♪ Pati, voice-over: Chihuahua is full of hidden treasures, and the city of Guachochi is home to two places that feel like another world.

Kokoyome is a sustainable ranch resort out of a fairy tale that requires a 4-wheel drive to get to and every bit worth the effort...

This is your room for the night Pati, voice-over: and make sure to arrive on an empty stomach.

[Sizzling] Que rico.

Pati, voice-over: On the other side of town, the tiny village of Papajichi is a place from another time where the first-ever Rarámuri mayor of Guachochi and a tribal governor share their way of life in some nourishing ancient dishes.

[Sizzling] [Speaks Spanish] Pati, voice-over: In my kitchen, I'll show you how to make this hearty hominy and pinto bean stew with a zesty tomato salsa... One taco for me, one taco for me.

Pati, voice-over: and a simple and nourishing egg scramble with quelites, or wild greens, on a warm tortilla.

Mm, that good.

♪ [Sizzling] What a feast.

♪ Mm.

So succulent.

These beans are insane.

[Laughter] Mm.

♪ [Birds chirping] ♪ Announcer: "Pati's Mexican Table" is brought to you by... ♪ Announcer: La Costeña.

¡por sabor!

Men: ♪ Avocados from Mexico ♪ ♪ Announcer: Texas A&M International University-- going beyond borders.

Announcer: Eggland's Best, available in your grocer's egg aisle.

Visit egglandsbest.com.

[Acoustic guitar plays Nationwide jingle] Announcer: Levenger-- nearly 40 years of craftsmanship for readers, writers, thinkers, and doers.

♪ Pati, voice-over: Chihuahua is known for its geographic diversity, but few know of the little paradise in the city of Guachochi that's hidden in a nook halfway down the Güerachi Canyon.

♪ Kokoyome Resort feels like the Garden of Eden, full of waterfalls, gardens, hidden pathways, and cabins with insane views.

Named after the ancient Cokoyome tribe, known for their harmonious relationship with nature, the ranch has been developed by its owner Martín Solís to fully embrace sustainability.

♪ [Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: After leaving the chaotic world of politics, Martín sought the tranquility of the ranch life from his childhood, leading him to buy the land and open Kokoyome in 2017.

Speaking of childhood, the property is full of hidden, magical surprises.

This 100-year-old Rarámuri barn has been renovated into a bedroom.

♪ This is your room for the night.

[Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: And the magic doesn't stop with the view.

It continues with the food.

The ranch grows almost everything it needs, from coffee to fish.

In these large retainer pools, they farm rainbow trout, native to the rivers and streams that flow through the canyons.

[Speaking Spanish] This is lunch.

♪ Pati, voice-over: Part of Martín's mission at Kokoyome is to preserve traditional recipes like iskiate, a sweet corn drink, and muni-pozole, a robust hominy and bean stew cherished by the local Rarámuri tribe.

[Speaking Spanish] ♪ Pati, voice-over: And, of course, we can't forget about the star of the meal-- the mouthwatering fresh trout cooked over an open flame.

♪ [Kitten mews] ♪ [Speaking Spanish] Uh-huh.

[Speaking Spanish] Mm-hmm.

Mm.

[Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: For paradise, you'll have to visit Kokoyome, but to learn how to make some of the best comfort food of Guachochi, you can come to my kitchen.

♪ That muni-pozole was so fabulous.

I had never tried a muni-pozole which combines pinto beans with hominy, which you can buy dried just like this, but before you cook it, you have to soak it in water, better if it's warm, for at least 2 to 3 hours.

Now, you could cook them without soaking, but they're just gonna take a longer period of time, so let's go drain these.

I have half a pound of hominy.

I measured 14 cups of water.

I'm gonna cook the hominy with 5 garlic cloves.

Just gonna peel the cloves, drop in the water.

Once this comes to a boil, I'm gonna cover it partially, and this cooks for about an hour, hour and a half.

I do have another half a pound of hominy cooking there in the back, so now I'm gonna make a tomato salsa with chile de árbol and oregano.

I have a pound and a half of ripe Roma tomatoes that I'm just gonna sit right here over medium heat.

Now I'm gonna use chile de árbol.

I'm gonna add, like, 6, and I'm gonna add this garlic clove that has the skin on.

Don't let your chiles burn.

These ones toast super fast.

Bring them on the side, and then we're gonna let these continue to char... and while I'm making my salsa, I'm gonna put together the muni-pozole, so we need a big pot because the muni-pozole combines together the hominy that I'm cooking in the back and pinto beans that I already cooked.

