November 26, 2014

Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Recipe

November 26, 2014/ Marta M. Darby

Going Old School

It’s November, people.

Of course you know what that means: It’s time for the holiday "comelatas" to begin.

At our house the main course menus don’t vary much from year to year. But then there are the desserts.

Ah, yes. Desserts. Plural.

I don’t know of a Cuban anywhere who doesn’t love something sweet with their after-dinner cafécito.

But which dessert? There are so many to choose from!

There are dozens of classic “old school” desserts, like flan, pudin de pan, natilla, cascos de guayaba con queso crema, not to mention our classic pastelitos.

But I decided to try something new with an “old school” flavor.

This week’s recipe is a two-step affair. First we’re going to make Dulce de Leche.

Then we’re going to put it into a cheesecake.

It’s incredibly easy, but it looks really impressive and it tastes even better.

Okay. I admit it. I get a little stressed around this time of year.

But you know what they say:

“Stressed is just DESSERTS spelled backwards.”

Dulce de leche cheesecake

Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Recipe

Homemade Dulce de Leche:

2 cans of sweetened condensed milk

Dulce de leche cheesecake2

Crockpot method:

Remove the labels.
Place the still sealed cans in a crockpot.
Cover the cans with water so they are completely immersed.
Cook on high for 5 hours.
Remove from the crockpot and let them cool completely.

Here's a video to show you how:

Pressure cooker method:

Remove the labels.
Place the still sealed cans in a pressure cooker.
Cover the cans with water.
Cook on high pressure for 40 minutes.
Let the pressure drop on it's own for about 15 minutes. Remove. Let the cans cool completely.

For the Crust:

(you can also use a ready-made graham cracker crust if desired)

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 tbsp. butter, melted

Filling:

3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 eggs
1/3 cup whole milk
1 can Homemade Dulce de Leche

Reserve about 1/3 can of Dulce de Leche to drizzle over finished cheesecake.

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 400°

2) Mix crust ingredients together, and press into the bottom of a lightly buttered 9-inch springform pan. Place pan on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature.

3) Reset oven temperature to 325°

4) With an electric mixer beat cream cheese, sugar and flour together until well mixed and smooth.

5) Add vanilla and beat until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat until smooth. Add milk and mix until well blended.

6) In a smaller bowl, stir up the Dulce de Leche quickly to soften up. Measure about 1/2 cup of the cheesecake batter and pour into the softened Dulce de Leche. Stir until well combined.

Dulce de leche cheesecake 3

7) Pour plain batter over crust. Top with Dulce de Leche batter by placing rounded spoonfuls over the cheesecake batter and gently swirl into plain batter with the tip of knife or spatula.

Dulce de leche cheesecake 4

8) Bake in preheated 325°F oven for one hour or until center is almost set.

9) Remove from oven and gently run metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen cheesecake (this helps prevent cracking). Release the springform pan. Let cool 20-25 minutes before covering and placing in the refrigerator. Refrigerate 4 to 6 hours or overnight before serving.

10) Stir the reserved Dulce de Leche quickly to soften and drizzle over finished cheesecake.

(NOTE: you can heat the Dulce de Leche slightly if it’s not soft enough, but don’t OVERcook it!)

Dulce de leche cheesecake 5

Oh WAIT! I told you to cook two cans, didn’t I?

Here’s what you do with the second one:

You grab a knife and some galletas and you go “old school.”

Dulce de leche cheesecake 6

Buen Provecho!

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September 22, 2014

Cuban Picadillo Pies® Recipe

September 22, 2014/ Marta M. Darby

I have a recipe today that was kind of a happy accident.

Ever since I went up to San Francisco a few months ago to cook my Picadillo, my family has been clamoring for it. Yes, there's been clamoring. For the past few years I've been making my picadillo with ground turkey. It's just become a thing.

When I cooked for the Blurb Food Fair, I used fresh ground beef. And here's what I found: it definitely tastes different. Better. In fact, I'm so sorry, ground turkey, but ground beef totally wins.

I mentioned this tidbit to my family and immediately they started asking for it. Clamoring. I had already sung the praises of the ground beef vs the ground turkey. I couldn't just leave them hanging.

