My Abuela's Table

22 July 2011.
Reviewed by Kerry Boyne

Abuela means “grandmother” and the recipes in this book come from Daniella Germain’s abuela, both directly and via the author’s Mexican-born mother, who patiently wrote down the steps for making the dishes her own mother cooked when she was growing up in Mexico. The author came here when she was two but has returned many times to spend time with family, so the recipes and methods are true Mexican cuisine, not TexMex. So among the tacos, empanadas and enchiladas you’ll also find dishes such as beef in peanut sauce, pork loin in almond sauce, fish pie and Day of the Dead bread. Family photos mixed with beautiful, whimsical illustrations make it a book to savour as it acquaints you with Mexican cooking.