Pati's Mexican Table: The Secrets of Real Mexican Home Cooking

By Pati Jinich

The host of the highly popular PBS show Pati's Mexican Table shares everyday Mexican dishes, from the traditional to creative twists.

Pati Jinich has a mission. She’s out to prove that Mexican home cooking is quicker and far easier than most Americans think.

Surprising in their simplicity and freshness, Pati's recipes incorporate produce and grains. Most important, they fit perfectly into an everyday family cooking schedule and use just a handful of ingredients, most of which are already in your pantry. Many are homey specialties that Pati learned from her mother and grandmother, some are creative spins on classics, while others are not well known outside of Mexico.

Dishes like Chicken à la Trash (it’s delicious!), a one-pot meal that Pati gleaned from a Mexican restaurant cook; Mexican Meatballs with Mint and Chipotle; Sweet and Salty Salmon; and Mexican-Style Pasta can revitalize your daily repertoire. You’ll find plenty of vegetarian fare, from Classic Avocado Soup, to Divorced Eggs (with red and green salsa), to Oaxaca-Style Mushroom and Cheese Quesadillas.

Your friends and family will enjoy Tomato and Mozzarella Salad with Pickled Ancho Chile Vinaigrette; Crab Cakes with Jalapeño Aioli; and Chicken Tinga—(you can use rotisserie chicken), which makes a tasty filling for tortas and tostadas. Pati also shares exciting dishes for the holidays and other special occasions, including Mexican Thanksgiving Turkey with Chorizo, Pecan, Apple, and Corn Bread Stuffing; Spiral-Cut Beef Tenderloin; and Red Pozole (“a Mexican party in a bowl”), which she served on her wedding day. Desserts like Triple Orange Mexican Wedding Cookies, Scribble Cookies (sandwich cookies filled with chocolate), and little Apricot-Lime Glazed Mini Pound Cakes are sophisticated yet simple to make.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Mar 5, 2013
• ISBN: 9780547636467

Pati Jinich

PATI JINICH (pronounced HEEN-ich) is the host of the three-time James Beard Award-winning PBS series Pati's Mexican Table, now in its tenth season. Named one of the "100 Greatest Cooks of All-Time" by Epicurious and Bon Appétit, she has won a Gracie Award for her television work and is a four-time Emmy nominee and two-time IACP Award winner. She is the resident chef of the Mexican Cultural Institute and has appeared on NPR's Splendid Table and All Things Considered, NBC's Today, CBS's The Talk, ABC's Good Morning America, and Food Network. Born and raised in Mexico City, she lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland, with her husband and three boys.  

Reviews for Pati's Mexican Table

[katie4098 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'll start by admitting that I haven't read a lot of cookbooks about authentic Mexican food, but I do spend a lot of time online searching through various recipe blogs and sites, constantly looking for new ideas. There were so many recipes in this book that I've never heard of, and that I am so excited to try! I really liked the format of this book- it was well-organized, to the point, and not ridiculously over-detailed like so many modern cookbooks tend to be. I know my way around a kitchen and appreciate that the author did not dumb anything down, but got right to the recipes. When she did go into detail about different ingredients, she segmented them off into boxes on their own pages. I found myself drawn to reading these little asides since they were set apart and titled, whereas if they had been tucked into the introductions of the recipe categories I may have just glossed over them in my eagerness to get to the recipes. The photography was beautiful and made the food look delicious! I particularly enjoyed reading about the different salsas- I had no idea there were so many different ways of preparing salsa. I had assumed salsa was always made by mixing together fresh, raw ingredients, but not so! I enjoyed reading everything, though. Some of the dessert recipes had me salivating, and thinking I could really attempt to make them myself. A lot of cultural cookbooks (and Mexican recipes I've found online) make the preparation/cooking process sound intimidating, but the way the author explains things make them sound very do-able. I realize the author has a tv show, but I have never seen it. I would love to now, though!