More Mexican Everyday: Simple, Seasonal, Celebratory

by Rick Bayless, Deann Groen Bayless (Primary Contributor), David Tamarkin (Primary Contributor)

Rick Bayless transformed America's understanding of Mexican cuisine with his Mexican Everyday. Now, Rick returns with an all-new collection of uniquely flavorful recipes, each one the product of his evolution as a chef and champion of local, seasonal ingredients.


More Mexican Everyday teaches home cooks how to build tasty meals with a few ingredients in a short amount of time. Cooking Mexican couldn’t be easier, or more delicious. Rick generously reveals the secrets of his dishes—the salsas and seasonings, mojos and adobos he employs again and again to impart soul-satisfying flavor. He explains fully the classic techniques that create so many much-beloved Mexican meals, from tacos and enchiladas to pozole and mole. Home cooks under his guidance will be led confidently to making these their go-to recipes night after night.


"Everyday" Mexican also means simplicity, so Rick dedicates individual chapters to illustrate skillful use of the slow cooker and the rice cooker. Also included are a special variation of the classic chicken-and-rice pairing, Arroz con Pollo, with an herby green seasoning, and an addictive roasted tomatillo salsa that’s flavored with the same red chile seasoning brushed on his lush Grilled Red-Chile Ribs.


Rick loves to highlight the use of seasonal, diverse vegetables. The heart of this cookbook is devoted to modern creations that range from a Jícama-Beet Salad inspired by Mexico’s classic Christmas Eve salad to a sweet-and-tangy butternut braise. Rick's flexible imagination also transforms breakfast into a meal for any hour. His Open-Face Red Chile–Chard Omelet is as great for Wednesday night dinner as it is for Sunday brunch. Not to be forgotten is Rick's array of show-stopping desserts, among them Mexican Chocolate–Pumpkin Seed Cake and Fresh Fruit with 24-Hour Cajeta and Bitter Chocolate. In all his recipes, Rick carefully guides you through every step, suggesting ways to invent, adapt, and simplify without sacrificing flavor.


More Mexican Everyday invites you into Rick's creative kitchen to enliven the way you cook and eat with friends and family.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Reference, Cultural

384 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2015

About the author

Rick Bayless has written six cookbooks, including Mexican Everyday and Fiesta at Rick's. His product line of prepared foods is sold coast to coast. With his wife Deann he owns and operates Chicago’s casual Frontera Grill, named “Outstanding Restaurant” by the James Beard Foundation, and the four-star fine-dining Topolobampo. XOCO, a Leed-certified quick-serve restaurant, opened in 2009. He is the host of the public television series Mexico—One Plate at a Time.

Reviews

[Janet Martin]

Wow! This might be one of the only cookbooks I need on my shelf due to its simplicity, easily explained theory, and use of simple ingredients--only a couple of things are not available in my local supermarkets, and are not vital in any way. I don't even need a fancy supermarket because nearly everything here is available in my local Walmart.

Many of the recipes are dependent on a few simple sauces you can whip up in minutes and store in your fridge anywhere from a few days to a month or so. I'll probably cheat and stick some in my freezer for a longer availability, even if I sacrifice some of the flavor and texture. Not only is everything I need quickly available, most recipes are very economical--I can feed my family spectacular flavor for very little money. The recipes are fast, as promised, with no involved preparations and there are even some for the slow cooker.

Nearly every recipe is a jumping off point for something else and substitutions are encouraged. For instance, 5 completely different recipes for a pot of beans, so one basic recipe done in a crock pot can inspire breakfast, and a number of simple suppers or lunches. The text is simple, interesting, anecdotal, and with the spectacular illustrations of both ingredients and finished dishes, almost as much fun to read as cook with. I tried one recipe last night immediately after downloading the ARC--"Grilled Salmon in Toasty Peanut Salsa" used the salmon I bought the day before for a completely different--and boring--recipe. I have a slow cooker filled with beans already this morning.

Since these recipes aren't loaded down with high calorie dairy and oil, they are perfectly suitable for folks wishing to keep their diets both healthy and lower calorie. There are plenty of vegetarian options, particularly since many of the high value flavor ingredients are plant materials.

I don't always enter cookbooks as read, but I pretty much devoured every word of this one, and the non recipe text is worth reading. I will purchase a copy for myself the minute it is released! I also ordered the first Everyday cookbook last night.

