Notes about Recipes in this book

• Toasted corn with crema, ground chile, and queso fresco (Esquite tostado con crema y queso)

  • vickster on May 30, 2018

    Very good way to cook corn, and the Pico de Gallo and Crema are great additions.

  • katiesue28 on May 06, 2020

    Super easy, fast, and relatively easy. A great side for a Mexican feast!

• Asparagus quesadillas with salsa cilantro (Quesadillas de esparagos con salsa de cilantro)

  • SheilaS on April 25, 2018

    I usually make quesadillas with flour tortillas so it was interesting to use corn here and also an unexpected filling. I thought these were very good and the recommend cilantro salsa is super easy and a good match.

  • bernalgirl on March 23, 2022

    These are rich, subtle, and delicious, and the cilantro pesto is the perfect compliment. The corn tortilla is a must, for the flavor and texture. I made a batch with flour tortillas for my children and found them dull.

  • patioweather on March 20, 2018

    I've eaten a lot of quesadillas in my life, but this is my first with asparagus. I am not a huge asparagus fan but had a bunch leftover so I decided to give it a try. Glad I did, because I loved it. When combined with the onions, the asparagus takes on a more caramelly flavor that compliments the cheese.

• Hot Oaxacan and Jack cheese dip with chorizo and cactus (Queso flameado con chorizo y nopales)

  • SheilaS on May 15, 2018

    I liked the flavors of this but as others have noted, it hardens up very quickly so it's hard to serve. I used soy chorizo from Trader Joe's and it worked well.

  • southerncooker on May 06, 2018

    Mexican chorizo I got was super spicy. The dip had a great flavor. I had to get jarred cactus though since none of the stores here had fresh ones. I did make sure to get ones with no other add ins and no vinegar.

  • patioweather on May 07, 2018

    Everyone loved this and it was quite easy. The cheese hardens pretty quickly, how, so serve it immediately.

• How to smoke jalapeños on a stovetop (without a smoker)

  • SheilaS on April 25, 2018

    I had problems with this method. With small wood chips that have been soaked for 30 min, it's quite difficult to get them to light with just a small lighter.

• Pickled red onions (Escabeche rojo)

  • SheilaS on April 11, 2018

    Nicely flavored pickled onions. I was worried that the amount of liquid (6 Tbsp) wasn't going to be enough to "pickle" 4 cups of sliced onions but it worked perfectly as the onions give off a lot of their own liquid once they hit the pan and then even more as they sit and cool.

  • southerncooker on May 06, 2018

    Great flavor but the haberano sure gave them a lot of heat.

• Queso fresco

  • SheilaS on April 11, 2018

    I thought 1.25 cups of distilled white vinegar for 12 cups of milk was excessive as it's about twice as much as I use when making paneer or homemade ricotta. Well, guess what? This isn't ricotta - it's a tangy and delicious queso fresco, perfect for topping many of the dishes in this book. I'm glad I trusted the recipe here!

• Nopalito spices

  • SheilaS on April 25, 2018

    For my taste buds, equal weights of de arbol and guajillo chiles results in a very spicy mixture. I dialed back on the arbol chiles significantly.

• Crema

  • SheilaS on April 11, 2018

    I always used to buy crema for use in Mexican recipes. It does last a long time but I love being able to mix up what I need with just yogurt, lime juice and salt - all ingredients I always have on hand - and it tastes fresher, too. I like this with a little more lime juice and about half the amount of salt as called for in the recipe.

• Guacamole

  • SheilaS on April 11, 2018

    Nice guacamole. Easy to balance the flavors to taste.

  • southerncooker on May 06, 2018

    Wasn't sure I'd like the addition of tomatillos in my guac but this was delicious.

  • DFarnham on January 26, 2021

    Delicious recipe! Wasn't sure about the addition of tomatillo, but you didn't really notice it. Huge hit.

• Pickled jalapeños (Jalapeños curtidos)

  • SheilaS on May 15, 2018

    Delicious flavors here. I will certainly keep these and the Salsa Escabeche they go into in my fridge.

