How-To Video: Roberto Santibañez’s Rajas Tacos

Chef Roberto Santibañez, one of TLK’s featured chefs, is a Mexico City native who’s made his mark in New York City with his modern Mexican restaurant Fonda. Over the next several weeks, Santibañez will be heading into the kitchen to show us how to make some of his (and our) favorite dishes. In this video, Santibañez demonstrates how to make rajas tacos or roasted poblano pepper tacos.

Below, Santibañez shows you how to roast the peppers until they are sweet and smoky, infuse them with flavor with onions and garlic, and tuck them into warm tortillas with salty queso fresco and cool Mexican crema.

Roberto Santibañez first discovered the wonders of the kitchen with his grandmother, who taught him that cooking didn’t always have to be done with a recipe in hand. After working in kitchens through college, Santibañez set out for Europe, graduating from the famed Le Corden Bleu. After stints in England, Mexico City, and Texas, Santibañez settled in New York, serving as culinary director for Rosa Mexicano. His first cookbook, Rosa’s New Mexican Table was nominated for a James Beard Award, his second, Truly Mexican, was listed as one of the Notable Cookbooks of 2011 by The New York Times. His latest cookbook, Tacos, Tortas, and Tamales came out late last year. Since publishing his cookbook, Santibañez has moved on to the Latin inspired La Botaneria in Park Slope, specializing in botanas or snacks offered alongside drinks at bars in Mexico and Spain.