SPANGLISH

A delicious tribute to Puerto Rican cuisine and culture with more than sixty five soulful recipes Growing up Monti Carlo felt like she was perpetually bridging the gap between worlds one foot on her home island of Puerto Rico and the other in the heart of Houston Texas In the space between as a self taught chef and eventual TV host and James Beard Foundation advisor she s carved out a cuisine all her own one that s a testament to a life spent bridging two cultures It s a mosaic of borrowed words and flavors a reflection of the bittersweet beauty of connecting two very different ways of life It s pure Spanglish Within these pages Monti shares the dishes embodying that journey continental American classics created with the bold flavors of Puerto Rico a taste of two worlds merging on the same plate There s comfort food like her elementary school s soupy chili with her Abuela Dora s sweet and savory picadillo golden bacalaíto battered onion rings and tangy tamarind roast chicken There are nostalgia laced Puerto Rican breakfasts like hearty sorullo waffles with pique honey and pastries like cinnamon rolls constructed with pillowy mallorca dough There are not so traditional sides like floral hibiscus baked beans and crispy coconut rice And there s delec