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Simply Mexican [Hardcover]

Lourdes Castro
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)

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Book Description

April 1, 2009
Authentic, No-Fuss Mexican meals

From Chile-Glazed Pork Chops to Dos Leches Flan, Lourdes Castro offers clean, vibrant flavors that are the essence of great Mexican food. In SIMPLY MEXICAN, she presents authentic recipes that don’t require a fortnight to prepare or extended shopping forays to find rare ingredients. Castro honed her knowledge of traditional south-of-the-border dishes by teaching the fundamentals to adults and children at her Miami cooking school, and now she’s introducing real Mexican fare that works for busy cooks every night of the week.

SIMPLY MEXICAN features easy-to-prepare, fun-to-eat favorites with big flavors, such as Chicken Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce and Crab Tostadas. Once you have mastered the basics, Castro will guide you through more advanced Mexican mainstays such as adobo and mole, and show you how to make the most effortless savory and sweet tamales around. With cooking notes that highlight useful equipment, new ingredients, shortcut techniques, and instructions for advance preparation, SIMPLY MEXICAN demystifies authentic Mexican meals so you can make them at home in a snap.

“With this book Lourdes Castro has added a spark of creativity and simplicity to Mexican food that up until now had not yet been realized. It gives me a huge sense of pride and honor to know that this book exists, as it will help a large audience re-create these gems in a simple and straightforward way.”
--Aarón Sánchez, chef/owner of Paladar and chef/partner of Centrico, author of La Comida del Barrio, and former cohost of Food Network’s Melting Pot


“Here, at last, are real Mexican recipes that are authentic, creative, and fun to prepare. Lourdes Castro creates an atmosphere that makes learning about enchiladas, tacos, and salsas exciting and interesting, and her precise methodology with Mexican cookery is refreshing and very entertaining. Highly recommended.”
--Jonathan Waxman, chef/owner of Barbuto and West County Grill and author of A Great American Cook


LOURDES CASTRO was born and raised in Miami, where she founded the Ars Magirica Cooking School and served as a personal chef and nutritionist for numerous high-profile clients. A former associate of the James Beard Foundation, she is a regular contributor to the New York Social Diary’s dining section and has taught in the food studies department at Johnson & Wales University. Castro currently teaches food science at New York University and is the director of the Culinary Academy at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Florida. She is also an active member of Les Dames d’Escoffier. She lives in New York City.

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

For the home cook unfamiliar with annatto seeds, crema and tamal, this slim yet worthy collection of Mexican dishes by Castro (founder of the Ars Magirica Cooking School in Miami) is the ideal starter. Accessible recipes ranging from soups and salads, chicken and meat dishes, to desserts are presented with straightforward and easy-to-follow instructions. Recipes, including such classics as tortilla soup, enchiladas and mole chicken, are broken down into sections and accompanied by concise cooking notes covering technique, ingredient information and advance preparation tips. Instructions for techniques like wrapping chicken in banana leaves, assembling tamales and making homemade chorizo are accompanied by captioned step-by-step photographs to guide readers. One wont discover any outrageous or cutting-edge dishes, yet Castro fulfills her mission to educate and explain the basics of Mexican cooking in a simple, satisfying way. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

“Castro fulfills her mission to educate and explain the basics of Mexican cooking in a simple, satisfying way.”
—Publishers Weekly

“With this book Lourdes Castro has added a spark of creativity and simplicity to Mexican food that up until now had not yet been realized. It gives me a huge sense of pride and honor to know that this book exists, as it will help a large audience re-create these gems in a simple and straightforward way.”
—Aarón Sánchez, chef/owner of Paladar and chef/partner of Centrico, author of La Comida del Barrio, and former cohost of Food Network’s Melting Pot

“Here, at last, are real Mexican recipes that are authentic, creative, and fun to prepare. Lourdes Castro creates an atmosphere that makes learning about enchiladas, tacos, and salsas exciting and interesting, and her precise methodology with Mexican cookery is refreshing and very entertaining. Highly recommended.”
—Jonathan Waxman, chef/owner of Barbuto and West County Grill and author of A Great American Cook


Product Details

  • Hardcover: 128 pages
  • Publisher: Ten Speed Press; 1 edition (April 1, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1580089526
  • ISBN-13: 978-1580089524
  • Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 0.8 x 10.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #358,110 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lourdes is the author of two cookbooks Simply Mexican (2009) and Eat, Drink, Think in Spanish (2009). She earned the distinction of having her first cookbook, Simply Mexican, selected by Food & Wine magazine as one of the 25 best cookbooks of 2009. Lourdes is currently working on her third cookbook due out Spring 2011, which will focus on Latin grilling.

As a cookbook author and teacher, Lourdes divides her time between Miami and New York City. She serves as a part-time instructor at New York University's Food Studies department where she teaches courses in food science. Lourdes is also the director of the Biltmore Culinary Academy, a recreational cooking school located within the historic Biltmore hotel in Coral Gables, Florida.

