Pati, voice-over: Nuevo Léon.

Arid landscapes and mountains create harsh conditions where few ingredients dare to grow.

Gaby: That's [indistinct.]

Gaby: Actually, they grow year-round.

Pati, voice-over: But Gaby Molinar is bringing more to the table.

Gaby: We wanted to prove that we could grow our own food or vegetables where we live.

Pati: Oh, my gosh!

Those are gigantic.

Gaby: Yes.

Pati, voice-over: Today, she's showing me around her groundbreaking urban farm... Gaby: That's dinosaur kelp.

Pati: Oh!

It looks like a mini-dinosaur park.

Pati, voice-over: and how she grows the various nutritious food in the middle of a desert.

[Grunts] I mean, can you be any cuter?

Pati, voice-over: But it wouldn't be farm-to-table without the table.

So, next, I meet visionary Guillermo Berestáin to see how the local food movement has changed his restaurant game.

Pati: These are the beets I helped you uproot!

Exactly.

Pati, voice-over: Finally, I take you to Koli, where this younger generation of chefs is taking Guillermo's gastronomical trailblazing to the next level in unexpected ways.

Like a mystic forest right now.

Yes.

Ha ha ha!

Pati, voice-over: I don't have liquid nitrogen in my kitchen... Pati: This is like duck fat gold.

but I do have a roasted duck with a spicy and tangy taste of key Nuevo León ingredients: honey, orange, and chili pequin.

It's beyond yum.

Sami: Oh, it's so spicy.

Ha ha!

I know!

Ha ha ha!

Pati: Spicy is our blood, Sami!

♪ Doesn't stop!

Mmm!

Ha ha ha!

♪ Mmm!

Man: I am going to give you a secret.

Yes.

I love secrets.

Pati: Mmm.

Mmm...mmm!

It's like nothing I've tasted before.

Announcer: "Pati's Mexican Table is brought to you by... ♪ Man: La Costeña ¡por sabor!

Woman: Traditional recipes, authentic flavors, and ingredients.

A taste of México in 90 seconds.

SOMOS--food from the heart of México.

♪ Singers: ♪ Avocados from Mexico ♪ Woman: FUD brand meats with traditional Mexican flavor.

Woman: Stand Together-- helping every person rise.

More information at StandTogether.org.

Woman: Here, the typical arroz con pollo...or not!

Unfollow la Receta.

Mahatma rice.

Woman: King Arthur Baking Company.

Find out more about our Masa Harina at KingArthurBaking.com.

["Nationwide" theme playing on guitar] Man: Cozilumbre--cookware, bakeware, and kitchenware for cooking up tradiciones in your cocinas.

Man: Gobierno de Monterrey.

Pati, voice-over: A diverse culinary palate is the last thing you might expect from the hot, dry desert state of Nuevo León, but the tough environment creates resiliency.

You can find it in the plants and the people, like Gaby Molinar.

Gaby: Welcome!

I've heard so much about your now legendary urban farm!

Ha ha!

Thank you.

Pati, voice-over: Nestled between the fast-paced streets of Monterrey in the Sierra Madre Oriental mountains, is Huerto Urbano, Gaby's thriving urban farm.

Gaby: We wanted to prove that we could grow our own food or vegetables where we live.

Yeah.

With all of the challenges that that involves.

Mm-hmm.

Growing in Nuevo León is not easy.

Challenging.

Yeah.

Pati, voice-over: Rainfall has declined each year since 2015, creating a drought emergency.

So, what are the odds of it happening today?

[Thunder] Is it raining?

It's starting to rain.

Good.

Good!

Ha ha ha!

We want rain.

We're feeling the first rain in 2 years!

That is kind of crazy!

Yes, yes, yes.

Gaby: That's dinosaur kelp.

Do you want to see them?

Oh, that's so beautiful!

Yeah!

Pati, voice-over: When Gaby started the garden 15 years ago, urban farming in Monterrey was a foreign concept.

But between local chefs looking for fresh, new ingredients and families needing healthier choices, it's been steadily growing every year.

Gaby: 75 families eat from this vegetable garden.

Pati, voice-over: But cost is a barrier to many of the people who need it the most.

Good quality seeds, constant attention, and developing a balanced ecosystem are expensive.

So part of Gaby's mission is to educate.

