives, capers, and jalapeño and reduce the heat to low. Cook until the tomatoes are completely soft, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Raise the heat if necessary to evaporate most of the liquid. Stir in the parsley. If using a whole fish, score each side with three or four deep slashes (this will help the sauce penetrate the fish and keep it from curling up). If using fillets, remove the pinbones using fish tweezers or needle-nose pliers. In a pan large enough to hold the whole fish (or the fillets in a single layer), heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over mediumhigh heat. Add the whole snapper and cook for 2–3 minutes, until golden brown. Carefully flip the fish and pour the tomato mixture on top. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover. Cook for about 10 minutes, until the fish is cooked through (the thickest part of the fish should flake easily when prodded with a fork). If using fillets, cook skin side down first, then flip and add the tomato mixture, following the directions provided above. To serve, divide the fish evenly among four plates and top with the sauce. Serve with white rice.

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P L AT O S F U E R T E S

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PAN DE MUERTO

Serves 8

This bread is ubiquitous in Mexican bakeries throughout October, up until Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) on November 2. Día de los Muertos is actually a three-day celebration starting on Halloween. These loaves are used as much for decoration as eating, but I say, if you’re going to bother making it, why not make it delicious. These are often eaten with hot chocolate since they can be very dry, but I like mine just as is, warm from the oven. Panadería Costra is an artisanal bakery in colonia Narvarte, where owner Erick Magaña eschews commercial yeasts in favor of wild yeast and sourdough starters for leavening. His pan de muerto is one of the best I’ve had. 10 tablespoons unsalted butter ¼ cup milk ¾ cup sugar 3 large eggs 7 large egg yolks 3 envelopes (¾ ounce) yeast 1 teaspoon vanilla 4½ cups flour FOR FINISHING

½ teaspoon kosher salt 1 tablespoon melted butter ½ cup sugar

Melt the butter and add it to the milk and sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. With the mixer running, beat in the eggs and 5 of the egg yolks, one at a time. Add the yeast and vanilla. Add the flour, a little a time, until well incorporated and the dough is smooth and shiny. Using the dough hook, knead for 10 minutes. (You can also mix ingredients and knead by hand.) Remove the bowl from the mixer, cover the bowl with a dish towel, and let stand at room temperature until the dough has doubled in volume, about 2 hours. Punch the dough down to deflate it and form it into a ball. Cut away one-fourth of the dough and set aside. Pat the dough into a disc about 9 inches in diameter. Place the disc on a baking sheet and cover with oiled plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm area of your kitchen until it doubles in size, about 1½ hours. Meanwhile, divide the reserved dough into four parts and roll three of them into 9-inch-long strips. Pinch two knobs on each end of the strips so they resemble bones. Roll the remaining piece into a ball. Transfer these to another baking sheet and cover with oiled plastic wrap; and let sit in a warm area for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 400°F. When the dough is done rising, place two strips on top of the bread, like spokes of a wheel, and place the ball in the center. Beat the remaining 2 egg yolks with 2 teaspoons of water and brush the dough all over with the egg wash. Place the dough on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake until the bread is cooked through and makes a hollow sound when tapped, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven, brush with melted butter and sprinkle well with sugar. Serve warm.

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FRIJOLES

BASIC BEANS

There’s a world of bean possibilities out there, and Rancho Gordo is a great website to order them. Their “midnight black bean” is a delicious and versatile black bean that works well in any bean recipe in the book (as will dried black beans from the supermarket), but experiment with their other varieties once you’ve mastered the basics. The night before, place the beans in a bowl about twice the volume of the beans and cover them with water. Cover with a loose-fitting lid and let soak overnight.

4 cups beans 1 ancho chile 1 white onion, peeled 1 sprig of fresh epazote

The next day, drain the soaked beans, put them in a large pot, then cover with water about 4 inches above the beans. Add the onion, chile, and epazote and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 2 hours, adding more water if necessary along the way. (There should always be at least a ½ inch of water covering the beans.) Once the beans are tender, then season with salt. (Always stir and taste a couple beans as there may be outliers that aren’t done yet). Let sit for about 20 minutes to absorb the salt and taste again, adding more salt if necessary. Remove and discard the onion and chile.

Kosher salt

Serve immediately or refrigerate the beans in their cooking liquid for up to 5 days. MADE IN MEXICO

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FRIJOLES REFRITOS

Refried beans are always a crowd favorite and can be used as a side dish or a dip. Thinned with water to a pouring consistency, you can even use it as a drizzled garnish on any antojito. ¼ white onion, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or pork lard 2 cups Basic Beans (see recipe)

In a medium pan over medium-low heat, sauté the onions and garlic in the oil or lard until the onions are slightly translucent, about 3 minutes, then add beans and cook for another 5 minutes. Add about ½ cup of the bean cooking liquid or water. Reduce the heat to low. With a bean smasher, mash the beans pretty well and continue to cook until the desired consistency is achieved. I enjoy beans slightly creamy, but you might like them stiff enough to mold into a shape or runny enough to spread out on a plate.

FRIJOLES CHARROS

This wonderful dish celebrates that perfect marriage of beans and pork. A charro is a traditional Mexican horseman, so I’m not sure why these porky beans are named after them. This would be a perfect dish to prepare over an open campfire. ¼ white onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1 teaspoon vegetable oil 3 strips of bacon, chopped well ¼ cup red chorizo (page xxx) 1 canned chipotle chile, chopped well

In a large pot over medium-low heat, cook the onion and garlic in the oil until they begin to sweat, about 1 minute. Add the bacon and cook for about 2 minutes, until the fat begins to render, then add the chorizo and cook for another 2 minutes until the bacon begins to crisp. If the onion and garlic start to brown, reduce the heat. Add the chipotle chile, beans, and chicken or bean stock and cook for about 5 minutes more. This dish should be pretty soupy. Serve in a bowl as an accompaniment to a main dish.

2 cups Basic Beans (see recipe) 1 cup chicken stock or bean cooking liquid

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