Pati Jinich Treasures of the Mexican Table

May 1, 2021

As the title implies, James Beard Award-winning Bastianich's Lidia's a Pot, a Pan, and a Bowl will get you cooking Italian with just a few ingredients and a few utensils (skillet lasagna, anyone?). Baking with Dorie--the dream of every fan of five-time James Beard award winner Greenspan--offers more than 150 recipes that include twisty classics like a s'mores ice cream cake (60,000-copy first printing). Even if you're new to Mexican food (really?), you'll want to investigate Pati Jinich Treasures of the Mexican Table; Epicurious and Bon App�tit have named her one of the "100 Greatest Cooks of All-Time" (40,000-copy first printing). A three-Michelin-star chef with millions of social media and television fans and over 34 restaurants worldwide, Ramsay shows you how to do Dinner in 10--no more than ten minutes to prep and ten minutes to cook. During the pandemic, Ray broadcast her cooking show not from her New York City television studio but from her home kitchen in upstate New York; This Must Be the Place plays off her shelter-in-place experience with 125 homey recipes and personal essays on coping.

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September 6, 2021
Jinich, host of the PBS series Pati’s Mexican Table, showcases delicious recipes from across Mexico in this unexpectedly tepid-feeling recipe collection. Some hail from lesser-known locations: a soup with “belly button” dumplings comes from Jinetes de Machado, a town of fewer than 60 people, all related. A standout chapter on Mexico’s masa specialties includes Sonoran tacos bravos in a double layer of tortillas dipped in tomato sauce, quesadillas made with chile puree, and gorditas sweetened with evaporated milk. A sea of salsas includes peanut salsa and salsa borracha, or “drunken salsa,” a popular salsa in the central states that’s made with beer. The recipes cover a wide range of difficulty, from a humble corn soup from Mixteca Alta to a Oaxacan mole with 20 ingredients. Desserts include holiday breads and sandwich cookies shaped like flowers, while savory meat dishes—such as a mixed platter traditionally cooked on an old plowshare over a fire—are balanced by vegetables like green beans with pureed corn. Meanwhile, sidebars cover nuts and bolts like sourcing goat meat. Jinich’s instructions don’t miss a beat, but the tone is so cool and collected that it sometimes borders on distant. Thorough as this is, the curious absence of its author’s charming personality leaves this feeling a bit flat. Agent: David Black, David Black Literary.

October 1, 2021

Mexico City-born, Maryland-based chef Jinich (host of the James Beard Award-winning, Emmy-nominated PBS show Pati's Mexican Table) offers an extensive collection of regional Mexican regional recipes, with a focus on lesser-known flavors and techniques. Recipes include a variety of soups, salsas and sauces, rice and pasta dishes, entr�es using a variety of proteins, salads and vegetables, and desserts. Some of the recipes have lengthy ingredient lists, for which Jinich often suggests substitutions, as she does on her show. Note that while definitely intended for the home cook, these are not generally fast weeknight dishes. A single recipe often calls for several kinds of chilies, and a blender is a key piece of equipment. Extensive headnotes contextualize each recipe and create the sense that Jinich is conversing directly with readers. The gorgeous close-up photography is a bonus. VERDICT For home cooks looking for recipes that go beyond Tex- Mex, Jinich's cookbook offers delicious insights about the rich and varied culinary culture of Mexico. Longtime viewers of her PBS cooking show will be drawn in, as will new fans.--Susan Hurst, Miami Univ. Libs., Oxford, OH

Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.