The word “enchilada” simply means “in chile” and in Mexico, the most beloved version is actually a street snack: a corn tortilla dipped in chile sauce that’s a far cry from the limp, stuffed tortillas swimming in a sea of red sauce and molten cheese that we’re familiar with in the U.S. Rick shows us how to make classic “Street Style” Red Chile Enchiladas at home, and how to transform them into a simple, satisfying brunch presentation, Red Chile Enchiladas with Spicy Potatoes and Fried Eggs. At Sanborn’s in Mexico City, the colorfully tiled restaurant where the famous dish, Enchiladas Suizas, was invented, Rick explains that “Suiza” means Swiss, a tribute to the dish’s use of cream and cheese. This inspires a visit to a Mexican creamery stall, a lesson in making homemade “crema,” the Mexican version of crème fraîche, and a third dish, Rick’s own Creamy Enchiladas with Chicken, Tomatoes and Green Chile.
Gleefully dispelling the notion that tacos are crispy shells jammed with ground beef and shredded lettuce, Rick takes us on a journey in search of the real thing. First stop: a taco restaurant in Mexico City where tacos a la plancha–soft tortillas with fillings hot off the iron griddle–are sold. Great tacos need great salsa, and Rick shows us how to make Salsa Verde from both raw and roasted tomatillos in a deadpan side-by-side “dueling salsas” showdown. In Mexico, a butcher butterflies a pork loin with finesse. Rick, back in his Chicago kitchen, launches into his own demonstration of Pork Tacos a la Plancha. Then we’re back to a lively Mexico City taqueria specializing in tacos al carbon filled with charcoal grilled meats and onions. Rick makes two versions of his own–Tacos with Skirt Steak and Portobello Mushrooms–on his backyard grill, along with a traditional molcajete salsa made from ingredients roasted right on the grill. It’s tacos top to bottom, and there’s not a crispy shell in sight.
Accompanied by his 8-year-old daughter, Lanie, Rick pays homage to the magic of melted cheese. On a visit to Oaxaca, Rick and Lanie get a firsthand lesson in the art of hand-pulled string cheese. No one can resist a nice grilled cheese sandwich, and Mexicans are no exception–only they call their version a quesadilla. Back home in Chicago, father and daughter whip up some simple Mushroom Quesadillas using store-bought tortillas–they’re easy as child’s play. Returning to Oaxaca, they watch Señora Oliva, for some the “World’s Best Quesadilla Maker,” turn out quesadillas made from fresh masa on a comal over a wood-fire. Can they replicate them at home? Of course! In his back yard Rick gathers nasturtiums, squash blossoms, epazote and poblano chiles, then shows Lanie the fine points of turning masa into Squash Blossom Quesadillas on the griddle. The show ends with a little fun and a little fondue, Mexican-style, as Rick and Lanie prepare the ultimate cheese-lover’s dish, Queso Fundido with Mexican Sausage and Roasted Peppers.
Every culture has its small bites–sushi, dim sum, tapas, mezze. But in Mexico, these flavorful tidbits fall into a different kind of category: “antojitos,” the foods you crave. These are the snacks and street foods, as well as the special-occasion treats, that Mexicans love best–the stuff that comforts the soul and sets the heart racing. And the ones made with masa top the charts. Sopes, little masa shells, are baked on a griddle and finished with all kinds of flavorful toppings. We watch them being made in a courtyard restaurant in Mexico as Rick gives the “play-by-play,” then wander into the Uriarte pottery factory, where Rick indulges in his secret addiction: buying dishes. Back in his home kitchen, he makes Potato Sopes with Salsa, Goat Cheese and Fresh Herbs–perfect as an appetizer or party food. Then it’s back to Mexico for a lesson in gorditas–fried masa “pockets” stuffed with savory fillings. Bouncing effortlessly back to Chicago, Rick creates his own version: Bacon Gorditas with Roasted Poblano Guacamole.
Homey tacos de cazuela–soft corn tortillas rolled around fillings simmered slowly in earthenware pots–are the soul of Mexican comfort food. And nothing makes them more appealing than just-baked tortillas, fragrant with the earthy aroma of freshly ground masa. How field corn is dried and transformed into the daily bread of Mexico is a remarkable, centuries-old story, and Rick tells that story, taking us on a “field trip” from market to tortilla factory, and finally to his own kitchen, where he shares the secrets of mixing, pressing, flipping and griddling perfect Homemade Tortillas made from fresh masa. To make great tacos de cazuela, it helps to have a cazuela, or earthenware cooking vessel. Rick picks one out in the Oaxaca market, then at home, he prepares two classics: Guajillo-Spiked Pork and Potato Tacos and Mexican-Style Zucchini Tacos. The show ends with Rick improvising the ultimate Bayless late-night snack–Chipotle Chicken Salad Tacos–prepared and eaten by the light of the fridge.
Who’s that guy walking towards us through the heat on a Mexican beach? It’s Rick, and he’s about to prove a tasty point about ceviche, the traditional Mexican seafood salad marinated in lime and chiles: it’s so ancient, so elemental and so easy, you don’t even need a kitchen to make it. And so saying, Rick prepares Classic Ceviche right on the beach, using nothing more than a lime to “cook” the fish. For a traditional accompaniment, we go to Chicago for a quick lesson in the art of making Tostadas, crispy fresh tortilla chips. Then it’s a Shrimp Ceviche Cocktail that starts with Rick’s foolproof shrimp steaming technique, plus a visit to a seafood “cocteleria” stand in Mexico to see how the original “stirred not shaken” version is made. Back in his kitchen, Rick creates a thoroughly modern Salmon Ceviche steeped in orange juice and roasted chiles.
The tomatillo. It’s the source of much of the distinctive flavor of Mexican cooking. And also the source of much confusion. Rick takes us out to the garden to discover just what a tomatillo is and isn’t (hint–it’s not very closely related to a tomato), with tips on how to grow tomatillos, what to look for when buying them and how to judge their ripeness. He then makes a tangy Tomatillo Salsa Verde with onions, roasted garlic and serrano chiles that’s great with tortilla chips. In the free-associative spirit of the series, those corn chips inspire a delightful side trip to Mexico for a look at the role of corn in the culture and the garden. Back in Chicago, Rick turns roasted tomatillos into a sauce for a juicy Tomatillo-Braised Pork Loin and combines the elemental flavors of corn and tomatillos in a whimsical invention of his own, called Pescado Encornflecado–fried fish filets in a corn flake crust, served in a lively tomatillo sauce with sautéed fresh corn Esquites.
Call it coincidence or call it fate, but Mexico’s national colors–red, white and green–wind up at the center of a whole family of emblematic, home-style “comfort food” dishes, known simply as “a la Mexicana.” Ripe red tomatoes, sparkling white onions and green chiles are the “holy trinity” on which these dishes are based–dishes like hearty Braised Beef Short Ribs a la Mexicana with tomatoes, poblano chiles and herbs, or a quick-to-prepare Grilled Flank Steak served with a salsa of roasted tomatoes, poblanos, onions and garlic. Between stints in the kitchen, Rick introduces us to some of the great icons of Mexican nationalism, from Padre Hidalgo and Emiliano Zapata, to Josefina Velasquez de Leon, the pioneering 20th-century food historian who found herself at the forefront of a movement to create a Mexican national culinary identity, much of which was based around home-style “a la Mexicana” dishes. It’s a half-hour of cooking and culture that all adds up to a stirring conclusion: “Three cheers for the red white and green!"
Fruit is everywhere in Mexico–sweet, colorful and refreshing. And it’s sold ripe, so the lush smell of tropical fruit is always in the air. We find Rick watching the famous Pineapple dance, in which the dancers shower the audience with fruit–a symbolic sharing of the riches of their village that says a lot about the role of fruit in Mexican culture. At home, he shows us his simple technique for making a quick, refreshing Mango, Jicama and Cucumber Salad that’s often served as a street snack. He prepares his version of the traditional Mango Agua Fresca, or “Mango-ade” tinged with crimson prickly pear juice. His daughter, Lanie, looks on, then carries the vat of agua fresca off triumphantly to sell at her lemonade stand! Then we’re off to Oaxaca for quick stop at the renowned Chaguita ice cream stand where you can find every imaginable ice cream flavor and a few you’d rather not imagine (pork rind?!). Back in his kitchen, Rick prepares an easy Mango Ice–rich and creamy but dairy-free–and a spectacular finale: Mango Flameado a gratin of sliced mangos, dramatically flambéed with tequila.
Rice turns up everywhere in Mexico: as the second course in a traditional midday comida, beautifully molded into a little mound to accompany seafood, heaped onto a plate in a market fonda. But it wasn’t always this way. Rick traces the history of this relative newcomer to the Mexican diet that arrived with the conquistadors by way of Asia and the Middle East. He gives us a step-by-step introduction to making perfect, fluffy Red Tomato Rice as well as a traditional Mexican Rice Pudding garnished with a Piloncillo Syrup made with raw sugar and orange zest. Rice smoothies anyone? In Mexico, Horchata, the creamy cold drink made from sweetened pulverized rice is a much-loved refresher. Rick shows us his technique for making a “blenderized” version it at home and gives us a taste of the genuine article at Oaxaca’s famous Casilda horchata stall. And speaking of beverages, he ends the show with a look at Mexican beer–some of which is made from–you guessed it–rice.
Every culture has its soothing, soulful soup, and in Mexico, it’s Caldo de Pollo, a light chicken broth flavored with aromatic vegetables and herbs. To show us how the traditional Caldo de Pollo Ranchero is made, Rick goes straight to the source, shopping for chicken, vegetables and herbs in Oaxaca, then brings it all home to the rustic country kitchen of his friend Suzanna Trilling, where they are joined by Doña Carlotta for a side-by-side afternoon of soup-making and camaraderie. Then it’s back home to Chicago for something a little less traditional: soup on the grill! Rick’s contemporary Spicy Grilled Chicken Soup with Summer Vegetables makes an easy one-pot dinner. We visit a Mexican bakery for a look at the role of rolls and bread in Mexico; then Rick turns the country’s true daily bread, the tortilla, into a tomato-y Tortilla Soup, seasoned with pasilla chiles and epazote and garnished with avocado, queso fresco and a crowning tangle of crispy tortilla strips.
When it comes to Chiles Rellenos, Frontera Grill is famous for selling out. Within 20 minutes, the lucky customers who lined up an hour before the doors opened snap up every order. What makes these stuffed chiles in a golden soufflé batter so special? Rick takes us into the Frontera kitchen to show us firsthand. Then it’s a lesson in “chile anatomy” that takes us from a Mexican market stall to Rick’s backyard garden to bring home the idea that in Mexican cooking, chiles aren’t just about heat. They’re thought of as a vegetable–a vegetable that’s perfect for stuffing. Rick shows us how to make classic Pork-Stuffed Chiles in Tomato Broth, as well as his own contemporary variation: Stuffed Chiles Baked with Tomato and Cream. Along the way, we discover all kinds of chiles rellenos in Mexico in this half-hour stuffed with surprises.
Rick takes us to the Gulf Coast port of Veracruz, “The Mexican Mediterranean,” for a look at the city’s most famous contribution to Mexican cooking, a fittingly Mediterranean fish preparation known simply as “a la Veracruzana” that features a whole fish baked in a tangy tomato, herb, olive and caper sauce. Inspired by this classic dish, Rick explores the Mediterranean roots of Mexican cooking, and the surprising contributions of Mexico–such as the tomato–to the cuisines of Europe. He shows us how to make a dramatic Pescado a la Veracruzana, using a whole fish, then moves to his outdoor kitchen for an easy, contemporary Grilled Salmon a la Veracruzana–tasty proof that Mexican cooking can be every bit as light and fresh as the Mediterranean dishes we’re all so in love with today.
How do you turn a backyard cookout into party to remember? At Rick’s place, you raise the stakes and get the guests involved in the cooking. Joined by a crowd of friends in his outdoor kitchen, Rick prepares classic Carne Asada, thinly sliced grilled rib steak (plus a version with Tuna steaks with all the traditional trimmings, including a potful of creamy Charro Beans simmered with bacon; a brightly flavored Salad of Grilled Cactus Paddles, a colorful Salsa Mexicana made with heirloom tomatoes and fresh serrano chiles; and chunky Guacamole that comes with three words of advice: “keep it simple.” As the party preparations proceed, we follow Rick across the border for a visit to a Mexico City restaurant that specializes in wood-grilled beef steaks, some pointed remarks in a cactus patch and a crash course in avocados in Oaxaca. It all comes together in a lively outdoor buffet–proof positive that when friends share the work, there’s no such thing as “too many cooks."
Chiles are the hot, spicy peppers that are used solely to make Mexican food so incendiary, right? Wrong. Starting with a trip to a chile stall in Mexico City’s Merced Market, Rick deftly debunks the most common myths about the role of chiles in Mexican cooking. We learn that like grapes and raisins, chiles all get completely new names when they go from fresh to dried. They are, Rick tells us, a vegetable, a spice and most importantly, a flavor ingredient. And nowhere is the flavor of the dried chile celebrated more deliciously than in the famous preparation, Adobo. Rick makes a juicy Chicken in Adobo, roasted in a purée of ancho chiles, garlic and oregano. On a visit to the beautiful San Angel restaurant, a former hacienda in the Mexican countryside, he checks out the pork in adobo and another surprising Mexican invention, Caesar salad. And back in his kitchen, he shows us two more simple, yet spectacularly flavorful uses for his adobo purée: Adobo Roast Duck, and quick and easy Grilled Lamb Chops.
“Where did the saying ‘you don’t know beans’ come from?” ponders Rick. “Did you ever think it might be an insult to the bean?” And with that, he begins a half-hour exploration of the deceptively complex and varied world of one of Mexico’s most ubiquitous staple foods. Along a road in Mexico, he tells us about the invisible “bean belt,” a culinary continental divide that separates the light-bean-eating north from the black-bean-eating south. In a Mexican market, he buys an olla–a traditional ceramic bean pot–then takes it home and walks us through the simple steps of making Perfect Beans Three Ways: in the olla, in a modern pot and in a skillet. We learn the real meaning of “refried beans,” and the secret to making them smooth and creamy. At a country home, an artisan cheese-maker shows us how to make Queso Fresco, the crumbling cheese used to top beans throughout Mexico. And back in his kitchen, Rick finishes the show with an inventive twist: Smoky Chipotle Beans with Wilted Spinach & Masa Gnocchi. Now that’s using your bean.
Succulent meat, slowly cooked in pits lined with smoldering embers is the stuff of barbecue dreams. Rick takes us for a “pit stop” at Arroyo, the sprawling three thousand-seat outdoor restaurant in the heart of Mexico City, where we see the dramatic all-day pit-cooking process that transforms hundreds of pounds of lamb into succulent “Barbacoa.” At La Capilla, another outdoor family restaurant in Oaxaca, Rick reveals the mysteries of Oaxacan Barbacoa made with chile-marinated lamb buried in a pit. Back in Chicago, he shows us his favorite way to do pit-cooking at home–without lifting a shovel. It’s all done on the grill using indirect heat and Rick’s foolproof leaf-wrapping technique. He prepares fork tender Cochinita Pibil–Yucatecan-style Achiote-Rubbed Pork Cooked in Banana Leaves, served with a fiery Habanero Salsa.
It’s one of Rick’s favorite themes: Authentic Mexican food is fresher, more complex, and especially lighter than most Americans realize. Case in point: two classic Mexican preparations, Mojo and Escabeche. Although it’s been a Mexican mainstay since the arrival of the Spanish, Fish in Escabeche is a perfect fit with the kind of light, fresh cooking that’s so popular today. Rick shows us how to make it by steeping crisp fish fillets in a tangy vinaigrette-like sauce made with olive oil, cider vinegar, diced vegetables and pickled jalapeños. In the kitchen of his restaurant, Topolobampo, he shows us a contemporary variation: Grilled Quail in Red Onion Escabeche. If garlic is as good as ten mothers, then Mojo de Ajo–a sauce made from minced garlic, slowly toasted in olive oil–is the mother of all garlic dishes. Rick uses it to make a simple Quick-Fried Shrimp with Sweet Toasty Garlic, and an elegant Roasted Lobster with Mojo Mayonnaise. Along the way, we visit a homemade vinegar stand and a garlic stall in Mexico City’s Merced Market and a restaurant in Veracruz where Rick shows us how to read a Mexican seafood menu.
