Shirley Solis - Not Just Tacos A Journey Into the World of Authentic Latin American Cuisine

Copyright 2012 By Shirley Solis
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First Edition: January 2012
Hardcover ISBN: 978-0-9829826-1-7
eBook ISBN: 978-0-9829826-2-4
ePUB ISBN: 978-0-9829826-3-1

1. Cooking 2. Regional/International 3. Cookery, Latin American
4. Cookery, Mexican 5. Meals 6. Entertaining 7. Family 8. Education

I. Solis, Shirley II. Title
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www.NotJustTacos.com

Publisher: Avoley Publishing LLC
Homestead, FL 33031
Photography: Roberto van Dalen
Stock Photos: Dreamstime
Cover design and layout: Alejandro Valoz - Contact Info:
Printed in China.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

T hank you to our Creator for He put everything together and made it possible for me to give life to this book. To my wonderful husband Gusyou provided more encouragement, support, and love than I could ever have asked for. I love you! To my beautiful children; I am so grateful you allowed me to pursue this dream to share our culture with other families.

Ricardo and Mami, thank you for always believing in me. Mami, you are my hero! Papi, thank you for giving me your gift of communication so I can have a voice in the world. Thank you, Diego. A sister couldn't have a better brother than you; you are always there for me. To the rest of my family; thank you for your love and for teaching me to enjoy our Hispanic culture.

Robbie van Dalen, thank you for your amazing photography so vivid it makes everyone hungry!

Alejandro Valoz, thank you for using your gift of design to bring my dream to reality in a way I could not have ever imagined.

Azucena, my cooking partner, I am so thankful for the time you gave to help me prepare all the delicious recipeswe made a great team!

Cindy Wiggers, thank you for being my first cheerleader in this project.

Thank you to the most amazing group of girlfriends any girl could have. Through you, I learned that the gift of friendship is always accompanied with great food!

Thank you to my friends "on the road," who fed me little bits of their culture and allowed me to share some of mine.

Thank you to my new friends who love learning about cultures and look forward to creating beautiful memories with family and friends while making these recipesthis book is dedicated to you!

Foreword

O n a typical Saturday morning, a number of families gather at our home for food and fellowship. On more than one occasion weve laughed about the dynamic blend of cultures tucked into such a small area. Scanning the faces in the room, Ill see friends from Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina, Peru, Puerto Rico, Ecuador who have come together to share an enjoyable day celebrating our friendship.

Although we are all Hispanics or Latinos, we look different. Some of us have dark hair and bronze skin, while others have blonde hair and very light skin. Our shared culture as Latin Americans unifies us. And, our language is what brings us togetherthat is, most of the time. There are times when the same word has a different meaning for each of us. Thats when things get really interesting!

Indeed, our food is as diverse in flavor as those it represents. As we move across borders, the blend of flavors changes to match the geographic region. And with those changes, every taste bud sensation is activated in a deligthful new way.

After traveling for five years around the country with our family business, Lifetime Books and Gifts, my husband Gus and I realized we were immensely fortunate to have both a beautiful heritage and the opportunity to live in a culturally diverse city like Miami. Theres no place quite like it. Virtually every Latin American nationality is represented in this town. Thats a big reason why we have made Miami our home.

During our traveling season, weve met wonderful families around the country, many who have become great friends. Interestingly, just about everywhere weve traveled, weve noticed a particular interest in learning about us as Latin people. This book is dedicated to those friends and families who are eager to know more about our cultural heritage. I invite you to join me in this journey to Latin America where youll learn more about us through our food.

Its a journey worth taking! And, as you travel with me, I believe youll gain a new appreciation of God and His glorious creation. Embracing new cultures through their food will help to give you a new understanding and love for their people.

Our Geography

L atin America is a vast and diverse geographical region, extending from the top of Mexico to the southern continental extreme of Argentina. It includes countries in the Caribbean and those territories in the Americas where Spanish, Portuguese or French languages (also known as the romance languages) are predominantly spoken. In essence, Latin America is comprised of the countries which were once a part of the Spanish, Portuguese and French Empires.

The mixture of these nationalities, coupled with touches of European, Asian, African, and Native Indian cultures, lend themselves to the festive and varied blend of beauty youll find in our people. If you were to visit my native land, youd see theres definitely nothing vanilla about the Latin American geography either.

From the splendor of the Mexican beaches to the wide open pampas in Argentina, youll witness colors as varied as the details of the rainbow itself. Chile amazes us with its glaciers, as does Ecuador with its giant turtles and volcanoes. Brazil offers the breathtaking Amazon River on one hand and the modern structures of Brasilia, Brazil on the other. Colombias toasty sun bakes our skin on its golden beaches, while thick wool protects us from strong winds in the Andes Mountains.