Pati Jinich (Photo: Michael Ventura)
In her cookbooks, on her PBS TV series Pati’s Mexican Table, and in appearances on other food shows, Pati Jinich makes the cooking of her native country accessible and inviting to American cooks. In her newest book, Mexican Today: New and Rediscovered Recipes for Contemporary Kitchens, (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), she shares both traditional recipes and her own new spins on classic dishes.
Some are regional recipes she has recovered and updated, like Miners’ Enchiladas with fresh vegetables and cheese or Drunken Rice with Chicken and Chorizo, a specialty of the Yucatán. “Sweaty” Tacos with ripe tomatoes and cheese are so convenient they’re sold on Mexican streets by bicyclists. Still other dishes show the evolution of Mexican food north and south of the border, such as Cal-Mex Fish Tacos with Creamy Slaw.
In a conversation with National Geographic food writer Mary Beth Albright, Jinich discusses her Mexican heritage and shares stories of the food, people, and places behind the recipes in her newest collection. A light reception of Mexican treats follows, along with a book signing.
