Zarela’s Veracruz
by Zarela Martínez with Anne Mendelson

Reviewed by Kevin Schoeler

It’s easy to fall in love with places like Tuscany and Provence. They’re beautiful, romantic and their food is fabulous. Now shift gears, and consider the altogether overlooked state of Veracruz, Mexico—a complex sliver wedged between mountains on one side and 450 miles of coastline along the Gulf of Mexico on the other. Its history is awesome, its culture inspired, and its geography dazzling. It encompasses everything from the Olmecs to Cortés, Italian to Afro-Cuban, and palm-fringed beaches to volcanic lakes to rainforest.

If you consider how such factors shape the culinary soul of any land, Veracruz must be one great place to eat! In fact, that is an understatement given life by restaurant maven Zarela Martínez in Zarela’s Veracruz: Cooking and Culture in Mexico’s Tropical Melting Pot. The book is actually a companion to Martínez’ thirteen-part PBS series, ¡Zarela! La Cocina Veracruzana, but it is a standalone delight. We’ll get back to the food in a minute, but do not skip right to the recipes. Read every page of her historical overview and tour of Veracruz. Read her thoughts on equipment, her pages on spices and chiles, how to griddle-roast vegetables, and especially the section she calls, "If You Really Want to Cook Like Me." It’s part common sense, part chef-sense, but it’s kitchen wisdom that’s nice to know before plunging into a culinary effort.

Zarela’s Veracruz is Martínez’ third book. In it she has a big, passionate voice and clearly loves Veracruz, although that happened only after she stopped trying to compare it to Oaxaca (her previous book was The Food and Life of Oaxaca). And what’s not to love?

The region’s Spanish history ensures that Mediterranean staples like olive oil, olives, capers and raisins play leading roles. The lush diversity of Veracruz yields endless seafood, produce, herbs and spices. Coffee grows in the highlands. Sugarcane grows everywhere. Yet with all of this and more, nothing is complicated. Although mole makes one appearance (in a lusty fruit and nut-based Mole de Xico) it’s the most difficult recipe in the book. You’re more likely to encounter delightfully simple starters like Camarones al Ajillo (Garlicky Stir-Fried Shrimp)—which entails a head of garlic for a pound of shrimp. Or Chiles Capones Relleno de Picadillo de Puerco: chipotles stuffed with pork picadillo. There’s Hashed Crab with Capers, and Tostadas with Hashed Crab (including a Green She-Man Sauce of onions, garlic, chiles and lime juice).

It’s as easy as fresh seafood served in avocado halves, or Pardiñolas—stone crab claws marinated in garlic and lime, then breaded and deep-fried. A chapter entitled "The Veracruzan Corn Kitchen" covers tortillas and variations like Masa-Sweet Potato Shells with toppings of refried beans, sausage, chicken or pork, salsa, and crema. Seafood appears again in a robust Caldo Verde de Pescado (with tomatillos) and a lusty Spicy Shrimp Stew that shares its tomato broth with corn masa dumplings.

Fish is treated with restraint in main dishes. Perhaps it’s pan-fried with a lot of garlic and olive oil, or maybe it’s Crabs in Garlic Sauce or Peppered Shrimp. Of course, Red Snapper Veracruz Style makes an appearance, its sauce chock full of onions, tomatoes, olives, garlic and fresh herbs. Chicken might be marinated in lime juice, then sautéed and eaten with lime wedges, or, in the case of Orange-Flavored Chicken, it’s marinated in garlic vinegar and finished in a sauce of orange juice and orange liqueur.

Marinated fresh ham is doused in a sweet-and-sour sauce of orange and blackberry liqueurs for the sweet, and cider vinegar for the sour. Pork with Mashed Pumpkin is a result of the Afro-Caribbean influence while Stewed Oxtails is a mint-scented traditional Totonac Indian dish, meant to be served with corn tortillas.

There are some nice surprises with salads and vegetables—like the salad of alfalfa sprouts and diced avocado in a garlicky lime dressing, Rice with Roasted Tomatoes, and the Christmas favorite, Espaguetti Verde, or Green Spaghetti, with poblanos, cilantro, crema, and manchego cheese.

Zarela’s Veracruz includes a wise smattering of desserts--enough to showcase the region but not so much as to overwhelm. One that shouldn’t be missed is anise-scented Veracruzan Beignets with Brown Loaf Sugar Syrup—the syrup a reminder of the African and mixed-blood plantation workers that made use of the leftovers from sugar refining. Martínez adapts a condensed milk-rich Coconut Layer Cake, anchoring the layers with meringue instead of whipped cream. This lighter touch is a welcome foil for the butter, eggs and coconut.

Martínez breathes life and context into every one of her well-written and tested recipes. Her personal experiences and background notes are more reason to read every recipe, and then try them. This is a colorful, happy book. It is written from the heart but considerate of practical requirements, too. Once you dig into Zarela’s Veracruz, it’s likely you’ll not only get cooking but also find yourself either booking a table at her eponymous New York restaurant, or hopping on a flight to Mexico.

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