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Matt Armendariz
Long before she became an actress, Eva Longoria found creative fulfillment through cooking.
Eva has indulged her love of food and explored her Mexican roots as host of CNN’sSearching for Mexico.
Credit:Matt Armendariz
The experience was so transformative, it inspired her to write a new cookbook,My Mexican Kitchen.
We asked her which ingredients she swears by.
Grant Webster
1.
Credit:Grant Webster
High-Quality Tortillas
“You have to have tortillasin your cupboard,” Longoria says.
“I like Siete brand because their tortillas are very malleable and they havealternatives to grains.
They became famous because of their almond flour tortilla.
Credit:Peter Ardito
It is so good.”
Peter Ardito
2.
An olive oil with a very neutral taste changes everything.
Credit:Grant Webster
As for the best variety: “People think Italian is the best olive oil.
you might get a great Spanish olive oil at gourmet stores or even can get it on Amazon.”
Pinto Beans
“I always have pinto beans in my pantrythey’re a must,” Longoria says.
Credit:Grant Webster
One of her favorite brands is Loisa, which specializes in organic Latin American spices.
Eva Longoria
Cooking is how I make any place feel like home.
Wherever I am, I cant wait to get behind the stove.
Credit:Carson Downing
Carson Downing
5.
Dried Chiles
Dried chilesparticularly ancho, guajillo, and arbolare vital to adding the signature Mexican flavor.
The best part: They last for ages in a pantry.
Fresh Staples
Fortopping tacosor salads, ormaking guacamole, “youhave to have avocados, limes, and lemons.
I never have less than eight avocados in my house at all times,” Longoria says.
“You just have to go through them fast.”
Credit:Courtesy of Cas Del Sol
Also essential: tomatoes, fresh cilantro, and onionsfor homemade salsa.
Courtesy of Cas Del Sol
7.
You want the tequila to shine.'
Credit:Grant Webster
So you just want a tiny teeniest amount of agave and a squeeze of limethat’s it."
She’s such a tequila aficionado, she co-founded her own tequila brand, Casa del Sol.
It features both riffs on dishes she discovered on her travels to Mexico, as well as family go-tos.
Her personal favorite: Fideo Soup, a tomato broth with noodles thats easy for beginners to Mexican cooking.
