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Okay, so I have a confession to make.
I’m not a good cook. In fact, I rarely offer to take meals to people out of fear that what I cook will not be good enough (I’m great with gift cards though!).
I have a few dishes I cook really well — mostly soups and stews. Oh, and pot roast. I make a mean pot roast. But for the most part, we eat pretty simply around here, because when I try to make something “special,” it just doesn’t seem to work out.
When I found out that Shirley Solis also professes to not be a great cook, but wrote a cookbook, I had to hop on board for a review, especially when I found out it was part cookbook and partly an cultural education experience. When I received Not Just Tacos: A Journey Into the World of Authentic Latin American Cuisines, I was blown away. Quite simply — it is a beautiful book.
Prepare to enjoy the delicious and flavorful world of Latin American cuisine. What s more, Shirley introduces you to the most popular dishes across the Hispanic culture.
With amazing photographs, fun facts from every country, a picture for every dish, easy to find ingredients and easy to follow instructions, the flavors and customs of Latinos are within your reach.
And, as a Hispanic living in the United States, Shirley adds preparation tips, pronunciation helps, cultural insights, popular spices, and more!
Explore the flavors, people and geography of a beautiful culture!
Not Just Tacos is divided into countries — all 22 Latin countries of North and South America are represented with at least 2, and as many as 6, recipes for the most popular dishes of each country. But that’s not all. Each section begins with a page of culturally relevant information about, as well as a brief discussion of history and geography of, each different country.
Not Just Tacos is more than a cookbook. It’s a tour around Latin America from the comfort of your kitchen!
And the photos. Oh my! The photographs in this book are just stunning. Every page is filled with pictures of the foods, people, architecture and landscapes of each country.
Of course, it is a cookbook, so I suppose I should talk a bit about the recipes. Ben and I cooked two dishes in preparation for this review — Arroz con Pollo (chicken with rice) and Platanos Fritos (friend plantains).
What I noticed firstly is that the ingredients are common and easy to find. In fact, for the dishes I tried, there were only 2 ingredients not usually found in my kitchen — plantains and saffron. To be honest, I just left the saffron out of the dish. The plantains were not a problem at all — they are easily found in the produce department of our local grocery stores. And if they weren’t, we would have either chosen another dish or visited one of our local Hispanic markets — we have access to several in our city. There are many dishes to choose from, and I feel certain Ben and I will be cooking most of them eventually!
Secondly, I was impressed with how easy and clear the directions are. These dishes are not difficult to make, and most can be cooked in less than an hour. Shirley peppers time saving and other tips throughout the recipes, making cooking even easier.
While I have cooked chicken and rice dishes many times, I have to say the Arroz con Pollo was fabulous. Every step of the recipe was filled with wonderful seasonings and aromatic ingredients, combining to make a delicious and flavorful dish. The plantains were super simple to make and added the perfect touch as a side dish.
In case you were wondering, the countries we visited for our meal were Costa Rica and Honduras. And yes, in usual unit study homeschool style, we took the time to find both countries on the map and check out a few books from the library to learn more about each. Not Just Tacos is the perfect compliment to your Latin America geography study. In fact, it could be your guide!
I am so excited that Shirley gave me permission to share the recipe for the Arroz con Pollo straight from the book. You should buy this book, and if you need to be convinced further of that, just cook this meal! You can even make some of it in your slow cooker!
Costa Rican Arroz con Pollo Recipe
Arroz con Pollo, literally chicken with rice, is a popular dish in Latin America. This delicious Costa Rican recipe can be served with lettuce and tomato salad, fried plantains or avocado slices.
Chicken Ingredients
- 2 medium red bell peppers, quartered
- 1 medium white onion, quartered
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/2 bunch cilantro
- Pinch of saffron
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
- 2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
Directions
1. Combine peppers, onion, garlic, cilantro, saffron, salt and cumin in a food processor and chop finely. If necessary, add a little water.
2. Rub chicken with paste and let sit for 10 minutes
3. Heat oil over medium heat in pan. When hot, add chicken and cook on medium heat in pan. when hot, add chicken and cook on medium-high heat for 2 minutes on all sides. Decrease heat to medium-low and add water. Cover and cook until well done, approximately 20 minutes.
TIME SAVING TIP: For more flavor and ease, you can cook chicken overnight in slow cooker pot.
4. When ready, shred chicken into bite size pieces, saving the broth for rice.
Rice Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 small white onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 small green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 1/2 tablespoons salt
- 3 cups long-grain white rice
- 6 cups chicken broth
Directions
1. In sauce pan, warm oil and saute onion, garlic, green bell pepper, and salt.
2. Rinse rice several times with fresh water by stirring rice with your fingers. This rinses off a lot of the starch and leads to a rice that does not stick together as much.
3. Add rice and saute until grains turn opaque.
4. Pour in broth, adding water if needed to make 6 cups. Bring to a boil.
5. Decrease heat to low, cover and cook until all liquid has evaporated, approximately 25 minutes. Rice should be fairly dry. Avoid lifting the lid until after 20 minutes, otherwise rice will be mushy.
Mixture Ingredients
- 1 small white onion, diced
- 1/4 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon ketchup plus additional for garnish
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 (8-ounce) can peas
- 1 cup finely diced carrots
- Cilantro leaves for garnish
Directions
1. In a large pot, saute onions and pepper in oil.
2. Mix in Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, salt and black pepper.
3. Stir in chicken, along with peas and carrots. Keep heat low to keep chicken moist.
4. Mix rice in evenly with chicken.
TO SERVE: Place warm rice on dish. Put a bit of ketchup on top and garnish with cilantro leaf.
SERVES: 4-6
PREP TIME: 20 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 50 minutes
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If you enjoyed this article, you might also like to check out Resources for Learning about Mexico: Cinco de Mayo Resources.
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