Pati's Mexican Table

Pati Jinich, voice-over: In the mind of an artist, creativity is a kaleidoscope of color.

[Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: At El Volador in Mexico City, Francisco Enriquez invites me into his world of towering creations, crafting everything from Day of the Dead floats to international art installations.

[Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: Papel picado master Yuriria Alfaro... [Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: shares delicate designs that speak loud truths, cut from paper but rooted in tradition.

[Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: Back in my kitchen, I'll show you how to make tacos de Alambre... Oh.

Whoa.

Wow.

Pati, voice-over: with juicy cuts of beef, spicy chorizo, and melted cheese, dressed with a fire-roasted guacamole salsa.

This gets 4 Mm's.

Pati, voice-over: Then a new dish for me and maybe for you, too-- tlapiques-- fish tamales made with no masa, flavors that feel both ancient and entirely alive.

I mean, is this a beauty!

[Birds chirping] Pati: Mm!

Mm-hmm.

This is so beautiful.

That's fabulous.

[Laughter] Mm.

Est delicioso.

[Birds chirping] [Bell rings] Announcer: "Pati's Mexican Table" is brought to you by... Announcer: La Costea.

Por sabor!

Announcer: From the flavors of the Caribbean to the tastes of Latin America, on the menu with Marriott Bonvoy.

Men: Avocados from Mexico [Acoustic guitar plays Avocados from Mexico jingle] Announcer: Over 40 years bringing authentic Latin American flavors to your table-- Tropical Cheese.

Eggland's Best, available in your grocer's egg aisle.

Visit egglandsbest.com.

[Acoustic guitar playing Nationwide jingle] Pati, voice-over: On Mexico City's east side is the neighborhood of Iztapalapa.

At nearly 2 million people, it's the most populous municipality in the country.

Here, the intense chaos, sounds, smells, and especially the colors assault your imagination.

All that energy can't help but inspire creativity.

Everything in this creative gymnasium starts with this man-- Francisco Enriquez.

[Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: For 35 years, he's been running El Volador, or "The Flying Man," a fabrication workshop specializing in art that looks as if it comes from another planet or perhaps back from the dead.

He and his team are fixtures of the neighborhood, and are adapting the legacy of iconic Mexican artists that came before them.

[Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: Jos Guadalupe Posada was a famous Mexican political cartoonist, whose illustrations inspired generations of Mexican artists, started as a satirical representation of the Mexican elite's obsession with European fashion, and is now the most iconic symbol of La Muerte during Day of the Dead.

[Speaking Spanish] Mm-hmm.

Pati, voice-over: In 2015, the James Bond film "Spectre" filmed its opening scene in downtown Mexico City.

[Speaking Spanish] S.

Pati, voice-over: Prior to the film, Mexico City had never had a Day of the Dead parade at that scale, but ever since, the city has been hosting its own version of the iconic spectacle.

El Volador now creates dozens of props for it.

[Speaking Spanish] S.

Pati, voice-over: Now graffiti artists, sign painters, sculptors, and designers meet here in Iztapalapa, building on the artistic traditions of this city and taking their work international.

[Speaking Spanish] Pati: Wow!

[Speaking Spanish] [Speaking Spanish] Francisco: Es para ti.

Pati, voice-over: Every day, the team shares a meal together, usually from a nearby vendor.

Today it's tacos de Alambre.

Francisco ordered three kinds-- vegetarian, steak, and al pastor.

[Speaking Spanish] [Speaking Spanish] Pati: Mm.

Mm!

[Speaking Spanish] [Laughs] Juju: What are we making?

We are making... [Speaking Spanish] Alambre translates to "wire," and Alambre came from the Middle East.

They brought that kebab-style cooking.

They used to have these big, like, skewers with chunks of meat.

And then they would cook that and then throw that into the griddle or comal to be able to quickly make tacos.

So fast forward to taquerias.

People find that it's much easier to already cook it on the griddle, but the name stuck.

So we're going to start with the marinade.

We're going to do a juice of a lime.

We're going to do a tablespoon soy sauce, a tablespoon Worcestershire, teaspoon salt, teaspoon pepper.

I have a pound and a half of skirt steak.

Everybody has their own take on how to marinate the meat for the Alambre.

I like simple.

You can marinate the meat anywhere from 10 minutes to 24 hours.

So I'm adding the meat.

Let me rinse my hands.

Make sure that the meat is tossed.

Now we're going to do, it's about a half a pound of bacon.

We're going to chop them up.

We're gonna brown the bacon.

We wanna cook the chorizo in the rendered bacon fat.

We have half a pound there.

We need to now cut an onion.

You're gonna sliver it, OK?

OK.

Pati: I'm going to take this out.

I want my vegetables to soak and to cook in the rendered bacon and chorizo fat.

OK.

Now you're gonna cut the bell pepper.

I'm gonna cut the poblano.

So now add the bell peppers... Bell peppers first?

