Synopses & Reviews
Praise for Truly Mexican"Roberto Santibañez is that rare bird—a great chef and a great teacher—and it's the combination of these talents that makes this book so wonderful. It's an excellent tutorial on Mexican sauces: the ingredients, the techniques, the multiple dishes you can make from each of them, as well as the lip-smacking side dishes that go with them. If you want to cook Mexican food at home more often—and who doesn't?—this is the book for you."
—Sara Moulton, author of Sara Moulton's Everyday Family Dinners
"Truly Mexican breathes the soul and spirit of Mexican cuisine. It is an exceptional book that discloses the essence of Mexican cuisine, from simple street foods like tacos to complex masterpieces like moles. An essential work for anyone who is passionate about this amazing cuisine."
—Mark Miller, author of The Great Chile Book, Tamales, Tacos, and other books
"With this text, Chef Santibañez has moved the understanding of Mexican cuisine forward in a significant way. Although the recipes in this book are, by themselves, a wonderful collection, Roberto delivers them in a format that leaves the reader with true knowledge of the Mexican kitchen."
—Mark Erickson, Certified Master Chef and Vice President–Dean of Culinary Education at The Culinary Institute of America
"Roberto Santibañez's excellent Truly Mexican is a book that should be on the shelves of home cooks who really want to know what Mexican food is all about."
—Zarela Martinez, www.zarela.com
Review
TRULY MEXICAN by Roberto Santibañez with J. J. Goode and Shelley Wiseman focuses on sauces, with chapters on salsas, guacamoles, adobos and moles. So rather than create composed dishes, you can use his unusual red peanut sauce or deep, rich adobo D. F., made with chiles and Mexican chocolate, to dress rotisserie chicken. Try a few more recipes from Mr. Santibañez — Rosa Mexicano's culinary director before he opened Fonda in Brooklyn — and anchos, pasillas and guajillos could become regulars in your cupboard. (
New York Times Dining Section, November 2011)
Santibañez, a Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef and owner of the Brooklyn eatery, Fonda, born and raised in Mexico City, didn't set out to pen a "comprehensive" guide to Mexican cooking or the rich history of the country's food, but instead focuses solely on sauces--from salsas to adobos to moles--emphasizing techniques that home cooks can master and use in various dishes. With the goal "to convert as many readers as I could from people who would love to cook Mexican food to people who cook Mexican food they love," the author lays a solid foundation with a chapter on ingredients, technique, and equipment. The 140 recipes include a selection of guacamoles including departures from the classic such as a blue cheese guacamole, an apple-tequila guacamole, and a seafood guacamole. Recipes for adobos lead readers to main courses featuring various proteins such as adobo-braised lamb or a grilled skirt steak marinated in adobo. While one won't find desserts or suggested menus, the author's expertise is conveyed in a straightforward and inspiring tone that will instill confidence in cooks eager to prepare Mexican meals at home, regardless of previous experience or skill level. (Apr.) (Publishers Weekly, March 2011)
Synopsis
In Truly Mexican, Roberto Santibanez breaks down the intricacies of authentic Mexican cuisine so the home cook can create classic adobos of startling intensity, moles with unbelievable depth and complexity of flavor, and bright salsas both modern and traditional. Using the classic Mexican sauces as building blocks to a complete cuisine, Santibanez shows the home cook how to create unforgettable Salsas, Guacamoles, Adobos, Moles, and Pipianes--and how to use them in enchiladas, tostadas, tacquitos, and much more. Learn how to create and combine crispy, juicy carnitas with rich and creamy black beans; whip up a quick Three Chile Adobo or wow your guests with an unforgettable Oaxacan Red Mole; and dip, drizzle, and sauce with salsas from Roasted Tomato to Papaya with Habaneros. Techniques for easy, fresh, and flawless Mexican cooking are explained step by step, from toasting chiles on top of the stove to folding tamales for steaming. Chapters include: Basics, covering the essential ingredients and techniques; Salsas; Guacamoles; Adobos; Moles and Pipianes; More Ideas for Using Mexican Sauces; and Side Dishes for rounding out your meal. Stunning full-color photography of finished dishes and techniques in progress make Truly Mexican both accessible and inspiring.
Synopsis
Amazing, authentic Mexican cooking for the home kitchen Mexican cuisine is an American favorite from coast to coast, but many people are too intimidated to try cooking real Mexican meals in their own kitchens. In Truly Mexican, Roberto Santibañez shows you that it's the flavors that are complex, not the cooking. With effortless preparations and fresh, flavorful ingredients, Mexican home cooking can be simple and simply delicious.
An introduction to Mexican cooking covers the main ingredients as well as how they're best prepared—from toasting tortillas to roasting tomatoes—and offers a few simple kitchen commandments that make great results a given. Recipes cover main dishes, sides, salsas, guacamoles, moles, adobos, and more.
- Features 128 recipes for authentic Mexican favorites—from classic tacos and tamales to stunning dishes like Braised Short Ribs Adobo and Red Snapper Papillotes in Green Mole
- Includes a useful Sources section to help readers track down authentic Mexican ingredients
- Provides straightforward instructions on essential techniques like roasting chiles, making fresh tortillas, and filling enchiladas
Illustrated throughout with dramatic photos that evoke bold Mexican flavors, Truly Mexican puts the real tastes of Mexico within easy reach.
About the Author
JJ GOODE has written about food and travel for the New York Times, Gourmet, Saveur, Bon Appetit, Food &Wine, and Every Day with Rachael Ray. He is the coauthor of six cookbooks, including A Girl and Her Pig by April Bloomfield and Morimoto: The New Art of Japanese Cooking by Masaharu Morimoto.ROMULO YANES is a New York-based photographer who specializes in editorial, food, and travel. He was the photographic eye for Gourmet for nearly 25 years, capturing memorable images for the magazines covers and travel and food segments.
Table of Contents
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS vi
INTRODUCTION vii
BASICS 1
ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS AND TECHNIQUES
SALSAS 42
IGNITING THE FIRE OF FLAVOR
GUACAMOLES 100
THE CHUNKY AND THE SMOOTH
ADOBOS 120
SIMPLE PUREES WITH SOULFUL APPLICATIONS
MOLES & PIPIANES 148
MEXICO'S ICONIC SAUCES
MORE IDEAS FOR USING MEXICAN SAUCES 210
SIDES 244
FOR ROUNDING OUT YOUR MEAL
SOURCES 258
INDEX 259