Notes about Recipes in this book

• Charred tomato salsa (Salsa roja)

  • twoyolks on May 28, 2014

    The salsa became much to sweet with out any flavors to balance it.

• Cooked green salsa (Salsa verde)

  • GiselleMarie on October 25, 2019

    This is SO easy and very flavorful. For some reason, I always avoided cooking with tomatillos but this salsa changed everything. It’s delicious!

• Fresh tomatillo and chipotle salsa

  • lean1 on April 14, 2020

    Wonderful easy to make flavorful sauce. Next time I would use half the amount of chili. It's spicy

  • JLDuck on April 24, 2022

    It is a great salsa and very easy to make. It is spicy so add chipotles to taste. I added a little more.

  • memphiseat on January 18, 2025

    Interesting. Made with optional avocado and fresco cheese. Ate with chips but would also be nice as a sauce. Only added a small amount of chipotle because one of our guests doesn’t like spicy food.

• Chunky poblano and tomato salsa

  • Rutabaga on May 05, 2019

    I served this as a salsa to go with chips or tacos, but it would also be very nice as a topping for grilled or pan fried meats, particularly chicken or beef. Mixed with cubed meat, it would also make a good, fajita-like filling for tortillas.

• Traditional tomato pico de gallo

  • Rutabaga on September 02, 2019

    This recipe is for the typical version of salsa Mexicano, aka pico de gallo. If you're familiar with it, you may not need a recipe, but if you do, this yields great results, perfect for any Mexican meal.

  • westminstr on September 03, 2019

    Agree - this makes a standard but good pico de gallo.

• Mango pico

  • TrishaCP on April 27, 2015

    This was fresh and light and just great (served over broiled salmon). This will require taste tests to get the right balance between sweet and savory depending on the sweetness of your mango-I added a bit more lime juice to suit my preference.

  • JLDuck on December 05, 2021

    A great dish during mango season. I accompanied this with Rodrigo style fish

• Crunchy radish pico

  • TrishaCP on August 23, 2014

    Crunchy and flavorful. The bitterness of the radish went well with the crisp cucumber and tang from the lime juice.

  • Rutabaga on May 05, 2019

    This is wonderful refreshing side dish to serve alongside a Mexican meal. The flavor really intensifies after it has rested for a short while, and the ingredients meld perfectly. It's a great crunchy side dish to serve alongside tacos or any warm weather meal.

• Pickled jalapeños and carrots (Jalapeños y zanahorias en escabeche)

  • ellencooks on March 19, 2021

    We really liked these. The food processor spilled over though so I would use the blender next time.

• Chunky guacamole

  • JLDuck on October 19, 2020

    My household voted for non chunky guacamole. Oh well.

• Everyday green salad

  • julesamomof2 on February 06, 2020

    A nice, basic salad made better with homemade vinaigrette. I used both butter and red leaf lettuces. Great way to lighten up a heavier meal and combination of carrots, tomatoes, and cucumbers is crowd-pleasing.

  • TrishaCP on November 25, 2021

    If you want a basic green salad recipe, this is a good one. The avocado adds pleasing richness.

  • amandabeck on December 30, 2023

    A simple, no-frills salad that makes a great accompaniment to any Mexican meal.

  • stockholm28 on December 30, 2023

    This is a simple green salad which works well as a side to a Mexican meal.

• Red leaf, avocado, and grapefruit salad with olive-mint vinaigrette

  • D.Barker on June 10, 2021

    This salad was okay. All the flavors kind of fought each other, and there wasn't a great variety in texture.

• Avocado and hearts of palm salad

  • Rutabaga on September 03, 2019

    This is a fun salad with a lot of appeal. Unfortunately, I forgot to add the onion, which really would have brought the dish together; with the rich hearts of palm and avocado, it needs that little extra bite. Serve it with lime wedges so each person can add more to taste. There is a great interplay of textures and late summer flavors here, and it's actually pretty quick to pull together.

• Boston lettuce salad with avocado dressing, candied pineapple, and spicy pumpkin seeds

  • apattin on May 26, 2020

    Nice. Needs a bit more lime juice.

• Watermelon and tomatillo salad with feta cheese

  • TrishaCP on August 10, 2019

    This is a great summer salad. I particularly enjoyed the jalapeño and mint combination in the vinaigrette.

