| |
| |
| Introduction | |
| |
| |
| How to Use This Book | |
| |
| |
| How This Book Is Organized | |
| |
| |
| |
| Getting the Juices Flowing | |
| |
| |
| |
| Taking a Quick Trip | |
| |
| |
| |
| Enjoying an Extended Tour | |
| |
| |
| |
| Menus for Every Occasion | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Part of Tens | |
| |
| |
| |
| Appendixes | |
| |
| |
| Conventions Used in This Book | |
| |
| |
| Icons Used in This Book | |
| |
| |
| |
| Getting the Juices Flowing | |
| |
| |
| |
| Understanding Mexican Cooking | |
| |
| |
| Dispelling Mexican Cooking Myths | |
| |
| |
| |
| Mexican food is too spicy | |
| |
| |
| |
| Mexican food is too heavy | |
| |
| |
| |
| Mexican food is hard to cook | |
| |
| |
| Getting Started with Mexican Cooking | |
| |
| |
| Keeping things manageable | |
| |
| |
| Experimenting with chiles | |
| |
| |
| Entertaining, Mexican style | |
| |
| |
| Keeping your mind (and mouth) open to new experiences | |
| |
| |
| |
| Ingredients for Mexican Cooking | |
| |
| |
| Fruits and Vegetables | |
| |
| |
| Avocado | |
| |
| |
| Banana leaves | |
| |
| |
| Cactus paddles | |
| |
| |
| Chayote | |
| |
| |
| Corn husks | |
| |
| |
| Jicama | |
| |
| |
| Lime | |
| |
| |
| Plantains | |
| |
| |
| Tomatillos | |
| |
| |
| Chiles 101 | |
| |
| |
| Shopping for chiles | |
| |
| |
| Handling fresh chiles | |
| |
| |
| Plumping up dried chiles | |
| |
| |
| Types of chiles | |
| |
| |
| Herbs | |
| |
| |
| Cilantro | |
| |
| |
| Epazote | |
| |
| |
| Oregano | |
| |
| |
| The Spice Shelf | |
| |
| |
| Cumin | |
| |
| |
| Cinnamon | |
| |
| |
| Nuts, Seeds, and Seasoning Pastes | |
| |
| |
| Annatto seed and achiote paste | |
| |
| |
| Tamarind seeds and paste | |
| |
| |
| Coconut | |
| |
| |
| Pepitas | |
| |
| |
| Beans and Starches | |
| |
| |
| Beans | |
| |
| |
| Tortillas | |
| |
| |
| Masa harina | |
| |
| |
| The Mexican Dairy | |
| |
| |
| Anejo | |
| |
| |
| Panela | |
| |
| |
| Mexican manchego | |
| |
| |
| Crema | |
| |
| |
| The cheese mix | |
| |
| |
| Olives | |
| |
| |
| |
| Mastering a Few Simple Tools and Techniques | |
| |
| |
| Equipping Your Kitchen | |
| |
| |
| Blenders | |
| |
| |
| Stovetop grills and griddles | |
| |
| |
| Tortilla presses | |
| |
| |
| Bean mashers | |
| |
| |
| Steamers | |
| |
| |
| Tackling a Few Techniques | |
| |
| |
| Toasting and seeding vegetables and seeds | |
| |
| |
| Ready, set, puree | |
| |
| |
| Welcome to the beanery | |
| |
| |
| Poppin' peppercorns for flavor | |
| |
| |
| Mexican cooking light | |
| |
| |
| |
| Taking a Quick Trip | |
| |
| |
| |
| Bright Lights, Big Beverages | |
| |
| |
| Eye-Openers | |
| |
| |
| Afternoon Refreshers | |
| |
| |
| Party Boosters | |
| |
| |
| |
| Hot Salsas, Cool Dips, and Refreshing Ceviches | |
| |
| |
| Scintillating Salsas | |
| |
| |
| Maximum Dips | |
| |
| |
| Snappy Ceviches | |
| |
| |
| |
| Foods from the Mexican Marketplace | |
| |
| |
| Getting Stuffed on Quesadillas | |
| |
| |
| Paying attention to your ingredients | |
| |
| |
| Making your own flour tortillas | |
| |
| |
| Quintessential quesadillas | |
| |
| |
| Tortillas Transforming into Tacos | |
| |
| |
| Warming the tortillas and building a taco | |
| |
| |
| Making tasty tacos | |
| |
| |
| Entertaining with Enchiladas | |
| |
| |
| Rolling an enchilada | |
| |
| |
| Amazing enchiladas | |
| |
| |
| Snacking on Tortas | |
| |
| |
| |
| Enjoying an Extended Tour | |
| |
| |
| |
| Stuffed Treats | |
| |
| |
| Empanadas: Little Pies Full of Flavor | |
| |
| |
| Tamales: Feast-Day Treats | |
| |
| |
| Wrapping a tamale | |
| |
| |
| Steaming the tamales | |
| |
| |
| Tamales for every occasion | |
| |
| |
| Chiles Rellenos | |
| |
| |
| |
| Soulful Soups | |
| |
| |
| Setting Your Sights on Mexican Soups | |
| |
| |
| Putting all your soup in the right pot | |
| |
| |
| Discovering the art of the garnish | |
| |
| |
| Freezing soups | |
| |
| |
| Creating your own stock | |
| |
| |
| Soup is for tasting | |
| |
| |
| So Many Sopas, So Little Time | |
| |
| |
| The Caldo Connection | |
| |
| |
| Possibly the Best Posole | |
