The Christmas Eve Cookbook
With Tales of Nochebuena and Chanukah
by Ferdie Pacheco and Luisita Sevilla Pacheco
In this beautifully illustrated collection of over 200 recipes
and more than 25 holiday stories, Ferdie Pacheco and Luisita
Sevilla Pacheco create a holiday melting pot of immigrant lore
and cuisine in America.
The book begins in Ybor City, where Ferdie Pacheco grew up in the
1930s and '40s, an immigrant utopia of Cubans, Spaniards, Jews,
and Italians in Tampa, Florida. Pacheco's own Latin heritage sets
the stage for the book's focus on Christmas Eve, or Nochebuena--for Latin families often the biggest feast day of the
season, when friends and family sit around a table laden with
traditional dishes, telling stories that grow more colorful each
year.
As the Pachecos know, however, the beauty of American holiday
celebrations is their rich diversity, and so they range well
beyond Ybor City, collecting recipes and stories--old and
new--from Cuban, Spanish, Italian, Sicilian, Mexican, and Jewish
friends around the country.
A master story-teller, Pacheco recounts tales that are by turns
hilarious, moving, and inspiring. Known to many as "The
Fight Doctor," Pacheco includes a delightful Nochebuena
story about his daughter Tina and Muhammad Ali.
Recipes are organized by nationality and type of food, including
appetizers, salads, gravies and sauces, soups and stews, meats,
game, seafood, pasta and dumpling dishes, rice and bean dishes,
tamales and chili, vegetables, jellies, desserts, and drinks.
Together these recipes, stories, and Ferdie Pacheco's own
wonderful illustrations remind us that while no two Christmas Eve
or Chanukah celebrations in America are ever quite the same, they
all have in common the love of good food and a good story. The
Christmas Eve Cookbook offers enough of both to make the
holidays last all year round.
Nochebuena storyteller Ferdie Pacheco, M.D., has
worn the hats of family doctor (including a stint as Muhammad
Ali’s personal physician), Emmy-award-winning TV boxing
commentator, historian, artist, playwright, screenplay writer,
and author of six books, three published with University Press of
Florida (titles, see right) and Fight Doctor, View From the
Corner, and Renegade Lightning.
Nochebuena chef Luisita Sevilla Pacheco,
formerly a professional dancer, choreographer, and teacher of
flamenco, is also a photographer (her work appears in Fight
Doctor and View From the Corner) and a wonderful
cook. She and her husband, Ferdie, live in Miami.
1998. 192 pp. 6 X 9.
9 black and white sketches, 22 b&w photos, index.
ISBN 0-8130-1624-XCloth, $19.95
For MasterCard/Visa holders, accumulate titles in the Shopping Cart and submit your order electronically.
"A
double bargain since it includes both the history of an elegant
and popular family restaurant and 178 recipes. . . . A must-read
for all food and history lovers."--Florida Living
"Those whose skill is in the kitchen will appreciate The Christmas Eve Cookbook by husband-and-wife team Ferdie and Luisita Pacheco . . . The book contains more than 200 recipes and 25 holiday stories, and the authors call on their Latin heritage to create original dumpling, pasta, rice, and bean recipes." --
ForeWord
"Ferdie Pacheco and his wife Luisita Sevilla Pacheco stir up a melting pot of immigrant lore and cuisine in America." --
Publishers Weekly
"A wonderful selection of food and tales from Cuban, Spanish, Italian, Jewish and American cultures." -- Publishers Weekly