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The
Thing About
Juanes
The Colombian rocker lets us into his studio for a peek into his very
private musician’s world.
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A Feast for the Senses
Fruits from Peru, pork from Spain,
beef from Argentina and Amazonian
health foods are just some of the
year’s fads.
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The Binds of Marriage
Veteran newswoman Maria Hinojosa travels the world on her mission to uncover the hidden
practice of child marriage.
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The Good Fight
Los Angeles philanthropist Antonia Hernandez and the California Community Foundation are in the business of social change.
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A Major League Reinvention
After years of trying to establish a serious following in the U.S., Major League Soccer is hitching its hopes on the growing Hispanic population.
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The Trendsetters
These tastemakers are living the high-life, setting new styles and changing the face of luxury brands.
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A Family Man
Writer, producer and funny man Rick Najera brings his homey brand of humor to the stage with his new play Sweet 15 (Quinceañera).
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A Feast for the Senses
We’ve always known Latin American food is much more dynamic than it’s ever gotten credit for. But now, the rest of the U.S. seems to be
catching on. New spices from Mexico, super foods from the
Amazon and delicious fare from Peru is taking hold
and showing up on some of the hottest menus
this side of the border.
By Idy Fernandez
Surf and Turf
 For Chef Michelle Bernstein, winner of the 2004 James Beard Best Chefs in America: Southeast, new flavors have tantalized taste buds throughout the year. Some of the hottest fare in 2007 has come from Spain and Peru.
“Pata negra is this beautiful black pig that only eats acorns so it’s fattier, the marbling is amazing and the legs are like that of the Serrano jam. I’m on a waiting list for it,” says Jewish-Argentine Bernstein, owner of MB in Cancun and Michy’s in Miami. “The pimientos de pardon are light green peppers that you can grill or deep fry. One out of 12 is spicy so it’s like Russian roulette, but they are delicious stuffed.”
In addition to these Spanish delights, Bernstein says 2007 also saw the emergence of Peru’s cherimoya, an extremely sweet green skinned fruit with a milky white inside as well as the country’s traditional corn nuts, which give a ceviche or tiradito dish a nice clean crunch. Tiraditos are a deconstructed version of ceviche that use slices of fish under Peru’s aji amarillo and corn nuts and cilantro. Unlike its cousin, the ceviche, tiraditos usually feature only one type of fish.
With the welcome return of Argentine beef and adaptations of parilladas (the slow grilling of whole meats) steakhouses are sure to be popular next year, Bernstein says. An added plus is that South American meats tend to be leaner, she says, “so you’ll see more use of pork products, goat and oxtails that are traditional and can be crossed with other ingredients like fish.”
Chupe de Mariscos
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup red onion, minced
1/4 cup red bell pepper, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon aji rocoto (paste)
1 tablespoon aji amarillo (paste)
1 cup dry Spanish sherry
4 cups shrimp or lobster stock
2 pounds large shrimp (about 24), peeled and deveined
1/2 cup fresh corn kernels
1/2 cup peeled sweet potato, 1/4-inch dice
1/4 cup beefsteak tomatoes, 1/4-inch dice with their juice
1/4 cup cilantro leaves and stems, roughly chopped
4 large eggs, room temperature, beaten
1/2 cup evaporated milk
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Heat two tablespoons of the oil in a wide, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onion, red peppers, yellow peppers, garlic, chili pastes and cook, stirring until the vegetables are softened but not browned, about four minutes. Pour in the sherry, bring it to a simmer and cook, stirring to remove the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until the liquid is reduced by half, about three minutes. Add the shrimp stock, return the mixture to a simmer and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Stir in the evaporated milk and cook until the mixture becomes a bit thicker, three to four minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside the broth, keep warm.
Heat three tablespoons of the oil in a very wide, heavy-bottomed sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, season with salt and pepper, and cook, shaking the pan, until the shrimp are firm and pink, about two minutes. Use a slotted spoon to set the shrimp aside in a bowl, but do not rinse out the pan. Return the pan to the stovetop over medium-high heat and heat the remaining oil. Add the corn and sweet potatoes, and cook, tossing, for two minutes. Stir the chupe broth into the pan and heat it up, stirring to loosen any flavorful bits cooked onto the bottom of the pan. Return the cooked shrimp back to the pan, along with the tomatoes and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper, and stir until the tomatoes are heated through. Just before serving, remove the pot from the heat and stir the eggs into the broth; they will form ribbons as they cook in the hot broth, about one minute. Spoon the stew into four to six bowls and serve hot.
Serves four to six |
In Search of Ingredients
 Five years ago Aaron Sanchez had to search far and wide for a food purveyor who carried mamey, fresh guava or culantro, the pungent brother of cilantro that can withstand high temperatures, making it a great addition to slow-cooked stews. Now he can find any of them at the corner store in Brooklyn, where the Mexican native chef of the Food Network show Melting Pot resides.