Fine, I said. I'll do it, I said. And I did. And there was much rejoicing in the land.

Last week Eric's family was having a Christmas party and we were asked to bring appetizers for the buffet.

Eric: "Why don't you just make the picadillo? With the beef, of course."

Me: "Because it's a main dish, not an appetizer. That would be weird."

Then the brainstorming began and the result was the making of individual personal meat-filled pies. Cuban Picadillo Pies®. Not empanadas, but muffin-tin sized pies. Enough that you get a good portion of picadillo and the perfect proportion of crust. In fact, a couple of these beauties and a salad is practically a complete meal.

They were the hit of the party, by the way. But I sort of knew that would probably be the case. Hello? Cuban. Picadillo. Pies. It's genius, right?

After some experimentation, I decided the picadillo filling needed to have a little more substance and not be too runny, so I added more tomato paste. I added an envelope of Golla seasoning with saffron. I just love the taste it adds, but it can be made without it.

Also, I came to the cataclysmic decision to not use the olives. I know. Call me a rebel. The pie filling is therefore thicker and sweeter than regular picadillo, which works with the slight saltiness of the crust.

Picadillo pies

You love me now, don't you?

Cuban Picadillo Pie Recipe

Cuban Picadillo Pies

3 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
½ green bell pepper, diced
2 cloves fresh garlic, pressed
1 ½ lbs. Ground beef
1 tsp. Salt
½ tsp. Pepper
½ tsp. Cumin
½ tsp. Oregano
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
2 small cans tomato paste
1 small envelope Sazón Golla (with saffron)
¼ cup dry white wine (the cheaper, the better!)
1 small box of dark raisins
2 packages Refrigerated Pillsbury Pie Crust
A small amount of butter to grease the muffin tin

1) Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the onion, green pepper and garlic until the onion is transluscent.

2) Add the ground beef and brown over medium heat.

3) Add the rest of the ingredients and continue cooking until meat is tender and completely cooked through. About 25 minutes.

4) Let picadillo cool completely.

5) Grease muffin tin slightly with butter. Mostly just around the bottom.

Muffin tin

6) Cut approximately 5" round circles from pie crust. (I used what I had handy in my kitchen. I'm going to run out and get proper circle cookie cutters for next time, but that's not important right now.) You can get about four 5 inch crusts out of the pie crust and then I combine and roll out the remainder for the tops.

Picadillo pie dough

7) Stuff these into the greased muffin tin.

Picadillo pie dough in tin

8) Spoon cooled picadillo into the pie crust.

Picadillo pie filling

9) Using the leftover dough, roll it out to seal and Cut 3" circles from the scraps of the pie crust.

Cutting dough

10) Stretch these out just slightly to make tops of the pies.

Picadillo pies before baking

11) Press the top and bottom edges of pies together to seal. With a knife, make some slits on the top to vent. You can also just poke a hole in the middle. That works, too, but isn't as cute.

12) Bake in a 425 degree oven for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until crusts are brown. Allow to cool for a bit before serving. Makes 12 pies.

Baked Cuban Picadillo pies

Now they're clamoring for my Cuban Picadillo Pies.®

I totally called it.

July 31, 2014

Arroz con Maiz Recipe - An Original Thanksgiving Side Dish Cuban-style

July 31, 2014/ Marta M. Darby

Thanksgiving with my big, fat, Cuban family is usually a very typical American feast. But because my family has so many amazing cooks, we're often trying new recipes and sometimes we like to put a spin on some old classics.

Our turkeys have run the gamut from deep-fried to classically oven-baked to (my favorite) the Guavalicious Bird.

I started mentally listing the side dishes we usually enjoy with our Thanksgiving turkey:

Mashed Potatoes
Stuffing
Green Bean Casserole
Sweet Potatoes
Cranberries
Corn

And as much as I love these foods and the lovely blending of these flavors with the turkey, I sometimes crave the familiar. By that I mean something that starts with a sofrito, of course.

So I opted to take a traditional Thanksgiving side dish (corn) and added a Cuban spin to it. (Because I can.)

Arroz con maiz

That's right. This year, our Thanksgiving table will be graced by a big, fat, pot of Arroz con Maiz (that's Rice with Corn for those of you who dimly remember Spanish 101).