Tamales. They’re sold by the steamer-full on street corners and plazas, prepared by the hundreds for parties, eaten out of hand as a morning or evening snack, and universally loved. And when it comes to rolling your own, making tamales is easier than you think. Rick pays a visit to a streetside tamal vendor, then heads to a tortilla factory to buy fresh masa. Back in the kitchen, he prepares two traditional types of tamales–Green Chile ChickenTamales Wrapped in Corn Husks and Red Chile Pork Tamales Wrapped in Banana Leaves–revealing the secrets of working with masa, filling, wrapping and steaming. The result: a batch of truly hot tamales–beautiful steaming packets that are fun to open and eat–the perfect party food. In Mexico, a tamalada–the tamal-making party-before-the-party can be as much fun as the party itself. Rick joins his friend Carmen Ramirez Delgollado in the kitchen of her Mexico City restaurant, El Bajio, for a “wrap party” and a lesson in making sweet tamales.
It’s a total-immersion introduction to seafood stew, as Rick takes us from Chicago’s Maxwell Street Mexican Market to the seafood stalls and restaurants of Veracruz where Rick shops for seafood, giving all kinds of helpful tips along the way. Back in his home kitchen he prepare his own authentic Caldo de Mariscos–a hearty Traditional Seafood Stew simmered with fresh tomatoes, epazote, arbol chiles and chunks of fresh fish, squid and shrimp. He uses the same soup base to make a contemporary variation: Spicy Grilled Shrimp Stew with Chayote and Potatoes. Gathering lettuces and greens in his garden, Rick talks about the role of salads in Mexican cuisine, then prepares a simple Lime Dressing. Back in Veracruz, he samples a bowlful of Caldo de Siete Mares–Soup of the Seven Seas–at a local seafood restaurant and checks out the traditional dancers whose fluid moves simmer with passion just below the surface like, well, like a brimming bowl of seafood stew!
There’s nothing like crispy, warm, homemade tortilla chips, fresh from the fryer. But for those with “fear of frying,” Rick demonstrates his favorite way to make fresh tortilla chips in the oven. Fresh-made chips deserve fresh-made salsa, in this case, a Salsa Molcajete with the zingy flavors of chipotle chiles, roasted garlic and roasted tomatillos, hand-pounded in a traditional lava-rock mortar (molcajete) that Rick picks out in a Mexican market stall. Next it’s a quick way to turn leftover tortilla chips into a satisfying comfort-food dinner: Stovetop Chipotle Chilaquiles–chips simmered with Mexican greens in a tomato-chipotle sauce. Topped with a little shredded chicken, Mexican crema and onions, it ends up looking and tasting a lot like a rustic pasta dish. Using the same sauce as a base, Rick makes an easy casserole-style Baked Chilaquiles enriched with cream, melted cheese and diced ham, perfect for brunch or dinner.
Richly complex, shrouded in mystery and misconceptions, Red Mole sauce is widely regarded as the crowning achievement of Mexican cooking and the ultimate mestizo dish–a blend of pre-Columbian and European flavors and techniques that come together in a sauce of remarkable depth and baroque complexity. Its origins are the stuff of myth and magic: convent nuns being visited by midnight visions, enchanted winds blowing through ancient kitchens. It’s a long-simmered sauce perfumed with chiles, nuts, spices and yes, sometimes, though not always, chocolate. No exploration of mole would be complete without a visit to the restaurants, ornately tiled cathedrals and convent kitchens of Puebla, where mole is elevated to the level of a sacred calling. Back in Chicago, Rick takes us into the kitchen and guides us through the intricacies of mole-making, with step-by-step instructions for recreating it at home. There’s a helpful “sidebar” on choosing wines to compliment Mexican food. And the program culminates in a festive dinner with family and friends gathering to enjoy Rick’s traditional Turkey with Red Mole.
Mexico is the birthplace of chocolate, and to the Aztecs, it was the original food of the gods. Roasted, ground, and brewed as a hot beverage, cacao beans were imbued with divine properties and traded as currency. Today, when Mexicans talks about chocolate, they’re still talking about a hot beverage–it’s seldom seen in confections and candies. In Oaxaca, one of Mexico’s great chocolate producing centers, Rick shows us how the roasted beans are ground to order, then blended with sugar, cinnamon and almonds to the exacting specifications of each customer. In his home kitchen, Rick shows us how to make a contemporary invention of his own, a Mexican Chocolate Streusel Cake, and whips up a batch of Mexican Hot Chocolate. At El Moro, a beloved chocolate and churros eatery, we watch the process of making Churros, the light, crispy “doughnuts” of Mexico, and head back to the kitchen, where Rick shows us how to make them at home.
Pipian Verde, sometimes called Green Mole, is one of the glories of Mexican cooking. A tangy, tomatillo-based sauce, thickened with toasted pumpkin seeds, it’s served with everything from chicken to fish and seafood in the most sophisticated restaurants and the most humble market fondas. Rick takes us to Fonda El Refugio, a famous home-style restaurant in Mexico City’s Zona Rosa, where the five courses of the traditional Mexican meal, or comida, serve as the structural framework of the show. When he arrives at the centerpiece of the meal, Pipian de Pollo, Rick takes us back to Chicago and shows us how to make it. Then, it’s back to the kitchen at Fonda El Refugio, to watch it being served up by the very special kitchen staff–dignified older women who have spent their lives cooking and have earned the honorific title “mayora.” In a country where elders are treated with the greatest respect, these kitchen “sages,” are guardians of the traditional ingredients and the old ways of Mexican cooking. Back in Chicago, Rick pays homage to the new with his own Almond Pipian with Fried Shrimp.
When the Spanish conquered Mexico in the 16th Century, they brought with them all kinds of foods that the pre-Columbian world had never seen. Among those foods was sugar–and actually, the whole idea of sweets. Standing in the kitchen of the Convent of Santa Rosa in Puebla, Rick tells us that it was the Spanish nuns, in convent kitchens just like this one, who introduced Mexico to confection-making as a way to preserve dairy products. They turned out all kinds of sweets based on eggs, milk and sugar, and among their greatest hits was a rich amber goat’s milk caramel called cajeta. Next stop: the Dulceria de Celaya in Mexico city–a century-old sweet shop where traditional, homemade cajeta lives on. Back home in Chicago, Rick walks us through the process of making Cajeta, then takes us back to Mexico for a brief seminar on cinnamon. His rustic Cajeta Apple Tarts with Fruit Salsa are easy to make and a great way to showcase homemade cajeta. And out at the backyard grill, Rick demonstrates Grilled Pineapple and Plantains–an elegant dessert topped with a scoop of ice cream, some toasted nuts and, of course, a drizzle of warm cajeta. Finally, he pays tribute to the most famous of Mexican desserts that also happens to celebrates the “holy trinity” of eggs, milk and sugar: flan. He shows us how to make his Classic Vanilla Flan, taking a brief time-out mid-way for a trip back to Mexico and a discussion of the origins and mysteries of vanilla.
It’s a big day at Casa Bayless–daughter Lanie’s birthday. And that means big fun and big cooking–literally: a backyard full of friends, a homemade cake and an enormous vat of Pozole, the slow-cooked stew of corn and pork that’s Mexico’s number-one party food. Preparing pozole is an all-day affair. And as the corn and meat simmer, Rick takes us to the ruins of Mitla, where he reveals one of the most ancient and fundamental cooking techniques of Mexico: boiling dried corn in calcium hydroxide to make hominy. Later, a demonstration of the traditional Pastel de Tres Leches, or “Three-Milks Cake” inspires a tongue-in-cheek visit to one of Mexico City’s sweetest and least known treasures, the surreal Cake Showroom of Ideal Bakery. Back home, the fiesta comes to smashing conclusion, with piñatas, a mariachi band, laughter, singing and plenty of pozole for everyone.
Some people go trekking in search of wildlife. Rick will go to any length in search of great food. We find him boating down a river in the midst of a tropical jungle. He’s got a "jones" for antojitos, the class of Mexican snacks designed to satisfy every culinary whim. The search takes him on a cross-country tour of masa-based antojitos, from crispy sopes in the tropical town of Coyuca to streetside carne asada Tacos in the heart of Mexico city; Blue Corn Quesadillas stuffed with fresh cheese and squash bloosoms and Tlacoyos with Salsa Roja, stuffed with beans in an open-air market; lamb tacos in a tiny market stall, huaraches (giant open-faced masa cakes) at the entrance to a Mexico City subway station; and Gorditas with Salsa Negra, which Rick prepares with his friend Carmen at El Bajio, her Restaurant in Mexico City.
Rick’s on an adventure in Acapulco, the great international resort that’s making a major comeback. The weather’s balmy here all year, and he’s in search of the best ways to get cool quick. He starts with an impromptu chilled mango as he drives into town. Then it’s time for a visit to the 17th-Century Fort of San Diego and a look at how the port of Acapulco was once one of the most important trading centers in the world—the hub for the Manila Galleons, that brought the riches of Asia and changed the world of cooking forever. In Acapulco’s old town, Rick reflects on the city’s heyday as a resort for the rich and famous of old Hollywood, checks out two of Acapulco’s coolest traditions—the banana daiquiri and the swim-up bar—and indulges in a refreshing shrimp cocktail. Finally, he meets up with his daughter Lanie, and they seek out the best frozen treats the town has to offer, from exotic ice creams to shaved-ice raspados (with demonstrations of how to make Rick’s own versions at home). It’s hotter than ever in Acapulco…and getting cooler by the minute.
We find Rick on a Sunday morning in a plaza in front of a beautiful baroque church in the mountains of Mexico as he sets out to search for the best Mexican Sunday traditions, starting with carnitas—the rich, golden, slow-fried pork that’s a once-a-week indulgence all over the country. We visit a huge open-air restaurant, Arroyo, in Mexico City to see it being made, and Rick shows us his own simplified technique for preparing Carnitas at home. A visit to a museum is a Sunday tradition the world over, and we join Rick for a trip to the Frida Kahlo House, where the celebrated artist lived with her equally famous husband, Diego Rivera. Every room in the house is itself a work of art, especially the kitchen, where Rick talks about the fabulous party feasts Frida and Diego enjoyed here. Back in Chicago, he recreates some of these specialties at home. His pursuit of Sunday’s best continues in nearby Coyoacan Square, where everyone meets for Sunday treats—including whimsical hotcakes, artfully poured onto the griddle to make an edible portrait of each customer.
Chorizo, the fresh pork sausage, has been called "the bacon of Mexico." Rick’s quest to find the best chorizo takes him to the remote mountain town of Tenancingo, where he explores the market and investigates what it is about this place that makes its sausage products so tasty. He also uncovers another local tradition, the making of the intricately hand-woven shawls known as rebozos, Along the way, Rick shows us how to make Chorizo-Stuffed Ancho Chiles and we even get a lesson in making Chorizo at home from scratch.Chiles en Nogada, a chile stuffed with a sweet-savory pork and fruit picadillo filling, topped with a blanket of snow-white fresh walnut sauce and a scattering pomegranate seeds. Rick tracks down the seasonal ingredients for this stunning dish and recreates it at home for an independence day dinner, Chicago style.
By a campfire in the Mexican high-plains dessert, Rick invites us to join him as he searches for the origins of chili con carne. Is it Mexican or Southwestern? The stuff of cowboys or grandmothers? Chili begins with chiles, so Rick takes us from a chile field to a chile stall to his own garden to see how chiles are grown and dried. After a quick detour to examine a collection of fiery folk-art devils, we check out tamales—their filling is, essentially a kind of chili—at a Mexico city tamleria and meet a Mexican grandmother for a lesson in making a slow-cooked stew that ends up looking quite familiar. Following that lead, Rick prepares two sensational chilis—one made with pork, the other with lamb and pasillas—in his home kitchen for a cozy chili party with friends and family around the fireplace.
Wading through the surf at Guayabitos, a charming fishing village on Mexico’s Pacific coast, Rick sets off in search of the ultimate catch—the Mexican seafood dish that captures everything that’s perfect and irresistible about a day at the beach. For starters, he checks out what’s shaking at a thatch-roofed laguna-side restaurant not far from Puerto Vallarta, where the “specialty of the hut” is Pescado Zarandeado, “Shaken Fish,” seasoned with a sweet-spicy red chile marinade, flame-seared and flipped over hot coals in a special grilling basket. At home in Chicago, Rick shows us how to recreate this dramatic dish on a backyard barbecue. Then it’s back to Mexico City, to check out the cooler side of seafood at the sleek, modern Manzanilla restaurant, where a lively young couple from Baja California serves up a series of refreshing raw seafood specialties with the Zen-like simplicity of a cutting-edge sashimi bar. In the kitchen of his own Frontera Grill, Rick gives pointers on the seafood “laws of raw,” from judging freshness to serving ideas. It’s all about getting as close to the source as you can. And with that in mind, Rick buys some fish right off a boat at Guayabitos, and then shows us how to make a bright, fresh Ceviche Salad—a weeknight main dish that’s ready in minutes. The quest ends right where it began, back on the shore, where Rick discovers what might just be the ultimate beach food: juicy just-caught shrimp, grilled with a little lime juice on—of all things—a bicycle!
Standing amid the excavated layers of ancient civilizations in the Templo Mayor, right in the heart of modern Mexico City, Rick points out that Mexican cooking has always been a product of diverse cultural influences layered one on top of another. It might even be called the original fusion cuisine. And at the cloister of Sor Juana, now a university with a cooking school in Mexico City, Rick points out that of all the dishes in the Mexican repertoire, mole is doubtless the ultimate example of fusion food, born of a baroque melding of influences from nuns and native women who mixed old and new world ingredients to create a sauce of dazzling complexity. In his home kitchen, Rick prepares a less baroque version, Apricot-Pinenut Mole, served with turkey breast. Then it’s back to Mexico for a look at where fusion fever has taken the cuisine today, with Asian influences ranging from sushi in the Guadalajara market to MP restaurant in Mexico City, where the in-crowd feast on Asian-fusion small plates that reinvent classic Mexican antojitos, with ingredients like wonton wrappers and soy sauce. Back at home, he reinvents one of these fanciful dishes, Seared Duck with Asian Flavors for Making Soft Tacos, a cross between a classic taco filling and Peking Duck. And finally, he takes us way off the fusion radar screen to a tiny stand in the village of Pitillal, where two culinary traditions, burritos (which, we discover, are a North American invention) and grilled shrimp, come together to create a fabulous fusion snack, known only to locals. Who says fusion has to be highfalutin’?
Rick can’t resist the kind of well-seasoned, simple food grilled over a live fire—the stuff he’s enjoyed at thousands of markets, kitchens and restaurants all over Mexico, where cooking comes down to the simple combination of fresh ingredients and flickering flames. Deep in the Mexican countryside, he pulls over for a sizzling roadside snack—chicken grilled on an improvised oil-drum barbecue; then he shows us how to bring the idea home with a recipe for Roadside Whole Chicken with Knob Onions grilled on his backyard barbecue. At bustling El Farolito in Mexico City, Rick gives us the lowdown on another Mexican fire-cooked favorite: Tacos al Pastor—succulent pork, grilled “gyros-style” on a vertical spit with pineapple. And that gets his appetite working for easy Chorizo, Potato and Mushroom Tacos made in his outdoor kitchen in Chicago. Then it’s a visit to the mother church of meat and fire, El Canelo, an over-the top outdoor restaurant in Guadalajara built around a giant fire-pit, where pork, lamb, and other succulent meats are slow-roasted on spears around a crackling fire and every meal is a fiesta with dancers and live mariachi music. Inspired by all this heat and meat, Rick shares his technique for making Carne Asada, marinated beef, on his backyard grill.
