Rancho Cooking: Mexican and Californian Recipes [Paperback]

Jacqueline Higuera McMahan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2001

Popular cookbook author McMahan has written the only book available on authentic California-Mexican food. A direct descendent of Spanish settlers, she takes cooks into the heart of the original California cuisine; a combination of Mexican and Spanish dishes that developed in the kitchens of California ranchos over the past two centuries. Rancho Cooking provides 125 mouthwatering recipes along with family stories and historical anecdotes about the culinary trail north.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

California cuisine--with its goat cheese, arugula, and free-range chickens--took the culinary world by storm in the 1980s and '90s, but as Jacqueline Higuera McMahan shows us, "Rancho cooking" may be the original California cuisine. Descended from early Spanish settlers--known as the Californios--McMahan comes from a culinary tradition that spans backward through the gold rush and the missions to Mexico and Spain. In Rancho Cooking she tells the tale of the Californios' cuisine, and of her own family, through stories and recipes handed down for generations.

"Chiles are in our blood, my grandmother told me," McMahan writes, "I pictured rivers of dark chile flowing in our veins." That river of chiles flows not only in the veins of the Higueras, but throughout the history of cooking in California. Beginning with the Spaniards who, by necessity, borrowed culinary traditions from everyone from the Moors to the Indians, and merging with Mexican food drawn from Aztec and other Indian culinary traditions, Rancho cooking evolved as it was carried north through the Spanish territories in California. The Spanish brought with them their favorite foods--tomatoes, squash, pumpkins, corn, and of course chiles, to name a few--and the settlers perfected the art of barbecuing, which was so well suited to their outdoor lifestyle.

What will strike readers first about this book is that the cooking represented is a far cry from the typical Mexican fare we're used to. This food has a sophistication far beyond smashed beans and rice. Olives, figs, fresh herbs, squash blossoms, and pumpkins appear with surprising regularity, and olive oil, not lard, is the fat of choice for cooking. Of course you'll also find many of the dishes that we think of as standard Mexican fare--enchiladas, tamales, quesadillas--but all have a distinctly Rancho touch. Enchiladas are filled with seafood and napped with a velvety tomato-chipotle sauce, quesadillas are stuffed with squash blossoms and epazote leaves, and tamale dough gets extra flavor from olive oil in addition to the usual lard.

As much a history book as a cookbook, Rancho Cooking belongs on the shelf of anyone who calls him- or herself a connoisseur of California cuisine. --Robin Donovan

From Library Journal

McMahan is a descendiente of one of California's original rancho families, Spaniards who came to California via Mexico in the late 18th century. In her latest book (some of the material is based on text from her California Rancho Cooking, but this is more a new book than a revised edition), she offers many stories about her grandmama and other members of her extended family, along with 150 recipes. Rancho food combined elements of both Spanish and Mexican cooking, using Latin American ingredients such as tomatoes, chiles, and corn and European ones like olives, figs, and olive oil. Sidebars and narratives "The Grandest Barbecue of All," "Maria Higuera's Wedding" are interspered throughout the recipes, and there are full-page color photographs of some of the delectable dishes. A unique look at a culture that no longer exists, this is recommended for most libraries.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 238 pages
• Publisher: Sasquatch Books (March 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570612420
• ISBN-13: 978-1570612428
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,139,020 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely Satisfying Authentic Mexican/Cali Recipes, May 25, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Rancho Cooking: Mexican and Californian Recipes (Paperback)

Probably best to tell you about the entire meal I made from the book - Carne Asada: the "dry" marinade rub added incredible flavor to BBQ tri-tip; Creamy Beans: made with small pink beans; Homemade Flour Tortillas: didn't think I had it in me, but they actually turned out extremely well; Sarsa: made with charred tomatoes and peppers. Thought the "r" was a typo but it's not; Deep Dish Blackberry Pie: oh. my. golly. Yum. Made for an amazing BBQ. It did take me a whole day, but was WELL worth it. Try also: La Beth's Cornbread - I've had the book a month and have made this 3 times. Devil's Food Cake - excellent.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely unique and fascinating read..., June 29, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Rancho Cooking: Mexican and Californian Recipes (Paperback)

A great blend of recipes, including fig empaniditas, sweet milk tortillas (carried on trips between ranchos and more pastry-like than regular flour tortillas), chilena pie, apricot pie (with an interesting twist on pie crust making), oyster loaf, and a fabulous-sounding cornbread recipe. I love the historical account of her family as I've never had the opportunity to read about California Rancho life. I also have her Mexican Breakfast book, which has some delicious recipes, as well, although the printing quality is much poorer.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Provides old-style recipes tweaked by the author, May 20, 2001

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rancho Cooking: Mexican and Californian Recipes (Paperback)

This collection of Mexican and Californian recipes provides old-style recipes tweaked by the author with dishes ranging from Squash Blossom Quesadillas and Braised Pot Roast With Beer to Bouillabaisse Chili and Roman Artichokes. A centerfold collection of color photos adds interest and finished dishes to a fine treatise on Mexican/California culinary blends.