>> Pati Narrates: People always talk about the beauty of the state of Oaxaca.

If you're lucky enough to come to Oaxaca, chances are you'll end up right here in the Colonial City staring up at Her beautiful cathedral.

But you'll probably never make it here.

I've been to Oaxaca many times, but La Mixteca Region is a mystery to me.

I'm here to meet with one of Oaxaca's most incredible chefs to experience roadless travel, and to get a taste of Mixteca's unique cuisine.

>> The spiciness of the chorizo together with the chocolate is incredible.

>> Pati Narrates: In my kitchen, I'm turning that experience into delicious family friendly recipes.

Corn Soup with Queso.

And a delightful Pescado Agridulce.

Mmm, the serranos are definitely there.

I love the heat.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> Pati's Mexican Table is made possible by: >> Some things are always there for you.

Like your alarm clock, right on time.

Your parking space.

Seriously?

Girl's night, always there.

And avocados from Mexico.

They're always there because they're fresh all year round.

♪ Avocados from Mexico ♪ >> La Costeña, por sabor!

Taste that transcends.

More information at mexicorico.com >> Introducing FUD Campirano Mexican cheeses with resealable packaging!

>> The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food.

Mexbest.

And The National Agricultural Council.

♪ epic music plays ♪ ♪ ♪ >> Pati Narrates: There is an Oaxaca you know.

The Colonial City, the center of tourism.

There are the day trips: Hierve el Agua.

Mezcal country.

And then, there's La Mixteca.

Off the beaten path?

That's an understatement.

The culture and cuisine of this region is unique, and of course there's a story.

>> La Mixteca was the place where all trade routes converged from Mexico City to Guatemala, and from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Coast.

It was a place to load and unload.

>> Pati Narrates: The 4 hour drive North from Oaxaca City into the mountains, passing towering beautiful cathedrals marking the Dominican Friars Route of centuries ago is worth the trip alone.

But I've come to the city of Tlaxiaco for one reason: to meet the incredible chef Ixchel.

>> Ixchel is a really proud chef from La Mixteca region.

She started as a home cook to three boys.

Sound familiar?

And she's now one of Oaxaca's best known chefs.

Ixchel has a mission to show what Mixteca cuisine is all about.

>> Pati Narrates: And of course the best place to begin is at the market.

>> While Ixchel shows me around, we'll also be buying all of the ingredients for the meal we are going to prepare later.

>> Mmm!

>> So on Saturdays, it's like the market completely takes over the town?

>> Yes.

>> The market is there every day of the week with some stands here and there, but on Saturday expands to the edges of the city.

>> This is the bread area.

>> Ooh.

>> Mmm.

Mmm!

>> Gracias!

>> Pati Narrates: Bread is so unique here in La Mixteca that Ixchel was dying to take me to her favorite bakery.

>> Tlaxiaco is known for a really unique bread that's called "cemita" That's so beautiful!

It smells sweet.

>> It does smell sweet because the dough of the bread is made with >> Okay.

So you make the dough, you make the balls, and then you roll it.

>> Yes.

>> Okay.

Why these two lines?

>> So it's like 5 - 7 minutes?

>> Yes.

>> They're so beautiful and shiny!

>> It's hollow!

Cemitas puffed up as if it were a gigantic pita.

>> Everybody eats them filled with this.

This is a traditional cheese from here, queso ranchero.

>> Mmm.

It's irresistible because it's so crunchy on the top, but it has some parts that are chewy still.

This is delicious.

>> Yeah.

>> Que rico!

>> Okay, now fill it with ice cream.

>> With ice cream!?

>> Yes.

Delicious.

>> It's a completely different thing.

With the cold, it hardened, and it's a lot crisper.

I mean, it's like a completely, like, the bread now - it's like Dr. Jekyll and Hyde.

>> (Laughs) >> I really connected with Ixchel.

We're both women chefs, we both have this unbridled passion for what we're doing and she also has 3 kids, but hers are triplets.

>> Pati Narrates: Ixchel takes me to the outdoor kitchen that she runs with her family where she's going to prepare a very special dish.

>> In Tlaxiaco we have a story, we have a history, we have advanced, and we have maybe the most traditional dish of Tlaxiaco, it's a mole.

We make 3 recipes.

>> 3 recipes for this mole.

>> And now being a busy mother of 3, how often do you make a meal like this?

>> All women have to find the time, no?

>> (Laughs) >> Pati Narrates: Ixchel begins by coating her pot with lard.

Then she builds a base layer of tomato, tomatillo, almonds, raisins and onions, along with garlic, sugar and salt.

>> This is the first layer.

>> Okay.

>> You have to put another layer.

This is a one chili mole.

>> So that's unique because many chilis in Oaxaca use a combinations of chilis.

>> Pati Narrates: Ixchel deep fries all of the mole ingredients in the same oil where all of the flavors begin to mix.

