The Chilean Kitchen

Starred review from October 1, 2020
This comfortable and authentic introduction to the cuisine of central Chile is authored by Chilean-native Hernandez, now based in Houston, and Smith, an American expat in Santiago. Readers familiar with South American cooking will recognize staples like aji and quinoa, though the authors insist that, when it comes to this vast region, many specific foodstuffs don't cross borders. While even well-practiced home chefs might find it difficult to source some ingredients here, for the most part, the authors do recommend viable substitutes that can be found stateside. Hernandez and Smith plunge readers into four seasonal chapters, with rewarding results. At a glance, among the generally quick-to-make recipes readers will notice less meat and more plants; a focus on stovetop cooking; and dairy that mostly appears in desserts. The final chapter, though, contains the more unusual recipes: Once, a sort of teatime in moderation, is the last meal of the day and can include almost any dish from the food pyramid?avocado toast, fig bundt cake, hot dog (with sauerkraut, avocado, mayo, and tomato), alfajores cookies. Terremoto ("earthquake cocktail"), anyone?(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)