Cookbook: ¡cocina!

¡cocina!

A hands on guide to the techniques of Southwestern Cooking

You think you've seen every Southwestern cookbook possible; in fact, you already have them all. Now there's a book that helps you actually use and understand those chiles and nopales, comals and spice grinders, epazote and other cilantro-esque vegetables.

Unique in the cookbook world, ¡cocina! a hands on guide to the techniques of southwestern cooking, by Leland Atkinson, illustrates specific techniques, rather than outlining recipes by food group or season. Twenty methods in all are reviewed with explanatory notes, step-by-step instructions with corresponding photographs and teaching recipes which utilize your newly learned skills. Several more superb recipes follow. Try the Orange & Canela Flan, Pueblo Mole, Cascabel Wild Mushroom Paste, Goat Cheese & Grilled Vegetable Rellenos, Plantain Empanadas, Poblano and Roasted-Corn Tamale Tarts with Rosemary, and the Roasted Portobello and Marinated Pepper Enchiladas in Red Chile Crepes. Techniques include:

fire roasting and peeling
rehydrating and puréeing dried chiles
pipians and moles
salsas
escabeches
dry rubs and spice pastes
drying meat for jerky
cobblers and crumbles
grilling
range-top smoking
glazing meats and poultry
rellenos
empanadas
tamales
tamale tarts
flautas
enchiladas
quesadillas
cremas and streakers
flans

Atkinson also helps you gather the tools of the trade by discussing foods of the Southwest, required kitchen equipment, and hints on trickier skills such as dry-roasting tomatillos. Notes on "what not to do" are set off in boxes to steer you away from common mistakes. A glossary, conversion chart, and list of sources are also provided.

¡cocina! makes the daunting skills of Southwestern cooking "user-friendly." with it, you can actually savor the gustatory magic and olfactory mayhem of Southwestern cuisine in the comfort of your own home. ¡Salud!

About the Author: Leland Atkinson has been cooking professionally since the age of 14, perfecting the slow-cooked flavors of his native South. He served a formal apprenticeship at the Omni International Hotel in Atlanta, and later worked for both the Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton companies. Most recently he worked with Mark Miller at the Red Sage restaurant in Washington D.C. This is Leland's first cookbook, although he has contributed recipes to various publications including Mark Miller's Indian Market Cookbook (Ten Speed Press, 1995) and Chocolatier magazine. He lives in Alexandria, Virginia with his golden retriever, Bocuse.

¡cocina!
a hands-on guide to the techniques of southwestern cooking
by Leland Atkinson, with a foreword by Mark Miller
1996, 144 pages,
full color throughout, $19.95 paper
ISBN: 0-89815-841-9