[.ca] Authentic Mexican: Regional Cooking from the Heart of Mexico (ISBN 0061373265)

The best Mexican cookbook I've used:
I've used a lot of Mexican cookbooks but none can compare to those that Rick Bayless writes. The recipes in this book can be rather lengthy and complicated but they are authentic and delicious!

It's sort of like Mexico, but its more like Mexican Cookbook:
I figure there's two ways to do it. And they cetainly ain't mutually exclusive. One of them is this book; the other is serious study of your favorite local greasy mexican joint. Now, concerning the latter, I GUARANTEE you that the cook will be MORE than happy to tell you what he puts in his carne asada marinade, how he makes his horchata, or just what type and amount of fat he adds to his refried beans. And yes, at some point, you're just going to have to sack up, march in there with a pad of paper and a pencil, tell him just how much his tasty fare roXors, and start taking dictation. But maybe you're a po' grad student and can't afford both the paper AND the pencil. Till then, buy this book! ... It's also the most to-the-point treatise that I have seen on the subject of down-home, no-nonsense, noneathis-california-cuisine-garbage mexican cooking. Now I haven't made everything in the book by a longshot, but of the recipes I've constucted, every one has been a winner. The salsa roja recipe is killer, I haven't found a taqueria/shack red sauce that compares with this one. The same goes for the chipotle sauce and the tomatillo guacamole. The adobo marinade is an order of magnitude more flavorful than any store bought version ive found -- smother some on pork loin strips and bbq outside over pure mesquite, and you'll have the whole damn neighborhood paying you secondary and tertiary "welcome to the community!" visits. Other recommendations that instantly come to mind are the Enchiladas Verdes, which combine chicken and tomatillo sauce into a wonderful dish that needs to be experienced, and the Horchata recipe, which I HIGHLY suggest you prepare in massive amounts (mixed with lots of carribean rum) if you ever plan to find yourself on a massive road trip with a busload of drunk college students.

Excellent cookbook:
This book is an excellent addition to your cook book collection if you like truly authentic Mexican food. The recipes are great, most of them easy to prepare, and so what (as one person complained) if they take a little time--good things are worth waiting for. If you're in a hurry go to Taco Bell. To my mind, what this book shares with all truly great cookbooks is the combination of great recipes with clear instructions and an immensely readable and informative amount of information, instead of just listing recipes. The layout is very user friendly as well. I like a little history, I like to learn things I didn't know about a culture and their cuisine, or about unfamiliar ingredients, etc. Along with Dianne Kennedy's Mexican cookbooks I'd say these are the best books out there on this subject.

The Quest for Best Mexican Cook Book:
The Bayless's have done outstanding service to one of the best cuisines in the world. The meticulous detail is very similar to Diana Kennedy's writings. In fact, if I may go so far to say, "foreigners"--like Rick and Deann, who have traveled to Mexico and exhaustively hunted down the best of Mexican cuisine have done native Mexican chefs and cooks a great service, too. At one time in the 70's, Rick Bayless was starting his quest and lifelong love affair with classic Mexican cooking to which Deann Groen has so amply assisted. And he attended IMLE cooking school in Leon, in the state of Guanajuato, in the "heart of Mexico". I have learned that the originators of this Mexican cooking school have started up a Mexican Cooking Vacation in the beautiful town of San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, where you can practice the recipes you see in "Authentic Mexican:Regional Cooking from the Heart of Mexico" -- mexicancookingvacation.com allows you to learn and prepare recipes like these in the heart of Mexico while having a great Mexican vacation. Buy this book. Buy this book now! You will wow your friends and family and entertain your own tummy with the best of the best featuring valuable insight and technique concerning the preparation of world-revered Mexican "platos".

Fabulous!:
This cookbook is a dream come true for lovers of true Mexican food. The recipes bring delicious results. Start with just the salsas, feed them to your friends, watch them furrow their eyebrows in surprise at your talent. Then you'll be inspired to move on to something more complicated.