[Woman and man speak Spanish] Pati, voice-over: The beauty of family is it doesn't matter how famous you get, you'll always be loved unconditionally.
At least that's the case for celebrated chef Wilson Alonso.
[Woman and Wilson speak Spanish] Pati, voice-over: His abuela is always there to unconditionally make sure every dish is cooked exactly right.
[Abuela speaking Spanish] Pati-voice-over: I have the honor to spend all day with Chef Alonso and his family in their hometown of Halach... [Bicycle bell rings] gathering ingredients and making the perfect traditional cochinita pibil.
[Wilson and Pati speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: Inspired by Halach's incredible street food, in my kitchen, I'm making salbutes.
Alan, I don't think you've tried the salbutes.
-No.
What's that?
-Oh, I'm so excited!
Pati, voice-over: Crispy, golden fried tortillas... See how it puffs?
Alan: Oh, wow.
-Isn't it beautiful?
-Yes.
Pati, voice-over: smothered with colado black beans.
Mm.
I'll take them all.
[Chuckles] Mm-hmm.
Eat a--have another one!
Alan: Ha ha ha!
[Birds chirping] [Indistinct shouting] [Speaks Spanish] Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
Super sweet.
[Woman speaks Spanish] Yeah.
[Pati speaks Spanish] Pati: So breathtaking.
Announcer: "Pati's Mexican Table" is brought to you by... Announcer: La Costea.
por sabor!
Men: Avocados from Mexico Announcer: Stand together.
Helping every person rise.
More information at standtogether.org.
[Acoustic guitar plays Nationwide jingle] Announcer: Here, the typical arroz con pollo, or not.
Unfollow la receta.
Mahatma rice.
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[Blows whistle] Pati, voice-over: The spirit of Mexico is alive and buzzing in each one of its vibrant markets.
[Bicycle bell rings] Pati, voice-over: They are the economic and social backbone of the community, where multigenerational families make a living.
It is also the best way to get to know a new place, and the market in Halach, in the northwest corner of Yucatn, is no exception.
My guide in this lovely market is celebrated local chef Wilson Alonso.
[Pati and Wilson speak Spanish] Pati, voice-over: We're shopping for ingredients for cochinita pibil, Yucatn's signature dish-- a juicy, slow-cooked pork marinated in a mixture of bitter orange, achiote paste, and spices, then slow-cooked in a pit called a pib.
It's the perfect blend of Spanish and Mayan cultures in one plate.
[Wilson and Pati speaking Spanish] Pati-voice-over: Finding what we need is a lot easier since Wilson seems to be related to half of the market.
[Speaks Spanish] [Wilson and Pati speaking Spanish] Ha ha!
Pati, voice-over: It's hard not to marvel at the vast array of flavors in Yucatn's markets.
[Wilson speaking Spanish] [Pati and Wilson speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: This one might be my new favorite-- the succulent star apple.
[Speaks Spanish] Mm!
Que?
It is so luxurious!
I'm set.
I don't need anything else in life.
Oh.
Uh-huh.
Pati, voice-over: Before we leave, Wilson insists I try a Yucatn classic.
[Wilson and Pati speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: Salbute is a golden, crispy fried tortilla with beans, pork, and colorful toppings.
Mm.
[Speaks Spanish] Pati, voice-over: We're getting distracted, eating everything in sight.
We still need the key ingredient for the cochinita-- the pork.
[Wilson and Pati speaking Spanish] [Pati and Wilson speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: Wilson seems to be related to the entire town.
I love it.
Pati, voice-over: Before we make the cochinita, I want you to try the salbute.
The salbutes that I ate with Wilson were so delicious that I want to make them home here with you.
The salbute is a soft tortilla that is fried in a little bit of oil.
You're going to love it.
What you need to make them is a salsa, some refried beans, a topping or filling like a picadillo.
So I'm going to start by making the colado beans, or frijoles colados, and it's Yucatn's version of refried beans.
And here, I have pound of dried beans that I rinsed, and I'm just adding the beans into the water, turning it on over high, and as it starts to simmer, I'm going to add all these sprigs of epazote.
