Rick Martinez welcomes summer with esquites and carne asada
Chef, cooking show host and cookbook author Rick Martinez is stopping by the TODAY kitchen to kick off grilling season and Cinco de Mayo celebrates with favorite recipes from his cookbook, "Mi Cocina: Recipes and Rapture from My Kitchen in Mexico." He shows us how to make marinated carne asada paired with quesadillas and butter-roasted esquites with poblano and chile de árbol.
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Carne Asada with Chorizo, Jalapeños and Grilled Quesadillas by Rick Martínez
Carne asada is a part of a larger ritual called la parrillada norteña (the northern barbecue) in the northern states of México, much in the same way that a backyard cookout or barbecue is a ritual in the southern United States. There is a fire, some meat, plentiful beer, a grillmaster, and always family and friends. Even in my adopted hometown of Mazatlán, on Sundays families roll their grills right onto the street, seemingly to attract the neighbors. The meaty smoke wafting down my block, laughter, and later into the evening, singing, fills the neighborhood. For this reason, everyone knows to always grill more than you think you need, because friends and neighbors — even if not invited, will always show up.
If you haven't tried carne asada inside a quesadilla, get ready for a life-changing experience. Quesadillas are always served at parrilladas norteñas and at taquerias that serve carne asada. In this recipe, you and your guests have the option of making tacos with the carne asada or stuffing the meat inside a toasted quesadilla with all of that melted cheese goodness.
Esquites (Mexican Street Corn Salad) by Rick Martínez
Esquites exist in every part of México, but there was one town that seems to have not only the most esquites stands, but also the biggest variety of flavors and toppings of any place I visited. Bernal in the state of Querétaro is best known for having one of the largest natural monoliths in the world, the Peña de Bernal. My friends and I had driven to Bernal to hike to the top (1,421 feet) and sample the food fromt he stands lining the path to the Peña.
The esquites stands were everywhere. Each one had between six and 12 cazuelas of esquites cooking over open fires, each clay pot filled with different vegetables, herbs and spices. The smell as you approached each stand revealed the sazón of each cook; the colors were vivid and rich. And the flavors — estilo pozole con guajillo, poblano mole verde, mantequilla, habanero, amarillo dulce and asado con epazote y chile serrano — were the most common, but each cook had their own favorites and interpretations. This is mine.
If you like those recipes from Rick Martinez, you should also try these:
Tamales Oaxaqueños by Rick Martínez
Tortas Ahogadas by Rick Martínez
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