• Huevos de caja

  • SheilaS on April 25, 2018

    A corn tortilla is cooked in a little oil until crisped on both sides, topped with refried black beans, a poached egg, salsa cilantro and cheese, then broiled briefly to melt the cheese. I added some leftover asparagus from the asparagus quesadillas. It's tasty but a little awkward to eat directly out of the skillet as the tortilla really needs a knife.

  • southerncooker on May 14, 2018

    Halved this recipe for my breakfast. Delicious.

• Hot chocolate with chiles (Chocolate con chiles)

  • SheilaS on May 15, 2018

    Very rich and chocolate-y!

• Killer bee

  • SheilaS on April 10, 2018

    I thought this was a delicious variation on the classic Bees Knees cocktail!

  • Anea25 on May 08, 2023

    Very Nice drink. We really enjoyed the ballance of smokey and sweet.

• El diablo

  • SheilaS on April 25, 2018

    Nopalito's El Diablo recipe uses less cassis than other versions I've seen and it's more refreshing to my taste. One of my favorite cocktails from the book.

• Margarita

  • SheilaS on April 25, 2018

    Nice margarita. Just a touch of agave nectar to balance the tartness of the lime juice.

  • peaceoutdesign on August 24, 2021

    The proportions are correct, the only thing is, it is much easier to just put in a small squirt of 1/8oz agave than to make a syrup unless you are making pitchers full. We use Cointreau.

  • DFarnham on March 07, 2021

    Solid recipe--definitely more tart than sweet.

• Mezcal paloma

  • SheilaS on April 11, 2018

    Great mescal version of the Paloma. The Cynar adds a welcome complexity.

  • peaceoutdesign on August 28, 2021

    Good but less soda water (and the 2 ounces of Agave is to make a syrup if you are wondering why so much sweetener).

  • danaclaire on April 26, 2018

    This version of a Paloma is a revelation- especially the unexpected twist of the Cynar.

• Blanco rojo

  • SheilaS on April 12, 2018

    This is a nice variation on the Jasmine with the same grapefruit-like flavor even though there's no grapefruit in the drink. As written, it's a little sweet for my taste so I like to reduce the agave syrup.

• Mexican coffee

  • SheilaS on April 25, 2018

    This coffee reminded me of one I used order at a favorite Mexican restaurant. I thought the orange zest in the whipped cream was a nice touch.

• Bloody Maria

  • SheilaS on April 25, 2018

    This a tequila Bloody Mary that includes orange juice and smoked jalapeño vinegar. The instructions say to smoke the jalapeños for 3 hours which is a very long time to smoke a small vegetable that's already cut in half. I went for just one hour. It then says to blend the chiles in enough apple cider vinegar to cover. That gave me about 1/2 cup of a paste-like consistency. The recipe calls for 1 cup of this so I added more vinegar to make up the volume. It was still quite thick. The chiles and the resulting vinegar smelled deliciously smoky but it was also overpoweringly bitter and overwhelmed the cocktail for me. I think it has potential so I'll be interested to see what others think of this.

• Coffee and milk popsicles (Paletas de café con leche)

  • SheilaS on April 11, 2018

    After straining the coffee-piloncillo mixture, I could see there was still a lot of sediment so before adding the cream, I filtered it through my Aeropress to reduce the grit factor. Just my personal preference. These absolutely remind me of drinking café con leche in Mexico.

• Chocolate-cinnamon popsicles (Paletas de chocolate)

  • SheilaS on April 10, 2018

    These are truly chocolate popsicles - not chocolate flavored pops or fudgesicles - like eating frozen chocolate! I thought this recipe was interesting as it doesn't include any sort of dairy or nut milk - just bittersweet chocolate, cocoa, sugar and water. The cinnamon sticks are infused into the water and strained out. The cinnamon flavor didn't come through as much as I would have liked. Next time, I may use more cinnamon and infuse it longer. Maybe make a cinnamon-simple syrup instead of just infusing into water.

• Strawberry popsicles (Paletas de fresas)

  • SheilaS on April 25, 2018

    These pops are almost pure fruit and will be as delicious as the strawberries you use. I dialed back on the agave nectar because my berries were very sweet.

