Season 9

In Tucson, Pati learns the basics of artisan bread-making from one of America’s best bakers, Don Guerra of Barrio Bakery. This experience sets her on a mission to cross into Sonora, Mexico, to see where the Sonoran wheat Don uses for his breads originates. Pati takes what she learned back to her kitchen to create a menu of tasty recipes using wheat flour.

Pati spends a day in Sonora’s capital, Hermosillo, visiting some of the city’s best culinary destinations. From gigantic burritos at Doña Guille, to a meat lover’s feast with the owner of the popular restaurant Mochomos, mingling with the young crowd at La Ruina brew park, and a treat no trip would be complete without, Sonoran hot dogs.

Pati experiences two important Sonoran culinary traditions. First, on the coast in Bahía Kino, local fishermen receive “the blessing” from a woman from the Seri tribe before heading out on the water to catch giant sea scallops. Then, in the mountain town of Matape, Nere, one of Sonora’s few female butchers, shares with Pati a tradition called “the benefit.”

Pati learns that carne asada goes way beyond grilled meat in Sonora. It’s an important weekly ritual that brings the whole family together. Back home, Pati throws a carne asada in her backyard for her husband and boys. First, she teaches them the basics of a true Sonoran carne asada. Then, for dessert, a whipped peanut buttercream and grape galette.

Sonoran wheat has shaped the cuisine of the entire Mexican north and is a staple of Sonoran cuisine. Pati tours one of Hermosillo’s oldest flour mills and gets a lesson on making coyotas, a traditional dessert, at a local bakery. In her kitchen, Pati shares her take on a classic Sonoran recipe: a carne con chile burrito. Then, she shows us how to make coyotas at home.

Pati spends a day in the kitchen with her middle son, Sami, cooking recipes inspired by her travels in Sonora that she knows he’ll love – beef and potato chimichangas, rice with lentils and caramelized onions, and an avocado and radish salad. In Sonora, Pati sees how the family bond can be the secret to delicious recipes at a famous family run street food stand, Johnny’s Tacos in Hermosillo.

Pati travels to Sonora’s coast on the Sea of Cortez, where local legend Toño Contreras gives her a tour including shellfish on the beach, his restaurant Mariscos El Rey, and his home kitchen for some crave-worthy recipes. This inspires Pati to make a couple seafood-loaded recipes at home – double-stacked shrimp and cheese tacos and a Sonoran-style shrimp and scallop tostada.

Pati makes three classic Sonoran recipes, each one a meal in itself: a fish special called pescado zarandeado, a rich stew called gallina pinta, and a tasty dirty rice with clams. In Sonora, she visits vacation destination Puerto Peñasco, where some of the town’s best chefs take her to the local market and invite her for a feast of their favorite recipes from the region.

As Pati travels with her TV production crew through Mexico’s vast state of Sonora, she’s inspired by the bold flavors and ingredients. They stop at a hacienda outside of Hermosillo, where Pati prepares her take on a true Sonoran feast in the rustic outdoor kitchen: Sonora cheese soup, chicken in pecan and ancho chile sauce, and asparagus with chiltepín.

Pati is inspired by Sonora’s “northern flavors” where the hot, arid desert lends itself to hearty and surprising recipes. She makes traditional tamales with corn, chiles, and cheese, and then for the main course, pork chops topped with a pickled grape salad. In Sonora, she visits a traditional hacienda, where she gets a true taste of Sonoran ranch food.