Complete Book of Mexican Cooking

Complete Book of Mexican Cooking
Ortiz, Elisabeth L.
Ballantine Publishing Group
$5.59
0345325591

Elisabeth Lambert Ortiz offers up an enjoyable trip through traditional Mexican recipes with American kitchen ingredients.

Ortiz opens with an overview of her time in Mexico and stories of Mexican women who taught her the traditions and techniques of a true Mexican cook. Her open, inviting manner passes on the secrets like grandma teaching a child how much a cup is without measuring cups.

This is one of very few books friendly to the American kitchen without turning to Tex-Mex and Americanized recipes. Ortiz is blunt about which shortcuts are and are not acceptable to "real" Mexican (do buy a tortilla presser, don't buy tortillas).

This book makes a great primer in why foods are the way they are and how they are traditionally prepared. One of the best examples of this is the first chapter - "The Corn Kitchen" which pays homage to the food of historic Mexico.

Personally, I give high marks to the comprehensive index where you can search not only by recipe title in Spanish or English - but also by ingredients such as particular chiles.

Don't expect a four star meal, complicated sauces and illustrations. These recipes are complete and many of the seafood recipes are fairly easy to upgrade to an elegant dinner party.

A section with sample meals would be a nice addition since this is geared towards more of the beginning American cook. However, try a few of the Mexican drinks detailed here and you'll soon forgive Ortiz for the small oversight.

This book is worth far more than the pocket change you'll pay for it as long as you accept that it's a paperback without coffee table cache.

Complete Book of Mexican Cooking at Borders Bookstore.  Find more Mexican cuisine books.

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