Fiesta Of Flavor Acclaimed Chef Rick Bayless Elevates Mexican Cooking Beyond Basic Combination Plates

It’s not tacos.

Ask the real experts about Mexican food and you’ll hear that a lot. It isn’t neon-green frozen margaritas, quesadillas gluey with cheese or guacamole mashed up with everything but the village well, either.

OK, so what is it?

“It’s a complete cuisine,” says Chicago chef Rick Bayless, a leading authority on south-of-the-border fare. “Usually, when people say that Mexican food is not tacos, I think they are trying to say it’s not only tacos.”

The foods served at typical Mexican restaurants in America are Mexican, says Bayless. But in Mexico, they would be snacks, not entrees.

“People don’t go home after working all day and say, ‘Do you want the combination No. 3 or 4 tonight?’ What’s in Mexican restaurants in America is the snack food, like what you’d get if you went to a drive-in restaurant in this country.”

Bayless, an Oklahoma native whose family owned a barbecue restaurant, has devoted his life to moving Mexican food in the United States beyond those humble beginnings.

In 1987, following extensive travels in Mexico, Bayless and his wife and business partner, Deann Groen Bayless, published their first cookbook - “Authentic Mexican: Regional Cooking From the Heart of Mexico” (Morrow) - and opened their first restaurant, the casual, colorful Frontera Grill.

Two years later came the adjoining, elegant Topolobampo, one of the only fine-dining Mexican restaurants in the country. In 1995, Bayless was named Chef of the Year by both the International Association of Cooking Professionals and the James Beard Foundation.

His new cookbook, “Rick Bayless’s Mexican Kitchen: Capturing the Vibrant Flavors of a World-Class Cuisine” (Scribner), continues the evolution, which Bayless compares to the development of Italian food.

Once, Italian food in the United States was only eggplant parmigiana and spaghetti, he says. But as palates matured, the repertoire broadened, bringing osso buco, risotto and polenta.

“We’re finding that same sort of maturing, away from this Americanized food to something that represents the full breadth of Mexican cooking,” Bayless says. “What we have in the United States represents Tex-Mex border cooking. And that has historically been the frontier in Mexico, the place that was considered least cultured.

“Tex-Mex has its place. It’s delicious and I grew up on it and I often get a craving for it. I never try to put it down. But I try to do more.”

If he were introducing someone to Mexican food, Bayless says he would start with a mole. Mole simply means “mixture” in Spanish (guacamole means “vegetable mixture”). But traditionally, moles are also rich, complex sauces. They are special food, usually served at festival times. Most combine spices such as cinnamon and cloves with a little chocolate and the subtle heat of chilies.

“To me, that is at the very heart of Mexican cooking,” says Bayless. “The particular balance of things in that pot is unique to Mexico and it’s also so incredibly delicious. It’s sort of the zenith of all dishes.

“The interesting thing about mole is that most people don’t make it from scratch, and you can buy some really horrible versions in jars. That’s like saying, ‘I really like asparagus - here’s a can, go and try it.’ When you taste homemade versions, you’re just transported.”

Bayless’ new book includes recipes for eight moles - yellow, red, black and green - most of them intricate and time-consuming.

It begins with 15 relatively easy “essential recipes,” for sauces, salsas, seasonings and corn tortillas, which Bayless calls the building blocks of Mexican cuisine. He includes suggestions for using them with everyday American dishes, such as potato salad with tomato and serrano chili salsa and hamburgers with a pasilla pepper paste.

Main dishes include everything from Chicken in Pueblan Green Pumpkin Seed Sauce to Chipotle Shrimp to Almond-Thickened Veal Stew With Raisins and Olives. And, yes, there are tacos - with such fillings as creamy braised chard, potatoes and poblanos, or tomatillo chicken with wilted greens and fresh cheese.

Here are adaptations of a few of the more manageable recipes in the book to help you learn what real Mexican food is all about.

