In Street Foods of Mexico, award-winning chef Hugo Ortega of Hugo’s Authentic Mexican Cuisine, journeys across Mexico enjoying the foods of his homeland. Mexican street food represents the best of traditional cooking. The scent of these familiar dishes draws hungry diners to experience the unique richness of flavors that emerges in traditional cooking techniques. From the tacos and masa-based treats of the central highlands to the cocteles and ceviches of the coast, each region has its specialties, and each dish conveys both deeply satisfying taste and a delicious feeling of place. In his warm way, Hugo shares the stories behind the dishes and provides recipes and instructions to make them accessible to cooks everywhere. The color and flavor of Mexican street life comes alive in this generous collection of recipes for tacos, tlayudas, cocteles, bebidas, dulces, and much more. Join Hugo on his culinary journey, and your kitchen will become a vibrant, savory haven as you serve up the legendary foods of Mexico.
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About the Author
Hugo Ortega was born in Mexico City. He graduated from Houston Community College’s Culinary Arts program in November 1992 and assumed the role of chef at Backstreet Cafe; he became executive chef in 1995. He has made two guest-chef appearances at the prestigious James Beard House in New York City. In 1999, he was named "Up-and-Coming Chef of the Year," by My Table magazine; and a top chef by Inside Houston magazine. He is a member of the national organization Chefs Collaborative 2000. Hugo’s was named Restaurant of the Year by both the Houston Press and My Table magazines. In 2011, Ortega was named Chef of the Year at the prestigious Houston Culinary Awards. Penny de los Santos is an award winning internationally published photographer. She began photographing as a way to understand her own diverse cultural background and identity. She is senior contributing photographer to Saveur magazine and a contributing photographer for National Geographic magazine. In addition to photographing cookbooks, she has been on assignment to Martha Stewart Living, Time magazine, Newsweek, Sports Illustrated, Mother Jones, Texas Monthly, and many other periodicals.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By Chilewheel
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Hugo Ortega's book is the type that makes one rethink doing everything on an electronic device. It needs to be held to be truly enjoyed. There is much to appreciate. The scope of the offerings is staggering, and all the more helpful because Ortega's love of his country's cuisine is evident on every page. He did his homework, seemingly traveling the length and breadth of Mexico to get at the soul of its street food offerings. Penny de Los Santos' photography is stunning, producing pictures that are worthy of being framed and hung. The overall effect is, to put it simply, sensuous. Everything I saw I wanted to make, and I have started working my way through it's recipes.
Not everything is new, especially for those who are familiar with the cusine and its preparation methods, but there are new treats and twists aplenty to keep Mexican food veterans interested; two immediately come to mind. First is "Guisado de cazuela de chicharron", literally pork skin stew. The chicharron, which I happened to have just purchased at a local tienda, is immersed in a beef and tomatillo broth, using the familiar onion, chile and garlic for aromatic punch. Spice additives included cumin, oregano and a bit of ground clove, which added an interesting note. The chicharron softens in the dish, and develops a texture I happen to love, akin to the tendon commonly found in Vietnamese Pho.
The second dish is "Tacos de transito de lujo." Just a taco, you say? Yep, but made with deboned pig's feet panfried in egg batter. Using deboned trotters is the "lujo" or luxury, in the dish's name. You can have them deboned by your butcher, or braise or boil them briefly with aromatics to soften them up, and then debone them yourself.... Read more ›
Not everything is new, especially for those who are familiar with the cusine and its preparation methods, but there are new treats and twists aplenty to keep Mexican food veterans interested; two immediately come to mind. First is "Guisado de cazuela de chicharron", literally pork skin stew. The chicharron, which I happened to have just purchased at a local tienda, is immersed in a beef and tomatillo broth, using the familiar onion, chile and garlic for aromatic punch. Spice additives included cumin, oregano and a bit of ground clove, which added an interesting note. The chicharron softens in the dish, and develops a texture I happen to love, akin to the tendon commonly found in Vietnamese Pho.
The second dish is "Tacos de transito de lujo." Just a taco, you say? Yep, but made with deboned pig's feet panfried in egg batter. Using deboned trotters is the "lujo" or luxury, in the dish's name. You can have them deboned by your butcher, or braise or boil them briefly with aromatics to soften them up, and then debone them yourself.... Read more ›
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By Rickey
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Love the book. You can see that there was some time put into making this a very comprehensive cookbook. There are detailed definitions of ingredients. As I went through it, I could see this was not like other Mexican cookbooks. There is a soul and presence of Mexico in every recipe and picture. You can tell that these recipes were not just made up to fill a page but have been passed down for many generations. I plan on cooking everything.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By J. Bailey
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Love his food at Hugo's so thought I would get this. Very authentic mexican food but just wish they could put some of the recipe list online here.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By TheBugMX
Format:Hardcover
I got this book because I have been in his Hugo's restaurant in Houston several times, and every time it's been a delight.
His book reflects that, mmm just by writing this review I'm getting hungry.
I fully recommend this book as a true Mexican Food and not just an American interpretation of it.
Tasty, Tasty, Tasty!
His book reflects that, mmm just by writing this review I'm getting hungry.
I fully recommend this book as a true Mexican Food and not just an American interpretation of it.
Tasty, Tasty, Tasty!
By John Soto
Format:Hardcover
One of my favorite Mexican cook books. Great true street food recipes. Just bought this book a 2nd time for my father for Christmas.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By CJL0826
Format:Hardcover
Bravo Hugo! Reading your book took me back thirty years, to the sights, sounds, smells and most of all outstanding flavors that abound in authentic Mexico street food. I just bought the book yesterday and have been cooking all day!!! Hugo, congratulations to you and your wife for a job well done. Your hard work has turned your dreams into reality and I celebrate your many successes and wish you and your family the very best. I plan to purchase several copies as gifts for all my friends that can truly appreciate the gift you have created.
3 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have not had a chance to use any of the recipes yet, so this review is purely on the aesthetics of the book. I notice a strong odor each time I open the book. Not sure if it is the paper or the ink or what!
The paper appears dull and course and some of the pictures are not that clear. I was mostly concerned by this because I was giving two of them as Christmas presents. I hope the recipes will make up for it....
The paper appears dull and course and some of the pictures are not that clear. I was mostly concerned by this because I was giving two of them as Christmas presents. I hope the recipes will make up for it....
6 of 21 people found the following review helpful
By D H
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
What a pity. A really great book. This is Mexican food from the heart and soul. I can not look at it for longer than a few minutes as the smell of the inks or the paper is horible. I put off purchase for a month or so hoping that the smell would disapate. It did not. What a disservice to Hugo. In years of collecting cookbooks I have never encountered a book that smelled this bad.
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