Rancho Gordo Blog

On the Road: Veracruz and Why It's Possibly My Favorite Spot on Earth

February 07, 2016By Steve Sando

Delicious, beautiful, exotic. Did I say delicious? I meant to. I don't have favorites but if you were to invite me to Veracruz I would only hesitate for a few...

The Simplest and Best Soup I Know and the Trick to Make It Magnificent

January 21, 2016By Steve Sando

If you love beans, you want beans. You don't want a lot of other things getting in the way. But if you're making soup, you do need to do something....

Eating Goat in Tehuacan: Mole de Caderas

November 10, 2015By Steve Sando

For many reasons, this post won't be for my vegetarian and vegan friends. For many reasons. I was in the Valley de Tehuacan with Yunuen and Gabriel from Xoxoc. We...

Visiting the Mixteca Salt Mines in Zapotitlan Salinas

October 29, 2015By Steve Sando

Last week I was in Zapotitlan Salinas in Puebla with our Xoxoc partners. We stopped to see the salt flats again and as you can see, it's really a strange,...

Rancho Gordo at the Eat Real Festival 2015

September 24, 2015By Steve Sando

I'm not a huge fan of big public festivals. I like dinner parties and maybe a good Boz Scaggs concert. But the annual Eat Real Festival in Oakland is easy...

Chile Farmers in the Yucatan

September 22, 2015By Steve Sando

A legacy post from 2011: A Postcard from Yucatan Still in Merida with my friends and business partners, Yunuen and Gabriel of Xoxoc, we took a side trip with our...

Noodles, Beans and Memories

August 15, 2015By Steve Sando

I think it's clear how much fun I've been having cooking pasta and beans this month. Along with the terrific dishes, which are all very easy to do once you...

Making Carnitas

July 30, 2015By Steve Sando

A master carnitas maker adds fresh orange juice to his cauldron. Actually they're called cazos but I think cauldron works, too! Go big or go home, I guess! (This photo...

Your Secret Ingredient: Oregano Indio

June 25, 2015By Steve Sando

Did you know our Oregano Indio is back in stock? The cooperative had all kinds of trouble getting it to us but now we have lots and the future looks...

An Insider's Guide to Mexico City

June 17, 2015By Steve Sando

You can imagine how many people call me for good information on Mexico City. The town has so much buzz, and for good reason. It's a little intimidating if you've...