Pati's Mexican Table

Pati Jinich, voice-over: The Mennonites of Chihuahua are famous for their cheese, but imagine a single wheel that requires 33,000 liters of milk.

Ahh!

OK. Pati, voice-over: That's how much was required for the Mennonites of the Pampas cheese factory to win a world record.

On the other side of town, another Mennonite family is famous for something else.

This is insane!

Pati, voice-over: Mennonite cheese pizza.

[Speaking Spanish] OK. Pati: Mm.

[Laughter] Pati, voice-over: Back in my kitchen, another classic dish that uses Mennonite cheese-- a piping-hot Chihuahua potato soup.

It's just so satisfying.

Pati, voice-over: Then, the only world record I may hold is making the cheesiest, richest, most velvety smooth cheesecake.

I don't have any more for now, Mila.

[Sizzling] What a feast!

Mm!

So succulent.

These beans are insane.

[Laughter] Mm.

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

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Men: Avocados from Mexico Announcer: Texas A&M International University-- going beyond borders.

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Pati, voice-over: In the early 20th century, Mennonite settlers, originally from Europe, arrived in Mexico seeking farmland and tranquility to practice their unique form of Christianity undisturbed.

They are famous for their simple way of life.

Men typically work in the fields and women cook and clean.

More conservative colonies don't believe in technology, while more progressive ones, like here in Cuauhtmoc, have embraced it to advance one of their main businesses--cheese.

[Speaking Spanish] [John speaking Spanish] [Both speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: Johan Guenther, who also goes by John, is the general manager of Las Pampas Cheese Factory and explains how cheese became the pillar of the Mennonite economy.

[John speaking Spanish] Pati: A-ha.

[Both speaking Spanish] [Speaking Spanish] John: S.

[John speaking Spanish] [Speaking Spanish] We're gonna follow the milk from here to cheese.

[Both speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: At the heart of the factory is their signature process.

Thousands of gallons of milk pass through these pipes every day.

First it's pasteurized, then cultures and enzymes are added.

The curds are separated and finally the cheese is cut into shapes and aged for 3 months.

The workers of Las Pampas are so good that since 2012, they've held the Guinness World Record for the world's largest cheese-- 3 tons.

[Speaking Spanish] A-ha.

Pati, voice-over: It makes me curious how much I can carry at one time.

[Both speaking Spanish] Strength test.

[Both speaking Spanish] Ahh!

[Speaking Spanish] Ahh!

OK. [Laughs] [Speaking Spanish] [Speaking Spanish] OK. [Both speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: The factory store stays busy all day, serving people from all over the world.

I want to try all the cheeses here with John, but I want to find out what are people buying when they come here.

[Both speaking Spanish] Pati: OK. [Man speaking Spanish] [Pati speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: The store has endless homemade treats.

John's aunt makes a killer apple empanada.

[Both speaking Spanish] Pati: Mm.

[John speaking Spanish] [Both speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: Now for the main event, John has cheeses of varying ages to compare.

The first was made only 48 hours ago.

[Both speaking Spanish] Pati: OK. [John speaking Spanish] [Speaking Spanish] Pati: Mm.

[John speaking Spanish] [Both speaking Spanish] Pati: Mm.

[Both speaking Spanish] Mm.

Mm.

[Both speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: Now for a 3-month aged queso with bread and a homemade strawberry jam made by John's wife.

[Speaking Spanish] So, white bread from the Mennonite community, strawberry jam from Ana, and [speaking Spanish] from John.

[John laughs] Pati: Mm.

[Speaking Spanish] Mm.

Pati, voice-over: I want to show you a simple and delicious traditional dish from Chihuahua that uses Mennonite cheese-- Chihuahua potato soup.

We're gonna make this caldo de papa estilo de Chihuahua, which is a potato soup they eat all throughout the state of Chihuahua, and its main ingredient is Mennonite cheese.

Sami: Sounds good.

Pati: I started peeling and dicing some potatoes, but I'm missing one.

If you want to help me peel, and then we're gonna dice into bite-size pieces.

And here I have water that I've been bringing to a boil, and I'm gonna make the tomato broth.

OK, so, I'm adding a pound of the ripe Roma tomatoes and I'm gonna peel two garlic cloves.

So, I'm adding the peeled garlic clove in here, and I'm gonna add the Morita chipotle, dried chipotle chiles.

Putting the chipotle in here.

So, now that's going to cook and hydrate.

So, now we're gonna cook some onion.

I like cutting it in half and slivering it.

I'm gonna add two tablespoons of oil.

One very generous tablespoon of butter.

We're gonna add this onion in there.

The next thing we're gonna add is a potato, but we're gonna let these soften a little.

Now we're gonna puree.