The epazote, which I'm adding here, I don't know how to define it.
It's a very fragrant, aromatic herb, and it's just so distinct.
If you can't find epazote, you can use cilantro or skip it.
I have a white onion that I cut and peeled.
I want them to cook until they soften.
[Taps spoon on pot] I'm going to cover my beans and reduce the heat to medium, medium-low, and let it cook for an hour and 15 minutes.
OK, I'm going to make a chunky tomato and habanero salsa.
So easy to make.
So now, I'm adding a pound and a half Roma tomatoes, and all I want is for the tomatoes to cook and become really mushy and soft.
And while that happens, I'm going to chop half of a white onion.
OK.
But now, the tomatoes are ready, so I'm adding the tomato like this in the blender.
A teaspoon of salt... and here we go.
That's it.
So you want them chunky.
See?
OK.
So I'm heating my pan over medium-high heat.
I'm going to add a tablespoon of just vegetable oil.
Once that the oil starts shimmering at the bottom of the pan... [Sizzling] I'm adding my onion.
All that's in this chunky salsa is the tomatoes, the onion that I chopped, and habanero chilies.
And because I'm adding them whole, the sauce is not going to get spicy, per se, but we don't want them to break apart, because if not, the salsa is going to be spicy as hell.
[Sizzling] So now that we have this nice and seasoned, I'm going to add the sauce.
[Sizzling] So we're just going to cook this for a few minutes until it gains even more taste, more color, and it thickens a little.
[Cooking timer dings] So this is very-- the salsa has thickened and seasoned, and it smells awesome, yeah.
I want to taste.
No, I'm not putting an habanero on my chip.
Mm.
I can feel the heat.
I can add more heat, but I'll do it when I do the salbute, and I break the habanero.
So these beans are ready, and this just makes me so happy.
This is home.
So you see how the beans are super soft.
See?
They break apart.
OK, so I'm removing the onion and the epazote.
So, in this deep skillet, I'm going to add a little bit of oil-- just, like, one or two tablespoons over medium, medium-high heat-- and I'm going to chop some onion.
So this is half of a white onion, and you want to chop it fine.
And the oil is hot.
Adding my onion.
[Sizzling] Dropping in... two banana peppers, and as this happens, I'm going to pure my beans that need to go in here.
Oh!
And you know what?
We didn't add salt to these beans-- like, one tablespoon, which is 3 teaspoons.
OK. And then, to finish with the frijoles colados, as they say in Mexico, the beans could walk out of the pan.
That means they're really, really, really thick.
And you see... the chilies.
Ven Mila, come, come.
[Pati and Wilson speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: Leaving 9 rocks at the altar is believed to provide safe entry and safe exit.
[Wilson and Pati speak Spanish] Pati, voice-over: Green crosses in Yucatn symbolize the blending of Maya beliefs and Christianity, brought by the Spaniards.
The crosses were made from the wood of the sacred ceiba tree.
In Maya mythology, the gods planted the first ceiba tree at the center of the universe, and from its branches, the sky was formed.
The tree's roots reached into the underworld, establishing a link between the realms and facilitating communication between humans and gods.
Chef Wilson blesses the ingredients for each dish at the ceiba tree behind his restaurant.
He credits much of his passion for Maya tradition and cooking to his abuela, Raquel.
[Pati speaks Spanish] [Wilson speaks Spanish] [Raquel speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: Achiote is an all-purpose paste made with annatto seeds, then it's mixed with bitter orange, lard, and other spices and is for marinating the pork.
[Wilson speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: It seems that no matter how experienced or well-respected Wilson is, it's clear that Abuela is still the boss of this kitchen.
[Raquel and Wilson speaking Spanish] Pati: Ah!
[Pati and Wilson speak Spanish] Pati, voice-over: First we have to put the... Pati, voice-over: Well, I guess I first need an apron.
[Pati and Raquel speaking Spanish] I have Raquel's apron, so now I'm going to cook right.
[Wilson and Raquel speaking Spanish] -OK. -Mm-hmm.
Oh, this is so much fun.