“I think people are starting to understand the diversity of the Hispanic make up. They’re starting to understand the different ethnic influences in Latin cuisine and the difference between a chile [hot pepper] and an aji [mild pepper used for its flavor not heat],” says Sanchez, owner of Paladar and Centrico restaurants in New York.
More Latin American seasonings such as sofrito, sautéed garlic, peppers and onions that you can now find canned, and recadito, which is a mix of sofrito and culantro, are also easier to pin down.
Sanchez says he’s seen the influx of South American beef and river fish like the merluza from Argentina and Chile as well as the picuruco from Argentina that looks like the strange shellfish offspring of a lobster and a sea urchin. As for beef, Sanchez favors the Uruguayan cuts because of its subtle gamey flavor and leanness.
“You’re going to continue seeing more of a specialization of regions, more restaurants focusing on regions of South America and Mexico and restaurants dedicated to particular foods,” Sanchez says.
Pescado en Salsa de Coco
4 red snapper fillets (6 to 8 ounces each)
Juice of 2 limes
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 medium white onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 serrano chile, minced
1 ripe tomato, diced
1/2 cup dry white wine, such as sauvignon blanc
1 cup shrimp stock
1 14-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup coarsely chopped mint
1/2 cup toasted shredded coconut |
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Rinse the snapper and pat dry with paper towels. In a small bowl, mix the lime juice and half of the garlic together; rub it on both sides of the fish and let it sit for 15 minutes. Heat two tablespoons of the oil in a large saucepan over a medium flame. When the oil is hot, add the onion, celery, serrano and remaining garlic to the pan. Cook, stirring for five minutes until the vegetables are soft. Add the tomato and wine and continue to cook for another five minutes to break down the tomatoes and evaporate the liquid. Pour in the stock and coconut milk, season with salt and pepper to taste and simmer for 15 minutes, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Meanwhile, heat the remaining two tablespoons of oil in a nonstick skillet over a medium-high flame. Scrape off the garlic from the snapper so it won’t burn, and season both sides with one teaspoon each of salt and pepper. When the oil begins to smoke, lay the fillets in the pan. Gently press the fish with a spatula to brown, about five minutes. Carefully transfer the fish to the coconut-broth mixture, browned-side up. Toss in the mint, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for five minutes to finish cooking the fish all the way through. Serve the snapper with a ladleful of sauce and garnish with the toasted coconut.
Serves four |
Must-have
1080 Recipes
 By Somone and Inés Ortega
Phaidon
www.phaidon.com
$39.95
Thirty years ago Simone
Ortega, one of Spain’s most prominent experts in its native cuisine, published a little book of recipes. It went on to become a must-have for foodies around the world and sold millions of copies. Now, after an update by Ortega and his daughter Inés, the English version hits bookstores in the U.S. With an introduction by Spain’s most celebrated chef, Ferran Adriá, the book compiles 1080 recipes from a simple canapé to the more complex lobster paella.
Top of the Shelf
A selection of the finest coffee, cigar and rum.
Coffee
Ospina Coffee
Deluxe Ospina Presidential Coffee
Private Reserve–Premier Grand Cru
Arabica Whole Bean
The history of Ospina Coffee is intrinsically linked to that of Colombia. It dates back to 1835, only a few years into the creation of the Republic, when Don Mariano Ospina Rodriguez, a coffee pioneere searched the mountains of Antioquia for the place to grow the perfect bean of coffee. He set up his plantation and went on to become president of Colombia in 1857. His son, Don Pedro Nel Ospina, carried on the tradition, not only by taking the reins of the coffee plantations, but also by taking reins of the country and being elected president in 1922. Mariano Ospina-Perez, grandson of the founder, went on to run the company, and also to found the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia, organizing the nation’s coffee industry and making it one of the leading products produced in the country. He too became president in 1946. Ospina Presidential Coffee’s long tradition remains alive, and to commemorate its 170th anniversary it is releasing a special edition limited to 5,000 deluxe gift boxes containing one pound of the highest-grade Arabica Typica beans.
Each numbered and certified box of 16 ounces sells for $75.
www.ospinacoffeecompany.com
 Cigars
Fuente Don Carlos
Edición Aniversario 30
Thirty years ago in Nicaragua, Carlos Fuente, Sr. created a cigar he hoped would compare to those his family made in his native Cuba. The original Don Carlos was born, but was driven into exile by the Sandinistas. Production was put on hold for a few years while the Fuente family settled in the Dominican Republic. Now, in honor of his father, Carlos Fuente, Jr., has released the 30th anniversary edition of the original Don Carlos, available in robusto, double robusto and toro. These are very limited edition cigars, so they can be hard to find. They are also considered by many to be the single best cigar in the world, so one thing is sure, if you find one it won’t come cheap.
