Pati's Mexican Table

[Playing piano] ♪ Dun da dun da ♪ Ha ha ha!

[Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: Romeyno Gutiérrez was born in the Sierra Madre mountains.

Now he's the first of his people, the Rarámuri tribe, to charm a global audience with a piano and the melodies of Bach, the perfect harmony to go with Romeyno's favorite juicy barbacoa tacos.

[Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: In my kitchen, you learn how to make your own tender barbacoa along with its two mandatory salsas.

Oh, whoa!

That's so satisfying.

Es como umami over umami over umami over umami.

Y esta divine.

Pati, voice-over: In the city of Chihuahua, Chef Ana Rosa Beltrán del Río explores Chihuahua's ancient recipes, bridging the past and present in delicious ways.

[Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: Then together, we'll make sweet dedos de novia cookies that will melt in your mouth.

When do we get to eat this?

Yeah, now!

Ah.

♪ What a feast!

♪ Mmm!

So succulent.

These beans are insane.

[Laughter] Mmm... ♪ Announcer: "Pati's Mexican Table" is brought to you by... ♪ Announcer: La Costeña.

¡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 craftmanship for readers, writers, thinkers, and doers.

♪ Pati, voice-over: Chihuahua is Mexico's largest state, where the grandeur of the Sierra Madre Occidental collides with the vastness of the Chihuahua Desert, a state as diverse in landscapes as people.

The Rarámuri tribe is integral to the fabric of Chihuahua culture.

Living in remote caves and humble homes in the majestic Copper Canyon, they are known for living in harmony with nature's rhythm.

[Notes playing on piano] But in the city of Chihuahua, Romeyno Gutiérrez harmonizes in a different key... [Playing notes] as the first of the Rarámuri to graduate from Chihuahua's Music Conservatory... [Both playing notes] [Speaking Spanish] ♪ Dun da dun da ♪ Ha ha ha!

[Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: OK, maybe I'll let him do the playing.

[Speaking Spanish] Uh-huh.

[Speaking Spanish] OK, OK. [Playing classical tune] ♪ Pati, voice-over: Romeyno has enchanted audiences throughout the United States and Europe, making it all the more incredible that he was born in a cave in the Sierra Madre mountains.

[Song ends] [Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: As a child, Romeyno's world transformed when a U.S. visitor brought a piano to his village, sparking an instant obsession with the exotic instrument.

[Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: Just as Romeyno was in awe of the man's piano, the man, a concert pianist, Romayne Wheeler, who inspired him to use the name Romeyno, became enchanted with the Rarámuri way of life.

[Romeyno speaking Spanish] Pati: Ahh... [Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: Wheeler became Romeyno's godfather.

He helped him with his education and brought him on tour.

[Playing classical tune] Now, in true Rarámuri spirit, Romeyno can share his gift with the world, but not just by playing.

[Romeyno speaking Spanish] Oh, wow!

[Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: Romeyno plans to one day open a music school, keeping future generations dancing to the rich music of the Rarámuri.

[Song ends] For the encore, it's time for another kind of symphony... of smoky, juicy flavors.

♪ Romeyno once lived in the nearby city of Parral, renowned for its barbacoa, and his go-to spot in Chihuahua is Barbacoa Estilo Parral.

The only thing more special is sharing this with his wife, Angelina Juarez, and their baby boy.

[Speaking Spanish] Romeyno father, Romeyno baby... [Speaking Spanish] Pati: ...to eat some of the most amazing barbacoa [Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: Barbacoa translates to "barbecue."

The smoky, juicy, slow-cooked beef is an art form in northern Mexico and is even inside of lonches, Chihuahua-style tortas or tacos.

[Speaking Spanish] Mm!

[Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: It's clear.

Music may feed the soul, but barbacoa shared with loved ones nourishes the heart, which is why I'm sharing my recipe with you.

♪ [Speaking Spanish] OK, so what do we have?

[Speaking Spanish] We're going to make Chihuahua-style barbacoa, and I'm combining two different kinds of meat, like they do in Chihuahua.

The ribs give you the flavor and really good fat that you need for the meat to become, like, super succulent.

And this is called top sirloin.

And it's a wonderful cut of meat because it also has a lot of flavor, but you can see how it has less marbling.

Yeah.

We're cutting into pieces like this.

So, Juju, I have eaten all different kinds of barbacoa as I've traveled through Mexico, but I had never eaten barbacoa in the style of Chihuahua.

Now we can rinse our hands.

We're going to add half of an onion.

I'm cutting this tomato also in quarters.

But anyway, in Mexico, barbacoa really means people will make an underground pit and cook the entire animal.

Just complex, you know?

In Chihuahua, it's just everything in a pot.

Yeah.

OK. We're gonna add two jalapeños.

You cut it in just chunks.

[Speaking Spanish] And then we need three garlic cloves.

And we're just going to peel them and put them in the pot.

Chef Ana Rosa, who shared so much with me about the food from Chihuahua, gave me her family recipe, which uses rosemary.

So we put two.

Another one?

Yeah.