  • southerncooker on May 14, 2018

    These were a hit. So refreshing on a hot day. My grandson loved them as we all did.

• Spicy mango popsicles (Paletas de mango con chile)

  • SheilaS on April 25, 2018

    Lots of fruit in these pops. I dialed back the agave syrup by about 1/3. I also went light on the chiles in the pops and served them with Tajín for dipping. If you want to eliminate the chiles entirely, I'd add an oz or 2 of lime juice to contrast with the sweetness of the mango.

• Salsa macha

  • SheilaS on April 12, 2018

    This salsa is really flavorful - like a spicy nut butter! Putting 12 chiles de árbol in 3/4 cup of salsa is going to be hot. If you are concerned about the spice level, go ahead and roast and soak all the chiles but reserve some of of the de árbol chiles and add them to taste once you get the chiles and sunflower seeds puréed.

  • kkmatti on May 06, 2024

    This salsa was burn-your-face-off hot. I love spicy food, but I would recommend using 1/2 the number of chiles for this amount of salsa. This was an interesting salsa that reminded me a lot of mole.

• Salsa cilantro

  • SheilaS on April 12, 2018

    This is an very easy, fresh tasting tomatillo salsa. My tomatillos were ready to fall apart after simmering for 15 min so next time, I will keep a better eye on them. If the heat level is a concern, you can cut up the jalapeño before blending and add it to taste. This salsa is called for in the asparagus quesadillas and the huevos de caja

  • peaceoutdesign on December 26, 2021

    Not that impressive, taste much like the Hernandez bottled green salsa. Roasting the ingredients might have helped.

  • kkmatti on May 06, 2024

    This salsa was super fresh tasting and it was my favorite of the salsa selection I put together out of Nopalito. Super easy recipe. The resulting salsa has a "saucy" thick quality that my typical tomatillo salsa does not. This might have just become my new go-to for garden tomatillos.

• Strawberry limeade (Limonada de limón y fresa)

  • TrishaCP on June 05, 2021

    This is a great agua fresca- good virgin or doctored with rum. It makes a huge amount so it’s a good option for entertaining.

  • southerncooker on May 06, 2018

    Son said best limeade he's ever tasted. All of us who drank it agreed.

• Chorizo Oaxaqueño

  • jayg312 on November 24, 2018

    Great recipe, but a bit salty for me. Will back off on the salt by a tablespoon or two on the next round.

  • wpdough on September 04, 2023

    I have made this several times: it is one of my go-to chorizos. Over the years, I've found that I need to cut back on the vinegar (using about 1/2 cup) and eliminate the Nopalito Spices (even then, the adobo still packs some serious heat). I'll add a tablespoon or so of paprika, if I need more coloring. The pork shoulders I find are usually heavier (2 to 2.5 lbs.), in which case, I adjust the fatback somewhat, but I've never needed to adjust the quantities of the other ingredients.

• Carnitas

  • southerncooker on May 06, 2018

    My pork was around 8 lbs. instead of 5 and had a bone in it. Couldn't find any boneless. I did a pretty good job of getting it cut up anyway. I used the 4 lbs. of lard called for (nice to know there's no trans fat in lard) but ended up adding some cooking time to get them tender. First cook was about 2 hours then I bumped up the heat for another 10 min. before slowing it down and adding the milk and beer which I then cooked for another 20 minutes. I put meat in fridge until supper time then put the meat on a sheet pan and in oven to crisp it up. So tender and delicious. I did make one adjustment I didn't add the cinnamon stick to my cheese cloth bundle. We're not big on cinnamon in savory dishes and I've rendered some dishes uneatable to my family by trying to add cinnamon to savory dishes so I just don't do it.

  • Stephenn31 on May 20, 2024

    Made in the instant pot for 35 min and natural release and it worked perfectly. The pork was tender but still in cubes. I would cut back the amount of brown sugar next time

• Braised black beans (Frijoles negros de la olla)

  • southerncooker on May 22, 2018

    Husband loved this. We liked this version with the addition of apple cider vinegar, jalapeno and onion. I couldn't the suggested bean and mine took a little longer to cook but delicious end result. I used the stove top method.

