Product Description

Three Guys from Miami Cook Cuban is the latest effort of Glenn Lindgren, Raúl Musibay, and Jorge Castillo – three brothers-in-law with a passion for Cuban food and culture. This is a unique cookbook by three hombres who love Cuban culture and food so much that they created the tremendously popular website iCuban.com: The Internet Cuban.

Millions of people have already discovered these Three Guys and their recipes. Now the rest of the world can too, in this delightfully witty and entertaining new cookbook complete with a Cuban food glossary, personal stories, and hilarious asides that represent the Three Guys’ own distinctive brand of humor.

With amazing family recipes, Miami influence, and food secrets from Cuba, The Three Guys share twenty years of experimentation, refinement, and a lot of trial and error that have made these recipes uniquely their own. The book is lavishly illustrated with 75 full-color photographs by photographer Nancy Bundt.

The Three Guys From Miami have made several appearances on the Food Network, ABC Family, The Travel Channel, National Public Radio, and Public TV. They are frequent sources of Cuban cooking tips and advice for professional chefs and amateur cooks all over the world. Their recipes have appeared in several major newspapers and magazines.

The Three Guys from Miami started small, but quickly became known for their great parties, centered on whole pigroasts or an elaborate Cuban-style paella. In fact, the Three Guys' "Paella Cubana" was featured on "Tyler's Ultimate" with Tyler Florence on the Food Network.

Three Guys from Miami Cook Cuban is a fun, and easy-to-follow guide that will let even inexperienced home cooks turn out some great Cuban meals. The recipes are easy to prepare and you'll actually enjoy the entire process. Three Guys from Miami Cook Cuban has been extremely well received by food editors and writers all over the United States. The Chicago Sun Times says, "I swear I could almost feel the Miami sunshine beaming down on me as I read through the book… The photography is beautiful and inviting, making one ready to hop on a plane to Miami. For most of us that's not possible, so this cookbook is the next best thing."

The Miami Times says, "With Colombian arepas and Nicaraguan tres leches in the mix, the title might more accurately be 'Three Guys From Miami Cook Miami,' but there are plenty of Cuban standards here, from picadillo and arroz con pollo to rice pudding and flan. We even get the Elena Ruz, a turkey, cream cheese and strawberry-jam sandwich named for the customer who ordered it at a 1930s Havana restaurant. Best of all, we get the good-natured byplay -- Jorge: Someday we'd like to have a sandwich named after us. Raul: Probably something with plenty of spice and a lot of tongue! -- that makes these guys such good company."

Where Miami reports, "They’re not famous chefs, but Glenn Lindgren, Raúl Musibay and Jorge Castillo know their food. In the just-released Three Guys from Miami Cook Cuban, the Miami natives offer up the best of Miami-Cuban specialties-from the Papa Hemingway Daiquiris to empanadas de carne asada to arepas to their own version of paella Cubana that even novice cooks can try at home. Best of all, the cookbook is chock full of colorful pictures of the marketplaces, landmarks and people that make Miami so indefinably unique."

And the Library Journal provides the last word, "In their first book, they present many of their favorite recipes and stories. Lindgren is the writer, but the three share a somewhat wacky sense of humor (as documented in some of the photographs here). However, their book includes a lot of culinary and social history, along with 100 recipes for both traditional Cuban dishes and more contemporary variations. Numerous color photographs and an attractive design add to the appeal. One of the few recent titles on the subject, this is strongly recommended."

The Three Guys recipes represent three lifetimes of enjoying Cuban food, and a long process creating, collecting, and refining the recipes they love. They have combined the best ideas from these great chefs with their own special twists to create the "tried and true" recipes they like best. Everyone, from the most amateur home chef to the seasoned professional will enjoy this excellent and unique Cuban cookbook.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13461 in Books
• Published on: 2004-10-12
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 234 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781586854331
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
This cookbook boasts solid renditions of Cuban dishes, but readers will have to suffer through the cheesy repartee among its three authors, who have a Cuban culture Web site, www.iCuban.com. A brief introduction entices with information about Cuban migration to Miami, but margin notes to the recipes tend toward repetitious and obvious exchanges. A recipe for Fried Stuffed Potatoes, for example, begins with Raúl commenting, "This is one Cuban snack that if you haven't tried, you probably don't know what in the heck it is." Still, the food itself is alluring. Avocado and Pineapple Salad is refreshingly unusual, and marinating Cuban-Style Skirt Steak in a mix of onion, herbs and sour orange juice before grilling delivers maximum flavor with minimal work. The authors nicely cover savory snacks like Cornmeal Pancakes, numerous types of empanadas, and Plantain Chips. They also remain true to authentic Cuban cuisine by not skimping on the frying, though fat-phobic Americans will probably avoid the Fried Pork Chunks. Occasionally the recipes slip into a cutesy tone (one for Cuban Bread cheerleads, "it's a little sticky, but you can do it!" then begins a later step with, "When you return from the pool..."). Overall, this effort stands out less because of its appeal than because it has so few competitors.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review
A story packed with South Florida history -- an enduring friendship keeps them on a cross-country quest promoting Cuban culture. -- Miami Herald,

Food is a doorway into culture -- the Three Guys waltz or more likely, mambo through that door gracefully. -- Tucson Weekly:

