4 comments about Food from My Heart: Cuisines of Mexico Remembered and Reimagined.

1. If you love Mexico, it's cuisine, and it's traditions, you will love this book. The recipes are all superb and Zarela's warmth and love of her family, culture, and food, take center stage. This book captured my heart and took me on a nostalgic journey through the foods and holidays of my childhood! It is a pleasure to recommend this book.



2. I borrowed the book to learn more about tamales/ but found myself actually reading the book. Excellent. I now want to own it.



3. I purchased this book after having checked it out of the library and finding I could not let it go -- paid a heavy fine to the library, too! This book is now the most often used in my kitchen. I love to read the author's childhood memories and the background she sets up for the recipes. The recipes are not too complicated, and I have not tried one that has not been a winner! I understand it is now out of print, but I would highly recommend it to anyone who can aquire it!



4. This wonderful cookbook is part history book ( of Zarela Martinez' family and experiences in Mexico) as well as being a great book full of wonderful recipes. These recipes are "authenically Mexican" as opposed to being an Americanized version of Mexican food (which is what you are liable to find here in America.) Her subsequent books on Oaxaca and Veracruz are also worth checking out.

5 comments about Mexican Cookery.

1. The receipes were easy to follow and when I cooked for my Mexican friends, they love it! Used it for four years, until the movers lost it! Recommend that you buy this book.



2. Growing up in a Mexican kitchen myself, was able to re-create some of the dishes my mother made using this cookbook. All of the ingredients can easily be found at your local supermarket. Super easy to follow directions. Excellent, excellent book to own. She's got wonderful marinades for the carne asada and BBQ chicken. The enchilada recipes are superb.



3. I originally purchased this wonderful cookbook in the early 1980's. I found it very interesting to read from cover-to-cover as it offers many helps and describes all of the traditional ingredients in authentic Mexican dishes. The illustrations made it easy to follow the recipies and to end up with a wonderfully delicious and colorful dish. I wish to thank Barbara Hansen for a wonderful job and only wish she would find the time to put together another book as wonderful as this. I understand she can still be located at the Los Angeles Times' food section in California. Thanks for letting me express my thoughts.



4. After reading a review, I purchased Mexican Cookery many years ago. Coming from a Mexican background I found the receipes to be the closest to authentic Mexican cuisine I have ever seen in a Mexican cookbook written in English. Just like grandma and Mama used to cook.I have given several copies away as presents to people who I know enjoy authentic Mexican food.



5. Very authentic! The Enchiladas de Pollo and the Enchiladas Queso are both amazing. Try to find a copy if you can.

1 comments about Encarnación's Kitchen: Mexican Recipes from Nineteenth-Century California (California Studies in Food and Culture, 9).

1. Until recent history, women rarely wrote their own stories for the history books, men did. This is especially true of the Hispanic women living in the lands after the Mexican war (1848). The Hispanics living in California and other territories that became the American Southwest were quickly defrauded of their land and civil rights. This cookbook begins with beautifully researched and sensitively written essays describing the social-political context within which Encarnacion penned her recipes. The recipes are as she wrote them in 1898. To cook them accurately presumes adequate knowledge of cooking. Cookbooks are more than a collection of recipes, they transmit culture. This book is necessary for any person deeply interested in the cultural context of California and Southwest cuisine. Before I read this book, I wondered how accurate or true to my experience it would be. My late grandmother, Catalina Maria Ortiz Acosta, was a woman from a prominent Hispanic family, and was born in Los Angeles in 1904. When I read this book I recognized the recipes from the meals and the style of food my grandmother had cooked. The history confirmed the stories she would tell me about the various political elite she knew. (Catalina Pico, the grand daughter of Pio Pico, the last Mexican Governor or Alta California was her godmother.) I highly recommend this book.

1 comments about Mexico's Feasts of Life.

1. This book is more than chips and salsa. I married into a Mexican family and have learned over the years family revolves around food. This book has helped me understand the importance of certain foods in relationship to holidays. I can share with my children how their abuelita makes holiday dishes.

4 comments about The Everything Tex-Mex Cookbook: 300 Flavorful Recipes to Spice Up Your Mealtimes! (Everything: Cooking).

