Joanne W eir— author, teacher, and PBS
star— guides you
through the fresh flavors
of Mexican cooking. ?T m no purist,
I take
chances,
speed things up, and add m y own twists
to traditional dishes/'
I grew up thinking that tacos had crunchy hard folded shells, and the
sauce and cheese came in a box, and I loved them. But when I was an
adult, I made a trip to Mexico that changed everything. I remember
the very first time I saw a taco truck hugging the sidewalk in Puerto
Vallarta. I couldn’t pass it by. The menu posted on the side of the
truck was completely foreign to me. I’d never heard of
ca r n it a s,
a l p a sto r,
or carne asada, but I decided to go for it anyway and
pointed as I ordered all three.
I
was handed a white paper plate filled with tacos that were different
from anything I’d seen before. The tortillas were soft, warm, and
smelled of fresh sweet corn. The filling was chunks of beef or pork
simmered in spices and herbs. On top, there were bright green sprigs of
cilantro and juicy-red
p ic o d e g a llo
salsa with big wedges of lime. I took
my first bite.
...
I couldn’t get over the flavors of cumin, lime, oregano, jalapeno, and
cilantro. I tasted sweet, sour, and spicy all in one bite, and the flavors
balanced so perfectly. Where had this taco truck been all my life?
~
I travel the world teaching cooking and writing about food. I write
“In Mexico they’re
mostly about the Mediterranean and ingredients like olive oil, garlic,
called empanadas,”
tomatoes, lemon, eggplant, figs, rosemary, and lavender. But when I got
says Joanne,
and they re
t0 Mexico and that taco truck, something struck a chord in me. What I
filled with everything and
°
anything, i call them hand
discovered about Mexican cuisine, and what I love most about it, is the
pies—a snack to enjoy before
simplicity of ingredients and the bold, bright flavors,
meals, or as a light lunch.
In Mexico, the dough is
handmade, but to save
time, make them with
store-bought puff pastry.”
WORDS AN D RECIPES BY JO AN N E W E IR
PRODUCED BY N AN C Y W A LL H O PKIN S |
PHOTOS AN D Y LYONS
FOOD S T Y LIN G J IL L LUST |
PROP S T Y LIN G SUE M IT C H E L L
