Shrimp in Chipotle Sauce (Camarones Enchipotlados)
The key to Diana Kennedy’s shrimp in chipotle sauce is the flavorful sauce made from chipotle peppers and the adobo in which they are packed. They give the dish a pleasant, lingering heat and a deep smoky flavor. Kennedy makes her own, but canned chipotles in adobo work equally well. Kennedy’s original recipe called […]
Chili-Pineapple Margarita
The inspiration for this spicy margarita came from a cocktail we had at Hartwood, a restaurant in Tulum, Mexico. Chef Eric Werner steeped habanero chilies in tequila for over 36 hours to add kick. We simplified, infusing simple syrup with the same flavors in under 20 minutes. You’ll have enough syrup for several batches […]
Santa Maria Style Pinquito Beans
Santa Maria pinquito beans are similar to your standard BBQ beans, but with a smoky-spicy profile — think TexMex flavors. Every recipe I’ve seen includes bacon, ham, tomatoes, and onions. After that, the choice of spices or other additions are up to you. I like to include fire-roasted poblano peppers in mine for little extra […]
Mexican Stewed Beans with Salsa Fresca
In Mexico City, we learned to prepare traditional stewed beans, as well as a version enriched with pork. Sofrito—a sauté of aromatics cooked separately from the dish’s central ingredient(s)—is a key flavoring for the beans. Our sofrito consists of onion, garlic, tomatoes and jalapeños cooked down to concentrate their essences and is added only […]
Tortilla Soup
This sopa de tortilla is a simple, homestyle tortilla soup like we had in Mexico. It is pureed for smoothness; contrasting colors, flavors and textures are added with garnishes. For the best results, ripe tomatoes are key—in non-summer months, we find Campari tomatoes to be a good option, as well as cherry or grape tomatoes. […]
Nacho Cheese Sauce
Sure, you could just pop the top on a jar of store-bought nacho cheese sauce, but what’s the fun in that? Even more importantly, what control does that give you? Not much: You can’t choose what kinds of cheese go into the sauce, nor how spicy it is, and whether you add pickled jalapeños or […]
Chicken Flautas
I have seen a few different creamy chicken flautas on the web lately and they inspired me to try my own version. I wanted to keep it flavorful while keeping it slightly healthy. They turned out really delicious! I loved that these flautas used up the extra Southwestern Roasted Chicken and cream cheese I had […]
Cheesy Spinach-Artichoke Quesadillas
Everything you love about spinach-artichoke dip sandwiched in a quesadilla.
Slow-Cooker Pork Carnitas
To achieve a slow-cooker version of this Mexican pulled pork dish, we had to make some adjustments to compensate for the moist environment of the slow cooker. We cut pork shoulder (with a good amount of fat left on it) into chunks and combined the meat with onion, orange zest and juice, lime zest […]
Mexican Rice
Our perfect Mexican rice recipe had to be rich but not oily and moist but not watery; furthermore, it had to boast clean, balanced flavors and tender, perfectly cooked rice. We produced superior grains by rinsing the long-grain white rice and sautéing it in canola oil until it turned brown, before adding the cooking liquid […]
Citrus-Braised Pork Tacos
These tacos contain a rich filling inspired by cochinita pibil, a popular Mexican dish from the Yucatán Peninsula that features incredibly tender slow-roasted pork.To make cochinita pibil, the inspiration for our recipe, a whole suckling pig is swaddled in bitter orange juice and banana leaves before being nestled under a pile of hot coals to […]
Pork Chili Colorado
From Chef Edgar Rico of Austin’s Nixta Taqueria, this pork Chili Colorado (a Mexican stew named for its brick red hue, not the state) boasts 3 kinds of dried chiles that bring the heat and, after a long braise, a mellow sweetness. Most of the long cook time is decidedly hands off—simply let the […]
Slow Cooker Wet Burritos
Behold the delicious glory of Slow Cooker Wet Burritos. Throw the beef into a slow cooker until it’s cooked to perfection, roll some burritos, top them with cheese, bake and GO TO TOWN. Plus, the Wet Burritos recipe is so easy to double and triple if you need more!
Yelapa-Style Chocolate Pie
In Yelapa, on the west coast of central Mexico, Chelly Rodriguez is known as the Pie Lady. For more than two decades, she’s been selling home-baked pies by the slice, to be eaten out of hand while lounging or strolling on the beach. Food writer and recipe developer Paola Briseño-González re-created Rodriguez’s chocolate pie […]
Vegan Baja-Style Cauliflower Tacos
We thought that battered cauliflower bites, drizzled with a cool and creamy vegan sauce, were the perfect stand-in for the fish. We wanted to avoid the mess of deep-frying, so we cut the cauliflower into large florets and roasted them. To boost their flavor, we dunked the pieces in canned coconut milk seasoned with garlic […]
Oaxacan-Style Vegetables in Chili-Garlic Sauce
Some versions of Oaxacan chileajo contain meat, but in chileajo de verduras (also known as chileajo de legumbres), vegetables are the main attraction, along with the earthy, garlicky red chili sauce that coats them (chileajo translates from the Spanish as chili-garlic). Garnet-toned guajillo chilies are mild and fruity; we toast them in a little […]