Avocado Salad Recipe

Growing up Cuban meant we didn't eat many salads. And by "many," I mean, "none."

For the most part, the only time green things appeared on our plates were the tiny, diced pieces of bell pepper in our sofrito. (For the uninformed, sofrito is at the beginning of most Cuban dishes. Sauteed onion, garlic, and green bell pepper form the basis of the magic that is Cuban food, but that's not important right now.)

We add asparagus to our Arroz con Pollo and I think that pretty much ends our venture into "green" territory.

The exception being that on special occasions, we were treated to An Avocado Salad. *insert heavenly choir here*

Having grown up here in California makes me partial to the beautiful dark-skinnedAvocados from Mexico (as opposed to the big, fat, smooth ones from South Florida). Don't judge me. I also make a pretty mean guacamole.

Today, Mexico is the only place in the world where avocado trees naturally bloom four times a year. Which means that we get avocados here pretty much year-round. (Thank you, God.)

But every now and then I want my Avocados from Mexico to taste, well, Cuban. And this is my go-to salad. Don't you love it when I share?

Buen Provecho!

Avocado-salad

CUBAN-STYLE AVOCADO SALAD RECIPE

• 2 ripe avocados, sliced
• 1/2 large sweet red onion, sliced into rings
• Sea salt
• Fresh cilantro, chopped

Dressing:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Juice of 3 limes (about 1/4 cup)
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 packet of Sazón Goya Complete
• Salt & pepper to taste

1) Blanch the bell pepper by putting in a small bowl and microwaving on high for about 40 seconds. Let cool.

2) For the dressing, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, Sazón Goya Complete and the cooled red bell pepper.

Avocado-salad-dressing

3) Arrange red onions on a plate, top with sliced avocados.

4) Salt the avocados.

Salted-avocados

5) Pour dressing over everything.

6) Top with fresh cilantro.

Cuban Style Avocado Salad

It totally feels like a special occasion, doesn't it?

Platanos en Tentacíon

Sometimes my family sits around and has noisy, opinionated andpointless discussions. (Hello? Cubans!) In this case, we were discussing the wonders of plantains and engaging in the Eternal Cuban debate:

Maduros or Tostones?

It depends on the main dish you’re serving, of course. I mean, I love a good tostón with garlic sauce. (Who doesn’t?) But I tend to be partial to sweet plantains or maduros.

In the midst of this discussion, my mom threw a wrench into the works when she declared rather regally and with great finality: “Platanos en tentacion.” (Rougly translated: Plantains in temptation. I know. I said roughly.)

Of course, you don’t just throw out a random suggestion like this with a group of noisy and opinionated Cuban women who all have their own particular versions of how to cook things.

It was like throwing gas on a fire.

“If you don’t have enough rum, they’re not as good.”

“The rum makes takes away too much of the sweetness.”

The discussion went on and on and even though I had not made these before, I quickly determined that they would be most tasty with just the cinnamon-caramel-glaze and it seemed to me that the rum was a bit superfluous anyway. (See? Opinionated.)

So, my daughters and I started messing with maduros and came up with a rather to-die-for concoction and took those maduros to the Next Level. Seriously.

They turned out so amazing that I'm convinced you could travel through time after eating these.

What I could not completely determine, however, was whether these caramel-glazed plantains would be better served as a side dish or as a stand alone dessert? Maybe over ice cream?

Your thoughts?

Platanos 1

Platanos en Tentacíon

• Goya frozen maduros* - cooked according to package directions
• 6 oz. sweetened condensed milk
• Ground cinnamon

*I decided the frozen maduros, which could be heated through first, worked well enough. Frying plantains would make them a little too heavy for this dish, but that's not important right now.

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.Place cooked plantains in a baking dish.

Platanos 2

2) Pour sweetened condensed milk over them.

Platanos 3

3) Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Platanos 4

4) Bake for 35 minutes.

5) Serve hot with __________. (Your thoughts?)

Platanos 5

My mom, Luza, enjoying MY Platanos en Tentacíon.

Buen Provecho!

"But why is the rum gone?" ~ Captain Jack Sparrow

(this recipe was originally posted on Babalú blog. 1/13/11)

Papa Rellena Recipe with Pictures

Multi-Tasking

Like every other Cuban mother out there, I am constantly aware of my charges. That is, I’m constantly trying to stay one step ahead of my family. I’m always anticipating their needs and their wants and their ‘antojos.”

Please understand that I’m not trying to brag here. This is just how our own Cuban mother groomed my sisters and me. I know you know what I’m talking about. It goes something like this: Mami is making a big dinner of Masitas de Puerco, pero Papi prefiere bistec, so Mami will not only make the Masitas (and they will turn out perfectly delicious, of course, but that’s not important right now) but Papi will definitely also get his bistec, too, made to his specifications. It's the way it's always been. It's how it will always be. Cuban mothers are GIVERS.

I’m really not as pro as my mom was in the food-distribution wars. I know what my family will want; I just stretch it out and work to make sure to put it into the rotation.

For example: I made picadillo on Monday, and boiled the potatoes while the picadillo was cooking so that I could make Papas Rellenas for Tuesday with the leftover picadillo. Are you following? I’m constantly multi-tasking and trying to second-guess what my family will be enjoying next.

Here's how I plan my Cuban menu for the week:

• Monday - Picadillo - The picadillo becomes the filling for Tuesday’s Papas Rellenas,
• Tuesday - I'll serve those Papas Rellenas as a companion to Crockpot Lechon
• On Wednesday the pork goes into some Fried Rice with Pork,
• Thursday you'll still have leftover Pork but only enough to go into Cuban sandwiches.

It's all about planning....

