• usingSpoons on August 02, 2011

  I love to make several of the seasonal taco recipes together, and then mix and match them for a complete meal. The greens and potatoes one, and the butternut squash with chorizo are particular favourites.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Cooking black beans

  • Breadcrumbs on July 14, 2015

    p. 62 – I made these as a first step in the author’s recipe for Frijoles Refritos on p. 63. The process is straightforward and my beans were fully cooked after 2 hours. I did soak them overnight. Since I was pureeing them anyway for the other recipe I did not remove the onion.

• Frijoles refritos

  • Breadcrumbs on July 14, 2015

    p. 63 – This recipe produced a tasty dish. I used 1 tsp chili de arbol powder as I didn’t have any chilis and I’d up this amount next time as the heat wasn’t really apparent. A quick and easy preparation and a dish worth repeating. Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/1016328?commentId=9641439#9641439

• Steak burritos

  • Breadcrumbs on July 14, 2015

    p. 117 – These were terrific! Though the author recommends skirt steak we prefer flank and that’s what I used here. Our steak marinated overnight and was cooked to a perfect medium rare over charcoal. The smokiness of the grilling process and the flavours of the marinade made for a perfect pairing and even on its own, the steak would have made for a delicious meal. When combined with the other ingredients it really exceeded our expectations. I especially liked the author’s technique of toasting the stuffed burrito in a dry pan. Prior to this I’ve always baked my burritos but I’ll be toasting from now on as we loved the crispiness achieved by doing this. I’m excited about the other recipes in this book after such a positive experience with the three I’ve prepared thus far. Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/1016328?commentId=9641439#9641439

• Sopa de lima

  • jammydodger on September 10, 2014

    Nice enough, but on balance I think I preferred the version of this soup in Less Meat, More Veg.

• Sweet & spicy squash & chickpea soup

  • FJT on March 16, 2022

    This was completely fine, but isn't going to become a favourite. We dispensed with adding chilli oil as the soup was already spicy enough.

  • JJ2018 on April 11, 2018

    Love this soup. I don’t tend to make the chilli oil but substitute hot sauce at the end and it tastes great

• Queso fundido

  • FJT on October 25, 2019

    I made this with nduja instead of chorizo because I had some that needed to be used up; I also threw in some mushrooms for the same reason. Lovely depth of flavour and several requests for this to be repeated soon. Delicious.

  • Frenchfoodie on July 30, 2019

    Wow this is easy and good, deeply savoury, tasty. I did not skin and deseed the tomatoes, for sonething this rustic it felt OTT. We ate in tortillas with refried beans and corn/courgette salsa plus crunchy lettuce.

• An easy, speedy chile con carne

  • FJT on June 15, 2019

    This was really easy to make and the prep was speedy, so I think it delivers on the promise of the title. I made it a day in advance and was quite worried once it was cooked that the cinnamon was slightly overpowering, but on the day we ate it the flavours had mellowed nicely. I didn't have any chile d'arbol, so I subbed chilli flakes and could probably have done with adding more than I did. We all enjoyed it - not sure it's my favourite chile recipe, but it is a good one.

  • NikkiPixie on January 30, 2014

    Not easy, not speedy, but defintely the best chilli con carne I've ever had.

• Spring tacos with mushrooms

  • kimhing on August 31, 2011

    Love this one, great flavour combination

• How to make tortillas

  • squirrellypoo on February 16, 2012

    Her tip about using the ziploc bag is genius, but watch out - this recipe makes a HUGE amount of tortillas. We quarter this recipe and it still is more than the two of us can eat!

  • ChelseaP on May 22, 2021

    Makes fantastic homemade tortillas for tacos. Yum.

• Classic roast salsa verde

  • squirrellypoo on February 16, 2012

    My world changes when I realised exactly how easy tomatillos are to grow - it's impossible to buy them fresh anywhere in the UK, but they grow like weeds in my garden now, and this is an excellent way to use up the stash!

• A classic guacamole

  • k.a.g on June 22, 2013

    This was excellent - one of the best things I've made from this book (and one of the best guacamoles I've had, full stop).

• Tortilla soup

  • k.a.g on July 06, 2013

    I was excited about making this soup (the author recommends it as 'the one thing you should definitely make from this book'), and ultimately I was a bit underwhelmed. Maybe it helps to go in with lower expectations... The fried ancho chiles were a revelation though, and I'll be incorporating them into some other dishes, for sure.

• Winter tacos with creamy greens

  • k.a.g on June 22, 2013

    This was a bit underwhelming - pleasant enough, but very mild tasting. I found myself wishing I had a bright table salsa handy, or at least a few more chillies! It might be best as part of a range of taco fillings, some with a bit more oomph for contrast.

• Autumn tacos with onion squash & chorizo

  • SACarlson on November 07, 2020

    I expected to like this much more than I did. The squash and tortillas make it rather stodgy (and I made homemade tortillas for this meal).

  • joneshayley on May 02, 2018

    Very nice and well received by all the family, as suggested I served with pink pickled onions and sour cream. Absolutely delicious.

  • Foodycat on July 09, 2014

    Good - but it really needs a fairly acidic accompaniment, on its own it's a bit one-note. The pink pickled onions, or a fresh salsa work well.

• Spicy crab noodles (Fideus seco)

  • rmcgowan on June 28, 2013

    I decided not to fry the vermicelli initially and this was probably a mistake. The result was claggy and the sauce, whilst tasty, completely swamped the crab.