Essential Simmered Tomato-Jalapeno Sauce

“Why does tradition dictate that we go to the fuss of roasting and frying when a comfortable sauce of canned tomatoes (perhaps with the familiar touch of tomato paste) could be slow-simmered with a little diced jalapeno?” Bayless writes. “Because we want the earthy gustiness of Mexico here, not the slow-simmered sweetness of a typical pizza sauce.”

Generous 1 pound tomatoes (about 2 large, or 8 to 10 plum, for a thicker sauce)

1 to 2 fresh jalapeno chilies (about 3/4 ounce total), stemmed (and seeded for a milder sauce)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil or lard

1/2 small white onion (about 2 ounces), thinly sliced

About 1-1/2 cups chicken broth (a little less for a thicker sauce)

About 1-1/2 teaspoons salt

Roast tomatoes and chilies on a baking sheet 4 inches below a hot broiler until blistered and blackened, about 6 minutes. Turn and roast the other side.

Cool, then peel the tomatoes, collecting all the juices. Roughly chop the chilies. Coarsely puree tomatoes (with juices) and chilies in a food processor or blender (leaving the mixture quite chunky for huevos rancheros, for instance, or processing until smoother for an enchilada sauce).

In a medium-sized saucepan or deep, heavy skillet, heat oil or lard over medium heat. Add onion and fry until browned, about 10 minutes.

Increase heat to medium-high and, when very hot, add tomato-chili mixture. Stir for about 5 minutes as the mixture sizzles, darkens and thickens, then reduce heat to medium-low, stir in broth and let sauce cook at a gentle simmer for about 15 minutes, until beginning to thicken (although it shouldn’t be as thick as spaghetti sauce). Season with salt to taste.

Yield: 4 cups.

Note: For huevos rancheros, fry eggs (2 per person) sunny-side up, slide onto 2 warmed corn tortillas slightly overlapping on a plate and cover with sauce. Garnish with raw onion (rinsed in a strainer for milder flavor), chopped cilantro and a little cheese.

Chipotle Shrimp

“These shrimp were a revelation the first time I bit into one,” Bayless says, “spicy, garlicky, smoky and (like the best barbecued shrimp) not too saucy.”

6 cloves garlic, unpeeled

1 small white onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick

6 ounces ripe tomatoes (1 medium or 2 to 3 plum)

3/4 teaspoon black pepper, preferably freshly ground

1/8 teaspoon cloves, preferably freshly ground

1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 to 4 tablespoons canned chipotle chilies, drained and very finely chopped

About 1/2 teaspoon salt

2 pounds medium-large shrimp (about 50), peeled, deveined, tails intact (see note)

On an ungreased griddle or in a heavy skillet over medium heat, roast garlic cloves, turning occasionally, until soft, about 15 minutes; they will blacken in spots. Cool and peel.

While the garlic is roasting, lay the onion slices on a small square of foil on the griddle and cook until browned and soft, about 5 minutes per side.

Roast tomatoes on a baking sheet set 4 inches below a hot broiler until blackened in spots and soft, about 6 minutes; flip and roast the other side. Cool and peel, collecting all the juices.

Puree garlic, onion and tomatoes in a blender or food processor with pepper, cloves and water until medium smooth.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. When hot enough to make a drop of the puree sizzle noisily, add puree all at once. Stir several minutes as the mixture sears and darkens, then reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook, stirring regularly, until very thick, about 5 minutes.

Stir in chopped chipotle peppers, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the level of spiciness suits you. Add salt to taste. (Sauce may be refrigerated for several days at this point.)

Return sauce to medium-high heat, add shrimp and slowly stir and turn for about 3 to 4 minutes, until shrimp are just cooked through. Season with a little more salt if necessary and serve with rice.

Yield: 6 generous servings.

Note: Larger scallops or cubes of grilled beef may be used in place of shrimp.

Simple Red Mole Enchiladas

“Mole is the soul of the Mexican kitchen,” says Bayless, “and, when it’s lovingly made, it is uncontestably one of the wonders of the culinary world, thick with an unctuous puree of nuts or seeds, rich with chile and complex with a multitude of spices.” This is the version he recommends for beginners.

