Rosa Mexicano: A Culinary Autobiography With 60 Recipes

Rosa Mexicano: A Culinary Autobiography With 60 Recipes

As seen on public and cable television, the head chef and owner of the top-rated New York City Mexican restaurant, Rosa Mexicano, presents seventy distinctive, authentic Mexican dishes, along with photographs and personal reminiscences. 20,000 first printing.Amazon.com ReviewDiners at Manhattan's top-rated Rosa Mexicano have long begged its owner-chef, Josefina Howard, to write a cookbook. She has done better.Rosa Mexicano: A Culinary Autobiography with 70 Recipes provides an introduction to Mexico itself, as well as examples of her restaurant's vibrant, authentic cooking. In chapters such as "Tacos: An Endless Adventure," "My First Pozole," and "Mexico City: Life in Another Dimension," Howard seamlessly weaves memoir, social history, and culinary investigation. Lovers of richly personal food books will be delighted, as will cooks who enjoy learning about the world's great dishes. The recipes themselves are as diverse as the country of their birth. Dishes such as Lamb Shanks Coated with Three Chiles, Garlic and Spices, a savory meal wrapped and steamed in parchment; a superbly delicate Corn and Chipotle Soup; and the mighty pozole itself, a stew made with pork, chicken, and hominy, are delectable and uncomplicated to prepare. Howard also provides a brief dictionary of chiles, an exploration of Mexican herbs such as the pivotal epazote, and ongoing information about other typical ingredients, which most cooks will find readily available. The book is illustrated with Howard's own award-winning color photographs, providing yet another glimpse of the real Mexico. --Arthur BoehmFrom BooklistMany New Yorkers discovered their first authentic Mexican regional cooking at Rosa Mexicano, Josefina Howard's acclaimed Manhattantaqueria. In this memoir with recipes, Howard recounts her life in Spain, Mexico, and the U.S. After arriving in New York, she attended Peter Kump's cooking school and washed dishes after classes. Her dream of opening an authentic Mexican restaurant finally became reality when fresh Mexican ingredients began appearing in New York markets. She wowed urban palates with her moles, and she appreciated the role of intense colors in the best Mexican cooking. Howard's reminiscences make this much more than a mere cookbook, but she records emotionally wrenching episodes such as her son's death with little reflection. A worthwhile cookbook, with some easily reproducible recipes, but the recipes may seem less novel in communities longer accustomed to authentic Mexican cooking.Mark Knoblauch