Gaby: We want people to understand what it costs to produce your food-- Mm-hmm.

and to value it, you know, a little bit more.

And it's better for your health, and it's better for the environment.

[Chickens clucking] You guys, there's chicks!

Pati, voice-over: Part of the ecosystem is raising animals that recycle by-products and enrich the soil.

Hamona isn't just here for the devastatingly beautiful looks.

Pati: Oh, my gosh.

I mean, can you be any cuter?

I could just spend all day feeding Hamona.

She consumes all of the organic waste from the restaurants, And all of her waste goes directly into the compost and then back to the soil.

I don't think I can ever eat pig again.

Ha ha ha!

She's so cute.

She is!

And I love bacon.

I love it, too, Pati.

Pati, voice-over: But there's one man who has very different plans for Hamona.

Gaby: My husband's a chef, Pati.

And every time that he comes, he tells me, "When is Hamona ready?"

Ha ha ha!

Pati, voice-over: Gaby's husband isn't just any chef.

Guillermo Beristáin was not only a judge on "Top Chef Mexico," but he also pioneered fine dining in Monterrey.

Guillermo: This one of my favorite vegetables.

Pati, voice-over: Destiny brought them together in the form of a celery root.

Pati: Oh, that's how you met?!

Yes.

He wanted celery root.

We had never grown it.

And we started growing it, and we didn't realize that it takes about 10 months.

Guillermo: Mm-hmm.

And then, one day she call me.

and she said, uh, "Get ready."

[Laughter] Pati: And then you fell in love.

We did.

We did, yes.

Pati: Oh, my gosh!

Those are gigantic.

Gaby: Yes.

Pati, voice-over: Guillermo was one of the first chefs in Monterrey to incorporate locally grown ingredients into a seasonal menu, but it was challenging.

Guillermo: I wanted to buy specifically some vegetables, like celery root and stuff that was not available... uh, in the city.

So, that has changed the way you function as a chef.

Exactly.

Pati: So, you impacted Nuevo León.

Gaby impacted you.

Guillermo: Yeah, I-- the restaurant-- Just, like, it's amazing!

Yeah!

The restaurants have become much more sustainable since I met Gaby.

Pati, voice-over: Mother Teresa famously said, "Do small things with great love," and Gaby's small farm is changing the way food is valued and served in Monterrey one celery root at a time.

Guillermo's restaurant Pangea is all about propelling Mexican gastronomy forward.

Named a Latin America Top 50 Restaurant in 2020, Pangea combines Guillermo's French training with Mexican ingredients to create insane 5-star fusion dishes.

Ohh!

[Speaking Spanish] This is so beautiful!

And these are the flowers we picked.

Exactly.

And these are the beets I helped you uproot!

Exactly.

Team.

Ha ha!

I'm just looking at you with so much admiration because this is so delicious.

Pati, voice-over: At the start of his career, there were zero culinary schools in Mexico.

When I went to school, uh, we had this class called "International," where you see cooking from other countries.

And just one class.

One day was Mexico.

Right.

Just--only one day-- One day!

of a 6-hour class.

We need a lifetime!

Of course.

And we did mole.

And we used peanut butter to make the mole.

Oh, my God!

That was-- That was 30 years ago.

Pati, voice-over: After training abroad, he returned to Mexico with a goal of expanding fine dining for Mexicans by Mexicans, but he chose the least likely place to do it-- Nuevo León.

One of my best friends, he says, uh, "Professional suicide what you doing."

"Nobody knows how to eat in Monterrey.

It's only goat and carne asada-- grilled meat."

Uh-huh.

And I say, "But see?"

Pati, voice-over: 25 years later, Guillermo has built Grupo Pangea into 12 restaurants that value-sourcing Mexican ingredients from across the country, like this Mexican aged duck with a side of cauliflower from Gaby's farm.

I don't know whether to, like, cry or laugh a little, it's that good.

It's crazy!

You're like, really dignifying Mexican cuisine, I feel.

Pati, voice-over: But success takes so much more than good food alone.

It's about all the people who help along the way.

Guillermo: At the time of the pandemic, we had 400 employees.

We had to close for almost 12 weeks.

Todos.

All of them.

That was very tough.

We're still open 2 years after that because our employees.

One employee told me, "Chef, don't worry about my salary.