Funny, thorough, beautifully illustrated and highly educational... -- Missoula Independent:

Good-natured byplay makes these guys such good company! -- Miami Herald

It's like "Car Talk" for Cuban food. Cooking as it should be, fun! -- Nicholas Paredes, Food Critic

Strongly recommended! -- The Library Journal

The photography is beautiful and inviting, making one ready to hop on a plane to Miami. -- Chicago Sun Times

The three share a somewhat wacky sense of humor… Color photographs and attractive design add to the appeal… Strongly recommended. -- Library Journal

These fellows are funny -- three friends with a passion for succulent eating! -- Miami Herald

What would the holidays be without a surprise under the tree? My choice for a "try something new" cookbook… -- THE COMMERCIAL APPEAL (Memphis)

From the Publisher
Excerpted from Three Guys from Miami Cook Cuban by Glenn M. Lindgren, Raul Musibay, Jorge Castillo. Copyright © 2004. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. The Mojito

Raúl: The mojito is a classic drink in Cuba. It got its origin in the cane fields, where workers were provided with large barrels of sugarcane juice, what we call guarapo, to drink after a hot day cutting sugarcane.

Glenn: On Saturday nights, the plantation owners would spike the guarapo with a little aguardiente, a crude form of rum; thus began a long tradition of Saturday night Cuban parties!

Jorge: As time went on, the workers began adding yerba buena, a type of mint leaf, to the barrel for flavor. Today the best mojitos are sill made with this leaf. If you have a Latin market in your neighborhood, you might be able to find some. It has to be fresh!

Glenn: If not, use spearmint or peppermint—again fresh from the garden. They are the best substitutes.

Jorge: We’ve noticed lately that some trendy restaurants and bars have been serving a very dry mojito. The classic mojito should be very sweet!

Ingredients:

3 teaspoons sugar Juice of 1/2 lime

Fresh yerba buena (or mint) leaves 1 ounce white rum Ice cubes Soda water

Put sugar and lime juice in a glass. Crush a few fresh mint leaves into the sugar and lime juice. Add rum and ice cubes. Fill with soda water and serve with a sprig of mint. Serves 1

Ensalada de Aguacate y Piña — Avocado and Pineapple Salad

Glenn: This great Cuban salad blends the sweetness of pineapple with the sour flavor of oil and vinegar.

Raúl: We know it sounds strange, but it tastes great!

Jorge: Make sure to use a good Spanish olive oil.

Glenn: For salads, an extra virgin olive oil with its lighter taste is usually the best choice.

Jorge: Don’t forget to salt and pepper the dressing to taste. Many people don’t think that salad needs salt, but this one truly does.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup olive oil 1/3 cup vinegar 1/3 cup orange juice 1/3 cup sugar Salt and pepper to taste

1 head iceberg lettuce, shredded 2 cups of fresh ripe pineapple chunks 1 medium sweet red onion, sliced thin 1 large Florida avocado, peeled and sliced Fresh limes

Combine olive oil, vinegar, orange juice, and sugar in a blender until smooth. Add salt and pepper to this mixture to taste. Lightly toss the lettuce, pineapple, and red onion together. Pour on the oil and vinegar mixture until everything is well coated. Adjust the amount used to your own preference, more or less.

Garnish individual salads with several avocado slices lightly seasoned with salt and pepper and a squeeze of lime juice. Serves 6 to 8.

The American Influence on Cuban Food

The American influence on food has been evident throughout Cuba’s history, with the peak in the 1950s. American cheese (queso Americano), American white bread (pan molde), the hamburger, peanuts roasted in the shell, Vienna sausages, and Spam are just a few of the American food items that were brought to Cuba.

Jorge fondly remembers going to the two-story Woolworth’s store in Havana with his sister, where he would enjoy a delicious grilled cheese sandwich made with sliced white bread and American cheese. Cubans may have gotten their inspiration from the United States, but they soon made several changes and improvements to give even these traditional American foods a Latin flavor!

Customer Reviews

I love the Three Guys!
I first became aware of the Three Guys from Miami several years ago while searching for ropa vieja recipes. Their website is fun, and has great recipes. This cookbook is an extension of that website. It's written in a fun, chatty style, the recipes are easy to follow, and it includes wonderful photographs of Cuban food and of different places around Miami. There's also a glossary in the back that tells you, among other things, why to call a certain produce item "fruta bomba." This is by far my favorite Cuban cookbook, and I have several. I hope they do a sequel with the pig roast, the Cuban Noche Buena and New Year's customs...I love these guys!

Funny, fantastic and tasty!
I'm the furthest thing from Cuban, but I've always loved the culture and the food. This book delivers both! With directions so simple anyone can do it, the recipes in here are great and varied...make a few things for snacks or more intricate dishes for full-blown dinner parties. I don't even cook that well and the few things I've tried have come out wonderfully...and believe me, that says a lot. A pleasure to read and more of a pleasure to feast. Great job, Miami Guys!

THE GREATEST HOMEMADE CUBAN FOOD BOOK EVER WRITTEN
If you like the real "homemade cuban food", like I do, this book is a MUST HAVE; all recipies are from real down to earth homemade cuban food, written in a way that even a child can follow the instructions and cook a delicious cuban plate; so if you want to cook and invite your friends to eat real cuban food, and impress them...buy the book today; you will be glad you did it