With more than 20 million people, and a dazzlingly rich cultural and culinary history, Mexico City is like its own planet—and these days, it’s a younger, hipper planet than ever. Rick takes us on a dawn-to-dusk insider’s tour that separates the hip from the hype, sharing some of the city’s quirkiest, most happening hotspots, starting with an early morning cappuccino and Enfrijoladas (creamy bean-sauced tortillas) at an organic market and café in ultra-cool Condesa, the “SoHo of Mexico City,” and shows how to replicate this soulful breakfast in his home kitchen. Then it’s back to Condesa with daughter Lanie for a stroll and shopping spree that yields all kinds of uniquely Mexican urban-chic treasures. For lunch, Rick settles in at a table at Pujol, the renowned leader of the city’s cutting-edge culinary scene, discovering a spectacular parade of dishes that recreate traditional Mexican foods in stunningly artful presentations. He then takes us to La Bella Italia, an eighty-year old ice cream shop that’s now a retro-chic neighborhood hangout—and the visit inspires him to make an easy Jamaica Ice at home. Surveying the city at sunset from the rooftop bar of a hot new hotel, Rick muses on the unique combination of old and new that defines everything he loves about the “Capital of Hip.”
Tequila has come around—from “lick the salt and suck the lime” firewater, to chic drink of connoisseurs and hipsters alike. What exactly is this quintessential Mexican spirit, and what makes one tequila so-so and another sublime. Rick’s on a mission to find out, and he takes us straight to the source, to the town of Tequila in Jalisco, where the first families of tequila still brew the stuff the old-fashioned way, from the slow-roasted heart of the blue agave plant. It’s a crash course in tequila that takes us through every step, from the fields to the historic Herradura family hacienda, where the beautiful copper-clad stills of the original tequila works can still be seen alongside a state-of-the-art production facility. Along the way, we stop for tacos and a lesson in tequila drinking at a local restaurant, and Rick shows us another side of tequila—it’s great for cooking, too. Back in Chicago, he shares his recipe for Tequila-Infused Queso Fundido, a classic warm cheese dip that’s Mexico’s answer to fondue, and Crêpes with Tequila-Infused Cajeta (goat milk caramel), a rich “adult” dessert. It all adds up to one tasty conclusion: A good tequila is right up there with brandy—a national treasure that’s literally and figuratively the spirit of Mexico.
When Rick wants to get away from the frantic pace of life in the restaurant world, he heads South. In this episode, he sets out to find the kind of ultimate serenity he’s always sought out in his favorite “secret gardens” of Mexico. It’s a search that takes him from a mountaintop in the jungle to a mellow natural products store in a quite corner of Mexico City and a traditional temescal—a spa and sweat-lodge where curanderos practice ancient healing arts. In his own secret garden in Chicago, Rick shows us how to prepare a soothing Chamomile Tea. Then, in Mexico City’s beautiful San Juan market, he checks out some of the fresh vegetables that are the cornerstones of healthy, Mexican comfort food, and back at home, he shows us how to turn them into a creamy Mushroom-Potato Soup with Roasted Poblanos. Finally, he heads for a secluded Mexican beach to pepare fresh fish Tikin Xic seasoned with a Yucatecan achiote rub and grilled on an open fire, right on the beach. What could be closer to nirvana? Only one thing—a final highwire thrill ride that sends Rick flying across a ravine under a dense jungle canopy.
Rick and his daughter, Lanie, check out Mexico’s real-life super-hero subculture. It’s the surreal, splashy world of Lucha Libre—the beloved masked wrestling phenomenon that captures the Mexican imagination and spills over into every part of the culture, from politics to food. We join Rick on a hunt for the perfect snacks to eat while watching Lucha Libre with friends, as he visits street stalls outside a Mexico City arena that sell everything from tacos and snacks to colorful wrestling masks and capes—and along the way, we discover the history of this uniquely Mexican blend of acrobatics, myth, mystery and morality play. At the colorful Sport Torta sandwich shop, Rick takes on El Sumo—a giant, no-holds-barred sandwich. Back at home, he and Lanie make Chilied Peanuts and Pumpkinseeds and Rick’s soon-to-be-famous Torta for a Crowd, his take on the giant sandwich idea—two bold-flavored snacks that are the perfect larger-than-life accompaniments for a Lucha Libre party at home.
Sure, there are great male chefs in Mexico. But women are the true mothers of this cuisine. From market cafes to hip new white-tablecloth restaurants, the cuisine of Mexico comes from a rich tradition of hearth, home and women’s hands. Starting at the Cloister of Sor Juana, the great 17th-Century Mexican poet, feminist and culinarian, Rick sets out on a treasure hunt, in search of Mexico’s great women chefs. There’s his old friend, the revered Carmen Ramirez Degollado, herself a national culinary treasure, who is one of the great “keepers of the flame” of traditional Mexican cooking. She joins Rick and his daughter, Lanie, to make Shrimp Stew with Epazote at her famed El Bajio restaurant. After a stop at Chef Monica Patiño’s MP Restaurant, Rick hits the other end of the spectrum, with a visit to Solange Muris at the muy moderno Manzanilla restaurant across town, to chat about wine, women, and the new world of Mexican cuisine. Back at home, Rick and his favorite female chef, Lanie, whip up a fast family dinner: Seared Salmon with Spinach and Creamy Roasted Peppers and a surprise dessert: Mango Upside Down Skillet Cake.
Chilling out in Puerto Vallarta, the jewel of the Mexican Riviera, Rick gets thinking, not surprisingly, about food. Can he find the kind of authentic, mind-blowing, soulful Mexican food he loves even in a tourist Mecca like this? Rising to the challenge, he embarks on an all-day eating fest that turns into an invaluable insider’s guide to “eating local,” with tips on how to find the real thing amid the glitzy pretenders. The quest takes him from market fondas to a tiny tamaleria tucked away on a side street, inspiring him, along the way make two Mexican comfort-food classics, Guajillo Chilaquiles and Bistec a la Mexicana. Then he’s off to the sleepy, working-class suburb of Pitillal for a locals-only treat: succulent shrimp burgers. And of course, there has to be a “nightcap”—an after-hours stop at Taqueria El Carboncito, where the “PV” locals head for succulent pork tacos al pastor. It all adds up to a fast-paced slow-food banquet that’s right there for the feasting—if you know where to look.
We find Rick somewhere in the jungles of Mexico, pondering the great questions of the ancient world—like, “what was for breakfast?” Back in Chicago, he whips up a plate of Huevos Motuleños—Eggs Motul-Style, a heady, layered “short-stack” of Mexican breakfast favorites piled on a tortilla, including fried eggs, chorizo, cheese, peas, beans, plantains, cilantro and salsa. But instead of digging in, he decides to dig down a few layers, like a culinary archaeologist, and investigate just how Mexican—and just how ancient—these beloved ingredients are. That investigation takes him to a dairy stall in Mexico City’s cosmopolitan San Juan Market, a down-and-dirty pulqueria (a bar that serves pulque, a locally brewed “agave beer”), La Tequila restaurant (where we get a lesson in the ancient art of making salsa in a lava mortar called a molcajete), and a market stall that sells, among other delicacies of antiquity, edible bugs. Working his way down to progressively more ancient foods, Rick ends up showing us how to make homemade Corn Tortillas, the pre-Columbian “breakfast of the ages.” It’s all surprisingly inter-connected, and it all comes together in an edible history of the Old and New World cultural influences that make Mexican cuisine so deliciously complex.
Over a beautiful plate of food in the kitchen of his white-tablecloth restaurant, Topolobambo, Rick muses on the idea of culinary muses. His creative inspirations are as diverse as the culture and cuisine of Mexico—ranging from leading-edge chefs to home cooks and market vendors. To show us what he means, he invites us to join him for a wildly inventive meal at Pujol, one of Mexico City’s most exciting restaurants, where Chef Enrique Olvera turns traditional ideas inside out to create whimsical, world-class takes on the flavors of Mexico. From there, we pay a visit to one of Rick’s favorite inspirations, a market vendor in Guadalajara who, for decades, has specialized in one perfect thing: birria—goat braised in a rich chile rub. Back in the Topolobampo kitchens, Rick riffs on that classic dish of west-central Mexico in Birria (Slow-Braised Lamb) Topolobampo-Style. Finally, a visit to a waterfront seafood restaurant outside Puerto Vallarta inspires him to invent Oysters Nuevo Vallarta back at his restaurant—another window into the creative process that has made Rick one of the world’s leading re-interpreters of Mexican cooking.
In Mexico, salsa is neither a dip nor an afterthought. It’s an integral part of eating. “The more you know about salsa,” Rick tells us, while snacking in a countryside restaurant near Guadalajara, “the better you’ll understand Mexican cooking.” And with that, he embarks on a journey into to the soul of salsa, packed with all kinds of helpful tips and techniques that prove a tasty point: salsas can really cook! He shows us how simple it is to make a classic raw-tomato Salsa Mexicana, and a roasted-tomato Molcajete Salsa, taking time out for a gardening lesson on “growing your own” salsa ingredients before turning the roasted salsa into an easy Mexican Red Rice. After a quick “Tomatillo 101” in a Mexican market stall he concocts a smoky Chipotle Tomatillo Salsa, which becomes the base for Shrimp Sautéed in Smoky Tomatillo Salsa. And finally, he shows us a versatile “avocado salsa,”—Guacamole Three Ways—that can go from simple to luxurious depending on the whim of the cook.
Rick heads for Jalisco, the place where mariachi music originated, to investigate the history and mystery of this “national soundtrack” of Mexico—and to answer the question, “what’s the perfect food to go with mariachi music?” At a stall in the Guadalajara market, he checks out all kinds of mouthwatering snack-food specialties, settling on a beautiful tostada as a band of mariachis strolls by playing their anthem “Guadalajara.” Back in his Chicago kitchen, he shows us his take on Tostadas, then it’s back to Mexico where his search for the roots of mariachi takes him to a beautiful 19th-Century hacienda. At a colorful restaurant in Tlaquepaque, he enjoys a soft cheese in green sauce speciality—Panela en Salsa Verde, which he shows us how to make at home. And finally, he brings us to the epicenter of mariachi mania, Plaza Garibaldi in Mexico City, where Mariachis gather by the hundreds, all day and all night, to meet, greet, compete, and serenade the world.
At one time, the henequen trade made Merida, the capital of the Yucatan, one of the richest cities in the world. Today, its lovely white stuccoed buildings remind us of its opulent past. A horse and carriage ride down the Paseo Montejo will help you understand why Merida was once known as “The Paris of Mexico.” Rick takes us on a journey through the Merida market stalls for a look at the blending of Mayan traditions with the Spanish influences. Dishes such as Sikil Pak, a pumpkinseed dip with habanero is totally Mayan, yet still part of Merida’s meals today. The market’s meat stalls jump-start Rick’s surprising roller coaster ride through Merida’s food history from simple pork Picadillo to the baroque Queso Relleno (stuffed cheese) found in all the classic Yucatan restaurants. Along the way, we explore the Lebanese influence on this colonial city where thousands of locals dance in the town square nearly every night of the week.
There are days when you want to take it easy and enjoy your favorite comfort food. Others, you just have to turn up the volume. For Rick, that means breaking out the chiles—everything from the Yucatan’s beloved habanero with its one-two punch of flavor and heat, to the tamer hot yellow xcatic chiles. Rick turns a bumper crop of habaneros into Vinegary Hot Sauce, Tomato Frito and Xnipec Salsa and then shows how they all pair well with grilled fish! We visit the Merida market for a fresh chile lesson, explore the limestone fields where the habaneros thrive and then hold our breath for a spicy tour of a habanero hot sauce factory. At the Bayless home, chiles are just as likely to show up on scrambled eggs as they are in pot roast. Rick makes a mouthwatering version of Pot-Roasted Pork with yellow chiles, plantains and a hint of brown sugar. Good morning, Yucatan!
Water is a precious source of life—especially in the Yucatan jungle where there are no rivers or lakes. Rick goes deep, underneath the limestone bedrock, to show us the underground rivers and cenotes (sink holes) found throughout the peninsula. For the Mayans, these holes were freshwater wells they considered sacred. Today, we can explore them up close and personal with a bit of snorkeling gear. Being in all that water makes Rick hungry for one thing—seafood. So he goes topside to deep-sea fish and then enlists the help of a local fisherman to turn his catch of the day into a beachside Ceviche. When deep-sea fishing is not in the cards, Rick takes us to the Merida market for a tour of the prepared seafood offerings including Shrimp a la Vinagreta. To complete his inner beach vacation, we enjoy spiny lobster on the Riviera Maya at the beachside restaurant Oscar y Lalo’s. The journey ends in Rick’s backyard grill for stunning version of Lobster with Smoky Garlic Mojo.
Cochinita pibil. Yucatan’s slow-cooked, banana leaf-wrapped pork specialty that never ceases to inspire Rick, whether he’s made it in his slow-cooker, home oven or restaurant kitchen. For Season 5 of Mexico—One Plate at a Time, Rick takes the inspiration to its pinnacle: he digs a pit in his urban backyard, lines it with bricks, builds a big fire, then slow-cooks a whole pig the old-fashioned way. Good thing he invited the neighbors for dinner! We start out with a visit to the small town of Tixkokob to learn the secrets from Silvio Campos, a local pit master known for his Slow-Roasted Achiote Pork. Hint: Don’t forget the banana leaves and be sure to cover the pit well. At home, Lanie Bayless lets us in on her secret weapon (a food processor) to easy Pickled Red Onions and Roasted Habanero Salsa. Once the heavy labor is finished, Rick marinates his pig with plenty of achiote and lime juice before he buries it in the backyard. The guests arrive in time for some typical Yucatecan appetizers and margaritas, and then they feast on the tender pork wrapped in fresh tortillas.
There’s nothing like a tall glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice—naranjada—it’s called in Mexico. Rick takes us on a citrus groove to learn the ins and outs of fresh juice in savory, lip-smacking dishes throughout the Yucatan. We journey to the huge citrus market in Oxkutzkab for a sweet and sour lesson on the lime family tree—from limón to lima the classic aromatic citrus fruit used to make Sopa de Lima (Classic Yucatecan Lime Soup with crispy tortillas). Lanie teaches Rick a thing or two about the local avocadoes —from the Noche Buena variety to the Lagunero. At home, they make an Avocado-Mango Salad with a fresh lime juice and pumpkinseed dressing. Then Rick takes us to Tutul Xiu Restaurant in the small town of Maní for their renowned Poc Chuc—quick-grilled thin pieces of pork marinated in sour orange and served with all kinds of crunchy garnishes. At home, Rick roasts whole sweet onions in the embers and then grills the pork over mesquite for a savory citrus dinner that never fails to enchant.
By now the secret is out: Rick has a sweet tooth. For everything from ripe fruit to homemade candies to luscious pies. And when he travels to Mexico, he’s on the prowl for it all—lucky for us. We visit 100% Natural, a favorite stop in Playa Del Carmen for tropical fruit juices, creamy yogurt shakes and exotic fruit plates. At home, Rick transforms Mexican papaya into a surprising dessert he calls Caramelized Papaya with Mexican Cheese—think of a tropical version of apple pie with cheddar cheese. Which brings us to pie! Rick reminisces about (and enjoys a piece of) the coconut pie at Alberto’s Continental Patio Restaurant in Merida. These days he gets his coconut fix from a fast version of the classic sweet candy Cocadas Horneadas using frozen shredded coconut. In Tixkokob, a local cook teaches us her ethereal version of sweet baked meringues which brings us back to pie. Rick whips up a Mango-Lime Meringue Pie sure to inspire cooks everywhere. If not, do what Rick and Lanie do—sample a bunch of tropical fruit ices at Dulcería de Colón in Merida for the ultimate sweet tooth satisfaction.
