Adding good nutrition to your family’s table starts with flavor. After all, if your food doesn’t taste great, no matter how healthy it may be, no one will eat it. That’s why I like to shake things up with my recipes by turning to interesting cuisines and countries from around the world, including Mexico. Avocados, beans, chicken, eggs, mangos, and chile peppers (some are surprisingly mild!) can be found front and center in Mexican kitchens, and each brings a world of possibilities to the table. Joining me on this week’s show to demystify Mexican cooking and share some of her family’s favorite recipes is Pati Jinich. She’s a cookbook author, PBS cooking show host, and the mother of three boys. I hope you’ll tune in for a taste and travel adventure Pati.
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Pati Jinich is the host of Pati’s Mexican Table on PBS. Each season she explores the culture and cuisine of a different region of Mexico and then turns those culinary experiences into recipes home cooks everywhere can make for their families. Here in the U.S., when we think about Mexican food, tacos and tortillas come to mind, but there is so much more to this diverse and beautiful cuisine as you’ll learn after hearing Pati’s story.
“Balancing the Mexican and the American cultures is a fabulous ever-changing adventure.” Pati Jinich
On the podcast, Pati and I talk about the foods from her childhood in Mexico and how her experiences shaped how she feeds her family today. She shares her favorite guacamole recipe, and we talk about two recipes that I made from newest cookbook, Mexican Today: Meatballs in Guajillo Sauce with Zucchini and Asparagus, Mushroom, and Goat Cheese Enchiladas with Pine Nut Mole Sauce. Did you know there are hundreds of ways to make mole sauce? Me neither!
Show Highlights:
- Pati shares how she balanced her Mexican heritage and foodways while raising her sons in the U.S.
- Tips for drawing your teens back to the table with delicious food.
- How I met Pati on Nantucket this past summer! She’s such a delight.
- Defining the fascinating and wondrous cuisine of Mexican.
- Pat’s recipe for Mexican mac and cheese and her family’s favorite guacamole.
- How her TV show, Pati’s Mexican Table, explores the rich history and cuisine from different regions in Mexico.
- Mixing European flavors from Patty’s immigrant grandparents with the traditional spices and flavors of Mexico.
- How her family adds a Mexican twist to traditional matzo ball soup.
- Substitutes for cilantro (for all you cilantro haters out there).
- Pat’s recipe for Asparagus and Mushroom-stuffed Enchiladas with Mole Sauce.
- How it’s easier today to find the chiles and ingredients you need to make authentic Mexican food at home.
- Pati gives us an update on Mexico after the earthquakes.
- How Mexican food can be flavorful and healthy.
Asparagus, Mushroom, and Goat Cheese Enchiladas with Pine Nut Mole Sauce
Giveaway has ended:
I love this cookbook! From flavor-filled soups and salads to tacos, tostadas, enchiladas, and desserts like Marbled Tres Leches Cake, Pati’s recipes are flavorful, family friendly, and the photos will inspire you to want to make everything from this book.
“Mexican food is always changing; its always evolving.” – Pati Jinich
Links:
My email: [email protected]
Connect with Pati:
Get Pati’s Book: Mexican Today: New and Rediscovered Recipes for Contemporary Kitchens
Pati on Twitter
Pati on Facebook
Sponsors:
I’m able to bring this podcast to all of you thanks to my sponsors: Zespri Kiwifruit and Bush’s Beans.
Have a question about the show or a suggestion for a future show? Ask away by posting a comment below or joining my Podcast Posse.
Being a Mexican-American, I love basically all Mexican foods, but my family would probably say their favorite Mexican recipe is Chicken Tinga (I use Pati’s recipe, too!), or Chicken Enchiladas en Salsa Verde. My family also really loves guacamole! 🙂
It’s funny, because my family loves guacamole, but my boys don’t love avocados. They are MY favorite food, though. Thanks for stopping by, Teresa. Hope you’ve had a chance to listen to the show. Pati was such a lovely guest! Her love of family and food shines through big time 🙂
We love tacos and enchiladas in our house! Would love a copy of the book to look for more veggie filled options for these dishes 🙂
Thanks for stopping by, Jean. Pati’s book is so stunning. I know you’ll love it (if you win)!! Hope you get a chance to listen to my interview with Pati. She’s a gem 🙂
I loved this episode and i feel so inspired by Pati. Listening to her speak about her family and the meals they had/have together made me feel so much love. I would like to put that much love in to my cooking! We love Mexican cooking but I must admit it’s mostly the American version, although I do make my own taco seasoning rather than store bought. I would love to be able to cook more traditional meals filled with love.
