Latin Grill: Sultry and Simple Food for Red-Hot Dinners and Parties

by Rafael Palomino, Arlen Gargagliano, Dan Goldberg (Photographer)

Bold flavors, minimal ingredients, and a passion for flame! Discover a new spin on grilling, Latin-style, with more than 70 recipes by renowned chef Rafael Palomino, a pioneer of the fresh culinary territory known as Nuevo Latino. A little bit French, a little bit South American, this cuisine is huge on flavor! Bring a fiesta to the table with uncomplicated recipes for everything from grilled Caesar salad to Palomino's famous burger and deliciously simple desserts. Cooling ceviches and juicy cocktails such as Blueberry-Pisco Sours and Grilled Pineapple Mojitos make every meal a spicy sensation.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking

160 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2010

Reviews

[Laura Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Latin Grill is a great cookbook. It starts out by describing charcoal and gas grills and what the best option for your grilling would be. It then moves on to the essential tools you need to grill successfully and gives a short "How to Use this Book" section. I liked these little extras as it is a beginning point that sets out the basics and gets the cook started. For many readers of this book, it may be their first adventure into grilling and I found this to be very helpful. The book contains recipes from drinks, appetizers, main dishes, and desserts that will please every pallette. Simple ingredients to more unusual concoctions are included as well. I liked that it contained both as at times I want something fast and simple and at other times, I want to venture out and try something new. I love the section that contains recipes for the sauces you use. I enjoy making items from scratch and now I can add sauces to the repertoire. The recipes are great for a simple at home meal for the family, yet it includes dishes that would wow anyone you had over for a dinner party. I have tried a couple of items from this book and enjoyed them and can't wait to try every offering in between these covers.

Since summer is in full swing, I thought I would post one of the great drink recipes here for you all to try.

Mango Lemonade
*4 lemon wedges
*2 1/2 teaspoons of sugar
*3 teaspoons Simple Syrup
*1 ounce Sour Mix
*4 teaspoons mango puree
*1 cup ice
*Water

In a large bar shaker, combine the lemon wedges, sugar, simple syrup, and sour mix. Using a pestle, muddle them together. Add the mango puree, the 1 cup ice, and water to fill up the shaker. Cover and shake.

Fill a bar glass with ice. Strain the mixture into the glass and serve.

You can serve this to kids and adults and add some rum to spice it up for the adults.

To make your own simple syrup for this drink:
*1 cup water
*1 cup sugar
Makes about 1 cup.

In a medium saucepan, combine the water and sugar. Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and let syrup cool to room temperature before refrigerating. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

To make your own sour mix.
*3/4 cup water
*3/4 cup sugar
*1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
*1/2 cup fresh lime juice
Makes about 2 cups.

In a medium saucepan, combine the water and sugar. Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and let the syrup cool to room temperature. Add the lemon and lime juices and transfer to a container for the refrigerator. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve never really eaten Latin food before so I thought this would be a good Latin cookbook to start with since I love cooking on the grill. To be honest, most of the recipes didn’t appeal to me a whole lot, but with some minor tweaking I think I could enjoy them. One example is the lamb recipes. I don’t like lamb so I’d have to use another kind of meat, probably chicken. If you ever find a recipe that sounds really good except that it has a meat you’re not really a fan of, you can use this chart to see what a good substitute is.

I do like the other ingredients frequently used in this cookbook, so I’ll probably be using it from time to time when my family gets together for a cookout. My son and his family are vegan, and there are also recipes that will work for them, or vegetarians.

The contents include Hola (Hello), The Big Decision: Which Grill?, Tools For Grilling EN Casa (At Home), and How To Use This Book

The Chapters Are:
Ceviches, Tortillas & Arepas
Salads & Sides
Meat & Poultry
Shellfish & Seafood
Bebidas (Beverages)
Basics (like chicken stock, suaces, simple syrup and sour mix etc.)
Index
Table Of Equivalents

I love the photos that are in the book. They make everything look yummy, even the Shellfish & Seafood, which I’m not a fan of.

[Haley Mathiot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Latin Grill was amazing. That's really the only word I have to describe it. This book has everything: Salads, Meat, Shellfish, Desserts, and even Beverages. There's also information in the front about various grill-type-things like which kind of grill to use, what kinds of tools you need etc.

And the photographs… make me… drool. More than just hungry. drool. *wipes computer off* I've never wanted a salad so badly in my whole life. Grilled avocado on Caesar Salads, grilled Sea Scallops with Avocado and Apple, recipes for lamb, beef, chicken, even duck. It's hard to find a good recipe for Churros (with chocolate sauce!) Semisweet Chocolate and Coffee Brioche Bread Pudding… reading that one almost made me cry. There's a whole slew of lemonades and martinis in the back to top off a fantastic full-course grilled dinner… or just to go with your Sunday-night family barbecue.

Recommendation: hey moms, this would be a great fathers' day gift! There's a recipe in here for everyone.