( 9 reviews )
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Posted: Jan 9 2009
My family has expressed their great appreciation for the dishes I have made from this book. Great taste and easy preparation for every dish.
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Posted: Jan 3 2009
I am an avid cook, try every cuisine I can to learn from and enjoy. I have every dried chili pepper known to man and therefore have my share of Mexican/Spanish cookbooks. Bayless is a staple in my library. Ironically, it is because I have so MANY books it took me a while to re-discover this one sitting on the shelf and spend time with it and really use it. Once inside the covers of this book, I felt I had uncovered a rare gem. The first main chapter is the basis of the book...the 'mother' salsas. These are not meant for dips and chips, they're for cooking meals, braising, and for side dishes (veggies/potatoes, etc). He makes it simpler still by referencing what meals and sides to use each new salsa with--the recipes contained in the following chapters--giving page numbers so you can find it in an instant. Bingo. So you make the salsa, go to the page of any one or more of the recipes recommended for it, cook it--hence, SALSAS THAT COOK! I've tried all the salsas and have my faves now! One of the reasons this book also works so well is the simplicity of it; it has enough recipes w/o making you feel overwhelmed. You start to think of using the salsas with other foods you make...after you taste them you kind of know what might work with it too. For all these reasons, Bayless makes this book user friendly for a beginning cook or even a more experienced one such as I am...don't we all need and appreciate something made less complicated at times! I make enough of the salsas to freeze and pull out for another quick meal, making the initial effort worthwhile. Depending on which salsa you make, you will need basic pantry items as well as tomatillos, white onions, tomatoes, any vast array of dried chili peppers you can get your hands on (they'll all work), etc., to get started with this book. Once you do, it's a good place to start or to explore further the world of salsas for cooking.
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Posted: Nov 1 2008
I am somewhat disappointed with this book,but I will keep the six salsa recipes, and will try the recipes which are similar to dishes I have enjoyed in Mexico, but where is that ONE BOOK; the one that includes all the salsas: fresh, cooked, roasted, mild, hot, red green, yellow, black? This is NOT that book, but it IS a thoughtful book; one worth reading.I don't have room in my cookbook library for a book that covers so little ground, so I will take what I like from it and pass it on.