Thanks for sharing, Dana. I’m with you about Pati’s love for family and food. Her book is stunning! Glad you tuned in this week 🙂
I love making enchiladas or layered enchilada casseroles with black beans and sweet potatoes or butternut squash.
Sounds like an amazing cookbook! Mexican food is my favorite- if there’s one thing I could eat every day, it’d be nachos. Love how easy it is to change them up. Thanks for the chance!
The cookbook sounds amazing! I always love an opportunity to try new things,
I love making and eating chicken enchiladas Verde, and I’d love to win this book to learn more about the variety in Mexican food
Enchiladas are my favorite go to Mexican dish. I would love to branch out from my usual chicken and red sauce!
It is tacos because it looks like a big feast when all the fillings are on the table and everyone can do their own version. I put a lot of veggies in with the ground beef as it is the one dish my meat loving child doesn’t mind being “green” 🙂
I love eating Mexican food. Being gluten free, though, I rarely eat out, even though Mexican food can be easier to get gluten free. At home I make the basics, tacos, enchiladas, salsa. I would sure love to learn more!
Corn tortillas as the base are perfect for GF cooking! Thanks for stopping by.
I have an aversion to cilantro. I’d love to learn about some satisfying substitutes.
Our favorite family Mexican dish is quesadillas. We create new versions out of anything and everything.
Everyone in our family loves Mexican Pizza! For many years several of my six children have requested it for their special birthday meal.
What do you top it with? Sounds marvelous!
My family loves all kinds of Mexican food…but they really love my homemade enchiladas the most!
Mexican is one of our top favorites!! What’s not to love? Fresh ingredients, spicy peppers and satisfying combinations. There’s something for everyone to love!!
We love build your own taco night, but I need to branch out and learn more dishes.
I love watching Pati on our PBS station! My husband and I make Mexican food about 3 times a week so we would love some fresh new ideas to add to our rotation!
All flavors of tacos!
My family and I love Mexican food, but I make it out of a box. I would love to be able to make healthy Mexican meals for my family – but not out of a box. Loved your podcast!
Hi Liz,
I would absolutely love Pati’s book. We’re big fans of her show, including our dog Benji, who sits and watches it when it’s on!
My wife and I tend to throw things together in the spirit of Mexican food, without set recipes. One of our favorites is a variation of a quinoa skillet recipe we found, with black beans, salsa, etc.
We make good stuff, but I’d love to have some great recipes steeped in Mexican tradition.
Thanks!
Steve
It sounds like Benji has great taste! Thanks for stopping by and sharing your story. Be sure to tune in to the podcast … and don’t forget to include Benji 🙂
My favorites are endless, but I tend to gravitate towards Pork: Carnitas, or Tortas with various Salsas.
I was born on the East Coast but grow up in SoCal, I did not discover Mexican food until Middle School.
My best friend Christina, her Grandmother would make these huge Breakfast Burritos. Christina would always share and when her Grandma found out she shared them. She began to make me one as well. There is love in Mexican food just like Southern/Soul food. I want my family to taste love every meal.
Hi Rachel: I love your story. Mexican cuisine is so diverse and Pati’s cookbook is a real gem. Good luck with the giveaway. Hope you’ll tune in to the show. I certainly learned a lot!
I love to make “street tacos” with pulled chicken or barbacoa (brisket) on toasted corn tortillas with my 4 sons. Each likes theirs dressed a bit different, some with homemade guac (my son Mark loves to make that). We’ve been doing it with a side of crazy corn, grilled then sprinkled with Oaxaca cheese, lime juice and fresh cilantro.