  • Ajammies on April 27, 2021

    Used the suggested Rancho Gordo beans, so good! Cooked unsoaked beans in pressure cooker for 35 minutes with natural release. All 4 kids and husband loved with Arroz Mexicano also from Nopalito - I call that a win.

• Ground beef tostadas (Tostadas de picadillo)

  • southerncooker on May 01, 2018

    A hit with my family. Hubby said you can make this again. Son wants me to leave out carrots next time or at least add a lot less. Neither him or his dad are fans of cooked carrots. I think I will also add more potato next time.

  • landsendsf on August 26, 2017

    Another great recipe from this book. I cut back on the chile to bring the heat down. The recipe calls for a lot of carrot, which lends a pretty sweet flavor the final result. Next time, I might adjust the carrot/potato ratio to be a bit more balanced.

• Mexican rice (Arroz Mexicano)

  • southerncooker on May 22, 2018

    I used brown basmati rice and it took twice as long to cook as the recipe stated and I did have to add more water. It turned out delicious but my family said they prefer the Spanish rice their grandma made better.

  • peaceoutdesign on December 26, 2021

    I agree that it was much less flavorful than expected. There are much better versions of Mexican rice out there.

  • ripleypickles on July 21, 2021

    Less flavorful than expected. Would make with chicken broth if I were to do it again, and you could probably get the same flavor from garlic/onion powder or salt and carrots. Increase tomato paste too.

  • boopity on May 13, 2019

    Followed recipe exactly- very delicious and a go-to for me.

  • Ajammies on April 27, 2021

    Really good with Nopalito Frijoles Negros De La Olla on top (with bean broth) - might add 2 tbsp less tomato paste next time. I also used brown rice, but it had enough water for the rice I used which was a medium grain.

• Stewed pork ribs and cactus with salsa verde (Costillas de puerco en salsa verde con nopales)

  • southerncooker on May 22, 2018

    I used jarred cactus since I couldn't find the fresh. This was delicious. My family loved it.

• Sliced cabbage salad (Ensalada de repollo)

  • southerncooker on May 06, 2018

    Perfect slaw to side to go with the carnitas from page 156.

  • Stephenn31 on May 20, 2024

    The lime acidity was a good compliment to the richness of the carnitas. Nice and fresh

• Lime sherbet popsicles (Paletas de limón con crema)

  • southerncooker on May 22, 2018

    We didn't like these quite as much as the strawberry popsicles but they were still good and grandson loved them. The rest of us thought they'd have been better without the lime zest.

• Salsa de serrano y tomatillo

  • bernalgirl on September 03, 2021

    The preparation of this roasted tomatillo salsa is straightforward and I like the proportions as well as the texture provided by adding the raw diced onion at the end.

• Clear chicken and vegetable soup from Tlalpeño (Caldo Tlalpeño con pollo)

  • bernalgirl on December 20, 2021

    This makes a very light consommé and ultimately a very delicate soup. My family found it very bland and stirred in big spoonfuls of homemade tomatillo salsa to bring more acidity and depth

• Tamales with red spiced sunflower seed mole (Tamales empipianados)

  • peaceoutdesign on December 24, 2021

    I only made the Red Spiced Sunflower Seed Mole for pre-made tamales. The sauce was good and substantial. The changes I made were that I used 3 large fresh tomatoes that I blanched the skin off instead of canned and I toasted whole cumin and cloves rather than ground. Next time I think that I would make in smoother and less thick.

• Homemade masa

  • peaceoutdesign on September 25, 2021

    Just not worth the time for the tortillas compared to buying them cheaply at Trader Joe's. But probably very much worth it for tamales. Use a food processor with a steel blade, pulse first, and then grind for 5-8 minutes at speed, scraping occasionally. Put the rinsed corn in a salad spinner first to get rid of excess water so that it grinds evenly.

