Pati's Mexican Table

Pati, voice-over: As the ancient Maya warriors played a ball game that was literally a matter of life and death.

That tradition continues with women warriors championing a different sport... [Bat hits ball] [Pati shouting] Pati, voice-over: "A League of Their Own" Mayan style... [Women chanting in Spanish] Whoo!

Pati, voice-over: that is obliterating the village's outdated gender roles.

We celebrate with a delicious homemade tamal called Brazo de Reina that I'll teach you in my kitchen.

[Speaking Spanish] And after almost 150 episodes filmed in our home, Daniel joins me to cook in this very special episode of empowered women and lets me boss him around as we make a phenomenal Yucatn-inspired sweet potato and meat salpicon.

Pati: This is still you-- like this becomes me.

Daniel: You.

Pati, voice-over: Perhaps a metaphor for the beautiful mess of a long, lovely marriage.

Ha ha ha!

[Birds chirping] [Sighs] [Child shouts] Tan bonisimo.

Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

Super sweet.

Woman: [Speaks Spanish] Yeah.

Tan rico.

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.

[Nationwide theme playing on guitar] Announcer: Here, the typical arroz con pollo... or not!

Unfollow la Receta.

Mahatma rice.

Announcer: Levenger-- nearly 40 years of craftsmanship for readers, writers, thinkers, and doers.

Pati, voice-over: Cenotes were sacred places for the ancient Maya-- portals to the underworld shrouded in mystery and legend.

These natural sinkholes throughout Yucatn were often a place for regional ceremonies and freshwater.

This breathtaking cenote is in Yaxunah in eastern Yucatn, a small village surrounded by dense jungle that has helped preserve some of the most ancient structures in the state... like these ruins, believed to be more than 1,500 years old.

Yaxunah is, without a doubt, a window to the past.

[Pati speaking Spanish] Si.

Pati, voice-over: Nayeli Ouica is a local expert who grew up in Yaxunah.

[Both continue speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: This was also home to one of the oldest sports in the world.

[Both continue speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: The Mayan ballgame goes back to 3,500 years, making it the first organized game in the history of sports.

[Both continue speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: Players have to keep the ball in the air using only their upper arms, thighs, and hips.

[Both continue speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: Yeah, like baseball, except the winner was sacrificed to the gods.

[Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: But here in Yaxunah, the tradition continues.

Yaxunah's barefoot, all-female softball team.

Woman: Ha ha ha ha!

[Pati speaking Spanish] Men supporting women.

OK. Pati, voice-over: Doa Medina-Canul started the Amazonas in 2017 when a federal program aimed at fighting obesity and diabetes ordered rural towns to start a sports program.

[Music playing, cheering] But Doa Medina not only started it, she made them famous when she hit a home run, caught on a video that went viral throughout the world.

[Bat hits ball; cheering] [Announcer shouting indistinctly] [Cheering continues] [Pati speaking Spanish] Pati: OK.

I'm gonna take off my shoes.

OK. My husband is gonna be so proud.

Danny, this is for you.

I will understand baseball for the first time ever.

[Clapping and cheering] A lot of pressure.

I don't know if I can hit one ball.

[Both speaking Spanish] [Women shouting in Spanish] Aaah!

Pati: I just asked her if she's from my team.

That's how clueless I am.

[Shouting in Spanish] [Shouting louder] [Women clapping] Whoo!

OK, everybody just helped me make a run.

Ha ha ha!

[Shouting continues] Pati, voice-over: Luckily for me, winning no longer means I'll be sacrificed, but I will be getting a delicious homemade tamal with the team.

[All shouting in Spanish] Whoo!

Yay!

Pati: I grew up eating meat salpicon or salpicon de carne in Mexico City.

And what meat salpicon is... meat--flank, skirt, or brisket-- that you cook, you shred, and then you combine with a bunch of vegetables, and then you mix it all with really powerful, delicious vinaigrette.

So, let me rinse my hands 'cause I just cut 2 pounds of flank steak.

[Splashing] Then I'm gonna add a whole white onion, removing the outside.

One white onion in here and 3 garlic cloves, 2 bay leaves.

And then I'm just gonna cover these with water...generously.

[Splashing] [Turns water off] OK. OK, so now I'm gonna turn the heat on to high, and, meanwhile, I'm gonna cook my vegetables.

[Pati speaking Spanish] [Daniel speaking Spanish] Mwah!

It took many years for you to say, "OK, I want to cook."

So, let's see how you cook.

OK.

I kid--I'm kidding.

I been paying attention, so... Ha ha ha ha!

Let me just say, we've been filming the show here in our home for--for 12 years.

You can see how many we are filming the show, and you've been so nice 'cause you-- like, were here taking over and cooking, and now you're like, "OK, I want to come cook."

