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Truly Mexican
Santibaez shows how Mexican home cooking can be simple and simply delicious. He shares 128 recipes from main dishes, sides, salsas, guacamoles, moles, to adobos. Included are straightforward instructions on essential techniques like roasting chiles, making fresh tortillas, and filling enchiladas.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
October 10, 2012
Wow! Wow! Wow! This reviewer sees a lot of books, many very good books, but there are not so many that really do tend to push the upper boundaries of a five star (or YUM) and justify a sixth if that should only exist. This book is one of them.
From its relatively modest cover you could be mistaken. This book hides its light under the proverbial bushel. The title describes it perfectly. Truly Mexican. It is more than just a celebration of Mexican food. It is more than just a lot of Mexican recipes. It is the print-equivalent of total immersion. It is possible that you could even live in some parts of Mexico and still not get so much immersion and an understanding of all (cuisine) things Mexican! The only problem with this book is that once you've read it and tried out many recipes, you might have a problem visiting a Mexican-themed or styled restaurant again!
Starting with the basics, you get given a great non-patronising and surprisingly low-key introduction to what makes Mexican cuisine tick. The 'five commandments' explain how things 'work' and it is then on to the education. Top-quality colour photographs help set the scene and draw you into this book, starting with the ingredients. Who would think a pile of leaves could look so appetising? Information about key ingredients is given along with specific preparation hints and tips at the same time - something simple that many books tend to forget. They might tell you about herb X or vegetable Y but not necessarily think to tell you why it might be important to prepare or cook it in a certain way. It is small, thoughtful things like this that help set this book apart. A labour of love, perhaps, to repeat the oft-hackneyed phrase.
Even if you have not thought to specifically cook Mexican dishes, the quality of the general background information is such that it could still be worthy of a purchase consideration. This book has one of the most comprehensive overviews that this reviewer has seen. Eventually - and this is no criticism but a reflection about the sheer quantity of information you start to get to the recipes, starting with salsas. But the learning does not stop here and the recipes are accompanied by mini lectures of their own along with various hints and tips. Certainly this reviewer has learned a significant amount of new things about Mexican cuisine during the short time the book has been in front of him and now accepts that Mexican cuisine is a lot broader, more encompassing than the typical 'restaurant fare' that he has been exposed to to date.
Even the recipes just get it right! All of the little things that cook books tend to forget and what we complain about are here. Portion sizing, preparation time, cooking time, all this and more besides. It will be a pleasure to use this book, rather than it being a chore or just 'one of the things one does'. Something one can look forward to doing. That is, of course, if you can get out of your chair and do something practical instead of reading all of the great information within!
There's not a lot more to add. Great information. Great photography. Great design and layout. A great addition to your library. And the price is amazingly low for what you are getting too.
Truly Mexican: Essential Recipes and Techniques for Authentic Mexican Cooking, written by Roberto Santibanez and published by Wiley. ISBN 9780470499559, 264 pages. Typical price: GBP13. YYYYY.
// This review appeared in YUM.fi and is reproduced here in full with permission of YUM.fi. YUM.fi celebrates the worldwide diversity of food and drink, as presented through the humble book. Whether you call it a cookery book, cook book, recipe book or something else (in the language of your choice) YUM will provide you with news and reviews of the latest books on the marketplace. //
From its relatively modest cover you could be mistaken. This book hides its light under the proverbial bushel. The title describes it perfectly. Truly Mexican. It is more than just a celebration of Mexican food. It is more than just a lot of Mexican recipes. It is the print-equivalent of total immersion. It is possible that you could even live in some parts of Mexico and still not get so much immersion and an understanding of all (cuisine) things Mexican! The only problem with this book is that once you've read it and tried out many recipes, you might have a problem visiting a Mexican-themed or styled restaurant again!
Starting with the basics, you get given a great non-patronising and surprisingly low-key introduction to what makes Mexican cuisine tick. The 'five commandments' explain how things 'work' and it is then on to the education. Top-quality colour photographs help set the scene and draw you into this book, starting with the ingredients. Who would think a pile of leaves could look so appetising? Information about key ingredients is given along with specific preparation hints and tips at the same time - something simple that many books tend to forget. They might tell you about herb X or vegetable Y but not necessarily think to tell you why it might be important to prepare or cook it in a certain way. It is small, thoughtful things like this that help set this book apart. A labour of love, perhaps, to repeat the oft-hackneyed phrase.
Even if you have not thought to specifically cook Mexican dishes, the quality of the general background information is such that it could still be worthy of a purchase consideration. This book has one of the most comprehensive overviews that this reviewer has seen. Eventually - and this is no criticism but a reflection about the sheer quantity of information you start to get to the recipes, starting with salsas. But the learning does not stop here and the recipes are accompanied by mini lectures of their own along with various hints and tips. Certainly this reviewer has learned a significant amount of new things about Mexican cuisine during the short time the book has been in front of him and now accepts that Mexican cuisine is a lot broader, more encompassing than the typical 'restaurant fare' that he has been exposed to to date.
