Los Islenos Cookbook: Canary Island Recipes

Rating:
Summary: A Mild Deception but a Fair Cookbook, by fermed
Review: I came across this book while browsing Amazon[.com], and it amazed me that there could be a 426 page book devoted to the recipes of the Canaries. The Canaries: beautiful islands off the Atlantic coast of North Africa, impeccable weather, incredible beaches, fantastic people, on and on I could sing the wonders of these islands; but the one thing I could never say is that they have a native cuisine. You eat very well there, of course, but the food is either prepared in the Spanish or the Continental manner. There are a few "ways of doing things" that are typical of the islans, such as cooking "wrinkled potatos" (small potatoes cooked in their skin, which wrinkle) and certainly there are a variety of "mojo" sauces into which you dip your morsels of meat or fish.But a cuisine? There is no native cuisine.

So this book, subtitled "Canary Island Recipes" is mildly deceptive; but have heart. The book itself is very fine and I am glad I got it. After all, some day I may be given some meat from the tail of an alligator, and I will immediately consult the book for the Swedish Alligator Meatballs recipe and go to work. But please note that the closest alligator to the Canaries is probably more than 4,000 miles away.

Very well, people from the Canary Islands settled in Louisiana in the 1770's, and eventually they and their descendants populated the Parish of St. Bernard. In recent years Los Isleños Heritage and Cultural Society of St. Bernard has flourished, made contact with the Canary Islands, and in general blossomed forth with great pride in their distant origins. I suspect that dozens, if not hundreds of residents took on the project of creating a cookbook for sale that would bring some cash with which to fund their cultural projects, and thus this book. The editor states in the introduction: "While the title [of this book] may be misleading, it was not intended to be." Well, OK. There are 800 or so recipes here, and many, perhaps the majority, are unprofessional. The ingredients, more often than not, include frozen, canned, packaged, dehydrated, or otherwise abused food stuff. Exacly what your granny uses, don't kid yourself. I would be remiss if I didn't include a typical recipe from the book (this one contributed by Genelle Armstrong).

YUMMY POTATOES

2 lb bag of frozen hash brown potatoes
16 oz sour cream
1 can cream of chicken or mushroom soup
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup onions, chopped fine
2 cups cheddar cheese, grated

salt & pepper to taste
2 cups cracker crumbs, crushed
1 stick butter, melted

Mix first 7 ingredients and spoon into a greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Bake at 350 until bubbly, then top with cracker crumbs and butter. Return to oven and bake until topping is crispy.

Surely a pre-coronary repast using mainly off the shelf ingredients. This is a people's cookbook, one from (if not for) the heart, as rich and varied as the great state of Louisiana. It has little to do with Canary Island cooking. Count your blessings and enjoy the book.