More people visit the Yucatan peninsula than any other region of Mexico. They mostly come for the fun and the beaches while Rick comes for the cool angle, the story behind the story, the local food and the people. The adventure begins in Playa del Carmen when Rick hooks up with our other favorite Public Television chef, Jacques Pepin. Jacques invites Rick to cook in his vacation home in Playa, but first they enjoy a bite to eat at Jacques’ favorite breakfast spot. Then they head to the beach in search of really fresh fish and to debate the merits of barracuda. After a stop at Jacques favorite local market for produce and chiles, the cooking begins. Rick prepares a salad of grilled cactus, chaya leaves and arugula to top red chile-seared mahi mahi. Jacques sprinkles cumin and Mexican oregano over his pargo (red snapper), grills it whole, and then serves it with his version of a chopped tomato and avocado salsa. The cooking duo join their wives for dinner and lively conversation on the rooftop while the sunsets over a great food day in Playa.
Rick defies the old adage to never shop when your hungry—he always shops hungry, to provide a source for inspiration. In the Merida market, inspiration comes in the form of homemade tamales—made from fresh corn masa flavored and filled with achiote-seasoned chicken or pork and steamed in banana leaves. Those tamales tap into Mexico’s past which is present everywhere you travel. At Uxmal’s Pyramid of the Magician, Rick gives us a brief lesson on water and corn which brings him back to the Mayans and their pit-cooked tamales. To learn their secrets, we visit Silvio Campos’s home for a step-by-step class in muchipollo—rustic chicken and pork tamales baked in an earthen pit. Silvio serves the crusty-hot tamales to Rick with slivers of fresh habanero and ice cold beer. The aroma of the achiote motivates Rick to make Tamales Colados (Yucatecan Pudding Tamales) at home. Fresh chaya leaves in the Merida market inspire Rick to experiment with growing his own chaya in his urban garden. In Topolobampo, Rick’s fine-dining restaurant, he shows us the ancient Mayan tamal—Dzotobichay—made Rick’s way with local chard leaves and elegantly served with a roasty habanero-spiked tomato sauce.
Who wouldn’t like to snack from dawn to dusk on all kinds of Yucatecan specialties? Just ask Rick and Lanie for some noshing tips. They start their adventure on the main square in Merida smack in the middle of the local, nightly dance-a-thon surrounded by food vendors. They both fall under the charms of Marquesitas, a crispy wafer rolled around cheese and cajeta. Rick shares the recipe with us from a confidenciales chair—the unique park bench designed for whispering secrets to your loved one. The journey continues as they indulge in early morning treats including tortas, panuchos and impossible cake (chocolate cake topped with flan) from the Santa Ana market. Inspired, they make Salbutes (corn tortillas topped with tangy shredded chicken) in their home kitchen. At Eladio’s, a centro botanero (a lively restaurant that serves small plates) in downtown Merida, they enjoy the dancing and a whole table filled with snacks and Dzik, lime-marinated shredded beef. At home, Rick makes the cold beef salad and spikes it with a little habanero chile before scooping it up onto crispy tortilla chips.
Rick finds wandering through the ancient Mayan ruins of Uxmal a humbling and inspiring experience. The Mayans built a great civilization with pyramids, temples, plazas and breathtaking expanses. And their spirit lives on—and it’s experiencing a rebirth in the Yucatan today—in revitalized food, art and architecture. We get a glimpse of the rebirth at Los Dos, a cooking school in Merida, run by David Sterling, which specializes in classic Mayan food updated for this century. Rick joins David at his beautiful school as he teaches his chilled version of Sopa de Lima topped with a panucho of lime-marinated chicken salad. Then we look at the high-style of the Riviera Maya from the rooftop of the ultra-modern Hotel Básico in Playa del Carmen. Back on the ground in Merida, the cuisine of Nectar Restaurant soars. This ultra-modern dining room with its open-air kitchen is run by two chefs that study with some of the most inventive rule-breaking chefs in the world. Rick samples their Consommé of Cochinita Pibil and Oat Risotto with Recado Negro. Energized by Mexico, Rick takes us behind the scenes at his fine-dining restaurant, Topolobampo, to show us his own thrilling modern Mayan dish, Cilantro Salmon with Smoky Tomato-Habanero Lasagne.
How do you transform a simple piece of fresh fish into a gorgeous Yucatecan specialty? It’s all in the magic paste, says Rick, as he takes us to the Merida market to explore the region’s colorful, aromatic essential seasoning pastes (or recados). These magical mounds of spice blends become the base for grilling rubs, the heart and soul of tamales, the seasoning for all kinds of food wrapped in banana leaves and the flavoring undercurrent for tangy escabeches and slow-simmered stews. We journey from an achiote tree to the commercial grinders for the seeds to Rick’s home to understand this aromatic, alluring spice so beloved in the Yucatan. Rick shows us how to make our own Achiote Seasoning Paste, and then use it for Short Ribs Kabik. Then we make the garlicky “Bistec” Seasoning Paste to use in the stunning dish of Grilled Chicken in Escabeche. The journey ends in Maní for a bowl of pavo en relleno negro, a local specialty of turkey and stuffing flavored with the exotic jet-black paste of charred chiles.
Yucatecan honey is renowned for its glorious color and rich flavor. Rick finds it everywhere from the Merida market stalls to the breakfast buffet at an upscale hotel where the whole honeycomb slowly drips its amber syrup for ladling over fruit and cereal. At home, Rick uses the golden syrup in his Mexican-Style Granola and in the pasilla chile-spiked glaze for a sublime Grilled Rack of Lamb. On the Riviera Maya, we visit Xcaret, a nature park, for a look at the hollow-log hives of the native stingless bees so beloved by the Maya for their honey. At Hacienda Vista Alegre in Merida, honey is the main ingredient in a honey-anise liqueur called Xtabentún. Rick leads us through the liqueur-making process then goes home to make a fabulous White Chocolate Ice Cream flavored with the liqueur.
The story of the Mexican hacienda sounds like it came from mythology—like one of those morality tales about the fleeting nature of wealth and glory. It begins with the feudal system where generations of Maya worked the fields for wealthy Spanish landowners. The era peaked in the Yucatan in the late 19th century with the world’s demand for henequen—or sisal—made from a local agave plant. Today, the hacienda is being reborn—as museums for a glimpse into the past, as production facilities for fine rums and liqueurs, and as luxury hotels. We join Rick on a field trip through the golden era of the haciendas and then go to his home kitchen to make the classic Mayan-Spanish-European fusion dishes Yucatecan Black Bean Dinner and Capered Chicken. Hacienda San Jose, a luxury resort, inspires Rick’s rendition of Achiote-Seared Shrimp.
The 19th Century was the golden age of the Mexican hacienda, and today, some of these great plantation estates live on as luxury resorts. Rick and his wife, Deann, stayed in one of them, Hacienda San Jose in the Yucatan, and we get a glimpse of the lush grounds, beautifully restored buildings, rustic-elegant furnishings, and hearty, hacienda cooking. Tonight, Rick’s hosting a dinner party in Chicago—a reunion with the two other couples who joined them at the hacienda—with a menu and mood designed to bring home the flavors and memories they shared. The dining room is transformed with tropical flowers and candles, and the party begins with Champagne Margaritas, Rick’s luxury take on Mexico’s favorite cocktail. Then, the guests sit down to a soulful yet sophisticated menu, starting with a creamy Roasted Chile-Potato Soup with Greens and Chorizo, followed by Braised Short Ribs with Arbol Chiles, White Beans, Mushrooms and Beer garnished with a delicate frisée salad. And for dessert, there’s the seemingly impossible Pastel Imposible—also known as Chocoflan—a chocolate cake and custard confection whose layers magically reverse themselves in the pan during baking. It’s a dinner party that’s extra-special, but not extra-fancy—and every bit as magical as the evenings Rick and his friends enjoyed in “hacienda heaven.”
A lot of people know how to have a few guests over for a gourmet meal. And a lot of people know how to feed a big crowd a not-very-gourmet meal. Rick shows you how to plan a fiesta that’s bothbig and gourmet. And he focuses on the Spanish influence on Mexican culture with a spectacular menu for 25 that features Mexican takes on Spanish classics. For starters, there’s a sparkling Sangria Mexicana accented with lime juice. Then comes a chilled Roasted Poblano Gazpacho with fresh garnishes that’s made ahead and assembled at the last minute so the vegetables stay nice and crisp. Then, it’s a Mexican accent on that most iconic Spanish main dish of all, Mexican Paella with Shrimp, Mussels and Chorizo, and it’s not just the main course, it’s the party entertainment. First he shows how to construct a simple outdoor brick firepit, custom-built for an enormous three-foot paella pan. Then into the pan go pound after pound of chicken, seafood, rice, roasted chiles and chorizo, which simmer slowly over the embers as the guests gather around the fire. For dessert, there’s a creamy “Café de Olla” Flan with the clever, Mexican-inspired addition of spiced coffee. Rick shares helpful entertaining tips every step of the way, from how to do salad for a crowd (hint: avoid the baby greens) to choosing olive oil. From the cooking to the meal itself, this paella party gives a whole meaning to “entertaining.”
It’s a barefoot-on-the-beach dinner party cooked, served, and eaten outdoors. But the catch of the day is…there’s no beach! Instead, Rick and his family create a little Mexican seaside nirvana right in their Chicago backyard, complete with a cabana improvised from billowing white curtains, muslin draped overhead, white table linens, sparkling Mexican candles and orchids. And the food is as inviting as the mood, because it all comes from the grill, starting with Rick’s Grilled Garlic and Orange Guacamole, which gets its smoky flavor from flame-seared onions, garlic and jalapeños. Then come Grilled Mussels, cooked right on the grill grates, topped with tomatillo salsa and served as a passed appetizer. The main event is succulent Grill-Roasted Whole Fish Adobado marinated in sweet-spicy ancho chile adobo, grilled and served whole and sizzling, with a potatoes and onions, cooked in a “hobo-pack” right on the grill. Even the dessert gets the “beach-barbecue” treatment—it’s homemade Grilled Cornmeal Pound Cake toasted on the still-warm grill and served with ice cream and fresh fruit salsa. Rick even provides a playlist of Latin favorites to match the mood. Conclusion: with a few good recipes and a little imagination, a Mexican seaside fiesta is just a barbecue and a boombox away.
With a houseful of weekend guests, Rick and his daughter, Lanie, whip up an extra-special brunch buffet that turns Sunday morning into a mini Mexican vacation, inspired by the relaxed breakfasts they’ve enjoyed all over Mexico. Just for fun, they set up a hotel-style omelet station, complete with a propane burner, in the dining room—a great way for the host to join in the party—where Rick makes individual Chorizo and Chile Omelets to order as the guests sip orange juice. The buffet also includes Chilaquiles, a comforting casserole of crispy tortillas, softened in a rich, brothy chile sauce with shredded chicken and sour cream. And because it wouldn’t be brunch without coffee, Rick serves his press-pot version of Café de Olla, coffee sweetened with Mexican brown sugar and perfumed with spices and orange zest. It’s the perfect accompaniment for a Caramelized Mango Tart with Mexican Chocolate and Pepitas, an easy free-form fruit tart with a wrap-around pastry crust. Throughout the preparations and the party, Rick gives all kinds of helpful entertaining tips on everything from buffet-table tricks and making omelets for a crowd to cool Latin tunes to go with the menu.
From street stalls to bustling taquerias and morning to midnight, tacos are Mexico’s favorite mini-meal—a few blissful bites of something thrillingly savory, wrapped in a soft, fragrant tortilla. And it turns out they’re also a perfect party food. Rick and his daughter, Lanie, plan a backyard taquisa—a taco buffet centered around one of the greatest taco fillings of all, Michoacan-Style Pork Carnitas, chunks of pork, slowly simmered in oil until they’re crisp and golden on the outside and succulent inside. Rick shows us how it’s done in Mexico in giant copper cauldrons, and then brings that idea home with the help of a surprising, cooking device—a turkey fryer. For pre-party nibbles, he shows how to turn salad-bar veggies into Mexican “Crudité” Platter, with the addition of a little store-bought chicharrones (pork cracklings) and chamoy, a sweet-sour apricot hot sauce—flavors that go perfectly with his beer and hot sauce Micheladas. In the spirit of a true taquisa, Rick makes fresh corn tortillas on a hot griddle. To round out the buffet, there are black beans, Guacamole flavored with sun-dried tomatoes and salsa, and everyone tucks into their tacos at little tables set up around the yard, taqueria-style. The meal ends with another street-food favorite, homemade Fruit “Mojito” Ice Pops made with fresh lime juice, mint and berries.
To celebrate a friend’s birthday, Rick reinvents a tradition from his Oklahoma childhood: the ice cream social, where everyone brought a batch of homemade ice cream, right in the hand-churned freezer in which it was made. Inspired by the infinitely varied frozen treats and sweets of Mexico, Rick prepares three fresh takes of his own. First, there’s a Mexican Chocolate Chile Ice Cream, with a one-two punch of creamy-coolness and spicy heat. Then he makes Watermelon-Raspberry Raspado, Mexico’s version of shaved ice, with the refreshing addition of fresh mint from his herb garden, served over a splashy tropical fruit salsa. And just for fun, he throws in a third concoction, Ate con Queso Ice Cream, a tribute to the flavors of fruit and cheese that’s as easy as stirring Mexican quince paste into store-bought vanilla ice cream. He even makes his own homemade Ice Cream Cones.And along the way, he provides a party playlist of some of his favorite Latin music discoveries, as well as tips on setting up the buffet and keeping everything well-chilled. It’s a birthday ice cream social a la Mexicana. And that makes for one cool party.
Who says cocktail parties have to be dressy, mood-lit affairs? Rick’s decided to reinvent cocktails with friends as an informal outdoor party. His menu, on this summer Sunday afternoon, is all about seafood and ice cold drinks. And his themes are simplicity, fun and freshness, inspired by Mexican deep-sea fishing trips where your catch transformed into the ultimate ceviche right on the beach. Rick brings that feeling home with a Mexican raw-bar menu that includes a Roasted Tomato Shrimp Cocktail, and two ceviches: a simple Tropical Beach Ceviche made with scallops,and a Yucatecan-inspired Salt-and-Pepper Ceviche. And since no raw bar would be complete without oysters, he shows viewers how to buy, shuck and serve Fresh Raw Oysters, complete with his favorite hot sauces. Musing that beer and mojitos would be the perfect drinks to go with this beach-casual menu, he combines the two in an inspired bit of mixology he calls Tecate Mojitos. Along the way, his creative serving tips—like using votive holders as individual serving cups or making dramatic ice molds that look cool and keep the food well chilled—and do-ahead shopping, chopping and prep strategies make this fresh take on the cocktail party as easy as a walk on the beach.
Tamales are Rick’s idea of the perfect party food: little gift-wrapped packages of light fluffy masa dough with a whole fiesta’s-worth of sweet and savory flavors inside. And in Mexico, when family and friends get together for a tamalada—a tamal-making party, the cooking’s as much a part of the celebration as the eating. After a look at how tamales are hand-made in a traditional shop in Puerto Vallarta, Rick shows viewers how to pull off a tamalada for a crowd, where the guests roll up their sleeves and take part in the filling, the wrapping and, best of all, the feasting. There are Fresh Sweet Corn Tamales made with sweet corn and butter,and two kinds of classic Savory Tamales filled with red chile pork and green chile chicken. As these bundles steam and fill the house with fantastic aromas, the guests enjoy Apple-Tamarind Cooler or, with the addition of some beer, a Mexican Snakebite, and Rick serves up bowlfuls of Caldo de Camaron, a spicy made-ahead shrimp soup with potatoes and dried pasilla chiles. This tamalada’s as much about cooking together as it is about eating together. And that’s one great packaged deal.