I would love to win Pati’s cookbook so I could make her delicious recipes with my sons (like Pati). We record and watch her show together. Mexican cooking is so lively, diverse, and of course TASTY.
Brian, I have two boys, so I’m seriously impressed by your four! Sounds like you’re raising a household of savvy chefs, and what better way to get kids excited about trying new foods than to cook with them. Thanks for stopping by LHT. I hope you enjoy the podcast. Perhaps you can listen in with your boys!
I would love to learn more about Mexican cooking.
We’re all about TACOS at our house! We do beef, fish, chicken, pork and vegetarian versions in our rotation. We also like to experiment with different toppings and salsas. The possibilities are endless! I would love to win this cookbook and expand my family’s Mexican food palate!
Simple street tacos
Liz, I loved listening to you and Pati on this week’s episode of the podcast. I had no idea that mole sauce wasn’t always made with chocolate! Ole! My favorite Mexican dish to make is fajitas. I make many variations of fajitas based on what veggies are in my crisper. Recently I added pumpkin and also topped my guacamole with roasted pumpkin seeds. Thanks for a great show. How did the enchiladas turn out and the albondigas?
Barb, both recipes turned out great. The next time I make the enchiladas, I’ll double the vegetable filling. Just me, but I LOVE lots of veggies. And the meatballs were luscious. Even my fish-eating vegetarian husband loved them. I made the recipes for a dinner party with a bunch of friends and there were no leftovers. Thanks for tuning in! If you love the show, please feel free to post a review to iTunes. The more we can spread the word about the show the better. And I’m with you on the mole sauce. Who knew??!!
I love anything in bowls. Burrito bowls are are easy way to serve a lot of people with different options. I do make your own and just lay out all the options on the counter.
I love anything in bowls. Burrito bowls are are easy way to serve a lot of people with different options. I do make your own and just lay out all the options on the counter.
I’m with you. And it’s great how you lay out all the ingredients and let everyone choose what goes into their individual bowl. Thanks for stopping by. Hope you’ll tune in to the show. Pati is such a delight … and she’s a real pro!
Our favorite family get together for dinner out restaurant is a local family owned Mexican restaurant .I would love this book for ideas to cook Mexican at home .
I like to try all kinds of Mexican dishes. But I love enchiladas and guacamole. I am looking for a good homemade enchilada sauce recipe.
We have tacos at least once a week around here, but I would love to experiment with New Mexican flavors and textures. Would absolutely love to have this book!
Hi Rachel: Thanks for stopping by! Knowing how YOU cook, I know you would love Pati’s cookbook. Lots of new ingredients and flavors to experiment with 🙂
My family is Mexican-American and they love anything tacos. My mother was born in Mexico City, so she cooked wonderful cuisine from southern Mexico. Living in West Texas we are used to a different style of cooking from the Northern part of Mexico, but it is all wonderful and great. I love Pati’s recipes, so delicious and many are simple to make. Thank you for the opportunity for a great giveaway.
And thank you for stopping by 🙂 Hope you’ll tune in to the podcast. It was a fun one 🙂
My family loves Mexican food and after watching Patti cookin show, we are excited to make some authentic Mexican recipes!
We like pork tacos because of the ease of making them through the week but also love Aroz Con Pollo.
I love trying new recipes.
We eat and prepare Mexican inspired dishes 3-4 times a week at home even though we are of Southern roots. Our go-to restaurants are Mexican. My husband was born in El Paso, TX and was introduced to Mexican inspired dishes at an early age. His mother was taught how to prepare several dishes by a Mexican lady that worked for the family and passed these on to me. Family favorites are Chile Rellenos, guacamole, Parrillada, and refried beans. I would love to have this cookbook to enhance and expand my knowledge of Mexican cooking, techniques, and recipes.
What’s your go-to guacamole recipe? Pati uses lime juice and a few other simple ingredients. Do tell!!
I loved the podcast this week! Thanks for bringing a great guest. We love tacos and burritos at our house but I would love to win this cookbook to try New Mexican recipes!
