Book Description
A Roadfood™ Cookbook
The colorful history of El Charro Cafe and the 150 recipes for vibrant, exciting Mexican food make this book as unique and entertaining as the 80-year-old restaurant itself. It is rumored that in the 1940s, founder Monica Flin would sit on the El Charro patio, sipping martinis from teacups and playing cards with John Wayne, who was in Tucson to film westerns. Today the restaurant is run by Carlotta Flores and her husband, Ray. The El Charro Cafe, America's oldest family-operated Mexican restaurant, is located in a house built in the 1890s by Monica's father (who was also Carlotta's great-grandfather). The restaurant's signature dish is Carne Seca Beef, a Tucson passion. The beef is cured high above the restaurant's patio where strips of thin-sliced tenderloin hang in an open metal cage.
Old favorites and creative new Mexican dishes that are enjoyable to cook and to serve fill the book.
The greatest restaurants in America are its wonderful independent regional restaurants. And there are no greater experts on America's regional restaurants than Michael and Jane Stern. "Coast to coast," said the New York Times, "they know where to find the freshest lobster rolls, the fluffiest pancakes, the crispiest catfish." Rutledge Hill Press is launching a new series of Roadfood™ Cookbooks, each with recipes, pictures, and the history of one of America's greatest regional restaurants.
Customer Reviews:
Why buy this derivative when the real thing is available?.......2005-03-10
Having been an early fan of Jane and Michael Stern, it is disappointing to see that they've simply "copied" (not quite the right word, but it suffices) another and better book, while leaving out the better parts. Face it, the full title of this book is "The Flores Family's El Charro Cafe Cookbook"..."with recipes by Carlotta Flores", and that book is available here at amazon.com. The Stern derivative simply reorganizes the order of the recipes in Sra. Flores' book and omits most of the "notitas" and cultural material.
Do yourself a favor and buy the original (ISBN: 1555611214), which we use regularly, taking advantage of the helpful "notitas" and learning something more about Tucson and Arizona border culture.
Here's the product description of the original:
El Charro Café is famous throughout the United States and the world for its vibrant, fresh Mexican food and fiesta-like atmosphere. In this beautifully illustrated color hardcover cookbook, owner and chef Carlotta Flores shares her recipes, her family history and her love of this flavorful cuisine.
Carlotta includes prized family recipes as well as those that make El Charro a Tucson delight and tradition. She tells stories of the four generations of her family who have worked at El Charro since its beginnings in 1922, making it the oldest family-run restaurant in the Southwest.
A glossary of Spanish terms and foods helps you learn your way around a Mexican menu. You'll learn the secrets to making authentic, traditional Sonoran Mexican dishes and also ways to make light, healthy and equally delicious newer ones. You'll absorb tortilla etiquette along with the recipes for El Charro's savory sauces and soups.
Photographs of the patio and restaurant are interspersed with "notitas" (little notes and tips) and Carlotta's stories. The heart of the book: Wonderful recipes, including all the classic dishes you expect from a Mexican restaurant as well as ones that may be new to you such as Puerco con Mangos (pork with mango sauce), Tacos de Camaron (shrimp tacos), Almendrado (almond meringue pudding), and Capirotada (Lenten bread pudding).
Vegetable dishes such as Rajitas de Nopalitas y Cebollitas (sautéed prickly pear with onions and green chile), Enchiladas de Hongos (mushroom enchiladas), Papas Molidas de Navidad (mashed potatoes with green chile and salsa) will open your eyes and tastebuds.
A book so representative of Tucson that is was chosen for the City of Tucson's Millennium Time Capsule.
Tucson Native.......2003-12-19
I am a Tucson Native far from home (living in Japan) and although I have not read the book, I can certainly say that El Charro's is great Mexican food! Whenever we go home it's a sure stop. I just finished ordering the book, can't wait til it arrives!
Looks good--they know their Mexican food!!.......2003-10-04
I have eaten at El Charro in Tucson, and the food is fantastic. I spent some time looking at this book and plan to buy it. I was concerned that the book wouldn't clearly indicate how the food got to be some darn good. In other words, the recipes wouldn't have anything out of the ordinary--the secret was in the kitchen staff's know-how. Thankfully, these recipes have some obvious differences from typical Mexican cookbook recipes. For example, El Charro uses tons of garlic--they blend it with water to make a puree that finds its way into most of their recipes. I'm certain this "garlic dosing" contributes to their greatness. Another item that caught my eye is the use of condensed milk in their refried beans--I've never seen that before. Having eaten them I can say it works! Last point: make sure you try the barbacoa recipe. El Charro's barbacoa enchiladas were so delicious I nearly fell off my chair in the dining room. They use pickling spice in the recipe--another gem. The food is great....and the book is different enough to warrant adding this to the shelf next to Rick Bayless and Diana Kennedy.
