Mexican Made Easy: Everyday Ingredients, Extraordinary Flavor: A Cookbook

by Marcela Valladolid

Overview

Why wait until Tuesday night to have tacos—and why would you ever use a processed kit—when you can make vibrant, fresh Mexican food every night of the week with Mexican Made Easy?
 
On her Food Network show, Mexican Made Easy, Marcela Valladolid shows how simple it is to create beautiful dishes bursting with bright Mexican flavors. Now, Marcela shares the fantastic recipes her fans have been clamoring for in a cookbook that ties into her popular show.
 
A single mom charged with getting dinner on the table nightly for her young son, Fausto, Marcela embraces dishes that are fun and fast—and made with fresh ingredients found in the average American supermarket. Pull together a fantastic weeknight dinner in a flash with recipes such as Baja-Style Braised Chicken Thighs, Mexican Meatloaf with Salsa Glaze, and Corn and Poblano Lasagna. Expand your salsa horizons with Fresh Tomatillo and Green Apple Salsa and Grilled Corn Pico de Gallo, which can transform a simply grilled chicken breast or fish fillet. For a weekend brunch, serve up Chipotle Chilaquiles or Cinnamon Pan Frances. Delicious drinks, such as Pineapple-Vanilla Agua Fresca and Cucumber Martinis, and decadent desserts, including Mexican Chocolate Bread Pudding and Bananas Tequila Foster, round out the inspired collection.
 
With 100 easy recipes and 80 sumptuous color photographs, Mexican Made Easy brings all of the energy and fresh flavors of Marcela’s show into your home.
 
 
Chipotle-Garbanzo Dip
makes 3/4 cup
 
1 (15.5-ounce) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons adobo sauce (from canned chipotle chiles) plus more for serving
2 teaspoons sesame seed paste (tahini)
1/3 cup olive oil, plus more for serving
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
Tortilla chips
 
Put the garbanzo beans, garlic, lemon juice, adobo sauce, and sesame paste in a food processor and puree until nearly smooth; the mixture will still be a little coarse.

With the machine running, add the olive oil and process until well incorporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer the dip to medium bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and a few drops of adobo sauce and top with the cilantro. Serve with tortilla chips.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780307888273
Publisher:	Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed
Publication date:	09/27/2011
Sold by:	Random House
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	889,551
File size:	27 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

MARCELA VALLADOLID is the host of Mexican Made Easy on Food Network. Raised in Tijuana, Mexico, she attended the Los Angeles Culinary Institute and then the Ritz Escoffier School in Paris before working as a recipe editor/tester at Bon Appétit magazine. Her first cookbook, Fresh Mexico, was published in 2009. She lives in San Diego with her son, Fausto. Her website is chefmarcela.com.

Recipe

coconut FLAN

serves 8 to 10

Nonstick cooking spray
1 cup cajeta or caramel sauce, warm
3 (14-ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk
1 (14-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
1 (14-ounce) can evaporated milk
6 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup shredded sweetened coconut, toasted

FLAN (WHICH, I HAVE TO CONFESS, IS SPANISH, NOT MEXICAN) is surprisingly easy to make. The trick is to cook it in a water bath to ensure gentle heat surrounds the custard so it won't break or curdle. There are various methods of infusing coconut flavor into a flan, but coconut milk is the easiest, giving you intense flavor and also a smooth texture. When I first made this recipe, I thought adding shredded coconut to custard would give even more flavor. It does, but it takes away from the velvety texture, so I opt to sprinkle some toasted coconut on the top instead.
1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a Bundt pan with cooking spray and drizzle the cajeta into the pan, turning to coat the bottom and sides.
2 Using an electric mixer, beat the condensed milk, coconut milk, evaporated milk, eggs, vanilla, and salt. Pour the mixture over the cajeta into the Bundt pan. Put the pan inside a roasting pan and fill the roasting pan with warm water to come halfway up the sides of the Bundt pan. Cover the Bundt pan with foil.
3 Bake until the center jiggles slightly when the pan is moved, about 1 hour 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 30 minutes, then transfer to the refrigerator and chill for 3 hours or overnight.
4 Turn the flan out onto a platter. Sprinkle with toasted coconut and serve.

Editorial Reviews

When it comes to authentic Mexican cuisine, Marcela Valladolid is the real deal. Her flavors will tantalize you. Her techniques will put you at ease.”
—Bobby Flay
 
“Cooking with Marcela was one of the greatest experiences in my life! Now everyone can cook with her, too. Her cookbook reads like a storybook filled with Mexican tales and of course Mexican food. I can’t think of any better way to cook for family and friends than from this book!”
—Eva Longoria

From the Publisher