| |
| |
| |
| Border Salads | |
| |
| |
| Preparing the Greens | |
| |
| |
| Dressing the Greens | |
| |
| |
| The Tostada: A Salad in Disguise | |
| |
| |
| All-Star Side Salads | |
| |
| |
| Bean and Grain Salads | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Essential Sides: Rice, Beans, Tortillas, and Vegetables | |
| |
| |
| Getting the Rice Spirit | |
| |
| |
| Beautiful, Beautiful Refried Beans! | |
| |
| |
| Making Your Own Corn Tortillas | |
| |
| |
| Reheating tortillas | |
| |
| |
| Frying a corn tortilla (and turning it into a tortilla chip) | |
| |
| |
| Spicing Things Up with Veggie Sides | |
| |
| |
| |
| Best Braises, Stews, and Moles | |
| |
| |
| Stewing, the Technique | |
| |
| |
| The Traditional Stews | |
| |
| |
| The Innovations | |
| |
| |
| |
| Fish and Seafood Stars | |
| |
| |
| Tasting the Fruit of the Sea | |
| |
| |
| Sampling squid | |
| |
| |
| Showing off with shrimp | |
| |
| |
| South of the Border Fish Dishes | |
| |
| |
| Shopping for fresh fish | |
| |
| |
| Cooking fish to perfection | |
| |
| |
| |
| Four Chickens and a Turkey | |
| |
| |
| Chicken + Chiles = Incredible Flavor | |
| |
| |
| Selecting chicken | |
| |
| |
| Trimming out the bone | |
| |
| |
| It's all about the marinade | |
| |
| |
| Spicy, citrusy chicken | |
| |
| |
| Turkey, the Native Mexican Bird | |
| |
| |
| |
| Main Course Meats | |
| |
| |
| Experiencing the Richness of Pork | |
| |
| |
| Beefing Up Your Meals | |
| |
| |
| On the Lamb | |
| |
| |
| |
| Sweets for Spice Lovers | |
| |
| |
| Old-Fashioned Endings | |
| |
| |
| New Broder Sweets | |
| |
| |
| |
| Menus for Every Occasion | |
| |
| |
| |
| Fiestas and Theme Parties | |
| |
| |
| The Winter Holiday Tamale Party | |
| |
| |
| The setup | |
| |
| |
| The game plan | |
| |
| |
| The Day of the Dead Celebration | |
| |
| |
| The setup | |
| |
| |
| The game plan | |
| |
| |
| A Mexican Beach Barbecue | |
| |
| |
| The setup | |
| |
| |
| The game plan | |
| |
| |
| A Cinco de Mayo Taco Party | |
| |
| |
| Five easy fillings | |
| |
| |
| The setup | |
| |
| |
| The game plan | |
| |
| |
| |
| Breakfast Specials | |
| |
| |
| Eggs Worth Waking Up For | |
| |
| |
| Sweet Beginnings | |
| |
| |
| A Quick Breakfast Sandwich | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Part of Tens | |
| |
| |
| |
| Ten Ways to Set the Scene | |
| |
| |
| Playing Latin Music | |
| |
| |
| Adding Flowers and Plants | |
| |
| |
| Setting the Table | |
| |
| |
| Serving Drinks | |
| |
| |
| Serving Tequila in Lime Halves | |
| |
| |
| Dimming the Lights | |
| |
| |
| Placing Chips and Salsa in Strategic Locations | |
| |
| |
| Polishing up a Room with Decorative Accents | |
| |
| |
| Giving Guests a Dessert to Go | |
| |
| |
| |
| Ten Delicious Treats to Make with Tortillas and Chips | |
| |
| |
| Crisped Tortilla Crackers | |
| |
| |
| Tortilla Bunuelos | |
| |
| |
| The Instant Fish Wrapper | |
| |
| |
| Chips and Their Crunch | |
| |
| |
| Matzoh Brei Mexicana | |
| |
| |
| Finger Food Wraps | |
| |
| |
| Instant Soup Fixins | |
| |
| |
| Tortilla Ice Cream Sundaes | |
| |
| |
| Healthful Tortilla Stock | |
| |
| |
| Chex Mex | |
| |
| |
| |
| Ten Spanish Phrases for Travelers | |
| |
| |
| Por favor | |
| |
| |
| Muchas gracias | |
| |
| |
| Lo quiero mas o menos picante | |
| |
| |
| La cuenta, por favor | |
| |
| |
| Donde esta el bano? | |
| |
| |
| Quiero ordenar una comida tipica de la region, no la comida de los gringos | |
| |
| |
| Sin hielo | |
| |
| |
| Quiero agua purificada | |
| |
| |
| Que platillo sugieres? | |
| |
| |
| Cuanto cuesta? | |
| |
| |
| |
| Ten Web Sites to Check Out | |
| |
| |
| Chefnet | |
| |
| |
| FoodTV | |
| |
| |
| Epicurious | |
| |
| |
| Slow Food | |
| |
| |
| Border Grill | |
| |
| |
| Digitalchef | |
| |
| |
| Melissas | |
| |
| |
| Chile Today -- Hot Tamale | |
| |
| |
| Cibolo Junction | |
| |
| |
| CNN Food Central | |
| |
| |
| |
| Appendixes | |
| |
| |
| |
| Common Substitutions and Equivalents | |
| |
| |
| |
| Glossary of Spanish Terms | |
| |
| |
| Index | |
| |
| |
| Book Registration Information | |