The Cuban Kitchen

July 11, 2011
Roque is the owner of one of Miami's largest bookstores, the Downtown Book Center. Her primary culinary credential is that she was raised in a "proud Cuban household," but that is wisdom enough for this collection of easy, flavorful dishes. The book's 26 chapters are packed with 500 short recipes covering everything from cocktails and batidos to Cuban baby food, ice cream treats, and candies. There are plenty of options focusing on chicken, beef, or pork. The chapter on sandwiches covers not only the classic cubano, but also a pressed ham and pineapple sandwich, and prepared cracker fulana, which is a mini ham and cheese served on saltines. There are more than 20 offerings in the chapter of egg recipes, including eggs malaga style, a souffle with ham, shrimp, peas, and asparagus. Roque also provides several "secrets of a Cuban cook," such as how to clean pig's feet, the easy way to peel a beet, and what to look for when choosing lobster. For adventurous gadget lovers, there is a section of recipes that employ a pressure cooker, while owners of ice cream machines and espresso coffee makers will also find recipes to exploit.

August 1, 2011

Turn your kitchen into an authentic Cuban cocina with these flavorful tropical recipes.

"This book is meant to preserve for future generations the rich culinary tradition of a people, and to reflect the best of my two worlds: the Cuba of the 1950s, when I was a child, and our Hispanic presence in today's America," writes Roque in the introduction. Mission accomplished. With recipes ranging from the traditional (croquettes and empanadas) to the exotic (homemade baby food with tropical ingredients and Cuban candies), the author's guide to all things Cuban also features family favorites and long-kept kitchen secrets. Not just a step-by-step guide, Roque's book is full of warm, cozy kitchen lore, both personal and historical. When offering the recipe for Cuban American Hamburgers, the author writes, "We all had to speak English at the table when my mom had cooked American hamburgers." When instructing readers in the fine art of tamale making, the author traces tamales through the ages—from their origins among the native Ciboney people to their modern incarnation as popular street food. The author begins with lists of equipment and pantry essentials and also provides a list of resources for home cooks in search of ingredients or tools. Helpful tips for a variety of kitchen quandaries, such as how to use leftovers, debone fish or store a suckling pig overnight, can be found throughout Roque's spirited guide to Cuban cuisine and culture.

A spicy mélange of Cuban and Cuban-American cuisine.

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