Like Water for Chocolate

by Laura Esquivel, Carol Christensen (Translater), Thomas Christensen (Translator)

Earthy, magical, and utterly charming, this tale of family life in turn-of-the-century Mexico became a best-selling phenomenon with its winning blend of poignant romance and bittersweet wit.

The number one bestseller in Mexico and America for almost two years, and subsequently a bestseller around the world, "Like Water For Chocolate" is a romantic, poignant tale, touched with moments of magic, graphic earthiness, bittersweet wit - and recipes.

A sumptuous feast of a novel, it relates the bizarre history of the all-female De La Garza family. Tita, the youngest daughter of the house, has been forbidden to marry, condemned by Mexican tradition to look after her mother until she dies. But Tita falls in love with Pedro, and he is seduced by the magical food she cooks. In desperation, Pedro marries her sister Rosaura so that he can stay close to her. For the next twenty-two years, Tita and Pedro are forced to circle each other in unconsummated passion. Only a freakish chain of tragedies, bad luck and fate finally reunite them against all the odds.
(retrieved from goodreads.com)

PASSION. SO MUCH PASSION. I loved this book. Where do I even start? This is a love story. A cookbook. A cultural exploration. A history lesson. Very strong female lead. Positive portrayal of Latin culture. It's just fantastic. Just read it.

Roasted Chickpea Recipe

This recipe--with some of my own additional flavor suggestions--was retrieved from the website Healthy Crush.

Ingredients:

3 cups of cooked chickpeas or 1 1/2 cans of chickpeas rinsed and dried (make sure they are as dry as possible so they get crispy!)

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt

Grated zest of 1 lemon

Juice from 2 lemon slices (about 1/4 of a lemon)

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

(Other flavors to play with: chili, basil, chive, ginger, garlic, tahini)

Preheat oven to 425 with a rack placed in the top third of the oven. Put the dried chickpeas onto a baking sheet as pictured below and roast for 10 minutes.

Shake the pan and roast for another 8-10 minutes, until the chickpeas crisp up. Keep an eye on them to avoid burning!

While chickpeas are cooking, make your sauce. Combine olive oil, paprika, salt, lemon zest, cumin, lemon juice, rosemary and thyme into a mixing bowl.

Transfer the chickpeas into the bowl and toss until well coated. Return to baking sheet and roast for another 3-5 minutes. Note: do not cook any longer than this, or they may taste too dry. Let cool 1-2 minutes & serve!