• Red shrimp enchiladas (Enchiladas rojas de camarón)

  • peaceoutdesign on September 07, 2021

    I used high-quality pliable store-bought tortillas so even though these enchiladas were great they could have been even better.

  • kitchenclimbers on July 07, 2017

    So good! I couldn't find mulato or guajillo chiles for the salsa so I used all anchos and a couple of Árbol chiles for some heat. Still delicious although I do want to try it with the correct chiles. I used store bought tortillas instead of making my own.

  • boopity on May 13, 2019

    Absolutely delicious. Made it vegetarian by using vegetables in the taco.

  • Poopyloop on August 23, 2020

    I thought this was ok but wouldn’t rave about it. Despite all the chilli it didn’t have any kick to it. Wouldn’t make again.

• Vegetable enchiladas with cilantro salsa (Enchiladas vegetarianas)

  • peaceoutdesign on December 26, 2021

    Anticlimactic. The veggies lost their individual taste and the sauce was nothing special. Roasting the salsa veggies might have helped.

  • Maaseelulu on May 13, 2018

    This recipe was great. I didn't expect it to taste as great as it did with the veggies. I will be making these over and over again. I used La Tortilla Factory corn tortillas as regular grocery store tortillas are so disappointing. The only change I made was to broil the tomatillos and peppers instead of boil them for the sauce.

• Red pork soup with hominy (Pozole rojo)

  • laurenlangston on January 09, 2023

    This is wonderful. I used about three quarts of pork bone broth I'd made, which I think helped punch it up even more, but it still would have been fantastic with just water (as the recipe calls for). It smells exactly right. There's some work up front to prep the hominy (if you use dried), pork, and adobo, but then you just load up the pot and put it on to simmer for an hour, and slice up fixins for the table. It makes a TON.

• Little gem salad with apples and jalapeño vinaigrette (Ensalada de luchuga con manzana)

  • joyous on June 05, 2018

    This salad was fussy and the end product wasn't that impressive (though I did take a few shortcuts such as tortilla chips rather than fry tortilla strips and didn't smoke the jalapeno). The dressing lacked flavor (perhaps because I didn't smoke).

• Mexican wedding cookies (Polvorones)

  • landsendsf on August 26, 2017

    Really tasty cookies...but the baking times are way off. My recommendations: Toast the almonds for 8-10 minutes max; pull them when they get fragrant. And the baking time was closer to 18 minutes for me...way short of the 30 minutes in the recipe. Otherwise, I followed the rest of the directions faithfully. It's a great recipe with really delicious results.

  • kaityblueeyes on July 15, 2022

    I agree with the timings are off in the recipe. Toasted almonds for 8, kept the flour in for 16 mins. Baked the cookies for about 24 minutes and they turned out delicious!

• Salsa frita de guajillo

  • patioweather on June 07, 2019

    The kind of rich salsa you dab on an empanada or quesadilla.

  • kkmatti on May 06, 2024

    I wasn't very impressed with this salsa. It tasted just like tomato paste to me.

• Braised pinquito beans (Frijoles pinquitos de la olla)

  • DFarnham on January 26, 2021

    I've made these several times. We like spice, so have doubled the guajillo. I also like to overcook them a bit and mash these together with the pepper. Quite delicious.

  • Ileana on April 26, 2022

    Very simple, very tasty. Made even easier with a slow cooker -- added unsoaked Rancho Gordo Santa Maria Pinquitos and recipe ingredients together and let them cook on low for 8 hours. Perfect. Delicious as a side tonight, will be delicious as refried beans tomorrow.

• Marinated shredded pork tacos (Tacos de conchinita)

  • DFarnham on January 26, 2021

    Considering the amount of goodness that goes into this recipe, we were underwhelmed with the final result. Followed recipe exactly as written. I'll use the leftovers in enchiladas, probably with one of the great mole recipes in Nopalito. Not a repeat for us.

