Cooking In Mexican From A to Z

On today's episode, Aarón and Zarela are thrilled to speak with Mauricio Euresty, an expert on cattle and butchery. Together they tackle the subject from tip to tail, covering differences between the preferred Mexican cuts versus American cuts, the effect of terroir on beef, how ribeye is the key to cattle grading, and trendy cuts in high end Mexican restaurants.

For more recipes from Zarelaand Aarón, visitzarela.comandchefaaronsanchez.com

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Cooking in Mexican from A to Z is produced by HotDish Productions and powered bySimplecast.

On today's show Zarela & Aarón are thrilled to welcome James Oseland. James recently released his book World Food: Mexico City: Heritage Recipes for Classic Home Cooking, which Zarela & Aarón absolutely love. While these three could talk about any aspect of Mexican cooking, for today's episode they've decided to focus on Soups.

They set the stage by discussing the importance of soup in the average Mexican diet and outlining the difference between caldos and sopas. Then they each share their favorite soups and, especially, soup toppings! Plus, lots of great cooking tips from Aarón and Zarela.

For more recipes from Zarelaand Aarón, visitzarela.comandchefaaronsanchez.com

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Cooking in Mexican from A to Z bybecoming a member!

Cooking in Mexican from A to Z is produced by HotDish Productions and powered bySimplecast.

On this week's show, Zarela & Aarón welcome Aarón's close compadre, Manny Hinojosa. Manny is a global ambassador for Tequila Cazadores, and he has a passion and deep knowledge of both tequila production and mixology. He kicks off the show by sharing his story of coming to the United States and finding his way into the bartending scene. Along the way he shares insights on cocktail competitions, the history of the earliest tequila producers, and firsthand experience of how the growing conditions of agave affects the flavor and aroma of finished tequilas.

Plus, there are very spirited discussions of a number of cocktails including the Margarita, Cuba Libre, Paloma, Bandera & Vampiro, and Zarela and Aarón share their histories of cooking with tequila.

For more recipes from Zarelaand Aarón, visitzarela.comandchefaaronsanchez.com

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Cooking in Mexican from A to Z bybecoming a member!

Cooking in Mexican from A to Z is produced by HotDish Productions and powered bySimplecast.

On the season 3 premiere ofCooking In Mexican from A to Z,Zarelaand Aarón go back to basics. They sit down together, mother & son, to discuss the foundational principles of the cooking. These are flavor principles they use every day in the kitchen, in a wide variety of dishes. They also sprinkle in a love letter to hatch chiles, memories of what Aarón was like as a child, and some previews of what's to come on this season of the show.

Some of the flavor principles they focus on include: recipes forZarela's Chipotle Base and Aarón's variation "Chipotle Love," multiple uses of a roasted poblano, garlic, and onion mixture, and numerous ideas for tomatillo and adobo sauces. Plus,Zarelashares some of her mother's favorite cooking bases fromZarela's childhood on the ranch.

For more recipes from Zarelaand Aarón, visitzarela.comandchefaaronsanchez.com

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Cooking in Mexican from A to Z by becoming a member!

Cooking in Mexican from A to Z is produced by HotDish Productions and powered bySimplecast.

This week Zarela and Aarón go on a culinary tour of Baja California's Valle de Guadalupe with their guide, Colman Andrews. Colman has been writing about food and wine for decades and is currently a senior editor at 24/7 Wall St. He has traveled extensively throughout baja california, and his passion for the Valle de Guadalupe region fuels our tour!

Together, they cover how wine came to the region for use in religious services, and the particular qualities of the grapes grown there. They discuss the use of the term "Baja Mediterranean" to describe the region's blend of cuisines, and run through some of the culinary highlights, including: fish tacos, oysters, sea urchin tostadas, farmed tuna, and an interesting take on barbacoa. Finally, they each share their experiences of the unique ecosystem that exists on the peninsula, and outline efforts underway to preserve it.

For more recipes from Zarela and Aarón, visitzarela.com and chefaaronsanchez.com

Photo Courtesy of Isabelle Andrews

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Cooking in Mexican from A to Z by becoming a member!

Cooking in Mexican from A to Z is produced by HotDish Productions and powered bySimplecast.

