• robm on July 06, 2011

  A major part of authentic Mexican cooking is its myriad sauces -- salsas, moles, pipianes, etc. In this wonderful book, Roberto Santibanez focuses on the sauces and provides recipes for virtually every one you can imagine, and many more that will probably be new to you! The only comparable book I know of is Patricia Quintana's still untranslated "El Mulli." A great addition to the library of Mexican cookbooks! Most of these are traditional sauces that can be used with your choice of meats, fish or poultry. In the old days Mexican cooks often had to use whatever protein was available. There might not have been a big selection at the market, but what there was could be varied infinitely by the endless array of sauces. So feel free to experiment, using these sauces. Whatever you cook in them will be delicious!

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Chilaquiles (Tortilla chips simmered with sauce)

  • SilverSage on July 30, 2015

    Fabulous! I made this with the fresh Ranchero Sauce from the same book. I brought back memories of my days living in Los Angeles in the 1970's. I used them as a side dish, but they'd be perfect for breakfast with a fried egg on top.

• Fast mashed canned black beans (Frijoles negros machacados)

  • britt on June 08, 2013

    I thought these were good, especially considering how simple they were to make. They had a smoky, deep flavor. Great weeknight option.

• Sautéed spinach and mushrooms (Espinacas y hongos salteadas)

  • lorloff on December 11, 2021

    This was really delicious. I added garlic that the end of the onion sautéing and used one jalapeño and several sweet ( a wee bit spicy) habaneros. I used oyster and bolete mushrooms the slippery kind and it came out wonderfully. Will make again.

  • foodgloriousfood on June 23, 2021

    Very nice vegetable side dish but even better when used in the enchilada recipe (pg 216)

• Classic guacamole (Guacamole tipico)

  • lorloff on June 09, 2017

    Out of the ballpark guacamole recipe! Will make again and again. Must make in a molcajete which is perfect for this recipe. I am considering keeping the chopped onion, cilantro and chilies on hand so we can make this easily and often.

  • lkgrover on August 14, 2017

    This is my go-to guacamole recipe for classic guac. If you add fresh lime juice, it keeps (in the refrigerator) without changing color. I always add fresh tomatoes.

• Grilled adobo-marinated skirt steak (Carne adobada)

  • mr.paul on September 22, 2015

    Made this with the 3-chili adobo, and it was absolutely wonderful. Served with tomatillo salsa (fresh, not cooked) and cucumber salsa, along with corn tortillas.

• Chunky tomatillo sauce (Entomatado)

  • wcassity on May 02, 2020

    Strange - sweet and sour.

• Guacamole enchiladas with guajillo-tomatillo beef sauce (Enchiladas de guacamole con salsa de guajillo)

  • wcassity on November 24, 2018

    Delicious!

  • JKDLady on December 14, 2012

    This is an outstanding salsa. I only made the salsa and without the meat. I used it to coat corn tortillas and also to top pork chops. This is a keeper!

  • blepharisma on September 08, 2013

    I made this for a birthday dinner. There are a few parts to it, so be sure to get organized! A fantastic meal.

• Braised and fried pork (Carnitas)

  • meggan on November 05, 2018

    Very good though I added a little more stock than called for and if you are feeding piggy people like I am, you might want to add more pork. I made with: Martha Stewart Caramelized Poblano and Onion Dip https://www.marthastewart.com/911335/caramelized-poblano-chile-and-onion-dipMartha Stewart Black beans and rice with Avocado https://www.marthastewart.com/1057867/black-beans-rice-and-avocado BA Green Pico de gallo https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/green-pico-de-gallo BA Roasted Tomato-Cashew Salsa http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/roasted-tomato-cashew-salsa Nopalito Pickled Red Onions BA Tres Leches Cake https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/tres-leches-cake

  • Rinshin on January 26, 2018

    Excellent carnitas. Made half the recipe, subbed buttermilk for condensed milk, and rough shredded meat with fork before crisping/browning in the oven. Was not sure if orange skin also went into the cooking sauce and added that in as well.

  • foodgloriousfood on June 23, 2021

    Excellent carnitas recipe and if you make the full amount (4lbs pork) you might have enough leftovers for the wonderful Beans with Pork which call for 1/2 recipe of Carnita meat. I would recommend that but you might need to hide that meat on the first night so it doesn’t all get eaten! We use the recommended 1 Tb condensed milk it adds a creamy richness and sweetness to the pork, which is everything! This is a truly wonderful recipe!