It’s a hot, Midwestern summer day. The mood is slow and easy, and the garden’s in overdrive. So Rick decides to beat the heat and get out of the kitchen with a mostly made-ahead backyard cookout a la Mexicana, inspired by one of his world-favorite meat eateries: El Canelo, near Guadalajara. It’s a sprawling outdoor restaurant with dirt floors and strolling Mariachis, where slabs of succulent pork, lamb, goat and beef roast slowly on spikes in a walk-in wood-fired pit. And it’s wood, not charcoal, that gives the meat its unforgettable smoky flavor, so Rick gives us a quick lesson in setting up a home grill for wood-fired cooking. The menu is as casual as it is mouthwatering. For starters, there’s a Heirloom Tomato “Carpaccio” with tomatillo, avocado and fresh herbs—a salad made with tomatoes grown in “Earth Boxes” (part of a groundbreaking educational program that teaches sustainable practices to kids all over the world). And then, there’s the cookout: sizzling Carne Asada Brava—ribeye steak marinated with serrano chiles and lime juice, seared over wood embers, sliced and served with homemade Salsa Huevona, fresh tortillas and beans. For dessert, Rick combines two of summertime’s greatest treats—ice cream and corn—to make a Sweet Corn Ice Cream with berry salsa, inspired by some of his favorite ice cream shops in Mexico. And since this fiesta’s all about simplicity, he shows how easy it is to set the mood with music, offering a playlist of some of his favorite Latin “finds.” It’s an irresistible take on summertime entertaining: shorts and T-shirts, robust flavors, and plenty of relaxed fun—for the guests and the host.
The Baylesses love to feed a crowd. And one of their favorite ways to do it is firing up the Mexican-style barbecue pit they built in their Chicago backyard, inspired in part by the 3,000 seat Arroyo restaurant in Mexico City, where the pit-cooked lamb and pork make every meal a carnivore’s carnival ride. At Arroyo, we catch a glimpse of barbacoa—lamb wrapped in maguey leaves, slowly roasted in a massive brick pit. And with that mouthwatering memory in mind, Rick and his daughter, Lanie, prepare a block party for 25, featuring Oaxacan-style Barbacoa—lamb marinated with red chiles, wrapped in avocado and banana leaves and slow-roasted in the smoldering pit. To welcome the lucky friends and neighbors, there are refreshingly simple Watermelon Coolers and freshly made Tlayudas Oaxaqueñas, Oaxacan-style grilled tostadas, topped with chorizo, guacamole and fresh cheese. Then there’s the moment of truth, as the pit is opened, the leaves are peeled back, and the guests applaud the unveiling of the fragrant, juicy meat. It’s served up buffet-style along with black beans, salad and warm tortillas. And for dessert, there’s Lanie’s easy Mexican Fresh Lime Ice—and a band of strolling mariachis to make the celebration even sweeter.
Rick’s having people over for a relaxed evening of parlor games. He doesn’t want to spend all day cooking. But still, he wants it to be special. So he’s set himself a challenge: in one hour, with one bag of groceries, he’ll pull off a big-flavored spread of Mexican party food. The secret is starting with great prepared ingredients and combining them to make something exciting and new. That means finger-food like little Tuna in Jalapeño Escabechefilled with good-quality canned tuna, quickly warmed with vinegar, onions and pickled jalapeños. It means using canned chipotles to transform ordinary nuts into spicy-smoky Chipotle Roasted Nuts, and doctoring tortilla chips with lime juice and seasonings, and then baking them to make Garlicky Black Pepper Tortilla Chips. And it means an ultra-easy Wild Mushroom Queso Fundido, a hot cheese dip made extra-flavorful with a splash of beer. From a few avocados and a handful of grocery store ingredients, Rick whips up a sweet-spicy Mango Guacamole and a nutty Pumpkin seed Guacamole. And for drinks, he shares his restaurant’s classic recipe for Topolo Margaritas with fresh lime and blanco tequila. It’s a race to the finish—a one-bag fiesta that’s fun, flavorful, and best of all, fast.
Rick’s on a mission to tell the world about tequila, and he’s starting with a party for 25 at home. But it’s not about doing shots and licking salt off your hand. He wants to open people’s minds and palates to the complexities of Mexico’s smooth, super-premium tequilas made from 100% blue agave—artisanal products on a par with the world’s great brandies. So he’s planned a tasting with tequila flights and plenty of fun, satisfying food to match. In the town of Tequila, Rick gives us a firsthand look at the production process, from the harvesting and roasting of the agave hearts to fermentation, distilling, and aging. Back in Chicago, he and his daughter, Lanie, get started on what’s often called the Mexican party food: a big, bubbling vat of Classic White Pozole, a hearty stew of corn and pork that goes perfectly with the flavor of Tequila. As the Pozole simmers away, Rick and Lanie prepare the rest of the menu: a Help-Yourself Tostada bar with three toppings to welcome the guests, and luscious Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars for dessert. Rick treats his guests to a lively and informative introduction to the essentials of great tequilas. Then everyone gets served a steaming mug of Pozole, topped with all the traditional trimmings, from pork cracklings to homegrown oregano. Put two of Mexico’s greatest hits—Tequila and Pozole—together, and you’ve got a fiesta that really takes flight.
After giving viewers a quick on-location crash course in Mexican street food, Rick gets an idea. Why not create a one-night-only Mexican street-food stall right in his Chicago home kitchen as the centerpiece of an unforgettable cocktail party? And with that, he shows how to pull off three authentic Mexican street snacks. There are Molotes Poblanos—miniature blue corn masa turnovers with a choice of fillings: mushroom, potato-chorizo, and roasted poblano chiles with cheese; mouthwatering Tacos de Bistec con Nopales with juicy griddled steak, strips of nopal cactus and a drizzle of spicy tomatillo-arbol salsa; and Huaraches—griddled masa flatbreads, topped like pizzas with chorizo and tomatillo salsa. Rick mixes up some Agua de Jamaica—a bright red hibiscus-flower elixir that’s refreshing on its own and a perfect base for Mexican Cosmopolitans—and sets out some cut-up veggies, sprinkled with lime and chile, street vendor–style. And then, he transforms the stove and counter top into a street stall, complete with lights and decorations. The guests mingle in the kitchen (which, after all, is everyone’s favorite place to hang out), as Rick finishes the food on the griddle. And the irresistible combination of that made-to-order immediacy and great cocktails makes for a fiesta with some serious Mexican street cred.
In their Chicago backyard, Rick and his daughter, Lanie, gather the last of the season’s tomatoes to make a big batch of Salsa Mexicana, the fresh tomato salsa sometimes known as Pico de Gallo. And that’s the starting point for a fast-paced salsa dance that goes way beyond tomatoes. In Mexico, salsas can be bright and fresh, dark and earthy, red or green, raw or roasted – and they’re more of a condiment for food than a dip for chips. At Los Parados, a favorite Mexico City taquería, Rick and Lanie show us the three pillars of Mexican salsa: that familiar fresh-tomato salsa Mexicana, salsa de molcajete made from roasted tomato, chile and garlic pounded in a lava-stone mortar, and red chile salsa, made by toasting, soaking and grinding dried chile de árbol. But that’s just the beginning. At Manolo, another popular taquería, they discover a rich, spicy, peanut salsa and a classic, creamy avocado-tomatillo salsa. And while they’ve got avocados in mind, they head over to the Medellin Market, where chunky guacamole is served with slow-cooked pork carnitas. Inspired by all this, they decide to make a “salsa all-stars” dinner. It starts with a batch of Roasted Tomato Salsa, which they split in half. Rick turns his half into a Salsa with Olives and Dried Fruit to be served over grilled fish, while Lanie uses her half to flavor a Bayless family favorite, a Mexican-accented Mac and Cheese. Then they make an earthy Smoky Chipotle Salsa, which they again divide into two batches. One becomes the appetizer course, to be served with chips. The other half, Rick turns into a Manolo-style Chipotle Peanut Salsa to drizzle over grilled vegetables. It all comes together at an alfresco family dinner that proves a very Mexican point: beyond chipping and dipping … salsas can really cook!
Over a breakfast of tortas – Mexican sandwiches filled, in this case, with Rick’s quick Mexican scrambled eggs, beans, and avocados – Rick and his daughter, Lanie, plan an all-day torta marathon in Mexico City. Their quest beings at the city’s charming Sunday flea market, Lagunilla, where they check out some simple, yet mouthwatering tortas, with a succulent filling of salt cod bacalao. Next stop: Don Polo, a gleaming 1950s-style chrome and neon diner, famous for its menu of griddled tortas. Rick and Lanie watch how they’re made and try a Cubana with chorizo, pork and ham. Then it’s on to El Pialadero – The Cattle Roper – for the famed Guadalajara specialty, Tortas Ahogadas, or “drowned” sandwiches, stuffed with juicy braised beef and smothered in a brothy tomato-oregano sauce. It’s a treat so irresistibly messy that it’s served with plastic gloves. Back in Chicago, father and daughter cook up another plan: a backyard torta party for Lanie and her friends – all prepared outdoors at the barbecue. There are Grilled Skirt Steak Tortas and Grilled Zucchini Tortas, along with an Avocado Cilantro Mayo and a Chipotle Salsa to spread on them. In his backyard vegetable patch, Rick shares tips on growing salad greens and pairing them with various kinds of dressings. Then he and Lanie prepare two salads, Mesclun with Lime-Cilantro Dressing and Boston Lettuce with Creamy Queso Añejo Dressing to round out this casual Mexican “sandwich spread.”
Nothing captures the spirit of a day at the beach in Mexico like the fresh seafood cocktail or ceviche. But you don’t have to be on the coast to enjoy it. Rick finds a classic version at a favorite spot with the feel of a beachside fish shack – right in the heart of landlocked Mexico City. Then, in search of more “inland ceviche” surprises, he hits the streets and takes us to a major-league marisqueria with a menu to rival any great seafood restaurant in town – all created in a stand no larger than a fishing boat. Rick enjoys the bracing blend of octopus, fish, shrimp and hot sauce known as Vuelve a la Vida (“Come Back to Life,” so named because it’s a popular a hangover cure). At a nearby fish market, he checks out the catch of the day from both the Pacific and Gulf coasts, and shares tips on the best choices for homemade ceviche. In Chicago, he makes a quick Frontera Ceviche, a preparation that’s been a mainstay at his Frontera Grill for years. Then we’re off to Fishmart, a casual Mexico City seafood place, for a taste of what just might be the next hot trend in cold seafood: aguachile. It’s a classic way to serve fresh shrimp and scallops with modern minimalist appeal – simply laying them on a plate and sprinkling them with lime juice, salt and fresh jalapeños. In his home kitchen, Rick recreates his version of Shrimp en Aguachile in a matter of minutes. Then it’s on to the one of Mexico City’s splashiest seafood hotspots, Contramar, to see how they dress up their traditional Ceviche Especial in a strikingly modern presentation. And that inspires Rick to take us behind the scenes at his fine-dining restaurant, Topolobampo, for one last inland ceviche recipe: his inventive, surprisingly easy Herb Green Ceviche. It’s a mouthwatering fishing expedition that brings home the pleasures of ceviche – even when you’re nowhere near the shore.
Mole is an idea that’s half pre-Columbian, half European, and 100% Mexican – a sauce, a preparation and a national dish that rivals the culinary masterpieces of the world’s greatest cuisines. Rick and his daughter, Lanie, set off on a culinary journey to explore the mysteries of mole that takes them from the mile-high piles of dried chiles in Mexico City’s vast La Merced market to stalls selling towering mounds of concentrated mole paste. Back in Chicago, they’re on a mission to make mole from scratch. It’s an all-day labor of love to be sure, but Rick breaks the complex process down into easy steps, giving tips on all the ingredients – from sesame seeds and tomatillos to chiles and chocolate – that give mole its richly layered flavor. As the sauce simmers over a wood fire in the backyard, Rick and Lanie use some of it to make a succulent Laquered Chicken in Classic Red Mole and whip up some Classic Mexican White Rice with Sweet Plantains and a Mexican crudité platter. As the sun sets, family and friends gather in the garden for a taste of true Mexican soul food: homemade mole in all its slow-simmered glory.
What could be better than a freshly made, gooey, warm quesadilla? Rick answers the question by showing us how to make the flour tortillas from scratch. What could be better than that?Well, actually, in Mexico, Rick explains, quesadillas and flour tortillas have nothing to do with each other. He takes us to the Bazar Sabado, a charming colonial-style labyrinth of handicrafts shops in the heart of Mexico City’s bohemian Coyoacán district, to experience the true art of the quesadilla. In the Bazar’s shady courtyard, the delicate treats are made the traditional way from freshly ground corn masa, patted onto a massive cast-iron griddle, topped with cheese and fillings and baked to a golden finish. For a more rough-and-tumble look at the same idea, we visit Lagunilla, the city’s fantastical flea-market, where vendors turn out all kinds of mouthwatering quesadillas and other toasted-masa snacks on a griddle over a charcoal fire. Then it’s on to Paxia, a stunning fine-dining restaurant, where Rick shows us one more style of quesadilla, a cheese-filled pocket of masa that’s deep-fried to make a golden turnover. At Paxia, they serve a miniature version of these as an amuse bouche. Across town at La Merced market, Rick checks out the classic cheeses for quesadilla-making, and picks up some requesón, the Mexican version of ricotta. It’s a fresh cheese and fresh cheeses are easy to prepare as Rick shows us by making Mexican Fresh Cheese in his Chicago kitchen. Then, he turns it into Luxurious Rustic Griddle-Baked Quesadillas for a romantic date-night dinner with his wife, Deann.
Carnitas – chunks of pork cooked slowly in lard until they’re golden and crisp on the outside and meltingly tender inside – are a weekend family tradition in Mexico. At the Medellin Market in Mexico City, Rick gives us an insider’s look at how they’re made every Saturday and Sunday in a huge copper cauldron, and served up with fresh corn tortillas and crispy chicharrón (pork cracklings). But what if a carnitas craving strikes and you’re not in Mexico on a weekend? No worries. Back in Chicago, Rick demonstrates his signature method for making fabulous carnitas right in a standard home oven. Then, thinking beyond pork, Rick shares a creative take on carnitas at the splashy seafood restaurant, Contramar, where the dish gets a deep-sea do-over with chunks of fresh-caught tuna. At his fine-dining restaurant, Topolobambo, Rick shares his own state-of-the-carnitas concept: sous vide pork (cooked very slowly in a vacuum-sealed packet), shredded, formed into a loaf, chilled, sliced and pan-seared in a stunning modern presentation. Then, in his home kitchen, he riffs on that idea, making Duck Carnitas with Crunchy Tomatillo-Avocado Salsa, a dish inspired by the classic French duck confit technique. Instead of the traditional pork cracklings, he makes ultra-easy Crispy Cheese Chicharrón, lacy cheese crisps toasted on the griddle, and takes us on a side trip to a Mexico City taquería for a look at the dramatic, giant version of these “cheese cracklings.” The elegant, yet casual, meal is served family-style with plenty of warm tortillas, so everyone can make their own succulent duck tacos.
We find Rick and his daughter, Lanie, at the Mexico City’s colorful Sonora Market, an emporium of medicinal herbs and the best place in town to buy cazuelas, the beautifully rustic earthenware cooking and serving casseroles that define a whole class of stews and taco fillings. We tend to think of taquerías for their familiar grilled and griddled fillings, like carne asada. But, Rick explains, there’s a whole world of stands and shops that have no grill at all and specialize in satisfyingly homey, slow-cooked fillings made in cazuelas with everything from stewed meat to richly flavorful vegetables. Rick and Lanie check out El Güero, a Mexico City institution, popularly known as “Tacos Hola!,” that specializes in slow-cooked taco fillings. Back home in Chicago, Rick and Lanie plan a cazuela-taco dinner. Lanie throws together a quick Pork with Smoky Tomato Sauce and Potatoes in the crockpot before heading off to school. By dinnertime, it’ll be meltingly tender and richly flavored. Meanwhile, Rick gathers some chard in the garden, offering a quick intro to the care and tending of this hearty, easy-to-grow vegetable. Then, he turns his harvest into a filling of Creamy Braised Chard, Potatoes and Poblanos and also prepares a Veracruz-Flavored Chilled Seafood. The three fillings, mounded in those charming cazuelas from the Sonora Market, form the centerpiece for a cozy dinner with friends and family.