I don't need it.

I live with my parents."

People used to come here and they pay-- wine, and they gave a $500 tip to the waiters.

And it almost make me cry.

So, it was very, very hard... [Crying] but we're still here.

Pati, voice-over: Today, Pangea remains a restaurant that pushes the Mexican culinary revolution forward.

Pati: When did we start not looking down on Mexican cuisine?

[Speaking Spanish] Si!

Si.

Si.

Si.

Pati, voice-over: Thanks to chefs like Guillermo, a younger generation, like the Koli brothers I'm meeting later, have a path to push the bounds of Mexican gastronomy even farther.

Man: Concepts like Koli wouldn't be open still if there wasn't a Pangea open, like, 14, 15 years ago, right?

Guillermo: I think that the best in Mexican food is yet to come.

Pati, voice-over: I am so here for this.

And now I want to meet some of this younger generation, but first, let's head to the kitchen.

Pati: I'm so excited because it's the first time that we are making duck together in this kitchen, and I'm making a spicy honey-, garlic-, and orange-roasted version, and I'm gonna use the fat from the duck and some roasted garlic to make a skillet corn tamale.

I have salted water that I'm bringing to a boil.

And the first thing that I'm going to do is to insert the duck, and it's gonna sit there for 3 minutes.

And that will help super-tighten the skin and have it stick to the meat.

Now I'm gonna go drain it.

The duck has a ton of fat.

I'm going all over the duck, and I'm piercing with this small paring knife.

All of this poking will help the fat release.

The skin gets super-crispy at the same time that the fat that's close to the meat melts into the meat and makes it super flavorful.

After you've finished doing this on both sides, what you want to do now is score the duck.

So, I'm gonna make cuts every 1 inch, um, and I'm gonna make lines.

And now I'm gonna cut through the skin and through the fat, but not through the meat.

So, I'm gonna set my duck aside for a second as I make my spice rub.

[Splashing] I'm going to zest an orange, and I'm going to zest a lime.

So, I have the zest of the orange and the lime.

I'm gonna save my orange and my lime here, 'cause I'm gonna use the juice for our super-delicious sticky glaze.

I'm adding all the zest in here.

This is the chili pequin-- these feisty, cute little chili peppers that have an incredible intense and smoky taste and very citrusy taste, so, it goes really well with the orange and the lime.

So, 2 very generous teaspoons.

Then I'm gonna add a tablespoon of salt, a teaspoon of ground black pepper... 2 tablespoons of freshly chopped rosemary leaves.

If you have the opportunity to use it fresh, go for fresh.

If you can't find it, then use 1/3 of the amount that I'm calling for dried, like a packed 2 tablespoon.

And it's always nice to have a little bonus of everything.

Gonna mix it up.

And now I'm going to rub the rub all over, from top to bottom, front and back, inside and out.

And I'm gonna stuff it not with stuffing that I'm gonna eat, but I'm just cutting an orange just so that the duck has seasoning inside and out and so that the meat is nice and moist.

You want to go all the way in.

Some of the orange, some of the rosemary.

I'm kind of squeezing the oranges a little bit as I go in.

And then right before I get to the end, I'm gonna add my full head of garlic.

[Pan rattles on burner] So, I'm going to do breast-side up... tuck the wings behind the back, and then I'm tying the legs.

And tie them as tight as you can.

[Splashing] Now that I have my duck all dressed and pretty, I'm gonna put it in the oven.

It's at 425, and it's gonna roast for 30 minutes.

Now I'm gonna use the juice to make a sticky, spicy honey glaze, which is so easy to make.

I have a medium saucepan right here set over medium heat, and I'm gonna add 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter.

And once it's completely melted, I'm gonna add 2 to 3 teaspoons of whole pequin chilies.

Then I'm gonna add the juice of an orange... and the lime.

Then I'm adding 2 tablespoons of honey.

I'm just gonna drop in there a sprig of rosemary.

I'm gonna let this simmer and thicken for, like, 5 minutes.

I'll check my duck, 'cause it's ready to be flipped.

[Sizzling] This is perfect timing.

It's smelling so good!

So, it was at 425 for 30 minutes because we want it precisely this-- a super-nice roast over the top.

I want to flip it to the other side, and it's going back in the oven.

