Author(s): Mad Coyote Joe
Publisher: Northland
Publication Date: 2001-08-25
Pages: 144
Review: My wife and I purchased this as a gift for my brother and his fiance and they loved it! Simple, easy to follow recipes that are very true to the real thing. My wife is originally from the Mexican state of Sonora, right below Arizona, and she gave this book her seal of approval. What else needs to be said? Yes, this is a good book for the gringo. I read it cover to cover twice before using the recipes simply because I enjoyed it. I have cooked professionally for 16 years, but never made acceptable Mexican dishes. I attempted them occasionally, but didn’t have enough information beforehand to get the results I was looking for. I sought the most authentic Mexican restaurants in my area and patronized them for my sub-border fix.
Since I got this book, I have not been able to put it on the bookshelf and my larder has a growing list of new items that I am enjoying. I have become familiar with the local Latin markets and their owners. The many chili pepper flavors are no longer a mystery and I’m enjoying my own homemade tortillas, salsas, carnitas, etc.
All the recipes are informative, flavorful and yet simple enough to leave room for personal adjustment and interpretation while maintaining authenticity. Your meals will taste like you grew up with a Mexican grandmother. This book has changed the way I look at Mexican food, markets, restaurants, and culture. The author could have been more explicit with preparation technique. Some of it seems a bit over simplified, but once you get started, you find it all conforms to “your kitchen”. There are no hard rules in this kind of folk cooking.
If you like Mexican food to begin with, you will likely be very pleased with with the results. Now my Mexican dishes are as good or better than any restaurant I’ve tried, because I can do it all from scratch. This book is inspiring and fun. Although it is the only Mexican cookbook I own, I have looked perused many over time and find this one to be quite satisfying. I don’t feel that I need another book on the topic, but I will likely seek another to further expand my repertoire. That is, if I can find another which I like as well as this one!
Though I am a card-carrying gringo, I do hail from San Diego. Therefore I know of what I speak when it comes to Mexican cuisine. The recipes are easy to follow and spot on. I never made my own enchilada sauce before. It’s so easy and the recipe is really delicious. No more cans for me! I also recommend the green rice, and the way he recommends poaching the chicken is really tasty. We do that ahead of time and use it for a number of dishes during the week. This is one of those that you’ll go back to again and again. I’m actually online to buy 2 more today as gifts!This book is awesome. From this book I made the best enchiladas I have ever had. The only suggestion I would make to the author is to supply similar ingredients for substitution if the ingredients are not found in your area. Many of the ingredients are specific to Mexico and the very south Southwest. I based my purchase of this book on previous reviews & I am not disappointed. However, this is really what the title says: it is a book for gringos. I have some experience with Mexican food & I was hoping for a few more recipes but it really is exactly what the title promises.
Price: $16.95 Buy This Book