Arroz con Maiz Recipe - Cuban-style

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 medium green bell pepper, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup tomato sauce
2 bay leaves
2 cups long grain white rice
1 envelope Goya Sazón con Azafran
1/4 cup white cooking wine
3 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 cup canned corn, drained
Salt & pepper to taste

Sofrito ingredients

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic, and saute for 5 to 7 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Be careful not to brown them.
Add the tomato sauce and bay leaves, cook for 5 minutes.
Add the rice and stir well.
Add the Goya seasoning, white cooking wine, and stock, stirring to combine.
Reduce the heat to low, add the corn and fluff the rice with a fork.
Cover the pan and continue cooking for about 20 minutes, until the rice is tender and fluffy.
Taste the rice, adding salt & pepper to taste.

Buen Provecho and Happy Thanksgiving!

October 01, 2013

Bread Pudding Recipe - Pudín de Pan

October 01, 2013/ Marta M. Darby

My 97-year-old uncle, Fernando, lives in Miami.

My 94-year-old mother, who lives here in California, visits her big brother (!!) at least once a year. Tio Fernando loves bread pudding and so, my mom, being the devoted little sister that she is, insists on bringing him the bread pudding he loves so much. She will usually make a big, heavy one for him, which she then proceeds to haul across the country.

She packs it in her suitcase.

I know what you’re thinking, but trust me, there’s no arguing with her on this point. She makes Tio Fernando’s Bread Pudding (or T.F.B.P.) and the way she makes it is kind of dry, so it wraps up nicely for the cross-country flight.

Once my mom and the T.F.B.P. arrive in Miami, she and my uncle make a syrupy sauce to pour over the dry pudding. They both absolutely delight in this ritual. He feels loved and appreciated because she made the pudding and she feels loved and appreciated because he is so appreciative, ad infinitum. Everyone’s happy, including the FAA who’s representatives were relieved to discover that the carefully wrapped package in her luggage was not radioactive, but that’s not important right now.

I think it’s cute that my mom goes to all that trouble for her big brother, but honestly, I don’t love her bread pudding because it is a little too dry for me and I am a bit lazy about making the syrup. (Don’t judge me.)

So I came up with my own recipe for bread pudding, which is super gooey and messy and not-at-all-dry-so-you-don’t-need-syrup, and I even found a way to add guava to it. I know! Shut up.

I think you’re going to love it.

But, a word of warning: Don’t make plans to travel with it in your luggage. My bread pudding is NOT like my Tio Fernando’s and would definitely be classified as a U.F.O. (Unidentified Food Object.)

NMTF Bread Pudding

Not-My-Tio-Fernando’s Bread Pudding Recipe

3 cups sugar
a squeeze of fresh lemon
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 pound day-old Cuban or French bread
4 cups milk
4 egg YOLKS
1 TBSP Vanilla extract
1 stick butter – melted
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/4 cup dry sherry (vino seco)
1 cup golden raisins (they have a milder taste.)
Guava paste – about a dozen or so sliced squares, to dot the top of the pudding.
Confectioner’s sugar (for garnishing)

Prepare the baking dish:

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2) Pour 2 cups of sugar (plus a little bit of water and squeeze of fresh lemon), into a saucepan over medium heat.

3) Stir occasionally until sugar caramelizes - about 6 or 7 minutes.

4) Remove from heat and quickly pour caramel into ungreased baking dish.

NMTF Bread Pudding 4

5) Set aside.

For the pudding:

1) Place bread pieces into a food processor and grind into medium size breadcrumbs – it’s okay to have some chunks in there, too, for a nice texture.

2) Put breadcrumbs into a large mixing bowl and pour milk over them – mix until all the bread is coated. Set aside and let them soak.

NMTF Bread Pudding 1

3) In another bowl, mix together the remaining sugars (1 cup white sugar and 1/2 cup light brown sugar), the egg yolks, vanilla, melted butter, cinnamon, salt, wine, and raisins.

4) Add this to the soaked breadcrumb mixture.

NMTF Bread Pudding 2

5) Pour into the caramelized dish.

