Viva Mexico! Viva Veracruz! And viva Zarela Martinez for bringing us the spirit, and verve of Veracruz cooking into our homes. Martinez, as those living in New York City are lucky to know, runs two celebrated restaurants and has authored two previous books.
Veracruz is the favorite destination for Mexican tourists, and is a wonderful introduction to Mexican cooking for those who would like to peek into regional cooking. As Martinez tells us, that "through Veracruz, I came to appreciate Mexico's links with Africa and Cuba. But if Veracruzan food were a poem, every line would be shot through with Spanish references." Those references are Mediterranean in flavor, rich with olive oil, olives, capers, raisins, and almonds. The complex chile dishes are less prevalent in Veracruz than other states of Mexico, and the cooking procedures simpler than in many of those states.
A port city, fortuitously located on the Gulf of Mexico, known for its sweet shrimp and abundant marine life, there are many recipes for seafood, from appetizers such as Shrimp Salad in Avocado Halves and Garlickly Stir-Fried Shrimp, to the state"s most famous dish, Red Snapper a la Veracruzana.
The Veracruzan kitchen also features many pork dishes and Martinez has included many recipes, among them Spareribs with Chile Spiced Pork Sausage. There are beef such as Beef Stew for Fiestas, a stew that uses marrow bones and cumin seeds, and dishes that use classic Mexican ingredients such as Totonac-Style Beans with Pumpkin Seeds, Pickled Chipotle Chiles, Seasoned Mashed Plantians,
, Wild Mushrooms in Vinaigrette, and Coconut Layer Cake. Needless to say, she does not neglect tortillas and tostados.
About the Author: Zarela Martinez was born in Sonora, Mexico, and educated in El Paso, Texas, and Guadalajara, and is considered on of America's foremost authorities on Mexican cooking. Bilingual and bicultural, she is the chef-owner of Zarela, a wildly popular restaurant in Manhattan. She is also the author of The Food and Life of Oaxaca and Food from My Heart. Anne Mendelson is the author of Stand Facing the Stove. Her cookbook reviews appear regularly in Gourmet and the Los Angeles Times.
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