Cooking from "Salsas that Cook" by Rick Bayless

[Chris Hennes]

I think I feel another Mexican cooking spell coming on here... I got this book for Christmas, and haven't made anything from it yet. Do you guys have any favorites?

[Darienne]

Don't have the book but am looking forward to another tour de force from Chef Hennes.

[LizD518]

The roasted tomatillo and jalapeño salsa is a standard for me. I also like the one with guajillo peppers and tomatoes. I've made several of the recipes for dishes in the book as well. Don't have it in front of me, but one I do remember is the shrimp with red rice (something like that), which was really good. Its a great little book.

[gfweb]

I find his TV persona a bit creepy. Is it just me?

[Katie Meadow]

Not just you.

[Dianne]

He is just the same in person and not creepy at all.

I think the recipe that I use for pork and white beans in tomatillo sauce is from this book. It is a real winner in my opinion

Dianne Ross..

[paulpegg]

I like the Chilaquiles with spinach, zucchini and cheese. This is sort of a Mexican lasagna with a nice tang. I agree the Pork Loin with White Beans and Bacon is another good one.

[gfweb]

He is just the same in person and not creepy at all.

I think the recipe that I use for pork and white beans in tomatillo sauce is from this book. It is a real winner in my opinion

Dianne Ross..

Good to hear. I want to like the guy

Thanks.

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

[Chris Hennes]

Robust Beef Brisket with Red Chile and Winter Vegetables (p. 92)

Salsa: Mellow Red Chile Salsa with Sweet Garlic and Roasted Tomatoes (p. 30)

For those who don't have the book: its basic premise is that it starts out with about forty pages of salsa recipes, and then the remainder of the book is various dishes that use those salsas, in much the same way a classic French cookbook might start with recipes for various sauces and then list main courses that use them. So in this case, we have a red chile and tomato salsa that gets spread over a brisket and some vegetables and bakes for a couple hours. The dish could hardly be simpler: about a half hour of prep, a little bit of attended cooking during that time, and then two hours of baking. The salsa is not hot (at least not with the chiles I used: the recipe calls for New Mexico, which can vary somewhat in heat. The salsa works very well with the brisket: you can still taste the beef under the sauce, but it has several layers of complexity from the chiles and tomatoes. The vegetables were sort of "meh" in my opinion: I think you'd be better off roasting the potatoes separately, or making mashed potatoes and dousing them in the salsa when serving, and the carrots and onion didn't really do anything for me, I'd have preferred parsnips and maybe some celery. But a minor nitpick based on personal preference, of course.

[Chris Hennes]

Chilaquiles with Spinach, Zucchini, and Aged Cheese (p. 76)

Salsa: Roasty Red Guajillo Salsa (p. 33)

I maybe took Bayless a little too literally when he suggested that the tortillas used for this be "thick"--it turns out that normal homemade tortilla thickness would have been just fine. So my tortillas never quite properly softened in the time allotted, and I didn't check before serving. Seems like a mistake off of Top Chef (Tom: "Did you actually taste your food before serving it?"). However, textural issues notwithstanding, this was a very good rendition of Chilaquiles: I particularly liked the quantity of fresh spinach, and the guajillo salsa was excellent here.

(I served this with a fried egg on top, which the recipe does not call for, but was good anyway... on top of that is queso añejo, which the recipe does call for)

[Darienne]

Chris, you are an inspiration to us all!!!

I think I really must get this book.

Edited March 3, 2011 by Darienne (log)

[Chris Hennes]

Spicy Jalapeño Beef Tips (p. 97)

Salsa: Roasted Jalapeño Tomato Salsa (p. 23)

I did not quite follow the recipe on this one: Bayless calls for a tender steak like ribeye and a short cooking time with the salsa: I modified the recipe to accommodate the awesome chuck roast I had. I cubed the roast and seared it off, then added the tomatoes and worcestershire sauce the recipe calls for to the pot and braised it for an hour. At the last minute I made the salsa and added it to the pot to finish the dish. It was fantastic. I'm sure it would be great as written, but as a braise it was really sublime. The deep earthy notes of the braised beef highlighted by the tangy, vinegary spiciness of the salsa and pickled jalapeños, and that weird indescribable taste of fresh epazote were a fantastic match. I highly recommend giving this a shot.

[Chris Hennes]

Red Chile Pasta (p. 71)

Salsa: Mellow Red Chile Salsa (p. 30)

Looks, Italian, tastes Mexican. That's not parmesan on top, either: it's queso añejo. This was a pretty successful dish: I think I'd like just a bit more chile in the salsa, but overall it's very good. The recipe pretty much says you can do this with any of the salsas in the book, so I think it might be fun to try with a salsa verde.