Even the recipes just get it right! All of the little things that cook books tend to forget and what we complain about are here. Portion sizing, preparation time, cooking time, all this and more besides. It will be a pleasure to use this book, rather than it being a chore or just 'one of the things one does'. Something one can look forward to doing. That is, of course, if you can get out of your chair and do something practical instead of reading all of the great information within!
There's not a lot more to add. Great information. Great photography. Great design and layout. A great addition to your library. And the price is amazingly low for what you are getting too.
Truly Mexican: Essential Recipes and Techniques for Authentic Mexican Cooking, written by Roberto Santibanez and published by Wiley. ISBN 9780470499559, 264 pages. Typical price: GBP13. YYYYY.
// This review appeared in YUM.fi and is reproduced here in full with permission of YUM.fi. YUM.fi celebrates the worldwide diversity of food and drink, as presented through the humble book. Whether you call it a cookery book, cook book, recipe book or something else (in the language of your choice) YUM will provide you with news and reviews of the latest books on the marketplace. //
January 2, 2016
This is a difficult book for people living in the UK. The ingredients are difficult to get (or near impossible in the case of the fresh chillies). By the same token, it is also incredibly difficult to eat good Mexican food over here. So if you take the trouble to find the ingredients and the time to make the sauces, then there is at least the satisfaction of eating food with layers of flavour that taste even better the next day.
This book is focused on sauces, most of which require a bit of time to make. However, these sauces can be frozen so making them in batches help. There is (at least) one recipe that had questionable proportions for (2 cups of liquid to 1 avocado to make a thick pouring sauce).
If you're looking for fast meals that you can slap together after a hard day's work, then this is probably not the cookbook for you. It looks intimidating and sat on my shelves for over a year (it was a gift) before I got around to getting the ingredients. But if you do make the effort, you'll be rewarded with flavours that are rather uncommon (over in Britain at least).
This book is focused on sauces, most of which require a bit of time to make. However, these sauces can be frozen so making them in batches help. There is (at least) one recipe that had questionable proportions for (2 cups of liquid to 1 avocado to make a thick pouring sauce).
If you're looking for fast meals that you can slap together after a hard day's work, then this is probably not the cookbook for you. It looks intimidating and sat on my shelves for over a year (it was a gift) before I got around to getting the ingredients. But if you do make the effort, you'll be rewarded with flavours that are rather uncommon (over in Britain at least).
May 24, 2019
Great authentic recipes. Will definitely attempt some of them.
July 31, 2019
The food we made from this book was quite tasty, however there were many details left out of the recipes. It was like they assumed we’d seen/eaten it all before, which was a false assumption.
July 2, 2011
Truly Mexican is a gorgeous, full color Mexican cookbook by chef Roberto Santibanez. The book is designed to be extremely user friendly with no dust jacket (I hate those on cookbooks!), easy to read, color coded charts for fresh and dried chiles, and lots of variations, tips, substitutions, and serving suggestions. It is really stunning too with lots of full page, full color photographs that have you drooling over the recipes. I cooked exclusively out of Truly Mexican for a recent party and it was a big hit. Here are the recipes I made:
Carnitas -
These were easy to make, didn't require any hard to find ingredients, and turned out really, really good. They were better than any carnitas I have had in a restaurant and I've tried a lot. This cookbook is worth buying for this recipe alone!!
Adobo Braised Lamb-
This was good, but not the best Mexican lamb recipe I've made. It wasn't as flavorful as I would have liked and the lamb was not quite tender enough. I think next time I would marinate the lamb, maybe even cube it, and cook it longer. Still, everyone at the party liked it and there was none leftover.
Beet Salsa with Habanero-
Really delicious with a great kick from the habanero. The sweet and spicy make a lovely combination and its very versatile as a salsa or a side dish.
Jalisco-Style Guajillo Salsa -
Very quick and easy and this made a nice, smooth salsa for the lamb and carnitas tacos. Lots of strong flavor, this is more of a sauce then a salsa you would eat in large quantities. Still it even made a nice addition for dipping chips to cut the sweetness of some of the other salsas.
Cucumber Salsa -
Amazing! Santibanez came up with this pico recipe for times when you want a fresh salsa and don't have good tomatoes. Its so good I may never make pico de gallo again. Fresh, crisp, spicy, and mildly fruity I will make this often.
Fresh Tomatillo Salsa -
Nicely tart and acidic with a lower heat level than some of his other salsas. This salsa was good for cutting some of the richness of the main dishes and for cooling off fiery mouths.
