Happy Birthday, Julia!

The list of my culinary heroes is long. There is good old Nitza Villapol, who, in spite of her embrace of communism, is still the definitive Cuban cook. Her Cocina Al Minuto is a must-have in every Cuban kitchen.

Of course, there are the Three Guys from Miami, that I had the opportunity to meet in Miami a few years ago. Click here for that story.

And my good friend, cookbook author and now the newest Real Housewife of Miami (who will undoubtedly add some class to that show, but that's not important right now), Ana Quincoces. Her fabulous, ¡Sabor! A Passion for Cuban Cuisine should be in everyone's cookbook library.

My list of favorites however, begins and ends with Julia. *stands and applauds*

Julia Child - Mastering the Art of French Cooking. We had a dog-eared copy in the kitchen for as long as I can remember. My older sisters being the ones who discovered how amazingly simple Julia's kitchen techniques really were.

I realize it was the film, Julie & Julia that brought Julia Child back into popularity. (I may or may not have cried when Julie finds out her blog has become famous. I know. Shut up.) But it's Julia's delicious and simple recipes that will forever keep her at the top of everyone's Best Chef Ever list.

Today she would have been 100 years old. Google had this beautiful graphic commemorating the event, which made me totally happy.

In honor of Julia's birthday, permit me to share one of my favorite super simple and awesomely delicious go-to sauces, lifted directly from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, 50th Anniversary Edition.

Blender Hollandaise Sauce

• 1/2 lb. unsalted butter
• 6 egg yolks
• 4–6 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground white pepper

1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat until it begins to foam, 15–20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, put egg yolks, lemon juice, salt, and pepper into the jar of an electric blender. Cover, and blend on high speed for 2 seconds; then, with the motor still running, gradually add melted butter in a slow, steady stream through hole in blender lid, leaving milky solids behind. Adjust seasonings.

It will totally make your asparagus sing. This Hollandaise Sauce (in a blender, people!) will also add the Wow-factor in your Eggs Benedict with Hollandaise. Trust me on this.

Can I just tell you that I love how she takes an incredibly difficult careful-or-you-will-surely-mess-this-up-so-easily sauce and makes it completely idiot-proof? That was her gift. And this cook, in particular, is grateful for her genius.

Thank you, Julia. You still rock.

Fricase de Pollo Recipe - a lo Cubano

As you know, I've recently been participating in Mizkan's™ Cooking Challenges. See here and here.

To kick off Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 through October 15), we were asked to share a recipe from our country, or "Receta de Mi Pais." 

For this challenge, I chose to enter one of my family's favorites, Fricasé de Pollo.

The Original Story* about the Fricasé de Pollo goes like this:

The first time my husband (then boyfriend) was to meet my big, fat, Cuban family, my mom made what we would consider a regular (albeit wonderful!) Cuban meal.

I spent days and hours preparing Eric for the meet and greet. I explained our customs, our politics, what topics were allowed and what NOT to bring up. I could have written a complete guide to meeting the Cuban girlfriend’s parents.

In fact, I still may. I think I’ll call it - “Huat to Especk if Ju Don’ Espik Espanish.” 

I coached him on what to say to my dad. I told him how he was expected to treat my mom. I told him our island history and my family history. I told him the number and names of all my siblings and their offspring.

I explained that if all else failed, to just nod and smile. I thought I had told him everything he needed to know.
For the dinner, my mom made a typical Fricasé de Pollo.

So it surprised me, after he passed the Cuban Family Review (with flying colors, of course), when he said:
 

“You didn’t tell me your mom was an amazing gourmet cook.”

“Umm… she’s not. She’s just Cuban. Like me.” 

 He proposed just a few days later. =D

*posted on Babalú blog on August 9, 2007

Fricasé de Pollo Recipe a lo Cubano 

(This recipe works well for both slow cookers and pressure cookers)

The challenge was to use one of the Holland House brands in the recipe. I chose Holland House White Cooking Wine. 

 

• 3-4 lbs. Chicken pieces (I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts and thighs)
• 1 tsp. salt
• ½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
• ½ tsp. cumin
• garlic powder
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 3 cups red potatoes, cut into cubes
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 - 15 oz. can tomato sauce
• 2 packets Goya® Sazón Completo
• 1 1/2 cup Holland House® White Cooking Wine
• 1 cup Bitter Orange Juice* (see recipe below)
• ½ cup green olives (stuffed with pimientos)
• ½ cup raisins
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 2 bay leaves

1. Make the sofrito by sautéing the onion, bell pepper, and garlic until the onion is translucent.
2. Season the chicken pieces with cumin and garlic powder.
3. Add chicken back into the slow cooker or pressure cooker along with the rest of the ingredients.
4. In the slow cooker - cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5.
5. In the pressure cooker - cook on high pressure for 35 minutes.
6. Serve over white rice.

Disclosure: This post is part of a sponsored series to promote Mizkan cooking wines, vinegars and marinades. I also received samples of Mizkan’s Holland House, Nakano and World Harbor brand products and promotional material from Mizkan to assist in preparing the posts. All opinions and recipes in this series are my very own.

* Bitter Orange Juice (Naranja Agria) Recipe

If you can’t get bitter orange juice in your area, it is just as easy to make your own:

 

• 2 parts orange juice
• 1 part lemon juice
• 1 part lime juice (I love using the little key limes for the taste.)

This is an ever-so-Cuban marinade for chicken and pork.

By the way, have I told you how much I love my digital pressure cooker? I do. I love it. ;-)

  

Authentic Cuban Cuisine - A Winner

Thank you all for sharing the magnificence of the cooks in your family.  I particularly like the quote:

“What is patriotism but the love of the food one ate as a child?”

