Eat Cuban: Judy Bastyra, Andy Rose
Sprinkled with socio-economic commentary, historical synopses, and cursory food policy judgments, this book offers a modern version of Cuban food with recipes taken from Rose’s Floridita restaurant. I assume the name is a reference to the Spanish translation of “floridita” (the little florid place” or “the flowery spot”) and not Miami, Florida –the capitalist version of Cuba. In fact, Floridita has a branch in London, Madrid, Dublin, and Moscow but not one in Miami, where the authors’ views on Cuba would cause considerable indigestion among many exiles.
That said, any book that is about Cuban food in the abstract –as if it were not from a very unique and fiery island- that took an apolitical posture would be like going to the Kentucky Derby and not betting on a horse. So kudos to the authors for being themselves.
And an enormous high five for the illustration of this book. The illustration oozes the beauty of the Cuban people, Cuban ingredients, the Cuban calle, and the resulting recipes. ..sort of. Not all the recipes are Cuban. In the introduction, Mr. Rose states: “Although Cuba is geographically in the Caribbean, I discovered that many Cubans feel that they are both Caribbean and Latin American. So, on that basis I have widened my ingredients to include some Latin American produce and imagined how Cuba’s cuisine would have developed, had its history taken a different course, enabling a greater variety of ingredients available to its cooks.”
Translation: there are recipes in my book that are definitely not Cuban but maybe they would be if the ingredients I use in London were available in Havana. For example, on pp. 50-51, there is a recipe for “Chilean Sea Bass with Shrimps and Clams in a Beurre Blanc Sauce” that, besides the origin of the fish, is not at all Latin American and about as Cuban as coffee without sugar. I would rather the author said, “I love Cuba, but I am not confined to it.” No apologies required, especially when you are a talented chef.
Top on my list of must-try recipes are the: pineapple sage mojito, the guava duck breast, and the pumpkin salad. Mint is widely called for and there are more vegetables in this book thank in all the menus of Little Havana combined. All of the recipes are accessible and conveniently rated in terms of preparation time. Most could be easily altered to suit the tastes of the executer. Finally, there are recipes for all courses. Three out of five stars.
yi, on November 18th, 2009 at 4:56 am Said: 