I mean, look, is this a beautiful thing?

Yeah.

It looks super pretty.

We're going to add three bay leaves.

Let's add a tablespoon of salt, like, a generous tablespoon.

And then we're going to add a teaspoon of pepper.

Pepper.

OK.

So now we're going to add water.

I measured 3 1/2 cups.

And it's going to cook for an hour.

Whenever we ate barbacoa, which we had so many times in Chihuahua, they always had two salsas... OK. a green salsa, tomatillo-based, and a chile de árbol salsa, super spicy.

So once you see that it starts to bubble...

Bubble, yeah.

you cover it.

And can you help me move it to the back?

Yeah.

And turn that, yeah?

Mm-hmm.

And turn it over medium heat.

So we have the tomatillos... OK. two jalapeños, and a serrano.

Garlic cloves.

We're going to put them here.

But notice I am putting them with the skin because they're gonna char-roast.

So let's put this under the broiler.

Is the broiler on?

It takes about, like, 3 to 4 minutes per side.

I'm gonna toast the spices-- cumin and oregano.

You can smell, no?

Toasting the spices unlocks their flavor and gives them, like, an extra layer.

Yeah.

[Speaking Spanish] It smells so good.

OK, so let's look at those, and let's flip.

It smells really good!

I'm gonna take these out.

[Speaking Spanish] And then we can put these in.

Back in?

Mm-hmm.

Mila is situated.

What do you think Mila is thinking right now?

So the barbacoa has been cooking for a while.

We should add the potato.

Do we put it in whole?

No.

Like, you cut it into, like, quarters.

So these will absorb that, like, extra very thin liquid.

Mmm.

Mmm.

Just wherever?

Yeah.

Just add them in there.

So it's like a tasty sponge.

Yeah.

Mmm.

It smells super good.

I know.

But you know what is smelling really good, too?

From the oven.

Yeah.

Let's see-- Should we take it out?

Yeah.

I think.

[Speaking Spanish] OK. Do you want to take it out?

So fast!

Wow.

Oh, wow.

I know.

It looks, like, super charred... Yeah.

smoky, super yum.

So we're putting everything in?

Uh-huh.

Put everything in there.

What do you think?

Should I go ahead and add the whole serrano?

It's gonna be spicy.

Let's do it.

All right.

The whole thing.

Ha ha!

I'm going to add the toasted spices.

And let's peel the garlic cloves.

Super yum.

OK, so now I'm going to add, like, a half a teaspoon salt.

Looks good.

Pati: Hold on.

Mmm.

So think, we're going to have all these roasted ingredients, the toasted spices, and then you mix it with fresh chopped cilantro.

Mm-hmm.

♪ Now add it all in and then...

Mix?

OK, mix.

Mmm.

Now we have to do the other salsa.

We're going to use half a pound of tomatillos... OK. and half a pound of the ripe Roma tomatoes.

So different from that salsa, this is a boiled salsa.

[Speaking Spanish] So what else?

Three garlic cloves.

Three garlic cloves.

Juju, this is fun!

So chile de árbol, it's nice.

It's smoky.

It's rich.

It's spicy.

Do we want 10 or 12?

Let's do--let's go for 12.

OK. OK. We're going to cook these until the tomatoes, tomatillos become mushy, the garlic softens, and the chiles rehydrate.

I'm gonna cover it to bring it to a boil faster.

We need to chop onion and cilantro because that is something you always have when you eat barbacoa.

♪ [Speaking Spanish] So now we're making the mixed salsa con chile de árbol.

Please.

Take everything?

Yes.

♪ This one's definitely, like, smoother.

And you can bring the barbacoa.

Should we open it and take a look?

[Speaking Spanish] ♪ Mmm.

Looks so good.

OK.

So I'm going to start adding it in here.

And then you can start shredding it... Wow.

when you--Oh, whoa!

That's so satisfying.

A very important thing is, like, the tomato and the chile and the onion.

Like, mash it with the meat.

Like, mash it.

Break it in with the meat.

Oh, my God.

Mila would die for this.

Ha ha!

So let's toast the bread there.

♪ I'm so excited.

You know what?

Why don't we mash a little avocado in the bottom?

Yeah.

OK?

Bun?

Yeah.

Wow.

Mmm.

Both salsas, onion and cilantro, right?

Yeah.

Mmm.

Go for it, Juju, 'cause it's yummy.

Ahh!

[Speaking Spanish] Cheers.

♪ Mmm.

Oh, my God.

It's so good.

Insane.

Mm-hmm-hmm.

Mm.

♪ Pati, voice-over: Ana Rosa Beltrán del Río, an award-winning author and chef, researches Chihuahua's ancient recipes, like the smoky chile pasado stew with its preserved chiles.

She's passing on the enduring flavors of Chihuahua's past, and I can't wait to taste them.

[Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: Ana Rosa is making the chile pasado, one of Chihuahua's iconic dishes.

Chiles are the backbone of Chihuahua's complex cuisine, and she prepares them on the back porch of her home in Chihuahua City.

[Speaking Spanish] Uh-huh.

