MACHO NACHOS

This slim cookbook includes preparation tips ("no soggy bottoms!") and fifty recipes, including versions with chickpeas and chutney; Portuguese sausage and artichoke hearts; Thai red curry paste and peanut sauce; and caviar, cream cheese, and chives. The author, who grew up in Texas, notes that the French "would probably utter 'Sacrebleu!' to see a majestic monastery cheese such as Pont-l'Eveque or a delicately nutty Gruyere de Comte adorn a nacho. But don't let that stop you."
          —from The Texas Monthly, January 2004

Macho Nachos
Fifty Toppings, Salsas and Spreads for Irresistible Snacks and Light Meals

Winter 2004 Update: Macho Nachos is in its Second Printing!

The nacho has universal appeal. It's a finger-food, it crunches, it's Tex-Mex, it's tasty. It's quick and easy, yet it's still satisfying. Anyone can make a good nacho. It's casual enough to eat on the couch in front of the game, but it can be gussied up for any occasion—as with hamburgers, pizza, and other wildly popular casual foods, nacho variations are vast, and techniques are important.

That's where Macho Nachos comes in handy, beginning with the fundamentals: what cooking vessel to use, what temperature, which cheeses and chips work best (and which really don't), how to make cleanup easier, how to avoid bad results (soggy on the one hand, burnt on the other). Then onto recipes: Speedy Nachos (the easiest recipes) such as Traditional Tex-Mex Nacho's Nachos; Smoked Chicken, Roasted Peppers, and Asiago Nachos; and Nachos de Carnitas. Then there are Uptown Nachos, for those social situations when it might be necessary to actually tuck the shirt into the pants and perhaps talk to the fairer sex: Jamaican Rum Chicken Nachos; Popcorn Shrimp Baja Nachos; and Crabmeat and Spinach Nachos. There are even Breakfast and Dessert Nachos.

And of course Macho Nachos is a rich source of homemade condiments—the piéce de rèsistance (if you will) of the well-appointed nacho—for those chefs too advanced to settle for a jar: from classic Pico de Gallo to Ginger-Watermelon Salsa, from a Avocado Crema to Chipotle Mayonnaise, here's everything you'd want to drip, drizzle, or pour over your macho nachos. Don't leave the couch without it.

KATE HEYHOE is the co-founder and executive editor of globalgourmet.com. Founded in 1994, the Global Gourmet is the oldest and one of the most successful food sites on the web. Kate is also the author of six other books.

Sample Recipes

• Chile-Rubbed Sirloin Nachos
• Caviar and Chive Nachos
• Traditional Tex-Mex Nachos
• BBQ Chicken Nachos
• Homemade Tortilla Chips
• Hawaiian Pineapple and Canadian Bacon Nachos
• Chinese Firecracker Nachos
• Smoked Chicken, Roasted Peppers and Asiago Nachos

Jacket Design by Jan Derevjanik
Photographs by Thomas Way and Kate Heyhoe
Clarkson Potter / Publishers
New York
www.clarksonpotter.com

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Nachos with Attitude

Review by Tom Mentzer
Scripps Howard News Service

Nachos, that ultimate Sunday-afternoon football food, have undergone a makeover.

In her new book, "Macho Nachos," Kate Heyhoe offers snack junkies almost 30 recipes, including traditional cheese-and-chip varieties and far more exotic fare that won't soon appear at the local taco stand. Consider some of these offerings for your Super Bowl party menu.

Heyhoe opens the book with 20 pages of nacho "tips" ranging from cooking techniques to the proper equipment. But the heart of the book lies in the "Speedy" and "Uptown" pages.

While tasty, most recipes in the "Speedy Nachos" section are anything but. These hot bites won't be conjured up during halftime. But with a little preparation and a preheated oven, there are some real winners.

The BBQ Chicken and Smoked Cheese Nachos offer a nice balance of chip, topping and cheese. As in many of her recipes, Heyhoe doesn't shy away from gourmet cheeses—it's not just Velveeta here. Along with Monterey Jack, the BBQ Chicken chips are sprinkled with smoked mozzarella, an excellent choice to bind the chicken and refreshing Lemon-Pepper Coleslaw.

Heyhoe uses nearly 20 different cheeses or cheese blends. In her intro, she offers advice on choosing the four main types: melters (the base cheese), softies (added after cooking for texture), crumbles (the most flavorful) and dusters (salty and hard, added just before serving).

The "Uptown Nachos" recipes branch out with more epicurean ingredients, but inspired flavor combinations, including Jamaican Rum Chicken nachos and Chinese Firecracker nachos make the section a success.

While some offerings—a ham-pineapple combo and the curious duo of caviar and chives— seem to be filler, there are enough inspired ideas to make this book a worthwhile purchase for cooks who enjoy more than bright yellow cheese and stale ballpark chips.

MACHO NACHOS, by Kate Heyhoe (Clarkson Potter, $16.95)

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