In this spirited episode, Zarela and Aarón are thrilled to welcome their close friend Maricel Presilla to talk about recados and spice blends. Maricel is a chef, restauranteur, and the author of Gran Cocina Latina: The Food of Latin America.

Together the three dissect the essential Mexican spices, and how they are used. They explain the differences between Recado Negro and Recado Rojo and give some tips for doctoring up store-bought versions in the home kitchen. Marisel also polls the room about their favorite moles, and they discuss which spices pair best with a variety of meats, such as duck, turkey, and ribs.

For more recipes from Zarela and Aarón, visitzarela.com and chefaaronsanchez.com

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Cooking in Mexican from A to Z by becoming a member!

Cooking in Mexican from A to Z is produced by HotDish Productions and powered bySimplecast.

Today Aarón and Zarela are thrilled to welcome Víctor Macías-González to talk about the culinary exchange on the border between Juarez and El Paso. Victor is a professor who focuses on Mexican and Latinx histories, as well as the history of gender and sexuality. All 3 share memories of their early lives in the region; including Aaron's Saturday shopping and barbershop trips in Juarez and Zarela's memories of the dance culture.

And, of course, they discuss the food! They list local favorites, discuss the popularity of El Paso meats, explain why the Juarez sweet breads were superior to the El Paso version, and much more.

For more recipes from Zarela and Aarón, visitzarela.com and chefaaronsanchez.com

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Cooking in Mexican from A to Z by becoming a member!

Cooking in Mexican from A to Z is produced by HotDish Productions and powered bySimplecast.

Today Zarela and Aarón are joined by their friend Yira Vallejo. Yira spent ten years as a brand incubator in the wine and spirits industry of New York City, before returning to Oaxaca in 2014. Now she works to preserve the cultural and biological diversity of Oaxaca through a number of projects, including a documentary film and the production of Mexican Corn Whiskey. Together Aarón, Zarela and Yira outline the history of corn whiskey, tell us about the system of seed exchange that has preserved heirloom crops, and explain how Yira partners with local farmers to encourage the production of these precious grains.

For more recipes from Zarela and Aarón, visitzarela.com and chefaaronsanchez.com

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Cooking in Mexican from A to Z by becoming a member!

Cooking in Mexican from A to Z is produced by HotDish Productions and powered bySimplecast.

On this episode, Aarón and Zarela welcome Bricia Lopez for a love letter to the food and culture of Oaxaca. Bricia and her siblings run Guelaguetza, the restaurant her father started 27 years ago. Bricia believes that Oaxaca's most unique asset is its diversity of chiles, spices and herbs, so they've started an online marketplace to sell those products as well.

Together, Zarela, Aarón and Bricia share their insights into the Oaxacan ingredients, traditions, and personality. Plus, they explore the market culture of Oaxaca, and discuss the Oaxacan Mezcal tradition and the ways in which it is or is not a matriarchal society.

For more recipes from Zarela and Aarón, visitzarela.com and chefaaronsanchez.com

Photo Courtesy of Quentin Bacon

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Cooking in Mexican from A to Z by becoming a member!

Cooking in Mexican from A to Z is produced by HotDish Productions and powered bySimplecast.

On this episode, Aarón and Zarela are joined by their friend Jeffrey Pilcher to talk about the development of Mexican Cuisine; from indigenous, pre-hispanic cultures up to its spread in the United States. Jeffrey is a food historian who teaches at the University of Toronto and has written numerous books, including "Planet Taco: A Global History of Mexican Food." Together, they discuss how food cultures develop, from childhood on, and how individual chefs push the evolution of a cuisine. They cover everything from "trends" in Mayan cooking to the development of Tex-Mex, and Aaron gives his take on what he sees as the current trends in Mexican cuisine in the U.S. and Mexico.

Click here for the Mexican Restaurants of NYC Story Map that Jeffrey mentions.

For more recipes from Zarela and Aarón, visitzarela.com and chefaaronsanchez.com

Heritage Radio Network is a listener supported nonprofit podcast network. Support Cooking in Mexican from A to Z by becoming a member!

Cooking in Mexican from A to Z is produced by HotDish Productions and powered bySimplecast.