Finalist, International Association of Culinary Professionals Cookbook Awards in the Literary or Historical Food Writing CategoryWhen her family moved from Puerto Rico to Atlanta, Von Diaz traded plantains, roast pork, and malta for grits, fried chicken, and sweet tea. Brimming with humor and nostalgia,
Coconuts and Collards is a recipe-packed memoir of growing up Latina in the Deep South.The stories center on the women in Diazs family who have used food to nourish and care for one another. When her mothernewly single and with two young daughterstook a second job to make ends meet, Diaz taught herself to cook, preparing meals for her sister after school, feeding her mother when she came home late from work. During summer visits to Puerto Rico, her grandmother guided her rediscovery of the islands flavors and showed her traditional cooking techniques. Years later the island called her back to its warm and tropical embrace to be comforted by its familiar flavors.Inspired by her grandmothers 1962 copy of
Cocina Criollathe Puerto Rican equivalent of the
Joy of CookingCoconuts and Collards celebrates traditional recipes while fusing them with Diazs own family history and a contemporary Southern flair. Diaz discovers the connections between the food she grew up eating in Atlanta and the African and indigenous influences in so many Puerto Rican dishes. The
funche recipe is grits kicked up with coconut milk. White beans make the catfish corn chowder creamy and give it a Spanish feel. The
pinchos de pollochicken skewersfeature guava BBQ sauce, which doubles as the sauce for
adobo-coated ribs. The
pastelón is shepherds pie . . . with sweet plantains. And the
quingombo recipe would be recognized as stewed okra in any Southern kitchen, even if it is laced with warm and aromatic
sofritoDiaz innovates for modern palates, updating and lightening recipes and offering vegetarian alternatives. For the
chayotes rellenos (stuffed squash), she suggests replacing the
picadillo (sautéed ground beef) with seitan or tofu. She offers alternatives for difficult-to-find ingredients, like substi¬tuting potatoes for
yucca and
yautía--root vegetables typically paired with a meat to make
sancocho. Diazs version of this hearty stew features chicken and lean pork.And because every good Puerto Rican meal ends with drinks, desserts, and dancing, Diaz includes recipes for
besitos de coco (coconut kisses), rum cake,
sofrito bloody marys, and
anticuado, an old-fashioned made with rum.
With stunning photographs that showcase the geographic diversity of the island and the vibrant ingredients that make up Puerto Rican cuisine, this cookbook is a moving story about discovering our roots through the foods that comfort us. It is about the foods that remind us of family and help us bridge childhood and adulthood, island and mainland, birthplace and adopted home.