  • Rutabaga on August 31, 2019

    This salad is different and delicious, a really pleasing combination of different textures and tastes. It's a lovely option for on a warm summer day, when you want something cool and refreshing. To accommodate the kids, I simply served plain watermelon slices on the side.

  • ellencooks on March 19, 2021

    This was okay as written but was superb when I added a little Tajin.

• Creamless cream of zucchini soup (Crema de calabacita)

  • TrishaCP on September 06, 2022

    This was creamy as advertised and while simple in flavor, we really enjoyed it. (You really need homemade stock for this one.) This is a great way to use up loads of zucchini.

• Creamy corn soup

  • twoyolks on August 08, 2015

    This was a really thin soup; it would've been nice thicker. The adobo sauce is a little too strong in comparison to the corn. I couldn't taste the vanilla at all.

• Squash blossom soup (Sopa de flor de calabaza)

  • TrishaCP on October 28, 2013

    A light and tasty summer soup. I subbed light green pepper for poblanos since that was what I had on hand, and it was an ok substitute, though I missed the more complex poblano flavor.

• Weeknight potato and leek soup (Sopa de poro y papa)

  • dgiles on April 09, 2022

    Perfect potato leek soup.

• Tomato-zucchini soup with melty cheese (Minguichi)

  • twoyolks on September 13, 2014

    Despite the simple list of ingredients, the soup contains a lot of flavor. The broth in particular is very good. I ended up with an extremely hot poblano which made the entire soup extremely hot so be aware.

  • Yildiz100 on July 28, 2019

    We all found this recipe a little bland and boring and overwhelmingly tomato-ey, even the bites with lots of cheese. I had small poblanos so I doubled the amount, but they still didn't contribute much flavor. My poblanos were very mild so the dish had no spiciness. Perhaps it needs spiciness to really work. I am also convinced that spicy chilis aren't just hotter, they are also more aromatic, so maybe that lack in my chiles was the problem. Either way, I doubt this will be repeated.

• Alphabet soup (Sopa de letras)

  • TrishaCP on September 28, 2015

    I didn't hate this, but the end result was kind of spaghetti-o-like in the blandness and my 3-year old niece didn't really eat it.

  • Yildiz100 on August 02, 2019

    I agree, this is a bit bland. Pati's version of this soup is very tomato with less garlic and onion than I would have used. So, out of curiosity I also checked Diana Kennedy's recipe for this and she used twice as much relative to the amount of tomatoes called for. It's also a bit heavy on the broth for me.

• Red pozole (Pozole rojo)

  • twoyolks on November 09, 2014

    The broth was the best part of this recipe. The soup felt like it was missing ingredients.

• Divorced eggs (Huevos divorciados)

  • jenburkholder on December 03, 2022

    I did use her homemade salsas (verde and tomato), don't remember if the beans were homemade refried or good canned ones, and definitely used premade tortillas. It was good, easy, and tasty. Would repeat but with so much of the flavor coming from the salsas, making those fresh ones seems pretty necessary.

• Scrambled egg packets with black bean sauce (Huevos envueltos bañados en frijol)

  • twoyolks on April 14, 2016

    These look disgusting but are quite tasty. They're also very quick (minus cooking the black beans). My black bean puree came out a bit thick so I'd probably add more liquid in the future. This definitely needs some sort of salsa served with it. The crema mexicana can probably be safely omitted.

• Mexican frittata with poblanos, potatoes, and feta

  • TrishaCP on March 18, 2015

    The flavors of this frittata were great and I would definitely make this again. I used only one potato and fewer eggs to fit the smaller-sized pan currently available to me- but I used the full amount of poblanos and cheese. Made a perfect light supper with a salad.

  • wcassity on November 05, 2016

    We loved this. A little bit of heat from the poblanos, the allspice, the feta. We served it with salad as suggested. It was even better the next day.

  • Yildiz100 on July 19, 2019

    Great flavors but my potatoes weren't quite cooked through when my onions started to get too brown because I didn't peel and diced my potatoes before par boiling then-I boiled them whole. Oops. Next time do it right and/or change the order that things are added to the pan. (Potatoes first!) Also, I had fewer potatoes-just half a pound so I made up for it with an extra poblano. Reduced oil to 3 tbs since I had fewer potatoes and that was plenty. This balance of veg was also nice. The feta is delicious in this!

