Liz Caskey is like Wonder Woman--she's an American who worked on Wall Street but then decided to pursue her dream and become a chef and sommelier and move to Santiago, Chile. Along the way, she fell in love with Chilean Francisco Ramirez, her husband/partner/collaborator/photographer. She launched a boutique travel company, giving personalized luxury tours across Chile, Argentina and Uruguay. She's written (and been written about) in a slew of magazines in both the U.S. and South America, and has produced television shows with Anthony Bourdain and Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie.
She's someone I'm also lucky enough to count as a friend, and in all my emails with her over the past few years, she has been encouraging and supportive and willing to share her resources. So I'm happy to celebrate her book with her--a recipe guide across South America--guiding the reader step-by-step through the best recipes from the continent. Empanadas? Quinoa Soup? Corn Pie and Chorizo? She's got them all.
She starts the book by highlighting the people, countries, and native foods and specialties of the countries in the book, along with unique cooking techniques and equipment. Then she delves into the meat of it--and takes you on a whirlwind tour, from appetizers to desserts, of the very best that countries Argentina, Brazil,Chile, Peru and Paraguay have on their plates.
What's great about Knack South American Cooking is that it is simple, step-by-step, and laid out with easy to follow photographs and directions. Liz also included several variations with each dish--for example, adding beef to a stew, serving a different side, or making a dish vegetarian--that add to the scope and variety of the recipes. The recipes are uncomplicated, with ingredients that, if unfamiliar, are fairly easy to find. I kept thinking as I read it over, how I would have loved to have it for all those folks who email me for their kiddo's school reports, 4-H clubs, and Girl Scouts projects on Argentina who have contacted me over the years for authentic recipes. This would be just the book for them!
Knack South American Cooking would be a great addition to your collection, written by someone who has first-hand travel experience in all the countries she writes about. It's available to purchase in my Store. With all Liz's past projects, I can't wait to see what this Superhero comes up with next!
A special thanks to Amy at Globe Pequot Press.
Comments