Daisy Martinez - Daisys Holiday Cooking: Delicious Latin Recipes for Effortless Entertaining

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Copyright 2010 by Daisy Martinez

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First Atria Paperback edition November 2010

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Designed by Kyoko Watanabe

Food stylist: Alison Attenborough
Prop stylist: Deborah Williams

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Martinez, Daisy.
Daisys holiday cooking : delicious Latin recipes for effortless entertaining / Daisy Martinez with Chris Styler ; photographs by Frances Janisch.
p. cm.
Includes index.
1. Cooking, Latin American. 2. Cooking, Puerto Rican. 3. Cooking, Spanish. 4. Menus. I. Styler, Christopher. II. Title.
TX716.A1M24 2010
641.598dc22 2010026828

ISBN 978-1-4391-9923-7
ISBN 978-1-4391-9924-4 (ebook)

To my beautiful children,
Mookie, Skeets, Davyl, and Dodey
Thank you for allowing me to indulge my inner child.

For many people, the term holiday entertaining induces fear, if not downright terror. Everyone has heard a story or two of the beautifully browned turkey that is still frozen-raw on the inside, vegetables that are cooked until tasteless, or even, heaven forbid, lumpy gravy that tastes like schoolroom paste. Well, in the words of a familiar cartoon character, Here I come to save the day!

The recipes in this book are arranged by menus, each with a theme. This is not to say that a recipe (or even a menu) that is given for an autumnal holiday celebration wouldnt feel right at home on a winter holiday or an end-of-year party table. For example, the Mushroom-Plantain-Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Mango-Bacon Gravy found in the Cozy Festive Fall Dinner would be perfectly appropriate for New Years Eve, and any one of the soups from the Open House Decorating Party could serve as a delicious first course in any other menu. You get the picture, right?

Ive been able, through the years, to diminish my holiday-entertaining stress by applying a couple of important lessons I learned as a student at the French Culinary Institute in Manhattan: Whether youre cooking for six or for six hundred, the secret to a successful party is organization, organization, organization! With a bit of foresight and a few freezer-safe plastic containers and bags, you can minimize your last-minute kitchen duties, so that you can actively participate in the creation of your friends and familys memories.

First, double up on recipes that freeze well (I let you know which these are right in the recipes) and get a leg up on future meals. Are you making soup for one of the menus? Do yourself a favor and make twice as much as you need, then freeze half and have the beginnings of an impromptu winter dinner with friends or a family meal on a night youre too pooped to cook. Making Mushroom Picadillo (page 13)? Make a double batch and freeze half. Keep the picadillo on hand for Mushroom Croquettes (page 59), a next-to-no-effort nibble to offer with drinks for friends who drop in to wish you happy holidays. The second lesson I learned is to prep foods as far ahead as I can without sacrificing quality. (Some foodslike soups and stewsbenefit from being made in advance.) Wash your salad greens and other components, and store in damp paper towels and plastic bags in the refrigerator. When it comes time for salad, simply dump, dress, toss, and serve! Throughout this book, in recipes and the preparation schedules that accompany each chapter, I point out what can be made ahead of time and how far ahead of party time it can be crossed off your list. Heads up: Youll notice that some of the make-ahead times in the preparation schedules dont match the make-ahead times in the recipes exactly. I grouped tasks together in the schedules in a way that makes the most sense to me. Feel free to fiddle with the schedules, as long as you dont exceed the make-ahead times given in the recipes.

I also like to differentiate holiday entertaining from events during the rest of the year by providing some memento for my guests, whether its homemade, like the Mini-Morsel Mexican Wedding Cookies (page 70), or store bought, like a prettily wrapped bottle of good olive oil or vinegar. One year, at my Christmas treetrimming party, I gave each of my guests an ornament for his or her own Christmas tree or Hanukkah bush; another year, I made coquito (page 151) and gave everyone a pretty corked bottle to take home. Whatever the case, its a very nice touch to honor your guests when your party wraps up.

Last, the majority of the recipes within these pages are extremely user friendly, so that your holiday entertaining is something that you can look forward to with anticipation, instead of with trepidation. Remember that the holidays are truly the most wonderful time of the year to share with friends and family, and this book will definitely help you navigate them, in whatever way you choose to celebrate, with a minimum of fuss. So prepare to deck the halls and party Daisy-style, with a little bit of Latino flair, some sassy dishes, and a whole lot of festive fun!

My daughter, Angela, preparing the Thanksgiving turkey, 1998.

Family hayride at the Christmas tree farm. From left to right: David, Marc, Angela, me, Jerry, and Erik, 2005.

My husband, Jerry, preparing to carve the turkey, 1999.

Angela and my son Erik opening gifts, Christmas morning, 2008.

Angela and my son David decorating the Christmas tree, 2008.