 Rum
Ron Flor de Caña
Centenario 21 Edición Limitada
Nicaraguan rum may not be as famous as some Caribbean brands, but if quality is what you’re after Flor de Caña’s Centenario limited edition may be your best option. This premium rum is aged for 15 years giving it its smooth, oaky taste. It’s aromatic and thickly textured, and would make a wonderful companion to your Don Carlos, should you find one.
Super foods from South of the Border
 With its deep purple hue and granular texture when pureed, acai (pronounced ah-sah-ee) seems like the blueberry’s Latin cousin, but this Brazilian berry packs a larger nutritional punch with nearly twice the amount of antioxidants and vitamins than other berries.
Super foods like these—predominantly from South America and the Amazon—are hitting the states and appearing on some of the country’s most coveted tables, says Dr. Maricel Presilla, a culinary historian and owner of Chucharama in Hoboken, New Jersey, which earned her a James Beard award nomination for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic.
Found pureed and frozen in stores like Whole Foods, acai is best used in smoothies, drinks and sorbets, says Presilla, a native of Cuba. Its subtle taste has a hint of chocolate, she says, which can be further brought out with a twist of lime.
Other South American super foods include quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) the Peruvian grain that has twice the protein of regular cereal grains, less carbs and some heart-healthy fats; peppers from the Andes and Bolivia such as aji amarillo, rocoto and tomate de arbol, whose shiny and tight skin comes in red or yellow. The tomate de arbol’s seeds are reminiscent of a tomato but its slightly sweet and bitter taste makes this egg-shaped fruit handy for savory sauces, dressings or even desserts, she says.
“We’re starting to scratch the surface, but the availability of ingredients from Peru, Mexico and the Caribbean has become fantastic and the trend will only continue.”
MARICEL PRESILLA’S SAUTeED FENNEL
AND ARGENTINE SAUSAGE
4 large fennel bulbs (about 12 ounces each)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more
for sausage
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/4 cup grated brown loaf sugar (preferably Colombian panela), dark brown sugar or Muscovado
1 small yellow onion, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons Spanish sherry vinegar
Sea salt
1/2 teaspoon smoked hot paprika,
preferably Pimentóin de la Vera
1 teaspoon aniseed or fennel |
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FOR THE SAUSAGES:
6 links Argentine or sweet Italian sausage
2 garlic cloves, mashed to a paste with mortar and pestle or finely chopped
Freshly ground pepper
Sprigs of fresh fennel fronds
Preparing the fennel: Cut off the fibrous bottom layer and the stalks close to the bulb. Reserve some of the feathery greens for garnishing. Rinse, pat dry and quarter lengthwise. Remove the hard core at the base of each section. Slice thinly lengthwise and reserve. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté, stirring, until light gold, about 20 seconds. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until soft, about six minutes. Stir in the sugar and cook, stirring, until it dissolves. Add the fennel and sauté five minutes. Add the vinegar, paprika and anise, and cook, stirring, until tender yet still crisp. Turn off the heat and set aside skillet.
Preparing the sausages: Heat the broiler. Place the sausages in a metal-handled skillet or on a small baking sheet; drizzle with olive oil. Place under broiler, about six inches from heat source, turning several times, until golden, about 20 minutes. Slice the sausages in half lengthwise, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic and pepper. Put back under the broiler until golden brown.
Serving: Reheat the fennel. Mound equal portions on six appetizer plates and top each with two sausage halves arranged in a cross fashion. Garnish with fennel sprigs.
Serves six
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Wines of the Times
Ask Jorge Luis Mendoza, Master Sommelier at Cioppino at the Ritz-Carlton in Key Biscayne, Florida, who the major contenders were in the world of wine for 2007 and you’ll hear some familiar favorites along with some surprises.
“Chile, Argentina, Peru, Brazil and Spain were the big players,” says Mendoza over the phone after returning from a tasting trip in his native Chile. “I just tasted the whites from Chile, some sauvignon blancs that had great character and good minerality because the soil has less erosion on the north side because it rains less there.”
In addition to the whites, Chile delivered an outstanding Riesling, Mendoza says, thanks to the cold weather where the grapes are harvested. This past year the industry saw the return of what was once considered the lost grape —the carmener, which looks very similar to the merlot grape, says Mendoza, but matures later and is vegetable green.
Argentina delivered excellent summer whites that had mellow pear and chamomile notes, Mendoza says, while Spain continued with its high production of quality reds.
Meanwhile, Peru dabbled more in the cocktail area with their pisco, a blend of more than one grape. Its end product is similar to a brandy and is often mixed with juices. Brazil continued to hone its skills in sparkling wine, which was a big hit in England despite the fact that Spain borders it, Mendoza says.
“The consumption of wine has steadily increased in the last 15 years,” Mendoza says. “Wineries are moving from older oaky and dry wines to wines that are expressing the fruit in a glass.”
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