[Joyce]

Terrific! Made 4 dishes and all were winners:

- Roasted Garlic Mojo
- Roasted Garlic Chicken with Mushrooms, Potatoes and Spinach
- Spring Green Licuado
- Creamy Rice & Beans -- herby, green variation

Rick has been around for quite a few years now and so you would think he's touched all the bases. Well, he hit a home run with this book because of the approach he's taken. He essentially came up with meals that are full of flavor, but take about a half hour to prepare and they're healthy!

There's a emphasis on fresh vegetable dishes, but also offers variations on dishes with meat to include vegan options. The layout and pictures of the finished dishes give you a good idea of how the final product will turn out. This man is a cooking genius. If you were ever intimidated by Mexican cooking, this is the ideal book. It's clear, concise, upbeat and I just want to cook every dish and can't wait to do more.

[Crystal]

Cookbook
This was much improved over Mexico One Plate at a Time with more pictures of competed meals and also better than Fiesta at Rick's which had pictures of how to cut vegetables instead of the finished dish (why?).
There is a slow cooker section which I found useful and hope to adapt a few of these to my instapot.

[Online Eccentric Librarian]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

With the word "more" in the title, readers may assume this is a cook stretching the topic into crazier versions of recipes that somewhat resemble Mexican. But I found this to be excellent even without the taco and burrito variations you'd expect. So, although there is a Mexican Everyday predecessor, this is a worthy sequel and you won't miss anything by not having the first book as well.

The focus is on ease, with three distinct principles: 1) you don't need to make everything by reading a recipe and can learn to go by taste and impulse (recipes can be varied depending on what is in your kitchen); 2) you'll have knowledge of what to keep on hand to always have the ability to quickly and easily make great meals; and 3) you'll have knowledge of what kitchen instruments are needed so you can whip up those fast meals. Although some recipes do call for specific ingredients or tools that are rarer, the author always gives alternatives and what those alternatives mean for the recipe (e.g., if you use canned instead of fresh tomatoes or if you use a blender instead of mortar and pestle.

The dishes are surprising and interesting. Three basic sauce recipes are given in the beginning and then the book breaks down as follows: Part One: Simple Ways to Create Dynamic Flavor (How to win a top chef quick fire challenge, go-to-meals to know by heart); Part Two: Vegetables at the Heart of the Mexican Kitchen (cooking greens, traditional Mexican vegetables, new ideas, winter squash, summer squash, blossoms, and a relative, unexpected vegetables in the Mexican kitchen); Part Three: Daily Inspirations for Busy Cooks (Breakfast anytime, rice cooker simplicity, slow cooker satisfaction, the grill, stove, and oven, a dozen deserts: Mexican chocolate and farmer's market fruit).

As can be seen from the above sections, the selections are quite varied. There are a lot of recipes here, from open face red chile-chard omelet, to black bean rice with plantains and smoky pork, roasted sunchoke salad with creamy garlic mojo and herbs, tokuri soup with ancho and apple. All recipes are easy to read and follow.

The book has many photographs of the dishes and the introduction is quite thorough and useful. Several recipes have directions showing the actual items being made - e.g., 7-8 photographs of the process. If I have one nitpick, it's that the recipes are not one per page and tend to bleed over onto other pages (mostly due to the recipes all having variation options, though. It makes them a bit busy and confusing at times.

The voice is friendly and nearly 100 introductory pages in the beginning make the topic of cooking Mexican easy. As well, the emphasis on making the book easy and useful to the reader, rather than showing off the author's culinary skills, is very welcome. Note that many recipes do call for distinct Mexican ingredients - from rare chiles to variations of cacti. But again, the author nearly always gives variations with more commonly obtained (or prepared) ingredients. He also gives brands that he uses.

In all, lovely to look at and very easy to use. Diverse recipes with many variations and common sauce bases make this book very useful. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

[Andrea]

Rick Bayless is an amazingly good chef, but also writes some pretty fantastic cookbooks as well. I have and adore Mexican Everyday. I use it at least once a week and 2 or 3 of those recipes have become family favorites. I saw he had put out More Mexican Everyday and immediately picked it up at my local library.

There are a few things which make this a great cookbook.

1. Every recipe is explained in detail. He tells you why each ingredient is included, whether it's because of a certain flavor or texture it brings, to make it a complete dish.

2. He gives each recipe a couple different riffs at the end. They're just a couple changes which can be made to the recipe to make a completely different meal.

3. He has entire sections devoted to meals cooked in a rice cooker and meals cooked in a slow cooker.

I will be buying this book for myself.

[Nicola]

Pleasant to look through. Well laid out; colour photos; contents provided at the start of each section.