Sundays are Family night where we all gather for conversation, fun and of course Food. We love to make
a Chicken/Enchilada dish, as well as Taco’s. It would be great to win Patty’s cookbook to expand our
Mexican culinary dishes!
I guess a favorite Mexican food that we make is a pico de gallo recipe from Pioneer Woman cooks. It is clean eating at it’s best!
My family and I love Mexican food. Our favorite is tacos with different proteins. We make ground turkey, chicken and shrimp so everyone has something they like. We also love to mix Greek yogurt with homemade taco seasoning to go on top.
With three teen boys in my house, I am interested in her tips for getting them to the table for HEALTHY meals. We love Mexican food, but I am limited in my recipes. Our favorite is burrito/bowl night when I make homemade guac, pico, and grilled steak/chicken. I also make a black bean version for myself becaus I dont eat meat. Sounds like a great book. Much success!
How do you make your guacamole? Pati has a wonderful version, which she shares on the show. And she has great tips for gathering her boys around the table. Hope you can tune in to the show for Pati’s secrets. And good luck w/ the giveaway. I’ll be picking a winner next Wednesday 🙂
Mexican food tastes delicious to me, but honestly I only stick to the “safe” ones (tacos, fajitas, flautas) when ordering at restaurants or attempting at home. My 10 year old has expressed liking guacamole.! Yet, unfortunately my other 2 are scarred from tasting the store bought kind and refuse to even try it in a restaurant; yet they are adventurous eaters with Greek cuisine that my mom cooks! This book would serve as inspiration for me to branch out and explore other flavors. I have 3 boys (10, 7, 5 years old) and I very much would like to introduce them to home cooked Mexican food flavors that do not come out of a packet. They, too, enjoy watching cooking shows with me on television and this book would inspire them as well, I’m sure!!!! I’m in a cooking rut with the same old go to recipes. Winning this give-away would spark the interest of all of my family members to cook together. Thank you for your consideration.
So glad you stopped by. Three boys. Wow. That’s a lot of food!! Please check out the recipes on this site … and good luck w/ the giveaway. I am planning to choose the winner this Wed.
Thank you! I went to your site and fb page! So glad I happened to come across your pages full of great ideas and info! ?
I shared this link with a friend too. She was excited too about the information. ?
Dorothy: I’m thrilled you stopped by. Feel free to look around the site, listen to my podcast (and subscribe!), and become part of the LHT family 🙂
I am always looking for ways to bring the world to my kitchen table… and if my children will eat it and enjoy it too, that’s a dream come true. I️ Love Patis show and her bubbly personality keeps me coming back for more! Thanks
You are most welcome. Thanks for stopping by and entering the giveaway. Hope you get a chance to tune in to the podcast. Loved having Pati on the show 🙂
Liz, thank you, thank you, thank you-for giving Mexican food a “real” voice! I’ve been following you since you had your other podcast and so enjoy your humor and knowledge! Through the years though, I felt that mexican food “throughout” the media and mainstream restaurants has been “dumb-downed”.
Patti-is a great representative of what our family was and still is to this day, because like her, I have a passion for my heritage but I am also an American (I served in the US Navy for 8 years).
What irks me about a lot of Mexican-Americans (I am one) is that they fall into the trap of NOT getting back to the basics and buying into the processed-laissez faire-way of cooking and eating. Mexican Food, if you don’t seek it out, has almost become synonymous with heavy-handed junk food. In all fairness though, I’m sure that happens to all types of cuisine.
I live in the Midwest, another favorite representative of Mexican cuisine is Rick Bayless. He’s fit and healthy, passionate about Mexican cuisine and shares Patti’s spirit of Mexican cooking.
Btw, I was one of the first to marry outside of our ethnicity, an Irishman and our families embraced each other with aplomb much to my surprise! (He’s also from Kentucky, aka kinda hillbilly, haha!) Love your spirit!
Keep up the good work!
Hi Theresa
You made my day. Thank you for sharing your story and for being a long-tome listener. Spread the word! And I agree that a lot of cuisines dumbed down. But today’s world of foodies are embracing new cuisines and adding vitality back to traditional cuisines. We live in a fun food time.