In this groundbreaking cookbook, chef Aaron Sanchez explores the delicious food and exciting culture of the barriosthe vibrant Latin-American neighborhoods from Miami's Little Havana and New York's Spanish Harlem to San Francisco's Mission, and the entire United States in between. These rich neighborhoods have spawned a new cuisine, melding tradition with experimentation, and taking advantage of locally available ingredients and modern cooking methods. This book is a celebration of that cuisine: not the painstakingly authentic dishes of the homeland, or the hypercreative chef-y inventions of fusion cuisine, but the comforting, delicious food that's enjoyed in home kitchens and mom-and-pop restaurants across the country, accessible to all cooks. Since a defining aspect of Latin-American culture is the variety in eating establishmentsfrom casual street vendors to upscale sit-down restaurants, the meal is defined as much by the place as by the dishLa Comida del Barriois organized by types of eatery: Fondas, market stands, for soups such as Pozole Verde and Black Bean Soup Paladares, home-kitchen restaurants, for hearty entrees like Chicken Fricassee and Carne Mechada (Shredded Beef) Taquerias, street stands, for quick snacks that include tacos, tamales, gorditas, sopes, tortas, and other portable foods Rotiserias, cafes, for roast meats such as Steak in Red Chile Sauce and Cuban Pot Roast Comedores, restaurants, for sit-down meals with starters like Cactus Salad with Shrimp and main courses like Arroz con Pollo El Mercado, the market, for sides such as Refried Black Beans, Roasted Corn with Chile-Lime Butter, and Stuffed Plantains Panaderias, bakeries, for desserts that include Flan de Coco, Dulce de Leche, and Rice Pudding Jugoerias, juice stands, for drinks like Batidos (tropical shakes) and Sangria

AARÓN SANCHEZ is one of the cohosts of Melting Pot on Food Network. He trained with chef Paul Prudhomme and took a culinary degree at Johnson & Wales in Providence, then cooked at Patria, Erizo Latino, L-Ray, and Isla in New York City and Rose Pistola in San Francisco. He is now chef and co-owner of Paladar on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Aarón is also the son of restaurateur and author Zarela Martinez, one of the pioneers of Mexican cooking in the United States. He was brought up in El Paso and New York City, where he now lives.