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Chevy's and Rio Bravo Fresh Mex Cookbook
cookbook reviewschevy's and rio bravo fresh mex cookbook
Chevys & Rio Bravo Fresh Mex Cookbook
List Price: $14.95
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Reviewed by Jane Boaz

Click Here to Buy It On Line!
Review
July 2002

Like the produce it encourages its readers to use, this cookbook's style is fresh and festive. The instruction is lively, yet easy to follow. Annotated with helpful, "Fresh Mex Tips" throughout, the brightly illustrated book includes everything from drinks and appetizers to desserts.

In the "How to Use this Book" section, the authors claim the book contains "about 2,867 recipes" on its 123 pages. They explain that many of the basic recipes are building blocks for the dishes included later in the book. They hope readers are inspired to develop original "fresh mex" creations by first mastering the essentials, beans, rice and salsas.

Cooks are encouraged to read the recipes through before beginning as almost every recipe contains one or more of the "fundamental" components from the first chapter of the book. These fundamentals include Tomatillo Salsa Verde, New Mexico Red Chile Sauce, Chipotle Puree and about twenty others.

Emphasizing that using fresh produce and limiting canned ingredients requires a commitment of time, the "Day in the Life" section of the book details the prep work Chevy's Chef and staff perform daily. The work is time-consuming, but not complicated; mostly chopping, mincing, roasting and blending. Fresh, highly flavored dishes are the worthwhile result.

The authors themselves sum up the theme of their collection best. "Fresh Mex is a philosophy of cooking. But if you've been to Chevy's or Rio Bravo, you know that it's also something more. It's fun. Because when we say "fresh" we're not just talking about a perfectly ripe tomato or a beautiful piece of fish. We're talking about a casual, open-minded, unstuffy attitude."
And the same is true of Chevy's & Rio Bravo FRESH MEX COOKBOOK. It's clearly yet casually and enthusiastically written. The overriding message is clear. Make everyday a flavorful fiesta!

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