Pati’s Mexican Table

I am stubborn—really stubborn. Like a mule. When I began to think about this book and talk to friends who watch my TV show, read my blog, and take my classes, I kept getting requests to include more meatless and vegetarian options. I kept on saying, “No. No. No!”

You see, for me, and for most Mexicans I know, there is no “vegetarian” in Mexican cuisine—no compartmentalizing labels. But slowly, like a mule turning around on a steep path, I began to realize that many of my favorite dishes are in fact vegetarian. We just don’t call them that.

We have beautiful sauces based on nuts, seeds, and chiles; countless bean and rice dishes; vegetable stews and casseroles; an infinite number of corn-based dishes—tacos, tostadas, and tamales; and many pozoles and moles made with potatoes, cactus paddles, mushrooms, or zucchini, no meat. What’s more, a simple switch from chicken broth to vegetable broth or water can take many of the nonvegetarian dishes in this book into vegetarian territory.

When I finally came around, I pulled together some of my favorite vegetarian meals that are good for eating just about any time. They include exquisitely simple egg dishes for breakfast, brunch, or best of all, at midnight after a night out, such as Mexican Frittata with Poblanos, Potatoes, and Feta and Poached Eggs in Chunky Poblano-Tomato Salsa. There are also one-dish meals, like Tortilla and Black Bean Casserole, which will tempt any carnivore; exotic and festive Plantain and Refried Bean Quesadillas; addictive Chilaquiles in Red Salsa; and the irresistibly homey Molletes, Grilled Cheese and Bean Heroes. Hats off to everyone trying to eat simpler and closer to the ground, and a big thank-you especially to all those who urged me to look at my native cuisine a little differently.

Recipes