I'm gonna show you.

[Sizzling and popping] So I'm gonna preheat this large casserole over medium heat.

I'm gonna heat my oil.

I'm gonna add about 2 to 3 tablespoons.

I'm gonna slice my scallions... ♪ the white and light green parts.

I have my heat at medium heat, gonna add this into my casserole.

[Sizzling] Let's stir this up.

As that softens, I'm gonna slice a little bit more of these scallions because I'm gonna use these green parts for garnishing, and I'm gonna grab the pozole that had been cooking and that's softened already.

This is so perfect.

It started to bloom, as we say in Spanish.

Like, it started to open up, and this is what you want.

It's, like, in between firm and soft.

Mm.

Two teaspoons salt.

If you love garlic, you can keep it, but if you don't want to be surprised and bite into a fully cooked garlic clove, you can fish it out... and now what I wanna do is add all of this in there.

We're gonna let that come to a simmer.

OK, so I cooked a pound of pinto beans with water, a half of an onion, and after they cooked for about an hour, an hour, 10 minutes, I add salt, just like what I did for the hominy, because you don't want to add salt to the beans before they've cooked and softened, so I'm removing the cooked onion.

The last step here is adding the pintos into the hominy, and then we're gonna let this cook and come together and taste for salt, and the last thing that I like to add, which is optional, is jalapeño chiles.

I'm adding two jalapeños with the seeds on... ♪ then check on my tomatoes and the garlic.

♪ This is looking like it's perfect.

OK, so now have our tomatoes directly from comal to blender.

I am hungry.

We're gonna add the 6 chile de árbol that I just toasted on the comal, the garlic clove that has been toasting here, but we're gonna peel it first, adding it in here.

Then I'm gonna add a teaspoon of salt, and then I have a tablespoon of oregano.

Since I have my comal on and it's hot, let's give it, um, toast.

This is gonna be just 10, 15 seconds, and it unlocks its oils, its fragrance, its flavor.

Adding it in here, I'm gonna puree the salsa, but I want it a little coarse.

I don't want it completely smooth.

[Whirring] ♪ Smells so nice.

Pour in here.

I love this texture.

I want it all.

Let's taste.

♪ Mm.

It is spicy, but spicy yum, smoky.

The charred roasted tomato is sweet.

This is so delicious.

Mm.

Yum.

I'm gonna chop some cilantro because I want to garnish my muni-pozole with it.

OK. Let's make a plate.

♪ Salsita, some cilantro, scallion, queso.

This muni-pozole is really begging for some corn tortilla.

I'm gonna let one tortilla start to toast, and this one, you know what I'm gonna do?

A little salt.

[Speaks Spanish] but it's going to be the companion of my muni-pozole.

Gonna roll it.

♪ OK. Now we're talking.

♪ Mm-hmm.

Mm.

Mm.

Mm-hmm.

Mm.

Mm.

Mm.

Mm mm mm.

Mm mm.

Mm mm.

Mm mm, that good.

♪ ♪ Pati, voice-over: The Rarámuri are Indigenous people known for their strong cultural traditions and ability to thrive in the harsh landscapes of Chihuahua's Sierra Madre Occidental... ♪ but they are not known for politics, giving them little to no voice in what happens to their land or people.

That's changing.

♪ [Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: Alejandro Hernández is the first-ever Rarámuri to be elected Mayor of Guachochi.

♪ His co-worker and co-tribal governor Margarita González joins us on a tour of this tiny village--Papajichi.

♪ It's quick because this 300-year-old church is almost the entire town.

♪ [Speaking Spanish] ♪ Pati, voice-over: For the Rarámuri, preserving traditions is critical.

The women's colorful, ankle-length frocks symbolize resistance dating back to the Spanish conquest, when they fought against assimilation.

The men's colorful, traditional wardrobe is worn during important events and ceremonies.

♪ [Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: I'm even more honored that Alejandro has volunteered his home for Margarita to teach me delicious Rarámuri recipes.

♪ [Speaking Spanish] Uh-huh.

Batusi?

[Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: Pinole is an ancient drink made from dried, toasted, and ground corn and is packed with nutrients.

[Speaks Spanish] ¿Aqui?

[Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: Quelites are a type of wild greens, often cooked with chiles and enjoyed for their fresh, earthy, and strong taste.

Mm.

Con el pinole.

Mm.

[Speaking Spanish] Pati, voice-over: Next up are Margarita's simmering beans from the pot.

