Lorena Garcia - Lorena Garcias New Latin Classics: Fresh Ideas for Favorite Dishes

Copyright 2011 by Lorena Garcia

Photographs copyright 2011 by Quentin Bacon

All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by Ballantine Books, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

B ALLANTINE and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

eISBN: 978-0-345-53018-9

www.ballantinebooks.com

v3.1

I dedicate this book to my mother, who gave me the strength and vision to view life in the best possible way and who made who I am today possible, as well as to all of the Latin Americans who have come to this country, fallen in love, and are proud to be called Americans.

L ove happens in the kitchen. Its in the comforting chicken soup you make for a friend who is under the weather. Its in the outrageously creamy pasta alfredo you cook for a girlfriends night in. Its in the fish tacos you grill for friends picnicking on the beach and in the birthday cake you make from scratch for a child.

For me, cooking is the ultimate expression of love. Through a simple yet flavorful dish, I connect to friends and family in a way that shows them how much I care. Its the gesture of cooking and giving my time to help nurture someone else that is so touching and personal. The food doesnt have to be expensive or fancy; theres a reason why homey recipes like meatballs, pasta, chicken and rice, and guacamole are go-to comfort foods. No matter what your heritage or where in the world you live, giving the gift of a home-cooked meal is always met with appreciation and gratitude.

When I want to share comfort food, however, I have my own take, and what makes my take on these traditional American comfort foods different is the Latin edge, the twist of big and fresh flavors that I give it. I grew up in Caracas, Venezuela, and learned early on that the soul of Latin food is flavor. Its the punch of cilantro, the brightness of acid from freshly squeezed citrus, and the hit of heat from a jalapeo.

The one hundredplus recipes in this cookbook will elevate everyday go-to dishes to a whole new level of flavor, because with Latin cooking, its all about building levels of flavorthe depth of an onion, carrot, and bell pepper sofrito; the richness of homemade chicken stock; the edge of queso fresco. The flavors unfold as you take each bitefresh, bright, concentrated, bold. This dynamic is what makes Latin food so deliciously irresistible.

My approach to modern Latin cooking is all about bringing a variety of global influences to the foods we love. Latin food is arroz con pollo (our famous chicken and rice one-pot meal) and chicken piccata. Arepas, tortillas, empanadas, ceviche, and tacos (of course!), but also soba noodles with ginger and soy, and pork loin stuffed with apples and walnuts with a vanilla mango sauce. Just as American food is more than burgers and apple pie, modern Latin food is more than tacos and guacamole.

Latin cuisine is a melting pot of cultures, and our face is one of many nations and lands. Our food expresses these beautiful influencesfrom China and Japan to Italy, Germany, and Africa, as well as the indigenous cuisine that goes back to the Aztec and Incan empiresbut always with that unmistakable Latin influence. So if youre expecting just tacos and empanadas in this cookbook, youre in for a tasty surprise.

When I was growing up, I was lucky enough to get the best of both worldstraditional Latin cooking and a taste for international cuisines. My mom worked full-time, and while she loved (loved!) to eat, she didnt have much time to cook. So I ate the food that my nanny, Leo, cooked. She made all of the comforting Latin standardsroast chicken, soups and stews, fresh corn arepas, and fideos, an angel hairlike pasta common throughout Latin America.

Mom had a job that required lots of international travel, and she often brought me along. By the time I was a teenager, I had had the unique opportunity to visit the countries from which many of South Americas immigrants came, including Italy, Germany, and Japan, and to taste the food that people from those countries brought to Venezuela. I embraced the exotic tastes, and when I returned home, I would invite all of my friends over and cook them meals based on the many different flavors I had encountered: perhaps ravioli with four cheeses and a cream sauce, or maybe a stir-fry with marinated beef and loads of vegetables. Even before I knew I was all about food, I was all about food!

Though I always loved entertaining my friends and family by feeding them, the thought of being a professional chef never even crossed my mind; there werent even any culinary schools in Venezuela. So I followed in my familys footsteps and went to law school, all the while hosting dinners and parties at my home. I continued to cook, travel, experiment, and be inspired. It wasnt long before I had successfully combined my two worlds, applying the basics of good Latin cookingfor example, punching up the flavor of a dish with a salsato recipes that came from around the world.

Shortly after I graduated from law school in 2000, my family and I moved to Miami. I continued to cook and entertain constantly, always keeping food simple and tasty, and letting the ingredients speak for themselves. Soon it was obvious that I was way more passionate about food than I was about law, and it wasnt long before an old family friend suggested I go to culinary school. Fast forward to one year later, and there I was, about to graduate from Johnson & Wales Universityall I had left was to complete my internship.

During my last month on the job, I was frying a fish and the oil splashed up onto my face, scalding my skin so severely that I remained in the hospital for weeks recovering from the burns. Though I was emotionally and physically traumatized, I realized that I couldnt let my injury keep me from becoming a chef; I accepted my accident as a part of my educational journey. After being discharged, I hit the road, taking myself on a multicontinent tour of the best kitchens and cooking alongside some of the finest chefs in Europe and Asia. Through that experience, I defined my cooking stylemodern Latin with a global twistand soon started thinking about opening my own restaurant. After doing a lot of soul-searching, I returned to the States and made my dreams of being a chef in my own kitchen a reality.

By 2004, I had opened two successful restaurants in Miami, Food Caf and Elements; hosted a TV show on Telemundo and on Univisions Despierta Amrica; opened Lorena Garcia Cocina, my airport restaurant; and launched Big Chef, Little Chef, an initiative that educates families about eating healthfully in an effort to reduce childhood obesity. I also participated in CNNs acclaimed