mexico: the cookbook.

i adore cookbooks and collect them compulsively. to me, when well done they are just as much art, as well — art and design books. such pretty pictures can accompany delicious menus, inspiring and enticing you to take chances and try new recipes. but not many cookbooks recently have screamed from the bookshelf, “hey! you need me in your life!” as much as Margarita Carrillo Arronte’s mexico: the cookbook. Not only is the cover just a stunning hot pink, laser die-cut thing of beauty, but the pages within are filled with beautiful and authentic recipes that can be easily recreated at home — 650 of them. From tamales, fajitas, and moles to cactus salad, blue crab soup, and melon seed juice, the recipes in mexico: the cookbook are a celebration of the fresh flavors and ingredients from a country whose cuisine is revered around the world — and one of my personal favorites.

Organized by food type/style — Street Food, Starters, Drinks, Fish and Seafood, Meat and Poultry, Vegetables, Pulses and Rice, and Dessert — mexico: the cookbook also includes an extensive introduction to Mexican culinary history, ingredients, and techniques, while a Chef Menu section proffers inspirational recipes and menus by some of the world’s most prominent Mexican chefs. Born in Mexico, author and chef Margarita Carrillo Arronte has dedicated more than 25 years to researching, studying, teaching and cooking Mexican cuisine. mexico: the cookbook is a love story to native cuisine and the definitive bible of home-cooking from Mexico. now, who wants a margarita?

• architectural photo credits in order of appearance: greg phipps; jordi angrill; and veejay idaho.