Pati: In the--Yeah, at the same time as the poblanos.

I'm gonna cook until they soften.

I went to El Volador.

They gave me that as a gift.

Una mascara.

Look.

Grab it.

Yeah!

It's... [Speaking Spanish] I don't know if it's gonna fit my head.

A ver.

Try.

Yeah?

S.

If I cook like this, it's like a Halloween episode.

It is like a Day of the Dead episode.

They're always creating new things.

And I think that happens with food, too.

We're going to remove the vegetables and scrape into the same bowl where the bacon and chorizo are.

OK.

Now I'm going to raise the heat to high and... we're gonna... And we'll sear.

sear the meat.

We're gonna do it in batches because we don't want the meat to simmer and steam.

Then I'm gonna cook for a couple of minutes.

We're gonna make a salsa de guacamole.

We're gonna put 1 pound of tomatillos.

Then we're gonna add one garlic clove, half of an onion.

Can you cut that into, like, four pieces?

Yeah.

I'm taking off the meat.

Juju, it's much more fun and much more fast, um, when you're cooking with me in the kitchen.

So this goes under the broiler from 6 to 10 minutes.

Now we're gonna put everything back in-- the vegetables.

Nice.

And let's add the chorizo and the bacon.

I'm gonna chop this up a little, OK?

I'm gonna throw these back in.

Let's cut the cheese in chunks.

You know, and Oaxaca, you can just, like... Yeah.

It just comes apart.

OK, so we're gonna cut it into pieces like this.

I'm gonna look at your tomatillos.

You can see how the juices are coming out.

Juju: Oaxaca cheese-- I think it's my favorite, like, melty... Cheese?

Mexican cheese, yeah.

And now we do the con queso part.

Con queso.

[Sizzling] I'm gonna cover, and I'm gonna reduce to the lowest possible heat.

So the salsa de guacamole is like a marriage between a guacamole and a salsa.

We're gonna toast chiles de rbol.

So I would do, like, 4.

Grab one ripe avocado.

Ooh, look at these, Juju.

And these chiles are toasted.

Look at these.

We have the blender.

Let me add some-- some tomatillos first.

I'm adding all the onion... Mm-hmm.

three chiles de rbol.

Wow.

Like, this has so much flavor.

Let's add the avocado, the garlic.

So, like, a teaspoon of salt.

Teaspoon.

I'm gonna start warming the tortillas because we're... Already?

about to get there.

Start slow and then go high.

[Whirring] Wow.

OK.

Let's taste to see... See if you want another chile?

Yeah.

It's really good.

I think it's, like, asking for lime.

Let's add a lime.

Yeah.

[Speaking Spanish] [Whirring] This is definitely a thick salsa de guac.

Juju: Wow.

Pati: Whoa.

It looks so good.

Yeah.

Oh, whoa!

Wow.

Look at that.

You can see, like, how all the flavors have come together.

I'm so ready.

Oh, my God.

[Speaking Spanish] Pati: Mm-mm.

Perfect.

OK.

Cheers.

OK.

Salud, Juju.

[Speaking Spanish] The salsa tastes so good.

Mm.

It's the perfect combo.

Have you fallen for the salsa de guac?

For sure.

Pati, voice-over: If you've ever been to Mexico, you've seen papel picado-- those colorful fluttering banners adorning streets, altars, and party spaces.

They're everywhere, from bustling city markets to tiny villages, each one adding a vibrant splash of life.

Here in Xochimilco's Xaltocn neighborhood, Yuriria Alfaro and her family have been creating this centuries-old Mexican art for over 30 years.

[Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: This isn't just a shop.

It's a treasure trove of tradition.

With 19 skilled artists who make it look easy, I'm surprised by more than just their abilities.

[Speaking Spanish] [Gasps] [Speaking Spanish] I'm gonna cry.

[Speaking Spanish] [Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: The process of making papel picado requires a steady hand.

[Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: And it is not as easy as it looks.

[Speaking Spanish] [Pati laughs] No.

No.

[Speaking Spanish] No.

No.

Pati: But it looks a bit-- [Yuriria laughs] [Speaking Spanish] Ah, wow.

[Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: The factory was founded by Yuriria's father, Alberto Torres Cordero, a former teacher who created this workshop in his retirement.

[Speaking Spanish] [Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: Papel picado is the ultimate party guest in Mexico and is used for just about any Mexican fiesta.

[Speaking Spanish] [Speaking Spanish] Pati: Ah, wow.

[Speaking Spanish] Pati: Wow.

[Speaking Spanish] [Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: Everywhere I look, there's a burst of color, creativity, and life.

Up on the third floor, where the sun shines through the semi-transparent roof and the heat intensifies, each banner is strung along lines of string and dried in place with a special glue.

[Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: It's a meditative process that transforms this beautiful art into fluttering masterpieces.

[Speaking Spanish] [Speaking Spanish] Yes.

