Norteña: Authentic Family Recipes from the North of Mexico

Passed down through the generations of Karla Zazueta’s family, she explores cooking techniques and ingredients brought in from lesser explored regions. This is a true taste of north Mexico using fresh produce, bursting with flavour, colour and–crucially–history. The Mexican cuisine that most people are familiar with is from the centre or the south of the country, but in Norteña, Karla Zazueta shares the dishes and ways of cooking that she grew up with. Norteña–meaning ‘northerner’–tells the tale of the northern states of Mexico–of the coastlines and fresh seafood, the cattle ranches, sun-ripened fruit and vegetables and the family gatherings around the table.

The recipes in the book include the world-famous Baja fish tacos, ‘piggy’ pinto beans, vegan chorizo, crab tostadas, sopes (corn patties) served in a tomato broth and empanadas californianas (shredded beef empanadas), all accompanied by mouth-watering spicy salsas, fresh queso and zingy salads. There are recipes para la sed (for the thirst), which includes the best margaritas. The book ends on something sweet, with recipes such as Mexican flan and camotes (sweet potato poached until tender in a sweet, spiced syrup).