  • foodgloriousfood on April 08, 2021

    I agree with DFarnham, not much flavor! I used the leftovers to stuff acorn squash but added sautéed diced Fresno’s, cumin and bell peppers, garlic and cherry tomatoes, added that to the meat and topped that with cheese and baked it and that was a good save, but as written the pork is very boring! MUCH prefer the Yucatán-Style Pork Taco recipe in Roberto Santibanez’s Tacos, Tortas and Tamales (also cooked in banana leaves)

  • Ishie1013 on January 20, 2023

    This dish was excellent and went a long way (multiple meals). The annatto seeds were nice touch and added a nice smoky earthy flavor without excessive heat (someone I cook for can't handle spicy food). It was incredibly flavorful and tender. I did have to cook it quite a bit longer than the recipe indicated, but I used a 7 lb bone in shoulder rather than a 5 lb boneless, so this may be the reason, and it may have added more flavor to have the bone in than others have reported.

• Quesadillas with Brussels sprouts and cascabel chili oil (Quesadillas con repollo de Bruselas)

  • DFarnham on January 26, 2021

    Delicious recipe! Have made a number of times. I keep extra cascabel oil in fridge for scrambles etc. Easy to make on a flat top griddle if you have one. Leftovers are great with eggs.

• Habañero salsa

  • DFarnham on January 26, 2021

    Made exactly as written using three large habaneros. Very, very runny. Sort of like pouring juice on your taco. Not a repeat for us.

• Salsa escabeche

  • foodgloriousfood on April 29, 2022

    Very good and super quick. It calls for combining everything in the food processor but I like to blend the pickled vegetables, and then stir through the diced tomatoes so it has some texture.

  • stepharama1 on January 28, 2022

    Terrific and uber simple!! I have made this many times and everyone loves it.

• Chicken tinga tostadas (Tostadas de tinga poblana)

  • rhughes24 on December 29, 2021

    These are in my regular rotation. The chicken is spicy, but paired with the beans and tortillas the spice is balanced. Definitely squeeze lime on them. I serve with a real homemade crema, not the Greek yogurt version suggested in this book.

  • Bessp on July 11, 2024

    A bit of a faff, but well worth it. I used thighs instead of breasts because I like them better. Would be great as tacos, burritos, or nachos as well. Next time I'll double the chipotles for more heat.

• Fried empanadas with squash blossoms (Empanadas de flor de calabaza)

  • Anea25 on July 13, 2024

    This was a fail for us. The dough wouldn't work (it did make great regular tortilla though) and the filling was quite bland.

• Tamales with stewed chicken (Tamales de birria con pollo)

  • Ishie1013 on January 23, 2023

    This recipe is really nice and makes a LOT of tamales. The sauce is very nice though I feel like the chicken could use something beyond a boil. Either shred a rotisserie chicken from the store or roast one so the meat is a little more flavorful. But awesome recipe and a good base for all tamales.

• Smashed shrimp with eggs and salsa (Machaca de camerón con huevos)

  • Ishie1013 on January 17, 2023

    Excellent easy recipe that came together very well. I dialed down the number of peppers due to a spice sensitivity in the home, but followed the rest exactly. It was excellent and filling. The salsa ligera does make a *lot* so you can probably half that part of the recipe and be fine. It tastes delicious so I froze what was left of it for a future meal. Highly recommend.

• Shrimp ceviche from Nayarit (Ceviche Nayarita de camarón)

  • Bessp on July 25, 2024

    This was a hit at our party. Nice and light and refreshing, well-balanced. I made a double batch and it was all gone. Will definitely make again.

• Flan Napolitano

  • hlange on July 30, 2024

    Flavor was very good. Directions were a bit misleading saying to remove from the oven once the sides were set and the center just "barely" jiggly - the whole thing never went past the texture of very jiggly/wobbly jello which resulted in leaving it in too long. Next time I'll be going by temperature. ETA here's how I eventually got perfect flan from this recipe - The sugar needs some water added to it (1/4 cup) in order to dissolve evenly and for you to be able to spread it around the pan after you pour it. I also used an instant read thermometer to remove the flan at exactly 175 degrees. This turned out to be way earlier than the recipe time called for but 175 is supposed to be the perfect doneness for flan. The texture difference was incredible vs. following the recipe. Perfect with these modifications.