My Mexico City Kitchen

Recipes and Convictions

A Cookbook by Gabriela Cámara and Malena Watrous
Lorena Jones Books, 2019

purchase

DESCRIPTION

Innovative chef and culinary trend-setter Gabriela Cámara shares 150 recipes for her vibrant, simple, and sophisticated contemporary Mexican cooking.

Named one of the best cookbooks of the year by The New York Times • Bon Appétit • San Francisco Chronicle

Inspired by the flavors, ingredients, and flair of culinary and cultural hotspot Mexico City, Gabriela Cámara's style of fresh-first, vegetable-forward, legume-loving, and seafood-centric Mexican cooking is a siren call to home cooks who crave authentic, on-trend recipes they can make with confidence and regularity. With 150 recipes for Basicos (basics), Desayunos (breakfasts), Primeros (starters), Platos Fuertos (mains), and Postres (sweets), Mexican food-lovers will find all the dishes they want to cook--from Chilaquiles Verdes to Chiles Rellenos and Flan de Cajeta--and will discover many sure-to-be favorites, such as her signature tuna tostadas. More than 150 arresting images capture the rich culture that infuses Cámara's food and a dozen essays detail the principles that distinguish her cooking, from why non-GMO corn matters to how everything can be a taco. With celebrated restaurants in Mexico City and San Francisco, Cámara is the most internationally recognized figure in Mexican cuisine, and her innovative, simple Mexican food is exactly what home cooks want to cook.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gabriela Camara is the chef-owner of Mexico City's most famous and trafficked restaurant, Contramar, and its sister restaurant, Cala, in San Francisco. Mentored by Diana Kennedy, Camara has become internationally recognized as the leader of accessible yet sophisticated Mexican cooking. She has appeared in every major American newspaper and food magazine. In 2016, Cala was named one of Bon Appétit's 50 Best New Restaurants, Food & Wine's Restaurant of the Year, and a semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation's award for Best New Restaurant.

Malena Watrous has worked as a recipe tester for Melissa Clark and written about food, books, and travel for the New York Times, Allure, Condé Nast Travelerand Salon. Her novel, If You Follow Me, was published by Harper Collins. She leads the Online Writer's Studio at Stanford University, where she teaches fiction and food writing.

REVIEWS

"Cámara’s simple yet thorough instructions make home cooks feel as though she’s right next to them, talking over a cutting board about technique and the importance of sustainable, fresh ingredients. From tricks for maximizing flavors while saving money to instructions on navigating Mexican cuisines, Cámara makes this book feel like a mini-encyclopedia on Mexican food. And with personal stories woven throughout, readers will sense Cámara’s love and passion for the food. With its comprehensive approach, My Mexico City Kitchen will empower enthusiastic home cooks with the knowledge and skills to adapt Mexican cuisine on their own."
—Eater

“This book brings me back to the first time I ate at Contramar, and the radical simplicity of Gabriela Cámara’s grilled whole fish: superbly fresh, adorned with red and green salsas, and served family-style with a stack of freshly made tortillas. Cámara is a beautifully intuitive cook and keen observer of flavor, but her cooking is about so much more than just tasty and inspiring food. Cámara’s restaurants are gathering places that celebrate the deep importance of sustainability as well as the culture, creativity, and diversity of Mexico City. These are the powerful and delicious messages delivered to you with every organic corn tortilla.”
—Alice Waters, owner of Chez Panisse and founder of The Edible Schoolyard Project

RELATED BOOKS