  • jenburkholder on June 28, 2022

    Made per recipe, very tasty. My poblanos were sadly mild, so may increase next time to try to get a little kick. Although she says it doesn't reheat I totally disagree - have been using for breakfast to take to work all week and gently warming in microwave there. Delish!

  • stockholm28 on July 03, 2024

    Very nice. I made 1/4 the recipe in a 6 inch cast iron pan. I also parboiled the potatoes a little longer. There was more filling than egg (perhaps because my eggs were on the small side) so it did not look like the photo in the book..

  • jennifer7582 on May 05, 2026

    Delicioso. Added ground turkey to the potatoes.

• Tortilla and black bean casserole

  • TrishaCP on February 11, 2015

    A delicious and rich vegetarian main course. This isn't quick to pull together, but by using canned beans (or cooking them ahead, as I did) and making the chile sauce in advance, you can speed up the final plating. The pasillas had a nice hit of warmth, but serve hot sauce for those who like their foods spicier. I only had about half the shredded cheese called for, and it was fine with that amount.

• Grilled cheese and bean heroes (Molletes)

  • TrishaCP on April 27, 2015

    Simple and delicious sandwich- a very hearty veggie option. This comes together very quickly if the components are already made.

• Shrimp cocktail Pacífico (Cóctel de camarón del Pacífico)

  • Rutabaga on January 15, 2020

    This shrimp cocktail has good flavor, but I think it's best not to let it marinate too long. Mine marinated most of the day, and it was already a little past its prime, as the lime juice had started to toughen the shrimp. It was still good, even the next day, but would definitely be best after only a brief marination.

• Crab cakes with jalapeño aioli

  • stockholm28 on August 24, 2019

    I liked these. My only deviation was that I dipped the crab cakes in flour, followed by egg, followed by panko to get a nice, crisp exterior. The jalapeno, lime, and cilantro were fairly subtle and complemented the crab. I usually make crab cakes bound with a bechamel sauce, but this recipe was much faster.

• Rodrigo-style fish (Pescado Rodrigo)

  • twoyolks on January 13, 2014

    The fish is nice and simple but the sauce is overpowered by the Maggi seasoning.

  • Yildiz100 on August 12, 2019

    Sauce was too oily for me, consequently kind of bland and I needed to squeeze a bunch of extra lime on the fish. Would make again but omit most or all of the oil-there was enough from frying the fish.

  • lkgrover on November 17, 2019

    I made a few adjustments to the sauce based on Yildiz100's and twoyolks' comments: 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce (no Maggi), 1 1/2 limes; substitute parsley for cilantro. Used tilapia fillets. Simple fish tacos with a bright sauce.

  • JLDuck on December 05, 2021

    Delicious. I reduced the oil significantly and cooked it in a non stick pan. I used soy rather than Maggi sauce. The result was excellent. I accompanied the dish with Mango pico and tomato pico de gallo.

• Sweet and salty salmon

  • TrishaCP on October 14, 2022

    This has a nice kick from the jalapeño, and the glaze tasted good with the salmon (I used coho salmon). I would definitely make this again.

• Snapper with creamy almond-chipotle pesto

  • wcassity on February 11, 2018

    Good, not memorable. Snapper was expensive!

  • JLDuck on April 24, 2022

    I used gummy shark (i.e. other firm mild flavoured white fish fillet). Easy and delicious. Sour cream and pecorino were my options. Basically what was n the house. Will definitely make the again. Cooked previously April 2022. Used barramundi this time. Delicious.

• Creamy poblano mahimahi

  • twoyolks on February 10, 2014

    The creamy poblano sauce was tasty but it overpowered the flavor of the fish.

• Chicken tinga

  • twoyolks on December 04, 2015

    This was unfortunately just bland. There wasn't enough chile flavor from the chile en adobo.

  • Rutabaga on May 05, 2019

    I didn't find this bland at all, but you do need to season to taste. Even if you don't want it to be too spicy, the chipotle is essential for giving it depth of flavor, and keep in mind that when you are mixing it with mild ingredients, like avocado and tortillas, any spiciness will be muted. I doubled the recipe, but only used two cups of chicken stock, although I could see adding more if you have the time to further cook it down. We used it as a taco filling, but I can't wait to try it in quesadillas and tortas.

