Daisy Cooks!: Latin Flavors That Will Rock Your World

Yea, Daisy....do your "thang"...as a Latina who cooks the typical Latin cuisine, I found myself wanting to try out her recipes after watching her show. Daisy puts her stamp on her recipes because she has a flair that can be found in her genuine love for culture and food. I stocked up on her "Top Ten Hits" and my kitchen has been rocking! I highly recommend this book, the instructions are clear, the pictures are mouth-watering, and the stories are endearing. I only wish they add more shows to the network. Oh yea.... when you buy this book, try the Carne Mechada (Puerto Rican Pot Roast) with the Roasted Garlic String Beans Your kitchen will sing with all of the wonderful smells and your family will thank you!

Too bad The Food Network didn't pick up Daisy Martinez because she's as authentic as they get but it's just as well that she's on PBS as she is an asset to them with her cooking. I don't believe Daisy is "too chirpy." That's her enthusiasm coming through for the viewer (and she may have to accentuate it a bit more for the cameras). I'll say this: I'd rather deal with chirpiness than falling asleep while watching some of those boring shows on The Food Network (some of those folks barely speak above a whisper and their monotones are the perfect cure for insomnia). I, too, like the way she included recipes that covered the majority of the Hispanic culture (Spain, being at the forefront, has a library of good food in and of itself never mind the rest of Spanish-speaking countries) but the one thing I appreciated the most from her were her tips on cooking rice. I know people who invested many years in frustration cooking rice and, upon reading Daisy's book, they actually look forward to cooking it now. Daisy rocks because she's so authentic. She doesn't put herself out to be the quintessential Spanish cook and then turn around and cook nothing but noveau, fusion dishes. Two enthusiastic thumbs up!

I do agree with some of the reviewers that Daisy can be somewhat perky and annoying in her television show - but every time I watched it, I found myself salivating over those dishes. I anxiously awaited this book, thinking about all the things I would make - especially the homemade sofrito as I was sick of buying the frozen stuff at my local bodega. I was not disappointed! This book is gorgeous to look at - nice pictures of the food and Daisy's beautiful family. And the recipes are not hard at all. I have been cooking away like a fiend - recreating many of the recipes featured on her PBS show. No one here has been unhappy - or hungry since! The sofrito recipe makes all that frozen stuff appear flavorless! We especially enjoyed the Chicken Diablo recipe - really amazing! Daisy DOES rock!

Unlike another reviewer, I find Daisy a joy to watch and listen to. She is passionate about her cooking and not 'over the top' as some TV cooks are where you need to press the "mute" button to deal with it! I, too, tried her 'Grandma's pork chops' b/c they seemed the simplest one to get started with and they were...not to mention absolutely delicious. The marinade made them tender and moist just like she said it would; and they had such a great caramelized appearance, you ate them with your eyes before taking a bite. Hands down though, if you buy this book for her "yellow rice" recipe alone, it's worth the price of admission. It is so incredibly flavorful and delicious, I never would have thought a rice recipe would have brought me to my knees. I get WOWS everytime I serve it to someone new--even my Latina daughter in law! I find this book serves the purpose (for this "Italian girl") of offering up to me the basics of another culture's dishes that are new to me to make; and in the process, it demystifies it. Being a passionate cook myself, I like using new ingredients I never would have used before yet see all the time...tomatillos, yucca, chorizo, etc.. We all eyeball these items regularly in the produce dept with a feeling of reservation, not knowing what we would ever do with them, so we leave them behind. Now we can "test drive" them. I appreciate her teaching us how to make the flavor bases of many Latin dishes...sofrito, recaito, etc...similar to the pestos and tomato sauces that are common in Italian cuisine, (of which we couldn't live without). When I make Daisy's sofrito, I freeze about 1/2 cup's worth in several baggies; that way, I can easily pull one out anytime I need it. Daisy's sofrito, easy to make, is "the" big flavor to her tasty recipes! Any one of her sev'l versions of Paella (seafood, vegetable, etc.) is the only way to go. (I use authentic authentic Spanish smoked paprika and short-grain "Bomba" rice, available online, but long-grain rice is still good). To learn about and use some of the different Latin spices, vegetables, meats, etc.--this is what makes cooking an exploration that's educational and fun. Chapters are easily organized and the book is easy to use. There is enough here in all food categories (soups, one pot meals, vegetable side dishes, snacks, etc) that anyone should find appealing enough to experiment with...and isn't that what cooking is all about anyway?

I have been a fan of Daisy's since they began showing her cooking show this summer on PBS. She is a real person, cooking real food to those of us familiar to traditional hispanic cusuine. As another reviewer said, they are not extraordinary recipies but they all have a Daisy-fied flare and are not typical to most non-hispanics. You will learn new spins on old dishes and if you watch the syndicated program, you know that Daisy does it all from the heart. She is awesome and so is this book! :)