Feido Seco with Lucia Benitez of Sobremesa

Images by Ana Laframboise

This week on the IN BED Journal we meet Lucía Benitez the co-founder of Sobremesa, a cooking school, events space, and store in Mexico City. Lucia, along with her friend and business partner Micaela, started Sobremsa five years ago after leaving a career in marketing to follow her passion for great food and produce.

Sobremesa’s approach to cooking is a collaborative one with guests encouraged to book a class with friends – the experience aims to replicate the way a large family might come together in the kitchen at home, with the added advantage of Lucia’s direction and a pantry full of the perfect ingredients.

Lucia’s philosophy when it comes to food has always been based on its ability to nourish and care for others, especially through the use of produce that is responsibly grown and locally sourced. It’s also become a form of expression for Lucia, and Sobremesa has become the vessel to share her art with others.

We asked Lucia to make one of her favourite dishes, Fideo Seco, a simple and much loved meal that is best described as a Mexican-style pasta. It’s a dish that can be whipped up at a moment's notice and is packed full of flavour dialed up with the chili of your choice.

Lucia’s Feido Seco
(Serves: 6)

Ingredients

*You can use any kind of chili available at your local market - dry, canned or fresh. The ones I’ve suggested here have a smoky and sweet taste, and aren’t too spicy!

Method

1. In a skillet, put tomatoes, onion, garlic clove and chilis over a high heat until they’re golden brown.

2. Remove the chiles from the heat and put them in a bowl with hot water to hydrate them, until softened. Remove the seeds from inside the chiles and reserve.

3. Blend the tomatoes and onion with the chiles, salt and the stock.

4. In a large skillet, heat a splash of oil over medium heat and add the pasta, carefully moving it until it’s evenly spread and cook until a light golden brown.

5. Add the tomato sauce, lower the heat and let cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the liquid is fully absorbed.

6. Serve and garnish with avocado, cheese in small pieces, sour cream and cilantro leaves.

Lucia’s table is set with an IN BED 100% linen tablecloth in stone, napkins in toffee. Lucia uses an IN BED organic cotton waffle tea towel in stone throughout the story.