JG’s Bookclub
Latin Evolution
Jose Garces
The flavors and cooking styles of Spain and Latin America have become increasingly popular with American diners and foodies. In this debut collection of recipes, chef Jose Garces explores the future direction of these cuisines through the use of new ingredients and techniques; for example, the classic Mexican dish Turkey Mole featuring sesame-seed praline and shavings of Valrhona chocolate. Professional chefs and adventurous home cooks will find unlimited inspiration in this comprehensive and beautifully designed book.
The Latin Road Home
Jose Garces
Spanning cultures and continents, The Latin Road Home is a look back at the many food traditions that have shaped Garces' culinary life.
Beginning in Ecuador, ancestral home to his family and the foods nearest to his heart, Garces celebrates the traditional recipes of his childhood. The book makes its way through Spain, Cuba, Mexico, and Peru―extraordinary cuisines Garces has come to know, love, and master. He shares not only recipes, but colorful memories of local cultures and insights into their unique ingredients and techniques. The cookbook features over 100 recipes tailored to the home cook, accompanied by over 100 food and travel photographs that truly immerse the reader.
Each chapter features a different country with menus highlighting Garces' takes on both mainstays of home cooking and popular street foods. The book is full of recipes for bright salads and ceviches, comforting stews, hearty beans, and tender braised meats. When a celebratory feast is in order, Jose's party menus are full of hors d'oeuvres, cocktails, and impressive fare for a kind of night where cooking becomes a part of the festivities.
Recipes are titled in both English and Spanish and stay true to their roots. Soulful, vibrant Latin dishes such as these will surely become the home-cooked staples of readers' kitchens: Green Plantain Empanadas with Braised Chicken, Grilled Spring Onions with Almond Sauce, Fried Stuffed Chiles, Braised Beef Stew with Red Beans, Pan-Roasted Shrimp with Tequila, and Salt-Baked Fish with Ginger Oil. From the gastronomic powerhouse that is Spain to the seafood-rich shores of fiery Peru, Garces showcases the heart of Latin cooking with dishes that are at once sophisticated and elemental.
Other Authors’ Books I Love
Seven Fires: Grilling the Argentine Way
Francis Mallman
This is one of my favorite cookbooks. I’ve bought more than one copy over the years. Cooking with fire is one of the most primal ways to prepare food. This cookbook is a great exploration of the techniques that make it so appealing.
Gloriously inspired recipes push the boundaries of live-fired cuisine in this primal yet sophisticated cookbook introducing the incendiary dishes of South America's biggest culinary star. Chef Francis Mallmann—born in Patagonia and trained in France's top restaurants—abandoned the fussy fine dining scene for the more elemental experience of cooking with fire. But his fans followed, including the world's top food journalists and celebrities, such as Francis Ford Coppola, Madonna, and Ralph Lauren, traveling to Argentina and Uruguay to experience the dashing chef's astonishing—and delicious—wood-fired feats.
V Street
Rich Landau & Kate Jacoby
Even though I’m known for my suckling pig and celebrations of meat protein, I’ve always had a great respect for well done vegetarian food. Chefs Rich and Kate have been putting out fantastic food at their Philly restaurants V Street and Vedge for years. If you can’t visit in person, this cookbook is the next best option.