1. The Everything Tex-Mex Cookbook: 300 Flavorful Recipes To Spice Up Your Mealtimes! by Linda Larsen (a former Pillsbury Bake-Off staff member) is an impressive collection of three hundred appetizing Tex-Mex recipes, each one of which is thoroughly explained and easily made. A remarkable compendium of dishes suitable for any dining occasion, The Everything Tex-Mex Cookbook recipes range from Rib Mopping Sauce; Pork con Queso; and Tex-Mex Egg Rolls; to Pan Dulce Loaves; Refried Bean Burgers; and Tex-Mex Turkey Pot Pie. The Everything Tex-Mex Cookbook is a welcome addition to the cookbook shelves of culinary connoisseurs and busy family cooks for its remarkable collective coverage of every imaginable feast in the Tex-Mex style. Also very highly recommended are two other ethnic cookbooks from Adams Media: The Everything Thai Cookbook (158062-7331, $14.95) and The Everything Chinese Cookbook (1580629547, $14.95).



2. Since my wife got this book, I've had some of the best mexican style food in years. Try the shredded pork. It's the best I've ever tried AND the tamales you can make with it are superb. Chicken and beef dishes are delicious, too, far better than you get at most restaurants. For us, living in the midwest doesn't mean mediocre mexican food anymore. Happy tamale time.



3. I am more impressed with Rick Bayless book which arrived at the same time. However I will definately use a lot of the recipes and suggestions for making the dishes less spicy.



4. My husband loves, loves, LOVES the recipes I've gotten out of this cookbook! (Somehow a Scandinavian man has managed to develop quite a taste for spicy foods!) Our favorites are the Beef Chimichangas, Chicken Chimichangas, Frito Pie (yes, made with Fritos -- try it!), Corn Fritters (we add jalapenos), Asparagus with Avocado, and Spicy Shrimp Chowder. For appetizers, we like the Jalapeno Poppers and Texas Cavier especially. There are also some wonderful vegetarian offerings, in fact an entire chapter on Vegetarian Tex-Mex. Some of our faves include the Chile Rellenos Casserole, Quesadilles (our kids' favorite), and the Spinach Enchiladas. In fact, sometimes what I do is hold part of the recipe back for the kids before adding the jalapenos, spices, etc., so I've found that I can satisfy the whole family with these recipes. I especially liked the glossary in the back that explains Tex-Mex cooking terms . . . very informative.
   
   This is another one of Linda's wonderful offerings to the world of food. I have become quite a junkie of her cookbooks!

5 comments about The Taste of Mexico.

1. This is the bible of authentic Mexican cooking. I lived 12 years in Mexico, immersed in a family food business, so I feel I can vouch for its authenticity. It is a refreshing divergence from what many Americans think Mexican food is all about. The photography is beautiful, and the book is a visual feast, providing a tour of Mexico's ceramics, textiles, architecture, art and culture as well as its culinary coverage. I have used this book for years and will continue to do so. If you have only one Mexican cookbook this is the one to have!



2. This book is filled with many beautiful pictures and is the ideal "coffee table book". It also provides insight on the vast variety of mexican dishes. But buyer beware!!! I grew up on mexican cooking and thought this book would be a great addition to my collection, but I was wrong. This is not a practicle cook-book, and definitely not intended for the novice cook. Most recipes contain numerous ingredients (some very rare and difficult to find, even at ethnic food stores). This is a gourmet cooking book, intended for advanced cooks who are up to the challenge of hunting down rare ingredients and cooking up rare wonders.



3. I purchased this incredible book while living in Mexico for two years. Bringing it back to the U.S. presents a challenge when trying to find the right ingredients, but the hunt is half the fun. This is not a book for people looking to whip up a quick meal, the recipes are complex and detailed. One concern is that since it was originally written in Spanish, some details are lost in the English translation, so be prepared to figure stuff out along the way. My favorite - Filete al Chipotle!



4. For those who aren't already familiar with authentic Mexican cuisine, you should know that it has been long regarded as one of the world's five great cuisines...along with Chinese, French, Italian & Spanish (of course more recently Turkish has cracked the top five...and depending on who you ask either Italian or Spanish leaves the list). It has earned its billing as a great cuisine through its 6,000 year history of creativity & complex, sophisticated development of flavor. As such, don't expect these recipes to be simplistic, effortless solutions to a quick weeknight dinner....these are for serious foodies who have grown tired of repeating their French & Italian recipes...and who are looking for a cuisine that is equally gourmet, but a lot healthier, with a greater reliance on colorful produce rather than cream, butter & cheese.
   