• Poached chicken and chicken stock (Pollo cocido)

  • hirsheys on July 15, 2018

    This method cooks the chicken beautifully and makes an extremely mild, but tasty stock. At least, the version I made was mild because I used split chicken breasts - the bones added flavor and the meat came out very moist. I had to sub kholrabi for the celery, and used a bunch of green onions instead of a regular white onion. It's a flexible recipe...

• Pineapple and cucumber guacamole (Guacamole con piña y pepino)

  • hirsheys on September 30, 2017

    Meh. I didn't think the cucumber added a lot and I found the pineapple too sweet.

• Fresh yellow tomato salsa (Pico de gallo amarillo)

  • hirsheys on September 30, 2017

    This was good, but quite mild. I think this would be better on a fish taco than to dip chips into. 8.18.17

• Mole from Puebla (Mole Poblano)

  • hirsheys on July 15, 2018

    As expected, this took a lot of work, including an extended break dealing with my smoke alarm after the chile frying step. (Sigh.) Still, the mole came out delicious and extremely complex, which was very gratifying. This recipe makes an absolute vat (completely filled my dutch oven), but it'd be hard to cut it down, so I'm hoping it freezes well. I really liked it enchilada style with chicken (poached using the book's method) and chihuahua cheese.

• Simple pumpkin seed sauce (Pipian verde)

  • hirsheys on August 17, 2017

    This was FANTASTIC. I was really attracted to the picture in the book (with shrimp), but had to use chicken breasts instead. I poached them using the method in the book and then saved the liquid for the sauce. I overcooked the chicken (I got a phone call), but the sauce is so good it didn't matter. I made it pretty much as written, though I used only one whole large jalapeno. I could have used a bit more, but it was still plenty spicy. Next time, I would add less liquid while blending the first batch, just to get a smoother texture. I originally planned to serve this with tortillas, but after tasting, I decided to make rice to sop up the sauce. Super delicious.

  • foodgloriousfood on June 23, 2021

    We enjoy this and I have made it a few times. It is very saucy so I generally add more shrimp than the recipe calls for (2lbs instead of 1.25) it needs quite a lot of salt! It also really benefits from a lot of lime juice to serve. I always increase the Serranos to 5-6 instead of 3. And generally serve it with some Verde hot sauce to brighten it up even more. (We LOVE Cutinos hot sauces)

• Spicy cooked tomatillo table salsa (Salsa verde picante)

  • pagesinthesun on October 30, 2012

    So, I made this salsa and then mashed in 1.5 avocados. It was a big hit! I served it with tortilla chips along with Rick Bayless Frontera grill chipolte salsa (jarred) I chose to do the tomatillos in a cooked salsa. I've never had them in a fresh salsa, for some reason I don't think I'd like that.

• Enchiladas with chicken (Enchiladas de pollo)

  • JKDLady on September 13, 2015

    I really liked this, but felt it needed more filling. Maybe sautéed veggies in with the chicken. I really liked the technique of making the corn tortillas pliable. I think this recipe is very flexible.

• Roasted tomatillo salsa with chipotle and roasted garlic (Salsa de tomatillo asado con chipotle)

  • blepharisma on September 08, 2013

    This is a really simple and delicious recipe. The chipotles add a bit of heat and smokiness, while the tomatillos keep it tangy. Versatile... and a little different from the usual salsa.

• Carnitas tacos (Tacos de carnitas)

  • Rinshin on January 26, 2018

    Used the carnitas recipe from the book and already made pico de Gallo from the freezer. Great with chopped onions, cilantro, and squeeze of lime.

• Ranchera sauce (Salsa ranchera)

  • Rinshin on November 10, 2021

    This sauce works great with huevos ranchera. The taste of cinnamon is subtle buts works very nicely with eggs.

• Adobo D.F. (Adobo de chile ancho estilo D.F.)

  • peaceoutdesign on October 21, 2019

    Great as is. I randomly used really hot chilies but once over the enchiladas, the heat tempered.

• Fruit guacamole (Guacamole con frutas)

  • lkgrover on July 08, 2018

    Excellent, interesting mix of fruits in a guacamole. I brought this to a party, where I got several requests for the recipe. (I used 1 peach, only green grapes, and the optional pomegranate as well as all required items.)

