At the Table With…Marcela Valladolid

Dish you crave from mom or abuela:

There are many but torta de milanesa (thinly pounded chicken breast, breaded and lightly fried and stuffed in a Mexican bun for a sandwich) were one of my favorite after-school comidas. My mom would serve the tortas de milanesa with lettuce and tomato as well as avocado slices and pickeld jalapenos and would spread the bolillo (the roll) with a homemade chipotle mayo. Amazing. 

 
Secret ingredient to make a dish pop:

Ground dried chiles! They add a smokey, spicy richness that no other ingredient can give you. 
 
Favorite Latin restaurant in U.S.:

In Chula Vista, Calif. (my ‘hood) it has to be Aqui es Texcoco. They serve traditional Mexican Barbacoa-style lamb that’s unlike anything else in the entire country. Real-deal, homestyle Mexican food. They also have huitlacoche quesadillas.

 
Secret to a perfect dinner party:

Make a menu consisting of dishes that can be made in advance. If you’re cooking in a rush and last minute, things are much more likely to get messy. Braised dishes and dishes that can be served at room temperature are the best for entertaining. 

Biggest food indulgence:

In-N-Out burgers. So not Mexican and they make me so happy.

Favorite vegetable:

Broccolini. Sweeter and more tender than regular broccoli. I roast it at a really high temperature, then drizzle with a mix of soy sauce, serrano chiles and lime. 

Best food memory:

Thanksgiving at my grandparents house in Tijuana sharing a huge meal where our two cultures would collide. Half of my family is Mexican and half is American, so there would be tamales and turkey and the cranberry sauce would have chipotles in it. 

 
Ideal breakfast, lunch and dinner:

Breakfast: Flour tortilla quesadillas with smoked ham, avocado slices and bottled hot sauce.

Lunch: Grilled Veggie Salad

Dinner: Chicken Flautas (rolled up taquitos) topped with shredded lettuce, crema, queso fresco, fresh salsa and avocados

Favorite Latin cocktail:

Paloma made from scratch. A drink made all over Mexico by combining grapefruit soda with tequila. I squeeze my own grapefruit juice and add soda and tequila with a small squirt of lime and sweetened with a tiny bit of simple syrup. So refreshing, very dangerous because you can’t taste the tequila. 

Perfect song to cook to:

My son Fausto is usually in the kitchen with me and he favors hip hop, so we’re usually dancing and cooking together.

Most adventurous ingredient/food you eat:

Huitlacoche! A Mexican delicacy!

Want more? Through August 25th, new episodes of Marcela’s Valladolid’s Mexican Made Easy air on the Food Network on Saturday mornings. 9 AM EST/CST time.