Avocado
AVOCADO & HEARTS OF PALM CHOP CHOP SALAD
Ensalada de Aguacate y Palmitos
Serves 4 to 6TO PREPARE
3 ripe Hass avocados, or about 2 pounds, pulp cut into large chunks
14 oz hearts of palm, or about 1 1/3 cups, drained, rinsed and thickly sliced
1 cup corn kernels, from 2 large freshly cooked ears of corn or thawed and cooked from frozen
1 tbsp red onion, chopped
6 oz cherry tomatoes, or about 1 cup, whole or halved according to your preference
Vinaigrette dressing (see below)
3 tbsp pumpkin seeds, toastedVinaigrette dressing:
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp lime juice
1/4 tsp dried oregano
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp brown sugar
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp safflower oilTO PREPARE
To make the vinaigrette, pour the vinegar and lime juice in a small bowl. Add the oregano, salt, sugar, and black pepper. Pour the oil in a slow stream, whisking with a whisk or fork to emulsify. The vinaigrette can be made a day ahead of time and refrigerated, just emulsify before using.To toast the pumpkin seeds, place them in an already hot, small saute pan set over medium heat. Stir often, being careful that they don’t burn; until you start to hear popping sounds (similar to popcorn) and they being to acquire a nice tan, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and place in a bowl.
In a bowl, gently mix the avocado chunks, hearts of palm, corn kernels, cherry tomatoes and red onion with the vinaigrette. Sprinkle with the toasted pumpkin seeds and serve.
The dish can be served as a main salad with a side of toast or pita bread. Or serve it as a side salad to grilled chicken, fish or meat.
AVOCADO AND COCONUT ICE CREAM
Helado de Aguacate y Coco
Serves 6INGREDIENTS
3 large ripe Hass avocados, about 2 pounds, halved, pitted, pulp scooped out (about 3 cups)
2 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
3/4 cups sugar, more to taste
1/4 cup dried shredded coconut, lightly toasted, optional for garnish, or toasted almonds, pine nuts or pistachiosTO PREPARE
Cut the avocados in half, remove the pit and scoop the pulp out. Cut the pulp into chunks and place it in the blender or food processor. Add the coconut milk, sugar, and lime juice, and puree until smooth.Process the avocado-coconut puree in you ice cream maker, or ice cream ball, according to the manufacturers instructions. Place in the freezer for a couple hours for firmer ice cream. If you don’t have an ice cream maker you can serve it as a cold mousse, or you can also freeze it and serve it as ice cream, but it will be a little less fluffy. But its still good!
Lightly toast the shredded coconut on a small saute pan set over medium-low heat, stirring constantly so it does not burn. It will take less than a minute. Once the coconut becomes fragrant and acquires a tan, remove and set aside. Sprinkle over the ice cream.
AVOCADO MARTINI
Martini de Aguacate
Single servingINGREDIENTS
2 oz vodka
1/2 oz dry vermouth
1/2 cup ripe pulp from a Hass avocado
2 tbsp cajeta or dulce de leche
2 tbsp sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup milkTO PREPARE
Pour all of the ingredients into a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake it and strain into chilled martini glasses.
CHUNKY GUACAMOLE
Guacamole en TrozosINGREDIENTS
2 ripe avocados, halved, pitted and pulp cut into chunks or roughly mashed
3 tbsp white onion, finely chopped
1 chile serrano or jalapeño, or to taste, minced (seeding is optional)
2 tbsp cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
3 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
1 tsp salt, more or less to tasteTO PREPARE
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and serve!
I’ve been wanting to write this post for days. Every time I try, it feels like hundreds of flowers bloom in my head, clouding my thoughts. My tongue gets tied too. Which is not common. I usually don’t hesitate to express my thoughts.
So. pushing aside the flowers and the thing with the tongue…
Dearest friends, here’s the news: if you like Mexican food, if you like Public Television, if you like my approach to cooking, then… I hope you’ll like to hear that Pati’s Mexican Table is premiering on National Public Television, this spring.
Here is a short PREVIEW (!)
I can tell you so many things about how the series came together and why I am so passionate about it. It’s been a fascinating journey: radically switching careers, launching the Culinary Program at the Institute, starting the blog, and now, embarking on the TV series.
Continue reading A National Public Television Series and an Avocado Chop Chop Salad: Take a Peek!
