A review by Marty Martindale

Just as our feet are itching to journey freely to the tastes and rhythms of colorful Cuba, our eyes can, at least, feast on the bright, lively illustrations by Ximena Maier in Llamas’ A Taste of Cuba cookbook. This is also a chance to bone up on our menu familiarity once we again get to visit. In the beginning of the book, Llamas explains some of the details of the Cuban Table. Next she identifies frequently used ingredients.

Here’s just a few of the dishes she tempts us with:

A couple of interesting and very simple soups: Avocado Soup made with chicken broth, mustard and lime juice. Her Green Plantain Soup similarly calls for beef broth, lime juice and cloves.

Jose’s Ceviche uses king mackerel, onion, lime juice, olive oil and parsley.

Fish in Escabeche is olive oil, onion, garlic white wine, wine vinegar, spices and fresh tuna.

Glazed Sweet Potatoes is a combination of lime juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, butter and dry Cuban cooking wine.

Her Apple-Flavored Banana Ice Cream is a simple recipe calling for apple bananas, lime juice, 7-year-old rum, milk, sugar, light whipping cream and egg whites.

Black Boy in His Shirt is a rich cake made from cooking chocolate, butter, eggs, sugar, roasted peanuts and confectioners’ sugar.

A Taste of Cuba is a pretty little Cuban book, only 139 pages, but filled with the little country’s unique appetizers, soups, main dishes, side dishes and desserts. Generally, it is a good idea to own a lime tree, if you live in Cuba …

© Marty Martindale, 2005, Largo FL

mm@FoodSiteoftheDay.com