Daisy Cooks! on PBS with Daisy Martinez

[JohnL]

The first time I watched Daisy I liked her, even though I knew she was annoying. But, I couldn't put my finger on what made her annoying, and then I realized she's just like my mom!  And even two seconds later, she mentioned her two kids!

But I have her book, and have tried many of her recipes and they were all great. They're not fussy and I like her advice on rice to "just walk away".

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She is the Latin Rachael Ray!

(by the way--i like both though one can easily overdose on their personality and schtick).

Ms Martinez is an ex model who went to a good cooking school--her bio (on her website) is interesting.

I also like her flair for making you feel that you can and should make the dishes she is preparing--nice when introducing a "new" cuisine to novices.

[Aileen]

I've been enjoying the show but haven't tried any recipes yet, not sure I'll be able to find the ingredients. I live in a town with a large Hispanic population, though, so I might be able to find the culantro, if I can identify it (most of the markets around here don't label produce very well). Her ropa vieja doesn't interest me because of the peas and carrots. Also, I've been making a version from a Frugal Gourmet cookbook for years, and while it's probably not very authentic, it tastes wonderful and my kids love it.

[Bux]

Yeah, I actually had problems finding Culantro, because we've never cooked with it before. I was eventually able to find it at a big Hispanic food market in Hackensack (Giant Market) and I even spoke to the (Mexican) guy working the produce section in Spanish asking for "culantro, no cilantro." He looked at me quizzically at first, I said "para hacer Sofrito" and he was like "ah! Tu quieres recao!".  . . .

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Hey watch out when those guys get friendly enough to use the personal"tu."

That cilantro, culantro, recao thing is confusing to me too. Most people I know use culantro interchangeably for recao. I'm not sure if that's universal or restricted to Puerto Rico. Which brings me to:

jason, i don't know if there are any closer to you, but for future reference, culantro is almost always available in vietnamese markets.  it's often served with pho.  i don't have a big hispanic market near me, so the ajices dulces were right out for me.

. . . .

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Are you saying that recao is often served with pho, or that "culantro" is used for another herb?

[Jason Perlow]

Recao is a Pho condiment, but they call it Saw Leaf Herb or Saw Tooth. "Ngo Gai".

http://www.vietworldkitchen.com/essentials/herbs.htm

I far as I understand, Culantro and Recao are the same thing. I don't think there's a difference unless its a varietal type of deal.

Apparently, it also goes by the names spirit weed, stinkweed, fitweed, long coriander, false coriander and Mexican coriander. The species is Eryngium foetidum. It has certain medicinal qualities and is used as a tea to treat diarrhea, flu, fevers, vomiting, diabetes and constipation in some cultures. Its cultivated in Latin America, Africa, Southeast Asia, Japan, Hawaii, and even Fijii.

[Bux]

Thanks. I haven't run into it in pho. I guess that speaks of the quality of the pho joints I frequent.

[Jason Perlow]

I've only had it in a few Pho places myself, and I've been to quite a few. I think its more commonly used on the west coast (and in Vietnam, obviously) than around here.

[Josefinajoisey]

I enjoy Daisy in video in order to see great Latin comfort food. In print there is "La Comida Del Barrio", by Aaron Sanchez (he supposedly had a show on the Food Network, but I never saw it...I do love his book).

Yvonne Ortiz wrote "A Taste of Puerto Rico" and lives in Hudson County. She is writing from the real, traditional PR comida.

[Carrot Top]

I have the Sanchez book, too. Good recipes, some further afield in scope than one might imagine in a "home cookery" book.

But I'm still searching for that "perfect" book that makes everything taste the exact way that everything did that a friend's mother cooked, many years ago around a table in Spanish Harlem.

That taste, the taste of memory, is often hard to replicate.

[Toliver]

In print  there is  "La Comida Del Barrio", by Aaron Sanchez (he supposedly had a show on the Food Network, but I never saw it...I do love his book).

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One of the FoodTV shows Aaron regularly appeared on was "Melting Pot" which featured a series of chefs each with their own specialties (usually non-western). So every Tuesday (let's say) you could tune in to watch Aaron (and usually another chef) cook their Latin cuisine. I really enjoyed that show.

Of course, this was back when FoodTV actually had cooking shows on....

[SethG]

Caught Daisy's show about Puerto Rican Pot Roast this evening. It looked fantastic. (And yes, it includes olives.) I'll definitely try this.

Her general fawning over firemen went way over the top, but the show was a touching tribute to her fireman father nonetheless.

[Bux]

I caught a bit of Daisy cooking seafood the oher day. I thought she simmered the shrimp and scallops for too long. I think it was about eight minutes and then she threw in the clams. Unfortuantely I find that not untraditional for both Peurto Rico and home cooking in the US. I tend to perfer my scallops fresh and still translucent in the middle.

[Jason Perlow]

Some more Latino cooking with Daisy:

Arroz con Pollo

Maduros frying in the pan

Plated

[NYC Mike]

I caught a bit of Daisy cooking seafood the oher day. I thought she simmered the shrimp and scallops for too long. I think it was about eight minutes and then she threw in the clams. Unfortuantely I find that not untraditional for both Peurto Rico and home cooking in the US. I tend to perfer my scallops fresh and still translucent in the middle.