Ham and Cheese Sincronizadas with Flour Tortillas
Sincronizadas de Jamon con Queso
Makes 6INGREDIENTS
12 flour tortillas
Safflower or corn oil, optional
½ lb Mexican manchego or Chihuahua cheese, monterey jack, muenster, or light cheddar grated
½ lb or about 6 to 12 slices ham or turkey
Avocado slices, optional
Salsa of your choiceTO PREPARE
Heat a sauté pan or a comal over medium heat. You may add a light coat of oil to the pan if desired. Top as many tortillas as will fit into the pan or comal with a generous amount of shredded cheese and a slice of ham or turkey. Cover with a second tortilla. Toast until the bottom tortillas begin to achieve a nice tan and some freckles and the cheese begins to melt. Flip over and toast the other side. I like to wait until the cheese oozes out and crisps a little! Transfer to a plate and slice in half or quarters.Serve with a salsa of your choice and slices of ripe avocado on the side.
It is partly because of a soup like this, that I want to write a cookbook.
A soup that makes me feel all warm inside when I spoon it into my mouth.
A soup that has the earthiness and simplicity that grounds me.
A soup that, aside from having a comforting base, has layers of surprising life and color and crunch.
A soup that makes me want to eat nothing else for an entire week.
A soup that speaks of centennial traditions and is passed down through generations recipes.
A soup that is a pleasure to think about, to write about, to talk about, to prepare and to savor.
It is mostly because I want to share a soup like this with you, dear friends, that I am jumping to write this cookbook.
So with great news to share: I will be working with the delightful Rux Martin, editor at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, to make this cookbook come to life.
In this book, I will write about -and tell you how to make- all of those foods that make me want to scream out of joy, along with the stories that revolve around them.
Continue reading On a Soup and a Book
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On a Soup and a Book
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Avocado Soup for Cinco de Mayo on WUSA9
Though there are many kinds of avocado soups, this is my favorite. I tried it at the Mexican Ambassador’s residence a couple months ago. As Doña Rosita, the cook, heard me mmm, and mmm, and mmmmmmm all over again, she came out of the kitchen with a pen and a piece of paper ready to dictate her recipe.
What a surprise for such a tasty soup: just a handful of ingredients! Seems that what matters, again, is how you use them.
Doña Rosita told me she has tweaked her recipe through time. Also, she sometimes tops it with tortilla crisps, and sometimes with fresh croutons. Depends on the mood. But she always serves it with crumbled Queso Fresco. There you go! Another thing you can do with that Mexican Fresh Cheese, aside from a Green Salad and Enfrijoladas.
It is easy, tasty and sounds oh… so… fancy. Plus, it is wholesome. The only thing I added to Doña Rosita’s recipe, is some fresh lime juice. I couldn’t help it. So check it out, this is how it goes:
Continue reading Avocado Soup with Queso Fresco
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Avocado Soup with Queso Fresco
We came back home exhausted, after being away for a couple weeks in Canada for a big family reunion. Though we had delicious meals, trying all sorts of Canadian fare, as soon as we walked in I was ready to make some comforting, home tasting food.
Few things taste more like home to me, than beans. In Mexico there is always, always, a simmering pot of beans cooking at some point during the week in any kitchen. As beans need to be cooked for a long time, they infuse the kitchen with a moist, earthy and cozy aroma, that remains even after the beans are ready.
Of course one can make more than a thousand things with a batch of Frijoles de Olla, or Beans from the Pot. But one of the things that are the most simple, yet comforting, asides from scooping them with corn tortillas, are Enfrijoladas.
Continue reading Queso Fresco: Enfrijoladas
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Queso Fresco: Enfrijoladas
09 May 2013
Talks at Google: Pati Jinich
04 May 2013
CBS This Morning: Chef Pati Jinich’s Cinco de Mayo feast
03 May 2013
Fox News Radio: Cinco de Mayo with Pati’s Mexican Table
02 May 2013
All Things Considered: This Little Piggy Cookie Is A Sweet Mexican Find
01 May 2013
The Chew: Pati Jinich Heats Up The Kitchen
30 May 2013
The Asian Influence in Mexican Cooking
07 Jul 2013
Canyon Ranch Cooks
29 Sep 2013
Book Tour: Baltimore Book Festival
24 Oct 2013
Mex-Americana: The Evolution of Mexican Food in the US