   For those who aren't already familiar with Patricia Quintana, you should know that she was Mexico City's premier cookbook author for many years, and in the last decade she has become the most celebrated Chef & Restarateur. This is one of the must have books for a serious Mexican foodie. However, I must agree with the editor...if you don't know how to make a basic seared Mexican sauce, or dry roast garlic then you will be a little lost. In that case, I wholeheartedly recommend purchasing Bayless' Mexican Kitchen first, then buying this book once you have exhuasted his recipes.



5. Having had the unique opportunity to sit in the kitchen of Patricia Quintana and watch her turn simple ingredients into savory gourmet cuisine, this book was like revisiting her table. Her recipes are concise and easy to follow; though some of the ingredients may be a challenge. My own experience recreating a few of her works was very successful and any cook who is seriously seeking the true flavor of Mexico would be well advised to get this book.
   
   Patricia is a national treasure in Mexico and her legacy will be preserved in the recipes she has collected.

No comments about 70 Classic Mexican Recipes: Easy-to-make, authentic and delicious dishes, shown step-by-step in 250 sizzling color photographs.

No comments about ALTEÑOS EN LA COCINA: Coleccion de Recetas de miembros de maialtos.com.

1 comments about Fiesta On the Grill.

1. "Most cultures throughout the world carry on a tradition of grilling over an open fire with varying degrees of sophistication. In North America, a renaissance had taken place in backyard grilling and barbecue that has become an indispensable part of our cooking culture." ~ Daniel Hoyer
   
   With "Fiesta on the Grill," Daniel Hoyer presents recipes inspired by Latin America, the Caribbean and the American Southwest. There are over 70 recipes to enjoy all year round. The pictures alone make this cookbook collectible. Recipes are divided into main sections:
   
   Dry Rubs & Marinades
   Direct Grilling
   Smoking
   Salsas & Sauces
   Salads
   Sides/Accompaniments
   Desserts
   
   Menu suggestions and a section for resources is included along with an easy-to-use index. What is very intriguing is some techniques like brining chicken before smoking and the variety of dry rubs you can use to enhance flavor. Some of the spice blends include a Red Chile, Seafood, Poultry, Mexican, Island Spice and Smoky Chipotle Adobo. Daniel also includes his famous seasoning blend that can be made with ingredients you may already have in your kitchen. Garlic, sea salt, mustard, cloves, coriander, cumin and a delicious smoked paprika for the base for this recipe. What is deliciously surprising is the recipe using lavender and the one using orange zest.
   
   After you learn about the spice rubs, which form the basis for the flavors, the recipes to enjoy include:
   
   Lamb Chops with delicious herbs, spices and sherry
   Mango-Honey Pork Tenderloin you can serve with grilled pineapple slices
   Oregano Chicken
   Raspberry-Chile Glazed Chicken Roulade
   Lime-Marinated Spicy Grilled Salmon
   Orange-Flavored Smoky Turkey
   Cilantro-Pumpkinseed Pesto
   Grilled Yellow Potato & Roasted Pepper Salad
   Grilled Calabacitas
   Fire-Roasted Corn
   Coconut Curried Rice and Black-Eyes Peas
   Coconut Cornbread Shortcake with Fresh Berries
   Mexican Chile-Chocolate Cake
   
   If you are not in love with grilling when you start reading "Fiesta on the Grill" prepare to fall in love! This is one of the most exciting grilling cookbooks you will ever find! This takes grilling to gourmet levels all while presenting recipes that are very easy to follow and your cooking confidence will soar with each recipe you try. I was looking for a recipe for Pumpkinseed Pesto!
   
   ~The Rebecca Review

1 comments about Cocina esencial de México.

1. 
   I am mexican, i love to cook and i can tell you this is the most complete and wonderful mexican cook book I ever had, I am 65 years old and I have more than 50 cook books, I already bought 2 more books to give to my daughter and a friend I also recommend the cook books of Julia Child and Jacques Pepin of French cuisine.