Unpretentious Latin home cooking gets a glossy sheen in this friendly, comprehensive cookbook. Martinez—star of the Food Network's Viva Daisy!
—draws from her own Puerto Rican traditions as well as her annual family journeys to Spanish-speaking countries around the world for her ambitious collection of recipes. Martinez also covers a wide array of events, from cocktail parties to elaborate dinner parties and weekend brunches. She tailors her recipes for the time-strapped with such dishes as “Faster-Than-Takeout Chicken in Green Sauce” alongside special chapters on “weeknight” dishes, like her guava–cream cheese turnovers with frozen puff pastry and “a stitch in time” tips for making dishes ahead. Though simplified, her recipes still incorporate their distinct regional flavors—with ingredients such as salt cod, alcaparrado
, and coconut milk. (Mar.)