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My wife says her greatest lesson learned in culinary school versus what she learned in her mother and grandmother's kitchen was that she had not learned how to cook meat and fish properly. What you get in DR/PR/Cuba is very well done meat, fish etc. usually with every little drop of mosture sucked right out. She thinks it might have been handed down for food safety reasons. Nevertheless, do not order bistek on the islands and think its coming in fat and juicy.

[Bux]

I caught a bit of Daisy cooking seafood the oher day. I thought she simmered the shrimp and scallops for too long. I think it was about eight minutes and then she threw in the clams. Unfortuantely I find that not untraditional for both Peurto Rico and home cooking in the US. I tend to perfer my scallops fresh and still translucent in the middle.

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My wife says her greatest lesson learned in culinary school versus what she learned in her mother and grandmother's kitchen was that she had not learned how to cook meat and fish properly. What you get in DR/PR/Cuba is very well done meat, fish etc. usually with every little drop of mosture sucked right out. She thinks it might have been handed down for food safety reasons. Nevertheless, do not order bistek on the islands and think its coming in fat and juicy.

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Fish is often a greater loss, especially if it's something local and fresh, simply because of the lost potential.

One very simple local joint in which we had lunch recently in Rincón on the western end of the island had a hand written sign noting that all meat and fish were safely cooked for your protection. Sorry I don't have the original phrasing memorized, but I've never found undercooking to be a problem on the island.

[kaneel]

Some more Latino cooking with Daisy:

Arroz con Pollo

Maduros frying in the pan

Plated

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My goodness the arroz con pollo looks so good, Jason and Rachel

I have been looking out for recipes but cannot find anything good.

Is there a way you could post the recipe up??

I like her show too but only been able to catch it twice.

TIA

[Rachel Perlow]

Actually, there's no recipe for Arroz con Pollo in her book. The notes next to the paella recipe says to make the paella with just chicken and use chicken stock instead of clam juice. So, what I did was make the recipe for yellow rice, link above in my first post, with some extra alcaparrado (olive/caper/pimento mixed & chopped up) with chicken (browned first with achiote oil), removed, started rice, add browned chicken back in just before putting the lid on the pot. Reminder: use less than half the salt called for.

[tug]

I dont have any written recipes passed down from mi abuela, they're all in my heart and my palate.

If I had to transcribe them .. this website http://www.elboricua.com/recipes.html would come the closest.

Forgive me if this is deviates too much from Daisy's interpretation ... but as we all know, authentic home-cooking depends more on the home-cook than the recipes

I do want to share one funny culinary story of my world's colliding. Years ago mi abuela was in front of the stove, fine tuning her pegao when my chinese grandmother (yen-yen) started babbling wildly and gesturing madly at the caldero. Through the translation efforts of my parents, both grandmothers were overjoyed to share in a cultural similarity. My yen-yen recognized the beginnings of jook (congee) and, for the first time actually identified with abuela, my mother, and our puerto-rican side of the family.

It was a priceless moment.

[kaneel]

Thanks a lot Rachel

[Jason Perlow]

More Daisy food tonight:

These are New York Strip Steak "Pinchos" (Spanish-style Kebabs), marinated in Recaito, Garlic, Mustard, Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper, Parsley and Lime Juice, with Puerto Rican Achiote-Flavored Shortgrain Rice, with Grilled Sweet Onion, Mushrooms, Grape Tomatoes, Poblano Peppers, and Napa Cabbage rubbed with Bacon Grease.

We also had some Puerto Rican "Vinagre" (Spicy Pineapple Vinegar) on the side which we had made before as a condiment for the kebabs.

[Jason Perlow]

Daisy is even sexier in person than she is on TV:

Jay-Lo has got NOTHING on this Brooklyn Girl!

I was really intrigued about her story of how her life changed in an instant from being neck deep in the fashion industry, to having a near-death experience and finally deciding to go to culinary school (click)

Edited June 3, 2006 by Jason Perlow (log)

[DivineMsN]

I love Daisy. As a PR from Brooklyn myself she is a great role-model. I love watching her show because it reminds me of all the wonderful foods my abuelita (grandmother) made. I feared that I wouldnt have access to those types of PRican dishes because I dont have any of the recipes written down. But after watching Daisy's show I now can cook food I havent had in ages. After reading this thread I am motivated to go out and fianlly buy her book.

[Kris]

I've never watched her show but from reading this thread, now I'm interested.

I'm in NYC, on what channel does it come on and at what time?

For those who have difficulty in obtaining ingredients like recao and aji dulces, there's a website called http://www.caribbeanseeds.com where you can actually grow them yourself.

[Kris]

Okay, I got Daisy's cookbook today and have been reading through it. Many of the recipes seem delicious, like "comfort food" or "soul food" and that's the kind of food I like to eat.

Now I'm inspired to try and make some sofrito. Since I'm in NYC, I won't have trouble finding the ingredients if I drive into a Latino neighborhood.

I doubt I could find recao & aji dulces in my neck of the woods.

[Jason Perlow]

Well, you can use regular cubanelle or other sweet green peppers (not bell) as a substitute for Ajices Dulces and you can just use more cilantro if you cant find recao.

Edited July 15, 2006 by Jason Perlow (log)

[Kris]

Well, you can use regular cubanelle or other sweet green peppers (not bell) as a substitute for Ajices Dulces and you can just use more cilantro if you cant find recao.

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Yes, thanks. I've seen that mentioned in a few sofrito recipes.