Oaxaca at Home: Two Soulful Recipes for Mexican Comfort Food
Mother-daughter duo Iliana de la Vega and Isabel Torrealba are a powerhouse of Oaxacan culinary knowledge. Celebrated chef Iliana is a James Beard-nominated whiz in the kitchen, while food writer Isabel has a master’s degree in cultural reporting. Together they lead Oaxaca: Tastes of Past and Present.
Ahead of our next trip to Oaxaca, Iliana shares some recipes that will bring the Mexican culinary capital to your kitchen—and Isabel writes about what makes her mom’s cooking so unique.
It’s nearly impossible to talk about my mother’s cooking without sounding biased. We’re all trained to love the food we grew up eating—our taste buds adapt to those flavors, which feel and taste like home and comfort. My mother’s cooking, however, has this effect on anyone who takes a bite of her guacamole, enchiladas, or one of her delightful moles. Even if her Oaxacan recipes are unfamiliar, her food has a way of bringing comfort to those who try it. There’s a sense of warmth and care to her cooking that’s hard to explain, but easy to understand if you meet her and allow her to feed you.
My mother’s cooking is honest, in the sense that you can taste all the ingredients in it. Eating her food is a layered experience, with every bite bringing a delicate new flavor and sensation. Take her sopa de frijol negro a la Oaxaqueña (Oaxacan black bean soup). The first bite will be a strong taste of black beans, but then there’s the crunch and subtle flavor of the fried corn tortilla strips. Next, in the back of your throat, there’s a hint of smoky spice from the pasilla chiles. And then an herbal note only an Oaxacan native will recognize as the avocado leaves. The cream, cheese, and avocado tie all of it together, creating a perfectly balanced soup. Balance is another word that describes my mother’s food and approach to cooking.
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what makes my mother’s food so comforting. Maybe it’s the fact that she makes elegant versions of Mexican home cooking. Or perhaps that she treats each ingredient carefully and with respect. Perhaps it’s that she genuinely enjoys bringing joy to people through her food. I also suspect it has something to do with my mother being self-taught. She learned to cook from her mother and her aunt, as most Mexican women traditionally do. But for my mother, cooking was more than just a way to feed her family—it’s her passion. And while my food isn’t as magical as hers, her philosophy of cooking with care, always intending to bring joy to others, is something I keep in mind whenever I’m in the kitchen.
Sopa de Frijol Negro a la Oaxaqueña
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
3 tbsp. canola oil
2 thick slices white onion
1 garlic clove, peeled
4 avocado leaves
2–4 Oaxacan pasilla chiles, clean reconstituted in hot water*
4 cups cooked black beans (with some broth)
6 cups water
Salt to taste
Garnishes:
10 corn tortillas
1 cup canola oil
8 ounces panela cheese (or queso fresco) diced
1 avocado, diced
1/3 cup crema Mexicana
In a stockpot heat 3 tbsp. oil, add the onion and garlic and sauté until soft and golden. Remove and discard onion and garlic. Reserve the flavored oil.
Place avocado leaves in a small skillet, heat up until fragrant; transfer them to the blender, along with 2 chiles pasilla, 1 cup of beans and 1½ cups water and process until very smooth. You can also pass it through a strainer, adding water if needed.
Warm up the seasoned oil over medium-low heat, add the pureed beans. Continue blending beans in batches and adding to the stockpot. Season with salt, and check for chile flavor, adding more blended chiles if needed.
Cut the tortillas in julienne. Heat the oil in a sauté pan; when sizzling hot, add the tortillas in batches, removing with a slotted spoon when crispy and slightly golden. Place over a rack to drain excess oil.
Serve hot, topped with the fried tortillas, garnish with, the cheese, avocado, and crema.
*Substitute with morita chiles or chipotles if pasillas are not available.
Mole Amarillo con Camarones
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
6 large green tomatoes
10 tomatillos
1/2 white onion
4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 Ancho chiles, seeds and veins removed
12 Guajillo chiles, seeds and veins removed
1 tsp. cumin seeds
8 black peppercorns
4 cloves, whole
1/2 cup masa harina flour
1/2 bunch cilantro, tied in a bundle
2 tbsp. canola oil
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 chayote
1/2 lb. green beans
36 large (13/15) shrimp, peeled and deveined
Gently dry roast the chiles on a comal or skillet set over medium heat for a few seconds until aromatic. Soak the chiles in hot water for 15 minutes, drain and set aside.
Dry roast the green tomatoes, tomatillos, and onion on a comal or skillet over medium heat. Keep turning until soft and blistered, about 15 minutes. Dry roast the garlic separately over low heat. When brown spots appear on the papery skin, remove the garlic and discard the skin.
In a small skillet dry roast the black pepper, cloves, and cumin until fragrant.
Puree the chiles in the blender, adding water as needed, to form a smooth puree. Pass the chile puree through a fine mesh strainer and set aside.
In same blender, puree the dry roasted vegetables and spices with water, as needed, to form a smooth puree. Pass through a small mesh sieve and set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Reduce the heat to medium low, add and fry the chile puree until most of the liquid evaporates, when you can see the bottom of the pan when scraped and the oil rises to the top.
