Off the Shelf: A taste of Mexico -- straight from East Bay

You might not think that folks with surnames such as Schnetz and Savitsky would be able to whip up a decent pozole or fideo, but the two chefs of the Oakland restaurant Doña Tomás prove it's what's in one's heart and taste buds that counts.

The hearts of Thomas Schnetz, who grew up in Land Park and is a nephew of writer Richard Rodriguez, and Dona Savitsky are definitely hanging out somewhere south of Rosarito, and while the spicing is unmistakably Mexican, they also emphasize using what's fresh right here in Northern California. As one of the chefs put it, "No burritos or nachos in sight."

"Doña Tomás: Discovering Authentic Mexican Cooking" (Ten Speed Press, $29.95, 216 pages) pulses with the vibrant colors of Mexico -- reds, golds, apple green and deep cielo blue. It invites readers in for desayuno (breakfast), almuerzo (lunch) and cena (dinner) after spending about 30 pages going over the basics -- everything from choosing the best nopales and pepitas to the proper pressing of tortillas. And an introduction by Rodriguez puts it all in context.

There are plenty of desserts and beverages sprinkled throughout, and a chapter on salads and sides. Almost every page offers a surprise, either in making the familiar new (tortillas filled with roasted sweet potatoes) or in combining much-loved ingredients (achiote, masa and shrimp) into combinations never before experienced.

The sopa de lima was a glorious find; don't underestimate what some crushed tortilla chips, a little chopped jalapeño and a squeeze of fresh lime can do for an otherwise basic chicken soup.

The good news is that the recipes stay surprisingly simple to follow, and they rarely go beyond two pages. Nor will a cook often have to flip around to find extra sauces and salsas to go with a dish.

There are lots of seafood-based dishes, such as the tasty crab taquitos and their avocado-tomatillo topping that stayed a perky green well into the next evening, and great vegetable preparations such as slow-cooked green beans; Swiss chard tortilla casserole; grilled corn with chili and lime; and wilted cabbage with baked goat cheese.

Before Schnetz joined forces again with Savitsky, whom he met while working at Square One in San Francisco in the early '90s, he opened Marshall Grounds with his brother in midtown Sacramento.

Our loss is the Bay Area's gain -- but ours as well, if Schnetz and Savitsky can keep recipes as wonderful as these coming our way.

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Taquitos de jaiba (Fried crab-stuffed corn tortillas)

Prep time: 50 minutes | Cook time: 30 minutes | Serves 6

You might have sauce left over, and that's OK; it'll stay a vibrant green until the next day. It's a good dip for tortilla chips.

Note: The cook time includes cooking the taquitos in 6 batches.

Ingredients

Avocado salsa
1 1/2 cups tomatillos (about  1/2 pound)
2 small or 1 large avocado, peeled and pitted
1/2 jalapeño pepper
1 clove garlic
1/4 bunch cilantro, stemmed
1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
Filling
2 tablespoons canola oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided use
3/4 cup finely chopped shallot
3/4 cup finely chopped celery
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste
1 1/2 cups peeled and finely chopped carrot
Zest of 2 limes
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 pound crabmeat
18 (5-inch) fresh corn tortillas
3 to 4 cups canola oil, for frying
Kosher salt
1/2 bunch cilantro, stemmed, chopped

Instructions

To prepare the salsa: Soak the tomatillos in cold water for a few minutes, then peel off and discard the husks. Place the tomatillos in a blender with the avocados, jalapeño, garlic, cilantro and salt. Blend on high speed until smooth and vibrant in color; it should be thicker than gravy but thinner than guacamole. Adjust the seasoning with salt as necessary.

To prepare the filling: Heat oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. When oil is hot, add about 1 tablespoon of butter and the shallots and sweat for about 2 minutes, until translucent. Decrease the heat as necessary to prevent browning.

Add celery and a few pinches of salt and sauté for about 3 minutes, until softened slightly. Add carrot and cook for about 4 minutes, until fork- tender. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter, lime zest and chili powder, stirring until the butter is melted.

Remove from heat and allow to cool. Add crab and stir gently, being careful not to break up any nice crab pieces. Adjust seasoning as necessary (the crab will be naturally salty).

In a microwave, heat tortillas on high for 30-45 seconds, until softened. Stack tortillas on a plate and cover with a kitchen towel so they retain their heat and pliability.

Place about 3 tablespoons of crab mixture in a line about  1/3 of way from bottom edge of each tortilla. Gently fold bottom of tortilla over filling and roll up like a cigar. The cylinders should be a little more than 1 inch in diameter. To keep tortillas rolled up, place 3 rolls side by side and pierce through all of them with 2 evenly spaced wooden skewers. Spread the rolls out on the skewers to maintain 1 to 2 inches between them.

Place a large skillet over high heat and pour in the oil to a depth of 1 1/2 inches. Test the oil's heat by gently submerging a set of skewered taquitos -- the oil should start quickly bubbling on contact. (If the bubbles roar and spatter, the oil is too hot; if the bubbles are slow and lazy, it's not hot enough.) Working in batches, fry the taquitos for 2 to 3 minutes, until lightly browned. The taquitos should be fully submerged during cooking.

Transfer taquitos to paper towels to drain and sprinkle lightly with salt while still hot. Unskewer taquitos onto a platter, sprinkle with cilantro and serve at once with avocado salsa.

Per serving: 499 cal.; 23 g pro.; 49 g carb.; 25 g fat (6 sat., 13 monounsat., 6 polyunsat.); 69 mg chol.; 1,222 mg sod.; 8 g fiber; 3 g sugar; 45 percent calories from fat.

About the writer:

• The Bee's Lori Korleski Richardson can be reached at (916) 321-1114 or lkorleski@sacbee.com.