• nomadchowwoman on January 05, 2010

  Debunks the myth of Mexican food as one-dimensional, combo platters w/gloppy cheese. Wonderful, accessible recipes.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Fresh green tomatillo sauce (Salsa verde cruda)

  • wcassity on April 18, 2020

    Love this salsa - make it all the time. Great base for a variety of meals.

• Quick-cooked tomato-chile sauce (Salsa cocida de jitomate)

  • TrishaCP on January 01, 2019

    This was a nice sauce for huevos rancheros. I used bacon fat instead of lard since we were cooking bacon anyway, but vegetable oil would be just fine. I used a box of Pomi tomatoes since that was what I had on hand, and three serrano chiles with seeds. It was spicy but not excessively so.

• Chunky guacamole (Guacamole picado)

  • sturlington on December 09, 2012

    Time to make: <30 minutes. Leftovers do not keep. I never go wrong with this recipe. It is always a hit whenever I make it. The directions are clear and helpful for adapting the guacamole to the season and the quality of your ingredients. This is the only guacamole recipe you need. P44.

  • mharriman on August 05, 2019

    I made this to go with bean burritos and Spanish rice. It’s an easy recipe and has multiple uses. A keeper!

• Pickled red onions (Escabeche de cebolla)

  • ellabee on December 26, 2013

    p.50. Made as one of the toppings for tortilla soup (Alice Waters' soup version & topping suggestion). Tasty and excellent way to use up the second half of the giganto red onions that seem to be the only kind on offer lately. They stay crisp and get even more flavorful as they sit in the fridge. They're a colorful, snappy condiment to have on hand: Makes an addictive salad chopped up and added to cubes of marinated roasted beets (e.g. tangerine-mustard vinaigrette). Also strangely wonderful with chunks of baked sweet potato. Seems they'd be a sure thing with quesadillas or any cheesy-melty-starchy item, but haven't yet tried that. Try making also with chard stems, alone or in combination with red onion.

• Homemade thick cream (Crema espesa)

  • Allegra on April 20, 2013

    After sitting in the oven with the pilot light on for 24 hours, this cream had a nice and mild tang to it and was thickened but thin enough to drizzle; just like real crema. I used the whipping cream called for, and at 33% milk fat, it was far too rich for my tastes, and too extravegant to use an excess of. I would like to try this recipe with coffee cream (18%) or even half-and-half to see if it would work at all. I left the jar out on the counter in the sunshine for a couple of hours a few days after making this, and it ripened even further and thickened to a near-solid consistency. Thinning with milk helped and it was even tangier and more delicious than before, so I guess that it would benefit from a lengthier initial ferment time. For someone who can't get crema with any regularity, this recipe is a lifesaver.

  • billcranecos on August 10, 2020

    There's an aspect to making this that is like a science experiment. I assembled the ingredients in a jar a let it sit in my closed garage (in the summer) for about 20 hours. This produces a very thick and slighty tangy cream which I used for two recipes in the book (Fresh corn chowder with roasted peppers (5 stars!) & Roasted peppers with onion and herbs (also good)). I'd make this again when called for.

• Avocado dressing

  • sturlington on May 05, 2013

    P90. Suggested for raw or blanched vegetables (perhaps as a dip) or lettuce like romaine.

• Toasted tortilla soup with fresh cheese and chile pasilla (Sopa de tortilla)

  • milgwimper on September 22, 2010

    This was delicious, unfortunately Pasilla Chile is hard to find here in Germany. I remember it being a lot of work but it might be that I made my own tortillas, and I had several other dishes, and I was tired after I made this soup, and may have colored my memory. It was well worth the work.

  • Acarroll on November 09, 2021

    This was delicious and easy to make. I got the pasilla chilies, epazote, and tortillas from a local Mexican grocery store. My husband said this was one of the best meals he's ever eaten! I would double next time for leftovers.

• Ranch-style eggs with tomato-chile sauce (Huevos rancheros)

  • TrishaCP on January 01, 2019

    A good classic version of huevos rancheros.

• Zucchini and pork with Mexican flavors (Calabacitas con puerco)

  • mjes on August 25, 2021

    I actually followed the recipe nearly exactly (okay, I had a young sous-chef who is just starting to be able to read a cookbook). This was universally enjoyed.

• Minced pork with almonds, raisins and sweet spices (Picadillo Oaxaqueño)

  • Acarroll on May 21, 2022

    This was delicious. We made the variation with dried chilies. It was pretty mild, next time I might keep some seeds to add heat.

• Slivered beef with well-browned onions (Bistec encebollado)

  • Totallywired on January 11, 2019

    Good basic steak taco recipe and method yielding a rich sauce. Easier to eat if you slice and then divide cross wise into chunks. Served with typical toppings but also cumin roasted squash, which was a great pairing.

• Half-baked tortillas with black beans, chicken and pickled onions (Panuchos Yucatecos con pollo)

  • mseers on August 07, 2011

    Panuchos Yucatecos con Pollo

• Layered tortilla casserole (Budín de tortillas)

  • twoyolks on December 07, 2017

    This was really creamy and cheesy. A little bit like cheese enchiladas that were layered flat. It did really lack texture. I think a bit of corn in it would've gone nicely.

