Recipes from La Isla: New and Traditional Puerto Rican Cuisine

Striking the perfect balance between reminiscence, history and instruction, and chock-full of unique recipes, this charming book may help to usher Puerto Rican cookery into mainstream acceptance. The Rosados rethink the island's tasty deep-fried finger foods so that favorites like Alcapurrias-stuffed dumplings made with a cassava batter-and the turnovers known as Pastelillos are equally tempting in their baked versions. The chapter on salads includes the Basic Avocado Salad and the less frequently found Octopus Salad; rice dishes include Rice with Codfish, with a note to the effect that it has become somewhat controversial because of its association with poverty. The outstanding chapter ``Tubers & Vine-Grown Vegetables'' introduces new preparations for familiar vegetables (Tamarind and Rum Glazed Batatas-the latter are sweet potatoes) as well as tubers such as the yautia, a member of the taro root family, that are less familiar in the continental U.S. While the first-person narrative, which switches back and forth between authors, is sometimes confusing, the Rosados have produced vibrant results with their debut effort. (Dec.)