Amor y tacos : modern Mexican tacos, margaritas, and antojitos

2010·16.48 MB·English

by  Remington

TO MY FRIENDS
Salud, dinero y amor y tiempo para gozarlos.
I wish you health, money, love, and time to enjoy them.
Writing Amor y Tacos was wonderful fun. How could it not be? Eating,
asking dumb questions, traveling, and finally writing and testing recipes—
there was no downside to this that I could see. Bows and second helpings to
Luisa Weiss, my patient and talented editor, and Leslie Stoker of Stewart,
Tabori & Chang, who loved the idea and were not afraid to let an author
get all quirky on them. Thanks to Carole Bidnick, agent and dear, dear
friend, for believing in me, in Amor, and keeping me on track. Photographer
Sara Remington immersed herself with gusto in the edgier parts of Tijuana
and Rosarito Beach, then had a fling in her studio with the recipes, and
totally “got it,” as did designer Alissa Faden. Isn’t it gorgeous? Manny
“It’s all in the shaking” Hinojosa is a Mexico City native and a brilliantly
original mixologist who created many of the recipes in the Drinks chapter
and graciously gave me permission to adapt and reproduce them. Since I
am a legendary lightweight in the drinking department, Manny’s input was
invaluable, as was the assistance and support of restaurateurs
extraordinaire, Matt Baumayr and Rich Howland, my partners in SOL
restaurant, as well as Jamie Waters Baumayr and Lauren “Em” Goldstein.
Thank you! Being a working chef and writing is a challenging
combination—even chefs have to sleep—and I couldn’t do it without the
best support group a chef could have, starting with my family of tasters:
Barry, Willy, and Annie (who is vegan, thus proving beyond any doubt that
the universe has a sense of humor.) Special thanks to dear friends and
mentors David Nelson and Toni Allegra, who have been so generous with
their praise and encouragement over the years. Thank you! A big abrazo to
my family of cooks and cooking friends, past and present, who have taught
me so much: in particular Manny Lopez Sr., a Tijuana native who has so
generously shared his time and memories; Benito Mirafuentes, still the best
cook I know; and to all my “bastard children”—you know who you are.
Thanks for keeping me sane and making me proud. Special thanks to
chef/filmmaker Joe Saldana for the golden footprint. I owe you one.
Chef-owner Javier Campos of El Taco de la Ermita deserves a round of
applause and a day off for so brilliantly demonstrating how truly great
simple food can be. His work inspired this book. He’s an original, and I am
in awe. Cooking is a hard life—hard on the body, hard on the family,
hard to understand sometimes why we keep doing it. And yet we do. So
lastly, I want to recognize every unknown cocinera and great taquero, who
live their calling every day, on the line, on the street, in hot little kitchens.
Thanks for all the great food. See you soon!
Introduction
CHAPTER 1
Cocktails, Drinks, Bebidas
CHAPTER 2
Antojitos
CHAPTER 3
Tacos
CHAPTER 4
Salsas and Basics
Sources
Essential Ingredients and Substitutions
Glossary
Index of Searchable Terms