[Wilson and Pati speaking Spanish] [Raquel and Wilson speaking Spanish] [Pati speaking Spanish] -OK. -Ooh.
[Strainer tapping bowl] Pati, voice-over: Almost ready.
We just need to cover the pork with banana leaves, and the most important step... [Pati speaks Spanish] Pati, voice-over: Doa Raquel's stamp of approval.
Pati, voice-over: For the ancient Maya, cooking inside a pib represents an underworld battle between the food and evil... with food always victorious.
[Raquel speaking Spanish] [Pati and Raquel speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: There is also a battle between Doa Raquel and her high cooking standards, and she's also always victorious.
[Raquel and Wilson speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: After enduring a 4-hour battle in the underworld... the cochinita pibil is ready to return to our table.
Pati: Oh!
[Pati and Wilson speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: Once above ground, the air fills with the smoky, floral, earthy aroma, and the juicy, tender meat falls apart to the touch.
[Wilson chuckling] -Mm, mm, mm!
-Heh heh!
[Pati speaking Spanish] Pati: Mm!
Pati-voice-over: To properly enjoy the cochinita pibil, we can't forget pickled onion with habanero and bitter orange.
[Wilson and Pati speaking Spanish] Mm!
-[Speaks Spanish] -Mm!
[Speaking Spanish] [Wilson and Pati speaking Spanish] Pati: Alan, I don't think you've tried the salbutes, have you?
-No.
What's that?
-Oh, I'm so excited!
I'm so excited 'cause you're going to try this for the first time.
Now we're going to make the topping of the salbute, which is a pibil picadillo.
OK, so, can you help me chop, like, half of this onion?
So I have one pound of ground pork with fat and all, 'cause the fat is going to give it its taste.
Alan: Mm-hmm.
Pati, voice-over: For the picadillo mix, we're going to add one cooked tomato, about a tablespoon of achiote paste, 3 tablespoons of bitter orange, and a teaspoon of salt.
If you can't find bitter orange, you can use equal parts orange juice, lime juice, and white distilled vinegar.
Pati: OK. You want to add, like, a tablespoon or two of the oil.
You're going to eyeball it.
OK. [Speaks Spanish] I mean... Like, that would get me out of the bed, out of my bed in the morning.
Pati: Ha ha!
OK. Once your oil is hot, you can add your onion.
[Sizzling] This is something that you can make for your friends so easy.
Like, you can do pibil hamburgers.
Oh, my gosh.
We're just coming up with new things.
Alan: Oh, that would be good.
Ha ha ha ha!
Pati: Typically, I like to mix things with my hands.
Alan: Yeah.
but this has such an intense color that my hands would be red for, like, 48 hours.
OK, so the onion is cooking.
We're going to add the garlic.
-OK. -And then we're going to add the meat.
These things, you can really tailor to taste.
-Yeah.
-So that was one gigantic garlic clove.
Alan: Yeah.
We're adding the meat.
[Sizzling] I love the color.
I love the flavor.
I love the aroma.
And you know what?
It's actually a good idea to mix it with two... Alan: OK. as if it were your two hands porque ground pork and ground meat tends to clump up as it cooks.
-Mm.
-You want to break it up.
OK, so that's good.
So you see how the juices are coming out?
Alan: Mm-hmm.
You want this to cook until the juices dry up.
OK, that's beautiful.
And now, the flavor from the achiote paste should be, like, in full bloom.
And now we're going to put it here.
Do you want to try?
Yeah, let's do it.
This is our lunch.
-Mm.
-[Speaking Spanish] No, it's really good.
Mm.
OK, so look.
We have the beans, we have the salsa, we have the achiote, or pibil pork.
The only thing we need is an edible plate to build all these things on top of.
-OK, let's do it.
-Ha ha ha!
OK, so let's make our salbutes.
Alan, we have here 2 1/2 cups of masa harina.
We have a 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour.
And this is one of the few antojos or Mexican corn, masa-based foods that I know that mix corn flour and wheat flour.
Right, I've never heard of that.
-No.
Isn't it so interesting?
-Yeah.
And it really talks about the combination of the Spanish flour and what the Mayas had.
