For this salsa loving girl I could literally have salsa every single day and now I can try many new fresh styles and enjoy it all the more. I can't wait to try these recipes with my husband. He's going to be so excited when he sees this new book on our shelf. I'm sure we will have some new favorites.
This is a cool book because the author gives such great information. It isn't just a recipe. She shares how to work with chilies and how they best work for different dishes. She gives a great list of ingredients to have on hand and gives techniques for making the best salsas and moles.
I am a photo lover. A picture gives me a great help in what it should look like when I'm all finished. There are great photos here, but not for each dish. That would make for one gigantic book. But she gives such great tools and serving ideas that you cannot go wrong. In short, she has made it simple for us peeps who have a bit of trouble in the kitchen.
Some of the recipes I can't wait to try are:
Salsa Fresca with queso and pintos
Pineapple-cucumber salsa
Mango-Habanero salsa
Black bean salsa borracha
She gives the recipe of course, but she tells a bit about it, and walks us through the dish, beginning to end. I LOVE that! She too gives variations and serving sizes. In the HOT section she even shares the number of just how HOT the salsa is on a scale, but as we see in this book, not all salsa is made to be hot. To enjoy the flavors is a treat. I don't want a burning tongue although some people dig that kind of salsa. I really had no idea you could use salsa for so many things. I too am learning more about moles and how fun is it to learn about something new to add to the table that's inviting.
"Take the time to pay attention with your senses to every ingredient and every step. This will make you a more observant cook, and a better one."
I think this is one you would really enjoy if you're a salsa lover. You will surly find new ideas for salsas and moles. I really cannot wait to begin trying out these recipes. I'd say there's more than a touch of Mexico in this book and I can't wait to try it out!!
This book was a gift by Ten Speed Press for sharing my review with you.
DEBORAH SCHNEIDER is the executive chef/partner of SOL Cocina in Newport Beach, CA, and was dubbed “the reigning queen of San Diego chefs” by Bon Appétit. She is the author of the James Beard-nominated Cooking with the Seasons at Rancho La Puerta; Amor y Tacos; ¡Baja! Cooking on the Edge, which was one of Food & Wine’s Best of the Best of 2006; and is the co-author of Williams-Sonoma’s Essentials of Latin Cooking.