Rick’s out to dispel the notion that an enchilada is all about smothering tortillas in sauce and gooey cheese. At Café Azul y Oro in Mexico City, he shows us the iconic Mexican version of the dish: a corn tortilla in a red mole sauce and rolled around a light, simple chicken filling. From that classic formula things can, of course, get more inventive and Rick shares with us one of the more unusual, though still classically grounded enchiladas on Chef Ricardo Muñoz-Zurita’s menu: an enchilada of jamaica, or dried hibiscus flowers that tastes like a cross between pickled beets and cabbage. From there he takes us to Café Tacuba, a Mexico City Institution since 1912, where the signature Enchilada Especial is a comforting concoction with a chicken, spinach and poblano chile filling, bathed in velouté sauce and browned under the broiler. It’s so good, he can’t resist showing us how to make his one Café Tacuba-Style Creamy Chicken Enchiladas in his home kitchen in Chicago. Back in Mexico City, he brings us to another hallowed enchilada eatery, the Casa de las Enchiladas, for a lesson in the four “pillars” of enchilada construction: the tortilla, the filling, the sauce, and the garnish. Here, diners get to build their own enchilada by choosing from several options in each category. That gives Rick an idea: in the kitchen of his fine-dining restaurant, Topolobampo, he challenges his chefs to design a new enchilada special for the restaurant – each choosing a “pillar” to work on. In a fast-paced, reality-style race to the finish, the chefs create a surprising dish, proving in the process that a “whole enchilada” is greater than the sum of its parts.
Chorizo, the succulent pork sausage seasoned with chiles, spices and a touch of vinegar, is the “bacon of Mexico” – the perfect accompaniment for eggs and, like bacon, a versatile ingredient for cooking that can give any dish a serious head start on flavor. At his neighborhood Mexican grocery in Chicago, Rick shows us fresh-made chorizo sold at the butcher counter and talks about how it is made. Buying a batch of the sausage to take home, he quickly turns it into a Caramelized Onion and Chorizo to use for a taco filling. Then he transforms that full-flavored mixture into a dressing for a Chorizo Spinach Salad with jicama, a Mexican-style take on the classic wilted spinach salad with warm bacon dressing. At the Medellin Market in Mexico City, he introduces us to green chorizo, a popular 20th-century innovation from the town of Toluca, made with fresh herbs and cilantro, now enjoyed all over Mexico. In the U.S., it’s not easy to find. So, in his home kitchen, Rick shows how to make it from scratch, and then puts it to use in a classic way: Green Queso Fundido, a warm fondue-like melted cheese dip. Then it’s back to Mexico City and the high-style Paxia restaurant where we get a look at the chef’s whimsical, thoroughly modern reinterpretation of chorizo and eggs: tiny quail eggs served on dollops of light, frothy chorizo mousse. That prompts Rick to share with us his own “chorizo revisited” signature at his fine-dining restaurant, Topolobampo – Seafood Chorizo, a delicate poached seafood sausage, seared and served over a tangle of salad greens.
Rick and his daughter, Lanie, check out a fabulous fish fillet at a neighborhood restaurant in Mexico City, and then, at a seafood street stall, they get rapturous over a plate of succulent garlicky prawns that rivals the best scampi in the world. The common denominator of these two dishes? It’s one of the cornerstones of Mexican cooking, Mojo de Ajo (literally, “bath of garlic”) – a sauce made by slowly simmering garlic in olive oil and seasoning it with lime and chiles. Back home in Chicago, Rick shows us how he plants, grows and cures this flavorful garlic variety, then uses some to make a big batch of Mojo de Ajo – a jar of “liquid gold” to keep on hand for enhancing just about anything. First, he uses some of it to make Mixiotes of Woodland Mushrooms with Slow-Cook Garlic and Mexican Herbs, bathed in mojo and baked in parchment. Then Lanie uses a little more to make her favorite snack, fresh-popped Garlicky Popcorn with Mexican Queso Añejo “buttered” with mojo and sprinkled with chile powder. Now it’s Rick’s turn to whip up a quick Seared Fish Fillets in Fruity, Nutty, Garlicky Mojo. And finally, Lanie helps him make a favorite family specialty: Garlicky Linguine with Seared Shrimp, Chipotle and Mexican Aged Cheese. It all adds up to this: a splash of mojo de ajo can be the Midas touch that turns just about any ingredient into culinary gold.
The Baja California peninsula boasts a climate reminiscent of those on the Mediterranean Sea. Thousands of olive trees and vineyards in Northern Baja capture the distinctiveness of this region of Mexico. We explore the amazing grilled octopus at Tres Virgenes in La Paz and enjoy mesquite-grilled lamb with 9-chile mole sauce. Rick makes tacos of kale and spinach with a green garlic mojo from the gardens of the renowned spa Rancho La Puerta. In Tijuana, Chef Miguel Angel Guerrero Yagües shows off his terrific wood-fired grill to Rick before he cooks lamb three ways. Chef Jair Tellez makes a geoduck ceviche at his dreamy Laja restaurant in the Valle de Guadalupe. At home, Rick grills lamb with fennel and a red chile salsa. Astonishing Baja, indeed.
People are passionate about their tacos in Tijuana. Ask any local and they’ll tell you their favorite—complete with mouthwatering details. Three local Tijuana foodies take Rick on a taco “crawl” starting with arrachera (skirt steak) tacos at El Yaqui. Piled high with beans, creamy avocado salsa and Mexican “candy” (roasted jalapeños). The feast moves on to include suadero tacos at Los Ahumadores, sautéed and fried shrimp tacos at Mariscos El Mazateño, steamed tacos on the Tijuana’s tourist strip and ends with smoked salmon tacos at Salceados. At home, Rick creates a taco feast for a casual backyard cookout.
Rick is always up for a cooking challenge. After a day spent boating and kayaking on the Sea of Cortez with a local ecotourism group, Rick grills dinner for the group on the beach at Espiritu Santo island—one of the most biologically diverse marine areas in the world. The waters surrounding the island support coral reefs, colonies of sea lions and more than 500 species of fish. To stock up on supplies, Rick shops in the La Paz market for local cheese, fresh produce and chiles and on the island purchases seafood from a fisherman. Along the way, Rick learns from his guides about flying manta rays, dolphins, and the local flora. Then he grills fish and makes a stunning papaya salsa on the beach.
Baja California Norte produces many world-class, gold medal-winning wines. That fact may surprise most people in the United States. Rick takes us on a tour of the region along with renowned winemaker and visionary Hugo d’Acosta, founder of La’Escuelita, a nonprofit winemaking school opened in 2004. Hugo introduces Rick to his Casa de Piedra wines before taking Rick on a tour of the school where locals and chefs come to make their own wines. At Tres Mujeres, a charming winery run by three women, Rick tastes each of their wines with their favorite dishes. Their cooking inspires Rick to make stuffed chiles with red wine at home. At L.A. Cetto, winemaker Camillo Magoni tells Rick about his 47-year career with one of the oldest wineries in Mexico. Rick cooks with Ludwig Hussong of San Rafael Winery in the Valle de Ojos Negros and they toast the wines of Mexico.
Ever travel to a tourist mecca and wonder what the locals eat? Rick does. So he joins his pal Hugo to find the best Mexican food in Los Cabos. Their first stop is at the municipal market in San Jose del Cabo for a quick mid-morning meal of sopes and beef soup. Then they enjoy amazing carnitas at Los Michoacános, stuffed guero chiles and bacon-wrapped shrimp at Mariscos El Toro Guero and guava tamales at Sabor Internacional. In Chicago, Rick teaches us how to stuff and grill shrimp and make those guava tamales.
Rick and local guide Luis Garduno of REDTours venture out on a skiff to learn about sustainable fishing on Magdalena Bay. They catch up with local lobster fishermen and learn about sizing lobsters. Then they watch as clam divers haul up the local chocolate clams from the bottom of the bay. On the Isla de Magdalena shore, Rick and chef Hubert turn the spiny lobsters into an impressive stuffed entrée and mouthwatering salad. Rick gets to tag and release a protected sea turtle while the stuffed clams roast on the grill.
Ever dream of owning a winery? Don and Tru Miller made their dreams come true 12 years ago when they built Adobe Guadalupe in the Valle de Guadalupe. Rick’s dream of cooking in their stunning kitchen, with its handmade wood-fired oven, comes true this season when he cooks for the Miller’s and other local winemakers. Along the way, Rick shops for just-picked produce at the idyllic farm stand on the grounds of Mogor Baden Winery, artisanal cheeses at Rancho La Campana (a 100-year-old cheese cave) as well as for breads and olives at the charming Cremeria los Globos. What’s for dinner? Local leg of lamb with a pasilla olive sauce, mixed greens with fresh mussels and fava beans and perfect strawberries with chamomile sabayon. Dreamy indeed.
There’s a long heritage of good food in Tijuana: It has an amazing taco culture and is the birthplace of the Caesar salad. Today, Tijuana boasts one of the top culinary schools in the country and some of the best chefs in Mexico. Rick and three fellow food-lovers dine at the ultra-modern Mision 19 located in Mexico’s newest Leed Gold Certified building. Chef Javier Plascencia wows them with his creative twists on classic Mexican dishes such as braised beef short ribs wrapped in fresh fig leaves and served with black mole and kabocha foam. For starters, Chef Javier layers local tuna with nopales, chicharron and avocado meringue. Between bites, Rick and his guests discuss their own relationships with food, the expanding culinary scene in Tijuana and the future of Mexican food.
Fish tacos embody Ensenada’s history in one bite: Fresh fish from pristine waters encased in crispy batter influenced by Asian immigrants, topped with Spanish-inspired creamy sauces, wrapped up in a very Mexican corn tortilla and spiked with chile. We seek out some of the best versions at Mariscos El Norteño, a stall opposite the Ensenada Fish market, and a 30-year old corner stand Los Originales El Chopipo. No trip to Ensenada would be complete for a foodie without a stop at La Guerrerense where Sabina Bandera Gonzalez has been serving the best seafood ceviches and tostadas for more than 29 years. There Rick savors a mixed platter of shellfish and amazing sea urchin tostadas. A stop at Marco Antonio has Rick indulging in shrimp tacos with chipotle cream. Seriously good. In Chicago, Rick hosts a seafood taco party complete with the secrets to making outstanding fried fish tacos at home.
Many of us experienced our first Mexican beer on a beach with a squeeze of lime. Now we’re happy to see a beer revolution rumbling in the Baja peninsula. Rick takes us from the Tecate brewery, which started in 1944, to the Tijuana brewery, makers of several microbrews. At Ultramarinos, an Ensenada bar with a penchant for pairing specialty beers and local seafood, Rick enjoys an oyster taco with owner Alain Genchi. Finally, Rick meets two expatriates brewing beer in Los Cabos—perfect for enjoying with their beer pizza. At home, Rick tucks a tomatillo and chorizo pizza into his wood-burning oven. Salud!
Two of Ensenada’s best seafood chefs, Benito Molina and Alain Genchi, join Rick for a lesson in mollusk farming. Juan Carlos Lapuente of Acuacultura Integral de Baja California takes the trio to the rich coastal waters to see oyster and mussel farming. Along the way, we learn that the quality of these waters is what makes the seafood from this area so outstanding. They cook their catch at Muelle Tres on the Ensenada waterfront, then Rick accompanies Benito to his fine-dining restaurant, Manzanilla, for sautéed abalone and two oyster preparations. Solange Muris pairs her husband’s dishes with the local wines. At home, Rick shows us how to make the green ceviche he enjoys at Erizo, a Tijuana ceviche restaurant featuring local seafood.
Maybe it’s the water, maybe it’s the desert, but there’s definitely magic in the charming Baja town called Todos Santos. It all starts at Art & Beer, a funky roadside bar on the outskirts of town that serves generous cocktails and outstanding appetizers. Then Rick checks into the Hotel California before meeting up with his local buddy, Sergio Jaurequi, for a history lesson about the town’s disappearing and reappearing water supply. Together they taste the local sweets and get a lesson from local cook Doña Ramona, in transforming dried beef and cactus into delectable dishes. Chef Dany Lamote’s vanilla-infused margarita proves magical, too.
Rick introduces the viewers to some of Los Cabos top chefs and their restaurants then cooks dinner for them at a luxurious beach house. Margarita Carrillo, chef/owner of Don Emiliano Restaurant in San Jose del Cabo, joins Rick to purchase the local cabrillo fish and to visit Tamarindo’s Farm for organically grown produce. Rick makes a tamarind chile sauce to go with his fish and eggplant course. Margarita makes her special tomatillo tart for dessert. Together they cook chocolate clams on the beach with their guests. At dinner, Rick, Margarita and the local chefs discuss the philosophy of cooking for people and the meaning of dining together.
Rick takes us on a remarkable journey through Oaxaca City during the revered Día de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) holiday. We discover that in Mexico death is embraced as part of the circle of life. During the holiday, people welcome home the spirits of their ancestors who come to commune with their families and friends. Like all visitors, the ancestors are welcomed with food, drink, music and memories. The spirit’s presence is a blessing and brings joy to loved ones. In preparation for the celebration, the last days of October are spent preparing aromatic loaves of pan de muerto (sweet bread), making mole, harvesting special flowers, including marigolds (cempasúchil) and creating commemorative altars in homes. Grave sites are decorated with elaborate sand paintings. The bustling Central de Abastos market in Oaxaca is overflowing with flowers and bread. At the home of Rick’s friends, we learn to make Andres’ family’s black mole, tostadas topped with avocado leaf-infused black beans, a classic, smoky Oaxacan salsa and a simple guacamole. From the Panteon General to Xoxocotlan’s Municipal Cemetery, Rick gives us an insider’s look at the annual fiesta that richly blends Catholic and indigenous traditions with celebratory food.
Everything tastes better cooked over a wood or charcoal fire—at least that’s the Oaxacan credo. From soup to barbacoa, burning embers influence the flavor of Oaxaca’s food in just the right ways. For starters, Rick guides us through the “taco corridor’ at the 20 de Noviembre market just off the main square in Oaxaca. We can almost taste the richly burnished chiles and onions as they grill alongside super-thinly sliced beef and pork and robust chorizo sausages. Then we see hot rocks plucked from the glowing embers and dropped into hot soup for making caldo de piedra (stone soup), a specialty from the village of San Felipe Usila. La Capilla, a campestre (open air) restaurant, in the town of Zaachilla, has served lamb and goat barbacoa for more than 47 years. Rick’s so enamored with the process of burying the chile-seasoned meat in glowing embers that he creates his own version on the backyard grill. Served with Oaxacan pasilla tomatillo salsa, there’s meat, fire and smoke in every bite.
The majority of the people who travel to Mexico go for the beaches. Little wonder when the beaches are as pristine as Huatulco’s Playa Chahué—complete with the Playa Limpia certification for cleanliness. Still, a man’s gotta eat. Not content with a diet of all-inclusive resort dining, Chef Rick Bayless takes us off the beaten path to find great food and even better beaches. You’ll be well-advised to follow his lead and start the day at one the local’s favorite restaurants, Sabor de Oaxaca, in La Crucecita. There, Rick enjoys Salsa de Huevo (omelets in salsa) before a quick trip to Puerto Escondido for an amazing lunch of wood-fired grilled fish on the Playa Principal. Rick paddle-boards on Playa Carrizalillo, another stunning beach in Puerto Escondido, to work up his appetite for Encamaronadas (crispy, cheesy shrimp tacos). Back in Huatulco Rick enjoys an uber-fresh seafood cocktail at Grillo Marinero before stopping for a nightcap at the Quinta Real Hotel to take in the beauty of it all.
Mescal is having a real renaissance, both in Mexico and in fine cocktail emporiums all over the United States. Rick takes us on a journey to see how a small Oaxacan distiller hand-crafts this fine spirit renowned for its rich, smoky complexity and brightness. As with any great artisan product, there’s always a great story. With Rick around, there’s always great food, from hand-pressed memelas topped with a bright avocado salsa to vinegar-infused snacks. We learn to sip mescal with fresh oranges and sal de gusano—chile-spiked salt. At home, Rick guides us through a mescal tasting and a host of snacks for a do-it-yourself mescal cocktail party.
