Cocina Puerto Rico
Recipes from My Abuela's Kitchen to Yours
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5.0 • 2 Ratings
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- $16.99
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
Cocina Puerto Rico transports you to Borinquen—the Island of Enchantment—otherwise known as Puerto Rico. Or, to chef Mia Castro, home.
Mia spent her early career working under prestigious chefs such as José Andrés, Thomas Keller, and Wolfgang Puck, and later cooked for exclusive clients worldwide as a private chef. In 2020, unexpectedly grounded in New York City, she found herself craving the foods of her native Puerto Rico. Over daily FaceTime calls (that sometimes stretched for hours) with her beloved Abuela Sara in San Juan, Mia collected the time-honored recipes that represent her family’s homeland. Now, applying her professional knowledge, she has expertly adapted these dishes for you to re-create in any American home kitchen.
Cocina Puerto Rico covers everything from salads, fritters, and soups to seafood, meat, and rice dishes to sweets, including re-creations of favorites from the island’s traditional panaderías (bakeries). Classics like Abuela’s Sancocho (Root Veggie Stew with Plantain Dumplings), Serenata de Bacalao (Saltfish Salad), Arroz con Jueyes (Stewed Crab Rice), and Tembleque (Creamy Coconut Pudding) bring the signature flavors of Puerto Rican cooking into your home, while dishes like Tropical Caprese Salad and Caribbean Passion Pie introduce some of Mia’s modern tropical riffs.
Featuring photography shot at Abuela’s house in San Juan, iconic landmarks throughout Puerto Rico, and a design inspired by the sun-washed alleyways of Old San Juan, this book is a true trip to the Island of Enchantment. Whether you want to explore a new destination, savor a unique cuisine, or immerse yourself in vibrant culture and rich history—Cocina Puerto Rico is your way in.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Chef Castro's lively and wide-ranging debut collection pays homage to her Puerto Rican roots and her grandmother's home cooking. After a brief history of the Taíno, Spanish, and African influences on the island's cuisine, Castro covers equipment and pantry essentials, including a useful guide to viandas, the starchy fruits and tubers such as breadfruit, yuca, and chayote, that serve as the "backbone" of Puerto Rican cooking. Foundational seasonings and sauces include homemade adobo and sofrito, while beverages include horchata and cafecito. There's classic pega'o, or crunchy, sticky bottom rice, alongside Castro's unique spin on arroz con pollo, a dish that secured her win on the cooking competition show Beat Bobby Flay. She also shares a recipe for grilled skirt steak or pork tenderloin that took the top prize on Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen. Seafood abounds, from crispy grouper nuggets to saucy crab stew, while plantains and coconut also make frequent appearances. Castro provides useful descriptions for those unfamiliar with the dishes at hand—saltfish serenade is a "down-to-earth Latin cousin of a tuna Nicoise salad"—and shares personal connections (adding beer to black beans is her mother's "special touch"). Those nostalgic for their home cuisine and those new to Puerto Rican fare will be equally taken with this expansive collection.
Customer Reviews
Great cookbook for an introduction to Puerto Rican cuisine
Chef Mia provides excellent directions and details for her recipes. For a novice chef new to this cuisine, her steps and also the background history of each dish is a welcoming experience. A little over a week since purchasing and already have made four dishes - all have turned out great! Highly recommend.
Infinity thumbs up!
This is the most exceptional Puerto Rican cookbook I have ever encountered. The author’s profound love for her family and heritage is evident throughout the book. The photographs are visually stunning, capturing the essence of her grandmother’s kitchen. The recipes are staples of her grandmother’s culinary traditions and are remarkably easy to follow. Additionally, the author provides alternative ingredient suggestions, which is highly beneficial.
I had never imagined that I would be able to recreate my grandmother’s farina again. Her recipe in the book transported me back to her presence. It was the most authentic experience I have ever had, closely resembling the one my grandmother prepared. I am eternally grateful to the book and Chef Mia for bringing my grandmother back to me.