The New Southwest Cookbook

Classic Flavors with a Modern Twist

Was recently sent a copy of The New Southwest: Classic Flavors with a Modern Twist cookbook by Meagan Micozzi, who runs the Scarletta Bakes blog, and published by Hippocrene Books. Meagan moved from the East Coast to Arizona where she encountered and was intrigued by Southwestern cuisine, a style that blends Mexican, Native American and American cuisines. She dove right in to learning all about the Southwestern style, including its flavors for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert and more. Her immersion in the topic led her to start her popular blog, which eventually led to the creation of this cookbook. The recipes in the cookbook are all new so they can't be found on the blog, which is fine, because with as much time as I spend on the Internet sometimes I have to take my eyes off of the computer monitor and just read some traditional print.

I've gone through my review copy and left little Post-It flags on all the recipes I wanted to try. I ended up lots of flags sticking out of the book. The book strikes a good balance between traditional and contemporary. There's recipes for Navajo Fry Bread and Chorizo but there's also Vegan Puffy Tacos and Peanut Butter & Jelly Empanadas. And then there's Fancified Frito Pie. Oh, and Avocado Doughnuts. So, with this cookbook you can be traditional without being boring. Right now I'm headed out to pick up some of the ingredients. The first recipe I'll be trying is the Caramel-soaked Mexican Chocolate Pancakes… and then the Skillet-baked Corn Pudding… and then the Hatch Chile Cheeseburgers…