Fascinating, colorful, and (I'm sure) delicious.......2003-05-28
As American regional cuisines go, Southern and "Mexican" are my two favorites. And while I found the Sterns' "Blue Willow Inn Cookbook" somewhat disappointing (not their fault, I think), this trip to Tucson was much more satisfying. Not Tex-Mex or New Mexico-Mexican, the Sterns classify El Charro Café as "Tucson-Mexican," a fascinating and unique blend that makes this "Roadfood Cookbook" well worth the vicarious trip.
Part of the advantage here is that the charro culture celebrated at El Charro Café is much more foreign to most Americans than is the Southern comfort food of the Blue Willow Inn. A good percentage of the value of this book is in introducing that culture to the wider reading public (who knew there was so much history and significance behind the stereotypical black outfits generally associated with mariachi bands?). But there's a lot of value in the delicious-sounding recipes too. Far from the "fried and covered in cheese" nature of "Mexican food" as it's often presented to us, these menu items are varied, colorful, and generally pretty healthy.
So hit the road again, Stern fans. Grab a tostada grande and a glass of sangria, and let our favorite foodie writers take us on another culinary adventure.
Book Description
A well-known Mexican cook, Aida Gabilondo offers a wonderful array of dishes -- zesty red snapper baked in a sause of tomato, pimento, and jalapeno peppers, a mouth-watering version of the classic Mole Poblano (chicken in a spicy sauce subtly flavored with chocolate), a fast and easy tamale pie, festive stuffed green chiles with walnut sauce, and many, many more.
Elegantly designed and beautifully illustrated, this marvelous cookbook is a complete cooking course and more. Throughout, Aida Gabilondo relates the origins of a dish, and the local lore and custom, so that we learn not just about the food but also about the magnificent Mexican landscape, culture, and people. Here is the very best of Mexican cooking written with the needs of the American cook in mind.
"Excellent, step-by-step, well-illustrated instructions that will ease the entree of Mexican cuisine into American homes." -- Publishers Weekly
Customer Reviews:
Great Mexican recipes........2006-10-07
My husband is from Mexico and happy to have found this book with his favorite foods from home.
BUY TWO... Or Three..........2001-03-04
My best instincts told me my mother would love this book, so I purchased two copies of the first edition hardback in '86. Working from this wonderful mix of recipes and reminiscence, the flavorful bounty from this book has graced both our tables for more than a decade. My third copy was purchased the day after my aunt came to visit. Born and raised in Mexico, she wasn't expecting her niece in North Carolina to serve the best Chile Verde she'd ever tasted. Compliments led to confessions, and I brought out this cherished book. Once she'd read the first few pages I knew I would give it to her. Plan to share this book with your family.
"Salt, Pepper and Love".......2001-01-27
Don't pass up a chance to buy this cookbook if you really want to learn about what you are cooking and if you love Mexican cooking. This is every mothers cookbook to her son or daughter, chock full of great family recipes, short stories and love. Mrs. Gabilondo taught me all about chilis in 8 short pages full of illustrations-I have never had to refer to any other book for this information. Her book is my bible. It is now a worn, jacketless hardback I purchased in 1986. When the man of my dreams appeared I cooked him her recipes for Cheese and Potato Chowder and Minced Steak Burritos. We are now married and I have used this book to cook his family favorites as he is hispanic. The recipes have become part of my life. You have all the different sauce and salsa recipes in this book you will ever need and frankly it is the only book for mexican cooking you will ever need. If you think making tamales would be too hard the simple illustrations make it much easier-trust me. (My in-laws have even taught my two young daughters 3 and 5 to make tamales and they are better at it than I am!) The recipes for Chicken and Rice, Tamales, and Chicken Mole I have made for up to 50 people and more and Mrs. Gabilondos' recipes still hold. Also, all my husbands family and friend have raved over the results-and they know what they are talking about. My personal favorite was making the Roast Leg of Lamb with Garlic as there is a great story behind the great meal that I will leave to my children in the notes I will put in their copies of Mexican Family Cooking by Aida Gabilondo. They will not be leaving home without it. I have made more than half of the recipes in this book and most are every day family meals now. I love to just pick it up and read it for the recipes, stories and because of the love imbued in it by the author.