>> When you finish with the chili, we continue with the nuts.

And when you're finished the nuts, we continue with the fruits.

And then we finally fry the tomato.

>> I've never seen such a complex mole in my life.

It even had chorizo pureed into the sauce!

>> Where did you learn this recipe?

>> I had a teacher, she died.

>> Oh.

Was she from Tlaxiaco?

>> Tlaxiaco.

The most traditional woman.

>> Pati Narrates: Ixchel next begins to deep fry the filling made of boiled lamb's heart, liver and lungs.

>> So when you told me that Tlaxiaco was a commercial meeting point, I mean, it's like right here, you're tasting the mix of immigrant waves and centuries in one really baroque dish.

So this is homemade Oaxacan style chocolate.

Tell me, there's cacao, cinnamon, >> - sugar, and a little bit of egg yolk.

>> Egg yolk!

So that thickens it.

>> Yes.

>> So these are all the ingredients that you deep fried in lard, and you ground.

>> Can you see the color?

>> Yes!

Chorizo and chocolate together, that's insane!

>> The spiciness, the richness and the smokiness of the chorizo together with the chocolate is just incredible.

>> Mmm!

You could practically make a meal out of each separate thing.

>> I loved spending time with Ixchel!

Every time I learn about what goes into making a certain dish, you get so much more joy out of eating it.

>> I'm constantly reminded of how many different regional cuisines there are in Mexico.

If you think about it there's all these little pockets.

Even a tiny little town like Tlaxiaco has its own really strong culinary identity, and I have so much fun when I travel to places bringing those things that I taste into my kitchen.

Right now, I'm gonna make an Agridulce sauce to go with halibut.

It's simple, it's delicious, and it has very few ingredients.

So I'm gonna start by slicing white onion.

Every time I travel, whenever I taste something new or exciting I'm always thinking of how I'm gonna present it to the boys.

They've become such adventurous eaters, and they really will eat anything I put on their plates, so I'm constantly challenged to up my game.

I have about a cup of slivered onion, and then I'm gonna use 1 pound of roma tomatoes, and this is gonna be like 5 because they're not that big.

You really want to get the tomatoes that are really soft and colorful, you don't want to store your tomatoes in the refrigerator, you wanna leave them outside in a bowl like your avocados to ripen and really be their juiciest and sweetest.

I'm gonna cut them into little dice.

In Mexican cooking, we mostly use roma tomatoes or we also call them "guaje" which I think is a really cute name for anything that's cooked.

Sauces, soups, stews because they're sort of pulpier and they lend themselves better to be turned into something mashed or pureed.

Tomatillos are so beautiful.

They are such a precious ingredient.

The dirt doesn't matter, that's fine, but if they get too wrinkly, like this, or if they're mushy or discolored, you wanna leave those at the store.

I have 8, that makes a pound.

You just rinse them off with cold water.

Poof!

The stickiness is totally gone.

Now I'm gonna dice the tomatillos.

I am not getting rid of the seeds, and I am not getting rid of the core or anything.

Nothing goes to waste.

This sauce that I'm making today was actually inspired by Ixchel's Salsa Agridulce.

I made it the first time with halibut, it was a great success, and then I continued playing and I'm like "Okay, I'm gonna try it with swordfish".

Did not work.

So I'm back to halibut, loving it, and sharing it with you.

I'm gonna add 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

I have 4 cloves of garlic.

Onion we've cooked for a couple of minutes, and the garlic I'm just cooking until it softens and I can start smelling it a little bit.

So pretty!

I'm gonna season that a little bit with teaspoon of salt, and then the teaspoon of brown sugar, you can do dark or light brown sugar.

If you have piloncillo, go for that.

And then I'm gonna add the spices which are so interesting.

It makes the Agridulce or the sweet and sour of the sauce really gain a different dimension.

So I'm adding the 1/4 teaspoon of allspice, 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon.

You know, Ixchel just like me is the mom of 3 kids, but she had the 3 at the same time, so she had less downtime than me.

I think I really connected with Ixchel, not only because we're both moms, but we're really trying to instil this sense of adventure in cooking and eating to our kids.

So this is gonna cook for 3 - 4 minutes, and meanwhile I'm gonna slice my olives.

I love olives.

I'm gonna add a 1/4 cup, and I have a 1/4 cup of slivered almonds, and that's it for this sauce.

Really fascinating how ingredients that I already know come together in such a different way by combining them differently.

So I'm gonna turn this off so I can start my soup.

The very first thing I tried when I first set foot in Tlaxiaco was a corn soup very similar to this one, and I was starved because we had been on the road for a long time and this soup tasted so simple and delicious to me.

Now the funny thing about this soup, it's like a take on a very popular street food in Mexico where corn is shaved off the cob and then cooked exactly as I'm gonna cook it now, but then you garnish it with mayo, cream, lime and salt.