6) Dot the top with guava paste pieces.

NMTF Bread Pudding 3

7) Bake for about an hour and ten minutes until pudding is set, or until knife inserted in the pudding comes out clean.

8) Remove from oven and allow pudding to cool down to room temperature.

9) Dust with confectioner’s sugar and slice into serving pieces.

NMTF Bread Pudding 5

10) Serve hot or cold. No syrup necessary.

September 25, 2013

Cuban-Chinese Arroz Frito con Lechón Recipe

September 25, 2013/ Marta M. Darby

Here's a pop quiz...

What do you do with the leftovers the day after the Lechón Asado? (even if it's just out of a crockpot.)

Caja China

Okay. That was too easy.

So what do you do after you've had as much Pan con Lechón as you can stuff yourself with?

What happens when you have exhausted your basic lechón leftover options?

What do you do if you’re suddenly craving Chinese food?

Or Cuban food?

Or Cuban-Chinese food?

And you don’t live anywhere on the planet where Cuban-Chinese restaurants actually exist?

But you still have a whole bunch of leftover lechón?

And there also happens to be leftover rice?

That's right.

Leftover lechón AND leftover rice?

I'll be grading this one on the curve.

Arroz frito

Arroz Frito con Lechón Recipe

3 eggs
soy sauce
chicken broth
vegetable oil
¼ chopped onion
¼ chopped green bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups cooked white rice
1 cup leftover lechón asado (roast pork)
¼ cup chopped green onions
¼ cup green peas (fresh, frozen or canned)

1) Scramble the eggs well, adding a little bit of soy sauce and a little bit of chicken broth. (should look a little “dirty”)

2) In a large frying pan, heat up enough oil to just barely coat the bottom & sides of the pan.

3) Wait until the oil is pretty hot and pour in the egg mixture until it coats the bottom of the pan. It’s not reallypretty at all, but the soy sauce/chicken broth eggs are pretty tasty on their own.

Let them cook through and then flip them over once. Don’t worry if they don’t flip over evenly. Once the eggs are cooked, remove from pan and set aside.

Arroz frito 1

4) Add a little more oil to the pan and sauté the onion and bell pepper over medium heat until the onion is translucent.

5) Turn down the heat and add the garlic. Continue cooking, but don’t let the garlic get toasty.

6) Add a bit more oil if necessary, then, add the rice. Fry the rice gently, stirring frequently, adding a bit of chicken broth for flavor.

7) Quickly slice up the scrambled eggs and add to the rice.

Arroz frito 2

8) Add a bit more soy sauce and the diced lechón.

9) Gently fold in the green onions and peas until heated through.

10) Remove from heat, cover, and let it stand for about 5 minutes. Serve hot.

This recipe is easily multiplied – depending on how much you’ve got left over and how many people you plan on feeding. I apologize for the vagueness, but because it's so simple, I never measure the ingredients in this recipe.

I cook it “de oído.” (By ear...)

September 07, 2013

Carne Con Papas Recipe

September 07, 2013/ Marta M. Darby

The Question

I work from my home, and I homeschool my kids, which means I field all kinds of questions from them all day long. And even though I love to cook and try out tons of recipes and nothing makes me happier than hungry mouths to fill, there is one particular question that always makes me feel pressured:

“What’s for dinner?”

(I hear it in a growling, distorted, horror-movie voice with scary harpsichord music playing.)

Even though I plan menus and usually know what I’m making, the question still paralyzes me.

It’s probably some latent test anxiety left over from high school. I somehow feel like I’m on the spot and I’d better get the answer right - or . . . DIE. (buahahahaha! Insert crashing thunder and lightning effects here.)

Enter my crockpot, which I (obviously) love. I love being able to fix something in the morning and forget about it all day. It gives me a happy feeling of accomplishment. It's like having a Cuban grandmother in the house serving up the very best comfort food there is.

