The Book of Mexican Foods

The easy-to-follow format and numerous, mouth-watering pictures make this book useful for a foray into Mexican cuisine. However, it is missing the recipe for chili rellenos.

In its almost 50 parts, all written by experienced cooks and cook book writers, HP Books' "The Book of ... Cooking" series takes you to the cuisines of various regions of the U.S. and around the world; all in easy to follow, well-explained recipes. This installment, the Book of Mexican Foods, starts with a brief introduction into the basic recipes of the Mexican cuisine, the necessary equipment and a glossary of ingredients, and then presents recipe suggestions for all major courses, from soups and starters to salads, vegetables, desserts and drinks. Special chapters are dedicated to egg and cheese dishes, seafood, poultry and (red) meat, and sauces. Lots of different varieties of all the classics (burritos, refried beans, stuffed bell peppers, caramel custard (flan), enchiladas, ceviche, chimichangas, tortillas, chili con carne, guacamole, margarita, mole poblano, nachos, picadillo, quesadillas, huevos rancheros, salsa, tamales, tacos and tequila drinks) appear next to unique recipes such as apricot and coconut balls, chocolate orange mousse, lamb with red wine, lemon tequila souffle, orange bread pudding, red snapper in cilantro, shrimp with chile cheese, spinach with pimento, and tuna and cheese casserole. From almond jelly to wholewheat tortillas, this collection of recipes, while not all-encompassing, is a great introduction to the richness of the Mexican cuisine - and at a relative bargain price, to boot. Also recommended: This series' installments on Southwestern cooking, and on dips and salsas. Also recommended: Around the World Cookbook Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home: Fast and Easy Recipes for Any Day Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant: Ethnic and Regional Recipes from the Cooks at the Legendary Restaurant (Cookery) Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian: More Than 650 Meatless Recipes from Around the World On Cooking: A Textbook of Culinary Fundamentals (4th Edition) Textbook only Joy of Cooking: 75th Anniversary Edition - 2006

Cookbook has an easy to follow format with photos for every recipe. At the beginning of the book the author does an introduction with a brief history of Mexican cooking, explains ingredients & equipment recommended. She has a basics section which shows how to make recipes such as corn tortillas, refried & regular beans, cooked tomato sauce. There are a lot of creative & tasty recipes to enjoy. Some ususual dishes included are: "Lemon-Tequila Souffle," "Chorizo & Cheese Crepes,"Vermicelli Soup," "Picadillo" & more. If you enjoy mexican food this cookbook is good for learning some of the basics. The dessert recipes are excellent! Wish the main dishes were more elaborate but the recipes in the book are good.