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What a great month it's been for lovers of the taco - first the fun, hip, irreverent love letter to Mexican taco culture that was Tacopedia, and now this intense, punk-rock manifesto of the taco as high cuisine. Tacos: Recipes and Provocations delivers on both halves of its subtitle, in spades. His recipes range from the traditional to the avant-garde, with a strong core of fundamental respect for the cuisine, its techniques, and its multicultural and evolving spirit. His provocations will rattle the cage of many a pretentious foodie who'd prefer to see Mexican cuisine frozen in time and served for under $5.
The first half or so of the book centers on fundamentals: tortillas and salsas. Stupak is uncompromising here: fresh tortillas, or nothing. I tend to agree. He walks the reader through nixtamalizing corn, grinding it for masa, and pressing tortillas, including instructions on storage and on starting with masa preparada. Of note here is the range of flavored and amended tortillas, enriched by obvious (spinach, spices) and nonobvious (chorizo?!) additions, which have a long history in Mexico. He also has a pretty good flour tortilla recipe. The salsas are phenomenal. I made two of the salsas last night, and found them to be mindblowing - well balanced, intense, and unusual. I especially recommend the salsa macha, which reminded me of a cross between a pipian and buffalo wing sauce. My wife, who was born and raised in the DF, is ecstatic.
Recipes range from old favorites (carnitas, al pastor, barbacoa) to high-concept rethinks (pineapple tacos with lardo, pastrami with mustard seed salsa, sea urchin and guacamole.) With the exception of the pastrami one, which is a little precious, I think they all manage to embody a Mexican sensibility, flavor profile, ingredients, and general approach - even if the end result is cheffed-up and unconventional. Having eaten tacos filled with octopus slathered with Thai basil pesto in the DF and a memorable one of raw marlin tartare in Tijuana, I'm perfectly fine with some wild tacos in the mix. Tacos al pastor have their roots in 1950s Puebla and its Lebanese immigrants hawking shawarmah, and fried fish tacos use Japanese tempura batter. There's cosmopolitan, modern, gourmet restaurants all over Mexico serving food that's influenced by that of the Mediterranean, Asia, and even India. If incorporating other cultures' ideas was off-limits in Mexican cuisine, Mexican cuisine would not exist at all. I can't wait to tackle some of the off-the-wall recipes here.
Which brings me to my own provocation. As we've already seen in some of the reviews, many people - often Caucasians, often casual visitors to Mexico - seem to hold strong opinions on Mexican cuisine. They loudly and snarkily deride as "not traditional!" or "completely inauthentic" any food not served on their last vacation to Mexico or served in the grungy taqueria they pride themselves on having "discovered." These folks know just what authentic really is, and they're the arbiters of it. Obviously, I regard this attitude as deeply patronizing - and ironically unaware of the diversity and evolving nature of Mexican food.
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Deviled Egg Tacos???? Don't judge until you have tried them.
Do you think I have lost my mind?What the heck are Deviled Egg Tacos.When he asked what was for lunch today and I said, "Deviled Egg Tacos," there was no response.No response from him when it comes to food means he is highly skeptical.Rest assured, Deviled Egg Tacos are delicious, and can be found in this cookbook, an informative hardcover book full of how-to photos and truly beautiful food.This cookbook might just be the only book you will ever need on Mexican cuisine. It covers everything from making traditional tortillas to recipes for spinach, beet, and saffron tortillas as well. Salsas and condiments make up a large portion of the book. The authors even show step by step photos on how to prepare Cochinita Pibil THE HARD WAY. They also have an easier recipe for this iconic Yucatán dish, one that does not require digging a pit and lining it with banana leaves.I needed to do something a bit easier for lunch. Although Deviled Egg Tacos sounds like it would be straight forward and pretty easy, they do require some prep work. That being said, most all the ingredients can be made ahead of time for an easier prep.First, make the Sikil Pak, a truly "indegenous fusion" of Spanish, Moorish, Lebanese and Mexican flavors. This Yucatán dip or spread is addictive and is described as "alpha-hummus" (p 91). This is great as a dip with salty tortilla chips or just wrapped up in a corn tortilla on its own.To make the tacos, simply prepare deviled eggs using whatever recipe you like. (I used 6 eggs, 1 T. mayo, 1/2 T. Dijon, and about 1 T. of the Sikil Pak mixture for my deviled eggs.) Use very good artisan-made corn tortillas (or make your own). I used Sprouts store brand and they worked wonderfully. Lay out the warm tortillas on serving plate. Place a dollop of Sikil Pak on each tortilla and spread using a spatula. Evenly distribute the deviled eggs among the tortillas and top with the minced red onion, chopped cilantro, and a small amount of Salsa Habanera. (I did not tackle the recipe for Salsa Habanera. Instead I used some sriracha.) Squeeze a couple of the lime wedges over the tacos and serve the rest on the side. (For more step by step directions, see page 212 in the book.)Other recipes that have me intrigued are numerous:Black Bean Hummus Tacos with Ayocote Beans and Avocado (page 195)Shishito Pepper Tacos (page 189)Chicken Tacos with Kale and Salsa Verde (page 108)The Hubs, however, is fixated on making those Cochinita Pibil tacos (the hard way). He has already asked where we can buy banana leaves and where can he dig the pit.
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- Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2015
- Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2017
- Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2018
Top reviews from other countries
- AnaliseReviewed in Canada on February 10, 2025
Perspective-shifting, hilarious, and delicious!
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- Patrick CollinsReviewed in the United Kingdom on November 18, 2017
Very stylish and well written, salsa recipes are fabulous....
