Things are about to get HOT in the kitchen with Ericka Sanchez and Nicole Presley’s newest cookbook all about salsa
Mexican American authors and recipe creators Sanchez and Presley are dishing up all their dirty secrets for authentic salsa in this collection guaranteed to make you sweat. From cooked salsas and fresh salsas to moles and enchilada sauces, your taste buds will be tingling with every tempting full-color photo. With a range of heat levels, you can turn up the spice with Mango Habanero Salsa or go for a slow burn with Smoky Red Pepper Salsa. The cookbook includes instructions for prepping and seasoning your molcajete, and a recipe for homemade tortilla chips that gives a whole new meaning to the term “love triangle.” With recipes to turn even skeptics into salsa lovers, Spicy Salsas & Moles is sure to leave you wanting more!
I received an ARC of “Spicy Salsas & Moles: A Cookbook for Lovers of Mexican Heat” by Ericka Sanchez and Nicole Presley from NetGalley and Familius in exchange for an honest review.
If you love Mexican food or Tex-Mex cuisine, then You. Need. This. Book! I absolutely HAD to read this book. Summer is in full swing now, but in spring, I planted—for the very first time, mind you—Gigante Verde Tomatillo seeds. Right now, the tomatillo plants are massive and are loaded with fruits. Along with my yearly planting of spicy hot peppers, I am ready to make salsas and moles. The cover of this book screamed at me because in my mind, there is absolutely nothing more beautiful than seeing salsa in a molcajete.
Besides the Introduction and How-To’s, the authors include the following chapters in the book: Cooked Salsas, Fresh Salsas, Enchilada Salsas, Sweet and Spicy Salsas, Curtidos and Escabeches, Moles and Pipianes, and Make It Spicy. If things couldn’t get any better, the cooking duo even included a recipe for homemade tortilla chips.
Not long ago, I finally purchased a tortilla press. Now I use maseca and don’t buy tortillas anymore. But the authors have inspired me to (finally!) purchase a molcajete with the step-by-step directions they provided on how to prepare and season a new molcajete.
The stunning photographs included in this book are brilliant. With a photo for every single dish, the authors don’t leave anything to the readers’ imagination; they don’t have to because I was drooling the entire time that I was reviewing this book.
Since reviewing this book, I’ve decided that I can’t live without it and will be purchasing a hard copy for my personal library. There were SOOOO many recipes for tomatillos that I will desperately need now that my tomatillos harvest is nearing. But besides that, the authors included recipes for commonly-known dishes like Pico de Gallo and Creamy Avocado Salsa, while also including not well known recipes like Tamarind Salsa and No Avocado-Avocado Salsa.
What I absolutely love about this book is that not only is there truly is a dish for everyone, but there is a dish for everywhere! And I’m not just talking spice levels, either. For example, in states like Georgia or North Carolina, raw peanuts are readily available, so those residents can try Red Pipian. However, where I live, only roasted peanuts are available, so I can easily make Peanut Mole.
With a prep time, yield, and spice level for every dish, this gorgeously illustrated book is a must-have for anyone and everyone who loves salsa and mole. I 100% recommend this book!
Spicy Salsas & Moles is 118 pages of pure deliciousness, offering everything from sweet and spicy salsas to cooked varieties. The book is beautifully presented, filled with gorgeous photos that perfectly complement the recipes. Additionally, it includes tips and tricks to help you get the best results from your salsas.
One feature I particularly loved is the spice rating for each recipe, which allows you to control the heat level for your dinner parties easily. I can’t wait to try some of these recipes, especially the fresh salsas, at my next Mexican dinner party.
The book is also easy to navigate, making it perfect for novice and experienced cooks.
Thank you to NetGalley and Familius for gifting me an e-book in exchange for my honest review.
Spicy Salsas & Moles is an amazing cookbook focused on Mexican salsas, moles, enchilada sauces and more!
I love making salsa so I was so excited to find new recipes. This cookbook has a variety of salsas from cooked or fresh to sweet or spicy. I found tons of salsas I've never made before, or things I've only ever had made by someone else. It also contains recipes for sauces for Mexican dishes like enchiladas and mole.
