In a Cuban Kitchen

From Publishers Weekly
Garcia, who was born and raised in Cuba and appears weekly on Food Network’s The Melting Pot, offers an attractive cookbook filled with colorful photos of Cuban classics, including a Sandwich Cubano (Cuban Sandwich), Moros y Cristianos (Rice and Red Beans) and Ropa Vieja (Stewed Shredded Beef). Garcia gives the Spanish name for every dish, with an English translation below in smaller print, and places a short glossary at the beginning of the book to help readers with food terms like "culantro" and "chorizo." The recipes lack introductions or even brief explanatory phrases, so readers are left to figure out for themselves the origins behind such intriguing dishes as Tasajo Camagueyano (Salt-Cured Beef), Bacalao a la Viscaina (Salt Cod, Viscaya Style) or Yuca Frita (Crispy Yuca Sticks). Still, the recipes look terrific, and Garcia’s enlightening introduction will help orient home cooks to the various cultural influences on Cuban cuisine.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Book Description
Immensely appealing and alluringly spicy, Cuban food has exploded in popularity. Recently, many Nuevo Latino chefs have chosen to interpret it in various fusion dishes, but the real home cooking of Cuba is delicious and rewarding on its own. Discover in a new cookbook which not only explores the riches of the cuisine but also reveals the unique beauty of Cuba itself. Influenced by the diversity of cultures that have settled on this Caribbean island over the centuries, including Spanish, French, African, Arabic, Chinese, and Portuguese, true Cuban cooking is exciting and varied. From such festive finger foods as croquetas, pastelitos, and bocaditos to traditional entrees like arroz con pollo, picadillo, and bistec emanizado, there's a wealth of savory dishes to explore. Learn how to create the traditional medianoche, or Cuban sandwich, brew a cup of bracing café cubano, and make the sumptuous dessert known as dulce de leche. In addition to the treasury of 100 traditional recipes, compiled by an accomplished Cuban-born chef, IN A CUBAN KITCHEN provides a fascinating look at sugar cultivation, rum production, and other native resources essential to Cuban cuisine.


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Influenced by many cultures, including Spanish, French, African, Arabic, Chinese, and Portuguese, traditional Cuban cooking has a taste all its own. For the first time, acclaimed Nuevo Latino chef and Food Network personality Alex Garcia provides all the instructions you need to recreate more than one hundred irresistible, authentic dishes, and invites you to explore the rich traditions of his homeland. With In a Cuban Kitchen, Garcia shares the classic flavors of this Caribbean jewel, from tapas, soups, salads, rice dishes, and vegetables, to meat and seafood entrees and versatile marinades. Also included are delectable desserts and uniquely Cuban cocktails and coffees. Beautifully photographed recipes allow cooks of every skill level to prepare a variety of Cuban dishes, including Fritura de Ostiones, Ensalada de Mariscos, Sopa de Pollo de la Abuela, Creole-Style Shrimp, Cuban-Style Pork Chops, Arroz con Pollo, Dulce de Leche, and the cocktail of the moment, Mojitos. As an added bonus, you'll find details about native ingredients, reference guides, and a glossary (with substitutions for the more exotic items). Anecdotes and images of the island's history are also provided to help you absorb the rich culture of Cuba. Whether you're a longtime connoisseur of Cuban cooking or a newcomer to its delightful dishes, In a Cuban Kitchen will broaden your appreciation of the country and its unique blend of flavors.


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