• Eat Your Books

  2001 James Beard Award Winner

  See Lisa Is Cooking's take on Smoked salmon- black bean tostaditas, Rice with roasted poblano, spinach, and fresh cheese and Classic red mole with turkey from this book.

• dfwfoodiegeek on December 25, 2012

  This book was recommended by a Mexican family that said these recipes were the closest to authentic you can find. Every year, we use this book's recipes to make tamales and they do not disappoint! He has wonderful attention to detail about each recipe and it's such an easy read.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Red chile enchiladas, street style

  • Breadcrumbs on May 06, 2012

    p. 122 Delicious but very labour intensive and as Rick points out - These wait for no one - so you need to work fast and really make them to order. Nonetheless, I believe they were worth the effort and it was rewarding learning a new cooking method. We loved the flavour of the warm, super-soft, sauce-coated corn tortillas and the toppings Rick suggests of grated cheese (mine was queso Duro Viejo), sliced onion, shredded chicken and the slivered romaine tossed in cider vinegar were absolutely wonderful. I’m not sure what the traditional plating would be and wondered whether I was supposed to open up the tortillas I’d folded but in the end I decided just to serve them folded as they came out of the oven. This was a big hit with our guests. I’m delighted to have lots of the sauce leftover as I’ll freeze it for future use. Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/846317#7322322

• Red tomato rice

  • Breadcrumbs on May 06, 2012

    p. 174 Disappointing. This was a lot more work than a typical rice dish and unfortunately the effort didn’t translate into enhanced flavour. We found this dish to be extremely bland. I even had fresh Serranos but it seems nothing could save this recipe. I’d also note it took about twice as long as Rick suggests to cook. It’s rare that Rick disappoints but in this case he did just that. The only redeeming feature of the dish IMHO was the textural element the carrots added, I thought that was a nice touch. Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/846317#7322893

  • ashallen on October 05, 2019

    We like the flavors in this dish but consider it to be a side dish for something more flavorful versus a main attraction given it's relatively gentle flavor. I usually make it without chilies, making it seem a bit sweeter and more tomato-y. Rice texture is very good and keeps well for at least a couple of days.

• Rice with roasted poblano, spinach, and fresh cheese

  • Breadcrumbs on June 09, 2011

    p. 180 -Rice w Roasted Poblano, Spinach and Fresh Cheese – p. 180 I love all these ingredients on their own and I’m delighted to report that the final dish is greater than the sum of its parts. This is a unique and flavourful rice dish that proved to be the perfect accompaniment for our Soft Tacos of Grilled Chicken Breast w Tangy Green Chile and Grilled Onions, another wonderful recipe from Rick Bayless’s Salsas That Cook cookbook. Cheese is sprinkled over the final dish then stirred to incorporate. Since I made the rice up a day ahead, I sprinkled the cheese over top and heated through in the oven. A delicious dish that I’ll definitely make again. Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/339024#6597296

• Classic Mexican white rice

  • radishseed on June 01, 2011

    Made Classic Mexican Short-Grain Brown Rice with Swiss Chard. I needed to bake it for 40 minutes in the oven.

• Tortilla soup with pasilla chile, fresh cheese and avocado

  • milgwimper on July 02, 2014

    I made these are part of a birthday meal. It seemed labour intensive but I think that is because I made so many things for the dinner on the day of or the night before and was burned out. I will say the soup was good and I got a lot of compliments.

  • melissa8800 on January 08, 2013

    Simple and tasty. I made the purée and broth in the morning. I puréed the chilies in the blender with the tomatoes. I used fresh tomatoes but will also try canned for a, maybe, richer tomato flavor. I used the dried red chilies in my pantry, not sure what kind they are- from a large bag from the grocery store. The family topped with chicken, chips (instead of fried tortillas), avocados and jack cheese. I topped with goat cheese and lime. Delicious.

• Spicy chipotle pork tacos with sun-dried tomato salsa

  • milgwimper on January 20, 2012

    We didn't use the olives, as we didn't have access to them. The recipe was fantastic. We love the sun dried tomato salsa, on steak too.