I saved a number of recipes for my arsenal including Salsa Asada de Tomatillo, Salsa para Enchiladas Rojas, and Salsa Cremosa de Aguacate. I will be trying out these recipes ASAP!
I recommend this to people who have never made salsa before and people who enjoy cooking Mexican cuisine. This would also be an excellent gift for someone who likes cooking!
*e-ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
Mexican cuisine is one of my favorites! I'm always looking for new recipes for Mexican dishes. I've tried making salsa before, and this book is a game-changer. It has a treasure trove of easy-to-follow recipes for both salsa and moles. The variety of salsas is astounding, each one full of flavor and authenticity. Whether you're an experienced cook or just starting out, this book is a must-have for any Mexican food enthusiast!
My kitchen is about to get much hotter after reading the fabulous SPICY SALSAS & MOLES recipe book. The photos are splendid, and the recipes made me drool right on my iPhone as I was reading this mouthwatering book. A must-have for anyone who loves authentic Mexican food.
Book Review: Spicy Salsas & Moles by Ericka Sanchez & Nicole Presley
Rating: 4 Stars
As a self-proclaimed lover of all things Mexican food, I was beyond excited to dive into Spicy Salsas & Moles: A Cookbook for Lovers of Mexican Heat by Ericka Sanchez and Nicole Presley. This cookbook is like a spicy love letter to salsa that will undoubtedly make your taste buds dance with joy!
From the get-go, the authors set the stage for a culinary adventure filled with bold flavors and spicy surprises. They share their treasured secrets for crafting authentic salsas that promise to make you sweat—literally! The book covers an impressive array of salsas, including cooked and fresh varieties, as well as moles and enchilada sauces. If you’re in the mood for something hot, you might want to try their Mango Habanero Salsa. For those who prefer a more gradual heat, the Smoky Red Pepper Salsa is the way to go. There’s truly something for everyone here!
The structure of the book is fantastic. After the introduction and some handy how-to’s, Sanchez and Presley take readers through various chapters such as Cooked Salsas, Fresh Salsas, Enchilada Salsas, Sweet and Spicy Salsas, Curtidos and Escabeches, Moles and Pipianes, and even a chapter titled Make It Spicy. I especially loved that they included a recipe for homemade tortilla chips—because what’s salsa without chips? This recipe adds a delightful twist to the classic “love triangle” of chips and salsa.
One of the standout features of this cookbook is the stunning photography. Every recipe is accompanied by a full-color photo that leaves nothing to the imagination. I found myself drooling over each page, eagerly anticipating what I’d whip up next. The visuals truly enhance the experience and make you want to jump right into the kitchen.
Overall, Spicy Salsas & Moles is a delightful blend of flavor, flair, and creativity. It's not just a cookbook; it's an invitation to explore the exciting world of Mexican salsas. Whether you're a seasoned chef or a salsa skeptic, this book will definitely leave you wanting more. I can't wait to try out these recipes and turn up the heat in my own kitchen!
⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️
Spicy Salsas & Moles is a well written and appealing specialty cookbook with recipes developed and curated by Ericka Sanchez & Nicole Presley. Due out 3rd Sept 2024 from Familius Publishing, it's 128 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats.
This collection is packed with authentic salsas and moles, some with a USA fusion twist, but many directly from Mexico. The recipes are grouped roughly thematically: cooked salsas, fresh salsas, enchilada salsas, sweet & spicy salsas (there's a recipe for an absolutely -gorgeous- mango and habañero salsa here), curtidos and escabeches (relishes & pickles), moles & pipianes (sauces/pastes), and spicy condiments & addons. Each of the recipes includes an introductory description, ingredients listed in a bullet point sidebar (imperial (US) measurements only), step by step instructions, and highlighted text boxes with prep time, yield, cooking time, and heat level. Nutritional info not included. Special tools and ingredients are also listed. The ingredients are mostly easily sourced at any moderately well stocked grocery store. Some specialty equipment and ingredients will require a trip to an international grocery store or farmer's market.
The photography is clear and in color. All of the recipes are accompanied by finish/serving photos. The photos which are included in the cookbook are well done, appealing, and (for tutorial photos) easy to follow.
