“Eating Cuban: 120 Authentic Recipes from the Streets of Havana to American Shores,” by Beverly Cox and Martin Jacobs (Stewart, Tabori and Chang, 192 pages, $37.50) This team is known for well-researched cookbooks with vivid photos that capture the essence of whatever cuisine they tackle. “Eating Cuban” traces the evolution of the island’s food from its indigenous roots to modern-day Miami and points north.
The book is a lush visual tour of Cuba’s tables, introducing the reader to the Spanish, French, African, and even Chinese influences that flavor the varied dishes.
But the book looks forward, too, with a chapter titled “Cocina Nueva Onda/New Wave Cooking,” with recipes by innovative chefs on the island and in the U.S. These are recipes you can trust, tested right here and in Cuba by Cox, who lives in northeastern Colorado.
“Cooking with Heart: Heart-Healthy Recipes from the Cardiologists and Staff at South Denver Heart Center, featuring Dr. Richard Collins, the Cooking Cardiologist” (South Denver Health Center, 189 pages, $24.95) The authors begin with this: “Cooking and eating for heart health may be the best thing you can do for yourself.” They show you how with recipes, medical advice and solid nutritional information written in a conversational “good bedside manner” style.
The first chapter advises readers to “eat the Mediterranean way:” a diet high in fruit, veggies, whole grains, nuts, fish and olive oil, and goes into friendly detail about how to do it.
The recipes emphasize taste as well as nutrition. Each has a chatty cardiologist’s note, diabetic exchanges, fat/carb/protein content, and an at-a-glance “heart score.” Sold at Tattered Cover, The Compleat Gourmet, and the South Denver Heart Center, 1000 Southpark Drive, Littleton, 303-703-2181.
“Kitchen Sense: More than 600 Recipes to Make You a Great Home Cook,” by Mitchell Davis (Clarkson Potter, 516 pages, $35) Just as Mark Bittman’s “How to Cook Everything” took its place next to the “Joy of Cooking,” “Kitchen Sense” is sure to join those two as a classic reference for beginners as well as seasoned cooks.
The author explains cooking terms such as “blanching” (partially cooking vegetables in boiling salted water), tells how to reheat rice without scorching or making mush, and demystifies emulsions.
Davis, whose sense of humor shines in his previous work, “The Mensch Chef,” aims to fulfill his promise to make you a great home cook with logical explanations, advance prep notes and what to do with leftovers.
“Joy of Cooking: 75th Anniversary Edition,” by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker and Ethan Becker (Scribner, 1132 pages, $30) Seventy-five years after the first book, the Joy family returns to the familiar style that endeared the book to generations of cooks but gradually became fainter with each revision.
New in this edition: 500 recipes, including baby back ribs, Texas caviar, venison medallions, smoothies and enchiladas. Susan G. Purdy, author of the excellent high-altitude baking reference/cookbook, “Pie in the Sky,” tested the high-altitude adjustments in Colorado and elsewhere.
“The Oxford Companion to Food,” by Alan Davidson, edited by Tom Jaine (Oxford University Press, 907 pages, $65) This is the ultimate foodie reference, compiled over 20 years by Davidson (who died in 2003) and first published in 1999. The editor, who worked with Davidson’s widow, Jane, and his long-time assistant Helen Saberi, writes that he found Davidson’s “rigorous curiosity infectious,” as will anyone interested in food.
Starting with “aardvark: The reputation of the aardvark as food for humans is good. It is commonly described as tasting like pork,” and ending with zuppa inglese (an Italian dessert), the book offers, in Jaine’s words, “A marathon of browsing.”
The team did not rewrite the entries, rather, they corrected errors and added 72 new entries dealing with cutlery (including a discussion of what is necessary for civilized dining); doggy (sic) bags (early references come from Washington and California); and myrrh (ancient Greeks added the resin to wine).
Food staff favorites
“Mexican Everyday: Easy, Full-Flavored, Tradition-Packed,” by Rick Bayless
“The 5:30 Challenge: 5 Ingredients, 30 Minutes, Dinner on the Table,” by Jeanne Besser and Susan Puckett
“Get Saucy,” by Grace Parisi
“The Gourmet Cookbook: More Than 1,000 Recipes,” by Ruth Reichl, John Willoughby and Zanne Early Stewart
“Secret Recipes From the Corner Market,” by Carol Ann Kates
“Happy in the KitchenThe Craft of Cooking, the Art of Eating,” by Michel Richard
“Antipasti,” by Joyce Goldstein
“The Red Cat Cookbook: 125 Recipes from New York City’s Favorite Neighborhood Restaurant,” by Jimmy Bradley and Andrew Friedman
“The Improvisational Cook,” by Sally Schneider
“Arabesque: A Taste of Morocco, Turkey, and Lebanon,” by Claudia Roden
