Recipe Weekend / Cookbook Review: La Mexicano by Bill Esparza

Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this book free of charge,from Prospect Park Books, via Edelweiss, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it,  all opinions are my own.



This new book might come after Cinco de Mayo, but it really helps to bring to Summer focus all the great recipes that are perfect for light Summer eating, and the wonderful stories of restauranteus, who bring it to the populs of Los Angeles, making it a great Summer Cookbook!

A colorful celebration of the vibrant Mexican food scene in Los Angeles, with recipes, stories, people, and resources.

LA Mexicano cover


The celebration of Mexican cooking that food lovers have been waiting for.
Richly photographed and authentically local, L.A. Mexicano showcases L.A.’s famously rich and complex Mexican-food culture, including recipes, profiles of chefs, bakers, restaurateurs, and vendors, and neighborhood guides. Part cookbook, part food journalism, and part love song to Los Angeles, it's the definitive resource for home cooks nationwide, hungry Angelenos, and food-loving visitors. Features a foreword by Taco USA's Gustavo Arellano and more than 100 photos by Staci Valentine.

Review:

This book really shows how VARIED the Mexican cuisine really is, and how Los Angeles has changed it, brought it to the world, and still continues to help it change and emerge all anew. This book is really a love story for the people and the food- how the food helped shaped the LA Mexicano culture, and how it provided not only jobs to support families, but a way to bring everything they missed from home, to their friends and family. The stories of each chef are what makes this book so unique. By seeing behind the food pictures (Staci valentine's amazing photos will have you wanting to run and eat the food by the way) and recipes, we get to see the love that goes into each dish, the creative mind that helped change a culture, and how a culture remains via food. In Louisiana we know this last to be true, and it is interesting to see it in a different setting. plus the recipes are pretty amazing too! if you have friends that miss LA, love Mexican cooking, or just love cooking, they will LOVE receiving this new book! So buy 2, 1 for you and  to share!

Recipe:

There isn't anything more 'Summery' in this book than Shrimp Ceviche! It can be served alone, as an accompaniment, or as a starter. But in any form, it's light, and this recipe is perfect!

shrimp ceviche recipe


About the Author:

Bill Esparza is recent winner of a James Beard award for his coverage of the L.A. taco scene in Los Angeles Magazine. Considered one of the country's leading experts on Mexican food, the L.A. native curates the annual Tacolandia festival in Los Angeles; writes about Mexican food for Los Angeles Magazine and others; appears regularly on CNN, KCRW's radio show Good Food; and appears on such television shows as I'll Have What Phil's HavingBizarre Foods, and Top Chef. A noted saxophone player, Esparza has traveled and eaten extensively throughout Mexico, Latin America, and, of course, Southern California.

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