Border Cookbook

The authors of Texas Home Cooking and Smoke and Spice turn their assiduous attention to border food (called norteno in Spanish) which, served from Northern Mexico through the American Southwest, uniquely fuses Native American, Spanish and Western settlers' fare. The introduction points to norteno's distinctive characteristics--including large wheat tortillas, flame-cooked beef and the generous use of cheeses--and discusses culinary offshoots like Tex-Mex, Sonoran and New Mexican cuisines. The 300 recipes drawing from all of these traditions are arranged by primary ingredient rather than by style (e.g., cheese enchiladas are found in the chapter about cheese; beef enchiladas appear in ``Ranch-Country Beef''). Appetizers and accompaniments include regional salsas and the secrets behind perfect guacamole and refried beans. Meat and seafood dishes comprise the bulk of the recipes, from Red Caldwell's South Texas Fajitas to Pinata Pollo, chicken breasts ``stuffed with treats,'' including chorizo, jalapeno and goat cheese. Sidebars detail the history and cultures from which recipes originated; further information about ingredients like nopales (cactus pads) and chiltepins (pea-sized hot chiles) is listed in a glossary. This Bible of border cuisine is as accessible as it is thorough. (Oct.)