Make yourself at home
Cooking is simpler than it seems, especially if you love eating. Eating is delicious, especially if you love good conversation. In my home, as in most of my country, we love to eat and converse; we therefore love to cook. Cooking is a labour of nurturing love, of neighbourly care.
Sazón – the incredibly personal magical seasoning powers everyone has – varies immensely from family to family. Home cooking is a very personal affair. It is a reflection of who we were, who we are, and even of who we do or don’t want to be.
It is impossible not to carry, wherever your path leads you, the flavours you grew up with. These flavours travel well and know no borders. They travel time and place through word of mouth, an heirloom, a barely legible falling-apart notebook.
These flavours are meddlesome, resilient, and stubborn. No matter the length of the journey, they will always persevere. Because of this, they exist beyond just a craving. They take us to a place of serenity, safety, pride. Just a whiff of a homemade soup can make you feel as if everything is okay, that there is a place you belong to and a place that belongs to you. It is a hug.
TINGA DE POLLO
Chicken tinga
SERVES 2-4
“The first recipe any Mexican will cook as soon as they move
