After being smitten by the pickled cabbage accompanying pupusas
at a local Salvadoran restaurant, I went on a quest to find
a recipe for the sweet, spicy, crunchy condiment. I dug through
cookbooks, searched the internet, inquired of friends who
had lived in Mexico or cooked lots of Latin American food.
Nothing. Until I found a copy of Celebración (at Ross
Dress for Less, strangely). There it was, right on page 24--and
to boot, the recipe for pupusas--those delectable cousin to
the Mexican (not Taco Bell!) gordita.
I love this cookbook. It's by far my favorite specialty cookbook.
It has a wonderful range of standard recipes from all over
Latin America, including a wide assortment of condiments,
beverages, and dairy-rich desserts. The author of each recipe
preceeds his or her dish with a personal introduction, usually
a vignette of family life. Both Spanish and English names
are included, as well as the country of origin and typical
occasion for serving the particular dish (street food, family
outing, picnic, New Year's, Sunday dinner, birthdays, etc.).
The steps are broken down nicely (e.g., marinating, roasting,
serving), and the instructions are thorough and easy to follow.
It's compact, well organized, and comb-bound, so that it lays
flat while you're cooking. Some of the ingredients, especially
peppers, may be hard to find outside of the Southwest, but
most are readily available via mail order (there's also a
source list in the back).
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