8 cloves garlic, unpeeled

8 medium dried ancho chilies (about 4 ounces total), stemmed and seeded (available in some supermarkets and specialty stores)

1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, preferably Mexican

1/2 teaspoon black pepper, preferably freshly ground

Large pinch cumin, preferably freshly ground

Scant 1/4 teaspoon cloves, preferably freshly ground

About 6 cups chicken broth

3 tablespoons vegetable oil or lard

2 ounces whole almonds (about 1/2 cup), with or without skins

1 medium white onion, sliced 1/8 inch thick

1/4 cup raisins

5 ounces ripe tomatoes (1 small round or 2 to 3 plum)

Scant 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup roughly chopped Mexican chocolate (about 1-1/2 ounces), or 4 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa

2 slices firm white bread, toasted

About 2-1/2 teaspoons salt

About 1 tablespoon sugar

18 corn tortillas

3 cups poached, shredded chicken (see note)

About 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, for garnish

Over medium heat, roast unpeeled garlic on an ungreased griddle or heavy skillet until soft (it will blacken in spots), about 15 minutes; cool and peel.

While garlic is roasting, toast chilies on another part of the grill; 1 or 2 at a time, open them flat and press down on the hot surface with a spatula. In a few seconds, when they crackle, flip and toast the other side. In a small bowl, cover chilies with hot water and let rehydrate 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Drain.

Combine oregano, black pepper, cumin and cloves in a food processor or blender, along with chilies, garlic and 2/3 cup chicken broth. Process to a smooth puree, scraping and stirring every few seconds and adding a little more broth if necessary. If desired, for a smoother sauce, press puree through a medium mesh strainer or colander into a bowl.

In 4-quart Dutch oven, heat 1-1/2 tablespoons oil or lard over medium heat. Add almonds and cook, stirring regularly, until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove almonds to blender or food processor.

Add half of sliced onions to pan and cook, stirring frequently, until richly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove to blender or food processor with slotted spoon, leaving as much oil behind as possible; add more oil if necessary. Add raisins, stir for a minute as they puff, and remove with slotted spoon to blender or food processor.

Roast tomatoes on baking sheet 4 inches below broiler until blackened on one side, about 6 minutes, then turn and roast other side. Cool, peel and add to almond mixture along with the cinnamon, chocolate and bread. Add 1 cup broth and blend to a smooth puree, scraping and stirring every few seconds.

Increase heat under pot to medium-high and add more oil, if necessary, to coat bottom lightly. When very hot, add ancho chili mixture and cook, stirring almost constantly, until darker and very thick, about 5 minutes. Add pureed almond mixture and cook, stirring constantly, for another few minutes, until thick. Stir in remaining 4-1/3 cups broth (or a little less for a thicker sauce), reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes. Season to taste with salt and sugar, until slightly sweet. (Sauce will keep for several days refrigerated, and also freezes well.)

To warm tortillas, wrap in 2 stacks in heavy kitchen towels. Set up 1 large bamboo steamer or 2 small vegetable steamers over boiling water. Place tortillas in steamer(s) and cover tightly; boil for 1 minute, turn off heat and let stand for 15 minutes.

Toast sesame seeds in small skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until golden, 2-3 minutes. In a medium-sized saucepan, combine chicken with 1-1/2 cups of mole sauce and warm over medium heat.

To serve, scoop 2 generous tablespoons of chicken mixture into each tortilla and roll up, placing 2 or 3 enchiladas per serving on warmed dinner plates. Douse liberally with remaining mole sauce and garnish with remaining sliced onion and sesame seeds. Serve with refried beans.

Yield: About 6 cups sauce, or 6 to 9 servings.

Note: Instead of chicken, you can fill enchiladas with shredded roast pork or turkey or slivered, grilled steak. For a vegetarian version, use roasted sweet potato mixed with grilled or sauteed onion and a little blanched chard.