Hot & Spicy Mexican: The Best Fiery Food from South of the Border

Veteran spice-meisters DeWitt, Wilan and Stock fire up their Hot & Spicy series, this time focusing on Mexico's star, the chile pepper. The authors know whereof they speak-DeWitt and Stock are editors of Chile Pepper magazine-and have assembled a batch of recipes sure to kickstart the tastebuds. The dishes range from soup (Sopa de Calabacitas, squash soup) to nuts (Ante de Almendra, an almond dessert). In between, comes an expanse of chile sauces (Chiltomate, or Roasted Habanero-Tomato Sauce), ""highly spiced meat dishes"" (Chorizo con Chiltepines), ""scorching seafood"" (Jaiba a la Veracruzana, or Veracruz-Style Crab) and ""peppered poultry"" (Pollo en Escabeche Estilo Yucateca, or Shredded Chicken Yucatan Style). A heat scale rates each recipe's fiery potential, though cooks can usually adjust the amount of chiles. One caveat: many of the recipes require advance preparation, and the specific chile peppers called for may not be easily found outside the Southwest or far from a major metropolis. The list of mail-order sources is a reasonable solution, although one that requires patience and planning. A glossary of Mexican chiles and an edifying, illustrated ""Mexican Chile Basics"" section provide entertaining food histories and enormously helpful hints and substitutions. (June)