Customer Reviews

Puerto Rican Cuisine in America: Nuyorican and Bodega Recipes

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I'd been looking for a good Puerto Rican cookbook..When I saw "Nuyorican" in the title I was like Alright!..I'm a Nuyorican and it's been years since I'd tasted any of the old recipes - papas rellenas (stuffed potatoes), pernil (roast pork), tostones (fried green platains) just even some of the basic spices used. There aren't alot of puertorican restaurants here, one cuban restaurant that I know of. I picked up the book and just reading about the spices used helped me figure out what I was missing when cooking some of my Mom's recipes.

There are recipes that call for frying, that's true but as the author states, the idea is cook on very high heat and not to cook too much at once - for me having a deep fryer works great for the recipes that call for it.

I've gone through some of the recipes so far and I haven't been disappointed yet. I've either taken them directly as stated adn/or compared them to my recipes to see what I might be missing.

For those looking to make pasteles, this book even has a diagram on how to wrap them up. Just seeing the recipe for pasteles had my eyes lit up. If you think making tamales is a project, try making a pasteles :-)

This book is definitely worth the price and if he makes another edition, I'll buy it :-)

Finaly I know the secret behind making 'pasteles' and 'sancocho'. Looking through the recipes I was so touched I felt like crying. Perhaps it's silly but food is a huge part of the Puerto Rican culture and there are many foods that take years to learn and perfect, (especially since Abuela didn't believe in measuring anything). A pinch of this, a dash of that. Now I have a strong foundation to build on. It's so wonderful to be able to bring our tradition into my home. This is the most authentic account of Puerto Rican and Nuyorican cooking I have ever read. It's given me a peek at my Grandma's magic in the kitchen and reminds me of home. I strongly recommed this book, no matter what culture you are from. Read, cook, and enjoy!

I've purchased several latino cookbooks, but this one by far captured the most popular dishes cooked at home by my family. The essence of the New York Puerto Rican experience and cuisine is accurately captured. Having moved from New York City to cities where there are few Carribean Spanish style restaurants I had to rely on cookbooks to get those dishes I was missing. In true Nuyorican fashion, it mixes its anecdotes with splashes of Spanish buzzwords. I use this book more than the others because of its simplicity and it's helpful tips on finding or making some of the ingredients. It even tells you how some things can be substituted in lieu of having to make it from scratch.

I use the book now more as a template as I've learned to tweak the recipes to make them more to my liking, but it's a very good starting point. The historical background of our people was a welcome plus and each recipe is followed by a suggested wine to accompany it.

I was really glad to have found this book. I highly reccomend it.

My husband is Puerto Rican, and I love being able to make the stuff his mother and grandmother always made for him. Even his Grandmother loves when I make the stuff from this book!! I love it!

This is the best Puerto Rican cookbook I have seen. The recipes are so easy to follow and fool-proof. I'm Italian and my Hubby is Puerto Rican. Everything I've cooked from these recipes, he has loved....Thank you Mr. Rivera... my Felix has even cooked a few of your dishes!!! Please don't hesitate in buying this book...it's wonderful!!!

This is a fantastic cookbook. I am of English/Irish heritage but my husband is Puerto Rican and I LOVE Puerto Rican food. Puerto Rican family and friends have showed me how to make many dishes but I could never get my rice to come out good. I followed the recipe in this book and perfect! One nice feature is, on several recipes, the author includes 2 or 3 ways to make the same dish based on variations on the recipe within her family. So, there are several ways to try. It also includes how to make a lot of the powdered store bought seasoning (like Adobo) from scratch. I highly recommend this book to ANYONE who loves flavorful food...

It's true that our Abuelas didn't write anything down, rather they cooked from taste and sight. In Latin cultures, food is a large part of the culture because we use this as a time to interact with family and with friends.

This book makes it easy to recreate some of those things for which Abuela didn't share the recipe. Mr. Rivera's recipes are flavorful and are truly the REAL THING!

I love this book. It has lots of recipes, and the instructions are very easy to follow. I have made several of the recipes including Pernil (Roast Pork), Aroz Amarillo, and Flan, they all came out perfectly. Some of the dishes even include more than one recipe. I wouldn't attempt to cook any Puerto Rican cuisine without first referencing this book. My husband and son love it too!

The recipes in this book are easy to follow, and prepare. The first recipe i used was for the chicken noodle soup (Sopa de Pollo con Fideos). The aroma instantly took me back to those cold, rainy, fall days living in New York as a kid because that is when abuelita (grandma) took over in the kitchen and made a HUGE pot of this soup. WOW!!! I enjoy the tastes, aromas, and memories this book invokes. I always compare the tastes to what abuelita used to cook and so far i can not tell the difference. I can not put this book down. I enjoy using the recipes in this book, and my wife enjoys me cooking because it is one less meal she has to cook. These recipes (in my opinion) are as authentic tasting as you're going to get. I sincerely recommend this book to anyone who needs/wants to keep the "nuyorican" palette alive.

Not only does this book have a number of touching and humorous stories to go with the recipes, but it takes the mystery out of cooking pasteles.