And you can add the water.
We have 2 1/2 cups of water.
Can you add, like, a 1/4 teaspoon salt?
Alan, you always have to take every recipe with a grain of salt because-- I don't follow anyone else's recipes.
-Oh, yeah, right.
-You're the only recipes I make.
Ha ha ha!
I think it needs a little bit more water.
Maybe it's drier today.
Mira.
-Should I add more water?
-Yeah, let's add just a little more.
Like, that's good.
You want to make sure, like, as you knead it that you don't feel any grumos, like-- Oh, like clumps?
-Like clumps, yeah.
-Yeah.
-OK. Ready?
-OK.
Perfect.
That was so soothing.
-Yeah.
-So, now, we need 16--like, 14 to 16 balls from these.
If they're on top-- Alan: This a good size?
of each other-- that's a perfect size.
OK, so now that we have the balls...OK. Alan... [Sets down spoon] -[Speaking Spanish] -Mm-hmm.
We need to test the oil, make sure it's hot enough, so what you want to find are super-happy bubbles.
Looks pretty good.
It's smiling.
Oh, ha ha ha!
Those are super-happy bubbles.
Alan: Yeah.
So you open them like this.
I already cut us a couple of pieces of plastic, and you want to use a super-thin plastic from, like, grocery store produce bags.
-Yeah.
-So you put one piece of plastic on the bottom and then piece of plastic on top.
And then you grab a ball, then you put it in the middle.
OK. Y luego, you just press down, and then here's a trick, OK?
When you put them on your hand, don't put them on your whole hand, but just on the tip of your hand so that it won't stick to my hand.
OK. [Speaks Spanish] So gentle.
OK. Y don't do it fast, and don't do it with fear because then it jumps.
Beautiful!
[Speaks Spanish] See how it puffs?
Alan: Oh, wow!
-Isn't that crazy?
-That looks really good.
In order for it to, like, evenly cook on both sides-- Alan: You pour the oil.
-You pour the oil.
-That's beautiful.
I can't believe how gorgeous this is.
You have the brown in the bottom, the super-soft on the top.
So this is what they did when they gave me one there, which is what I'll do, too.
So, a thin layer of the frijoles colados.
-OK. -Thin layer.
-Mm-hmm.
-That's my thin layer.
You choose, like, a lettuce that you like.
-OK. -Mm-hmm.
OK. Oh, this is smart.
So that holds all the--all the meat.
Nice.
OK.
I'm going to cut some avocado for mine.
-Salsa?
-Salsa.
So this is habanero?
Si.
It's not really spicy.
I cook the sauce with the whole habaneros.
-OK. -If you want the heat, you put the habanero on your plate, and then what they'll do is, like, they'll dunk whatever piece they're eating with the habanero.
Alan: Oh, nice.
-It's super-spicy.
-That's super-spicy.
Ha ha!
So then you do the sauce.
-OK. -OK. Ready?
-Yeah.
- I mean, Alan, is this beautiful?
Alan: This looks crazy good.
That's right.
Perfect.
Ready?
Hmm.
[Crunches] Mm.
Oh.
So good.
-Mm.
It is-- -So crispy.
When you bite into it, part of you is feeling the tender crisp from the bottom, but part of you is feeling the soft from the top.
-[Crunches] -Mm.
Mm-hmm.
Mm.
Mm.
I'll take them all.
Mm-hmm.
Eat and grab another one!
[Alan laughs] Pati: For recipes and information from this episode and more, visit patijinich.com.
And connect.
Find me on Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest @PatiJinich.
Announcer: "Pati's Mexican Table" is brought to you by... Announcer: La Costea.
por sabor!
Men: Avocados from Mexico Announcer: Stand together.
Helping every person rise.
More information at standtogether.org.
[Acoustic guitar plays Nationwide jingle] Announcer: Here, the typical arroz con pollo, or not.
Unfollow la receta.
Mahatma rice.
Announcer: Levenger-- nearly 40 years of craftmanship for readers, writers, thinkers, and doers.
Announcer: Proud to support "Pati's Mexican Table" on public television.
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