  • wcassity on February 11, 2018

    One of the most delicious recipes I have cooked in a long time. Big winner. I made the salsa exactly as directed, and it was so delicious. And the technique for the pork was a big success. The chipotle rub made the pork no-joke spicy; was a little much for my kids. We added avocados to our tacos to tame the heat a bit. But otherwise no cheese, sour cream, etc.

• Salsa verde

  • okcook on August 15, 2016

    The roasted salsa rocks. I used a little more jalapeño.

  • JKDLady on August 12, 2015

    I tried the all raw version, and it was just average. I guess I should try the roasted recipe.

  • imaluckyducky on July 02, 2013

    Delicious! Roasting the tomatillos until charred makes this salsa verde unbeatable.

• Mexican-style zucchini tacos

  • Emily Hope on September 11, 2011

    This is a delicious vegetarian filling for tacos--perfect for the summer. I always end up starting out with homemade tomato sauce that we have stashed in the freezer and adjust the recipe accordingly. Also works well as one option in a taco bar at a party. I usually leave out the poblanos because I always forget to buy them...

  • lean1 on November 27, 2020

    I made this recipe today without the poblanos and swapped plain yogurt for the crema. I loved the flavor combination. I used it to top a tostada. I made half the recipe and I still have lots leftover. Will make again often.

• Corn flake- crusted fish fillets with roasted tomatillo sauce and fried corn

  • wcassity on June 20, 2020

    Delicious fish. Quick cooking. Used already-made tomatillo salsa in freezer, and frozen “roasted corn.”

• Salsa roja

  • michalow on October 19, 2020

    A quick and easy way to add some tang and spice. I used four Oaxacan pasillas and this gave the salsa a pleasant, smoky heat.

• Black bean-chicken tostadas with salsa and tangy romaine

  • JKDLady on August 12, 2015

    I did not like the salsa verde that was recommended. I would substitute another salsa. I used cojita cheese, which was a new cheese to me, but recommended by my cheese lady as a decent substitute. It was very, very nice. A great find!

• Melted mozzarella casserole with mushrooms and smoky chipotle chile

  • JKDLady on October 16, 2012

    10/10/09 Excellent. Really enjoyed this.

• Grilled skirt steak tacos with roasted poblano rajas

  • JKDLady on October 16, 2012

    2/3/02 Nothing special.

  • Alowishs on April 02, 2016

    (on page 92) These are essentially fajitas, not the tacos Americans have come to know. We used this steak seasoning/marinade instead of the one Bayless recommends. It was amazing: http://allrecipes.com/.../taqueria-style-tacos---carne.../

• Salsa de molcajete (roasted tomato-green chile salsa)

  • JKDLady on October 16, 2012

    10/10/09 Good.

  • Macminou on September 06, 2016

    I really liked this salsa

  • averythingcooks on June 19, 2022

    With very little effort to roast the tomatoes yourself, you get a big pay off with this salsa. A repeat for sure.

• Mexican rice pudding with cinnamon and dried fruit

  • JKDLady on August 12, 2015

    This was one of the simpler rice puddings that I have made, and it was very good. I topped it with ground cinnamon. I served it in the dog days of August, so I thought cold was better. I think I will try it warm in the winter, but this will be hard to beat. Definitely a favorite.

• Tomatillo-braised pork loin

  • JKDLady on October 16, 2012

    2/3/02 OK. Nothing special.

• Green chile chicken tamales

  • amoule on December 24, 2015

    My filling came out much too liquid-y. I'm not sure why. Still, these were good.

  • imaluckyducky on July 02, 2013

    First time making tamales on my own. Clear instructions and the visuals in the cookbook are a godsend! The first round of tamales, the dough was far too sticky for me to work easily. A good trick around that is to use the back of a metal spoon to spread the masa on the corn husk. The filling-to-masa ratio favors the masa, so the next time I make these I'll remember to scoop more filling for my preferences. The masa comes out light, and the flavor of the filling translates well and is dynamite.

