Pati's Mexican Table

Pati, voice-over: There's a saying: Mxico mgico, which perfectly captures the idea of magical realism in the culture.

It is in the colors, in the stories, in the quiet rituals of daily life that we find the soul of Mexico City.

Nestled among the flower-filled stalls at Mexico City's Mercado de Jamaica, Photographer Nuria Lagarde shares how the everyday can become a kind of poetry, as she gives me a glimpse behind her lens.

Nearby in Coyoacn, Author Laura Esquivel, whose words define a generation, peels back the curtain to creativity over pan dulce and a rich chocolate drink inspired by her stories.

I'm moving in here.

Pati, voice-over: Back home in my kitchen, I'll make a spicy and naughty take on esquites, or crazy corn... I love these chilies so much.

Pati, voice-over: a beloved Mexican antojo, and for something sweet... Buuelo.

Buuelo.

Yes!

Pati, voice-over: buuelos de viento, airy and golden-- a dessert that floats between memory and imagination.

It's ridiculous.

Mmm.

[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: Running south from the city center is Calzada de la Viga.

In pre-Hispanic and colonial times, it was a canal that connected the densely populated heart of Mexico City with the agricultural regions to the south.

Mercado de Jamaica was founded on the banks of this canal.

Vendors here offer thousands of varieties of fresh flowers to people looking for a punch of color.

Pati, voice-over: I'm exploring with a dear friend, local photographer Nuria Lagarde.

Nuria's work zooms in to appreciate the frequently overlooked, tiny details of life.

[Speaking Spanish] [Speaking Spanish] [Speaking Spanish] [Laughing] Pati, voice-over: Nuria gravitated to photography, growing up in her small town in Baja California Sur before moving on to study in Paris and back in Mexico City.

She's photographed food and lifestyle concepts for nationally renowned chefs, and her work has been featured in magazines and galleries across Mexico.

[Speaking Spanish] [Speaking Spanish] [Speaking Spanish] Pati: Wow.

[Speaking Spanish] [Camera shutter clicks] Pati, voice-over: Here, it's easy to feel like the volume on everything is turned all the way up.

Nuria's work savors the intensity of the city, and in her creativity, I feel a kindred spirit to my unbridled personality.

[Speaking Spanish] [Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: In every market, you'll find little shops like Elotes Estrada selling esquites.

Corn is boiled, then traditionally topped with lime juice, chili powder, mayo and cotija cheese.

But here I'm finding some innovative takes.

Hola.

[Speaking Spanish] [Speaking Spanish] Domi.

Nuria, Pati.

[Gasps] Wow.

Wow.

[Speaking Spanish] Domi: S.

Mm!

Mm!

Mm!

[Laughs] Nuria: Mm.

Pati: Mm.

Pati, voice-over: And right next door, even more corn!

[Speaking Spanish] OK... [Speaking Spanish] [Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: These hot masa-based drinks are so comforting and pair so well with cornbread and tamales.

[Camera shutter clicks, Pati laughs] [Speaking Spanish] [Speaking Spanish] [Camera shutter clicks] Pati, voice-over: We're gonna make esquites, but I'm gonna make them differently.

Instead of using fresh chilies to cook my corn, I'm gonna use dried chilies.

Because when I was with Nuria in Mercado de Jamaica, I tried so many--new to me-- versions of making esquites that I wanna play.

So I have my pan, or casserole, over medium to medium-high heat.

And I'm going to add two tablespoons of unsalted butter.

And I'm going to add one tablespoon of vegetable oil.

Instead of using a fresh jalapeo or serrano, I'm gonna use a chile de rbol.

Not 1 or 2 but maybe 4 or 5.

If they come with a stem, remove the stem and then keep the seeds in, and we're going to just add it in here.

So I added the chile de rbol, and then I'm going to let this cook just for a minute, or a little bit less.

Oh, you can see how the color is changing.

This looks so beautiful.

It's like your first layer of flavor.

[Sizzling] Adding all the corn.

I have about eight cups of corn.

Mixing the corn.

I'm gonna add a teaspoon of salt.

Let it toast a little.

Now I'm going to add water.

I'm going to reduce the heat to medium.