One of the best ethnic cookbooks I have used........1997-12-04
This book offers step-by-step instructions for making authentic Spanish dishes. Aida avoids unobtainable or proprietary ingredients in
the recipes. We have found the "Green rice" and the "Chicken and Spices" particularly good.
My only regret is this is the only book by Mrs. Gabilondo.
Book Description
Since 1979, Los Barrios restaurant in San Antonio, Texas—the heart of Tex-Mex cuisine—has been serving up casero, or home-style, cooking that has charmed food critics and earned an impressive following. Founded with a small investment and a lot of spirit, Los Barrios built its reputation on the authenticity of its cuisine. The Los Barrios Family Cookbook offers these reputation-making recipes—from simple but impressive traditional Mex-ican dishes, many of which have been handed down and perfected through the generations, to modern Tex-Mex favorites—to fans of Southwest cuisine across the country.
Included are recipes for Mexican essentials: Homemade Flour Tortillas, Tamales, and Pico de Gallo; Barrios family specialties, such as Mama Viola’s Chicken Rice Soup and Acapulco-Style Ceviche; and the classics—Chiles Rellenos, Chalu-pas, and Enchiladas Verdes. All the recipes contain easy-to-find ingredients, and special cooking tips will help you prepare dishes at home that will be as delicious as those served in the restaurant. The Los Barrios Family Cookbook is a comprehensive and indispensable resource for food that explodes with flavor. ¡Buen provecho!
Customer Reviews:
Los Barrios Family Cookbook.......2007-04-06
I like this cookbook very much. I look forward to use it in the future.
Yum Yum Give Me Some & Make it Tasty Healthy.......2007-04-04
I love this restuarant and it's always packed Monday thru Friday, I was living in Alexandria Virginia when the book came out being a San Antonian I had to get it little did I know it would change the traditional family way of making Texican (Texas Style Mexican Food). I now and will always cherish this book substitutes cabbage for tradition lettuce that is a very healthy twist and thats just one of many examples of the healthy twists in this book. If you are a vegan this book could really help you put some pazzaz in your food with some simple substitutions. One of my favorite dishes in the restuarant is Green Enchiladas made with tomatillos and that great recipe is in here just wish my cooking skills were up to the task. I would definetly give this as a gift. San Antonio is not all about the RiverWalk take some time out of the downtown area when visiting and do what the natives do eat at Los Barrios.
Excellent if its what you're looking for..........2006-07-03
I was looking for a cookbook that dealt in the basics (I had never prepared a poblano pepper for roasting before), but that also had some interesting dishes. I have never been to the restaurant so I didn't have anything to compare my results to ( not that I should anyway) and I wanted something that had a good feel to it.
Overall, I am impressed with the book for someone like myself, new to cooking actual meals, and have already created homemade corn tortillas, pico de gallo, eggs mexicana and the chicken breasts in creamy poblano sauce. My family seems pleased with the results (my tortillas were a bit thick), and I'm going to continue to use the book until I outgrow it (it may be a while).
If you are a more experienced cook, especially in Mexican or Tex-Mex dishes, then this may be a little simple for you, but if you are fairly new to the cuisine then please consider it.
Have you made nachos as a family meal but not your own pico de gallo? Then this is your book.
A Waste of Money.......2006-03-23
Robb Walsh's book is so much better! This does just seem to have been an attempt to capitalize on this family's moment in the limellight. Very dissapointing, unfortunately.
Some background info helps..........2006-01-19
There's a reason why this is a Tex-mex cookbook from San Antonio, and not "authentic mexican cuisine" from Guadalajara. Tex-mex combines some of the great meals you can get south of the border with American ingredients (such as American & velveeta). Let's face it, these products melt better. So I'd stay away from this cookbook if you're looking for Mexican food instead of Tex-mex.
Also, one should keep in mind that it's not the authors back in the kitchen, and that the food has to be prepared back there to feed the hundreds of people that go through the restaurants everyday. So this will be a factor when you go to fix this in your kitchen. If you want food from Los Barrios, I'd say to go to one of the restaurants. But if you want help creating your own, the cookbook is a great place to start!
Oh, and if you like the Chimichurri, ask anyone at either of the restaurants and they'll tell you it's a secret family recipe. (But if you really want a recipe for Chimichurri, search online. That's how my aunt got her recipe.)