I'm reducing the heat down to 350, and it's gonna go in there for an hour and a half.

It smells so good!

I just want to stand here and smell.

I want to strain right in here.

Now, this is gonna sit here for a second.

It may thicken, which is really good, 'cause we want a thick glaze to glaze the duck all over when I flip it one more time.

Pati, voice-over: Just down the street from Pangea is a younger generation of chefs that is pushing Mexican fine dining to the edge, and I mean the very edge.

Has your food ever made sounds before?

Man: They can hear, also, the birds and the rain, so-- [Sounds of birds chirping] Pati: Really?

[Speaking Spanish] Mm-hmm.

Pati, voice-over: Or has your dessert ever resembled an entire mountain ecosystem?

Every time-- It's like a mystic forest right now.

Ha ha ha!

Meet the Koli brothers: Rodrigo the baker, Daniel the chef, and Patricio the sommelier.

Pati: But you look identical except with no beard and different kinds of beards.

Just a little bit of detail!

Daniel: The most iconic thing in Koli or the objective we try to do is make the people from Monterrey be proud-- Of their own-- from they own cuisine and their own tradition.

The only way we can talk to the customers about the history of Nuevo León, it was through a tasting menu.

Pati, voice-over: Centuries ago, Northern Mexicans were called barbarians.

So, Koli's menu honors their ancestors.

Each course is a story.

So, show me!

I want to eat!

Pati, voice-over: The menu starts with an origin story in a dish called The Meteorite, honoring the asteroid that hit the Yucatán 66 million years ago.

[Rodrigo and Pati speaking Spanish] It totally tastes like a Machacado taco... in one bite.

Pati, voice-over: And course number 2... 3 traditional soups of Nuevo León, each in one bite: Fideo seco, menudo, and puchero.

[Speaking Spanish] Ha ha ha!

You're kind of playing around with your customers' minds.

Yes!

Ha ha ha!

He's like, "No, no, no.

What I just ate should have been a soup, but it tastes just exactly, but it was fish."

It was like, "Is this a dream or is it reality?"

Pati, voice-over: And my dessert is a nod to Nuevo León's culture of carne asada and burning around the grill.

But chocolate charcoal?

It definitely looks like a piece of dry wood.

Mmm!

Mmm.

I can keep on eating this one.

Pati, voice-over: To some, Koli's experimentation might seem fanciful.

Others might appreciate art you can eat.

They have won me over with their passion for innovation and engaging all the senses.

[Sounds of birds chirping] Every time the customer's-- Like, "Where are the birds?"

They're looking everywhere.

"Where are the birds?"

Pati: Thank you guys for inviting me.

It's been a treat to see a family at work and a family at work really pushing the envelope.

Cheers.

Ha ha!

I know you're here for the duck.

I am, I am.

Ha ha ha!

So, now it's time to get it out and give it a glaze.

All right.

Looks so good.

I know!

Isn't it so beautiful?

Smells really good, too.

I'm gonna flip the duck, OK, for the--oh!

Look at this beautiful thing.

We're gonna use the fat.

We're gonna make a corn tamale.

You mean out of the fat?

In a skillet.

Si.

Oh, wow.

So, instead of using lard or butter, we're gonna use duck fat.

Who loves duck fat?

Everyone loves duck fat.

You love duck fat!

We're gonna put it in a measuring cup.

This is like duck fat gold.

We're gonna use all that fat.

Now you can glaze away.

[Both speaking Spanish] We want to use all of it.

Let's put it back in the oven for 15 minutes.

The first thing we're gonna do is, you're gonna add 1/4 cup of chicken broth in here.

Perfect.

We're gonna puree in batches, and then we're gonna do about 4 cups of corn.

Just half of this.

Si.

That looks good.

We're gonna add all this garlic puree.

I'm removing the bottom.

Pati, voice-over: This is the same garlic that we roasted earlier inside the duck.

You can just squeeze the cloves.

And now we're gonna puree that until completely smooth.

[Whirring] So, we're doing the corn puree in batches.

The first one we did with the roasted garlic, a little bit of the broth.

And this we pureed until completely smooth.

You can just pour it here.

And then, we're gonna puree the second batch, but we're gonna leave that very coarse and chunky.

I'm gonna add the other 1/4 cup of chicken broth.

And then you're gonna add-- The rest?