• Churros y chocolate

  • joneshayley on May 02, 2018

    Perfect churros, a bit of a challenge to pipe and fry, but very much worth it.

• Meatballs de Mehico!!

  • joneshayley on April 30, 2018

    This needed an extra 20 minutes for the rice inside the meatballs to be cooked through. Wonderful depth of flavour and texture to the meatballs and the sauce is phenomenal.

• Rainbow trout baked with chilli cream

  • joneshayley on May 26, 2018

    The chilli cream is delicious, but overpowers the trout. Far better with chicken or a stronger fish, monkfish perhaps?

• Marinated chicken (Chicken adobado )

  • joneshayley on April 23, 2019

    The marinade used is easy to prepare and so good I could drink it! It’s utterly delicious, smoky and spicy, well seasoned and balanced. It imbued the chicken, and made for a delicious family meal.

• The tastiest black bean tostadas

  • joneshayley on May 27, 2018

    Nice light lunch , lovely with some shredded chicken

• Smoky tomato sauce

  • joneshayley on April 30, 2018

    Beautiful sauce- incredible depth of flavour. This could be used for any chillis, or burritos, fajitas etc. I love it

• Fresh tomato salsa

  • NikkiPixie on January 30, 2014

    Deliciously addictive. You'll never buy salsa again.

  • etcjm on December 28, 2019

    Tasty. Only chucked together things for a salsa before so thought I would try a 'proper' recipe! Very good indeed. I would add more coriander for us next time. The lime steps it up. Served with carnitas, guacamole, pulled jackfruit, lettuce, sweet potatoes and tortilla on the side. Feast!

• Chipotles en adobo

  • NikkiPixie on January 30, 2014

    I made a third of the recipe and it was still plenty. She's right though.... the fridge-life of this stuff is amazing. It's also incredibly delicious!

  • Foodycat on July 09, 2014

    Wonderful - definitely worth keeping on hand! Packs a bit of a punch.

  • sarahj22 on September 02, 2017

    Absolutely gorgeous - this makes a huge amount but it lasts for ages. Plus it makes a nice gift for friends. Probably best to make it when no-one else is around though. The chipotles cooking permeates the air and leads to streaming eyes!

  • Victoria_from_London on November 03, 2021

    Fantastic. Does everything promised and lasts forever in fridge. NB got chipotles from Spicesontheweb.co.uk - definitely use again.

• Chorizo, potato & thyme quesadillas

  • NikkiPixie on January 30, 2014

    Really, really good.... almost as good as the ones I had in Mexico. The fresh tomato salsa is a perfect accompaniment.

• Smoked mackerel tostadas

  • ruth115 on June 02, 2018

    delicious- bright and zingy with lots of lime and salt. easy.

• Hot chorizo salad with butternut squash & baby tomatoes

  • Carol.Furness on August 10, 2014

    Love this, well worth trying

  • Foodycat on August 10, 2014

    I needed some acidity in the dressing, so added a splash of balsamic.

• An easy-peasy peanut mole

  • Foodycat on July 09, 2014

    Tastes more like chicken satay than the deep, chocolate-y complex mole you might have had. Really good, but don't expect the same flavour!

• Pink pickled onions

  • Foodycat on September 20, 2014

    Our habaneros are crazy hot, but the acid from the citrus juices moderates it, so this pickle isn't very hot.

• Prawn coctel

  • Foodycat on September 20, 2014

    Really delicious - as described, like a combination of Bloody Mary and prawn cocktail. Very refreshing.

  • Frenchfoodie on July 28, 2019

    Did this with just prawns and loved its fresh zing. We ended up using the marinade on extra salad, it was soo good. Didn't use chillies but added chilli sauce (linghams) at the table and it was just what was needed. Used pomegranate molasses rather than grenadine.

• One-pot bacon, beans & pumpkin

  • Foodycat on October 16, 2014

    I used black turtle beans instead of pinto, and a smoked gammon steak instead of pancetta. It took a lot longer to cook - 2 hours - but the flavour was extremely good.

• Ham & cheese empanadas

  • Foodycat on April 09, 2020

    I added a couple of chopped spring onions, and made it into 4 larger rectangular pies because I didn't need small snack size ones. Really delicious.

• Classic margarita

  • Foodycat on August 04, 2018

    Holy snakes that's strong. I like more lime.

• Herby ricotta dip

  • adewar on January 19, 2016

    Very creamy, lemony, herby dip with a very good texture for dipping and a flavour which is pleasantly tangy. I did not have all of the specified herbs so I used flat leaf parsley and chopped spring onions (scallions) which worked well. I sprinkled the top with some chopped parsley and a drizzle of olive oil. Goes very well with plain tortilla chips and a glass of chilled white wine, but also very nice spread onto crackers, homemade bread etc. A very useful multipurpose recipe and could be easily tweaked with different herbs.

• Tamarind & chilli-infused belly of pork

  • Frenchfoodie on January 18, 2021

    So, so good - absolutely worth the effort which is mainly in time for the various stages. The sauce tastes very sharp on its own but is perfect with the meat. It does make a lot of thin sauce at stated 1/2 reduction though. Next time I’ll reduce more - holding back on the second vinegar and sugar addition and adding to taste.

• Spicy bird tacos

  • Frenchfoodie on July 21, 2019

    Fine, possibly useful standby for leftover roast but it was a little underwhelming tastewise. We had with homemade tortillas, pink pickled onions, sour cream and feta.