But here's the most compelling reason for my unnatural attachment to my crockpot: it preempts the dreaded question, because, they can peek in the pot early in the day and know what they can look forward to at dinnertime. Not only that, but the smell of whatever is happening in the kitchen starts wafting through the house and all I get is positives: “Dinner smells awesome.” "Whatever you made is going to be great!" "Should we set the table now?" (ok, that last one was really more of a fantasy. . =D)

I usually set the timer on the bread machine so that the smell of freshly baking bread coincides with dinnertime and the olfactory overload completely disorients them. They get so focused on what they are smelling, that all other senses become useless. It doesn’t even matter what I’m making any more, because the smells are making them salivate and sing my praises before they get to the table. Yes, I admit it’s manipulative. But it works.

Too bad this process doesn’t translate to the internet, because on Wednesdays I usually find an email in my inbox from Val wondering what I’m cooking for Babalú on Thursdays.

Can you guess the subject line?

Carne con Papas Recipe

Olive oil (twice around the pan)
½ small white onion, chopped
½ green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
½ tsp. ground cumin
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
2 tablespoons bijol
2 bay leaves
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes
2 lbs. beef stew meat
2 white potatoes (cut into small cubes)
1 cup dry white wine
4 cups beef boullion (6 cubes)

1) Make the boullion with 6 cubes and 4 cups water.

2) Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Saute the onion, green pepper and garlic until the onion is translucent.

3) Add cumin, salt, pepper, bijol, and bay leaves.

4) Add tomato sauce and cook for about a minute. Just to heat through.

5) Put the rest of the ingredients into the crockpot.

6) Cook on low setting for 6-8 hours.

NOTE: If you’re impatient and not intimidated by it, you can make this same thing in a pressure cooker.

Follow steps 1-4, but put in a pressure cooker instead of a crockpot.

Following manufacturer’s directions, cook under 15 pound pressure for about 45 minutes.

August 06, 2013

Cuban Bruschetta. Believe it.

August 06, 2013/ Marta M. Darby

I know what you're thinking. You saw the title of this post and you said out loud, "There's no such thing as Cuban Bruschetta."

That's also what my mom said. (But then she's a Cuban Mother and it's part of her job description to argue recreationally, but that's not important right now.)

Lucy (who is the Bruschetta Expert of the family) asked, "So what makes it Cuban?"

Well, let me tell you. It's the extra garlic butter. And maybe the splash of vinegar. Or the cumin. And the tomato/sweet onion ration. Also, as with all Cuban food, the flavor is seriously sublime.

Jonathan: "Can I have another?" (Win!)

Allow me to introduce you to the awesomeness that is Cuban Style Bruschetta. Because that's what I'm here for.

Cuban Bruschetta

3 chopped Roma tomatoes (ripe, but firm)
1/2 cup finely chopped sweet (!) onion
1/4 cup olive oil
A splash of vinegar (about 2 tablespoons)
1 tsp. ground cumin
8 cloves garlic, minced (separate about a third for the garlic butter)
Salt and pepper to taste

1) In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, onion, olive oil, vinegar, cumin, 3/4ths of the minced garlic.

2) Add salt and pepper to taste.

3) Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or longer) to let the flavors blend together.

Cuban Bruschetta Toast

12 slices Cuban bread (French bread will work, but it should have a soft crust.)
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 stick of butter, softened, at room temperature
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1) Slice the bread into 3/4 inch thick slices.

2) Mash the remaining garlic into the softened butter.

3) Compress each slice of the bread with a spatula.

3) Butter both sides of the smashed bread with the garlic butter.

4) Fry up the slices of buttered bread in a frying pan, over medium heat, until lightly toasted on each side. Be careful with this. The garlic and butter combo can quickly burn if you don't watch it.

5) Spoon the tomato/onion mixture on each slice of toasted bread.

6) Sprinkle with chopped cilantro. (The cilantro is not just a garnish. It adds a lovely flavor to the bruschetta. Trust me.)

7) Serve immediately.

8) Email me and tell me how much you loved it.

July 02, 2013

Whole Roast Chicken - Pollo Asado

July 02, 2013/ Marta M. Darby

Lost In Translation

My son, Adam is a handsome guy. (Okay, I know I’m his mom and all that, but I am being truly objective here. Shut up.) And even though he’s not fluent in Spanish, he can defend himself pretty well for the most part.

Adam

So he was visiting my mom (his grandmother) the other day. She speaks as much English as he does Spanish. (Ay Dios mio!)