[Laughs] Pati, voice-over: And just like the tradition of papel picado, Yuriria and her mother share with me another local tradition-- tlapiques, or fish tamales, served with rice in a local bean dish called frijoles chinamperos, served with cilantro, chile, lime, and cheese.

[Speaking Spanish] [Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: These fish tamales made with fresh fish and nopalitos-- no corn masa to be seen-- are wrapped in corn husks and grilled.

[Speaking Spanish] Uh-huh.

Pati, voice-over: For dessert, traditional Mexican candied treats made with figs, papaya, coconut, and pumpkin.

For Doa Berna and Yuriria, even the wind carries a story, and papel picado makes sure it's a beautiful one.

[Speaking Spanish] [Speaking Spanish] [Laughter] Pati: We're gonna make tlapiques, which is a dish I didn't even know existed before going to Xochimilco.

And tlapique is a tamale without masa that typically has fish and nopalitos.

I love nopales so much.

I'm going to show you how to clean a nopal.

You wanna remove the base, and then you wanna go all around removing the edge off.

And then you just scrape the little thorns.

If this is the first time you're trying to clean the nopales, you can use gloves.

OK, so this one's cleaned.

We're gonna dice the nopalitos.

Use about a tablespoon of oil.

And I have my pan, which is preheating over medium heat.

So I'm going to add the nopalitos here to the oil.

It's very easy to get rid of that, like, viscous, thick substance by just stirring them until that liquid comes out.

And then you just let it dry up.

I'm gonna sprinkle a little salt.

[Sizzling] As this cooks, I'm going to prepare the rest of the ingredients that go in the nopalito mix.

I have about a half a pound of tomatillos.

These I have already rinsed.

And keeping an eye.

The flavor of the nopalito is like a cross between a cucumber, an asparagus, and a green bean.

And so the tomatillos go in there.

Now I'm going to add scallions, removing the tops, bottoms.

I do about a cup of cilantro.

And then I'm going to add chiles.

I'm going to use a jalapeo and a fresh serrano.

And my nopalitos are ready, so I'm turning this off.

And then I'm going to chop the jalapeo.

Tlapique is a dish that comes from the region of Xochimilco, where I went to the papel picado taller, or factory.

So I'm adding the fresh chile in here, and I'm adding pickled jalapeos and pickled serranos, removing the stems.

Serranitos are smaller but more feisty.

OK.

Now we're gonna mix these with some salt and pepper.

Add about a tablespoon of oil.

So we have this bright green, gorgeous filling that gets the jewel now, the nopalitos.

Now we're gonna prepare the fish.

You can use whatever firm whitefish you like.

Here I have rockfish.

You need a paring knife, and it needs to be sharp.

Then you're going to go at the end, where the tail would be, and you're going to make a little indentation and start going really, really close to the skin.

We're doing a nice clean filleting.

We're going to do the other one.

I'm going to do a better job with the other one.

Oh, super lovely clean.

We have the fillets.

So now we're going to assemble.

I have the husks that I've been soaking in water for, like, half an hour.

But I also need to cut some threads, like this.

So we have the husks.

We have the comal that's been heating.

And I'm going to cut it into pieces that fit in the tamale.

We need to season the fish and add some oil to the fish.

Salt and pepper.

And you want to make sure that the fish is coated in the salt and pepper and in the oil.

Then we're going to do the nopalito mix.

I mean, is this a beauty!

Then you just fold it.

Go like this.

You can fold it like this.

And here is where these come, so it doesn't open as it cooks.

I wanna do another one on the top just to secure it.

Gorgeous.

You're just gonna place it directly like this over a comal.

Look at this beauty.

OK, beautiful.

[Sizzling] So I think these have a few more minutes.

I have rice.

I'm gonna heat my tortillas.

OK.

Here we go.

And my tortillas.

Ah!

Beautiful.

I want to first try the tlapique just on its own.

Mm.

Mm.

It is so delicious.

It is not what you would expect if I said Mexican food.

It is light.

It is full of flavor.

Mm.

Mm.

That tasted even better... [Laughs] with a warm corn tortilla.

It is just so herbal, fragrant.

And I hope that you give this a try so that you make it at home and you keep on doing it like me.

Pati: For recipes and information from this episode and more, visit patijinich.com and connect.

Find me on Facebook, TikTok, X, Instagram, and Pinterest @PatiJinich.

Announcer: "Pati's Mexican Table" is brought to you by... Announcer: La Costea.

Por sabor!

Announcer: From the flavors of the Caribbean to the tastes of Latin America, on the menu with Marriott Bonvoy.

Men: Avocados from Mexico [Acoustic guitar plays Avocados from Mexico jingle] Announcer: A tradition of authentic Latin flavors and family recipes.

Tropical Cheese.

Eggland's Best, available in your grocer's egg aisle.

Visit egglandsbest.com.

[Acoustic guitar playing Nationwide jingle] Announcer: Proud to support "Pati's Mexican Table" on public television.