Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless
Mexican Everyday is an excellent cookbook with approachable recipes that can be mostly made with ingredients on hand. Yet, the recipes are not your typical standard fare Mexican. Recipes run the gamut from Salads and Dressings, Main Dish Salads and Soups to Quick Meals from the Grill and a short chapter on desserts. Bayless includes a chapter on enchiladas and tacos but most of them have a twist. Two that I really enjoyed were Swiss Chard Tacos with Caramelized Onion, Fresh Cheese and Red Chile and Tomatillo-Sauced Enchiladas with Spinach and Mushrooms. While I am not a vegetarian by any means, these dishes were hearty enough to be satisfying and delicious as main courses.
The book really shines in the chapter on Seafood, Poultry and Meat Main Dishes. Highlights include Seared Salmon with Spinach and Creamy Roasted Peppers, Snapper with Zucchini and Toasty Garlic Mojo and Pork Tenderloin a la Mexicana. A great dish to make on a cold night is the Chicken in Tangy Escabeche of Caramelized Onions, Carrots and Jalapenos. This was the first dish I prepared from this book because I had everything on hand. The combination of tangy vinegar with pickled jalapenos (an ingredient that appears many times in the book), carrots, onions, chicken breasts and garlic is absolutely delicious.
An indispensable part of this book is the chapter on Pantry Basics. Bayless goes into great detail describing unknown ingredients and where to find them.
Mexican Everyday will give you a new appreciation of Mexican cooking and Rick Bayless presents it in a way that you too can create delicious and quick Mexican meals.
Rating - 9
