April 18, 2015

Cuban Pizza Recipe

April 18, 2015/ Marta M. Darby

When I say I'm making Cuban pizza, no one believes it's a real thing.

What makes it Cuban, you ask? Well, it starts, just like all good Cuban food, with a sofrito. A Cuban "sofrito" is the beginning and end of all that is good and holy about Cuban food - onion, garlic, bell pepper perfectly sauteéd in olive oil with a hint of tomato and spices.

For the cheeses, you will want to add some gouda to the mozarella and parmesan. Then just sit back and enjoy the compliments.

The Very Best Homemade Cuban Pizza EVER

Cuban-pizza1

2 pkgs. Pre-made pizza crust or you can also use the refrigerated dough (I use Boboli Original Pizza Crust)
Olive oil
6 garlic cloves – minced
1 small yellow onion – diced
1/2 green bell pepper – diced
1 small can tomato paste
1 small can tomato sauce
3 Tbsp. Dry white wine
1 tsp. whole cumin
1 tsp. Oregano
Salt & pepper to taste
3/4 cup grated Gouda cheese
3/4 cup grated Mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

1) In a large skillet, sauté garlic, onion, and bell pepper in olive oil over medium heat.

Remember, you’re making a sofrito for the sauce.

Cuban-pizza-sofrito2

2) Cook and stir until onion is translucent, but make sure not to burn the garlic.

3) Add tomato sauce, tomato paste, white wine, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper.

4) Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until well-blended and heated through.

5) Spread this sofrito sauce over pizza dough.

Cuban-pizza-spread3

6) Mix the gouda and mozzarella cheeses together and cover the pizzas with these.

7) Sprinkle the grated Parmesan over all. This is what gives it that toasty cheese look and taste.

Cuban-pizza-cheese4

8) Sprinkle lightly with a little bit more oregano.

9) Cook in a hot oven at 450 degrees for about 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and toasted.

Cuban-pizza-slices5

10) WARNING: Resist the temptation to bite into it immediately, even though you will be enticed to do so by the blissfully amazing Cuban-food smell.

11) You can thank me later.

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June 30, 2014

Arroz con Salchichas Recipe

June 30, 2014/ Marta M. Darby

Smells Like Cuban Food

You know you’re in a Cuban home if, when you walk in, you can smell The Smell. You know what I’m talking about - that unmistakable, mouth-watering, oh-so-inviting, my-mom-is-amazing, God-I-love-Cuban-food smell.

It all begins with a simple onion, a luscious green bell pepper and some garlic cloves – The Trifecta of Cuban Cooking Perfection.

Grab your olive oil and sauté those three until the peppers are soft and the onions are transparent, add a can of tomato sauce and you’ve got yourself a perfect “sofrito.” The sofrito is the basis of all that is good and holy in a Cuban kitchen.

The Unmistakable Smell travels upstairs and through the entire house, exactly like in those old cartoons where the smell of a fresh baked pie becomes a long, smoky arm attached to a beckoning hand, and when it reaches the unsuspecting noses of my fortunate family it leads them helplessly down to my kitchen.

“Cuban food!” they exclaim and hover around long enough for me to start giving the “set the table” orders.

They comply quickly and without complaint. Cuban food is its own reward.

It doesn’t get any better than this.

Arroz-con-salchichas-recipe

Arroz con Salchichas Recipe

2 cups uncooked parboiled rice (Uncle Ben’s is best, but NOT the instant kind)
1 cup cold water
1 cup chicken broth
Olive oil
2 drained cans Vienna sausage cut into 1 inch slices
1 med yellow onion, finely chopped
1/2 med. green bell pepper, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves minced
1 (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1 cup dry white wine
1 Bay leaf
1 small jar diced red pimientos w/ liquid
Bijol -just a pinch to color the rice
1 small can peas, drained

(NOTE: You don’t have to add salt, unless you want to. The broth and sausages usually add enough saltiness.)

1) Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat.

2) Add the onion, garlic, and green pepper and sauté about 5 minutes or until onion is translucent.

3) Add tomato sauce, white wine, pimientos with their liquid and bay leaf and simmer together over low heat for about 10 minutes.

4) In a large stockpot, bring water and chicken broth to a rolling boil.

Arroz-con-salchichas-1

5) While the liquid is boiling, wash rice and drain well.

6) Color the wet rice with the Bijol powder. (you just add a pinch to quickly color the rice.)

7) Add the rice to the boiling water, stir well, and reduce heat to medium low.

8) Add the sliced sausage to the tomato mixture and stir well.

Arroz-con-salchichas-2

9) Add tomato mixture to the rice.

Arroz-con-salchichas-3

10) Continue cooking over low heat for about 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

11) After the rice is done, quickly add the can of peas, stirring them into the cooked rice - let it sit for a minute or two, just until the peas get hot.

Arroz-con-salchichas-4

Serve with maduros, galletas and ice-cold Materva. Nope, it really doesn't get any better than this.

October 25, 2010

Peppers R Us - A Giveaway

October 25, 2010/ Marta M. Darby

I celebrated my 4th blogging anniversary (blogaversary?) at the beginning of this month. I appreciate that so many of you sent congratulatory emails and posted here and wrote happy things on my Facebook wall.

It was very cool to receive all the good wishes and all that, but my friend, Cigar Mike took the congratulating up a notch.

He sent me this.....

It's absolutely breathtaking, even though it's tricky taking a photo of a Fine Art Photo and I'm sure my pic doesn't do it the justice it deserves, but trust me, it's phenomenal.

Isn't it gorgeous? There are three things I love about this print:

It's peppers, people!
The peppers are in Fiesta colors (yay!) that perfectly match my kitchen. (Actually, it matches my entire house, but that's not important right now.)
He says this print reminds him of me because I'm spicy and sassy. I like that. ;-)

Me: "Mike, I love it! And I love you! Gracias!!!" (<--you can tell how much I genuinely loved it by the amount of exclamation points I used!!!! =D)

Me (again): "I need to ask a huge favor....can I offer this print as a giveaway on MBFCF?" *crosses fingers*

The Very Generous and Talented Cigar Mike: "Absolutely."

Do you hear that, kids? Mike is graciously offering to give away this 11 x 14 gorgeousness. This brightly-Fiesta-colory-wow-look-at-those-peppers print will go to one lucky MBFCF Giveaway winner.

Before telling you how to enter the giveaway for this print (did I mention it's a Fine Art print?), can I ask you to please visit his website at Mike Pancier Photography and be prepared to be amazed. (Go to his galleries section and check out his breathtaking cityscapes. The man is seriously genius.)

Also, if you're on Facebook, I would encourage you to become a fan of Michael Pancier Fine Art and Nature Photography.

Now, in order to enter the drawing for those fabulously lusty peppers, please just leave a comment on this post and answer one or all of the following questions:

How do you use bell peppers in your kitchen?
What sorts of things do you make with peppers?
Do you use red, green, or yellow (or all)?
Bring it. Share recipes or links if you like. (I live for stuff like this.)

Me? Hello! I'm Cuban. Peppers go into everything that is good and holy about Cuban cooking. It's the basis of all the sofritos of the Cuban Cooking Universe.

So, tell me about your relationship with peppers. I will choose a winner on Thursday, October 28th at 6 pm PST.

"Be a pepper." ~Dr. Pepper