I chopped a 1/2 cup of onion and then I'm gonna grab 2 serrano chilis.

If it's the first time you make this soup, I recommend you add 1.

You can also decide if you want to remove the seeds.

I'm keeping the seeds 'cause I love the flavor and the heat.

So I'm gonna add 2 tablespoons of butter, and I'm gonna add 1 tablespoon of oil.

I get a lot of questions about using chilis or peppers in recipes and how hot they're gonna be, are they gonna be very spicy, is it gonna be good for my kids?

This is the thing, chilis are a fabulous vegetable.

Not only are they really nutritious because they're packed with vitamins, they also speed up your metabolism so if your kids aren't eating as much as you want, I don't know about you, but I love for my kids to eat a lot and I'm always trying to get them to eat more, chilis are appetite openers!

Okay so I am grabbing 5 ears of corn.

So I'm cutting a lot of corn because it is a corn soup, and I don't like it when they give me a corn soup or a chowder of sorts and there's like 10 kernels of corn, I'm not gonna do that to you, you're getting a corn soup that is packed with corn.

You can use fresh corn, or you can use thawed from frozen.

I am picking a couple of sprigs of fresh epazote.

You know epazote is this beautiful deeply Mexican herb, and I would describe it as clean, strong, it cuts through.

Yes you can find it in Latino stores, International stores, you can also grow it in your backyard, it grows wildly like mint.

You know what, it's crunchy too, like you can hear it.

It's crunchy.

Other herbs like cilantro or parsley or basil, when you chop them they darken and water.

The epazote is very resilient.

I'm adding 1/2 a teaspoon of salt.

So I'm adding the 8 cups of chicken broth, you could do veggie broth too.

This is a great recipe to make at home because you saw how easy it is.

You are going to be increasing your corn soup repertoire, which you know you wanted to do.

So now I'm gonna bring it to a simmer over medium heat, and I'm gonna cover it and let it cook for 2 - 3 hours.

Kidding!

7-8 minutes, nothing.

I have 2 pounds of halibut, so this is how fast this is gonna go.

I'm gonna set my pan over medium-high to high heat, and I'm gonna add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil.

While my oil heats, I'm gonna cut this halibut fillet into serving size.

The skin of the halibut is hard and resistant, and you have to really cut through.

Halibut can get gigantic, did you know that?

I love the taste, it's mild, but a little meaty.

I'm gonna salt on both sides.

By cutting it into individual portions, not only will the fish cook faster, but you already have it cut to serve.

So I'm adding pepper on both sides.

If you wanna eat the skin, you can, and if not, you're just seasoning the dish a little more.

This is gonna cook skin side down for a couple of minutes.

Mmm.

Pretty!

So now I'm gonna cover the fish, reduce the heat to low and cook for 7 - 8 minutes, just until the fish is cooked but still tender and flaky.

I have my queso fresco for my corn soup.

Ooh.

It smells like corn bread because it has corn and butter.

The great thing about queso fresco, the first couple of bites it's gonna have the firmer bite of the cheese.

Mmm.

It has so much going on, so simple, has such few ingredients but you can taste the sweet corn, it crunches, then it has the cheese that's tangy and salty, and the broth is spiked with the epazote that tastes refreshing and a bit minty, and the serranos are definitely there, it's not like a little kick, it's like a big kick, but that's because I put 2 chilis in there, but I love the heat.

You ate the soup with me, now you're gonna have to eat the fish with me, and it smells so good!

And I have some rice to serve on the side.

You don't need nothing else 'cause you don't want to overshadow the fish which is beautiful and light, let's see.

Mmm!

It's such a delight.

So agrudulce is sweet and sour but in the most refreshing way because the sour comes from the tomatillos which are at the same time so bright, and the sweet comes from the tomatoes and the spices.

It is yum!

I'm gonna take a bite of the fish.

Mmm.

So light, yet still meaty, and as you take a bite of the fish and you take a bite of the sauce, since the tomatoes and the tomatillos didn't completely come apart, you can still bite into them a little, sort of like a ratatouille of sorts.

Mmm.

I brought a little bit of La Mixteca into our home, and it's turned into a delicious weeknight meal that the boys and I love.

>> Pati Narrates: For recipes and information from this episode and more, visit patijinich.com, and connect!

Find me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest @PatiJinich.

>> Pati's Mexican Table is made possible by: ♪ epic music plays ♪ ♪ ♪ >> The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food.

Mexbest.

And The National Agricultural Council.

>> FUD brand meats with traditional hispanic flavor!

>> La Costeña, por sabor!

Taste that transcends.

More information at: mexicorico.com >> Some things are always there for you.

Like your alarm clock, right on time.

Your parking space.

Seriously?

Girl's night, always there.

And avocados from Mexico.

They're always there because they're fresh all year round.

♪ Avocados from Mexico ♪ >> Proud to support Pati's Mexican Table on public television.