This is the best Mexican cookbook I've found to date. I will reach for it over and over whether I'm doing a simple weeknight meal or cooking for guests.
Carnitas -
These were easy to make, didn't require any hard to find ingredients, and turned out really, really good. They were better than any carnitas I have had in a restaurant and I've tried a lot. This cookbook is worth buying for this recipe alone!!
Adobo Braised Lamb-
This was good, but not the best Mexican lamb recipe I've made. It wasn't as flavorful as I would have liked and the lamb was not quite tender enough. I think next time I would marinate the lamb, maybe even cube it, and cook it longer. Still, everyone at the party liked it and there was none leftover.
Beet Salsa with Habanero-
Really delicious with a great kick from the habanero. The sweet and spicy make a lovely combination and its very versatile as a salsa or a side dish.
Jalisco-Style Guajillo Salsa -
Very quick and easy and this made a nice, smooth salsa for the lamb and carnitas tacos. Lots of strong flavor, this is more of a sauce then a salsa you would eat in large quantities. Still it even made a nice addition for dipping chips to cut the sweetness of some of the other salsas.
Cucumber Salsa -
Amazing! Santibanez came up with this pico recipe for times when you want a fresh salsa and don't have good tomatoes. Its so good I may never make pico de gallo again. Fresh, crisp, spicy, and mildly fruity I will make this often.
Fresh Tomatillo Salsa -
Nicely tart and acidic with a lower heat level than some of his other salsas. This salsa was good for cutting some of the richness of the main dishes and for cooling off fiery mouths.
This is the best Mexican cookbook I've found to date. I will reach for it over and over whether I'm doing a simple weeknight meal or cooking for guests.
July 21, 2013
I don't usually pay much attention to Mexican cookbooks because I grew up making a lot of my own stuff. The other things I could reliably get from restaurants. I moved away from my hometown, though, and haven't been able to find food like I want it to taste. This book showed me how to start making my own sauces and things like I would have found in restaurants. It's amazing how much easier a lot of it is to make than I thought it would be. Everything is good, and the recipes are dependable. I love this book. It's definitely in my top 5 favorite cookbooks!
June 24, 2013
Im buying this impulsive library check-out. This is an excellent reference "per chapter" on the sauces (i.e. moles, adobos, pipianes, etc...) that are crafted from either a few ingredients to vast ingredient lists to create the unique flavors in order to accompany just about anything you want to baste. If you are fascinated with true Mexican heritage cooking, this book is a wonderful kitchen reference.
April 17, 2014
If you want to spend all day cooking, then this cookbook is for you. I found there was really nothing in it for me, since following the recipes listed you would, again have to be cooking all day.
The cookbooks layout is spectacular and the pictures really do not do the completed dishes justice. My low review is based solely on the fact that I was not able to complete many of the recipes based on lack of time needed to complete each one.
The cookbooks layout is spectacular and the pictures really do not do the completed dishes justice. My low review is based solely on the fact that I was not able to complete many of the recipes based on lack of time needed to complete each one.
November 30, 2011
a book of salsas, adobos, guacs, and moles. enjoy very much the concentration on the saucy flavors of mexican food (truly the best part). gets a bit repetitive - substitute a chile, use tomatoes instead of tomatillos, etc. - but it makes a mole not seem so daunting despite the 25 ingredients, and that's fairly impressive.
May 25, 2012
This is an amazing foundational book that lovers of Mexican food should definitely read. Most of the books 250 pages are devoted to building block recipes like salsa, guacamoles, adobos, moles, and other sauces. There are so many creative variations that I can't wait to try.
June 19, 2012
Excellent and authentic recipes. Being a cookbook, of course I didn't read the whole thing, but made Mexican Red Rice and also Ranchera Sauce that I used in huevos rancheros and thought they were worth repeating.
March 10, 2020
This is an amazing book. They say life is in the sauce and if that is true this book contains the key. Simply a well researched collection of Mexican area sauces, adobos, salsas etc. A must read if you like Mexican food.
May 11, 2012
Beautiful pictures. Excellent descriptions. Lots and lots of really good recipes to choose from. This is the encyclopedia of authentic Mexican food.
May 13, 2012
LOVE THIS COOKBOOK! If you want to cook mexican, buy this and use it. Seriously good and authentic.
December 4, 2012
Best Mexican cookbook I've ever tried.
April 6, 2014
This book made me very, very hungry! However, the recipes are mostly sufficiently involved that I fear I will make them rarely. Especially since Roberto has a restaurant 3 miles away...
July 27, 2015
One of my favorite Mexican cookbooks that focuses on fresh ingredients to craft elegant dishes from the variety of cuisines of Mexico.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews