This week I am sharing with you a gorgeous new publication by Phaidon press thanks to the ace peeps at Small Talk PR.
When this arrived and I opened it, I literally gasped at it's beauty.
Mexico - the Cookbook by Margarita Carrillo Arronte is one of the loveliest books I have had the pleasure of looking through in along while.
I had the good fortune of my sister & her husband living in Mexico in San Cristobel de las casas (in the state of Chiapas) in the 90's to help open my eyes to the joys and freshness of authentic Mexican food. It is far more complex and varied than the food we seem to equate it with.
Mexican food is seeing a bit of a renaissance in Australia, ably helped along by some of the food trucks who are opening our eyes to Mexican food being more than stodgy Chilli Con Carne.
It reminds me of what happened with Thai and Indian (and now Vietnamese food) - as it's popularity surged so did the availability of more authentic recipes.
This book is divided into sections- street food & snacks, salads and starters, eggs, soups, fish & seafood, meat, vegetables, sauces, rice & beans, breads and pastries, drinks & desserts and the FAB section of Guest Chefs- including Andrew Logan from Melbourne's Mamasita .
I love cookbooks that really give you a deeper insight into the culture behind the cuisine & teach us more about the foods that we eat.
Did you know that the mexicans use Tortillas- their flatbread made of maize corn flour- in HUNDREDS of ways, not just to wrap tacos? And that it has been a staple in their cuisine since Ancient times.
And did you know there are around THREE HUNDRED varieties of Chillies- and not just the red & green ones that many of us are familiar with?
Some of the cultures that have influenced Mexican food are Spanish, Mediterranean & Jewish.
So interesting huh?! Reading cookbooks can teach you so much about our interesting and delicious world!
the best news is.........
I have a copy of this EXQUISITE publication to give away to on of you LUCKY readers, thanks to Small Talk PR.
All you have to do is leave a comment telling me why you would love this book to join your others in your cookbook shelf. Be creative with your answers!
Terms & Conditions are available to view HERE.
Buen Provecho!
{Congratulations to Reannon the winner of this competition. Happy cooking & bye bye nasty el paso packets!}
COMMENTS ARE CLOSED.
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| Images courtesy of SmallTalk PR |
I'd love the book please- there has to be more to Mexican food than 'Old El Paso' & Taco Bill!
ReplyDeleteSick and tired of shingles. Maybe the zing in the recipes will cheer me up. Xx
ReplyDeleteWhen I broke up with my ex (have you ever divorced a lawyer? Fun times ...), he took all the really good cookware - the food processor, the zester, the mortar and pestle.
ReplyDeleteHe even cleared out the cookbook shelf leaving me with one solitary cookbook*. And hey, "Family Circle Cooking: A Common Sense Guide" is GREAT, but I'd love some more inspiration please!
*It should be noted that whilst I was left with next to nothing in the material sense post divorce I KEPT THE DOG, THE DOG IS MINE PEOPLE!
Well, I'm a cookbook-a-holic but I'm banned from buying more, but if I win one, I can bend the rules and make some space. Mexican is my best and I'm always looking for ways to make it more authentic. I won't be able to get Mexico for the foreseeable future, so this will give me something to salivate over while I wait to get there!
ReplyDeleteI would rock this book so hard! My family is enjoying exploring Mexican flavours, so much so that I have incorporated Mexican night into our weekly meal plan (Thursdays in case you want to drop in). Add to that the fact that I've found a couple of great providores of all things Mexican, so that we can find those hard to source ingredients. I now keep dried black beans, chile mulato, masa harina and Mexican chocolate on hand for authentic cooking. My boys love making tortillas in the press.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance to win such an awesome prize, Ruth!
Do you know that yesterday I was reading Lunch Lady's post about her carrot cake & that I left her a comment asking if I could request a Lunch Lady versus? Well I did & do you know what I was going to ask her to do? I was going to ask Kate to show me how to make tacos & crispy chicken wraps from scratch so I can stop buying the Old El Paso packs because that's what I do! How shameful but they are easy & everyone in my house likes them so that's what I do. Maybe I need this cookbook to show me some tasty Mexican food to cook for my family so we can say goodbye to Old El Paso for good?!
ReplyDeleteOh boy! If I won this beautiful book I would make a really good Californian friend so happy, she’s really missing Mexican food from home. I’d probably use somthing out of it to add into the Christmas spread this year too, which for the first time will be held at my house (feeling like a proper grown up).