Add the pureed vegetable mixture and stir occasionally until reduced over medium heat. Once the mole covers the back of a spoon, and you can see the bottom of the pan when scraped, add 2 cups of water.
In a small bowl mix ½ cup of the masa with 1 cup water. The mixture should be very smooth - no lumps. Add the masa mixture to the mole in a steady stream, stirring constantly while pouring. Cook the mole for 5 minutes, add the cilantro and season with salt.
In a medium saucepan bring 2 ½ quarts of water to a boil. Add salt to taste and cook the chayote until it turns bright green, about 5 minutes. Remove and immerse the chayote in an ice bath. Remove the core, and slice lengthwise.
In the same boiling water cook the green beans al dente. Remove and immerse in an ice bath.
Season the shrimp with salt; heat the olive oil in a sauté pan and sauté the shrimp until done.
Garnish the mole amarillo with rajas de chile con limón and serve with white rice and warm corn tortillas.
By Nick Papa
I’m the editor of the Atlas Obscura trips blog. I talk to our trip leaders, travelers, and friends in the industry about how they explore the world’s wondrous places.
Emily Hoff Finds Inspiration in Street Trees and Whiskey Shots
When Emily Hoff took a job in New York in 2012, she wasn’t so sure about moving to the city. But five days in, she called her family and told them to send the rest of her things. Emily fell in love with the “energy, creativity, and weirdos” of the city. Eight years later, she remains energized by the big, creative things happening in the Big Apple, the place she’s made her home.
A museum curator with a dual Masters in History and Museum Studies, Emily has worked with some of the most prominent museums in New York. At the American Museum of Natural History, she curated an exhibit on Pterosaurs, the flying reptiles that lived alongside the dinosaurs. This year, Emily co-authored the book Scenic Science of the National Parks. From her Brooklyn apartment, Emily shares what makes her city so dazzling.
Tell us the first thing you’ll eat when restaurants open again.
Believe it or not, I’m heading right to Times Square to eat at one of my favorite spots in the city—Gyu Kaku, a Japanese barbecue joint. I’m going to grill piles of delicious pieces of meat, eat garlic noodles until they are coming out of my pores, order more dumplings than should be allowed, and drink oh-so-many way-too-cheap and way-too-big glasses of wine. In the before times, my side hustle was leading walking tours, and the Times Square Gyu Kaku (there are a few others in NYC) was one of our stops. I got to know the staff, and I miss them terribly! Even when I was running tours every day, I still ate everything on offer at Gyu Kaku—I could skip any stop, but not that one!
What three things make for a perfect New York Sunday?
A fresh copy of the New York Times to hunt and peck my way through (front page section, book review, arts, metropolitan, real estate, crossword…usually in that order), a bright sunny day with big white puffy clouds, and a prime spot in a park—dappled sunlight and lots of dogs walking by, please. I guess for it to be perfect, we should add a bottle of wine or some to-go Aperol spritzes. Oh my god, and a doubles or four.
What do you love most about your neighborhood?
I live in a small three-unit building across the street from a massive public housing development. In the warmer months, folks spend pretty much all day out in front of the building, cooking food, socializing, and playing music. The music is my favorite part—I joke that from May until October, my roommates and I never have to turn music on in the living room. Just open the windows and see what’s cranking. I love it!
What New York tourist site do you still love?
After all these years, I am still massively obsessed with all the glorious bridges in this town. They are just so beautiful, and I’m totally in love with all of NYC’s water. You’ll find me in water-adjacent parks and on NYC ferries in all kinds of weather. I’ve transferred subway trains unnecessarily just so I can go over a bridge and look at the other ones—it’s that level of dedication. If you need me, I’ll be the weirdo with my nose pressed against the train door windows.
Where do you go for your favorite view of New York?
The Staten Island Ferry (see my obsession with water above)— I call it the best dive bar in NYC. The drinks are cheap—I’m partial to a tall boy of White Claw, myself—and the views are truly breathtaking. People sometimes look at me funny when I say that, but once you’ve felt the harbor wind on your face while staring right at Lady Liberty and drinking out of a brown paper bag, you will know what I mean. Plus, the people watching never disappoints.
Where do you go for a moment of peace?
I’ll admit to being as stir-crazy as anyone at this point, but my peace is always my home. It’s my little corner of all of this craziness. I love being surrounded by my books and having a quiet place to work, relax, and hang out. Plus, I’m fortunate to have access to a backyard with green space and plenty of sunlight. If it’s warm enough, you can bet I’m considering firing up the grill.
Experience New York From Home
What book feels like stepping inside your city?
New York Diaries— it’s a chronological (January 1–December 31) compilation of dozens of diaries kept by New Yorkers of all eras and stripes from citizen bloggers in the aftermath of 9/11 back to Henry Hudson’s crew. Okay, they weren’t New Yorkers, but you get my drift (pun intended). I read the whole thing cover to cover years ago. Now, I go back and flip to specific days—like today’s date or my birthday—just to see what was going on in 1780, 1847, 1990, or whenever. The longest entry on my birthday is Simone de Beauvoir trying out “jazz cigarettes” for the first time. That feels right.
