Synopses & Reviews
Authentic, No-Fuss Mexican meals
From Chile-Glazed Pork Chops to Dos Leches Flan, Lourdes Castro offers clean, vibrant flavors that are the essence of great Mexican food. In SIMPLY MEXICAN, she presents authentic recipes that dont require a fortnight to prepare or extended shopping forays to find rare ingredients. Castro honed her knowledge of traditional south-of-the-border dishes by teaching the fundamentals to adults and children at her Miami cooking school, and now shes introducing real Mexican fare that works for busy cooks every night of the week.
SIMPLY MEXICAN features easy-to-prepare, fun-to-eat favorites with big flavors, such as Chicken Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce and Crab Tostadas. Once you have mastered the basics, Castro will guide you through more advanced Mexican mainstays such as adobo and mole, and show you how to make the most effortless savory and sweet tamales around. With cooking notes that highlight useful equipment, new ingredients, shortcut techniques, and instructions for advance preparation, SIMPLY MEXICAN demystifies authentic Mexican meals so you can make them at home in a snap.
“With this book Lourdes Castro has added a spark of creativity and simplicity to Mexican food that up until now had not yet been realized. It gives me a huge sense of pride and honor to know that this book exists, as it will help a large audience re-create these gems in a simple and straightforward way.”
--Aarón Sánchez, chef/owner of Paladar and chef/partner of Centrico, author of La Comida del Barrio, and former cohost of Food Networks Melting Pot
“Here, at last, are real Mexican recipes that are authentic, creative, and fun to prepare. Lourdes Castro creates an atmosphere that makes learning about enchiladas, tacos, and salsas exciting and interesting, and her precise methodology with Mexican cookery is refreshing and very entertaining. Highly recommended.”
--Jonathan Waxman, chef/owner of Barbuto and West County Grill and author of A Great American Cook
LOURDES CASTRO was born and raised in Miami, where she founded the Ars Magirica Cooking School and served as a personal chef and nutritionist for numerous high-profile clients. A former associate of the James Beard Foundation, she is a regular contributor to the New York Social Diarys dining section and has taught in the food studies department at Johnson & Wales University. Castro currently teaches food science at New York University and is the director of the Culinary Academy at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Florida. She is also an active member of Les Dames dEscoffier. She lives in New York City.
Synopsis
In SIMPLY MEXICAN, Castro presents authentic Mexican recipes that dont require a fortnight to prepare or extra shopping forays to find rare ingredients. A prodigious traveler who has taught students from all over the Americas, Castro honed her knowledge of fundamental south of the border meals that fit todays busy cooks from teaching adult and childrens cooking classes at her Ars Magirica Cooking School. Featuring easy, fun-to-eat favorites with big flavors, such as Chicken Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce or Crab Tostadas, Castros straightforward recipes are a godsend to busy parents with finicky eaters. Once home cooks have mastered the basics, Castro helps them tackle more advanced Mexican mainstays, such as, mole and adobo, and provides the most effortless tamal recipe around. Deftly illuminating the differences between achiote and chipotle, SIMPLY MEXICAN helps gringos make their favorite dining-out Mexican recipes at home in a snap.
Synopsis
From Chile-Glazed Pork Chops to Dos Leches Flan, Lourdes Castro offers authentic, no-fuss Mexican meals with clean, vibrant flavors that are the essence of great Mexican food. In Simply Mexican, Castro presents authentic recipes that don't require a fortnight to prepare or extended shopping forays to find rare ingredients. Castro honed her knowledge of traditional south-of-the-border dishes by teaching the fundamentals to adults and children at her Miami cooking school, and now she's introducing real Mexican fare that works for busy cooks every night of the week.
Simply Mexican features easy-to-prepare, fun-to-eat favorites with big flavors, such as Chicken Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce and Crab Tostadas. Once you have mastered the basics, Castro will guide you through more advanced Mexican mainstays such as adobo and mole, and show you how to make the most effortless savory and sweet tamales around. With cooking notes that highlight useful equipment, new ingredients, shortcut techniques, and instructions for advance preparation, Simply Mexican demystifies authentic Mexican meals so you can make them at home in a snap.
"With this book Lourdes Castro has added a spark of creativity and simplicity to Mexican food that up until now had not yet been realized. It gives me a huge sense of pride and honor to know that this book exists, as it will help a large audience re-create these gems in a simple and straightforward way."
--Aar n S nchez, chef/owner of Paladar and chef/partner of Centrico, author of La Comida del Barrio, and former cohost of Food Network's Melting Pot
"Here, at last, are real Mexican recipes that are authentic, creative, and fun to prepare. Lourdes Castro creates an atmosphere that makes learning about enchiladas, tacos, and salsas exciting and interesting, and her precise methodology with Mexican cookery is refreshing and very entertaining. Highly recommended."
--Jonathan Waxman, chef/owner of Barbuto and West County Grill and author of A Great American Cook
Synopsis
A solid, accessible introduction to Mexican cooking featuring 60 easy and authentic recipes for quick-to-the-table meals.
In SIMPLY MEXICAN, Castro presents authentic Mexican recipes that don't require a fortnight to prepare or extra shopping forays to find rare ingredients. A prodigious traveler who has taught students from all over the Americas, Castro honed her knowledge of fundamental south-of-the-border meals by teaching adult and children's cooking classes at her Ars Magirica Cooking School. Featuring easy, fun-to-eat, big flavor favorites, such as Chicken Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce or Crab Tostadas, Castro's straightforward recipes are a godsend to busy parents. Once home cooks have mastered the basics, Castro helps them tackle more advanced Mexican mainstays, such as mole and adobo, and provides the most effortless tamale recipe around. SIMPLY MEXICAN helps every cook make favorite Mexican recipes at home in a snap.
"With this book Lourdes Castro has added a spark of creativity and simplicity to Mexican food that up until now had not yet been realized. It gives me a huge sense of pride and honor to know that this book exists, as it will help a large audience recreate these gems in a simple and straightforward way." --Aarón Sánchez, chef/owner of Paladar, author of La Comida del Barrio, former cohost of Food Network's Melting Pot.Reviews"Castro fulfills her mission to educate and explain the basics of Mexican cooking in a simple, satisfying way."—Publishers Weekly
About the Author
LOURDES CASTRO was born and raised in Miami, where she founded the Ars Magirica Cooking School and served as a personal chef and nutritionist for numerous high-profile clients. A former associate of the James Beard Foundation, she is a regular contributor to the New York Social Diarys dining section and has taught in the food studies department at Johnson & Wales University. Castro currently teaches food science at New York University and is the director of the Culinary Academy at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Florida. She is also an active member of Les Dames dEscoffier. She lives in New York City.
Table of Contents
Contents
Introduction • 1
Pantry Items • 2
Glossary:
25 Ingredients and Terms You Should Know • 3
Appetizers • 7
Soups & Salads • 19
Seafood • 33
Chicken • 45
Meat • 59
Vegetables, Beans & Rice • 77
Sauces, Condiments & Marinades • 91
Desserts • 105
Index • 116
Acknowledgments • 120