Queso Fresco

Choose dried chiles that are fairly flexible, a sign they're not too old.

If you grew up in Northern California in the 1990s, you lived through the trend that was sprouts. From alfalfa sprouts to bean sprouts, they seemed to find their way into every green salad, sandwich, and omelet. This savory whole-grain breakfast bowl is inspired by those California days, with chunks of ripe avocado, crumbled Cotija cheese, toasty almonds, and a citrus-sparked yogurt sauce. While alfalfa sprouts were prevalent when I was growing up, today I try to branch out, using a tangle of colorful bean sprouts or more delicate radish or sunflower sprouts. These morning bowls couldn't be easier to prepare, but the barley does take a while to cook; I put a pot on the stove first thing in the morning so it'll be ready by the time I've had my coffee and prepped the other ingredients. Feel free to experiment with other grains, too. I've tried this with both quinoa and farro, and it's as wonderful with delicate grains as it is with heartier ones. Morning Notes: Cotija cheese is popular in Mexican and Latin dishes. It's a firm, crumbly cheese made of cow's milk and is used so often because it's milder than feta or even goat cheese and softens with heat but doesn't fully melt. You can also use queso fresco if it's easier to find.

Yuca Bread with Queso Fresco The ratio of flour to cheese seems crazy, but it works. Serve the bread hot (for a spongy texture) or warm (for a denser interior with the dough settling more and forming air pockets).

This is a winning-contestant recipe from Season Four of FOX's MasterChef.

In this unique and lively salad, juicy clementines combine with crunchy jícama, salty pumpkin seeds, and creamy queso fresco to create a vibrant yet harmonious medley of textures and flavor notes. The garlicky vinaigrette is versatile enough to use on almost any salad. For a healthy, quick dinner, top the salad with a piece of grilled mahimahi, or pair it with a piece of avocado toast and call it lunch.

Oval Masa Turnovers Throughout Mexico City and the surrounding states, people in all walks of life—bankers in suits and ties, college kids in T-shirts and jeans, women cradling babies—cluster around the tlacoyo vendor who makes their favorite version of this miniature football-shaped masa snack. Most are made with ordinary white or yellow corn, but a few vendors still serve tlacoyos made from the scarce blue-black corn. One day on the way from Mexico City to the popular getaway of Tepoztlán, Ricardo took me on a back road that was virtually enveloped on both sides by fields of nopal cactus. In this area, known as Milpa Alta, the tlacoyos are typically topped with a green salsa and nopales, and not surprisingly, we stopped for a quick, tasty snack. For a more colorful variation, add a contrasting tomato red salsa on half of each tlacoyo.

Well-Fried Beans To make the traditional Mexican well-fried beans, or frijoles refritos, you carry frijoles chinos one step further and fry them again in oil until they are even thicker. This is often done as the last part of a continuous process, or the beans are set aside for a day or two and then finished just before serving. In central Mexico, they are cooked until they are quite dry, but in the states bordering the Gulf of Mexico, they are cooked even more—to the point that they can be flipped over and shaped into a roll. These beans, perhaps with a topping of queso fresco, are a perfect partner for Enchiladas San Luis Potosí and similar enchiladas, soft tacos, or innumerable other dishes. The bean roll is often served as a botana for a casual gathering. Serve the beans as a side on the main plate. If they are shaped into a roll, transfer the roll to a warmed platter, sprinkle with queso fresco, and garnish with chopped white onion. Push some totopos in the top as a decoration and for scooping up the beans and then cluster more around the sides.

Fried Beans When Ricardo first came to Mexico City, he ordered beans in a small fonda and the cook asked, "Fritos o refrito?" (Fried or refried?) That was when Ricardo began to understand the various stages of bean cookery. The first stage, frijoles chinos, is a common way of cooking beans in and around Mexico City. The name confusingly refers to the way the bean texture resembles the tightly curled hair of African slaves brought to Mexico in the middle of the sixteenth century. This same preparation is typically called frijoles fritos by cooks in central Mexico, though it differs somewhat as the beans are served before they have absorbed all of the broth and are still somewhat runny. You can make fried beans from almost any type of dried bean. The diminutive black bean is commonly used in southern Mexico and red or brown beans are popular in the rest of the country. If you are in a hurry, an equal amount of canned beans may be substituted with additional water added to the can liquid if needed. These tasty beans are served in homes and in small market fondas almost any time of the day. They partner perfectly with grilled meat and egg dishes, such as Huevos al Albanil. Serve them in a separate small, flat dish or as a side on the main plate. A light sprinkle of fresh cheese will provide a color and taste contrast.