• Simple roasted tomato salsa with onion and cilantro (Salsa roja con cebolla y cilantro)

  • lkgrover on August 14, 2017

    I made this for a coworker's birthday party. I appreciate that it keeps in in the refrigerator for a few days, so it can be made ahead. Everyone enjoyed it, and two people asked for the recipe. I used less jalapeno, so it was not as spicy. The salsa is runny, similar to Mexican restaurants in the U.S.

• Roasted tomatillo salsa with toasted chile powder (Salsa de tomatillo con chile seco en polvo)

  • lkgrover on August 14, 2017

    I liked this tomatillo salsa; the ancho chiles gave it a smokiness. I used 1/2 pound of tomatillos, which only made about 1/4 cup salsa (not the 1/2 cup the recipe indicated). I would purchase at least 1 pound tomatillos to produce 1/2 cup salsa.

• Green rice with poblano chiles (Arroz verde con chile poblano)

  • lkgrover on August 30, 2020

    Excellent Mexican green rice. I used 1 poblano & 1 green bell pepper, because I was serving with a spicy stew; substitute parsley for epazote/cilantro.

  • foodgloriousfood on June 23, 2021

    Excellent green rice. I use the poblanos and zucchini per the recipe and always have frozen epazote leaves for this rice (I buy them from our Ranch Market and freeze the leaves between layers of wax paper in a ziplock, the same with Hoja Santa) It isn’t spicy at all, but has just enough flavor to pair with any main in the book without being too much.

• Chipotle-avocado leaf black beans (Frijoles negros con chipotle y hoja de aguacate)

  • joanhuguet on March 03, 2015

    Incredibly rich, complex, and spicy. My go-to Mexican bean recipe from now on.

• Three-chile adobo (Adobo de tres chiles)

  • MmeFleiss on December 25, 2017

    This is a really great marinade. Well-balanced.

• Basic guajillo adobo (Adobo de guajillo)

  • jayejoyce on December 11, 2015

    I found this recipe especially simple to make, and very flavorful. The Guajillo chilis add just enough heat so that people with most levels of heat-sensitivity can enjoy. Take your time in making sure the chilis are properly browned to get the best flavor. Small batches work best.

• Adobo-marinated shrimp (Camarones adobados)

  • pdthorpe on June 04, 2023

    Excellent excellent recipe. It is worth sourcing the dried chilis and making the adobo yourself, and it is quite easy, pretty much all you need is some tongs, a pan and a blender. You can divide up and freeze the adobo for later uses.

• Avocado sauce (Salsa de aguacate)

  • foodgloriousfood on June 23, 2021

    I love this sauce! It’s creamy, light and fresh. I don’t add any water! The recipe calls for a full cup of water. But with just the cup of whole milk it is pouring consistency and can also be used as a light dip. Wonderful drizzled on nachos or tacos. It makes a single avocado go a very long way. I recommend using whole milk per the recipe. I made it once with skim milk and my son asked it why it wasn’t as good as usual. He was right. It wasn’t.

• Spinach and mushroom enchiladas (Enchiladas de espinacas y hongos)

  • foodgloriousfood on June 23, 2021

    Enjoyed these. Choice of two sauces. I used the Cooked Green Salsa.

• Mexican red rice (Arroz a la Mexicana)

  • foodgloriousfood on June 23, 2021

    My go to Mexican red rice I make it exactly as written. I have tried adding extra tomatoes and onion and less water but it wasn’t as good. Great basic red rice side dish.

• Beans with pork (Frijoles con puerco)

  • foodgloriousfood on June 23, 2021

    My husband was in heaven with this. Made with leftover carnitas per the recipe and at first was worried we would begrudge that, as the carnita recipe in this book is amazing! But we didn’t regret it at all as this dish was wonderful too!

• Chicken in tomato sauce (Pollo en salsa de jitomate)

  • foodgloriousfood on June 23, 2021

    Have tried this recipe with both of the recommended salsas (as the sauce base) and preferred the Tomato and Habanero salsa as it was richer and spicier than the Ranchera Sauce.

• Zucchini and corn with cream (Calabacitas con crema)

  • foodgloriousfood on June 23, 2021

    We enjoy this as a side but it’s quite rich and it makes a lot and I always forget to halve the recipe. In fairness it does say it serves 10 (in tiny print) and there are only 2-3 of us at any time. It’s nice for lunches with the white, green or red rice from this book but you may be eating it for a week or more if you make the whole recipe and it does have cream and cheese... lots of vegetables too though!

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