  • JLDuck on February 14, 2022

    I found the sauce rich and tasty far from bland. I suggest that you increase the amount of chipotle chilli. I did not give myself enough time to make the chicken as recommended but intend to make this again.

  • jay.moe on January 20, 2022

    This made a very large batch, but it freezes well. Used some of the leftovers to make quesadillas.

  • ashley_84p4kf on December 18, 2025

    This is a family favorite. I recommend a few things: 1. Cook your onions until they start to lightly caramelize for sweetness. 2. Season to taste. We double the spices. 3. This is critical: use the right canned chipotles. San Marcos is best. La Costeña is, in my opinion, gross. 4. Throw in a spoonful of sugar If you’re using out of season tomatoes. Boom. Done. Never a leftover to be found.

• Sticky chicken with apricots, tamarind, and chipotle

  • TrishaCP on October 28, 2013

    Flavorful for minimal effort. I found the adobo sauce provided sufficient heat, but if you like your foods spicy you may want to try adding the chipotle.

• Ancho chile burgers with lime aioli

  • TrishaCP on October 28, 2013

    I loved the flavor of these burgers, but the patties were quite wet. This was probably due to user error though, as I added extra water to get the paste to blend sufficiently. Next time I would take longer to soak the dried chiles to make sure they are really soft before making the paste. Would definitely try these again.

  • amraub on September 27, 2014

    Accidentally forgot the egg while making the burgers. For pan-frying, the burgers didn't need the extra help to stay together.

• Shredded pork in ancho-orange sauce (Chilorio)

  • twoyolks on December 10, 2013

    I really liked the pork before adding the chile sauce. The chile sauce itself was a bit too acidic. I'd reduce the amount of apple cider vinegar in the future.

  • TrishaCP on June 07, 2014

    Based on the prior review, I reduced the vinegar down to 1/2 cup and that worked well for me. I had to cook the pork significantly longer than the recipe indicates (about twice as long), but I was using pastured pork which in general needs to cook longer and slower before it gets tender.

  • NJChicaa on January 24, 2018

    One of my favorite recipes in the book. We love it just as written.

  • Lu1950s on January 29, 2022

    I decreased vinegar to 1/2 cup. I had to simmer for over an hour. My pork shoulder had a lot of fat, so I trimmed it before cooking and the sauce was still very rich, so I could have decreased vegetable oil to 1-2 Tbsp. I doubled the salt (for my tastes). Served on homemade tortillas. This is so good.

  • abrownb1 on June 27, 2023

    I used almost 5 lbs of pork butt without increasing any of the other amounts and cooked closer to 2 hours to break down the fat. I love vinegar but it was slightly too vinegary for my tastes when eaten right away. After sitting overnight it mellowed a bit but I think I'd still reduce the vinegar next time. Overall the recipe was delicious and made a ton. Btw the recipe doesn't note it, but if you have a fatty piece of pork like me, strain off the fat before mixing in the chile paste. I had probably 16 oz of fat that rendered and would have been super greasy if included.

  • damongreen on November 09, 2019

    Cooked the pork in Instant Pot for 35 minutes + 15 min natural release, with just one cup of orange juice + salt and no water. Removed pork and shredded.

  • JLDuck on October 19, 2020

    It is a robust dish. I cooked it as written except for a slight reduction of the vinegar. Superb.

  • dc151 on May 27, 2022

    This was FANTASTIC! I was really nervous the pork wasn’t quite done, but it softened up while cooking in the ancho sauce. Made as is with the suggested amount of vinegar. Wonderful flavor. I will definitely make it again!

  • hlange on February 05, 2024

    This was so delicious in a fresh chewy homemade flour tortilla. Quite a few elements but so worth it and it makes a large amount. Not sure if it was my peppers or if it was a result of my oranges not being sweet enough, but mine had too much heat for us and not much sweet - so I added about 1.5 tbsp of brown sugar to help balance. The end result was raved about.

• Citrus sweet potatoes with chile de árbol

  • TrishaCP on January 21, 2014

    Really enjoyable sweet potato casserole dish. The citrus flavor came through very well and was delicious with the sweet potatoes. I used less brown sugar than called for (maybe 1/4 cup less), subbed lemons for limes since that was all I had on hand, and used ancho chiles to cut down on spices for my toddler niece, (but next time I will try the spicier version).