ReplyDeleteReading through these comments though, I really feel like Narny needs it the most, a dog is the greatest comfort but it won’t teach you how to use a tortilla press properly.
I loved San Cristobal de la Casas. Best food and coffee there. My heart breaks not to be back in Mexico.
ReplyDeleteElegirme a mi! Lo usaría todos los dias, te juro! I am absolutely heart-tied to all things latin, particularly food. My family would thank you for it. Gracías por la oportunidad :)
ReplyDeleteOh what a gorgeous book! My nana had the most amazing collection of recipe booKs filled with her handwritten alterations and additions- which she wanted passed on to her grandchildren. Sadly her husband gave them away to charity after she passed away, so I am building my own collection in her memory. This would make a wonderful addition to my bookshelf 😀
ReplyDeleteI like my cookbook collection to look like a travel itinerary - would love my next destination to be Mexico!
ReplyDeleteWe have themed dinners with friends every 2 months or so and everyone brings a dish. The husbands are supposed to cook and they all decide on their favorite dish of the evening. Our next dinner is Mexican. My husband could use a good Mexican cook book to help him out. And I would love the book too, I don't have a Mexican one yet.
ReplyDeleteIt would be great to own just the bright colours and the pics you have shown look appetizing without seeing it in real life.. plus its a great multicultural book by the looks which I can also use for me family daycare great chance to learn more about mexico .
ReplyDeleteWow, that book looks stunning! I would love a copy since Mexican food is the only thing all 4 of my daughters eat without complaint, but my range is limited and I have an inkling that there is more variety to be enjoyed than beans and rice with guacamole and caramelised corn.
ReplyDeleteI love Mexican cooking. I spent some time in Mexico years ago and fell in love with the freshness and diversity of the food. This book would bring back great memories.
ReplyDeleteOh wow, look at the colour of that book! So pink in my sea of boy colours, I need more pink in my life! Mexican is one of my favourite cuisines, this book would be the perfect excuse to have a Mexican fiesta (and then siesta) with all our family and friends.
ReplyDeleteWhat a gorgeous book! So, when I left home I could not cook to save myself - my mother proudly ran a defrost/ reheat/ open packaging kind of kitchen ...(& at times even left the plastic in our cheese slice sandwiches :)) I'm trying hard to not pass that tradition on to my three girls..So we grow and pick and they cook and i'm pretty sure I could get them to select a recipe from this PINK book! (& I could no doubt use the Drinks section while I clean up!) Would love to own it.
ReplyDeleteI would love this book as having travelled to Mexico, l would love to replicate the beautiful food we ate every day that is so far away from the tacos and burritos we think are an example of mexican food. I would also ensure my children know what real mexican food it and to experiment with the spices and chillis.
ReplyDeleteI would love this cook book! Mexican food is very well suited to my student lifestyle (poor) and it is the most fabulous shade of pink there ever was! I love that a lot of Mexican dishes don't require huge amounts of meat so it's more economical and more forgiving on the environment.
ReplyDeleteThis would be just the thing to brighten a beautiful, all things Mexican obsessed, senorita's day- my sister. She is pretty down in dumps have just needed a relationship of 9 years. Mexico & cooking are her two great passions (apart from me of course :) ) and I know she would absolutely treasure this beautiful book. Muchos gracias xx
ReplyDeleteYou know I got so close to going to Mexico for the first time when I was in Southern California recently but alas it didn't happen. Since going to the States I have become obsessed with all things Mexican! And I need a Mexican recipe book because as I type this I am hoeing into some Mexican bean salad in just made up but it's missing something! Almost hitting the flavour spot...almost....
ReplyDeleteMasterchef, My Kitchen Rules, Recipes to Riches...all these reality cooking shows leave me feeling inspired yet deflated as I come to the realisation that my travelling experience, imagination and skills leave my dishes well under par. I would love this Mexican recipe book to expand my worldly repertoire so that I gain confidence in the kitchen to become a reality star in my own home!
ReplyDeleteSouth America is the only continent I have not yet traveled too and I would love to find some inspiration to diversify my cooking!
ReplyDeleteI would love to win a copy. Close friends of ours are mad for Mexican. They honeymooned there, holiday there, one was an exchange student in Mexico and both make great authentic Mexican food. I would love to impress them with a dish and then gift them the book. Honestly though... I think Narny should get it!
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