Customer Reviews:
yummy!.......2006-10-02
if you're sick and tired of the tinned enchilada sauce, this cookbook has some wonderful recipes for enchilada sauce. i insist on making my own from now on as it's so easy and really fulfilling.
i also love tia elena's zesty tamale pie. simply comforting!
so i suggest this book. i'm glad i bought it...a wonderful yummy bargain.
Its a hit..........2006-09-10
I was taught Mexican cooking by a Mexican Mother-in-Law. This is the real Mexican food of New Mexico. Go for it if you want the good stuff.
GET THIS BOOK!.......2005-02-22
This is a great cookbook - easy to make and great tasting recipes! "Delisciouso"! Good eating!
For both Gringos and expert Mexican food cooks!
Thanks to seller for giving this one up!
disappointed.......2003-11-14
This book has very limited Mexican food. The recipes are poor, as are the directions. I suggest trying a different book.
It's the real thing, y'all........2000-11-26
I grew up on the Texas-Mexico border surrounded by terrific Mexican restaurants, both gourmet and hole in the wall. After I moved to the Northwest I went into Mexican food withdrawal, since nothing in my new area really deserves the name of Mexican food. I got so desperate I decided I would learn to make it myself. I went through a lot of cookbooks to find this--and it tastes like home. The acid test: my southwestern relatives came up for a visit and said these were the best enchiladas they'd ever tasted. At six bucks, what a bargain!
Amazon.com
Forget about the food you eat in what pass for Mexican restaurants in America; cleanse your palate, then come to this book. For Marilyn Tausend reveals the truth, the whole truth: within these pages are the foods eaten in Mexican American households throughout the United States. After years of traveling all over Mexico (she coauthored Mexico the Beautiful Cookbook), meeting the best Mexican cooks and cooking teachers, and years of leading cooking tours to Mexico to share all that she had discovered, Marilyn Tausend came home, back to the U.S.--back to her roots, which include a childhood spent shoulder-to-shoulder with Mexican fieldworkers on farmlands throughout the West, sharing their food.
Of the 13 million Americans who think of themselves as Mexican Americans, what, Tausend wondered, are they cooking at home today? And what she discovered as she crisscrossed the U.S. was that their roots run deep; these families stick together and trace their heritage back to the regions of Mexico from which they sprang, and the food tells the story. Mind you, a little Coca-Cola might get mixed in with a dish today, and canola oil might well be used instead of lard; after all, times change, and people change with them. But some elements, Tausend discovered, stay basically the same: a strong sense of family and a delight in bringing a big family together to eat. Crack open this book, use the recipes, and fill your house full of the love that comes from serving--and eating--real food. Let Marilyn Tausend show you how; you couldn't be in better hands.
Book Description
A collection of more than two hundred treasured family recipes and the stories behind them, Cocina de la Familia is a celebration of Mexican-American home cooking, culture, and family values.
For three years, Marilyn Tausend traveled across the United States and Mexico, talking to hundreds of Mexican and Mexican-American cooks. With the help of chef Miguel Ravago, Tausend tells the tale of these cooks, all of whom have adapted the family dishes and traditions they remember to accommodate a life considerably different from the lives of their parents and grandparents.
In these pages you will find the real food eaten every day by Mexican-American families, whether they live in cities such as Los Angeles, the border towns of Texas, the farming communities of the Pacific Northwest, or the isolated villages of New Mexico. An Oregonian from Morelos, Mexico, balances sweet, earthy chiles with tart tomatillos for a tangy green salsa that is a perfect topping for Chipotle Crab Enchiladas or Huevos Rancheros. A Chicago woman from Guanajuato pairs light, spicy Chicken and Garbanzo Soup with quesadillas for a simple supper. A Los Angeles cook serves a dish of Chicken with Spicy Prune Sauce, the fire of the chiles tamed by Coca-Cola, and in Illinois a woman adds chocolate to the classic Mexican rice pudding.
Now you can re-create the vibrant flavors and rustic textures of this remarkable cuisine in your own kitchen. Most of the recipes are quite simple, and the more complex dishes, like moles and tamales, can be made in stages. So take a savory expedition across borders and generations, and celebrate the spirit and flavor of the Mexican-American table with your own family.