  • lkgrover on November 17, 2019

    I only used 1 chile de arbol; they are very spicy! Next time I will grind the chile into tinier pieces using a morter & pestle (instead of chopping it, which leaves larger pieces). The citrus flavors are lovely without overpowering.

• Berries with lime syrup

  • TrishaCP on May 12, 2014

    A good accompaniment to the marbled pound cake. I did take the extra step of melting the sugar in the lime juice to make sure the berries were sugared evenly.

• Alisa's marbled pound cake (Panque marmoleado)

  • TrishaCP on May 12, 2014

    This came out fairly well. I found the baking time a bit tricky- my cake was a bit too underdone at one hour, but the top chocolate layer started to burn at the edges, so I pulled it out and let the cake finish baking in the pan. That did the trick- it tasted pretty good, although a bit dry overall. The flavor was better on the chocolate layer, so I would consider just making a chocolate version in the future. Finally, if you are serving to company, follow Pati's advice and serve with the berries from this book.

• Steak tacos with jamaica-jalapeño sauce

  • TrishaCP on September 12, 2014

    Nice idea but a little too one-note sweet for me.

• Jamaica water (Agua fresca de jamaica)

  • TrishaCP on September 12, 2014

    Not my favorite version of agua fresca de jamaica- the hibiscus concentrate tasted a little overcooked to me.

• Sautéed zucchini with poblano peppers (Colache de calabacitas)

  • twoyolks on September 23, 2014

    This was simply sauteed zucchini with a hit of spiciness from the poblano.

  • stockholm28 on September 03, 2019

    The positive write-ups on chowhound got me to try this dish. This was delicious. I made it twice ... the first time as written and the second time I cut up an ear of corn and added it to the mix. I also loved it with the corn.

  • MollyB on November 03, 2025

    Very nice way to use up zucchini. We liked the diced zucchini, which seemed to help it retain texture. Leftovers were great added to grain bowls with some leftover pork.

  • TrishaCP on July 14, 2020

    We loved this dish. The poblano and onions offer a complexity that you don’t normally find with zucchini. Will definitely be making this again during zucchini season. The addition of corn sounds wonderful!

• Beef brisket in pasilla and tomatillo sauce (Carne enchilada)

  • twoyolks on February 09, 2015

    My brisket never became very tender (it was tender enough to cut, but not enough to pull apart). I ended up cutting into smaller pieces and putting it in tortillas.

  • TrishaCP on April 08, 2020

    My brisket was very tender but I followed the instructions for the texture of the meat rather than the timing specified. I needed 30 minutes more (total of 3 hours) for a two pound brisket. The sauce is very flavorful and although I halved it, it made way more than necessary. We are freezing it and will plan to use the leftover sauce for some other future purpose.

• Aztec chicken casserole (Cazuela Azteca)

  • TrishaCP on March 05, 2015

    This was as time-consuming to make as a lasagna, but it was totally worth it. This would be a crowd-pleaser for any big gathering. (There was no spice to this at all since my poblanos were mild, but anyone that wants more of a kick could easily find a way to incorporate some heat- this is a very flexible recipe.) I didn't bother taking the extra step of cooking the frozen corn, but I did leave the casserole in for an additional 10 minutes to ensure everything was cooked all the way through. I used chicken breast meat only that I roasted on the bone, and it stayed tender. Highly recommended.

  • NJChicaa on January 24, 2018

    I thought this was very bland and not worth the effort or expense. Most of it wound up in the garbage. Definitely wouldn't make it again.

  • wcassity on February 11, 2018

    Good, not great. Agree with the other commenter that it was on the bland side - was hoped for more complex flavor.

  • Rutabaga on September 02, 2019

    I found this quite good, not bland, although the flavor is mild. Of course, it's easy to spice up by topping it with salsa or hot sauce. The poblano peppers add a lot of flavor, and I used a mix of half tinned fire roasted diced tomatoes and half fresh tomatoes, which gave the sauce a nice fullness. I also used two leftover ears of grilled corn, flour tortillas, and leftover chopped beer-brined grilled chicken. Some of these small changes likely enhanced the flavor. While not technically difficult to make, it is time consuming, so this works best as a weekend dish for me.

