Eva's Kitchen: Cooking with Love for Family and Friends Hardcover – April 5, 2011

Eva Longoria may be most recognized for her role as Desperate Housewives’ saucy Gabrielle Solis, but on her own time, there are few places she would rather be than in the kitchen, cooking the food she loves for her family and friends. Here is the food Eva loves to eat, and the recipes in Eva’s Kitchen trace her life story, taking readers on her culinary journey—from the food she was brought up on to the recipes inspired by her travels abroad to the dishes she serves during casual nights at home.

Having grown up on a ranch with every meal based on what was in the family fields, Eva believes, like so many of us, that good cooking relies on local, fresh, easy-to-find ingredients. In Eva’s Kitchen, she teaches readers essential cooking skills and she sprinkles in the histories and traditions behind her favorite dishes, including personal stories and anecdotes that capture the warmth, humor, and joy of her most memorable meals.

In her first cookbook, Eva welcomes you into her kitchen, offering 100 of her favorite dishes—many of which are family recipes collected over the years—all fused with her passion for cooking. She also shares memories of her Texas ranch upbringing, her very first cooking adventures, vacations overseas, nights in with her girlfriends, and last-minute pre–red carpet meals.

Inspired by her heritage, Eva highlights the essentials of great Mexican cooking, Texas style—with her family’s recipes and techniques for making the world’s best tamales, homemade tortillas, Spanish rice, and Pan de Polvo (Mexican pastry), to name a few. She also offers dishes from a variety of international cuisines, from Latin American to Italian and French, inspired by her globe-trotting travels. A taste of Lemon Dover Sole whisks Eva to a tiny hotel-restaurant she once visited on a trip to Normandy; the recipe for Cannellini Beans with Crushed Red Pepper was a souvenir from a trip to Florence; kimchi adds a kick to her Spicy Roasted Brussels Sprouts, a Thanksgiving staple; and Yellow Squash Soup with Lemon brings her full circle, back to her family’s vegetable garden in Corpus Christi.

With full-color food photographs, intimate portraits of her family and friends, and a glimpse into Eva’s home and her lesser-known domestic side (family first, acting second, she says), Eva’s debut cookbook will entice her loyal fans and inspire home cooks to broaden their culinary horizons and create memorable meals for the people they love.

Guest Reviewer: Rachael Ray

Rachael Ray is a bestselling cookbook author, the host of the Emmy Award–winning syndicated show Rachael Ray, and editorial director of her magazine, Every Day with Rachael Ray. She is also the host of her popular Food Network shows 30-Minute Meals, Tasty Travels, and Rachael’s Vacation. She is the founder of Yum-o!, a charitable organization dedicated to healthy family meals, and Rachael’s Rescue, which helps animals in need.

Eva Longoria is arguably one of the world's most glamorous women--a fixture in the Hollywood spotlight, entertainment magazines, and primetime TV. But after reading her first cookbook, Eva's Kitchen, you will be pleasantly surprised at how much you have in common with this "Desperate Housewife." Eva is much more comfortable in front of a stove than a camera, creating food with real personality to share with family and friends. Contrary to what you might believe based on her dress size, Eva is a girl who loves to eat and makes one hell of a guacamole.

For lemonade

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup hot water
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (from 4 lemons)

For mint lemonade
(2 servings)

• About 12 (3 1/2 cups) ice cubes
• 1 1/2 cups lemonade, plus more if needed
• 6 to 7 sprigs of fresh mint, plus more for garnish

We had lemon trees and mint all over our ranch when I was a kid. I don’t remember when I tasted the two together for the first time, but since then I’ve never liked lemonade any other way. For kids or anyone not drinking alcohol, it’s a fabulously festive and beautiful nonalcoholic treat. Or add a shot of rum or vodka to each glass and make a cocktail out of it!

Instructions
1. To prepare the lemonade, place the sugar and hot water in a 2-quart container. Close tightly and shake until the sugar is dissolved. Add the lemon juice and enough cold water to make 3 cups total. Shake until well combined.

2. To make 2 servings of mint lemonade, place the ice in a blender—it should fill the blender about halfway. Pour over the lemonade. Pull the leaves off the mint and add to the blender. Puree until well blended and slushy. If too liquidy, add more ice and puree; if too slushy, add a little more lemonade and puree until well blended.

3. Pour into two 12-ounce glasses. Garnish each with a mint sprig and serve immediately.

“Eva and I both come from tight-knit families where nothing is more important than gathering for meals and celebrations. Her new cookbook will help entice your family to the table for wonderful memories.”
—GIADA DE LAURENTIIS
 
“Eva’s recipes are simple, delicious, and enticing, and they form a perfect bridge between down-home Texas, Latin zing, and easy-to-make perfection. I’d be happy to eat the spicy stuff in Eva’s kitchen every day.”
—MARIO BATALI
 
"Eva Longoria’s new book Eva’s Kitchen will get us all back to where we belong—the family table. Not surprisingly, it’s done with a little bit of spice! I’ll add this book to my collection for the tortilla soup alone!"
--BOBBY FLAY

“A wonderful book of family recipes and beautiful photos, Eva’s Kitchen proves that you can never miss when you cook with such passion for the people you love.”
—MARCELA VALLADOLID
 
“Eva’s recipes are delightfully personal and refreshingly simple and easy to follow. Aside from the recipes, the book is a gorgeous family album that tells a story that both our families share. I am thrilled to share my palette with Eva, and have her share her palate with me!”
—DAISY MARTINEZ
 
“Cooking and enjoying delicious food is one of Eva’s great passions, and she really puts her heart and her heritage into every dish that she serves. I know you’ll be as inspired as you cook your way through her book as I've been collaborating with her over the years at our restaurant, Beso!”
—TODD ENGLISH
 
“For me, so many of Eva’s recipes are like big hugs from great friends. They’re filled with the flavor of good times with loved ones, and of Eva’s and my shared love of the Southwest—where we were both raised.  Add to those heart-warming recipes a beautiful array of simple-to-do, up-to-the-minute dishes and you’ve got a cookbook to turn to time and again. Eva can cook for me any day!”
—RICK BAYLESS