[Speaking Spanish] These beans are insane, creamy, so flavorful.

Maggie says that it's not only the beans, but the pot that was a gift given to her made of this clay that gives it the flavor, and I totally believe it because these are like no other that I've tried.

♪ Pati, voice-over: Gorditas are a go-to for the Rarámuri, who stuff these thick tortillas with everything for a hearty, all-in-one, mouth-watering meal.

[Speaking Spanish] [Rain falling] Pati, voice-over: With rain falling on the tin roof and Margarita's warm soul food, I don't know I'll ever leave... [Speaking Spanish] [Laughter] That's OK. Mm-hmm.

Pati, voice-over: but I do need to get back to my kitchen to show you how to make a soul food recipe you can make in your own cozy home-- ♪ scrambled eggs with quelites.

♪ Quelites are so wonderful, and I don't think many people north of the border know about them.

Quelites are just wild greens picked when young and there are many quelites, but, of course, baby spinach and watercress is a great and perfect substitute.

Quelites are great cooked on their own, but they're really popular cooked with scrambled eggs or omelets, so that's what we're gonna do, so I have a pot of water here that's coming to a boil, a pound of half spinach, half watercress, and I'm just gonna add it in the water.

Now, this looks like a lot.

They reduce so much-- all quelites do-- so just gonna cook them for one minute, just submerging my greens in here, counting two Papajichis, one Papajichi, and they're ready.

OK.

I'm gonna let them drain, turn my heat on to medium.

I'm gonna add 2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, and over medium gentle heat, I'm gonna cook my vegetables.

I have scallions.

Then gonna slice the white parts.

the light green parts.

I'm gonna add my scallions in here... ♪ and then I'm gonna add my chiles, and I'm gonna use two different kind of chiles.

I have my chilaca chile, verde del norte.

I'm removing the seeds, so I'm gonna chop.

♪ OK, so we have the scallions that are softening cooking with my chile verde.

I'm gonna add a jalapeño, and here is where it gets really fun.

I'm helping my dish get a little more heat, and I'm including the seeds of the jalapeño.

Yum yum.

Yum yum.

I'm gonna add tomato, and I have two ripe guajes, or Roma tomatoes, adding this, and I'm gonna stir.

[Sizzling] I'm gonna add some salt to my vegetables... so now I'm gonna go get my greens.

I'm pushing with my hands to try to get as much of the water... ♪ and this is gonna give the egg scramble a different texture and flavor than if I had added these when raw, OK, so I'm adding these in there.

I want the quelites to dry a little bit more.

Meanwhile, I'm gonna scramble my eggs, and I'm gonna heat my comal.

♪ Gonna crack the egg.

♪ Did you see that?

It didn't break.

I'm gonna add salt in here, and I'm adding black pepper.

Now we're gonna whisk.

♪ Whenever you add your eggs, medium to low is good, and then you can cook to your desired doneness.

I like to do this part with a spatula.

[Sizzling] OK. As this finishes cooking, I'm gonna start heating my tortillas.

I'm gonna chop some chives to make it prettier.

Let me flip the tortillas.

Let's pick a ripe avocado.

OK. Beautiful.

Both tortillas have puffed.

Let's take the avocado out.

Slice.

One taco for me, one taco for me.

♪ I'm gonna finish off the tacos with flor de sal.

♪ I'm gonna add a little bit of the salsa to one of the tacos.

♪ Gonna take a bite into the non-salsa one.

♪ Mm.

It tastes so nutritious, delicious, good for you.

It's, like, packed full of greens-- like, cooked greens, fresh greens.

I want to take a bite of the one with the salsa.

♪ Mm.

Mm.

♪ I love them both, with the salsa and without the salsa, so glad you're getting to know quelites if you hadn't yet.

You can't make it to Chihuahua or Papajichi, here's a bite you can try.

♪ ♪ For recipes and information from this episode and more, visit patijinich.com and connect.

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

Announcer: "Pati's Mexican Table" is brought to you by... ♪ Announcer: La Costeña.

¡por sabor!

Men: ♪ Avocados from Mexico ♪ ♪ Announcer: Texas A&M International University-- going beyond borders.

Announcer: Eggland's Best available in your grocer's egg aisle.

Visit egglandsbest.com.

[Acoustic guitar plays Nationwide jingle] Announcer: Levenger--nearly 40 years of craftsmanship for readers, writers, thinkers, and doers.

Announcer: Proud to support "Pati's Mexican Table" on public television.

♪