Advertise on podcast: Cooking In Mexican From A to Z

On this episode Aarón and Zarela are thrilled to welcome Mariana Barrera to dive deep into the topic of Mexican Charcuterie. Mariana and her family run Humo y Sal, a charcuterie in Monterrey, where they prepare a wide variety of meat products as well as mustard, honey, and more. She shares how she got into the business, how she gathers inspiration from the way each Mexican state has their own regional specialties and seasonings, and how the local environment affects what they can produce in their region. Plus, Mariana gives an overview of the food culture of Monterrey, one of Aarón’s favorite food destinations, and Aarón pitches Mariana on a Mexican version of scrapple.

returning home to open Origen

On this week's show, Zarela & Aarón welcome Sagrario Cruz Carretero to explore the history and cultural legacy of Afro-Mexican cuisine. First, they set the stage with some context about the past and present demographics of African immigration to Mexico. Sagrario shares her personal story of how a trip to Cuba - and her own family history - ignited her interest in this topic. Together they document various Afro-inspired ingredients including plantain, yucca, malanga, rice and beans, gandinga, soup, chitlins, various distillates, and more. Looking for more? Many Afro-Mexican recipes can be found in Zarela's Veracruz. For more recipes from Zarela and Aarón, visit zarela.com and chefaaronsanchez.com

For our Season 4 launch of Cooking in Mexican from A to Z, Zarela & Aaron sit down together to discuss the most-requested topic from their listeners: Tamales. Together they detail every part of the tamale-making process, including tips like: what lard does for tamales, why you shouldn't overfill your tamales, and how you could repurpose your smoker or pizza oven to mimic the traditional sacahuil technique. Plus, they discuss different regional styles of tamales and the role tamales play in wakes, weddings, and Christmas celebrations. For more recipes from Zarela and Aarón, visit zarela.com and chefaaronsanchez.com

For our final episode of 2021, Zarela & Aarón are thrilled to welcome Mauricio Velázquez de León to discuss his relative, Josefina Velázquez de León. Josefina was Mexico's first celebrity chef: she was on the radio, television, and published dozens of cookbooks popularizing traditional Mexican cuisine. Together they dive into Josefina's legacy: she championed new technologies, promoted Mexican cooking both at home and abroad, and celebrated women throughout North America. Though Mauricio was only 5 when Josefina passed away, he was raised on stories of her life and works. He has followed her footsteps in becoming a publisher in his own right; check out his work at Duopress Books. For more recipes from Zarela and Aarón, visit zarela.com and chefaaronsanchez.com

On this week's show Aarón and Zarela are thrilled to welcome their longtime friend Stephan Pyles to discuss all things Tex-Mex and Southwestern Cuisine. Stephan is a 5th generation Texan and a founding father of Southwestern Cuisine, who created 23 restaurants in 6 cities over more than three decades of cooking. Stephan and Zarela have known each other since the earliest days of Zarela's career, and they recently traveled to Oaxaca together. We hear all about the most surprising meals from their trip, and then they regale us with some older, personal highlights of their time spent with Zarela's mother; from careening through L.A. traffic to entertaining together at Stephan's home. Plus, they track the evolution of Tex-Mex and modern Texan cuisine, and have a spirited discussion regarding the invention of the burrito. For more recipes from Zarela and Aarón, visit zarela.com and chefaaronsanchez.com

On today's episode Aarón and Zarela welcome Carlos Yescas to talk all about Mexican cheese. Carlos is the founder of Lactography and LACTEO Network, and an incredibly knowledgable global cheese advocate. He is also a fellow HRN Host, on the show Cutting the Curd. Carlos guides us all through the dairy making process, moving from milk to crema to requeson to cuajada to panela and more. At every point in the cheesemaking process his primary concern is quality and he teaches that consumers can make a positive impact by demanding higher quality dairy products. This is a master class on Mexican cheese! For more recipes from Zarela and Aarón, visit zarela.com and chefaaronsanchez.com

On this week's episode Aarón and Zarela are thrilled to welcome Rafael Mier, the Founder and Director of Fundación Tortilla, to guide us through a deep dive on Corn. Rafael's mission is to preserve and popularize the many, wonderful heirloom varietals of corn that can be found all over Mexico. Together they pick apart the differences between various types of corn, and how that impacts their use. They also discuss what the Mexican government is doing to protect heirloom corn varietals, how some regions use corn leaves instead of the husks for wrapping tamales, and Zarela shares her recipe for zacahuil. Have you ever wondered what makes popcorn pop? This is the episode for you! For more recipes from Zarela and Aarón, visit zarela.com and chefaaronsanchez.com

On this week's show, Aarón and Zarela discuss Sonoran cuisine with their friend Regina Schrambling. Regina grew up in Arizona, across the border from Zarela's native state of Sonora. Together they reminisce about the meals and treats of their respective childhoods. Along the way they try to spell out how Sonoran cuisine is distinct from Tex Mex, how Pozoles vary indifferent regions in Mexico, and how the advent of refrigeration has changed how we consume meat. Plus, Aarón shares his traditional recipe for Menudo, and his techniques for preparing tongue in the kitchen. And last, but not least, we have several rounds of spirited discussion about the Sonoran Hot Dog.

On this week's show Aarón and Zarela are thrilled to welcome Pati Jinich. Pati is a chef, author, and TV personality, and she joins Aarón and Zarela to discuss the traditions of The Day of the Dead. They start with the origins of Día de los Muertos as a 3 month long pre-hispanic celebration, and proceed to explore its significance in Mexican culture. Along the way, Pati covers a variety of recipes for Pan de Muerto, from her favorite traditional recipe to more modern takes she has found in Mexico City. They also discuss a number of moles and how they factor into the celebrations. Zarela & Aarón could have Pati on to speak about almost any topic having to do with Mexican cooking, so they also dip into a number of other subjects, including: highlights of food in Mexico City, the particularities of the cuisine of northern border towns, Mexican pizza, sushi, and more. If you enjoy this conversation, look out for Pati's newest cookbook, Treasures of the Mexican Table: Classic Recipes, Local Secrets, which releases on November 23rd, 2021.

On today's show Aarón and Zarela are joined by Cristina Potters to talk about pasta in Mexican cooking. Cristina has lived in Mexico for over 40 years, and shares her knowledge of Mexican home cooking through her work as an author and tour guide. Together they cover food history, Aaron and Cristina point out ties between Mexican dishes and their European and Arabic influences, and Cristina discusses the spread of ramen noodles in Mexican since the late 80's. They also each share several recipes: Cristina and Zarela swap their recipes for Caldillo and Caldo de Fideo, and Aaron and Cristinna swap ideas for creating American pasta dishes with Mexican flare. For more recipes from Zarela and Aarón, visit zarela.com and chefaaronsanchez.com

On today's show, Aarón and Zarela are joined by Neal Fraser, the chef and owner of Red Bird in Los Angeles. Neal is a lifelong Angeleno, and longtime friend of Aarón's, and together they explore the modern intersections of Californian and Mexican cuisine. They explore a number of unusual ingredients from insects to corn fungus, as they map out regional influences from San Cristobal de las Casas to The Valley. For more recipes from Zarela and Aarón, visit zarela.com and chefaaronsanchez.com