It seems particularly appropriate based on your answers. The food that was made and served with such love in our childhoods has taken a place of honor and importance in our memories. Again, thank you for sharing that and trusting me with your memories.

Just so you know, I read each and every answer. You made me smile (and made me a little hungry, but that's not important right now) as I read who it was in your family that made the delicious dish of your choice. I also laughed out loud at Maggie's memory of her mother being really great at making reservations. That was hysterical!

Now, without further ado, the winner of the Authentic Cuban Cuisine Cookbook is..........(drum roll, please)...........

**********************************************************

Melanie Perez-Lopez said...

My mother-in-law made a wonderful ropa vieja. I never understood the name, but loved the food!

Reply July 08, 2011 at 03:19 PM

**********************************************************

Congratulations, Melanie! You're so going to love it! Please send me an email with HEY, MARTA! I WON STUFF ON YOUR BLOG  in the subject line (so I don't accidentally delete it) and your snail mail address so that I can send out the cookbook ASAP.

For the rest of you, here's my conversation with the author, Martha Abreau Cortina, about where you can get your own copy. I'll also add a link to my sidebar. Do it. It's a wonderful addition to any Cuban cookbook collection.

She says, “It's available in Amazon.com, Books-A-Million stores and online; Barnes & Noble. Some book stores might not have them at the stores, but they will order it on request because it is in their catalogs. The more cutomers that request it in Barnes & Noble, the better chance they will have it at their stores soon. Thanks!”

Thank you again for sharing your memories with me and for playing along. I love giving things away, mostly because of your overwhelmingly positive responses. Thank you to Martha and to Pelican Publishing Company for making this giveaway possible.

I have lots more very cool stuff to give away this summer, so stay tuned. I may even have to start calling this The Summer of the Fabulous MBFCF Giveaways^®.   ;-)

Besos,

Marta

Authentic Cuban Cuisine - A Cookbook Giveaway

As you know, I am an unabashed Lover of All Things Cuban. Particularly Cuban food.

And if there's something I might just love more than Cuban food, it's Cuban Cookbooks.

I have quite a nice collection, too. I often refer to all of them when I'm making a dish my own. I use them almost like text books, laying them all out on the table and making notes, like:

• I would skip this ingredient.
• Must try this!!!
• I would add _______ here before cooking.
• I think the sofrito would be better with red peppers added.
• This might be tastier with lard instead of butter. (It doesn't happen, often, but it happens.)

And on it goes, until I practice and play and eventually create a Cuban dish that tastes just like I want it to.

I recently received a beautiful Cuban cookbook so that I could review it.

It's called Authentic Cuban Cuisine and the author, Martha Abreau Cortina grew up watching her mother cook. The recipes featured in her book were collected from her mother, aunts, and friends. A graduate of the University of Miami, she has been teaching in the Miami-Dade County Public School system for more than twenty-five years. She lives in Miramar, Florida

I dove into it as you would dive into a cool swimming pool on a hot summer's day. I read it cover to cover and when I went to add my notations, they were mostly “Must try this!!!” notes. Win!

The recipes are all old-Cuban-school delicious. Every single one makes you think, “This sounds just like the ___________ (*fill in the blank*) my grandmother/mom/aunt/neighbor/madrina used to make.”

I'm so happy to have this book in my collection and of course, I'm excited to share it with you, too.

So, let's do a giveaway!

For a chance to win this gorgeous Cuban cookbook, Authentic Cuban Cuisine by Martha Abreau Cortina, please leave a comment on this post and answer the following:

My grandmother/mom/aunt/neighbor/madrina makes the best ______________.  *fill in the blank

I'll choose a winner on Sunday, July 10th at 5 pm. Until then, good luck and...

Buen Provecho!

[Disclaimer: The cookbook was sent to me for my review, the opinion that it is a wonderful addition to any cookbook collection is my own.] =D

Chimichurri Recipe of Awesomeness® - Rising to the challenge

I'm pleased to tell you that I've been included to take part in a series of Cooking Challenges by Holland House^® and Mizkan^® along with several other Latina bloggers.

The first challenge was to use one of many Holland House products to create A Latino 4th of July on the Grill. To be honest, Eric is the Grill-meister around here. I am just Hero Support. What to do?

Eric: “I'll grill the steak and you should make that awesome Cuban chimichurri sauce of yours.”

Me: “Are you referring to my Chimichurri Dipping Sauce of Awesomeness^®?”

So I began with the Holland House White Wine Vinegar.....

and the rest.....is Awesomeness. ;-)

So, for your 4th of July Grilling pleasure - Cuban style....

Chimichurri Dipping Sauce Recipe of Awesomeness^®

• 1 bunch of cilantro leaves (or Italian Parsley)
• 8 cloves of garlic (peeled)
• 1/4 cup Holland House White Wine Vinegar
• Juice of one lime
• 1/2 cup white onion
• 1/4 cup roasted red pepper strips
• 3 Tbsp. oregano
• 2/3 cup olive oil
• Salt & pepper to taste

1. Put all ingredients EXCEPT the olive oil in blender or food processor and pulse to a thick mixture. (Do not over-process!)
2. Remove from processor and whisk in olive oil - very important!
3. Add salt and pepper liberally.
4. Serve over fresh grilled steak or use as a dipping sauce for bread.

WARNING: Chimichurri Dipping Sauce of Awesomeness^® is highly addicting. Don't say I didn't warn you. =D

Disclosure: This post is part of a sponsored series to promote Mizkan cooking wines, vinegars and marinades. I also received samples of Mizkan’s Holland House, Nakano and World Harbor brand products and promotional material from Mizkan to assist in preparing the posts. All opinions and recipes in this series are my very own.