[Pati speaking Spanish] ...the bitter orange that I already squeezed.

But if people can't find bitter orange, they can combine sweet orange with lime, lemon, and vinegar.

It makes kind of like that flavor.

[Speaking Spanish] 3 tablespoons of white vinegar.

OK. [Speaking Spanish] 1/4 cup of olive oil.

[Speaking Spanish] 1 teaspoon.

[Speaking Spanish] 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.

Now let's whisk.

[Whisk hitting sides of bowl] [Speaking Spanish] Slice the onion.

OK, [speaking Spanish] Uh-huh.

Perfect.

Super.

[Speaking Spanish] OK. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

[Speaking Spanish] This is a perfect moment to do what we need to do to the meat.

If you see any foam, you want to remove it.

[Speaking Spanish] Then... [speaking Spanish] I'm gonna do like you.

I'm not gonna measure.

OK. Ha ha ha ha!

Stir with this?

Uh-huh.

OK. Yeah?

So I have here boiling water.

Yeah.

[Speaking Spanish] And now we're gonna cook sweet potato that's gonna cook for 3 to 4 minutes.

[Speaking Spanish] Mm-hmm.

I have meat that I cooked before.

This meat has already cooked like an hour, an hour and a half.

[Speaking Spanish] And meanwhile, I'm gonna start shredding the meat.

Then we can have dinner much faster if we're both cooking at the same time.

These are perfect.

[Utensil clatters] Whoops.

And now a half-- All the peas.

OK, that's a cup and a half of peas, and those are gonna be ready in a minute.

[Speaking Spanish] shredding in chunks.

They are nice to bite into.

Yeah.

And can you add a little bit here?

[Speaking Spanish] So I want to start mixing the meat.

[Utensils hitting sides of bowl] OK, so that's ready.

OK. You can just put them directly in here.

See, you can just pour it.

Radishes.

[Speaking Spanish] So, while this heats... [speaking Spanish] then cilantro, like this... Our tortillas are ready.

And like this, it's still you.

Throw it like this... - That's you.

that becomes me.

OK. Ha ha ha ha!

Honestly, I think that as the years have gone by, I've become much more organized because of you.

And I've become more tolerant of mess.

Ha ha ha!

Now--now it just has to become us.

Exactly.

In the taco.

OK. [Speaking Spanish] Like--tsch!

Beautiful!

Taco?

Super chubby taquito.

OK. [Speaking Spanish] Yeah.

It's a taquito salpicon.

Now...mmm.

Mmm...

This is pretty good.

So all I need to do is come help you a little, and I get this as my reward?

OK. You get it anyways.

Pati, voice-over: Women's softball doesn't pay the bills yet.

So, Edina's family sells hammocks she makes at home, the bed of choice for ancient and modern Mayans.

Our victory meal is a family recipe that captures the flavors of Yaxunah... the Brazo de Reina.

The tamal is stuffed with hard-boiled eggs, chia, ground pumpkin seeds, and tomato sauce, then wrapped and steamed inside banana leaves, melding all those flavors into one.

[Pati speaking Spanish] [Laughter] [Pati speaking Spanish] Mmm!

Mmm!

[Speaking Spanish] Mm-hmm!

Mmm!

Pati, voice-over: Growing up in Yaxunah, Edina played baseball with the boys in town.

So, when the government started pushing physical activity, she already knew what she wanted to do.

[Edina speaking Spanish] Edina: Yes, yes.

Whoa!

Pati, voice-over: Not only has her team gained international recognition, they've also sparked change within the social dynamics of their hometown.

[Pati speaking Spanish] [Players speaking indistinctly] Pati, voice-over: Joel is Edina's son and the team manager, part of the new generation of Yaxunah men.

[Joel speaking Spanish] Pati: So, we're gonna make some tamales, very similar to the tamales that the Amazonas shared with me called soto vichai.

These are tamales that have pumpkin seeds and salsa and hard-boiled egg in them.

And we're gonna top them with this roasted tomato salsa that's super easy to make.

I have 2 pounds of tomatoes that I've been roasting here.

[Sizzling] So, just like this, no need to peel.

We want all of that smoky, rustic... That's what's going in the salsa.

OK?

And then I have the onion, and it's white onion that was just here... on the comal.

And I have two habaneros.

OK.

So, I'm gonna add some salt, and then I'm going to puree, but I want it to be chunky and coarse and rustic.

[Pulsing] Like, yeah.

Smell that spicy.

Let me try.

Mmm.

Mmm!

Rustic, sweet.

It can definitely take more heat.

So, I'm adding another half of habanero.

It can also take a little bit more salt.

So, always taste as you go.

[Whirring] Did--yeah.

Let me try.

Mmm!

Now, that's a salsa.

So, here goes, but now it's just going to sit here and wait for me 'cause it's gonna go on top of the tamales that we're gonna make right now.