And I'm going to add some epazote.

Now, you know epazote.

Talking about ingredients that are now available.

I love epazote so much.

You want to smell?

Tell me if it smells like petroleum.

Like a cleaning liquid.

Almost like rubbery.

A little rubbery.

It tastes like clean.

Like, it cuts through any ingredient that you may be using.

Yeah, Matt is like, "I'm an expert in sounds.

Why are you asking me smells?"

Add a little more 'cause I love the taste.

Add in here.

Gonna give it a stir, and I'm gonna let it cook for, like, five minutes.

Then we're gonna garnish with chiltepin or pequin, which is adorable.

It's like elongated.

This chiltepin is more round.

And this is feisty.

Now I need to toast my pumpkin seeds, so I'm gonna have a griddle.

It smells so good right now.

I have these over medium heat.

These are raw pepitas, and they're the seeds of different kinds of pumpkins.

And they're so nutritious.

And we just want the color to change, but we don't want them to brown.

These also get jumpy when you chop.

But you can see I left some whole.

Let's open the corn because it smells like it's ready.

Oh, this is perfect!

[Speaking Spanish] This looks gorgeous.

I'm gonna add the toasted pepitas.

OK, this is ready.

This is how fast this recipe goes.

We're going to prep for the garnishes.

Just going wild with the basil here.

Smells so good.

I'm gonna chop the basil.

And now they're gonna get a splash of fresh herbs.

Now Mila is snoring.

[Snoring] Cilantro.

And we're gonna put a little bit more fresh epazote.

Because we have the cooked epazote, now we want the fresh.

I wanna toast some of the pequin chilies and some of the chiltepin chilies... just to make their flavor explode.

I'm gonna mix my esquites.

Toasting the chilies.

Just a slight toast.

Now I can smell how powerful and spicy this combination is.

Whoa.

Now I'm going to build.

I'm going to do the toppings as bases.

I'm going to add mayo to the bottom.

And I'm going to add crema-- Mexican crema, not sour cream.

Now I'm going to add queso fresco... and queso cotija.

I'm going to use my chiltepin grinder.

So I'm putting the toasted chiltepin, pequin.

And then... you're like, "Oh, that's so little."

Oh, 'cause it's so crazy spicy!

Lime juice.

This is a beautiful bed for the esquites to lay on.

So mayo.

I'm a big fan of mayo.

And crema.

Queso fresco... queso cotija.

More of the chile.

I love these chilies so much.

More lime juice, like a lot.

Mm, mm, mm.

Whoa!

You guys have to make this.

You get the crunch of the sweet corn, the dried chilies, the cooked chile de rbol in the esquites.

They're still doing their thing.

And I'm just like, Whoa!

"So smart, Pati.

Thank you, Pati," for me, just telling me.

It's so good.

Ha ha!

Mm.

Pati, voice-over: The locals here have an expression: Mxico mgico.

It can be used sarcastically about the oppressive traffic, but more often, it's a sincere comment on the beauty and depth of the history and culture of this country.

Pages and pages of stories dedicated to illustrating that beauty are housed here in La Biblioteca Vasconcelos.

On these shelves is one particular author whose work has spoken to me since I was very young.

And today I get to visit her home.

Hey!

Hey!

[Laughter] Hola.

[Speaking Spanish] [Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: In the colonial and bohemian neighborhood of Coyoacn is Laura Esquivel's hideaway.

Laura is a novelist, screenwriter, and, recently, politician.

Her bestselling novel "Like Water for Chocolate" has been translated into 30 languages, adapted into an award-winning film, a ballet, and a TV series, and is considered one of the best Spanish-language novels of the 20th century.

Her stories center on the importance of food and the kitchen in the lives of her characters and the wider culture of Mexico.

[Speaking Spanish] [Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: It's easy to see why Laura finds inspiration in the kitchen.

Pati: Hola.

[Speaking Spanish] [Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: Inside, a beautiful collection from a lifetime of travel is on display.

[Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: I think I want to move into the upstairs studio, nicknamed "the convent" after the actual convent it overlooks across the street.

I know convents are only for women, but I'm hoping she lets Daniel come with me.