• Red chile pork tamales

  • imaluckyducky on November 27, 2013

    The filling is exceedingly good. Tamales are always going to be labor-intensive, but the nice thing about this recipe is that while the meat is cooking it's simple to whip up the masa batch. Assemble with friends or do a couple of times (it goes quicker the second or third time you attempt to make them).

• Classic ceviche

  • jjankows on December 09, 2014

    This is a really delicious dish that has become my go-to recipe for ceviche. I've only made it with halibut, but I'm sure it's equally good with any of his other suggestions. I HIGHLY recommend making the fried tortilla chips on page 136 to go along with it.

  • Alowishs on April 02, 2016

    Great recipe. Would make again. Be sure to buy lots limes. Used dover sole as fish the first time we made it.

  • Acarroll on November 07, 2021

    Made this with halibut. Excellent level of heat, and I love the addition of the olives.

• Classic guacamole

  • Macminou on September 06, 2016

    Easily in top 5 best guacamole i have ever had. I could not stop eating a spoonful here...and another there...

• Garlicky grilled portobello mushrooms with smoky tomato chile salsa

  • Macminou on September 06, 2016

    A real hit tonight for dinner. We did not miss the meat at all. I served it with sour cream and the classic guacamole as well as the roasted tomato salsa with green chile.

• Classic pork picadillo- stuffed chiles in tomato broth

  • Alowishs on April 02, 2016

    (on page 196) I wanted to make chile rellenos and knew Rick would help me out. Maybe I was having an off day or maybe the editing on this recipe could have been written more smoothly, but I chose to reference it rather than follow it. It was too difficult, so I made it up. Ended up putting in center: 2/3 C tomato sauce - sliced 2 grilled tomatoes with skin removed 2 T tomato paste 2 C pepper jack 1/2 C herb chèvre 1/2 C finely chopped scallion/onion/green onion/garlic salt to taste This was for 5 poblano chiles. Used Rick's bread batter. REALLY GOOD - definitely whip egg whites.

• Smoky chipotle beans with wilted spinach and masa "gnocchi"

  • metacritic on June 21, 2021

    I've been making this for years, and it always satisfies. For the first time, I had fresh masa on hand, which made the dish truly soar.

• Classic red mole with turkey

  • ashallen on November 29, 2019

    Very good! Texture was more watery than I had expected so I simmered it longer than specified in the recipe to get it to the texture and taste I wanted.

• Roasted Cornish hens with apricot-pine nut mole

  • ashallen on November 29, 2019

    We're very fond of mole sauces. This one's a project - I didn't give myself enough time and ended up cutting the simmering times shorter than I would've otherwise, hoping that the sauce would "settle down" as it sat. Unfortunately, it didn't, and the final mole tasted rough/unfinished to me, though my husband thought it was great and ate it all up. No rating from me until I can make it again! Also, I didn't make the Roasted Cornish Hens - we ate the sauce with roasted chicken thighs instead.

• Mexican beans- from the pot to the skillet

  • ashallen on August 01, 2019

    This is a good recipe for refried beans - the only alteration I've made is to cut back on the fat by a tablespoon to make them a bit leaner. I usually use small red beans, peanut oil + 1 tbsp rendered bacon fat - very flavorful! They thicken after cooling/resting overnight - I save some broth from stewing the beans to thin as needed. They freeze well, too.

• Baked tomatillo- green chilaquiles (tortilla "casserole")

  • chezlarios on March 26, 2023

    The flavors were great but my tortilla chips came out to complete mush. I'd used nice stoneground tortilla chips, next time I would try regular storebought ones. I didn't have enough tomatillos so I combined what I had with Herdez Cilantro Lime Salsa Cremosa.

• Meal-in-a-bowl ranch style chicken soup

  • chezlarios on October 02, 2022

    I used one whole (Swiss) chicken, which weighed in at 1-1.5kg rather than the 5lbs it called for. I tore the chicken meat off of the cooked pieces and added it back into the soup that way, for easier eating. Super delicious!