Customer Reviews

I love Mexican food as do my friends. Barbara Perchaluk  |  10 reviewers made a similar statement
The recipes are very easy to follow with beautiful pictures to compliment the dishes. Georgina Renaud  |  7 reviewers made a similar statement
Every recipe that I have tried has been very good. Danelo Gonzalez  |  7 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars An ideal cookbook August 3, 2009
Format:Hardcover
Trying a new cookbook is always a bit risky. More times than I can count, recipes that looked good on paper turned out to be disasters for me. Indeed, in my long history of trying new recipes for my family, I have about a 50% success rate. In this book, I tried the Shrimp & Lime Salad, the Chili-Smothered Shrimp Skewers, the chicken tostadas, mushroom quesadillas, the fish tacos and the flan. Everything turned out delicious except for the flan, but I may have over baked that. My kids were actually fighting over the last bit of fish from the fish tacos. Novice cooks will appreciate the clear directions and experienced cooks will like the way the recipes are structured for the most efficient use of time. I also appreciated that some of the grill recipes offered an alternative way of preparing the dishes for people who don't have a grill. Other cookbook authors might want to follow Lourdes Castro's example and realize that not everyone lives in suburbia and owns a grill, or even wants one. There are still several recipes I want to try in this book and I would recommend it to anyone who was interested in either Mexican food or preparing simple dishes.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Recipes!!! July 8, 2009
By Momar
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I bought this book after hearing the author on NPR. Great book, we have tried about 7 of the recipes and they all have been great. We used to get store-made rotisserie chicken, but the recipes here teach you to make your own and what you make is a lot easier and cheaper. The Chili, Chorizo and Cheese is excellent, so is the Chicken Enchiladas with Tomatillo sauce. If you want to get some easy recipes for Mexican Food, this is it!!!
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Yummy April 20, 2009
Format:Hardcover
I purchased my book last week and I am so happy I did. I have made three dishes so far. The roasted corn soup, mexican chorizo and stacked chicken tostadas. I used the Achiote Marinade for a steamed fish recipe. The taste of it was so good. It was yummy I couldnt even believe it. It did not take a long time to prepare. Ms. Castro gives instructions on preparation and shortcuts. There are pictures of the dishes and also cooking notes. She also includes a glossary for information on the different ingredients used in the book. Some ingredients maybe hard to find depending on your location. For the most part the recipes are easy to follow. Its very simple cooking for anyone who would like to learn Mexican cooking. Its basic cooking but not too over the top.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars Simply yucky
I started with the black beans. I have been happily making them without a recipe for years and was eager to "do it right" by following her recipe. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Michele M
5.0 out of 5 stars Easy, Authentic Recipes.
I purchased this cookbook after checking it out from my local Library. I like how each recipe has a picture and how the recipe instructions and ingredients are laid out I have... Read more
Published 5 months ago by C. Carter
5.0 out of 5 stars Very easy and fun to cook
I love, love this cookbook. I like to cook from scratch and have learned how to do so on my own. Her tips are a huge help in making the meal a success. Read more
Published 12 months ago by AP
5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Mexican
Simple, easy to follow recipes that taste fantastic. I would love to attend her cooking school. You won't be disappointed. Absolutely delicious...
Published 22 months ago by NorCal Gringo
2.0 out of 5 stars Not That Great
I lived in Mexico for many years and learned traditional cooking in my in-law's kitchen. I was curious about this book with so many positive reviews. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Honestly Critical
5.0 out of 5 stars Mmmmm...
Fabulous cookbook- one of my favorites!

Castro's recipes are fun and easy to make for the intermediate cook (I don't know that it would be great for a complete beginner,... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Erin Gentry
5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Mexican
I absolutely love this cookbook. I just got it, and I've already made several recipes in it. The recipes are extremely easy, and have huge flavor.
Published 23 months ago by tracyl3
2.0 out of 5 stars Not Simply
Recipes are a bit complicated. Not Simply Mexican, more like too complicated, too many ingredients and super over complication of simple recipes. Not much variety in the dishes. Read more
Published 24 months ago by Kyle McHan
5.0 out of 5 stars Some good recipes
Her simple "salsa verde" turned out so good, better than any other I've tried, great for dipping w/chips and using as a condiment on other meats. Read more
Published on December 19, 2010 by Joanne
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect instructions and Excellent dishes
I was looking for a good cookbook to make restaurant-style Mexican food at home. I've tried 5 recipes so far and loved every one of them. Read more
Published on December 16, 2010 by S. Davis
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how many recipes? Be the first to reply
Is this a pretty basic book?
Yes - the book is a collection of popular/iconic Mexican dishes. The recipes were written for those not familiar with the techniques and ingredients that define Mexican cuisine. Having said that, the recipes are still satisfying for those with an understanding of Mexican flavors as well as... Read more
Aug 25, 2009 by Lourdes Castro |  See all 2 posts
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