It reminded me of how much food can relate to local culture and seasonal food; it was interesting to look at the different types of chiles used and the assumptions on what kinds of fruit, vegetables, canned goods might be readily available. The one recipe that I will probably try this week is the Butternut muffins; this is partially because butternut is readily available and also it was nice to read a non-American recipe (as New Zealand doesn't sell canned pumpkin).

[Sarah]

Interesting, relatively simple and delicious recipes, but the format of this book is infuriating. Recipe ingredients and instructions interspersed into several pages, and then finally a “recap” of ingredients at the end. I really enjoyed the recipes and the options for improvisation, but the format was frustrating to follow.

[Liz S]

At first I thought this would be a three-star for me, as there's an entire chapter on squashes and zucchini, which I despise (sadly). But an hour actually reading through the book and hearing Rick's voice in every page, and I realized it was really pretty good. I might have to buy it.

[Dray]

Although Rick has some great recipes, I found this book poorly organized. I don't like having to refer back to earlier recipes and that is the style of this book. Rick does great justice to the complex regional cuisines of Mexico but this book seemed muddled. (or was it me?).

[Amelia]

This is the best cookbook I've ever used. So far, I've made six of the recipes and all have been amazing. I checked it out from the library and before returning, I purchased my own copy.

[Anita]

Love Rock's books!

[Lauren]

Some really good recipes.

[Mary D]

Interesting. Learned things. Made me hungry. Good preparation for going to Mexico and eating at authentic Mexican restaurants. Some recipes we will do at home.

[Jennifer]

Recipes structured in a way that doesn’t match how I cook.

[Deb (Bee)]

A little too bougie for the Mexican fare I wanted to cook. Looking for something more authentic but if you looking to gentrify Mexican fare, this is a good book.

[Linda]

Fantastic. Roasted Garlic Mojo and Red Chili Adobe are now a staple in my fridge. So good!

[Kitty]

This new Rick Bayless cookbook has me weekly trying out new recipes. If you don't know Rick, he is a 6 time James Beard Award winner and I got to know him from his TV show, "One Plate at a time". His recipes are easy to follow and use fresh, seasonal ingredients. Pictures walk you through making the recipes and he does a recap of what ingredients you need. He starts with 3 different sauces and several dishes to make with each. A big focus is on seasonal vegetables . The slow cooker and a rice cooker section has my attention. There is a red peanut mole with chicken that looks not only yummy, but simple....that will be for next week! The enchiladas were great. This book is a hit.

[Jenn]

More Mexican Everyday is the first one of Rick Bayless' cookbooks I've had the pleasure of reading. I borrowed it from my local library and was lucky enough to be able to keep it for two months. I made his Chipotle Meatballs and Butternut Pecan Muffins with Brown Sugar Crumble multiple times. Both recipes were absolutely phenomenal taste wise and easy to follow. All of the ingredients were easy to find at my grocery store in Arizona. This book is a wonderful introduction to cooking authentic Mexican food.

[Denise Levenick]

Attended a book signing and tasting event for Rick Bayless's new book and was inspired by the variety of recipes and focus on technique over rote recipes. I can't wait to make the chipotle meatballs we sampled. Spicy, deep flavored, just delicious.

[Trish]

Lovely cookbook that focuses on learning basics and then tweaking to fit your preferences. Most recipes have multiple suggested variations. Just the basic sauces in the first chapter are worth purchasing this book!

[Liz De Coster]

Despite being a Chicago guy, I've never been that into Bayless - but this cookbook has changed my mind. The recipes are crazy spaced out, so this would be a PITA to use in the kitchen, but the flavors look tempting and the ingredients accessible.

[James]

I suspect I need to look at his previous book, these look OK, but not quite everyday in some cases. Also no nutritional information given, which given the sugar and fat in some of these recipes, not diet friendly.

My Standard Cookbook Rant

[Carla]

Read more deliciously than applied. tried 2 recipes, neither turned out so hot.

[Debbie]

I can't wait to try all the recipes! The only thing that would make me like this cookbook better is more pictures.

[Kathleen]

Bayless focuses on Mexican vegetable dishes in this one. Everything I have made from the book is fantastic. Looking forward to trying more recipes.

[Paul T]

Brilliant execution, well chosen selection, inspirational lead-ins.
A rave!

[Roberto Chavez]

Decent recipes. I like how Bayless explains why dishes are cooked a certain way. I'm not sold on the rice cooker, but I'm willing to try.

[Meg]

I will definitely add this book to our shelves. I love the layout, the approachability, and the simplicity, and that most of the recipes do not rely on expensive ingredients.