WASHINGTON 鈥� Marcela Valladolid has been teaching home cooks the ins-and-outs of Mexican food for years on her Food Network shows 鈥淢exican Made Easy鈥� and 鈥淭he Kitchen.鈥�
Curious about ceviche? Valladolid has the answer. In search of a killer salsa? She has several from which to choose.
But in Valladolid鈥檚 latest project, 鈥�,鈥� food isn鈥檛 the only focus. Rather, the spotlight is on the culture behind her native cuisine.
Growing up in Tijuana, Mexico, Valladolid crossed the U.S. border regularly to attend school in San Diego, California.
鈥淓ven with that close proximity, people had tremendous misconceptions of who we were as Mexicans, how we lived our lives as a family and the foods we prepared,鈥� she said.
That observation, combined with a summer job washing produce and cleaning dishes at her aunt鈥檚 cooking school in Baja, was enough to prompt Valladolid to switch her focus from architecture to the culinary arts.
Over the years, Valladolid, 39, has seen a shift in the way Mexican food is viewed and consumed in the U.S. Simply put, she鈥檚 watched its popularity soar.
鈥淭ortillas outsell bread, and salsas outsell ketchup in the good old US-of-A. I think [Mexican cuisine] has just always been a part of American culture,鈥� she said.
Still, there is work to be done.
鈥淭here鈥檚 still a misconception that it鈥檚 heavy; there鈥檚 still a misconception that it can鈥檛 be sophisticated; there鈥檚 still a misconception that the recipes can be really complex and labor-intensive,鈥� Valladolid said.
In 鈥淐asa Marcela,鈥� Valladolid busts through these misconceptions, both with approachable dishes and the personal stories behind them. A recipe for oxtail, bean and chile stew is followed by a detailed description of a traditional Mexican baptism. Valladolid鈥檚 pickled beets are paired with a memory from her favorite restaurant in Tijuana.
And using pictures of her own family in her kitchen at home, Valladolid walks readers through a step-by-step process for making tamales.
There are also pages filled with instructions for strawberry-layered tres leches cake, watermelon and mint salad, and, of course, fish tacos.
鈥淭his book is about living on [the U.S.] side of the border, how I hold tight to those traditions, how I want to pass them down to my children, how incredibly proud I am of my heritage,鈥� Valladolid said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 my personal mission to talk about just the culture in general 鈥� about how we approach food, about how we approach entertaining, about how we live our lives, how we set the table, how we鈥檙e also busy moms now and don鈥檛 have time for those recipes that are 40 ingredients.鈥�
Valladolid was recently at a book-signing event at , where she shared some of her best tips for stress-free summer entertaining.
Don鈥檛 experiment: A dinner party is not the time to test new recipes. Have a few already in your arsenal (test them out first on your own family), and whip them out when guests come over to dine.
Check your attitude: 鈥淲hat sets the tone for your party is your attitude from the moment your guests arrive. If you鈥檙e nervous or frazzled when your guests arrive, they鈥檒l be able to feel it,鈥� Valladolid said.聽
Allow yourself plenty of time not only to prep the dishes before everyone shows up, but also to shower and get yourself ready. Choose a meal that can be assembled ahead and served at room temperature.
Cheese, please: Valladolid admits, 鈥淚t鈥檚 so not Mexican, but go for the cheese board.鈥�
Setting out a few things to nibble on will keep guests occupied while you finish pulling everything together.
鈥淢y fridge is always stocked with a couple of good cheeses. I always have honey and honeycomb, I always have prosciutto because my kids love it 鈥� and if all of the sudden, I have to entertain, I鈥檒l grab one of my cutting boards and I鈥檒l make a nice board with whatever cheese I have, whatever deli meats I have,鈥� she said.