  • julesamomof2 on August 19, 2025

    This was relatively easy to make for a weeknight, with the exception of the poblano peppers which I wonder if canned green chiles could be substituted. I made this quite a bit lighter by only using the cream and the cheese for the final layer and it was plenty cheesy. The fresh corn made it lighter as well. I made this in a pie plate instead of the 9x13 dish called for and it worked perfectly.

• Pork tenderloin in sweet citrus sauce

  • twoyolks on March 18, 2015

    The banana leaf added a weird arboreal note to the pork. The sauce tasted a little too much like orange soda. It also cooked much faster than the recipe specified (I did use a single 1 lbs. pork tenderloin).

  • julesamomof2 on July 03, 2017

    Way too sweet for us. We used brown sugar instead of piloncillo sugar.

  • TrishaCP on May 30, 2021

    This was good but I didn’t follow the recipe. The recipe as written won’t work. First, I reduced the amount of sugar (for a 1 lb tenderloin, I made half of the marinade so used 1/3 cup sugar). The sauce wasn’t close to orange soda- it was citrusy and flavorful. Second, the cook time is just not correct for tenderloin, which is usually sold by the pound where I live. I cooked mine for 25 minutes, though I should have pulled it out at 20 minutes.

  • lkgrover on February 26, 2026

    I also made 1 lb pork tenderloin. Used 1/2 cup brown sugar, kept the other sauce ingredients as written -- makes a wonderful citrus sauce. Cooked until done according to the meat thermometer.

• Chipotle mashed potatoes

  • twoyolks on March 18, 2015

    The chipotles and green onions add a nice layer of flavor to the mashed potatoes. These are really closer to smashed potatoes than mashed potatoes.

  • TrishaCP on May 30, 2021

    These are great. The potatoes can really take a lot of heat from the chipotle. I ended up ricing them since I wanted a smoother texture, and then added the chile, onions, and butter afterwards.

  • jenburkholder on December 07, 2022

    Easy and tasty variation on regular mashies. Son didn't like as much but I'd make again.

• Refried beans (Frijoles refritos)

  • TrishaCP on April 27, 2015

    A simple and satisfying refried bean dish. The "cook's trick" of pureeing the refried beans worked well for me, although I used cooked beans instead of canned.

  • NJChicaa on January 24, 2018

    I use the cooked "Simple Beans from the Pot" and mash them rather than puree them. Delicious!

• Mexican-style pasta (Fideo seco)

  • TrishaCP on April 27, 2015

    I made a similar Deborah Madison version of this dish recently (from her Vegetarian Suppers book) but decided to try Pati's version too to use up pantry ingredients. They are very similar but Pati's version is a bit more streamlined and just as tasty so this is the recipe I would use in the future. I did sub 3 toasted and softened pasilla chiles instead of the chipotle called for (as used by Deborah Madison too) because I didn't have chipotles, so I will try chipotles later to see if they make a big difference in flavor.

• Lamb chops in green pipián (Pipián verde con costillitas de cordero)

  • TrishaCP on September 04, 2017

    I loved Pati's version of green pipian, but I prefer it with a less fatty cut of meat, like chicken breasts. We only cooked about half of the lamb, so have plenty of pipian left for other uses. (I think there is more than required even if you cook the required amount of lamb.) I only used one jalapeño (with seeds), but I would definitely use two of them the next time.

  • JLDuck on April 12, 2021

    The distinguishing element of this recipe is the pipian verde. I found that there was too much sauce so unless you have other uses cut the quantity down. Recommend two chillies.

• Guajillo and garlic pasta

  • TrishaCP on September 14, 2017

    Pati describes this as a Mexican twist on aglio e olio and I would concur. The fruitiness of the guajillo played nicely with the garlic and the fresh herbs she uses (marjoram, oregano, rosemary, and thyme), but don't get me wrong, the garlic is unmissable (and at vampire killing levels) in this dish. The hardest part of this recipe was figuring out how to get the guajillo chopped finely enough. I wasn't having luck with my knife, so threw it in the food processor with the garlic, and just cooked them together.

• Mexican meatballs with mint and chipotle (Albóndigas con chipotle)

  • quaquacat on November 20, 2017

    Very tasty. My daughter who hates meatballs liked them because the rice made them fluffy (see the note in the cookbook about using rice that’s not fully cooked). The basic recipe would allow a lot of variations—different herbs, chiles, additions to the sauce, depending on what is at hand. Definitely will be made again.