• Nuevo Leon-style tamales (Tamales estilo Nuevo León)

  • amoule on December 24, 2015

    These are pretty good, although the dough turned out rather heavy. I doubled the recipe precisely and ended up with enough extra filling for another recipe of dough made from two pounds of masa.

• Simple red mole with meat, fowl, and fruit (Manchamanteles de cerdo y pollo)

  • mlbatt on May 19, 2017

    Made this for our Rick Bayless themed Cookbook Club gathering. It's "simple" in that the mole has fewer ingredients than one would expect, however there are several steps and it can be a bit messy to make. That said, it was the hit of the event and extremely delicious. I would make it again (and again). Highly recommend.

• Charcoal-grilled chicken, Sinaloa-style (Pollo a las brasas, estilo Sinaloense)

  • Allegra on April 20, 2013

    Delicious! Grilled chicken is wonderful in any version, but these splendid flavours make for a particularly addictive incarnation. I let my chicken marinate overnight (using legs and thighs) and it was lovely, though perhaps could have used a touch more salt. Because there are so many assertive ingredients in here already, I don't think this would be any worse with prepared orange juice; the delicately floral freshness of just-squeezed oj is lost in here.

• Pork-stuffed chiles in savory tomato sauce (Chiles rellenos de picadillo)

  • margieparis1 on July 28, 2016

    Made this with romanesco squash instead of pork, and it came out well. Would suggest doubling (at least) the almonds and possibly the raisins.

• Pork with smoky tomato sauce, potatoes and avocado (Tinga Poblana)

  • allisonsemele on February 22, 2021

    An old favorite. I make it as directed--wonderful in winter.

• Mexican tomato-colored rice (with fresh vegetables) (Arroz a la Mexicana [con verduras])

  • joeljkp on April 03, 2022

    This is my go-to Mexican rice, made with 1/2 cup canned tomato puree instead of the blended whole tomatoes.

• Fried beans (Frijoles refritos)

  • TrishaCP on January 01, 2019

    A good classic version of refried beans. I used the optional onion and garlic for more flavor.

• Quick-fried zucchini with toasted garlic and lime (Calabacitas al mojo de ajo)

  • lorloff on December 28, 2022

    This dish turned out really well. The key is to slowly sauté the garlic in the oil at the beginning. It took a bit of time but was well worth the effort. Will become one of our go to zucchini dishes.

• Swiss chard with tomatoes and potatoes (Acelgas guisadas)

  • Lindalib on September 15, 2012

    We liked this dish. Did not use the optional epazote. We used approximately the amount of swiss chard called for in the receipe, which was about half of what we had on hand. We could have used all our swiss chard and probably not harmed the recipe. Be sure to taste for salt because we needed to add salt at the end. We used one jalepeno pepper, which turned out to be mild. It would have been better with two.

  • TrishaCP on May 25, 2020

    We loved this - definitely a recipe whose taste is more than the sum of its parts. (I used homemade broth.) The cook on the Swiss chard (just wilting it) brought out its earthy qualities in a good way. We skipped the epazote (didn’t have it) and used a serrano for the chile. I also thinly sliced the chard stems and added them when I added the tomato.

  • deboChicago on June 29, 2020

    Made it three times. Also really good the third time. And awesome in fresh tortillas.

  • deboChicago on August 04, 2019

    Really delicious.

• Buttered crepes with caramel and pecans (Crepas con cajeta)

  • emiliang on April 14, 2013

    This is an outstanding take on crepes. Since they can be prepared well ahead of time, they're perfect for entertaining at home. I used only half the butter and about three quarters of the cajeta, and they were still delicious. Also, I didn't bother filling the crepes with the cajeta. I simply brushed them with butter and poured all of the cajeta on top at the end. A note about the ingredients listed in EYB: you can replace the goat milk, grain alcohol, and corn syrup with store-bought "cajeta," or Mexican caramelized milk -- you can find the cow milk version in most American supermarkets and the goat milk version in all Latino-oriented food stores. Saves A LOT of time, and in fact Rick Bayless recommends the store-bought version in all of his more recent books.

• Fruit and milk smoothy (Licuado de leche y fruta)

  • Litegal1 on May 12, 2014

    Today was the first day of my Fed-Up Challenge (10 days with no sugar) - I was craving something sweet so I opted to try this (absent the sugar of course). I used 1 cup milk, 1oz frozen blueberries, and then 3oz of mixed cantaloupe and strawberries). It was pretty good. Next time I'd probably add some ice and/or use more frozen berries.

  • sturlington on September 07, 2014

    A good starting point for ideas. Water can be substituted for milk and works better with certain fruits. I also subbed yogurt with good results and blending in some slivered almonds.

• Tequila-lime cocktail (Margarita)

  • smtucker on June 20, 2014

    Yea. This is a several step process, but worth every MINUTE. The best margarita I have ever drunk. Special occasions, and special Mexican dinner deserves this special drink.