So, you want the skin to start peeling.

You don't want to overcook it to the point that the ingredients are breaking apart in the water.

So, we're gonna add all the tomatoes.

Sami: Garlic in the [indistinct] Pati: Mm-hmm.

And then the garlic that already cooked and softened.

And then we're gonna add, like, about a cup of the cooking liquid.

A Pati cup or a Sami cup?

A Pati cup.

[Speaking Spanish] which means, like, you eyeball it.

And I'm keeping an eye on your onions.

I want them to soften and render their flavor into the butter.

And then we're gonna add a Pati teaspoon of salt, and a half a teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper.

And then I measured a teaspoon of dried oregano.

Uh-huh.

OK, now we're gonna cover the blender and we're gonna puree until completely smooth.

Uh-huh.

[Whirring] [Whirring faster] [Whirring stops] Before we add this, we need to add the potatoes.

Let's talk about the next ingredients.

We're adding the northern chile verde.

The idea is that you want to completely transform the skin.

So, you put it directly over the flame, [speaking Spanish].

You just go like that.

You leave it there, and it's really fun 'cause you start hearing it pop.

[Chile pops] Sami: Already, yeah.

[Pati speaking Spanish] Sami: That's not too charred?

That's, like, [indistinct] Pati: No, that's what you want.

Then you put it in a bag or a container.

Then you make them sweat.

Mila, you're so stinky, but we love you so much.

OK.

I'm gonna let you do it.

See how easy it peels?

This is a fire-roasted chile verde, cleaned by Sami.

Then I like having the bowl here, because then you can use the water to rinse.

Sami: [Indistinct], yeah.

You make a slit.

Just the top coat.

Uh-huh.

[Speaking Spanish] Sami: [Indistinct] Pati: S.

A pound of chile verdes that I cut into strips.

How many chiles would this have been?

Em, a pound is, like, between 4 and 6.

Wow.

OK. OK, now let's cut this into strips, like this.

Can you pour the tomato puree in here?

And as this continues to thicken and season, we can talk about the cheese.

This cheese comes straight from the Mennonites in Chihuahua.

Not so easy to find.

Like, you can order it online, you can ask your Latino grocery stores if they have it.

Taste a little.

What will you substitute this for?

I think Monterey Jack.

Maybe cheddar.

So, Monterey Jack, a light cheddar, Muenster.

OK, let's add the chicken broth.

You just poured 6 cups chicken broth.

Let's add the chile verde.

Now we're gonna give it a stir.

OK, now, let's taste for salt.

It keeps smelling better and better.

I know.

What do you think?

Salt?

Yeah, a little more salt.

Mm.

Definitely.

Yeah.

I have it over high.

Like, if we weren't that hungry, I would let it simmer over medium heat for, like, 7 to 8 minutes, but we're hungry, so.

OK, while this is simmering, let's dice the cheese, like little squares, and see, so that they melt more.

We have dried oregano in the soup.

I think we need some fresh oregano for garnish.

OK, so, this is our topping.

That's perfect.

Oh, it's just so satisfying.

For people who love potatoes, this is incredible.

You get the soft bite of the potato.

Flavor from everywhere.

Like, from the broth, you get the chile strips.

Mm.

I love this so much.

Pati, voice-over: If you think of the cheesiest dish you've ever eaten, it's probably pizza.

Now, let's swap out your average cheese for the world-famous Mennonite cheese.

Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

Enter Los Arcos, the first Mennonite pizza shop in Cuauhtmoc, Chihuahua.

[All speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: Abraham Schmitt, Senior started the restaurant 4 decades ago, introducing pizza with Mennonite cheese.

Since then, their popularity has soared, growing into 3 more locations in the region, and now run by his son Abraham Junior and grandson Josh.

[Both speaking Spanish] OK. [Pati and Diana speaking Spanish] Tiene pockets.

Tiene pockets.

[All speaking Spanish] Scholduak.

[Pati and Abraham speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: One of their top-selling pizzas is my favorite-- the Mexican pizza-- featuring a base of refried beans and spicy Mexican-style tomato sauce, showcasing the flavors from both Mennonite and Mexican culinary tradition.

[Both speaking Spanish] OK. [Both speaking Spanish] Oye, this is the first time I can add as much pepperoni as I want into my pizza.

This is insane.

Stacked it up and now I can add as much jalapeo as I want.

[Speaking Spanish] Queso.

Ooh.

Now I get to add as much cheese as I want.

[Speaking Spanish] [Both speaking Spanish] [Laughter] Pati: OK. Perfecto.

OK. [Both speaking Spanish] Yes.

[Indistinct] Abraham: Mm.

Pati: Yum!

[All speaking Spanish] Pati: Mm.

