Nuevo Latino: Recipes That Celebrate the New Latin American Cuisine FROM THE PUBLISHER
Latin American cuisine has vaulted to the top of America's food scene in recent years, introducing a dazzling, seductive blend of South, Central, and North American cooking, christened Nuevo Latino. Award-winning chef Douglas Rodriguez pioneered the movement, first in Miami and then in New York at Patria and Chicama. The acclaimed chef's signature dishes are collected in his groundbreaking cookbook NUEVO LATINO, the book that set a thousand grills ablaze in backyards and restaurant kitchens across the country. The now-classic recipes celebrate and reinterpret a broad range of old-style dishes from Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, and other countries throughout Latin America. Such utterly unique creations as Grilled Flank Steak over Mushroom Ceviche, Sugarcane Tuna with Malanga Pur�e and Dried Shrimp Salsa, and Chocolate Tres Leches are a feast for the palate as well as the eye. This is the ultimate presentation of revolutionary cooking inspired by the sensational flavors of the Americas.
About the Author: Douglas Rodriguez is regarded as the inventor of Nuevo Latino fusion cuisine. He has been awarded the Chefs of America Award and the James Beard Rising Chef Award. Currently Executive Chef of Chicama in Manhattan, he lives in Manhattan.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
The appeal of this exciting, sometimes downright wacky food from the co-owner and chef of New York City's Patria restaurant lies in its bold combinations. Rodriguez fearlessly mixes metaphors in dishes such as Ham Croquetas with Brie and Wilted Kale; sometimes, as with Banana-Lentil Salad, the combinations are traditional, but new to North American palates. The chapter on salsas and mojos (spicy salsas with garlic, citrus and olive oil) fairly crackles with flavor surprises: Papaya-Mustard Salsa; Ruby Grapefruit, Shallot and Cilantro Mojo. Rodriguez's roots are Cuban, but his influences are broadly Latin American, from Nicaraguan Banana Tres Leches to Peruvian Causa, a chilled potato terrine. Background information on basic techniques and recipes, a glossary of unusual ingredients and a handful of mail-order sources enhance the offerings' accessibility. Rodriguez occasionally drops names into his pleasantly chatty recipe headers, and some recipes, e.g., The Smokeless Macanudo, a filled chocolate cake shaped cleverly into cigars, may be better suited to a restaurant menu than home cooking. But on the whole, bright Latin flavors and Rodriguez's unfettered enthusiasm combine in a collection that only a curmudgeon could resist. (Nov.)
Library Journal
Rodriguez first gained fame as the chef of Miami's acclaimed Yuca restaurant, and his New York City restaurant, Patria, has been hot since it opened last year. A Cuban American who grew up in New York, Rodriguez described his food at Yuca as "nuevo cubano," but since then he's expanded his repertoire to include his own interpretations of dishes from throughout Latin America, including Oyster Croquetas with Banana-Lentil Salad and Boniata and Salmon Tamals. The more exotic ingredients may not be easy to find, and some of the dishes include several separate components. But the recipes are clear and well written, and more ambitious cooks will be tempted to try them. For regional (Miami/ New York) libraries and other collections.
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