Getting to Know Mexican Green Chiles with Aarón and Zarela

In this very first episode of Cooking in Mexican from A to Z,  mother-son duo, Aarón Sánchez and Zarela Martínez discuss one of their favorite ingredients: chiles verdes, or green chiles. The traditional Mexican techniques of roasting, drying, and cooking are told through stories of their early days on the ranch in Mexico through their careers as chefs in NYC. They talk about their identity as a family (three generations of cookbook authors!), their personal and professional relationship (which includes being the first mother-son team to cook at the White House), and developing their own culinary styles. Then, they let the ingredients guide the conversation. Aarón and Zarela dive into regionality, flavor principles, and food history. They share where the jalapeño gets its name and explain why you should never rinse a roasted chili. They also cover ways of growing, roasting, and drying chilis and suggest methods for eating them stuffed or in dips, soups, marmalade and much more. To find some of the recipes and videos they talk about, visit zarela.com