How to use This Book

Traditional Mexican food is “slow food”: everything is made from scratch, starting with taking corn to the molino to be milled into masa, which is then used in a variety of ways. Traditional preparation for some dishes can take at least several hours or up to several days and is often a communal endeavor, with women (typically) from neighboring households and/or the extended family sharing the tasks. Making tamales is an excellent example.

Modern cooking doesn’t look like that. People have busy schedules and limited time in the kitchen, so I’ve tried to make my recipes user-friendly. For example, I have indicated when parts of a recipe can be prepared in advance. Sometimes an element or two of a recipe can be made ahead and frozen until you’re ready to tackle the entire recipe. While I’ve approached each dish through a made-from-scratch lens, I’ve also provided store-bought options when they make sense and don’t change the dish significantly.