Ama: A Modern Tex-Mex Kitchen (Mexican Food Cookbooks, Tex-Mex Cooking, Mexican and Spanish Recipes)

by Josef Centeno, Betty Hallock, Ren Fuller (Photographer)

Overview

An Eating the West Award Finalist 2020

Ama finds inspiration from regional Mexican cuisine and beyond with influences from the American South, Germany, Poland, and Morocco to help you bring more diverse and delicious flavors into your kitchen.

Bring big and bold Tex-Mex flavor to the table: Tex-Mex is a delicious, irreverent cuisine that combines the deep traditions of Texan and Mexican cooking. Think meaty stews, breakfast tacos, tres leches cake, crunchy salads, slow-cooked meats, and fresh cocktails—home cooks will learn how to make them all.

• Features over 100 recipes from San Antonio native and Los Angeles chef and restauranteur Josef Centeno
• Organized into chapters by type of food—including breakfast, vegetables, main courses, desserts, and a super nacho party—so it's easy to find your go-to recipe for any occasion
• Presented in a colorful package with more than 100 food and atmospheric photos that are bright, mouthwatering, and truly inspiring.

Ama offers a collection of recipes that represents down-home cooking and grilling at its most inspiring. Fans of Taqueria, Tartine, and American Sfoglino will also enjoy the cultural delights found in this Tex-Mex cookbook.

Appetizing recipes featured in Ama include Huevos Rancheros, Carne Guisada, Ama's Guacamole, Blueberry Cobbler, and so many more.

This cookbook is a hands-on winner for anyone who loves big flavors, casual parties, and firing up the grill.

Josef Centeno is the chef-owner of the Centeno Group, which includes the award-winning restaurants Bäco Mercat, Bar Amá, and more. He is the co-author of the cookbook Bäco. Betty Hallock is a journalist, food writer, and former deputy food editor of the Los Angeles Times. She is the co-author of Bäco. Ren Fuller is a Los Angeles–based food and lifestyle photographer.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781452155869
Publisher:	Chronicle Books LLC
Publication date:	10/01/2019
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	451,554
Product dimensions:	8.10(w) x 11.00(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Josef Centeno is the chef-owner of the Centeno Group, which includes the award-winning restaurants Bäco Mercat, Bar Amá, and more. He is the coauthor of the cookbook Bäco and lives in Los Angeles.

Betty Hallock is a journalist and food writer, and former deputy food editor of the Los Angeles Times. She is the coauthor of Bäco and lives in Los Angeles.

Ren Fuller is a Los Angeles–based food and lifestyle photographer.

Editorial Reviews

★ 10/07/2019

“The only thing authentic about Tex-Mex cuisine is that it isn’t authentic,” writes Centeno (Bäco), the chef-owner of L.A. restaurants Bäco Mercat and Bar Amá, in this superb take on the cuisine. He proves his point with the inclusion of such classics as tortilla soup; chicken-fried steak with bacon gravy; Tex-Mex roast turkey, which involves brining the bird in a combination of beer, dark brown sugar, chiles and herbs, then basting with chile butter; and a decadent take on the classic fried ice cream—a vanilla bean semifreddo cloaked in crushed cereal and fried, then bathed in a dulce de leche sauce. Imaginative riffs include turmeric-finger chicken fajitas; beef cheek barbacoa enchiladas; lobster diablo, which incorporates crema, hot sauce, cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses; and corn quesadillas with poblano, cilantro, and greens onions that gets a creamy boost from buffalo mozzarella, paired with a sharp white cheddar. Centeno’s artful and accessible mix of high and low techniques (Mom’s Rice is a riff on red rice that gets a boost from V8; Velveeta is a key component in his queso) emphasize flavor over pretentiousness. Anyone thinking of taking a stab at Tex-Mex would do well to pick this up. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"What happens when Tex-Mex finds a home in Southern California? In Josef Centeno's new cookbook, "Amá ", the results are sunny and delicious, from a vegan, cashew-based "queso" built on the flavors of charred onion, garlic and green chile, to a simple halved ruby red grapefruit, broiled with a topping of butter and piloncillo sugar, just like his auntie used to do." - New York Times, A Best Fall Cookbook of 2019

"What happens when Tex-Mex finds a home in Southern California? In Josef Centeno's new cookbook, "Amá ", the results are sunny and delicious, from a vegan, cashew-based "queso" built on the flavors of charred onion, garlic and green chile, to a simple halved ruby red grapefruit, broiled with a topping of butter and piloncillo sugar, just like his auntie used to do." - New York Times, A Best Fall Cookbook of 2019

From the Publisher

10/01/2019

With the ascent of the many regional Mexican cuisines, Tex-Mex has typically been left far behind. In this second book by Centeno (Baco: Vivid Recipes from the Heart of Los Angeles), the aim is to re-create family dishes from the author's childhood in San Antonio, where his grandfather started Centeno Market, while adding a few modern Southern California touches. The book, coauthored by food journalist Hallock, leads off with a larder section covering homemade spice blends, salsas, pickles, and sauces. There's also a chapter on breakfast, two sections of main dishes, and one on vegetables, appetizers, and dessert. The recipes are well written, designed with home cooks in mind. One design quibble: recipe titles are laid out vertically on the left side of each page, so all recipes on the right-hand side of the book have their titles somewhat obscured in the crease. Otherwise, gorgeous photos of most dishes are found throughout. VERDICT If you are in the market for some delicious and authentic Tex-Mex cooking, this collection would be an optimal place to start.—Susan Hurst, Miami Univ. Libs., Oxford, OH

Library Journal