The remaining--yeah.

[Speaking Spanish] [Whirring] Keep going.

Yeah.

Yeah, 'cause we want it chunky.

Of course.

And we need to measure 1 1/2 cups of this, the Masa Harina.

You can level it off with a knife or with Sami's finger.

[Speaking Spanish] 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda.

[Speaking Spanish] And this is good because it will make the tamale puff.

I'm adding a teaspoon of salt.

Tamales usually have one kind of fat.

Not usually duck fat, though.

Not usually duck fat, but we're... paving waves here.

So, I'm gonna add 3/4 cups.

That's good.

And now we're gonna add 2 tablespoons of piloncillo.

That's all this?

[Speaking Spanish] I'm gonna close this.

You start over the lowest possible speed.

I'm gonna take the duck out.

Oh, it's so beautiful!

[Speaking Spanish] And, you know, it needs to rest anyway before we carve it.

OK. [Silverware rattling] We're gonna make a tamale.

So, you go that side, I go this side, yeah?

Yes.

So, as we continue doing this, I'm gonna preheat my skillet at medium heat.

Perfect.

I think that's ready.

Done?

Yeah.

[Turns mixer off] That's done.

We have the oven at 375.

We're gonna put, like, 1/4 cup of the duck fat.

[Sizzling] Oh, Mila's smelling the duck.

Ha ha!

So, you want the fat all--all over.

You have to do it, like, gently, but with determination-- like, don't hesitate or you're gonna get burned.

Like, once you start, don't stop.

Go, go, go, go, go.

It's starting to brown along the edges, and now what I like to do is I just like to spread the love and spread the duck fat all over.

We let it cook here over the fire for, like, 4 to 5 minutes so it starts getting brown all over the edges.

And then, I cover it with foil, and we put it in the oven for 30 minutes and then we uncover it and then let it brown on top for a few minutes.

[Timer ticking] [Speaking Spanish] Yeah.

Awesome.

And then close, and then that's just 5 minutes.

Can you count 5?

You would carve the duck in a similar way as you would carve a chicken.

So, I'm gonna cut...here along the line of the leg.

And that's why it's really good to let it rest.

OK. ...where the natural cut is.

And you can separate the leg from the thigh, but it just looks so elegant, no?

Like a nice chunk of meat, too, if you do it like that.

Si.

But I'm gonna give Sami a little bite.

Uh-huh.

Mmm!

See?

Ha ha!

It's so good.

The skin is so good.

Si.

It's done nice and crispy.

So, do you want to give it a try?

I can try.

It's so spicy, though.

I know.

Ha ha ha!

Yeah.

Spicy is our blood, Sami!

Yeah!

Wherever your knife won't allow, you can go with the scissors.

[Scissors snipping] You go the other side.

And you want this?

Si.

Is that for me?

Maybe?

For you, maybe.

Good?

Mmm, mmm, mmm.

Mm-hmm!

Mmm, mmm, mmm!

Not too spicy?

No!

Oh, my gosh.

♪ Mmm!

Oh, my gosh.

It's like a souffle, almost.

Mm-hmm!

Wow.

Mmm, mmm!

The spice is gonna hit in a second.

I know!

Mmm.

Mmm, mmm, mmm.

Pati, voice-over: For recipes and information from this episode and more, visit PatiJinich.com.

And connect!

Find me on Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest @PatiJinich.

Announcer: "Pati's Mexican Table" is brought to you by... [Singers singing in Spanish] Man: La Costeña ¡por sabor!

Woman: Traditional recipes, authentic flavors, and ingredients.

A taste of México in 90 seconds.

SOMOS--food from the heart of México.

♪ Singers: ♪ Avocados from Mexico ♪ Woman: FUD brand cheese with traditional Mexican flavor.

Woman: Stand Together-- helping every person rise.

More information at StandTogether.org.

Woman: Here, the typical arroz con pollo...or not!

Unfollow la Receta.

Mahatma rice.

Woman: King Arthur Baking Company.

Find out more about our Masa Harina at KingArthurBaking.com.

["Nationwide" theme playing on guitar] Man: Cozilumbre--cookware, bakeware, and kitchenware for cooking up tradiciones in your cocinas.

Man: Gobierno de Monterrey.

Man: Proud to support "Pati's Mexican Table" on Public Television.