[Pierogi]

Red Chile Pasta (p. 71)

Salsa: Mellow Red Chile Salsa (p. 30)

Looks, Italian, tastes Mexican. That's not parmesan on top, either: it's queso añejo. This was a pretty successful dish: I think I'd like just a bit more chile in the salsa, but overall it's very good. The recipe pretty much says you can do this with any of the salsas in the book, so I think it might be fun to try with a salsa verde.

Chris, what were the greens on the side? They look interesting, and I am currently being inundated by hearty, winter greens from my CSA. I'm pretty much out of new things to do with them....TIA

[Jenni]

Chris, may I just say that I am always impressed with your lovely photos and the way that you make the effort to cook through a book AND share your thoughts online.

[Chris Hennes]

The greens are just spinach sautéed with onion and jalapeño and finished with crema. I am sure you could do the same thing with any flavorful greens you come across, I'm just a sucker for spinach.

[Chris Hennes]

Tomatillo-baked Chicken Breasts (p. 85)

Salsa: Roasted Tomatillo Salsa (p. 28)

That was certainly easy: add cream to salsa verde, pour over chicken, bake until done. I used crema rather than cream since that's what I had on hand: it worked well. The dish isn't much to look at, but it tasted great. I love salsa verde.

[Darienne]

The dish isn't much to look at, but it tasted great. I love salsa verde.

The salsa verde which you love...is it from Bayless' book? Or is it an old favorite of yours? Your own version of a recipe? Someone else's recipe?

[Shelby]

Red Chile Pasta (p. 71)

Salsa: Mellow Red Chile Salsa (p. 30)

Looks, Italian, tastes Mexican. That's not parmesan on top, either: it's queso añejo. This was a pretty successful dish: I think I'd like just a bit more chile in the salsa, but overall it's very good. The recipe pretty much says you can do this with any of the salsas in the book, so I think it might be fun to try with a salsa verde.

This looks really good. I'm a pasta nut. I love eating pasta with my chili but I've never thought about different salsas.

[Chris Hennes]

The salsa verde which you love...is it from Bayless' book? Or is it an old favorite of yours? Your own version of a recipe? Someone else's recipe?

I guess it's from Bayless's book, though I admit I have made it so many times I don't look it up anymore, so I'm sure I am not hitting the exact quantities he calls for anymore.

[Chris Hennes]

Layered Tortilla "Lasagna" with greens and cheese (p. 80)

Salsa: Chipotle-Cascabel Salsa (p. 36)

I have to admit I found this dish to be a little disappointing, though I really can't pinpoint why. I mean, it sounds awesome on paper. But it just didn't come together for me. It felt a bit disjointed, like if you took all your favorite ingredients and put them into a single dish and hoped for the best. Which is not to say it was bad, per se: it was just sort of... uninteresting. Oh well, you win some, you lose some.

[kalypso]

Chris, I am really glad to see you working with this book, I think it's a really good one for novice cooks to Mexican cuisine. (I know you're not a novice at cooking Mexican, I just think it's a good book for novices).

The part with the 8 essential salsas is particularly valuable because it gives viable chile substitutes and 3 different yields for each salsa. I, personally, think this provides a great deal of latitude and flexibility in learning how to work with chiles and experiencing the various flavor profiles each one brings to the table. Several years ago we started with the Mellow Red Chile salsa you've been using and standardized it to yield 50 gallons. We literally had people bringing us quart containers and asking to buy it . Your observation that it isn't very hot is correct. That was the biggest issue we had when we started making the salsa in large volume. We eventually solved that by adding some dried chile de arbol along with the guajillos. The other thing to remember with some of these salsas is to add enough salt. The flavors will really bloom when the chiles get enough salt.

It's been a while since I've cooked from this book, but I remember making the roasted chicken recipe on the cover and that it was good. This cookbook also includes his Mexican chocolate struesel cake, which is good too.

[AAQuesada]

Tomatillo-baked Chicken Breasts (p. 85)

Salsa: Roasted Tomatillo Salsa (p. 28)

That was certainly easy: add cream to salsa verde, pour over chicken, bake until done. I used crema rather than cream since that's what I had on hand: it worked well. The dish isn't much to look at, but it tasted great. I love salsa verde.

mmmm reminds me of my mom's enchiladas suisas. which she used to bake after rolling with the sauce on top. Rice, beans and a salad (lol we are in L.A.) not fancy but a great dinner