Mexican Everyday [Hardcover]

`Mexican Everyday' by quadruple threat celebrity chef Rick Bayless is a must-buy for all dedicated foodies, lovers of Mexican food, fans of fast recipes, dieters (more on this later) and the cookbook collectors among us. Before I opened this book, I respected Bayless for being an accomplished home-grown American chef in Chicago, a leading expert and writer on authentic Mexican cooking, a respected TV chef educator on PBS in the tradition of St. Julia rather than on the commercial Food Network and, lastly, the author of a truly great `cook with kids' book, `Rick and Lanie's Excellent Kitchen Adventures'. About the only thing Rick has not accomplished is to beat Bobby Flay on `Iron Chef America', although he did loose by only one point.

Just as I did when I opened Jacques Pepin's `Fast Food My Way', I expected to find a `sell-out' book in one way or another. My worst fear was that this was just copied from recipes in his other books. At best, I feared it was simply a cash-in on Rachael Ray's popular '30 Minute Meal' formula. I am here to report that it is none of these, but a culinary and intellectual revelation surpassed by few other true cookbooks.

Bayless' success in this book is grounded in his total mastery of his subject. He knows things so well; there is no hint of any misstatement, certainly none that I can detect in the world of chemistry or technique. I will simply assume his pronouncements on authenticity are authoritative. This great facility with his material even overcomes Bayless' former clumsiness with writing. He seems to have found his voice or a better copy editor.

The introduction is a total surprise to the reader when Bayless launches into a discussion of his weight problem, and how he began dealing it with yoga, weight training, and portion control. None of these reflections make Bayless a weight watchers expert, but the things he personally learned on his journey to loosing excess weight is a great lesson and inspiration for anyone with a weight problem. But what does all this have to do with fast Mexican food.

The starting point is Bayless' statement that many classic Mexican dishes have a lot of `extras' loaded on top of its basics. This is the first time I have ever heard this statement and I must say that my knowledge of Italian and French cooking indicates that the same is NOT necessarily true of these European cuisines. I do suspect that it may be true of Thai cooking, but that's just a hypothesis at the moment. So, Bayless' first step at slimming down both himself and cooking times was to remove much of the traditional frills such as moles and red chile sauces. He then gives a masterfully concise list of things to pare down recipes and speed up prep times by citing which techniques can be speeded up or simplified with things such as the rice cooker, microwave oven, food processor, and blender. In spite of this, Bayless also states that in a pinch, you can do everything in this book with a really basic set of tools. The one oddity in his recommendations is the fact that he is virtually the only major chef I have read who endorses the use of a garlic press.

The `second' introduction is a rundown of pantry items for Mexican cooking. Aside from a few brand recommendations, I suspect his earlier books cover this material in far greater detail, but it is well done for the Mexican cooking newbie.

The Table of Contents is done in the very best way for a book of this size. Every recipe name and page number is given in the Contents in English. The Spanish name in smaller type is given on the page with each recipe. Almost as good is the fact that each chapter is intelligently divided into sub-subjects as follows:

Chapter 1: Salads and Other Easy to Make Sides

Dressings

Vegetable Salads

Beans and Rice

Chapter 2: Contemporary Main-Dish Salads

Chapter 3: Classic Main Dish Soups

Chapter 4: Quick Meals from the Grill: Seasonings, Salsas, and Skills

Rubs and Marinades

Classic Salsas

Grilling Springboards:Classic to Contemporary

Chapter 5: Soft Tacos, Enchiladas, Tostadas and Tortas

Chapter 6: Seafood, Poultry and Meat Main Dishes

Chapter 7: Desserts (five recipes)

Each recipe ends with some `riffs' which, like fellow Chicagoan Charlie Trotter, are jazz-influenced improvisations on the original recipe. Unlike Trotter premium cookbook prices, this fine volume retails for $29.50. It would be a good buy even at the typical $35.

One thing I especially respect about Bayless' book is the way he is so true to the sense of his title in that this book deals with things Mexican cooks actually do everyday when they are pressed for time, without bypassing the need for some basic cooking skills such as roasting peppers or harvesting the flesh from a fresh avocado. Part of this `everyday' doctrine is the statement that regular weekend and holiday feasting is as much a part of sensible weight control as is everyday portion control.

Thus, Bayless has essentially followed in Pepin's footsteps by giving us a collection of authentic but trimmed down recipes from a great world cuisine. And, all this is done with a recipe writing style that is better than most I have seen. The list of ingredients is done with lots of clarifying details regarding preparation, quality, and choices, such as in the selection of the best vinegar for a dish, when several may be good.

Note that rather than giving a list of sources at the back of the book, Internet sources are in the leading section on Mexican pantry items.

This is an excellent book. Possibly it's very best audience is those who want to start out in Mexican cooking but are intimidated by the work involved in many Mexican staples described by Senor Bayless and Senorita Diane Kennedy.

Having most of Bayless' cookbook offerings to date and used them extensively, this purchase was a non-brainer.

It lives up to the high expectations that this renowned chef has for Mexican cuisine, but here with the added nicety of for everyday, health conscience eating. He goes through his dietary advice at the beginning which includes portion control, yoga, etc. What is catchy as well is his leaning in this recipe collection for what can be prepared quickly and yet with robust taste and nutritional and easy-to-find ingredients, especially via Mexican staple supplier or via internet.

This Norton published volume has gorgeous full-color photos, with absolutely great pictures of various ingredients, techniques and finished dishes. Bayless also jazzes each recipe up with what he refers to as "riffs." This are wonderful options, e.g. Grilled Fish in Tangy Yucatecan Achiote he suggests one can substitute pork or chicken and vegetable substitutions as well for the green beans. There are some great sidebars as well, e.g. five page tips for quick grilling ten great foods.

This is a winner with the likes already enjoyed of: Lime-Cilantro Dressing, perfect with Jicama Salad with Watercress; Avocado-Mango Salad with Fresh or Blue Cheese, Bacon and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds; Seafood Salad Tacos with Tomato, Radish and Habanero; Seared Salmon (using Masa) with Spinach and Creamy Roasted Peppers; Skillet Fruit Crisp; Fresh Lime Ice with Berries.

This can easily become a "go-to" volume within your collection also when you want some really great Mexican meals with all the flavor and minimal effort/ingredients.

I am a huge fan of Rick Bayless, but with two children aged 3 and under in my house, it is difficult for me to find the time to make some of his more elaborate recipes. With "Mexican Everyday", however, Bayless has provided the solution for cooks like me. It is indeed possible to get authentic Mexican meals on the table in under an hour.

These meals are indeed fast to prepare and very tasty. The three I have made so far (Green Chile Chicken Soft Tacos, Guajillo-Spiced Pork and Potatoes, and Red Chile Chicken and Rice with Black Beans) have been hits. They do require some specialized ingredients but most of them were found in my local grocery store.

This cookbook is going to become one that I return to frequently and I highly recommend it.