OK, so we have this salsa.

Now, the masa for these tamales have chia or some other herb mixed in it.

Now, today, I'm using Swiss chard.

[Leaves crunching] I'm removing the beautiful shiny red stems and then just coarsely chopping.

[Leaves crunching] You would be doing the same thing with chia, if you find it, or spinach or watercress.

And I'm adding salt, and I'm gonna raise the heat to high.

Once boiling... there it goes.

I'm gonna add the Swiss chard in here.

And then, this just needs like 1 or 2 minutes to wilt and cook and soften.

And meanwhile, I'm gonna chop some fresh epazote and fresh cilantro that I'm gonna combine with the Swiss chard into the masa.

So, these--I'm removing the lower part of the stems, and then I'm just chopping.

A lot of fragrance in Yucatecan cooking.

OK. Oh!

This is perfect.

I'm gonna strain.

[Splashing] [Utensil rattles] So, now we're going to mix the masa.

I have 1 pound that I already measured of masa harina.

You can use masa harina for tortillas.

Sometimes it comes branded as masa harina for tamales.

You can use either or.

[Sets bowl down] Then I'm adding a little bit of salt, and you can mix your masa for making tamales with water or with chicken broth.

Then I have 2 3/4 cups of chicken broth.

but you have to be the judge and see how the masa feels.

So, I want to start adding the chicken broth.

And we--oh, this-- Oh, this feels so nice!

Start mixing the masa.

Now, you can use vegetable shortening or lard, whichever one you use.

For this amount of tamales, I'm using 1 cup.

OK. You want to make sure that you're really mixing in the vegetable shortening or lard in with the masa.

OK, I'm adding my herbs in here.

Gonna mix these.

Oh, so pretty.

I'm gonna rinse my hands.

[Water running] [Splashing] [Utensil clinks] OK. And then I'm gonna finely chop my chard.

Chop, chop.

Now I'm gonna add this to my masa.

OK, so mixing all of this.

Oh, this masa feels so incredibly delicious.

So, I have my masa ready.

I need to toast some pumpkin seeds over medium heat.

So, as my pumpkin seed toast, I'm gonna cut my hard-boiled eggs.

I'm cutting in half and then into diagonal thirds, just like this.

Gonna set these on the side, and I'm just stirring my pumpkin seeds here.

I just want them to lightly toast.

Once they change color and start popping, I'm gonna add them to my spice grinder.

You can also use a coffee grinder.

And then a little bit of salt.

Let's grind.

[Grinding] Oh, so pretty.

Let's try.

Mmm!

You still taste some of that nutty, not-so-charred flavor of the pumpkin seed.

And now let's talk banana leaves and assembly.

All you need to do is cut them in, like, 10-inch pieces.

And then what you do is, you rinse this.

[Splashing] And then, you have to pass them by the fire.

And you can see--you can see this is really cool.

You can see how the color changes as you pass it by the fire.

So, in a way, you're like curing it-- becomes super pliable.

OK, so these are ready to wrap tamales.

So, you do the outer side outside, and then 1/4 cup... 1/3 to 1/4 cup of masa.

And I'm gonna make like, um, rectangular size.

And then as I do, I'm gonna make an indentation in the middle, just like this.

And then I'm gonna add like a very generous tablespoon of the roasted salsa.

And then I'm gonna add 1 to 2 of these...egg pieces and then pumpkin powder.

And then, you just wrap.

So, go like that, go like that, go like that, and here's your beautiful tamal.

Now we want to wrap the steamer, or tamalera, in those same banana leaves.

Here's my Tamalera.

You need to add enough water to get to the bottom of the steamer.

So, want to turn this on over high heat.

Cooking them in banana leaves imparts it with this, like, jungle-like fragrance and flavor.

So, once the water starts boiling and the steam starts being created, you want to cover the pot-- just adding a lot of banana leaves-- and reduce the heat to medium, and they're gonna cook for an hour.

And after an hour, you just turn it off.

Let them sit and settle for about 10 minutes before you take one out.

And then, you're gonna see what a beautiful thing it is to see, but more to eat.

The banana leaves smell... just smells like tamal is ready for a party.

Gonna add more sauce on top, on top of everything.

More of that pumpkin seedy-thingy.

It's all ready for me to eat it, and here I am talking about it.

Mmm... Mmm, mmm, mmm!

It is just the most herb- powered tamales I've tried.

So worth it for you to try.

Pati, voice-over: 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.

[Nationwide theme playing on guitar] Announcer: Here, the typical arroz con pollo... or not!

Unfollow la Receta.

Mahatma rice.

Announcer: Levenger-- nearly 40 years of craftsmanship for readers, writers, thinkers, and doers.

Announcer: Proud to support "Pati's Mexican Table" on Public Television.