[Laughter] Mm.

Mm.

Mm?

[Speaking Spanish] Pati: Mm.

[Abraham laughs] [Speaking Spanish] Abraham: Uh-huh.

[All speaking Spanish] Abraham: S.

[All speaking Spanish] Pati: We're gonna make a peach and pinole cheesecake, and pinole is corn that's popped or toasted, pretty much like popcorn, and then it's ground.

So, I'm gonna use a pinole to make the crust for this cheesecake.

I have my pot over medium heat.

I'm gonna add the popcorn.

We're not adding any fat.

No butter, no oil.

So, I'm gonna cover it so that the heat intensifies.

Many people add cinnamon, and we're gonna use the canela, which is a Ceylon cinnamon.

Many people also add orange rind, and then you can add a sweetener.

So, I'm gonna add brown sugar.

Waiting for the popcorn to finish--oh, it's doing good!

[Popping] Gonna shake it.

As this finishes popping, I'm gonna break a one- to two-inch piece of my canela.

Look at this.

I mean, just so soft.

We need the rind of, like, half of an orange, and then the topping is gonna have peaches, and the peaches cook in orange juice.

So, let's see how the popcorn's looking like, 'cause it stopped popping.

May be done.

OK.

This is done.

I'm gonna pour the popcorn here so they cool a little.

Ha ha ha!

Still popping.

So, we're gonna process in batches.

I tried this in the food processor.

It worked so much better in the blender, 'cause you can really finely grind.

Leave the corn that didn't pop behind.

So, I'm adding the orange rind.

The cinnamon, we're gonna help out the blender and crumble it a little more.

And I'm gonna add two tablespoons of brown sugar.

[Whirring] I'm gonna use 2 1/2 cups to make the crust.

I'm gonna melt a stick of butter, 8 tablespoons.

In here it goes.

I'm gonna measure 2 1/2 cups of my orange pinole.

There's one.

2 1/2.

And I have my butter that melted.

I'm gonna pour it right in here.

And then I have a buttered pie plate.

I'm gonna spread the pinole with butter here.

This will be the crust.

OK, so, just go around, and you want to get it kind of as even as you can.

You want to let this cool and firm up in the refrigerator for at least a half an hour and, if you want, overnight.

So, I'm gonna cover it with plastic wrap.

I'm gonna make the filling.

I'm gonna add one pound of cream cheese and I'm gonna beat it until it's super smooth.

[Whirring] Once it's creamy and smooth, I'm gonna add half a cup of sugar.

And then I'm gonna add two eggs, but I'm gonna crack them one by one.

One...two.

One teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Pinch of salt.

1/3 of a cup of heavy cream and one tablespoon of fresh-squeezed lime juice.

And that looks beautiful.

OK.

This looks nice and firm.

And then I'm gonna pour this right onto the crust.

Gonna spread this so it's all nice and pretty.

So, I have my oven at 350.

I'm gonna bake this for about 35 minutes until the top is golden and puffy and still jiggles a little.

As it bakes, I'm gonna make the topping.

The topping is gonna be a peach topping covered in thickened orange juice base.

I have my pan here set over medium heat, and I'm gonna get about a cup of fresh-squeezed orange juice in here.

This is gonna be a cup with 3 oranges.

I'm gonna pour the juice in here.

Then I'm gonna make a slurry with one tablespoon water and one tablespoon corn starch.

This is gonna thicken my orange juice.

But before, I'm gonna add two tablespoons brown sugar to the orange juice.

It's important to make your slurry before you add it in whatever you want to thicken so that it doesn't clump up.

Pour in here.

I'm just gonna stir until it thickens.

And I think this has thickened as much as it needs to thicken.

I'm gonna turn it off.

It's one pound of peaches and now I'm gonna add the peaches in here and just toss.

As my cheesecake continues to bake, I'm gonna let my topping cool.

I took the pinole cheesecake out of the oven and it's been cooling, and this topping has been cooling, too, so, now I'm gonna put them together.

You can see how the topping thickened once it cooled.

This has to chill in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours or overnight, but I have one there that's been sitting for me.

Mm mm mmm.

The crust is so flavorful.

Think of sweet popcorn with hints of cinnamon and orange.

Mm.

The texture is beautiful, too.

The cheesecake filling has a slight tang from the lime juice, and then combined with the peaches that are covered in that orange juice, topping is so delicious.

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!

Men: Avocados from Mexico Announcer: Texas A&M International University-- going beyond borders.

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

Visit egglandsbest.com.

[Acoustic guitar plays Nationwide jingle] Announcer: Levenger-- nearly 40 years of craftsmanship for readers, writers, thinkers, and doers.

Announcer: Proud to support "Pati's Mexican Table" on public television.