Four and a half stars. It would make an excellent choice for public or school library acquisition, for home use, or for gift giving.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
One of my closest friends is from Mexico and over the years I’ve peppered her with all kinds of “white girl” questions such as “what’s the difference between salsa and mole” and “if you call hot sauce salsa how do you pass it at a table without people being confused between tomato salsa and hot sauce?” (Answer what I call salsa she calls pico) I appreciate her humoring me.
POINT IS I was very excited when I saw this book, especially after learning from Michel just how many different types of moles and salsas there are in Mexican cooking.
This book only slightly disappointed me. I would have liked to see more recipes for the different kinds of mole (this book has far more salsas) and I think it would have been helpful to have some front pages dedicated to the questions I posed to my friend.
I wish I could show this book to my friend to get her opinion.
To end on a high note, there’s a photo for every recipe, which I think is helpful for this type of book. I can often imagine what a meal will look like but not a salsa
Just what I NEEDED! Something I’ve been regretting lately is not paying attention to my mami whenever she made salsas. Now that I don’t live at home and want some salsas, I have to struggle searching on the internet for any good ones. This book came at a perfect time. I love that it has a picture of what the salsa should look like and it comes with clear simple instructions. The ingredients are easy to spot. It even comes with cook and prep times and there’s even a spice level which is perfect. This is a well thought out book that everyone can use. This is the second cookbook I’ve seen from this author and I will definitely be buying more in the future.
Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this e-ARC.
Who knew there were so many different styles of salsa? Not me. This book (with some wonderful and colourful pictures) has brought new ideas to my family Mexican night. The downside is, some of the ingredients aren’t readily available in the UK. The upside is, I’m pretty good at adapting. I also didn’t know what a mole sauce was until I read this book - so tasty and versatile. I pretty much know my own and my families heat tolerance when it comes to chilli, so I adjusted recipes accordingly, sort of, seeing as though I actually like quite a lot of heat. Also - spicy hot chocolate! Yummy. What a handy little recipe book. I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is my honest review.
Very traditional as well as authentic recipes from Mexico. Enjoyed the Spanish names with English translation underneath, keeping the recipes connected with the origins. Accompanied with vibrant photo's as well as tips and tricks for even better recipes this book is an essential saucy book for any kitchen that enjoys learning about global cuisines. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher.
I want to thank Netgalley and the authors for gifting me the ebook! I was so excited to read this. My husband loves everything spicy and I do too but I can only handle a little heat. If you love cooking or hosting parties this recipe book is for you! There is so many good and easy to follow recipes! Guarantee to make any crowd or party guest happy! Also perfect for just cooking by yourself or you spouse. Highly recommend and the photos are really pretty!
This recipe book is my little Mexican-American dream come true. I have learned to make quite a few different salsas but this book offers a plethora of information on so many kinds of salsas. I have already tried a few in here and they were fabulous. Great pictures and easy to follow instructions. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to explore the vast world of different salsas.
This is a great little book of salsas and sauces for taco night and beyond. The pictures are mouthwatering and I can see using some of these outside of Mexican food dinners. My only quibble is the inclusion of bullion in some recipes.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital review copy.
A wonderful cookbook with easy to follow directions with the recipes that you want to try. Many different type of salsas as well. Moles were good and some were very helpful as far as the ingredients go because they were close to some family ones that we were never able to get. Overall a underfull book and one to have on your shelf.
Spicy Salsas and Moles is a Mexican cookbook with tons of mouth watering recipes. If you love cooked or fresh salsa, this cookbook is something you will want in your kitchen! It even has a section called Make it Spicy for those who love heat! I would recommend this cookbook for anyone who enjoys Mexican food!
This is a lovely authentic book of Mexican sauces. There are photos for every recipe, though no nutritional information. I am looking forward to trying some of these.
I read a temporary digital copy of this book via netgalley.
I love spicy so this was right up my alley! Very interesting recipes not your every day run of the mill, grocery store salsa or mole. The authors wrote out the recipes in detailed, easy to follow ways.
Spicy Salsas & Moles is a cookbook specializing in making salsas and moles from scratch. Using these salsas as a base, the cookbook features instructions for creating salsas and recipes in which salsas are the main ingredient. It's a colorful and flavor-filled cookbook.