This is a salsa, but whenever I make it I just end up eating it by the spoonful like a salad. The combination of the tart, crisp pomegranate, creamy cheese, and crunchy pine nuts makes a wonderful topping for grilled fish or even a carne asada taco. Pine nuts can be expensive because of the labor-intensive work of extracting them from the pine cones, plus they have a high fat content, which makes them turn rancid quickly. So buy a small quantity and store them in the fridge for no longer than three months.

Thankfully, in Tijuana we don’t have to wait for summer to get the grill out. One of the benefits is that we can eat grilled corn on the cob any day of the year. Jalapeño butter is easy to make and adds the perfect finish to the slightly charred corn. If you have any left over, store it in the fridge for up to a week; it’s great on a baked potato or green beans.

This is one of my favorite salads—it is a perfect accompaniment to most traditional Mexican dishes. Serve it with Cochinita Pibil (page 126) or a carne asada. In Mexico the chicharrones (crackling pork rinds) are sold packaged like potato chips, or in larger pieces at street stands, and are eaten as a snack—on their own or sprinkled with lime juice and bottled hot sauce. Here they provide a nice crunch. Make sure to add them at the end because they will get soggy if they sit too long in the dressing. If you want to keep the salad light and healthy, leave the chicharrones out altogether.

If you have had only the fast-food variety of tacos or made them using a mix, these will come as a revelation, yet they’re quite easy to make. Top them with sour cream, any salsa (pages 610–612), Guacamole (page 22), or a combination; they are also delicious on their own. There is a wealth of variations here; if you’re not interested in frying, see the soft taco version. The chicken can be cooked by any method you like; poaching with aromatic vegetables and spices will work, along with producing a decent stock.

A street snack of Central America and the Caribbean, empanadas can really be filled with anything you have on hand. This recipe and its variations offer several of the traditional fillings. Masa harina can be found at most supermarkets and Latin grocery stores. It adds a nice crunch to the dough, but regular flour works well, too.

A Mexican-inspired brunch is my favorite way to recover from a long night out, and this spin on huevos rancheros is how we serve it up at Bar Americain. This plate is layered with taste and texture, from the crisp, salty tortillas up to the cool and chunky guacamole on top. Savory black beans make this dish extra satisfying, while the chile sauces pump up the color—and heat. I like the slightly sweet, nutty flavor of blue corn tortillas, but if you can’t find them, yellow ones are an easy substitute.

These poblanos are stuffed with tempeh, a traditional Indonesian food made from fermented soybeans. Tempeh tastes rich and meaty when seasoned and cooked properly. The chiles can be either grilled or roasted. You can prepare the filling and even stuff the chiles the night before cooking. For a memorable summer meal, serve with Pickled Mango and Habanero Relish or Mango and Habanero Salsa Cruda (page 183) and grilled corn on the cob.

Keep in mind that your refried beans are only as good as the beans with which you begin. If you want really flavorful refried beans, you must start with homemade beans, such as the recipe I provide on page 78. Those make especially good refried beans since they have a good amount of broth, which reduces during cooking and provides an incredible depth of flavor. In a bind, you can use canned beans—just keep in mind that you will not achieve the same intensity of flavor.

One of the best characteristics of the Mexican kitchen is that many recipes are an assembly of ingredients and often use up leftovers. This is one such recipe. If you think of a tostada as an edible plate, you will realize the endless options for creating them. A meal is usually made up of two tostadas, which I like to stack because placing them side-by-side looks a bit awkward on a plate. And remember, tostadas are usually eaten with your hands!

I promise these enchiladas are unlike any you have ever had before. Although the tortillas are fried, the enchiladas are light and vibrantly flavorful because they are not smothered in cream and cheese. Instead the fresh cheese is crumbled on top and the tangy Mexican crema is served on the side.

Watercress is such a hearty and flavorful green that it is best when it stands alone, which is why this is basically a green salad. It is also a great accompaniment to any dish in this book—or any Mexican dish—because it is assertive enough to stand up to bold flavors. And don’t think the dressing is to be used just for salads—it makes a great sandwich spread or vegetable dip.