  • TrishaCP on June 08, 2021

    These meatballs did come out nice and fluffy- and the sauce is plentiful, which helps balance the dry-ish turkey meat. The mint is very subtle- it goes well with chipotle but I wouldn’t hesitate to sub cilantro if making them during a season when mint isn’t as readily available.

  • stockholm28 on July 06, 2024

    These were very good and quite filling. The recipe calls for 1.5 lbs of ground turkey and serves 6. I made 2/3 a recipe with a lb of ground turkey for 4 very generous servings. The meatballs contain rice and they were fairly light when cooked. My meatballs were quite wet. I was sure they would fall apart in the pot but they held together well. There is a lot of sauce and some rice or bread would be nice to soak it up. They’d make a goof Mexican style meatball sub. I thought the mint was very subtle. I think these would freeze well.

• Picadillo empanadas (Empanadas de picadillo)

  • NJChicaa on January 24, 2018

    Very tasty filling (even without olives or raisins) and the empanada dough was easy to make.

  • EmilyR on March 05, 2022

    We enjoyed these, but don't forget to spray or butter the pan. I probably should have used parchment but opted for foil and that wasn't wise. We made some extra dough as others said they had so much filling left over, which was the case for us, too. This was a good way for kids to help out.

  • lkgrover on June 08, 2020

    Excellent empanadas; the filling is a good mix of savory and sweet. I had a lot of extra filling after using up the dough.

  • hbakke on September 29, 2020

    These were good. I agree with lkgrover that there was a lot of leftover filling. The picadillo filling was initially pretty liquidy so I had to cook it for an additional 10 minutes. The dough was very easy to work with, but I think if I made these again I would roll the dough a little thinner and make the empanadas bigger. The filling to crust ratio was a little off to me. I would make these again.

  • agonzcooks84 on December 14, 2022

    I’ve made these a couple of times. Delicious! I like to make a double batch. One batch for that day and the rest for freezing. I cut them to size and freeze them, using parchment paper to separate each disc. I have filled with other picadillo recipes or any leftovers in my fridge that I think would go well, or just cheese, or ham and cheese. Another time I filled with guayaba paste and cream cheese. Those were probably our favorite!

• Blissful corn torte

  • NJChicaa on January 24, 2018

    It was a pan of cornbread. I wasn't impressed.

• Simple beans from the pot (Frijoles de olla)

  • NJChicaa on January 24, 2018

    I always use pinto beans. Easy and delicious recipe.

  • abrownb1 on July 07, 2024

    Simple and delicious pot of beans. Nothing groundbreaking in terms of technique or ingredients, which really allowed my Rancho Gordo black beans to shine.

  • jay.moe on January 20, 2022

    I substituted pinto bean for the black beans. This recipe made a very large batch. I used the beans to make Charro Beans from Pati's Mexican Table page 218. I froze the leftovers and they reheated well in the microwave.

• Red rice (Arroz rojo)

  • wcassity on February 11, 2018

    Okay, not memorable.

  • MidwesternerTT on August 17, 2019

    Memorable for us - more than its parts - the added Jalepeno is listed as optional but makes a big, positive, flavor impact.

  • lkgrover on April 14, 2025

    Good Mexican rice with pureed tomatoes. I added jalapeno as suggested. My rice was not spicy (although if you added more chiles...), which was a good accompaniment to a spicier main dish.

• Lime and mint water (Agua fresca de limón con menta)

  • Lnbrittain on April 07, 2019

    This is great. So refreshing and light. I reduced the sugar because I don’t usually need as much in any recipe. Will make again!

• Crispy chicken Milanesa (Milanesa de pollo)

  • westminstr on September 03, 2019

    Half recipe of egg and crumbs for 1.25 pounds thin-sliced cutlets. Couldn't get the queso fresco crumbled finely enough, and a lot of it fell off, especially without the flour to bind with the egg and help the crumbs stick. Next time used grated cotija or parm. Had trouble getting my crumbs to stick without the flour, but frying instructions were excellent and final results were very good - crispy light coating and the chicken perfectly cooked. Maybe try mashing this version up with one from polpo (basically, wash the cutlets in lemon juice before the egg dip, and add both parmesan & chile to the crumbs).