Adam to me via text: What does ‘mono’ mean?

Me in reply: Monkey.

Adam: Doesn’t ‘pollo’ mean chicken?

Me: Yes. Why do you ask?

Adam: I think she’s insulting me.

Me: She’s not insulting you. Take whatever she’s saying as a complement.

Adam: She called me a monkey and then said I was chicken.

I know there’s been something completely lost in translation, so I call my mom and ask what it was that she said to Adam.

My mom: “Nada. Lo encontre muy mono y le dije que esta hecho un pollo.”

I clarify: “Adam, she thinks you’re handsome and you look great.”

Adam: “Damn Cubans.”

Me: “I’ll just take that as a complement.” =D

Chicken

Pollo Asado (Roast Chicken)

2- 4 lb. Roasting chickens
Freshly ground salt and pepper
Ground cumin
Ground thyme
1 bunch of fresh thyme
2 large heads of garlic, cut in half, cross-wise
2 lemons – cut in half
4 Tbsp. Melted butter
2 large red onions, sliced

(Instructions are for one, but I always make two)

1) Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2) Remove the guts (giblets and such) from the cavity and rinse the chicken inside and out.

3) Pat the outside completely dry.

4) Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the cavity.

5) Liberally sprinkle the ground cumin and ground thyme also inside the cavity.

6) Stuff the cavity with a bunch of the fresh thyme, all of the cross-wise sliced head of garlic, and both halves of the lemon. (Yes, just fearlessly shove them in there!)

Stuffed

7) Brush the outside of the chicken with the melted butter and sprinkle again with salt, pepper, thyme and cumin.

8) You can tie the legs together at this point if you prefer, with kitchen string.

9) Place chicken on a foil-lined pan that’s been scattered with the onion slices.

10) Roast the chicken for about 1 and 1/2 hours. The juices should run clear when it’s done.

11) Remove to a warmed serving dish and cover with foil.

12) I like to serve it with smashed red roasted potatoes.

13) Here’s an added bonus, when the chicken has been carved, dig into the cavity, past the lemons until you find the garlic and thyme. Butter a piece of bread and carefully spread the roasted garlic and thyme over the bread.

Bread

Now that’s what I call doubling my pleasure. Buen Provecho!

January 28, 2013

Boliche - Cuban Pot Roast Recipe - In the Crockpot

January 28, 2013/ Marta M. Darby

If I Had a Superpower

Sometimes when my family is around the dinner table, we play games where we ask hypothetical questions. The discussions always take an interesting turn as we dig into our imaginations to try and one-up each other.

A few nights ago, my son, Jonathan threw out this question:

“If you had a superpower, what would it be?”

And so the game began.

Lucy: “I’d love to be able to stop time.”

Eric: “I would want to read people’s minds.”

Adam: “Super strength, hands down.”

Apparently they have given this a lot of thought. (Or maybe they’ve just watched X-Men more often than I have, but that’s not important right now.)

“Create fire!”

“Walk through stuff.”

“Laser vision!”

The conversation went round and round with everyone offering suggestions and even fantasizing a little and I still could not come up with a remotely suitable answer. They became a little impatient with me.

“Mom, you don’t need to take this so seriously.”

I thought hard. And you know what I finally came up with?

If I had a superpower, it would be to be able to give people comfort when they needed it. Wouldn’t that be amazing? This superpower would involve being tuned in to the type of pain others were in and being able to give them exactly what they needed. I didn't know what to even call it.

But suddenly, I had an epiphany....

"I know! If I had a superpower, I would be... A Cuban Mother!"

(Shut up. I know.) =D

Crockpot Boliche(Cuban Pot Roast) Recipe

4 lb. chuck or rump roast (slow cooking will make it fork tender)
flour
8 cloves of garlic – minced
1 1/2 tsp. Dried oregano
salt and pepper
1/2-cup olive oil
2 large yellow onions, sliced thickly
2 cups beef stock
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1-cup naranja agria (bitter orange marinade)
1-cup dry white wine
1-cup small red potatoes
1/4 cup green pimiento-stuffed olives with liquid
3 bay leaves

1) Pat the roast dry and lightly flour.