All that to say this: My family will be eating well this week and and they will praise me with great praise and I’ll demurely brush it aside with “It was nothing…”  When really all it took was some preparation and forethought. And bada-boom! It’s Papas Rellenas. And that’s what I call Cuban multi-tasking!

What about Friday? I know you're asking about Friday. Friday my grateful husband takes me out and lets someone else do the cooking - it's called..... A Date.

That is all.

Papa rellena

Papas Rellenas

• About 6 baking potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 1 tsp. Salt
• Garlic Powder
• Parsley for garnish
• 2 Tbsp. Warm milk ( maybe slightly more - warm a little milk in a small cup for this part)
• PICADILLO (leftover from the stuff you made last night.)
• 2 eggs, beaten with 1 Tbsp. Water
• 1-2 cups Corn Flake Crumbs
• Oil for frying

(originally posted on Babalú Blog. May 2008.)

1) Boil potatoes until they are fully cooked.

2) Drain.

3) Mash the potatoes – by hand along with the salt , garlic powder and warm milk. DO NOT ADD ANY BUTTER.

4) Let cool just until you can handle them with lightly greased hands.

5) Grab a handful of the mashed potatoes and make a little bowl (about the size of half a large golf ball), making an indentation in it.

Thumbprint

6) Do that again. Stuff the indentations with picadillo and bring the two halves together and smooth the outside. You should have a cute little picadillo-stuffed potato at this point.

Filled

7) You can make these whatever size you like, actually. Repeat until you’re out of potatoes or picadillo.

8) Beat the eggs with water until they are a little fluffy.

Corn flake crumbs

9) Dip the papa rellena into the beaten egg, then roll in the corn flake crumbs mixture until lightly covered.

10) Dip a second time in the egg mixture and again in the bread crumbs.

11) Cover the rellenas and refrigerate for at least 3 or 4 hours or overnight before the next part!!!

Take them out of the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature before frying.

12) Fill a large frying pan with enough oil to cover half a ball.

13)Fry each ball at least 2 minutes per side, turning once – or at least til they’re golden brown. (color is everything!)

Tres rellenas

You can serve them hot or cold, as appetizers or as a main dish. Amy Kikita likes hers with grilled onions served over the warm potato. You can also spice up the bread crumb mixture if you like.

God, I love Cuban food! (yes, that was a prayer. =D)

Bistec de Palomilla Recipe

The Secret Ingredient

My uncle is here with us visiting from Cuba. Of course that means that my entire family is going out of their way to show him a good time for the duration of his stay. We’re taking him places and showing him around Southern California and all that it entails.

“Que quieres ver?”

“Quiero verlo todo.”

Everything.

He wants to see everything.

He wants to do everything.

Done.

I struggled with what to feed him.

“Que quieres comer?”

“Todo.”

Everything.

He wants a taste of everything.

Really? Cuban food? American food?

Rather than guess, I decided it would save me a lot of time and energy if I just asked if there was anything specific he was craving.

He responded that since I was asking, he was kind of looking forward to having a good old-fashioned steak.

I was ready to immediately go pick up some rib-eyes and slap them on the barbecue (which I’m sure he wouldn’t have objected to, but that’s not important right now), when he suddenly got a kind of wistful expression and launched into the description of the steak of his dreams;
Thinly sliced, tender, marinated with garlic and lime, smothered in crisp onions, and sprinkled ever so slightly with fresh parsley. He actually closed his eyes when he got to the part about the fresh parsley.

To be honest, it was a little heartbreaking.

“Con mucho gusto.”

I was going to do whatever it took to recreate that moment that was obviously stuck in his memory from much happier times. I went to the butcher and got some top sirloin and asked him to please slice it paper thin. He asked me three times if I was sure I wanted it sliced so thin. That beautiful cut? Was I sure? He almost cried, but did it according to my specifications. (If he had been a Cuban butcher there wouldn’t have been even a moment’s hesitation, but that’s not important right now).

I went home and I could barely prepare the steaks and marinade through my tears.

I served the steak and he took the first bite. It was perfect, he said. Just perfect. Exactly what he wanted and it tasted exactly how he dreamed it would. Even better, he said, because he could feel the love with which it was prepared. He was so, so very grateful. Of course he wanted to know my secret.

I didn’t have the heart to tell him that my secret ingredient was the ocean of salty tears that I cried while I was preparing the marinade. Apparently they must taste just like love. Who knew?

CAMBIO.

Bistec de Palomilla Recipe

• 3 lbs. Top Sirloin steak – sliced very thin
• 10 garlic cloves – diced
• juice of 2 fresh limes
• 1 yellow onion thinly sliced
• salt and coarse black pepper to taste
• olive oil (twice around the pan)
• 3 Tbsp. Fresh chopped parsley

1) Rub about 2/3rds of the garlic into the steaks on both sides

2) Squeeze the juice of one of the limes onto the steaks.

3) Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4) Place the steaks into a plastic ziplock bag.

5) Add the sliced onion to the bag.

6) Place the bag in the refrigerator and allow to marinate – preferably overnight, but at least for one hour.

7) Remove the steaks from the marinade and pat dry. Reserve the marinade. Set the onions aside. 

8) Heat olive oil in a large frying pan.

9) Fry the steaks quickly about 1 minute per side and remove to a warm platter.

10) Squeeze the juice of the other lime into the pan and stir, this will “clean” any burnt bits from the pan.

11) Add the remaining marinade, onions and garlic to the lime juice and quickly stir together over medium heat for about 5 minutes. The onions should still be crisp and the garlic should not be brown.

12) Pour the onion mixture over the steaks on the platter. And garnish with the chopped fresh parsley.

VERY IMPORTANT: Close your eyes and savor that first bite and thank God for freedom.