Taranta: A Boston chef's journey to sustainability is a cookbook that expands the reader's world. Chef Jose Duarte, a native of Peru, restaurant owner, innovator in restaurant environmental practices, and a champion of human rights for workers in restaurants and in food production, believes that the connections one makes through food and cooking can change the world for the better. The home cook will find easy-to-follow recipes for Peruvian specialties such as Pollo Brasa, Lobster Causa and Classic Pisco Sour and learn why these foods are so beloved in the chef's homeland. Sustainability is paramount in chapters about paiche, the ancient river fish being revived in Peru, and the benefits of quinoa. Ways to promote health permeate recipes and lore about beans, Peruvian elixirs and the ancient customs of Southern Italian families who forage for wild greens. Modern twists use slightly tangy Peruvian fruit lucuma to give tiramisu a South American beat and combine Peruvian ingredients with Italian techniques for deliciously new fare. Super-fast methods to make ceviche guide home cooks to rival restaurant fare while illuminating its history. The wisdom of the ancients wafts into hearty soups from the Andes region where Chef Duarte enables indigenous Peruvians to work while preserving their heritage. Page after page, stunning photograph after photograph, and recipe after recipe, the reader will be entranced by Taranta as a cookbook, a guide, and a portal into a new way of thinking about food. This cookbook will be one of the few, if not the only, to explore both Peruvian foods and its affinity to Southern Italian home dishes and techniques.