So many moles, so little time. That’s how most visitors to Oaxaca feel when perusing the choices from mole pastes in the markets to fine examples served up at restaurants and street vendors all over the state. Let’s start with two moles, advises Rick, who takes us to Seasons of My Heart Cooking School on the outskirts of Oaxaca City to explore Black Mole and Green Mole with school owner Susana Trilling and her students. We perfectly char the chilies, set the seeds aflame and roast the tomatoes for Susana’s black mole sweetened with roasted plantain and a little Oaxacan chocolate. On the simpler side, there’s green mole—redolent with fresh herbs, roasted tomatillos and jalapeno. At home, Rick makes his Coloradito Mole before we indulge in yellow mole and grilled fish at Topolobampo.
Ever on a quest to learn more about the food he grows and cooks, Rick even vacations with an agenda. This time he’s taking us to the mountains to Finca Las Nieves, with its artisanal coffee production and organic gardens. Together we learn about sustainable gardening along with how-to’s for amazing vegetarian tamales and sopa de chepil in the kitchens at the Finca. Then it is off on a hike seeking orchids and bromeliads before a lunch of trout at the restaurant of a trout farm. Rick makes his version of the trout with chorizo at home. Rancho Pitaya also proves fertile ground for Rick’s eco-tour vacation with horseback riding to a cactus grove overlooking the valley of Oaxaca before a picnic lunch of grilled tasajo beef, a salad of fresh cactus paddles and red chile potatoes.
The variety of corns available in Oaxaca boggles the mind and the taste buds. Rick introduces us to Amado Ramirez Leyva who believes that corn, domesticated some 9000 years ago in Mexico, is the basis of Mexican culture. From championing the protection of ancient varieties, to cooking and grinding it into masa for tortillas, Amado just might be the corn guru of Oaxaca.All manner of enticing snacks served at Itanoni his Oaxaca restaurant, including memelas, tetelas, tostadas, and tacos, use carefully selected types of maiz criollo (native corn). Abigail Mendoza, a superb village cook from Teotitlan del Valle, transforms her handmade fresh blue and white masa into simple, yet amazing village-style tamales cooked in a traditional olla over a wood fire. Rick riffs on her yellow mole to make his own fresh empanadas on his kitchen griddle. With the skyline of Oaxaca as the back drop, chef and restaurateur Pilar Cabrera shows Rick her beautiful squash blossom tamales. Together they make sweet pumpkin tamales laced with Oaxacan chocolate that prove transcendent.
"You are what you eat." Brillat Savarin’s statement fuels Rick’s tour of the 21 de Noviembre market in downtown Oaxaca. We uncover the incredibly rich culture of the market and its role in the daily lives and meals of the locals. Mounds of tomatoes, chiles and cilantro inspire salsa. Fresh chickens inspire Rick to spit-roast chickens in his backyard grill. Baskets of black beans motivate a platter of enfrijoladas topped with chorizo. The amazing market day ends with a stop at Chaguita, a 200 year-old frozen ice and ice cream stand and a favorite of Rick’s for more than three decades. At home, Rick inspires us with his simple coconut ice and a deep-pink jamaica syrup.
In Mexico, cheese is all about fresh cheese. So fresh, in fact, that Rick planned his cheesemaking with two local women in the village of Rojas around the milking of the alfalfa-fed cows. We see that uber-fresh milk turned into the sweet, tender curds known as queso fresco and the tangy, salty quesillo (string cheese) so ubiquitous to many Oaxacan specialties. In his Chicago home kitchen, Rick encourages viewers to try their own hand at fresh cheese. As a reward, he creates a simple dinner featuring the just-made cheeses as well as salsas from his grill with salad from the garden. Fresh indeed!
Ever dream of renting a space with a kitchen in Mexico just so you can cook all the fresh fish you can eat? Rick lives the dream at Hotel Villas Carrizalillo in Puerto Escondido. First, he peruses the town market for inspiration and ingredients from heirloom tomatoes to the local tuxtla chiles. Then he joins a resident expert to take him spearfishing off Roca Blanca Playa, one of the prettiest beaches in Mexico, for the freshest possible catch for his feast. And what a feast it is! Rick takes one robalo and turns it into an aguachile (a spicy ceviche appetizer), a brothy soup with chayote and beer, and pan-seared robalo with a tomatillo –pumpkinseed sauce. All from a small kitchen at the villas, a sharp knife, a couple of large pans and blender! Paradise indeed!
In Mexico, it is just as common to start your day with a cup of steaming hot chocolate as it is with coffee. Little wonder, when the chocolate is made from freshly roasted cacao beans and seasoned with cinnamon and a touch of sugar. Rick takes us to world-renowned Mayordomo near the main market in Oaxaca and to Seasons of My Heart Cooking School to see the process from two perspectives. For the best cup of coffee ever, Rick takes a day trip to Finca Las Nieves Coffee Plantation where the owners are passionate in their pursuit. Set in almost a thousand acres of the Oaxacan cloud forest, we see organic altura coffee from the bean to the cup. In Chicago, Rick creates a Oaxacan-style tres leches cake with coffee and chocolate. Now we’re wide awake.
The once unknown state of Oaxaca, Mexico’s fifth largest, is now on the knowing traveler’s hit list. Its capital is one of Mexico’s most enjoyable colonial cities. By day, people relax at plaza-front sidewalk cafes beneath shady arches and take in the slow-motion scene, reflecting the best of old Mexico. By night, the same plaza becomes alive with entertainment, crafts, folkloric dances and food stalls. The city boasts a burgeoning restaurant scene, traditional markets and art galleries. The coast is home to some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Rick takes the spirit of Oaxaca home and with a group of friends he creates a dinner sure to transport. We’ll start with a mescal pineapple cocktail with his version of the crunchy chile-and-garlic-infused peanuts sold throughout Oaxaca’s markets. The first course highlights indulgent shrimp and crab. Rick’s main-course stars one of the famous seven Oaxacan moles—Manchamanteles—a simple red mole with fresh pineapple, pork and chicken. For dessert, a super simple avocado ice pays homage to Rick’s favorite market stop.
Oaxaca has long been known for its seven moles, unparalleled home-cooking and remarkable market fare. Lately, its restaurant reputation has skyrocketed, too. Deservedly so. Rick visits four of the top chef contenders in Oaxaca City, tours their restaurants, cooks in their kitchens and discusses the lively burgeoning scene. For starters, Chef Miguel Jimenez cooks up a batch of red chile beef and fruit stew from the Isthmus to serve inside his crispy plantain mogo mogos. Next, Chef Jose Manuel Banos creates a taco from jelled carrot filled with a chintestle and shrimp ceviche. Chef Alejandro Ruiz and his brother Jesus show Rick their dream come true: An organic farm supplying their restaurants and their employees. Their beautiful produce inspires many of their house specialties. Rick and Alejandro make a fresh salsa with the garden cilantro to go with a red chile-burnished octopus barbacoa. Last but not least, Chef Rudolfo Castellanan makes a simple mole de caderas to accompany suckling goat. All this world class cooking inspires Rick to make a signature dessert at his award-winning Chicago restaurant Topolobampo.
Restaurateur Gabriella Camara, owner of Contramar, just might be the most energetic woman in Mexico City. Raised by a family that loves food and fine service, she dreamed a dream of fresh fish served simply and respectfully. At 23, she opened her first restaurant, Contramar. Sixteen years later, Contramar remains at the top of everyone’s list for phenomenal seafood and superior service. Her vision has expanded to include Baja’s top Chef Jair Tellez. Their restaurant, Mero Toro, in the vibrant Condesa neighborhood, features a big city vibe and the passion of two people that truly love pristine seafood. Chef Jair shows Rick his simple, yet stunning, robalo with porcini and green garlic. At home, Rick makes Contramar’s famous tuna tostadas and a green adobo grilled fish.
Ever seen a kid in a candy store? Their excitement pales next to a chef in a market. An early morning trek to the Central de Abastos, one of the world’s largest markets, with Rick Bayless and Chef Eduardo “Lalo” Garcia, proves exhilarating. Neither chef can talk fast enough about all the dishes they want to make from the mind-boggling stacks of nopales, the fragrant herbs, the crisp greens, the juicy pitayas and mangos. Chef Lalo’s path to his wildly popular Maximo Bistrot in Mexico City includes migrant work on produce farms and stints in fine-dining establishments in Atlanta and New York City. Today, his suckling pig carnitas have a massive following. Lucky for us, he and Rick cook the dish in his restaurant kitchen. Rick and Chef Enrique Olvera, owner of Pujol and arguably Mexico’s top chef, talk about the evolution of Mexican food and the challenge to change people’s perception of the cuisine. At home, Rick coaxes amazing flavors from humble tomatillos, pork and potatoes and makes a delicious chayote salad to accompany it.
“Eat your veggies” – it’s a line children from Mexico to Morocco hear from their parents. In this episode, we meet a pair of chefs who took that advice seriously. As Rick discovers, chefs Israel Montero and Alfredo Chaves of Kaah Siis Restaurant aren’t just eating their vegetables, nor just cooking them – they’re growing them at Xochimilco, Mexico City’s ancient floating gardens. The chefs give Rick a tour of the chinampas, small man-made islands amongst the canals, where some of the city’s chefs are growing organic and specialty produce. They talk about sustainability, the future of organic, and, of course, kale. Back in Chicago, Rick takes us to the closest thing he has to Xochimilco: Green City Market, where he visits his favorite vendors and takes their wares home for a taco party.
If there’s a face of Mexico City’s restaurant scene, it might be Jorge Vallejo’s. (Of course, it may also be Enrique Olvera’s, or Gabrielle Camara’s … who’s counting?). Vallejo’s cooking, found at his intimate restaurant Quintonil, has long been an inspiration for Rick and Deann. But what inspires Jorge? What propels him to put together dishes such as his stunning mole with beef tongue? In one word: Tacos. So in this episode, Rick follows Jorge on a taco tour, from the simple vegetable preparations at Tacos Gus to the super-rich and satisfying suadero-style tacos at Taqueria Los Cocuyos. Back in Chicago, Rick makes his own amazing tacos at home, complete with homemade tortillas.
Rick’s got nothing against cerveza and margaritas, but in this episode he explores another side of Mexican drinking: Wine. Mexican wine. And no, that’s not a misnomer. In fact, the burgeoning craft of Mexican wine is growing, often in unusual places. Marvin Nahmias and partners have transformed a high-rise rooftop in Mexico City into a small vineyard and winemaking facility; after they give Rick a tour, they give him the keys to the kitchen. The winery’s brick ovens and grills speak to Rick’s inner pit master, so at the San Juan Market, Rick selects cabrito to cook over hardwood, tender chayote to roast in the wood oven for tacos and eggplant to char into a salsa. Salud!
In the land of the tortilla, bread can often get overlooked. But if Chef Elena Reygadas has anything to say about it, bread will soon rise as an important player in Mexican cuisine. She certainly has the right tools to effect change: At her bakery, Rosetta Panaderia, she crafts transcendent versions of Mexico’s classic pan de pulque (pulque bread) and sugary-topped conchas. Rick swoons over these treats and engages Reygadas in a conversation about their shared philosophies of cooking and building community. We get a sneak peak at Elena’s process for conchas before Rick teaches us his foolproof method at home. Then, it’s sandwich time: Rick visits Eno, Chef Enrique Olvera’s casual spot that serves tuna and chicken milanesa tortas in homemade bollilo rolls. Then we head back to Chicago, where Rick makes a torta at his casual spot, Xoco.
The Mercado Lazaro Cardenas is pretty standard as far as markets in Mexico City go. But turn one corner and suddenly you’re in a different world: The world of coffee geeks, of which Rick is a proud citizen. The Passmar Cafe Finos stall brews espresso with natillas and cappuccino with blue curacao using unique brewing methods and award-winning baristas, and Rick geeks out in the best possible (caffeinated) way. Fully charged on caffeine, Rick’s ready for a cocktail. So he pays a visit to mixologist Joseph Mortera, who takes Rick through a couple of his delicious creations including a mescal cocktail made with fresh hoja santa leaves and absinthe. Next up: Ricardo Nava, a bartender at Polanco’s sleek bar Limantour, who shakes up his margarita by using mescal, pineapple juice and hot chile. Lucky for us, Rick makes cocktails with herbs from his garden plus some very tasty snacks in his home kitchen.
Chef Edgar Nuñez wants to change the world. Like Rick, Edgar believes everyone should have access to fresh, local food; he believes Mexican chefs should embrace their own cuisine; and he believes in mentoring the younger generation. Rick and Edgar strategize over a meal of duck carnitas with mole negro at Sud 777, Edgar’s strikingly beautiful fine dining Mexico City restaurant. Then they take it to the streets where Edgar’s mission continues via food trucks that serve fresh, affordable tacos, tostadas and caldos to all manner of customers. At home, Rick shares his tips and recipes for a stress-free tostada party – including great guacamole – sure to change your world.
Carlos Yescas is a cheesehead on a mission: Put the fine, outstanding artisanal cheeses of Mexico on everyone’s radar screen. Yescas scours the country for the best cheese producers; then, he scours Mexico City’s best restaurants for chefs that will use those cheeses on their menus. One chef he’s had success with is Jorge Vallejo, owner of Quintonil, who happily uses a super-rich doble crema cheese from Chiapas to make his mother’s version of huazontles, and a tangy, bouncy quesillo from Chiapas for an elegant cheese soup. Luckily for the residents of DF, these cheeses can now be found at Carlos’s stall, Lactography, in the sleek new Mercado Roma. Lucky Rick gets to sample the wares before heading home to Chicago, where he teaches us how easy it is to make whole milk ricotta.
Everywhere Rick goes, he asks chefs about Mexico’s up-and-coming talent. These days, Mexico City’s chefs all have the same answer: Pablo Salas. The odd thing? Salas doesn’t work in Mexico City – his restaurant, Amaranta, is in Toluca, about an hour’s drive away. Undaunted by the trip, Rick meets Pablo at the Santiago Tianguistengo Market to get a look at the traditions that inspire Pablo’s modern Mexiquense cooking – from the myriad of chorizo choices to the pasilla chiles and vegetables. The chefs also visit a local carniceria for a peek at Toluca’s famed chorizo. In the Amaranta kitchens, Pablo shows us the simple tricks to his favorite mole with oxtail. At home, Rick makes an easy version of chorizo to use in crispy potato sopes.
Mexico and chocolate go together like salsa and chips. But if you hear “Mexican chocolate” and think of something to dip churros into, you’re only getting a part of the story. A few Mexico City chocolatiers see more potential for Mexican chocolate – they see single-origin chocolate bars, beautiful hand-formed truffles, even ambitious sculptures made of the stuff. Hector Galvan of La Casa Tropical talks with Rick about the cultural importance of chocolate in Mexico and why he is working so diligently to save ancient varieties of cacao. And pastry chef Jose Ramon Castillo – proprietor of DF’s hippest chocolate shop, Que Bo! – shows how he creates some of Mexico’s finest chocolates, from bonbons to beverages. At home, Rick puts Mexican chocolate to work in a chocolate cocktail, Mexican truffles and a stunning chocolate-mesquite cake.
As the restaurant scene in Mexico City has exploded, so, too, have the culinary schools. Rick takes us to the Coronado Cooking School where the mission is to educate the next generation of chefs. Rick talks with students in the traditional Mexican kitchen classroom as they make a pipian sauce for shrimp. The school’s outdoor live-fire kitchen includes tortilla lessons. In the “Dave” Creative Kitchen we see a beautiful presentation of pork loin with vegetables and huaximole. Coronado’s students also help run Raiz, one of Mexico City’s top destination restaurants. Chef Arturo Fernandez guides them on a path that includes new tricks and techniques, but with the soul of his aunt’s home-style tongue in caper sauce. Rick, a consummate and patient teacher, hosts culinary students in the Frontera Test Kitchens to create a memorable meal that ends with the classic crepas con cajeta dessert.
