Meet Miles Standish Pickerel: bamboozler, American ne'er-do-well, and poor gringo extraordinaire. Newly divorced, culinarily clueless, and living in Mexico with his faithful canine companion, Ladrn, he shamelessly prepares traditional Mexican cuisine from low-cost (or no-cost) ingredients. If Miles Pickerel can't raise it, trap it, steal it, borrow it, pick it, or run it over, he doesn't put it in his pot. Neighborhood strays and local farmers beware. His recipes redefine the meaning of eating cheap in Mexico. They include: Suicide Hen, Stingray Stew, Aztec Soup, Fired Tequila Goat, Cortez-on-Foot Burritos, Run-over Rooster, Shrimp Head Omelet, Unholy Mole, Soused Marlin, Cabbage Cakes, and Hibiscus Cooler.

Miles Standish Pickerel lived with his mother until he was thirty-six. After brief engagements as an adulterous husband, a neglectful father, and a larcenous employee, he unsuccessfully impersonated a cardiologist, a cattle rustler, and a visiting dignitary from Guyana. Currently he is at work on the century's first compendium of Mexican mechanics. He lives anonymously in an unnamed city south of the twenty-fifth parallel.

Acknowledgments (Agradecimientos) 8 Foreword (Introducción) 9 Your Chef Today (Su Chef al Día) 11 How Pickerel Turned Culinary (Como Fué Que Pickerel se Tornó Culinario) 16 Pickerel's Kitchen (La Cocina de Pickerel) 16 Essentials and Utensils (Los Utensilios y lo Esencial) 17 Ingredients (Ingredientes) 21 Preferred Brands (Marcas Preferidas) 28 Pickerel's Pointers (Consejos de Pickerel) 30 Beans (Frijoles) 33 Tortillas (Tortillas) 45 Leftover Tortillas, Tattered Tortillas, and Stale Tortillas (Sobras de Tortilla, Tortillas Maltratadas y Tortillas Duras) 53 Sauces (Salsas) 71 Chili Peppers (Chiles) 85 Eggs (Huevos) 97 Potatoes (Papas) 109 Rice (Arroz) 117 From the Garden (Del Jardín) 125 Poultry (Aves) 139 Fish and More (Pescado y Más) 151 Farm, Field, and Front Porch (Granja, Campo y Porche) 171 Soups and Broths (Sopas y Caldos) 193 Deep-Fried (Fritangas) 207 Lime Recipes (Recetas con Limón) 217 Desserts (Postres) 223 Beverages (Bebidas Refrescantes) 235 Appendix (Apéndice) 247 Glossary (Glosario) 251 Index (Indice) 257