Cooking the South American Way: Revised and Expanded to Include New Low-Fat and Vegetarian Recipes (Easy Menu Ethnic Cookbooks)

73 Pages·2002·4.73 MB·English

by  Helga Parnell

Cooking
t h e
w a y
Copyright © 2003 by Lerner Publications Company
All rights reserved. International copyright secured. No part
of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—with-
out the prior written permission of Lerner Publications
Company, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an
acknowledged review.
Lerner Publications Company
A division of Lerner Publishing Group
241 First Avenue North
Minneapolis, MN 55401 U.S.A.
Website address: www.lernerbooks.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Parnell, Helga.
Cooking the South American way / by Helga Parnell—Rev. & expanded
p. cm. — (Easy menu ethnic cookbooks)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Summary: An overview of South American cookery, including
information about the continent’s holidays and festivals. Features simple
recipes, menu planning, and information about low-fat cooking and
vegetarian options.
eISBN: 0–8225–8010–1
1. Cookery, Latin American—Juvenile literature. 2. Cookery—South
America—Juvenile literature. [1. Cookery—South America. 2. Cookery,
Latin American. 3. South America—Social life and customs.] I. Title.
II. Series.

TX716.A1 P42 2003

641.598—dc21 2001006611

Manufactured in the United States of America
1 2 3 4 5 6 – JR – 08 07 06 05 04 03
e a s y m e n u e t h n i c c o o k b o o k s
Cooking
r e v i s e d a n d e x p a n d e d
t h e
SOUTH AMERICAN
t o i n c l u d e n e w l o w - f a t
a n d v e g e t a r i a n r e c i p e s
w a y
Helga Parnell
a Lerner Publications Company • Minneapolis
C o n t e n t s
INTRODUCTION, 7 A SOUTH AMERICAN
The Land and Its People, 8 TABLE, 27
Regional Cooking, 11 A South American Menu, 28
Holidays and Festivals, 13
SOUPS AND SALADS, 31
BEFORE YOU BEGIN, 19 Chicken Rice Soup, 32
The Careful Cook, 20 Beef Stew, 33
Cooking Utensils, 21 Uruguayan Bean Salad, 34
Cooking Terms, 21 Seafood Salad, 36
Special Ingredients, 22 Salad Platter and Dressing, 37
Healthy and Low-Fat Cooking Tips, 24
MAIN DISHES, 39
Metric Conversions Chart, 25
Breaded Beef Cutlets, 40
Black Bean Casserole, 41 Milk Pudding (Flan), 55
Marinated Chicken, 42 Finger Sandwiches, 56
Beans with Vegetables, 45
HOLIDAY AND FESTIVAL
SIDE DISHES, 47 FOOD, 59
Sautéed White Rice, 48 Christmas Fruit Cake, 60
Peas, 49 Turnovers, 62
Kale, 49 Chilean Quinoa Salad, 64
Corn Packages, 50 Salted Codfish Stew, 66
Paraguayan Corn Bread, 68
TEATIME AND
DESSERTS, 53 INDEX, 70
Petits Fours, 54

I n t r o d u c t i o n
If you were to create a meal featuring a dish from each country in
South America, you’d be savoring some of the best food in the world.
The variety of spices, tropical fruits and vegetables, and international
influences in South American cooking makes it difficult to label as one
cuisine. Each region offers its own special foods to the mix.
In the northern countries, such as Venezuela and Colombia, the
cuisine is strongly influenced by the Spanish colonists who settled
this area in the late 1500s. Fresh citrus juices, olive oil, wine vine­
gar, oregano, and cumin flavor the seafood for which these coastal
countries are well known. In mountainous Ecuador, Bolivia, and
Peru, potatoes, which grow in abundance in the area’s rich soil, and
a nutritious grain called quinoa play prominent roles in the cuisine.
Peru is famous for its spicy food, seasoned with the hot aji amarillo, a
yellow chili pepper. In Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay,
cattle abound. Regional specialties almost always include beef, and
barbecued meat is popular. Brazilian cuisine is especially delicious,
featuring exotic tropical fruits and vegetables, fresh seafood, and
dende, a palm oil introduced by African slaves long ago. The recipes
provided in this book include a sampling of dishes from throughout
South America. With such a variety to choose from, there’s no doubt
you’ll find something to your liking.
Turnovers are popular in several countries in South America.They can be filled with

beef, chicken, or fruit. (Recipe on pages 62–63.)

7
Caribbean Sea
Caracas
VENEZUELA Georgetown
Paramaribo
G
U Cayenne
Y
Bogotá A FRENCH GUIANA North
N
COLOMBIA A Atlantic
ECUADOR SURINAME
Ocean
Quito
A mazonRiv e r
PERU SOUTH AMERICA
A
N
D
E Recife
S BRAZIL
M
O
Lima U
NT Salvador
AI
NS BOLIVIA
La Paz
Brasília
Sucre
P
A
R
A
G
UA Rio de Janeiro
Asunción Y
ARGENTINA
CHILE
South
Pacific Santiago Montevideo
Ocean Buenos Aires
URUGUAY
San Carlos South
de Bariloche Atlantic
Ocean
FALKLAND
ISLANDS
Stanley
The Land and Its People
South America, the fourth largest continent in the world, is com­
posed of twelve independent countries plus the Falkland Islands and
8
French Guiana.The continent has three main land regions: the Andes
Mountains, the Central Plains, and the Eastern Highlands. In western
South America, the Andes Mountains, the world’s longest mountain
range, stretch almost the entire length of the continent. Rain forests
(selvas), deserts, hardwood forests, and grassy plains (pampas) cover
other areas of the continent. Dramatic waterfalls, enormous lakes,
and rocky islands are also part of the South American landscape. And
water almost totally surrounds the continent—the Caribbean Sea to
the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the Drake Passage to the
south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west.
Because most of South America lies in the Southern Hemisphere
(south of the equator), the seasons are opposite those of countries
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