Jose Garces: The Latin Road Home

The Latin road that Garces has laid out in the U.S. is marked by 15 restaurants across 5 cities, from Philadelphia to Palm Springs. But the road he navigates in this, his second cookbook (after Latin Evolution), is one of time travel and cultural influences. A mix of culinary memories and flavorful, inspired recipes, each chapter focuses on a particular country. He begins with his grandmother's homeland, Ecuador, and the foods he knew as a child such as fried pork, and warm hominy salad. Then he is off to Spain, where he was a rookie cook on the Costa del Sol, offering seafood dishes like Spanish octopus with potato confit. Next comes Cuba, his wife's birthright, and a ropa vieja with red beans, prepared in a pressure cooker with plenty of onion and peppers. His ties to Mexico and Peru are perhaps a bit less personal, but the recipes no less heartfelt. A Mexican cactus salad balances queso fresco with pickled jalapenos. A Peruvian purple punch gets its color from dried purple corn and its kick from Peruvian brandy. There are also quick info pages for each of the countries, painting brief pictures of their various histories, populations, and primary foodstuffs. And complementing each menu-based grouping of recipes, there are classic essentials, such as the empanada and the cubano sandwich. (Oct.)