Sandra Gutiérrez's cookbook The New Southern-Latino Table landed on Mexico Cooks!' doorstep to a resounding HURRAY!
Mexico Cooks! does not often get excited about fusion of cuisines. As my friend Giorgio d'Angeli (may he rest in peace) always said, "It usually ends up being CON-fusion." However, every once in a while, a chef and a cookbook cross my path that are the exception to the rule, and Sandra Gutiérrez's new cookbook, The New Southern-Latino Table, is that exception. What marvelous and accessible recipes she offers us!
Jalapeño deviled eggs--an old southern favorite raised to new heights with minced chiles jalapeños. Deviled eggs have always been addictive, and these are even more so. Photo courtesy Sandra Gutiérrez.
To create this cookbook, Sandra took on the blending of ingredients, traditions, and culinary techniques from the United States, where she was born, and Guatemala, where she grew up, as well as combinations of other southern and Latin American traditions. Imagine: what could be more traditional in the American south than pimiento cheese, and what could be more Latin than the smoky taste of chile chipotle en adobo and powdered ancho chiles? Put the two traditions together in this simple recipe and the flavors explode in your mouth in the best possible way.
Sandra Gutiérrez shows you, step by step, the ease of preparing her pimiento cheese with chile chipotle. The adobo (marinating sauce) mentioned in the recipe comes right out of the can of chiles--this recipe could not be simpler or more delicious. You and your guests are going to love it! Video courtesy Cary Magazine.
Sandra assures us that if you live outside the United States, there is no such thing as "Latino". Her 150 original recipes--each developed personally in her test kitchens--are also not Latino, because there is no single "Latino" cuisine. She says, "The term 'Latino' only exists within the context of the United States and is used to define anyone who was either born in Latin America or is of Latin American heritage but lives in the United States. Latin Americans define themselves not as 'Latinos', but rather as Guatemalans, Bolivians, Colombians, Mexicans, etc.
"From a culinary perspective, this becomes very important because not all Latin Americans eat the same foods. Argentinians, for example, don't eat tacos unless they are at a Mexican restaurant; however, they do eat a lot of pasta, because their cuisine is heavily influenced by Italian flavors and ingredients. Each Latin cuisine has been shaped by different cultures and has its own native ingredients and each varies greatly from the other. I cannot stress this enough.
"The new Southern-Latino movement, therefore, does not represent the melding of one culinary tradition with another (as in the case of Southwestern cuisine, where Mexican flavors predominate), but represents the marriage of the culinary foodways of more than two dozen countries with those of the entire Southern region of the United States. For me, it is very, very exciting."
Peruvian classic causas con pulpo (mashed potato with octopus) at Mexico City's marvelous Japanese-Peruvian restaurant Rokkaku, in Colonia Polanco. Mexico Cooks! photo.
Causas (pronounced COW-sahs), Perú's classic potato dish, influenced this seven ingredient vegetarian potato salad casserole from The New Southern-Latino Table. Two hallmarks of Sandra Gutiérrez's recipes are their ease of preparation and the accessibility of their ingredients. Photo courtesy Sandra Gutiérrez.
Bite-size brownies that will bite you back! Sandra Gutiérrez's recipe for rich, moist, and dense brownies meet your mouth with the seductive sweetness of chocolate and sugar. Give them a second, though, and you'll find your palate titillated by the additional flavor of powdered ancho chile. One of these brownies will never be enough! Photo courtesy Sandra Gutiérrez.
Sandra's book includes a glossary of ingredient names, an excellent section on sourcing ingredients that might not be available where you live, and--best of all--a guide to navigating a Latin tienda (store). In the navigation guide, you'll find each section of the tienda explained: dairy, frozen goods, meats, dry goods, bakery, and so forth. It's easy to see that Sandra is a well-known teacher: she has taught literally thousands of people the joy and simplicity of her particular style of cooking. In addition, all of the recipes in The New Southern-Latino Table are superbly organized, beautiful to follow, and offer the home cook exactly what is necessary to achieve great culinary success.
Cajeta (burnt milk--it tastes like a cross between caramel and butterscotch) bread pudding. Buy the book for this recipe alone! Photo courtesy Sandra Gutiérrez.
The New Southern Latino Table has been featured in any number of newpapers and magazines. In the few short months since its publication, it has won several well-deserved awards. Look for the book cover photos to the left on this page: you'll see the book cover second from the top. Click on its thumbnail to be taken directly to the Amazon.com page for The New Southern-Latino Table. Buy it today: I recommend it without hesitation. You're going to love it, and you heard about it first right here on Mexico Cooks!.
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This information is so good. Thank you!
Posted by: ofis takımı | July 19, 2012 at 09:01 AM
I know some people dislike the fusion concept, but I embrace it. I love Japanese/Latino influenced foods & the causas con pulpo are a fine example of successful fusion that I may make myself!
Posted by: david c velazquez | March 17, 2012 at 03:47 PM