Customer Reviews

Latin American Cooking Across the U.S.A.

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

I tried some of the recipes like Fried Adobo Chicken, Oxtail Stew and few others and they all came out as expected. I just wish it came with some pictures because even though I'm some what familiar with Mexican, Panamanian, and Puerto Rican cooking, I like to see pictures whenever I'm cooking something I didn't grow up on.

Himilice Novas & Rosemary Silva have managed to create a unique and totally engaging recipe book. They have combined the art of cooking with the art of story telling and delivered a passionate & spirited collection of Latin American dishes. My favorite dish is the Pargo Dorado con salasa de coco y lima, delicate red snapper in a coconut lime sauce. Another outstandig dish is Abuelita's Vanilla Flan it's smooth & not to sweet. Among a sea of ordinary recipe books, this one sails above the rest and indeed has become my favorite.

This is a great cookbook. If you have any interest in cookbooks that are worth reading, as well as using to cook from, just buy it already. You will learn a lot about Latin American family traditions, too.

More than 10 years ago, while browsing cookbooks at the Strand bookstore in New York, I came across this book, and discovered Puerto Rican holiday recipes. "Why not try them this year?", I thought. So, I made Puerto Rican christmas that year, and ever since. A testament to how good/authentic these recipes are is that in that first year, the guests included my (Puerto Rican) mother-in-law and a family friend in from La Isla. The results we warmly greeted. "Eddie's Puerto Rican Roast Pork" is one of those recipes that is super easy, but will result in an indescribably good dish, and a beautiful centerpiece to your dinner. I have made many of the other dishes, too -- all to great acclaim.

Favorites inclue the "Arroz con Gandules", "Panama Canal Seviche", "Shrimp Seviche", both Flan recipes, and, of course, "Coquito", the yummy Puerto Rican version of eggnog, with rum and coconut.

The stories are as good as the recipes, so even if you don't cook, the book is a terrific read. But, be warned, it _will_ make you hungry.

This book features a wide variety of recipes from across the spectrum of Latin American cookery, including contributions by notables Celia Cruz, Cristina Saralegui and others.

Our favorites have been the "Latin from Manhattan" chicken soup, pork and rice, black bean soup, chicken fricasee *and* the Guatamelan coffee. And this Thanksgiving I will be making the wine-infused turkey! Other recipes include pasteles, chicken and beef dishes, milk shakes and desserts.

There are also interesting side articles such as "How Jamaican beef patties came to be sold in New York pizzerias" (I had always wondered about that!)

A great resource for the novice or experienced cook!

I wasn't sure at first if I was going to enjoy this cookbook because I am not at all familiar with Latin dishes or ingredients. The recipes in "Latin American Cooking Across the USA" are very accessible, as I've read many of them I've thought to myself "that sounds really good", even ones with ingredient combinations and preparations completely unfamiliar. I am happy that this book dispels the notion that all Latin food is super-spicy, there are subtle and flavorful recipes in this book not just heat ( I think Americans have gone way overboard with hot spices and garlic as if that is a guarantee of good flavor, which it is not). It is also interesting to see how recipes have changed because of availability of ingredients in the US or because of change in tastes by later generations. I can't wait to try so many of these recipes!

I tried the Jerk marinade recipe for chicken and curry goat (lamb) and both came out delicious. Even though the jerk recipe I have been following for a while now calls for green onions and brown sugar, both of which are omitted in the recipe from this book, the result (it uses ginger and garlic that I havent seen in other jerk rubs before) was delectable. Following the recommendation of the author, we recently visited Vernon's Jerk place in the Bronx and were very pleased with the food!! I have been dabbling in caribbean/cuban/spanish cuisine for a little while now and this book is a must have if you wanna prepare authentic latin american dishes! This book also has a huge dessert section. Colombian American Guava Bread, Pumpkin Flan and Coconut Bread Pudding all came out excellent! Happy cooking! I am sure this will be a book you'll keep coming back to every time you feel like whipping together something spicy and exotic!

THIS BOOK IS A KEEPER, FOREVER AND EVER. I FELT I WAS TRAVELING THE WHOLE HEMISPHERE WITHOUT LEAVING MY BED! NOT ONLY ARE THE RECIPES DIFFERENT, IMPRESSIVE AND EASY TO PREPARE, THIS BOOK IS A TREASURE OF CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY ABOUT THE MANY LATINO GROUPS WITHIN OUR OWN USA BORDERS. I LEARNED CULTURE AND GOT A FEW LAUGHS AND IMMEDIATELY TRIED SOME RECIPES THAT REALLY IMPRESSED MY FAMILY. IT'S THE BEST COOKBOOK I'VE EVER HAD. IF THE AUTHORS READ THIS, I'D LIKE TO REALLY CONGRATULATE THEM FROM MY HEART!