Customer Reviews:
Comments re Cookbook "Cocina de la Familia".......2007-03-22
I'm sure the recipes are great - looking forward to trying them. However, I was disappointed this book was without photos. I love to see the finished product. Nevermind.
pretty good.......2006-08-26
i'm a pretty traditional cook, i dont like to used canned products and such, but this book is actually pretty good as far as mexican american food goes.
Mine was in Spanish!.......2003-12-12
I had no idea the cookbook was going to be in Spanish and that was rather a surprise! Maybe it said somewhere on the page, but I'll be darned if I could find it.
So, I haven't made any recipes yet, but it did cause me to decide to brush up on my long forgotten Spanish. Good way to learn, I guess!
Cocina de la Familia is a favorite of this Familia!.......2003-05-10
Marilyn Tausend tells the real story of what Mexicans eat at home and what a delicious story it is! There is none of that goopy cheese-laden pseudo-food that passes for "Mexican" in inferior emporiums. What you have here is the real enchilada. As a Southern Californian "of a certain age", who is only Mexican by taste buds, I can attest to the authenticity of these recipes. As a retired teaching chef, I can promise great-tasting dishes from Cocina de la Familia. Because recipes are only a guide, most - if not all - of these dishes take kindly to alterations, substitutions and tinkering. Caldillo de Papas is wonderful made as directed. It is equally good made with large chunks of beef, additions of tomatillos, carrots and zucchini, topped with cilantro and a swirl of salsa fresca. Chilaquiles are usually made with leftover corn tortillas, but when I substituted some sliced tamales, sauced it with the Salsa Verde (pg. 215)our breakfast guests broke into cheers! This is a book to own yourself and a book to give to those you love -- especially if you want to eat well when visiting them. Bravo Marilyn. Please write Volume Two soon.
Best Mexican Cookbook on the market!.......2003-05-08
I've tried them all, being that my significant other is from Mexico, I'm always looking for true, traditional Mexican recipes and this book is it! Truly the best I've seen!!! Excellent explainations of each dish, its origens, and how to serve it. I highly reccommend it!
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful Family History and Great Recipes.......2007-08-30
A friend at work brought this book in and our whole department wanted to read it. We decided we needed to all have the book so we purchased a copy for our selves. I love the beginning of the book with the story of the Ortega family and how everything came about. It would make a good movie. The recipes are easy and tasty. I can't wait to try the flan recipe. This book was well worth the money spent.
Book Description
A sweet bilingual story about a family tradition
Baking is always a treat, particularly when you throw family and fun into the mix. In this whimsical look at the making of empanadas, popular children's author Gonzales Bertrand serves up the festive fun of a family's effort to concoct the delicious pastries. In the tradition of popular rhymes like "The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly," the laughter and fun rise from page to page.
The Empanadas that Abuela Made/Las empanadas que Abuela hacía is filled with humorous cooks and family: Abuela, Abuelo, the cousins, aunts, uncles, and even the family dog join the parade of fluttering flour and swirling sugar. Alex Pardo de Lange fills the pages with offbeat illustrations of blankets of dough and dancing rolling pins.
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- Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking
- Every Year on Your Birthday
- Extreme Brewing: An Enthusiast's Guide to Brewing Craft Beer at Home
- Extreme Lo-Carb Meals On The Go: Fast And Fabulous Solutions To Get You Through The Day
- Fantastic Food with Splenda: 160 Great Recipes for Meals Low in Sugar, Carbohydrates, Fat, and Calories
- Fat Free, Flavor Full: Dr. Gabe Mirkin's Guide to Losing Weight & Living Longer
- French Farmhouse Cookbook
- Fruits and Vegetables/Frutas y vegetales (English and Spanish Foundation Series) (Book #10) (Bilingual)
- Fruits and Vegetables/Frutas y vegetales (English and Spanish Foundation Series) (Book #10) (Bilingual)
- Getting Started in Personal and Executive Coaching: How to Create a Thriving Coaching Practice (Getting Started in)
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
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- White Night
- Angry Blonde
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General
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
Carbone's Cookbook: Old-World Elegance and the Best Italian Food in the Northeast (Roadfood, 6)
Southern California Cooking from the Cottage : Casual Cuisine from Old La Jolla's Favorite Beachside Bungalow
Durgin-Park Cookbook: Classic Yankee Cooking in the Shadow of Faneuil Hall (Roadfood Cookbook)
The Harry Caray's Restaurant Cookbook: The Official Home Plate of the Chicago Cubs
Louie's Backyard Cookbook