2) In a mortar, smash the minced garlic, salt, pepper and oregano together to form a thick paste.

3) Rub the garlic/oregano paste all over the roast.

4) Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and brown the roast on all sides.

5) When the roast is browned, remove from skillet and place in crockpot.

6) Place the onions in the same skillet you used to brown the meat in, and cook them quickly – maybe 3 minutes on medium high heat. Do not brown.

7) Remove onions and place over the roast in the crockpot.

8) Cover the roast with beef stock, tomato sauce, bitter orange, and white wine.

9) Add the potatoes, olives, and bay leaves.

10) Cook on low setting for 6 to 8 hours. Or on high for 4 to 5 hours. Or if you like, 30 minutes on high-pressure in a pressure cooker.

11) Arrange the roast on a platter surrounded by the potatoes, onions and olives.

12) Carve the roast and serve at the table. (What good is having a superpower if you don't get to show it off sometimes?)

Buen Provecho!

January 22, 2013

Classic Cuban Chicken Soup Recipe

January 22, 2013/ Marta M. Darby

I'm sick. And so's Eric. *cough, sniff*

We've got feverish-coughing-sneezing-and-hacking colds.

*hack, sniff, achoo!*

A good, old-fashioned snotty-stuffy-headed cold. And there are certain things one does when one is Cuban (or happens to live with a Cuban) and has a cold. My friend, Chantel over at Yuca Baby addresses those Cubanisms in a hilarious way.

Right now I'm trying to build up my Cuban Immunity Arsenal* (*or C.I.A.) and gathering what I need. And the first thing I need, is Homemade Cuban Chicken Soup.

Here's that recipe:

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Sopa de Pollo (Cuban-style Chicken Soup) Recipe

1 bunch green onions, chopped up
1 small bunch of cilantro, chopped up into small bits (unless you love cilantro, go mellow on this, but don't skip it.)
1 Tbsp. cumin
3 Tbsp. olive oil ( for sautéing)
3 Tbsp. white flour
8 cups of chicken stock (2- 32 oz. containers)
8 chicken thighs (keep the skin and bones on for now, they add to the flavor)
1 yuca peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes (I use frozen)
2 red potatoes, unpeeled, cut into cubes
2 ripe, cooked plantains (I use frozen - these add a surprising sweetness), sliced into rounds
6 oz. super thin fideo noodles. (again, go mellow on the noodles as they can easily take over the entire dish)
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
sea salt and black pepper to taste

1. Sauté the green onions, cilantro, and cumin in olive oil. Quickly whisk in the flour.

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Keep whisking to avoid lumps. (When the cilantro cooks, it looses it’s bite and leaves an incredible flavor. Don’t skip the cilantro!)

2. Immediately add 1 cup chicken stock, and continue to whisk until well blended.

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3. Remove this mixture from the pot into a bowl and set aside.

4. Place chicken thighs and remaining chicken stock in an 8 quart stockpot.

Bring to a boil.

5. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.

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6. Add the yuca, potatoes, and plantains.

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7. Simmer for another 40 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

8. Remove the chicken thighs from the soup and run under cold water in a colander to cool.

9. Skin and debone the soft chicken, manually shredding it into bite-size pieces.

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10. Return the chicken to the chicken stock-onion-cilantro mixture.

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11. Add the chicken-chicken stock-onion-cilantro mixture to the soup.

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12. Stir in the fresh lemon juice and the noodles.

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13. Continue cooking for at least 8 to 10 more minutes or until noodles are soft.

14. Add sea salt and pepper to taste.

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So now that I have my Homemade Cuban Chicken Soup, there's just one thing left to do in my quest to rid myself of this virus.

Vicks VapoRub

I'm rubbing it on the soles of my feet before bedtime and putting on some thick socks. I know. Shut up.

Eric calls it Cuban Voodoo. And I have to admit, I believe there are some mystical, healing properties to the VapoRub (or "El Bix"). And after the chicken soup, I'm feeling all nostalgic and wanting some childhood comfort. But I promise you that I draw the line at lighting a candle to San Lazaro.

Never mind. It's a Cuban thing. But that's not important right now. ;-)

Ay Dios mio.