California Rancho Cooking: Mexican and Californian Recipes

"Chiles are in our blood, my grandmother told me," McMahan writes, "I pictured rivers of dark chile flowing in our veins." That river of chiles flows not only in the veins of the Higueras, but throughout the history of cooking in California. Beginning with the Spaniards who, by necessity, borrowed culinary traditions from everyone from the Moors to the Indians, and merging with Mexican food drawn from Aztec and other Indian culinary traditions, Rancho cooking evolved as it was carried north through the Spanish territories in California. The Spanish brought with them their favorite foods--tomatoes, squash, pumpkins, corn, and of course chiles, to name a few--and the settlers perfected the art of barbecuing, which was so well suited to their outdoor lifestyle.

What will strike readers first about this book is that the cooking represented is a far cry from the typical Mexican fare we're used to. This food has a sophistication far beyond smashed beans and rice. Olives, figs, fresh herbs, squash blossoms, and pumpkins appear with surprising regularity, and olive oil, not lard, is the fat of choice for cooking. Of course you'll also find many of the dishes that we think of as standard Mexican fare--enchiladas, tamales, quesadillas--but all have a distinctly Rancho touch. Enchiladas are filled with seafood and napped with a velvety tomato-chipotle sauce, quesadillas are stuffed with squash blossoms and epazote leaves, and tamale dough gets extra flavor from olive oil in addition to the usual lard.

As much a history book as a cookbook, Rancho Cooking belongs on the shelf of anyone who calls him- or herself a connoisseur of California cuisine. --Robin Donovan

Product Description

This salad was called Spanish because anything that contained olive oil and olives was called Spanish by the Californios... Once, when upon arriving at our picnic spot it was discovered that the silverware had been left at home. Grandpa took us serching in the woods for perfect little willow branches. Using his pocket knife, he pared twig forks for everyone to use for eating their potato salad.

Jacqueline includes many of the staples of the California diet, such as enchiladas, refritos (refried beans), chile rellenos, tamales, arroz con pollo, and so on. But you're not just getting a recipe when it comes to this book, you are getting a Higuera family recipe. An example of how this book has affected me so far: I was shopping for the ingredients for enchiladas. Her recipe calls for the flour tortillas, but I am accustomed to making enchiladas with the corn tortillas. However, the Higuera family limited itself to the flour tortillas no matter the dish. Somehow, as I was standing in front of the tortilla section in the grocery store, I found myself debating between the corn and the flour versions. As you might expect, I went for the flour. Because that's how the Higueras did it. And I know this woman knows what she's talking about just by how she warns us to save a couple of the enchiladas for breakfast. There is nothing in this world like an enchilada that has had all night to soak in the sauce.

Two more recipes that I want to mention are the Fried Squash Blossoms and the Squash Blossom Quesadillas. Squash blossoms are the flowers that grow on the end of the yellow squash or zucchini. They are a delicacy here in California and, as Jacqueline writes, "It seemed as though the Californios loved the squash blossom more than the squash itself." I can personally attest to that!

Another experience that I had as a result of this book happened last weekend as I was preparing for a last minute BBQ at the park. All I knew was that somebody was bringing the meat and I was to bring the Baby Weber. I hastily grabbed my copy of "Rancho Cooking" and found the recipe for Carne Asada. Generations of asadors are probably rolling in their graves as I write this... Whether the meat was beef or chicken, I knew that the Carne Asada recipe would be fast and a perfect surprise. From ingredients already in my kitchen, I prepared both the dry rub and the liquid marinade. Then off to the park we ran with our tiny BBQ, our rub and marinade, a freezer bag, a brush, flour tortillas, green onions, avocado, lime, and store-bought refrigerated salsa. Once at the park we found our friends and 3 lbs. of chicken breasts. We put the breasts in the freezer bag with the dry rub paste and massaged them together as the grill got hot. Then we tossed the breasts onto the grill and brushed the marinade (red wine vinegar, olive oil, and my addition of cumin) on each side. Once the chicken was ready, it was sliced up into strips and wrapped in the tortillas with the green onions, avocado, salsa, and a squeeze of lime. We had some visitors from France who were quite amazed by this technique! Thank you for the inspiration, Jaqueline!

The next recipe that I am going to try is the Paella Salad. With a bottle of California red wine.


Rancho Cooking   June 22, 2001
In 1988 I bough Jacqueline's first book. I as a native San Franciscan and Chef I was very impressed with her sharing of her family history and culture. I looked to find more copys to give as gifts. I couldn't find it anyware. Until the very first time I want to Amazon there it was at the top of the list. WOW This book is not quite as homey as her first book but its probably a better cookbook and it has more recipes. I use to say that I had a cookbook that even has a recipe for Barbequed Bulls Head and now I have two.