Three Guys from Miami Cook Cuban

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Summary: 3 Guys are Really Cookin'!
Review: By far the most comprehensive, easy to understand, enjoyable and well frankly, mouth watering cookbook I have ever owned...and I collect cookbooks. This book really gets to the heart of Cuban cooking and puts you smack dab in the middle of Miami's Calle 8-Little Havana-the heart of free Cuba here in the US. A DEFINITE READ AND A MUST HAVE FOR ALL KITCHENS!

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Summary: It's perfect!
Review: First, to the reviewer who complained about a recipe being more complicated in the book than the one on the Three Guy's website, there is NO recipe for "Carne con Papas" in this book! They do have a recipe for "Carne Guisado" and yes it does have more ingredients than "Carne con Papas" because it is a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT recipe.

I have been cooking Cuban food all of my life, as my mother did before me. I never believed that anyone could tell me how to cook Cuban food. I have to admit that the Three Guys from Miami have taught me a few things. Several of their recipes are better than mine. I bought this book not just for the recipes. As someone who misses Miami very much here in Kansas City, it's great to see all of the Miami scenery. And yes, I love the pictures of the Three Guys. It's their funny personalities that sell the book! I also bought this book because I appreciate their efforts to promote the culture of my homeland.

Most first cookbooks have no photography at all, or just a small section of photos, and certainly not a photo of every dish. I too can't wait for their next book.






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Summary: I love the Three Guys!
Review: I first became aware of the Three Guys from Miami several years ago while searching for ropa vieja recipes. Their website is fun, and has great recipes. This cookbook is an extension of that website. It's written in a fun, chatty style, the recipes are easy to follow, and it includes wonderful photographs of Cuban food and of different places around Miami. There's also a glossary in the back that tells you, among other things, why to call a certain produce item "fruta bomba." This is by far my favorite Cuban cookbook, and I have several. I hope they do a sequel with the pig roast, the Cuban Noche Buena and New Year's customs...I love these guys!

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Summary: Must have for Cuban food lovers, but needs more pictures!
Review: I long looked forward to this book, ever since I first heard it was being published. I pre-ordered it in April and finally got it last month. It was certainly worth the wait, as it is a beautiful book with glossy and colorful pages. It has an extensive list of Cuban recipes, ranging from drinks to desserts and everything in between, with varying levels of difficulty. There are many simple recipes in addition to more challenging ones (like the one for making your own Cuban bread).

The recipes in the book are very similar to the ones you can find on the Three Guys' website or the ones in the electronic book that they published a while ago, but with some changes to the recipes. Change is fine, such as expanding upon the recipe selection, but other times I was a little disappointed to see that some of the recipes in the book are more complicated than the ones I was used to. One example is the recipe for "Carne con Papas" (Beef and Potatoes). The recipe I first found on their website, which is excellent and probably my favorite of all their recipes, is in the book, but there are added ingredients that just add more complexity to the dish for me. I prefer the simpler recipes, which are good for novice cooks and cooks that are also on a food budget.

Another complaint is that I wish there were more pictures of the recipes and the food! There seem to be more pictures of Miami and of the guys or of random food (i.e. a loaf of Cuban bread floating in a pool) than of the recipes themselves. Ideally, I would have loved to see a relevant picture next to each recipe, but I know this would have probably been more expensive and time consuming. However, at least to have more pictures would have been great. So those are my two main disappointments with the book.

However, overall I love the book, as it does present a lot of simple, homestyle recipes as opposed to a lot of fancy stuff. And like others have commented, it is done in a familiar and conversational style that makes for entertaining reading. I actually found myself chuckling sometimes while I read the commentaries. I also like that they explain many Cuban culinary traditions and the history behind some of the dishes, as well as a glossary which comes in handy to explain to non-Cubans what some of the ingredients are. This book is a definite must-have for those interested in Cuban cuisine. I especially appreciate it because I am a Cuban, formerly from Miami, who is now living up in Toronto. Since there aren't many Cuban restaurants here, I have to make a lot of the dishes that I remember and crave myself - and the Three Guys are the best source of information about Cuban recipes and culture that I have found! I also appreciate that they keep in mind that some of their readers live in places where there isn't a lot of access to Cuban ingredients, and they often offer substitutes for specialized ingredients. For example, they will say if you can't find X ingredient, then you can use Y ingredient, which is commonly found in supermarkets everywhere but are also a close substitute to the original (i.e. replacing "calabaza" with butternut squash).

So good job, Guys! I look forward to when they publish their Cuban Party Book - just LOTS of recipe pictures next time, okay?

