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My Culinary Passion
Chef Daisy Martínez shares some delicious cooking tips.
Living in her Staten Island home, Puerto Rican chef Daisy Martínez then 13, received a very special gift from her dad— a French cookbook. The first dish she tried was a recipe for mashed potatoes with onions. “It’s one of my fondest memories in the kitchen,” says Martínez. Years later, Martínez decided to matriculate at the French Culinary Institute. Upon graduation she started working in the industry on PBS’ Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen. In 1999 the show’s producer asked her if she wanted her own show on Latin food. From there, PBS’s Daisy Cooks!, and her cookbook with the same name were born. You can also find her on Food Network’s Viva Daisy!, where she gives her tips for quick Latin meals. For the summer her two biggest secrets are keeping the grill clean and to marinate meats with an acid or flavored vinegar and then use a dry adobo rub. “That serves not only to flavor the meat, but it also tenderizes and makes it juicy,” explains Martínez. In the end, “the kitchen is my happy zone,” affirms Martínez. “What inspires me as a chef is love.”
Download recipes courtesy of Daisy Martínez
