Lorena Garcia trained as an attorney in her native Caracas, Venezuela. So had she not moved to Miami in 2000, she'd probably still be poring through law books instead of cookbooks.
In Florida she discovered that a life centered around food was not only a possibility for someone as passionate about Latin American cooking as she was -- there were no culinary schools in Venezuela -- but also could be a smart career choice.
Today, the charismatic chef's many television appearances include a regular gig on the NBC reality series "America's Next Great Restaurant," and she also was a guest chef on season eight of Bravo's "Top Chef -- All-Stars." In addition, she runs two successful restaurants in Miami's Design District, Food Cafe and Elements Tierra, plus a grab-and-go cucina for health-conscious travelers at Miami International Airport. Two more airport eateries are in the works for Atlanta and Dallas.
Ms. Garcia also has developed a program called "Big Chef, Little Chef" that teaches kids and their families in the Miami area the importance of good nutrition and how to cook healthy meals together. It's now in its fifth year.
And last fall, she published her first cookbook, "Lorena Garcia's NewLatin Classics: Fresh Ideas for Favorite Dishes" (Ballantine, $32.50),copies of which she'll be signing after free cooking demonstrationsthat are part of the Cinco de Mayo celebrations at Giant Eagle MarketDistrict stores: at noon Friday, May 4, in Bethel Park; at 5 p.m.Friday, May 4, in Robinson; and at noon Saturday, May 5, in Pine.Register here for Ms. Garcia's events.
If you're wondering why a Venezuelan is cooking up dishes in honor of a holiday that's not even celebrated in a big way in her own country -- it's actually a regional holiday in Mexico -- the answer is simple. Her cooking, she says, embraces not just the traditional comfort foods she grew up with but a multitude of South American flavors, from Brazil to Peru to Argentina to Venezuela.
"My approach to modern Latin cooking is all about bringing a variety of global influences to the foods we love," she writes in her book. "Latin cuisine is a melting pot of cultures, and our face is one of many nations and lands . . . so if you're expecting just tacos and empanadas in this cookbook, you're in for a tasty surprise."
She includes a few dishes that were inspired by European immigrants to South America. Ms. Garcia traveled often in Europe as a teen when her mother had a job that required a lot of international travel.
Ms. Garcia says Venezuelan food is very much like Cuban or Colombian cuisine, only a little less saucy and a bit "brighter." Situated on the northern coast of South America, the country's diet is heavy on fresh seafood and leaner meats, and delicious herbs and garlic.
"Everything is very organic," she says, adding, "when you go to the market, there's still dirt on the vegetables." Ms. Garcia said she organized her cookbook based on "how I decide what to cook for a meal."
For instance, for those nights when you're in a rush, there's "30 Minutos: Delicious Food on the Fly."
The chapter, "Afuera! Move Your Kitchen Table Outside," includes no-cook dishes such as guacamole along with those that can be grilled. Signature meals served in her restaurants can be found in "All Stars: Restaurant Best Sellers at Home."
Geared toward the everyday cook, it opens with a chapter on some of the select ingredients -- most of which can be found in supermarkets -- everyone should have in his or her despensa, or pantry, and concludes with a chapter on Latin American basics: salsitas, rice, black beans, chicken and beef stock.
"My main focus is for food to be approachable to everyone," she said.
Cooking, she adds, is the ultimate expression of love. "To me, nothing is more personal than to make something with your hands for someone. To have that connection shows how much you care."
She can't say which of the hundred-plus recipes is her favorite -- that'd be like asking a mom which child she loves more -- but she says her taquitoas are sure to please, as will her recipe for carne mechada, a Venezuelan specialty of simmered, shredded and then pan-seared flank steak served with fried sweet plantains.
"And I have the best recipe for flan," she says.
For this weekend's demonstrations, she'll be making a couple ofclassic sauces that go great with one of her favorite foods, fishtacos. They'll include one made from avocados. And don't worry,they'll be easy.
For more information or to register (it's free to the public), visit marketdistrict.com.
Chicken and Rice Chupe
PG tested
- 2 pounds bone-in chicken breasts or thighs
- 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 2 leeks, white and light green parts only, trimmed, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 red potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 carrot, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 1/4 cup long-grain white rice
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro, plus 2 tablespoons whole leaves for serving
Place chicken pieces in a large bowl. Pour 3 tablespoons lemon juice over the chicken, season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add chicken skin-side down, and cook until it's golden, about 5 minutes. Pour chicken stock over chicken and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.