What songs remind you of New York?
“Living for the City” by Stevie Wonder
“My Metrocard” by Le Tigre
“Shattered” by The Rolling Stones
“New York, New York” by Frank Sinatra (I mean, c’mon!)
“Rhapsody in Blue” by George Gershwin
“Pigeon” by Cannibal Ox
“The Bridge” by Sonny Rollins
What are your three favorite places in New York from our Atlas?
City Hall Station—I adore the subway. It’s sprawling and chaotic, and being able to navigate it feels like knowing another language or being able to solve complex calculus equations. Our subway, like the rest of the city, is more or less one giant, cobbled together Rube Goldberg Machine, and I’m just as fascinated by the parts that have gone obsolete as I am the parts that still function. An old empty station with beautiful decorations that I can gawk at from an empty train car? That’s a yes for me!
Broken Kilometer/ Earth Room—These sites are indicative to me of all the weird, fantastic, brain-tickling art tucked into all sorts of spaces all over town. These are two more well-known examples, but there are very few places you can visit in NYC and not be near some kind of visual art—learning to look for and find those moments is a fascinating part of getting to know this city.
Prison Ship Martyrs Monument—New York’s role in the American Revolution isn’t as broadly known as it should be (what part of U.S. history is?). Still, this city was central to the war and the highly imperfect nation-building that followed. That more people died on the prison ships the British anchored in the East River than in any battle is a mind-boggling statistic. The monument itself is beautiful, and the views into Manhattan are great, but what gets me every time is that this location isn’t some random, idyllic spot. The land that now makes up Fort Greene Park was where the Continental Forces retreated after losing the rest of Long Island. It’s where they planned their daring and ludicrous escape across the East River. I love to walk around imagining soldiers trying to sneak off with campfires still burning and the British edging ever closer. What a place!
By Nick Papa
I’m the editor of the Atlas Obscura trips blog. I talk to our trip leaders, travelers, and friends in the industry about how they explore the world’s wondrous places.
Amedeo Colella Dreams of Eating Spaghetti by the Sea
After a long career in communications, Amedeo Colella decided to dedicate himself to a new job: the Neapolitan way of living. The dream gig involves researching the cuisine, music, literature, and local dialect of Naples. He puts his findings to good use as the Naples bureau chief of Culinary Backstreets, as well as the Atlas Obscura trip leader of Culinary Naples: Producers, Purveyors, and Pizzaioli.
To walk the backstreets with Amedeo is to experience his passion for Naples, where he knows everyone by name and, best of all, where to find the best bites. While we wait until we can revisit Naples, Amedeo shares a love letter to his magnificent Italian city and its many culinary delights.
Tell us the first thing you’ll eat when restaurants open again.
I’ll order pasta and patate (potatoes) at trattoria Mangia e Bevi, a coffee at Bar San Paolo, and the babà au rhum from Capriccio Pasticceria.
Naples is the birthplace of pizza. Which pizzeria is the best?
The best pizzeria in Naples (and the world) is Gino e Toto Sorbillo. It’s located on Via dei Tribunali, which has many, many pizzerias. When you’re in the city that invented the dish, you can find amazing pizza everywhere.
What makes for a perfect Sunday in Naples?
Take a vespa ride to the sea and eat a plate of spaghetti alle vongole (with clams) in a restaurant on the beach.
What are your favorite tourist attractions in Naples?
The Pontile Nord di Bagnoli is a jetty located in the seaside quarter of Bagnoli. It’s a popular spot where you can enjoy a 3,000-foot-long walk over the sea. I also like the Cimitero Delle Fontanelle—a cemetary in a volcanic tuff cave that’s filled with folklore. In my opinion, the Certosa di San Martino—a stunning Carthusian monastery-turned-museum—houses the largest concentration of beauty in the world.
What’s your favorite family-run business in Naples?
Antica Freselleria Di Paolo dal 1834. The family has been making fresella (twice-baked bread) for more than 200 years. Fresella is popular in Italian grocery stores, but especially in Campania, the region in which Naples is located.
Where do you go for your favorite view of Naples?
From the city center, ride the Funicolare Centrale—the funicular railway of Naples—to the top of Vomero. The best view is from Belvedere San Martino, an open-air terrace at the end of Largo S. Martino.
Where do you go to escape the city?
I love Cilento, which is about 60 miles south of Naples. It’s a region full of culture, gastronomy, and, best of all, the wonderful sea. For a day trip, I go to Phlegrean Fields for archeology, myths, and legends—and good seafood on the water.
Experience Naples From Home
What books feel like stepping inside Naples?
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
Secret Naples by Valerio Ceva Grimaldi and Maria Franchini
Così parlò Bellavista: Napoli, amore e libertà by Luciano De Crescenzo
Naples '44: An intelligence officer in the Italian labyrinth by Norman Lewis
What song reminds you most of your city?
“Napule è” from Pino Daniele’s 1977 album Terra mia.
By Nick Papa
I’m the editor of the Atlas Obscura trips blog. I talk to our trip leaders, travelers, and friends in the industry about how they explore the world’s wondrous places.