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Summary: You have to have a sense of humour...
Review: I must say that Publisher's Weekly just doesn't get it. Most cookbooks are as dull as reading an encyclopedia article or a chartered accountancy advert. The witty dialogue here is what gives the book its charm and makes it a pleasurable read with touches of Monty Python and Graham Kerr. I found the book delightful, even before I had the opportunity to try the recipes out at home. Once I did, I fell in love with the delicious flavours of Cuba. The recipes are so easy to make and the Three Guys self-deprecating humour and "let's have fun in the kitchen" spirit gave me just the confidence I needed. Any time you try to do something different, there's a least one poor sod who doesn't catch on.

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Summary: I truly love this book it is so wonderful!
Review: I truly love this book it is so wonderful! Every night I read it. The book is so unique and different and that is why I love it so much. The pictures are great and I'm glad the publisher put all of them in the book.

I would have still bought this book even if It would have cost $100 or more. I mean a lot of people over price things out there and they are not even worth it and people buy it like crazy. This book would have been worth that and more because it has helped me so much.

The recipes are so easy to follow. But what I love the most is how the book talks about Cuban traditions, Cuban parties, and where the recipe came from. I grew up here in California and we don't really know that many Cubans here. Sometimes I feel like I don't know what it is like to be a Cuban! I think Glenn is more Cuban than I am, and I was born there -- Ha! Ha!

This book is the closest thing I have to feeling a little like a Cuban. Except for my parents cooking, we have lost the traditions and the true meaning of being Cubans. Thanks so much Three Guys, for everything that you do and everything that you have done for me. Words can never express how I truly feel, but this is a start.


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Summary: Funny, fantastic and tasty!
Review: I'm the furthest thing from Cuban, but I've always loved the culture and the food. This book delivers both! With directions so simple anyone can do it, the recipes in here are great and varied...make a few things for snacks or more intricate dishes for full-blown dinner parties. I don't even cook that well and the few things I've tried have come out wonderfully...and believe me, that says a lot. A pleasure to read and more of a pleasure to feast. Great job, Miami Guys!

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Summary: A thoroughly "user friendly" cookbook
Review: The impressively collaborative work of brothers-in-law Raul Musibay, Jorge Castillo, and Glenn Lindgren, Three Guys From Miami Cook Cuban: 100 Great Cuban Recipes With A Touch Of Miami Spice is beautifully illustrated with seventy-five color photography by Nancy Bundt. The recipes are organized into sections for Drinks; Appetizers; Salads; Soups; Sandwiches; Eggs; Meat; Seafood; Side Dishes; and Desserts. Enhanced for the kitchen cook with a Cuban Food Glossary and a brief list of sources for special ingredients, the recipes range from Cuba Libre (Rum and Coke); Papa Reliena (Fried Stuffed Potatoes); Sopa de Chicharos (Cuban Split Pea Soup); Frita Cubana (Cuban Hamburger); and Pastel de Chorizo (Cuban Chorizo Pie); to Boliche (Cuban Pot Roast); Picadilo de Pescado (Cuban Fish Hash); Mojo (Cuban Marinade); and Natilla (Cuban Pudding). Three Guys From Miami Cook Cuban is a thoroughly "user friendly" cookbook and will prove a popular addition to any kitchen cookbook collection!


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Summary: This Reviewer Has a Sense of Humor
Review: The titular "three guys" are three brothers-in-law: Raul Musibay and Jorge Castillo, who were both born in Cuba, and Lindgren, a Minnesotan who spends as much time as possible in Miami. They have an immensely popular web site, iCuban.com, devoted to Cuban food and culture.

In their first book, they present many of their favorite recipes and stories. Lindgren is the writer, but the three share a somewhat wacky sense of humor (as documented in some of the photographs here).

However, their book includes a lot of culinary and social history, along with 100 recipes for both traditional Cuban dishes and more contemporary variations. Numerous color photographs and an attractive design add to the appeal. One of the few recent titles on the subject, this is strongly recommended. From the Library Journal.





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Summary: WONDERFUL!!!
Review: This book is not only fun to read, it has excellent recipes. I have never tried cuban food before getting this book, but after trying recipe after recipe,I'm hooked!! I have had this book for a little over a month, and have had at least one meal a week from it! The Cuban Beef Stew is superb with such a depth of flavor, you will want to make it over and over again. The Cuban Bread scared me at first with its two pages of steps, but it is great....especially with the Cuban Beef Stew!!! The salad with avocados and fresh pineapple is great with fish. The Stuffed Green Peppers are full of flavor. So get this book!! You won't regret it! Buy lots of cumin, garlic and olive oil and you are set. This week I think I will try the Three Milk Cake!