Fiestas are always Muy Bueno
100+ Delicious Mexican Recipes for Celebrating the Year (Mexican Recipes, Mexican Cookbook, Mexican Cooking, Mexican Food)

Review by Bobbie Kitto

Recipes Included: SPRING FRUIT SALAD with Tajín, & HATCH CHILE Potato Salad

If you want a year’s worth of party planning made easy, then Muy Bueno Fiestas by Yvette Marquez Sharpnack is a good place to start. Author Yvette has created a beautiful roadmap for twelve months of fun and exciting eating.

The loss of her grandmother brought home that if someone didn’t start writing down the family recipes a lot of Yvette’s family’s heritage and traditions would not be passed to the future generations. With the help of her mother and her sister, her first book was written Muy Bueno. A few years later she collaborated with Vianney from Sweet Life and her next book Latin Twist was born. All of these books have lead up to Muy Bueno Fiestas, Yvette’s third book.

The book starts out with recipes and menus for the Lenten season. As the author points out abstinence from meat may be on the menu, but deprivation of flavor is not. Spinach & Bean Tacos 9 (pgs. 24-25) and Tilapia Veracruz-style (pgs. 26-27) illustrate how meatless meals can also be crave worthy.

The Easter holiday lends itself to some great meat dishes like Barbacoa de Borrego (pgs. 72-73) and Ham & Sweet Potato hash (PGS.74-75). Fruit salad, sweet empanadas, cookies, and a recipe for a Serrano infused Tequila Bloody Maria round out this chapter.

The chapter entitled Mexican Independence Day displays some interesting recipes regarding Lime Corn Tortilla Chips (pgs. 172-173) and how to host a Tequila tasting party (pgs. 184-185).

To add to the enjoyment of this book, be sure to watch this video . Here Yvette demonstrates two easy salads. The first salad is Hatch Chile Potato Salad (pgs. 154-155) a salad sure to perk up a family’s backyard barbecue or a picnic at the beach. The next demonstration is Spring Fruit Salad with Tajin (pgs. 78-79) guaranteed to get rave reviews from everyone at the Easter brunch with family and friends. Both recipes are included below.

Yvette wears many hats. She is an on-camera host, a home chef, and Emmy-winning producer and writer. Yvette’s food blog, Muy Bueno has also won many awards.

With over 100 recipes and the stunning visual appeal with pictures for each recipe this it would be a great addition to anyone’s special cookbook collection. (My husband even commented on the visual appeal of this book when he saw me reading it.)

The recipes are easy to follow and have cook’s notes to make the preparation or ingredient substitution easy. Five out of Five stars for sure. Reach Yvette at yvette@muybuenocookbook.com to share experiences and comments about her books.

Recipes

SPRING FRUIT SALAD with Tajín
I grew up in the 1980s and always remember a fluffy and sweet ambrosia-style fruit salad made with canned fruit, Cool Whip, and shredded coconut. Don’t get me wrong, I loved that salad. But nowadays I would rather serve a bowl filled with colorful fresh fruits, a scattering of crunchy jicama, a drizzle of lime juice, and a sprinkling of spicy Tajín. For a festive touch, serve this salad in a hollowed-out pineapple or use a bunny-shaped cookie cutter to cut some of the fruit pieces. You can also thread the fruit and jicama pieces onto bamboo skewers for a great utensil-free potluck contribution. If you are not a fan of papaya, replace it with cantaloupe.

MAKES 6–8 SERVINGS

1 small yellow mango, such as Ataulfo, peeled, pitted, and cubed

1 red-green mango, such as a Haden, peeled, pitted, and cubed

1 small jicama, peeled and chopped

1 cup (170 g) chopped pineapple

1 cup (140 g) chopped papaya

1 cup (155 g) watermelon, in balls or cubes

1 teaspoon Tajín seasoning (see Cook’s Note)

Salt

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

In a bowl, combine the mangos, jicama, pineapple, papaya, and watermelon and toss gently to mix. Sprinkle with the Tajín, season with salt, and drizzle with the lime juice, then toss well to coat evenly.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or for up to 1 day before serving.

Cook’s Note: Tajín is a popular chile-salt-lime seasoning mix made in Mexico and widely available in well-stocked supermarkets and Latin stores in the United States. Clásico, the most popular blend, is made with mild red chiles, while the habanero blend delivers a lot more fire. A low-sodium version is also available.

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HATCH CHILE Potato Salad

This potato salad is the perfect culinary marriage of me and my hubby. He is of German descent, and this red potato salad has a tangy mustard and vinegar dressing that is reminiscent of a traditional German potato salad. But it also has creamy mayo and roasted green chile in honor of my Mexican heritage.

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

1 lb (450 g) small red potatoes (about 10 potatoes), quartered

¼ small red onion, thinly sliced

2 fresh Hatch or Anaheim chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped (page 15)

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

3 green onions, white and tender green parts, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Add the potatoes and cook until fork-tender but not falling apart, 15–18 minutes.

While the potatoes are cooking, in a bowl large enough to hold the finished salad, combine the red onion, chiles, mustard, oil, vinegar, mayonnaise, and sesame seeds and mix well to make a dressing.

Season with ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper.

When the potatoes are ready, drain well and toss with the dressing, coating evenly. Add the green onions and cilantro (if using), season with salt and pepper, and toss to mix evenly.

Let cool to room temperature and serve right away, or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Cook’s Note: For a milder version, use 1–2 poblano chiles for the Hatch or Anaheim chiles

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Resources
Yvette Marquez Sharpnack Blog
Yvette Marquez Sharpnack Cookbook
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Review by Bobbie Kitto

Note: Roberta (Bobbie) Kitto is a freelance writer based out of Laughlin, NV. Her interests include travel, culinary pursuits and gardening. No fee was paid for this article, but she did receive a free copy of the book to review. Her opinions are her own.

To make the best of each recipe, use quality ingredients! Bobbie  highly recommends products from Melissa’s Produce, available at many markets.