[Speaking Spanish] [Laughs] I'm moving in here.

Pati, voice-over: And every day, we're gonna play Laura's favorite records and have a dance party.

[Speaking Spanish] [Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: Laura's home is a patchwork of the cultures that inspire her.

It's a museum of her memories and a reflection of creativity that spills beyond the pages of her novels.

[Speaking Spanish] [Speaking Spanish] [Laughter] Pati, voice-over: In Laura's World, you start your day with pan dulce from Panadera Rosetta and hot chocolate made the Aztec way.

Their technique of using water just on the verge of boiling over inspired the common expression that Laura used to title her most famous novel.

For the ancients, chocolate was ceremonial, a means of perceiving alternate realities.

[Speaking Spanish] [Speaking Spanish] Pati: Thinking about pan dulce, or Mexican sweets, that I adore and have never made here in my kitchen with you, and I'm so excited that we're making, is buuelos de viento.

They have a beautiful name, but the buuelo de viento is a super delicate fritter, like a buuelo from the wind.

It's just so romantic, so magical realism, like everything that Laura Esquivel does and is.

To make buuelos, you need to have a buuelo mold.

So let's get started, because the batter has to sit and chill.

To make the batter, I'm gonna crack four eggs in the bowl.

I'm gonna whisk.

I'm gonna add two tablespoons sugar... and half a teaspoon cinnamon.

Keep on whisking until it's foamy or frothy.

Now I'm going to alternate adding two cups of flour and two cups of milk.

You want to continue doing this until you're done with the flour and the milk, but you want no lumps.

At some point you add baking powder, too.

It's just one teaspoon.

It's gonna make the batter fluff.

And also two teaspoons of vanilla.

Gonna add what remains.

The word buuelo having the in it, it just shows what a unique and incredible food it is.

And I'd love to hear my team say buuelo.

Buuelo.

That was really good.

John, you.

I...buh-- Pati: No.

Ha ha!

Buuelo.

Buuelo.

Buuelo.

Yes!

Good one.

Buuelo.

To make the batter work as best as it can, it has to chill in the refrigerator anywhere from 1 hour to 24 hours.

I have a batter that's been chilling, so I'm gonna swap.

You have to heat your molds before you use them until they're thoroughly hot, so at least a couple of minutes.

And then... I'm gonna whisk my batter because it has been sitting in the refrigerator.

You can see how it thickened even a little bit more.

We're going to coat them in cinnamon sugar.

I have a cup of sugar, cinnamon.

I'm gonna mix the cinnamon with the sugar.

Very important to put the mold into the batter before the batter goes over the mold, because if not, it just wouldn't release.

Now, these should be really, really hot.

Now, a buuelo is not supposed to be a churro.

It's supposed to be crazy crunchy all over.

Come out of the oil.

Drain the oil.

Into the batter.

We're gonna hear a little sizzle.

[Sizzling] Swiftly back in the oil.

Oh, this is so beautiful.

The buuelo needs to brown and crisp.

OK, I'm letting this brown, brown, brown.

Up and then comes out.

Drains.

Oh, beautiful.

And then the moment it drains, we put it on the cinnamon sugar.

I mean, you coat like there's no tomorrow.

You want the cinnamon sugar in the front, in the back, in between.

Doesn't this look like a celebration, like a gorgeous thing to bring to your family, to your friends?

But I want to add some berries and some whipped cream to make it a more elaborate dessert.

I'm gonna dress the berries slightly.

I have a tablespoon of sugar.

I'm gonna add about a tablespoon of lime juice... a half a teaspoon of vanilla.

And this little, like, lime-sugar-vanilla syrupy is just to bring out the beauty of the strawberries and make them even more juicy.

And some whipped cream.

Strawberries.

Some confectioner's sugar.

Ah.

How do we eat these?

With a spoon?

With a fork?

With both?

I'm so excited, I don't know how to go about it.

Ready?

Mm.

Mm.

Mm.

Mm.

Mm.

It's ridiculous.

Mm.

It's a fairy tale of a dessert.

Like, truly, it's all the things sweet, all the things good, all the things nurturing that you're looking for in a dessert.

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.