Add leeks, potatoes and carrots to the pot and cook just until leeks start to soften, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium, add rice and cook until rice is tender, about 20 minutes longer. Turn off heat and set aside to cool for 20 minutes.
Remove chicken from soup and place on a cutting board. Pull meat away from bones, discard bones and use your fingers to shred the meat. Return chicken to pot and heat soup over medium-high heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice and turn off the heat.
Place chopped cilantro into bowl of a food processor or blender jar along with 1/2 cup of soup broth and puree until smooth. Stir liquefied cilantro into chicken soup and divide among six bowls. Place a few cilantro leaves on top and serve.
Serves 6.
-- "Lorena Garcia's New Latin Classics" by Lorena Garcia (Ballantine, 2011, $32.50)
Carne Mechada
PG tested
Man, was this was delicious the next day stuffed into flour tortillas with a little leftover rice.
- 2 pounds flank steak, extra fat removed
- 1 medium yellow onion, halved
- 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1 red bell pepper, halved and seeded (leave one half whole, finely chop the other half)
- 1/2 cup whole cilantro sprigs
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 small green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
- 1 shallot, very finely chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, very finely minced
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh aji dulce ( a type of sweet pepper) or jarred pickled cherry peppers
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- White rice for serving
Bring 12 cups of water to a boil in a large soup pot or stockpot. Add steak, halved onion, garlic, red bell pepper half, cilantro sprigs and 1 tablespoon of salt to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 1 hour.
Strain broth into a clean bowl. Set aside 2 cups for later and freeze the rest in a resealable plastic freezer bag to use another time (can be frozen up to 3 months). Set aside meat to cool and discard vegetables and cilantro. Once meat is cool, use your fingers to shred it into long, thin strips. Set aside.
Heat olive oil over high heat in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven. Add shredded meat to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until it has darkened and become slightly crisp around the edges, about 5 minutes. Add in chopped onions, chopped red bell peppers, green bell peppers, shallots, garlic, aji dulce and remaining 1 teaspoon salt, cooking, stirring occasionally, until the onions and peppers begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce, and add reserved broth.
Increase heat to high and bring mixture to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, reduce heat to medium and stir in the bay leaves and black pepper. Simmer until liquid reduces by half, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaves and serve with white rice.
Serves 6.
-- "Lorena Garcia's New Latin Classics" by Lorena Garcia (Ballantine, 2011, $32.50)
Mango Quatro Leches
PG tested
Be prepared. This easy sponge cake, named for the number of milks used to soak it, is extremely sweet. While the original called for fat-free or low-fat dairy products, I used the real deal. I only used about half the liquid called for in the recipe.
- Nonstick vegetable cooking spray
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup plus 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 large eggs, separated
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large egg whites
- 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1 cup chopped mangoes
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 12-ounce can evaporated milk
- 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 1/2 cup store-bought dulce de leche
- 1 cup whipped cream
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-by-13-inch springform pan with nonstick vegetable cooking spray and set aside.
Whisk together flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
Using an electric mixer, beat egg yolks, vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon sugar on medium-high speed until yolks are pale yellow and doubled in volume. In another large bowl, beat the 6 egg whites with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon sugar on medium-high speed until they form soft peaks. Whisk 1/4 of the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture and then gently fold in remaining whites until just a few white streaks remain. Sift in the flour mixture and gently fold it into the egg mixture.
Use a rubber spatula to scrape the mixture into the prepared springform pan. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven but do not turn off the heat. Set cake aside on a wire rack to cool completely before running a paring knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it and then turning it out onto a flat plate or cooling rack. Clean the pan and set it aside.
While cake cools, spread coconut onto a rimmed baking sheet and toast it in the oven, stirring occasionally, until it's fragrant and golden brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove from oven and turn the coconut out onto a large plate to cool.
Spread mangoes out in an even layer in the bottom of a clean cake pan. Place cooled cake on top of the mangoes. Whisk in half-and-half, condensed milk, evaporated milk and orange juice in a large bowl. Pour mixture over the cake. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days to allow the cake to absorb the liquid.
Remove cake from refrigerator. Slice cake into pieces and serve with a drizzle of the dulce de leche and some whipped cream. Sprinkle the toasted coconut over the top.
Serves 10.
-- "Lorena Garcia's New Latin Classics" by Lorena Garcia (Ballantine, 2011, $32.50)
First Published: May 4, 2012, 4:00 a.m.