Maricel E. Presilla has a doctorate in medieval history. She is the author of a book on the history of chocolate and another on Christmas feasts in Hispanic Caribbean countries. She is a 2012 James Beard Award-winning chef and owns two restaurants in New Jersey.
Now, with the publication of “Gran Cocina Latina — The Food of Latin America” (W.W. Norton & Company, $45), she can add culinary tour guide to her many accomplishments.
The Cuban-born author offers a massive collection of authentic recipes gleaned from cooks in the Caribbean Islands, Central America, Mexico and South America, plus her own interpretations of traditional dishes.
Thanks to her interest in history, Presilla goes deeper than just a recipe and the name of the country where found. She offers insights on how culture, economics, politics and even superstitions have influenced Latin cooks.
There are pointers on regional cooking equipment; the flavor layers of Latin American cooking (the uses of adobo and sofrito); pepper varieties; loaf sugars; ingredients unfamiliar to most non-Latin cooks including the Andean root vegetable oca; and an entire chapter on tamales and their wrappings.
The subject matter is fascinating reading, especially the chapters on breads (corn flatbreads such as arepas); “cebiches” (adding acidic ingredients to seafood); drinks (like Yerba mate); and poultry (“Roast Turkey in Andean Pepper and Pisco Adobo with Roast Plantains and Sweet Potatoes” for Thanksgiving dinner).
This is an eye-opening, off-the-beaten-path cookbook for adventurous home cooks, cookbook readers and as a one-volume reference.
AREPITAS DE QUESO SAZONADAS (SPICY BAKED CORN AND CHEESE PATTIES)
Maricel E. Presilla has taken the corn-flour griddle cakes arepas, found in Colombia and Venezuela, and made them into an appetizer. The recipe calls for precooked white corn flour – harina de maiz blanco precocida. She recommends the Venezuelan brand P.A.N.
1 cup precooked white corn flour
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 tablespoon grated brown loaf sugar (preferably pepelon, panela or piloncillo) or Demerara sugar
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon light olive oil
8 ounces queso blanco (white cheese) (about 2 cups)
15-20 (about 4 ounces) small Caribbean sweet peppers (ajies dulces) or 2 cubanelle peppers, seeded and finely chopped
3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
1 small red bell pepper (about 5 ounces), cored, seeded, deveined and finely chopped (about 1 cup)
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly butter a baking sheet.
Mix the corn flour, salt and sugar in a medium bowl. Pour in the warm water and olive oil and mix with a fork until blended. Kneading with your hands, gradually add the cheese and the rest of the ingredients until you have a smooth dough.
Roll 1 tablespoon of dough (about 1 ounce) into a ball between your palms, then flatten the ball between your hands into a circle 2 inches in diameter and place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
Bake for 10 minutes. Turn the arepitas over and bake for another 10 minutes or until golden. Serve hot.
Makes 24 arepitas.
From “Gran Cocina Latina — The Food of Latin America” (W.W. Norton & Company, 2012) by Maricel E. Presilla
