There are a lot of cookbooks out there. Too many of them come from expected sources and feature too many of the same recipes highlighting whatever ingredient du jour is making the Iron Chef circuit.

I tend to skip right past those books when I am choosing a cookbook to bring to you here. That’s because I love the cultural aspects of food and cooking as much as I do the eating! There is so much to learn about other parts of the world and other people’s lives and food is a great avenue towards understanding other cultures.

These are the reasons I was drawn to this book, Nirmala’s Edible Diary. This book is satisfying to me on many levels. It is colorful and simply laid out. There are (almost) enough great photos of interesting dishes and beautiful places to keep me glued to this book for long stretches of reading pleasure.

What makes this book special though is the adventurous spirit that weaves it’s way through the pages. The author herself, Nirmala Narine, personifies that spirit.

I like spicy food. I like spicy hot food. So it goes to follow that I like Mexican food. But I'll tell you something. Mexican food does not have to be spicy hot.

Here in Los Angeles we get some of the best Mexican food in this country. As much as I like spicy versions of authentic Mexican cuisine. I have eaten enough really great Mexcican food to know that the best of it uses heat in a very beguiling way. That's because there are all sorts of chilis used in Mexican cooking and not all of them are blazing hot.

In fact the best recipes layer the flavors of more than one chili pepper in complex ways in order to build a ceratin taste sensation.

I am going to attempt something like this today. I am making quesdaillas. But rather than starting with and emphasising the heat in chili I am going to use three different chili peppers and bring a distinctive chili flavor, but it's not going to be overtly "hot".

Though it will be spicy and there is a difference.

It’s Monday. Time for a little more tomato love. Of course I mean TomatoMania.

The tomato plants at my house are really picking up the pace.

Plus I went to the Hollywood Farmers Market yesterday and saw a lot of spectacular specimens. Naturally I even picked up a few.

If you have been following Sup! lately then you may know I broke my jaw and am on a liquid diet. Which has made for a week of interesting soups including: Leek and Potato, Poblano and even a dessert version, Plum Soup with Tarragon and Blackberries.

Today being a Maniac Monday I think it is high time I made another of the TomatoMania contest winning recipes. After all we are smack dab in the heart of tomato season. I have great tomatoes I picked up yesterday and even quite a few home grown tomatoes too.

But with my jaw wired shut there are limitations to what I can eat. Never fear. One of the winning recipes is a perfect choice for the season, for the weather and for my “situation”.

That’s right gazpacho. More precisely Nate and Annie’s (from House of Annie) Lazy Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho with Cucumber and Red Bell Pepper Garnish.

I like spicy food.

I even like really spicy food.

In my current state of broken jaw with mouth wired shut, I seem to be missing spicy food. Even more than a nice chewy cut of red meat. I am sure that particular craving will hit me soon (like a ton of bricks). After all my mouth has been closed for business less than a week now. Give it some time. The worst is yet to come. I am sure it will start to get ugly real soon.

But right now, right here, today, I want something spicy and south of the border in flavor.

I’d really like a torta al pastor from any one of the many thousands of taco stands or trucks that dot the corners of Los Angeles (gosh, you gotta LOVE Los Angeles). But pork is not a tune my teeth can tap to anytime soon. Heck even bread or tortillas are out of the question for several more weeks.

What’s a man to do?

Too many people are afraid to cook fish at home. This is a subject I’ve spoken on before in a very general way. But today I thought I should give a specific, simple example of what I mean.

Because, sometimes simple really is best.

Especially when it comes to a tender and delicate fillet of fish. It takes a light hand a few simple ingredients, but a pan sautéed fish is a beautiful thing to behold.

It’s a method you should master.

In this case tilapia, which is a very delicious and sustainable fish. The Seafood Watch rates it a “best choice” if it is tilapia grown and farmed in the U.S. But please “avoid farmed tilapia from China and Taiwan, where pollution and weak management are common.”

Tilapia is a delicate, white (to pinky rose) fleshed fish. It is a very good choice for pan sautéing because it is easy to overcook and benefits from a quick hot pan and all of your attention.

Like I said simple is best.

Chili in Mole Sauce

No, this is not a style of chili incorporating rodent meat.  Mole is pronounced mo-LAY and it is truly a sauce. A Mexican sauce. Perhaps you might even say a Mexican obsession.

It is an amazingly flavorful, deeply complex dish often compared to chocolate. But to my palate it is a much more intriguing mosaic of flavors.

Mole, which is thought to come from the Aztec word “molli” (concoction) has been credited to the nuns of the Puebla de los Angeles. Which is just outside Mexico City. It was to be a very special honorary dish for their Archbishop. He built them a convent. So in other words it’s 400 year-old political payback. Isn’t that how all important work gets done?