Mexican Recipes and Cookbooks

• Traditional Mexican ingredients include corn, beans and chillies. These items have been part of the Mexican diet for thousands of years.
  
  
• Ingredients introduced by the Spanish include sugar, cheese and livestock.
  
  
• Fruits and vegetables include some that are both native to Mexico, and others that have been introduced: avocado, coconut, papya, pineapple, prickly pear cactus, squash, sweet potatoes and tomatoes.

• Guacamole - Guacamole is a dip whose principal ingredient is avocado, bout to wich other ingredients such as tomatoes and salt, and sometimes lime juice, onions, and spices, can be added. The recipe is believe to date back to pre-Columbian times.
  
  
  
• Tortilla - Tortilla is the traditional bread of Mexico. It is a flat unleavened bread made from ground maize (corn) or wheat flour. Some people claim the maize variety is more traditional, but in fact both forms have a very long history.
  
  
  
• Chili con carne - A spicy meat (beef or pork) stew with chili peppers. This dish has been widely exported and taken up in other countries, especially the United States, and hence there are many variations, either regional or based on personal preference. For example, tomatoes, onions, or kidney beans may added, brown sugar used as condiment, and in some countries (principally the United States, the United Kingdom the Sweden and Japan), it has become common to serve chili con carne over rice.
  
  
• Enchilada - Enchiladas are tortillas that are dipped in oil or lard, then sauce, filled, rolled, placed in a casserole dish and layered with more sauce or other ingredients, and finally baked.
  
  
  
• Burrito - A tortilla filled with meat, such as beef, pork or chicken. Traditionally, only meat is used for filling, and the tortilla is rolled into a thin tube. In the USA and other countries, it has become common to add other ingredients such as rice, beans, tomatoes, salsa, guacamole, cheese or sour cream.

• Recipes and Cookbooks

Mexican Everyday (Recipes Featured on Season 4 of the PBS-TV series "Mexico One Plate at a Time") By Rick Bayless W. W. Norton Hardcover (288 pages) List Price: $29.95 Lowest New Price: $14.98 Lowest Used Price: $11.82 Usually ships in 24 hours (As of 00:54 Pacific 5 Jul 2008 More Info) Click Here Product Description: At last, a cookbook that brings Mexican food within easy reach, companion to the all-new PBS series. In his previous books, Rick Bayless transformed America's understanding of Mexican cuisine, introducing authentic dishes and cooking methods as he walked readers through Mexican markets and street stalls. As much as Rick loves the bold flavors of Mexican foods, he understands that preparing many Mexican specialties requires more time than most of us have. Mexican Everyday is written with the time sensitivities of modern life in mind. It is a collection of 90 full-flavored recipes—like Green Chile Chicken Tacos, Shrimp Ceviche Salad, Chipotle Steak with Black Beans—that meet three criteria for "everyday" food: 1) most need less than 30 minutes' involvement; 2) they have the fresh, clean taste of simple, authentic preparations; and 3) they are nutritionally balanced, full-featured meals—no elaborate side dishes required. Companion to a thirteen-part public television series, this book provides dishes you can eat with family and friends, day in and day out. Color throughout.

Frida's Fiestas: Recipes and Reminiscences of Life with Frida Kahlo By Marie Pierre Colle Clarkson Potter Released: 1994-09-20 Hardcover (224 pages) List Price: $35.00 Lowest New Price: $20.10 Lowest Used Price: $18.11 Usually ships in 24 hours (As of 00:54 Pacific 5 Jul 2008 More Info) Click Here Product Description: In the tradition of the best-selling Monet's Table, Frida's Fiestas is a personal account in words and pictures of many important and happy events in the life of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, and a scrapbook, assembled by her stepdaughter, of recipes for more than 100 dishes that Frida served to family and friends with her characteristic enthusiasm for all the pleasures of life.Full-color photographs.

The Food and Life of Oaxaca: Traditional Recipes from Mexico's Heart By Zarela Martinez Wiley Hardcover (354 pages) List Price: $35.00 Lowest New Price: $18.89 Lowest Used Price: $18.25 Usually ships in 24 hours (As of 00:54 Pacific 5 Jul 2008 More Info) Click Here Amazon.com: The Food and Life of Oaxaca, by New York restaurateur Zarela Martinez, is a fascinating cultural study disguised as a great cookbook. Martinez is part of the new renaissance of Mexican food writers and chefs, including Rick Bayless and Diana Kennedy, who reaffirm that culinary awareness goes hand in hand with cultural awareness. In fact, Martinez, a Mexican, credits her time in Oaxaca as "redefining my whole understanding of Mexico." Oaxaca is one of the most biologically and culturally diverse regions in Mexico, echoed throughout The Food and Life of Oaxaca in both the recipes and the accompanying essays. Martinez adamantly insists that to cook a dish, you must first understand it. She provides not only the how-to of a recipe, but also the why. In the chapter on moles, she provides seven outstanding recipes and explains beautifully why the sauces predominate Oaxacan cuisine. Her section on tamales is simply one of the best available, providing solid instruction and Oaxacan variations of the traditional Mexican party food. Chefs new to Mexican cuisine will find the glossary of ingredients indispensable. And any chef will find Martinez's passion for her subject inspiring.--Mark O. Howerton

The Everything Mexican Cookbook: 300 Flavorful Recipes from South of the Border (Everything Series) By Margaret Kaeter Adams Media Paperback (304 pages) List Price: $14.95 Lowest New Price: $6.85 Lowest Used Price: $6.24 Usually ships in 24 hours (As of 00:54 Pacific 5 Jul 2008 More Info) Click Here