Chefs can get excited over the littlest thing. For Josefina Santacruz, that thing is beans. She believes every cook should know how to cook beans and rice before venturing any further in Mexican cuisine. For an example of beans done right, Rick and Josefina head to Nico’s Restaurant, which has been cooking perfect beans since 1957; their bean soup proves a thing of beauty. Rick and Josefina likewise admire the perfect barbacoa made daily by Chef Moises Rodriguez Vargas of Hidalguense restaurant in Mexico City. He shares his careful preparation of this classic dish with Rick and Josefina at his home. At Yuban, in the Roma neighborhood of Mexico City, young Chef Paloma Ortiz respects the cuisine of Oaxaca while adding her personal flourishes. In Chicago, Rick steps us through a simple barbacoa sure to inspire all cooks.
Deep in the Sian Ka’an nature reserve, there’s a seriously remote village called Punta Allen, where a team from the local sustainable lobster fishing cooperative brings Rick and Chef Juan Pablo Loza out for an afternoon at sea. The day’s catch? A Caribbean lobster, simply prepared in coconut soup. Back at the ultra-luxe Rosewood Mayakoba resort, Juan Pablo showcases the tranquil resort gardens before preparing a feast of grilled lobster zarandeado with adobo mayo and sweet corn puree in the kitchen of La Ceiba, an outdoor garden party area. Inspired by the tropical abundance, Rick heads to his backyard garden with master gardener Bill Shores before making greens with grilled honey-lime dressing and sweet-and-spicy chipotle-honey glazed shrimp dish.
Ask anyone about traditional cooking in the Yucatán and you’re bound to hear the name Miriam Peraza, a grandmotherly dynamo who knows every nook and cranny. She brings Rick to the bustling Mercado de Lucas de Galvez in Merida for a quick tour that includes a rare look at the making of recado spice pastes. Flanked by villagers in the remote town of Yaxunah, Miriam and Rick drop in to watch the making of pit-cooked cochinita pibil, the Yucatán’s iconic dish of achiote-smothered, pit-cooked suckling pig. At Manjarblanco restaurant in Merida, Miriam shows us her take on classic panuchos, sopa de lima and queso relleno. Then, Rick brings some of the Yucatán back to Chicago, where he cooks papadzules and shows us how to make cochinita pibil at home — banana leaves and quick-pickled onions included.
Rick brings you out of the plush resorts and into the streets of Playa del Carmen, where street vendors and roadside stands serve real-deal Mexican food. Rick heads to Antojitos Yucateco for cochinita pibil tortas, then to nearby Las Karnitas for tacos of golden, crispy carnitas with spicy salsa. Then Rick follows the smoke to a little roadside cart, where crowds gather for cecina estilo Yecapixtla, thin-cut seared beef with grilled onions and nopales. At Le Chique, a modern dining room between Cancun and Puerto Morales, Chef Jonatán Gómez Luna dazzles Rick with feats of Mexican molecular gastronomy. Back in Chicago, Rick shows you how to execute the perfect taco party of your own, complete with slow cooker carnitas, summer squash and guero chile and grilled achiote catfish with spicy habanero mayo.
The fertile waters of the Caribbean Sea provide exquisitely fresh fish, a bounty perhaps best translated on the plate through ceviche. Or sometimes you don’t even need a plate, like when Rick and Chef Juan Pablo Loza make a ceviche of freshly caught lobster on a boat in the Sian Ka’an nature reserve. At Catch, the Thompson Hotel’s swanky rooftop restaurant in Playa del Carmen, Chef Pedro Abascal teaches us to make a Peruvian-inspired mandarin, carrot, habanero and ginger ceviche with leche de tigre broth. Then, it’s off to nearby Axiote with Chef Xavier Perez Stone, who shows Rick how to make outrageously good coconut-shrimp ceviche. A delightful ferry ride brings Rick to picturesque Isla Mujeres, where young Chef Diego Lopez builds an absolute stunner of a dish, a ceviche of pargo with an herby green “mojito” broth. At Rick’s new Chicago restaurant, Lena Brava, he makes a deceptively simple aguachile in a cocktail shaker and teaches us to make a “Bloody Maria” coctel, complete with spicy salt rim.
Hartwood, one of Mexico’s most in-demand restaurants, sits nestled between the crystalline beaches and dense jungle in Tulum. Here, Chef Eric Werner explains the fascinating farm-to-table supply chain that brings ingredients into Hartwood’s unique live-fire kitchen. The rustic simplicity inspires Rick to shop for produce and chiles in Playa del Carmen’s laid-back markets. Back in the funky kitchen of a Playa condo rental, Rick prepares poblanos rellenos with tatume squash and longaniza sausage, a beautiful grilled fish with avocado salsa and coconut bread pudding for dessert.
In Yucatán, cooking over fire is a way of life. Rick meets up with Chef Juan Pablo Loza, who ignites the wood-fire grill for octopus with local pineapple. At Zama Beach Club in Isla Mujeres, Cancun Chef Federico Lopez fires up his seaside grill to make tikin xic, a Yucatecan grilled fish dish smothered with achiote, the region’s hallmark spice paste. And Chef Eric Werner shows off his all wood-fire kitchen at Hartwood in Tulum. Forever obsessed with cooking over fire, Rick brings us to Lena Brava, his new all wood-fire restaurant in Chicago, to make poc chuc, a traditional citrusy grilled spicy pork dish, then to his backyard for spatchcocked chicken al oregano worthy of a summertime fiesta.
David Sterling, chef and author of “Yucatán: Recipes from a Culinary Expedition,” brings Rick on a whirlwind tour of the peninsula. The pair of Oklahoma-born, Mexico-obsessed chefs begin their journey with a conversation in Hunucmá, where Dona Lupita serves home-cooked meals at the kitchen table of her family’s cocina económica. Though the Yucatán is not known for its bakeries, David brings us to the rustic wood-burning ovens at Panadería Liz in Merida. Then it’s back to the gorgeous kitchen at Los Dos Cooking School, where David makes a pan of buttery, indulgent hojaldras — a sweet-and-savory pastry stuffed with ham, cheese and chile and dusted with sugar. Inspired by all of the homey comfort, Rick makes a nourishing frijol con puerco and a hojaldra all his own.
Revered by his Mexican peers, Federico Lopez is one of Mexico’s most affable and talented chefs. He joins Rick at the enchanting Mercado Municipal in Valladolid to extol the virtues of unique Yucatecan produce. After that, the pair head to Temozón, to a decades-old meat market where they smoke pork in rustic ovens behind the store. With a basket full of market produce and smoked meats, the chefs return to Federico’s sleek catering kitchen in Cancun, where Federico artfully recreates the market in a salad of local beans, squash, heirloom tomato and chile dulce. Federico also makes pork tenderloin with longaniza sausage and beans. Back in Chicago, Rick makes lima bean soup with ham hock, plus pork lomitos.
If you could define the singular challenge facing Yucatecan chefs, it’s about honoring the past while pushing forward. Perhaps no one is more emblematic of the effort than Pedro Evia, co-owner of Ku’uk, a molecular fine dining palace housed in a restored Merida mansion. Rick and Pedro start their day talking tradition over tacos at Wayan’e, a busy family-run taco stand in Merida. Then, Pedro invites Rick to his home, where Pedro and his mother make traditional sopa de lentejas. At Ku’uk, Pedro shows us his ultra-modern take on the same dish. In the kitchen of Topolobampo in Chicago, Rick makes recado negro to complement cured duck. At home, he makes tacos with eggs and burnt habanero salsa, avocado and red onion — the perfect chef’s late-night snack.
Belgian-born chocolatier Mathieu Brees brings Rick deep in the jungles of Ticul for a tour of cacao groves. The serene setting is the backdrop for a complete bean-to-bar chocolate education, with Mathieu, Rick and the plantation’s caretaker tromping around the lovingly farmed cacao fields. Then, Rick and Mathieu head to the Ki’ Xocolatl chocolate factory in Merida. Still daydreaming about all of that chocolate, Rick makes a trio of cacao-inspired dishes, including a chocolate cake with candied ancho chile, red mole with chocolate and a cocktail featuring macerated cacao and chile-infused tequila.
Chef Pedro Abascal is changing tourist’s perceptions of the food in Riviera Maya, using local farms to supply his hip hotel restaurants. Rick and Pedro discuss his challenges and successes of his approach over a traditional Yucatecan meal at Faison y Venado. Rick pays a visit to a lamb farm in Tizimín for a conversation with a rancher, then heads to C-Grill, Pedro’s hip restaurant on the shores of Playa del Carmen, where he makes a beautiful roasted lamb in adobo. In Chicago, Rick heads to the outdoor Green City Market to gather ingredients for his grilled leg of lamb with green garlic mojo and camote mash, along with grilled asparagus with pasilla crema. Oh, and an incredibly delicious skillet cake.
Cooking in underground pits is an elemental part of Yucatecan cooking. In fact, it’s downright sacred, as we’ll see during the preparation of mucbil pollo at an intimate candlelit Hanal Pixan ceremony (think of it as the Yucatán’s version of Dias de Los Muertos.) Rick heads to Yaxunah to see the entire process of making cochinita pibil, from the digging of the pit to the garnishing of the tacos. Rick also visits the smoky ovens in Temozón, a village known throughout Yucatán for its purveyors of smoked meats. Then, he places a big order at Momocoa, a Southern-American-slash-Yucatecan barbecue joint in Merida run by Chef Paloma Ponce. All of the smoke stokes Rick’s inner pit master, so back in Chicago he makes short ribs with ancho BBQ sauce and pollo pibil.
The salt marshes of Celestun and a seaside octopus farm are unlikely places for a chef to get inspired. But Chef Roberto Solis’ approach to food has always been a little different — just see the menu of his revered restaurant Nectar in Merida, which continues to charm and dazzle. In Nectar’s kitchen, Roberto shows Rick how to make three of his restaurant’s favorite dishes, cebollas negras, poc chuc de pulpo and deeply satisfying crispy, seared pork belly with grilled pineapple and tomatillo. At home, Rick makes tostadas of charred octopus with escabeche, plus a succulent slow cooker red chile pork belly with braised kale. To finish it off, Rick makes manjar blanco, a traditional Yucatecan coconut dessert.
Tacos al Pastor are Mexico City’s most iconic taco, all red chile-marinated pork roasting slowly on a vertical spit and sliced with glistening pineapple into a warm corn tortilla. Rick offers a glimpse of the bustling city’s taco culture, from busy daytime eateries to late-night vendors. No trompo? No problem. Rick makes a version on his grill that will please al pastor purists, then it’s back to Chicago for grill-roasted black cod al pastor.
Chilaquiles are not just for hangovers, you know. Served everywhere from the regal downtown restaurant El Cardenal to the hipster haven Chilakillers, chilaquiles are a mainstay of Mexico City menus. But they’re also easy to achieve at home. Rick’s version, redolent with tangy tomatillo sauce, will be your next favorite “anytime” recipe. In Chicago, the traditional chilaquiles get an elegant touch with fried butternut strips and an earthy, complex pasilla chile sauce.
In Mexico, golden crispy churros are served with a cup of nourishing, frothy hot chocolate, and there’s perhaps no better snack in the whole republic. In this episode, Rick visits El Moro, a Mexico City institution, and then orders fistful of churros rellenos – that’s right, stuffed churros — in picturesque Coyocan. Back in Chicago, Rick’s recipe begins with classic Mexican hot chocolate and ends with churro nibbles showered atop Mexican hot chocolate ice cream.
Wherever you are in the world, a bowl of chicken soup is the cure for what ails you. In Mexico, that means a brothy bowl of shredded chicken with fried tortillas, earthy red chile, luscious cream, and fresh cheese. Rick shows you this big bowl of comfort at the countertop of La Corte, a workingperson’s downtown diner, and at the historically luxe San Angel Inn. At his Chicago home kitchen, Rick uses his kitchen’s pressure cooker to make two nurturing soups, a tried-and-true sopa de tortilla and a meal-in-a-bowl lamb-pasilla
A giant pot of pork and hominy stew simmering over a wood fire (or in our modern kitchens, the stovetop) is a clarion call to a homespun fiesta. But pozole can be found in the abundant pozolerias around Mexico. Rick takes you inside two – Casa Churra in the bustling downtown and El Pozole de Moctezuma, famous for its Guerrero-style pozole and off-the-beaten-path location – before making a traditional pozole in his own kitchen. In Chicago, he steps through a showcase seafood pozole verde, rich and lush with velvety broth.
How do you improve on ceviche? You don’t. You simply start with the freshest fish possible. Rick shows viewers how three eateries, including a decades-old street stall and upstart vendor making waves in San Juan Market, translate super-fresh fish into beautifully balanced ceviches. In his Mexico City kitchen, Rick makes the case for unfussy classic ceviche. Then he dials it up a notch with recipes for ceviches with coconut and a little booze.
There are seemingly as many styles of tamales as there are regions in Mexico, each steaming heap of fresh masa flavored in myriad ways. We’ll see the iconic corn-husked versions at the casual Tamales Teresita, as well as the denser, banana-leaf-wrapped Chiapanecos style, sold by a family outside the historic San Juan Bautisa church. Then Rick steps through the classic Central-style tamales, and at home prepares a surprising sweet corn tamal.
At the serene kitchen at Roldán 37, Chef Romulo Mendoza prepares a perfect chile relleno, the classic battered and fried poblano chile stuffed with pork picadillo. Then it’s off to Pasilla de Humo for Oaxacan-style dried, stuffed pasilla chiles and El Pescadito, a taqueria famous for its deep fried stuffed jalapeño tacos. To ensure at-home success, Rick goes step-by-step through the tricky business of battering and frying chiles for classic chiles rellenos, then takes it to the grill for a lighter, vegetable-filled version in his Chicago backyard.
When you say the word “enchiladas,” chances are you’re thinking about the saucy, cheesy affairs we’ve all come to know and love. But in Mexico City, you’ll find a vast variety of enchiladas, both in the simplest of markets and nicest of restaurants. At the stately Mexico City restaurants El Cardenal and Roldan 37, Rick explores an interesting array of flavors, then makes show-stopping dishes of classic green chile enchiladas and red chile shrimp enchiladas.
In the canon of Mexican tacos, the carnitas tacos claims its rightful, indulgent place at the top. Those golden, crispy pieces of pork nestled in a warm corn tortilla — coupled with a bracing squeeze of lime and spoonful of creamy guacamole — are pure perfection. Rick takes us to Los Panchos, a Mexico City institution famous for carnitas, and to the vibrant Medellin Market to watch a popular carnitas vendor in action. In Chicago, Rick makes three versions – two achievable takes on the classic, plus a duck carnitas to dazzle your next dinner party.
Whether in high-end restaurants or humble homesteads, the corn tortilla is the canvas on which Mexico creates some of its most classic cuisine. Rick shows us three styles in Mexico City — mouthwatering steak tacos al carbon, colorfully garnished bistec tacos a la plancha and stewed tacos de guisado — before stepping through lessons in the perfect at-home masterpieces.
Did you know the humble little meatball has a starring role in the Mexican kitchen? In this episode, Rick sees traditional versions of albondingas in the old-school Bar Mancera and modern versions in hipster haven Cicatriz. There’s even a meatball torta thrown in for good measure. And because sometimes a “best-ever” recipe needs to be something that gets to the table quickly, Rick makes crowd-pleasing versions suitable for weeknight cooking.
San Pedro Atocpan is a small town that produces some 60 percent of the mole eaten in all of Mexico, and Rick is pretty much the perfect tour guide to show us around. We’ll see mole in its many mouthwatering forms, including the elegant mole madre at Enrique Olvera’s Pujol. In his Mexico City kitchen, Rick leads a lesson in red mole making. In Chicago, he makes a herbacious mole verde with fish that will make you the hero of the kitchen.
