Like the verb derived from the noun salsa--salsear, meaning making "something better, adding an extra layer of life, of seasoning, of joy"--Pati Jinich's passion is to share the food of her native Mexico while enhancing it with her multi-ethnic heritage. Host of the PBS series Pati's Mexican Table and official chef of the Mexican Cultural Institute in Washington, D.C., Jinich offers easy-to-follow recipes in Mexican Today, alongside tips, history and stories.
"Mexican cuisine has become borderless," she writes, noting that "Tex-Mex" has expanded to Cal-Mex, Baja Fresh, Chicago-Mex, Fusion Mex and more. Among more than 100 recipes (from soups to desserts) are Mexican Pizza and other "Mexicanized" favorites, including a burger made with chipotle-spiked pork and chorizo instead of beef, and a gravlax sandwich with salmon cured in tequila rather than the traditional Scandinavian aquavit. A "Med-Mex" salad includes olives, feta, avocados and jalapenos.
Jinich's maternal family came to Mexico from Austria after World War II; her great-aunt became a renowned pastry chef. Her paternal grandmother escaped Eastern European pogroms. Matzo ball soup with jalapenos, and grandmother's French classic Floating Island, with the twist of Mexican eggnog replacing the custard, reflect Jinich's roots. Traditionalists need not worry that Mexican "standards" are neglected: the chef includes chapters dedicated to tacos and enchiladas.
Every recipe has an English and a Spanish name, and sidebars such as "Shopping for and Using Dried Chiles" enlighten the uninitiated. --Cheryl Krocker McKeon, manager, Book Passage, San Francisco