  • jenburkholder on December 07, 2022

    Used cotija and GF breadcrumbs and more salt (1/4 tsp for 6 chicken cutlets??). Agree with westminstr that 1.25# chicken doesn't need the whole amount of egg and crumbs. Fried up nicely. Rich and would definitely serve 4 for this amount. Served with the chipotle smashed potatoes as suggested which worked well. It was good and I would repeat if in the mood for something like this. Leftovers may get repurposed and drenched in buffalo sauce on a salad!

• Picadillo (Picadillo de carne)

  • TrishaCP on January 29, 2023

    This was very saucy- but worked ok with corn pasta.

  • tarae1204 on December 13, 2021

    I thought it would come out way to saucy, but it cooks down to the perfect consistency. It’s not a strongly flavored picadillo but it’s well balanced and versatile. Are used a combination of ground pork and beef, crushed tomatoes, and beef stock. Worked well in empanadas using store-bought empanada. Will eat the leftovers with rice.

• Chicken à la trash (Pollo a la basura)

  • TrishaCP on February 28, 2020

    I’ve been meaning to try this recipe for ages and I’m so happy that I finally go around to doing so. This is delicious if you like the combination of savory and sweet. Really delicious use of poblanos.

  • chawkins on August 27, 2020

    I was more intrigued by the name of the dish than the list of ingredients. With both poblanos and potatoes harvested from the garden, I gave this a try and I’m glad I did, it was quite tasty. Good use of my harvest. I used two different kinds of potatoes because that was what I got.

  • GiselleMarie on October 29, 2019

    I didn’t expect to like this much because it’s an unusual combination of ingredients, hence the recipe’s peculiar title. My prunes seemed hopelessly hard but I soaked them in very hot water for 20 minutes before chopping them and they worked perfectly in this dish. I also started dinner late, which motivated me to take one shortcut: it calls for charring the poblano peppers in the oven, but I skipped this step entirely and added chopped raw poblanos directly to the chicken in the pot along with the onions. My husband and I loved this! I’ll definitely make this again.

  • kbrooks on January 12, 2026

    Packed with flavor! Like GiselleMarie,I skipped roasting the poblanos and added them with the onions. That worked fine. I also used bone in skin on chicken thighs instead of breasts. I think this made it more flavorful and the chicken was moist and tender. Will certainly make this again.

  • baileyverma on November 20, 2025

    We absolutely loved this dish. Unique combination of ingredients and a real surprise for how tasty they were in unidon.

• My favorite green rice (Arroz verde)

  • abrownb1 on July 07, 2024

    Lovely side for tacos and delightful with black beans. Blending and then straining the green mixture is a little fiddly. I almost skipped it but I do think it helps the flavors shine a bit more without adding additional texture. The cilantro flavor is pretty mild, even a cilantro adverse dinner guest loved this rice. I used chicken better than bullion for broth and it worked perfectly.

  • JLDuck on April 12, 2021

    A mild and flavoursome dish. The recipe looks complicated, but I found that by following the steps that while it took a while it was worth the effort and not difficult.

  • amandabeck on December 30, 2023

    Delicious and beautiful, leftovers keep well.

  • jimandtammyfaye on July 08, 2023

    Super flavorful and colorful rice dish. I can see why it is her favorite!

• Green beans with orange and pistachios

  • stockholm28 on July 06, 2024

    I thought these were excellent. The garlic, citrus and pistachio really jazzed up the green beans. I would definitely make these again.

  • lkgrover on March 09, 2022

    Excellent green bean side dish; the orange & vinegar add citrus-tang, and the roasted pistachios add a salty crunch, and the white onion caramelizes to a pleasant sweetness.

  • amandabeck on December 23, 2023

    tasty, made for Thanksgiving 2023

• Chicken enchiladas in salsa verde (Enchiladas verdes)

  • jay.moe on January 19, 2022

    This was tasty and easy to make. Substituted jarred tomatillo and serrano salsa for the green salsa which made it a quick week night meal. It had good spice, but wasn't overpowering.

• Charro beans (Frijoles charros)

  • jay.moe on January 20, 2022

    The family really liked this recipe, but it made a very large batch. I did freeze the leftovers and used them another time and they were still good.

• Serious Eats

  Jinich does offer a helping hand to get past any unfamiliar techniques. ... Her experience teaching cooking classes shows in the level of detail in each recipe—you'll feel like an expert in no time.

  Full review