Title: Nopalito
Author: Gonzalo Guzmán, Stacy Adimando
Publisher: Ten Speed Press
[Synopsis]
A collection of 100 recipes for anyone who wants to cook traditional Mexican
food in all its surprising freshness and variety, ranging from the simplest
dishes to more complex ones, and including both the classic and the
lesser-known regional gems of this cuisine.
Nopalito provides a snapshot of regional Mexican cuisine from the perspective
of Gonzalo Guzman, head chef at San Francisco’s popular restaurant of the same
name. With recipes for 100 traditional Mexican dishes (but through a California
lens) from Puebla, Mexico City, Michoacán, the Yucatán, and beyond–including
many recipes from the author’s hometown of Veracruz–this beautifully
photographed cookbook brings the warmth of Mexican cooking into the kitchens
of home cooks. The book includes fundamental techniques of Mexican cuisine,
insights into Mexican food and culture, and favorite recipes from Nopalito.
[My Review]
Nopalito is a great cookbook for any fan of Mexican food, especially those that want to add a truly authentic touch to their dishes.
The recipes are clearly described, but many of them felt to me quite complex, so they’re perhaps not ideal for real beginners to cooking – though they do have some simpler recipes too, particularly some delicious salsa recipes and instructions on how to make your own tortillas. These are easy to follow and yield great results. There are also some great snacks and ‘small plate’ recipes which look deliciously mouth-watering.
The authors clearly explain what specific ingredients you’ll need to get to make your dishes taste incredibly authentic, and why you should use them, as well as some of the equipment too, which is very useful if you’re not au fait with really authentic Mexican cooking.
This is obviously a rather specific cookbook, so won’t have the same broad appeal that other more general recipe books might have, but it’s beautifully presented with some amazing images that will make you want to jump right inside the book!
The photography makes this book ideal for the coffee table… when you’re not busy flicking through it deciding what to cook next, that is! From the photos the results look amazing and the dishes look delicious. A few recipes which I’ve tried have turned out really well, and I’m by no means amazing at cooking, so I’d say give this a go – you won’t regret it!