Chefs that enjoy cooking with a variety of herbs and spices will enjoy Daniel Hoyer's book Culinary Mexico; Authentic Recipes and Traditions (Gibbs Smith, 2005). Spices such as cumin, cinnamon, allspice, peppercorns, cloves and aniseed are used in many of the recipes. Herbs, such as cilantro, epazote, thyme, marjoram, parsley, bay leaves and Mexican oregano, are generously used throughout the recipes found in the book.
Sample Recipe From Culinary Mexico
Hoyer adds a one to two paragraph history of many of the recipes included in Culinary Mexico. While introducing the Salsa Fresco recipe, he mentions that: "The ubiquitous salsa is often called Salsa Mexicana both because it is a typical salsa throughout the country and because it has the red, green, and white colors of the Mexican flag. In the Yucatan and Quintana Roo, when it is made with habanero instead of jalapeno chiles, it is called xni-pec (shnee-peck), which is the Mayan word for a dog's wet nose; a runny nose is one of the side effects you may experience with that fiery version of this salsa."
This recipe makes approximately 3 cups of salsa. The salsa's ideal serving temperature is 55 to 60 degrees F, so don't serve it directly from the refrigerator.