[Speaking Spanish] Uh-huh.

[Speaking Spanish] Ah.

Pati, voice-over: Unlike most chile recipes in Mexico, chile pasado uses chiles that are roasted and peeled prior to hanging them to dry to be used later on.

And unlike most cooks, Chef Ana Rosa uses a dried rattlesnake to know when the chile is ready.

I'm going to stick with my timer.

[Speaking Spanish] Uh-huh.

Wow.

[Speaking Spanish] Uh-huh.

[Speaking Spanish] Mmm!

[Speaking Spanish] Mm-hmm.

[Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: After rehydrating the chiles, they are combined with pork, tomatoes, garlic, and onions to make a rich, thick stew.

[Speaking Spanish] I mean, look at this beautiful thing.

This is insane... [Speaking Spanish] Sí.

[Speaking Spanish] Ay, OK!

[Speaking Spanish] Mmm.

Mmm.

Mmm.

Mmm!

[Speaking Spanish] Mm-hmm.

Pati, voice-over: Ana Rosa creates an irresistible blend of Chihuahua's ancient flavors and modern culinary innovation.

But the perfect marriage of savory and sweet means ending with a cherished Chihuahua confection, dedos de novia, otherwise known as bride's finger cookies.

Me and my team tried so many savory and delicious things, but we ate so many sweets that we loved, and one of the cookies that we were all going crazy about were these dedos de novia, or bride's fingers.

So if you love Mexican wedding cookies, just wait until you try this.

I'm gonna get started with the dough.

Super simple to make.

I have a half a cup of unsalted butter and a half a cup vegetable shortening.

So I'm going to start beating the shortening and the butter until creamy and smooth.

♪ Once your fat is super creamy, you're gonna add one full cup of confectioner's sugar.

And this is what makes the dough so incredibly delicate.

I'm going to start beating over low because, as you know, confectioner's sugar loves to fly.

Scrape the sides so it all gets mixed in.

I'm gonna add vanilla, one teaspoon... and then I'm gonna add two egg yolks.

As this beats, I'm going to add one teaspoon baking powder into my two cups of all-purpose flour and half a teaspoon salt.

And over low speed, I'm going to add my dry ingredients in here.

And I'm just going to keep adding until it's fully incorporated.

Last bit.

♪ I'm gonna scrape the sides to make sure that all the butter gets fully incorporated.

One more go.

♪ And it's ready.

♪ Mmm.

So I'm gathering the dough, and now I'm going to wrap it in plastic and put it in the fridge anywhere from 2 to 24 hours.

You can see how gorgeous and pillowy this dough is.

You need to let it chill so that the dough doesn't spread as it bakes.

♪ I'm gonna put this in the fridge, but I have one in there that's ready to go.

♪ I'm gonna roll out half of the dough at a time.

And you can see how it firmed up.

And I'm gonna roll it in between parchment paper.

You don't want to roll it with more flour because it's gonna dry, and I'm gonna roll it out, trying to get about a quarter of an inch thickness.

OK, this is good!

And now I'm gonna cut the dough into rectangles that are about two inches long, about a half-inch wide.

And then you just make, like, two lines to give them shape.

These lines are gonna become ridges.

When the cookies are baked, you can roll them in more confectionery sugar because.

You place them about half an inch apart.

They don't have to be perfect.

You're going to roll them in sugar anyway.

OK, my oven is at 350, and these cookies are going to bake anywhere from 11 to 13 minutes, just until they're golden brown.

♪ [Speaking Spanish] bride's cookies fresh out of the oven.

And I have some here that have been cooling a little.

And I'm going to ask you to get messy with me, which I know is very hard... OK. because you're so organized and clean, so you need to dunk the cookies in here with me.

OK. OK?

And just roll them like this.

[Speaking Spanish] OK.

I tried these bride's fingers.

[Speaking Spanish] Mm-hmm.

I tried them first in the Rio Grande Valley.

And then I saw them everywhere in Chihuahua.

And I think I've come a long way since we got married and I didn't know how to scramble an egg.

They say that love-- love comes from the stomach, but you know what?

I had no idea you knew how to cook when we got married.

I know!

Ha ha!

So... And you still married me.

And I still married you, so... And you stuck with me.

it's only gotten better since then.

I've gotten so much better since we got married, and I can say that because I knew how to cook nothing.

But since then, I think you've eaten everything that I've given you, including, like, stones covered in salsa verde.

Thank you for sticking with me, Danny.

But I want to know one thing.

Sí.

When do we get to eat these?

Yeah.

Now.

Yeah.

Already?

In fact, you can eat that one and I'll eat this one.

So here's to your bride and to my groom that I'd marry you again.

You would?

I would.

Well, now that I know that you can cook, I'd marry you even faster.

[Chuckles] Mmm.

Mmm.

How many can I eat?

First, the important question.

[Speaking Spanish] All of them?

You can take them to your office.

[Speaking Spanish] ♪ 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 Costeña.

¡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 craftmanship for readers, writers, thinkers, and doers.

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

♪