October 01, 2013

Batido de Mamey Recipe (Mamey Smoothie)

October 01, 2013/ Marta M. Darby

The Glass is Half-Full

My family and I are on vacation this week.

And I confess that I was going to skip posting a recipe (Shut up. I know!) because I was busy preparing what I’d take and planning what we would do.

But then, I started thinking of summer…

Ah, summer.

I started thinking about how I’m going to slowly savor that giant stack of books I have been saving.

See? I can’t even stop with the food metaphors for one post, but that’s not important right now.

I started thinking sandals and sunscreen.

Long walks on the beach and amazing sunsets.

Barbecuing every night and . . .

Batidos de Mamey!

You can take the Cuban mom out of the kitchen….

Batido de Mamey 2

Batido de Mamey Recipe

(Mamey Smoothie)

One 14 oz. pkg. Frozen Mamey Pulp (Goya makes a good one)
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vanilla ice cream
About 1 cup of ice cubes
1/4 to 1/2-cup sugar (add to taste)
1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract

Batido de Mamey

1) Throw everything in a blender.

2) Puree for about a minute or two or until it's all frothy and smooth and...

Ah, summer.

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October 01, 2013

Marta's Rum Bananas Recipe

October 01, 2013/ Marta M. Darby

On the Food Network of My Mind

I have a confession to make.

I sometimes fantasize about having a cooking show.

Not all the time, of course. But I do have moments. To be honest, most of the time I’m just trying to get a meal on the table and dodging bodies in my small kitchen and wishing I had a staff to clean up after me. (sigh)

But every now and then, I think….this is what I would say at this step in the recipe, and I’d make a little joke here. Sometimes, I make the irreversible mistake of mentioning this to my family - out loud.

You’re not going to believe this, but they think I’m a little crazy. (Shut up. I know.)

So in my Fantasy Food Network show I’m doing something really dramatic. Like I’m making a dessert that involves setting something on fire! I’ve always wanted to flambé some bananas….hmm….

Bananas. Caramel. Rum. A trifecta of Cuban dessert perfection.

How about Caramelized Bananas Flambé? Or something like that…

Here is Marta on her fantasy cooking show:

"Butter and brown sugar will make a nice, rich caramel for the bananas."

So I kind of get into it, and begin making my caramel-banana thing and talking to my imaginary studio audience...

"Now, let's set it on FIRE!" (Wow! What drama! Flash the applause sign here.)

“Estas completamente loca.” That’s what my big, fat, Cuban family says.

Until they taste it, of course, and start making the hmmf-mmmm-oooh-God-this-is-amazing sounds.

That’s when I decide to call this segment, “Marta’s Bananas.”

See? It works on two levels.

Bananas Marta 6

Marta’s Rum Bananas Recipe

1/2 stick of butter
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
3 bananas – cut into diagonal slices
1/4 cup spiced rum
Vanilla ice cream – optional
Pound cake – optional

1) In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium high heat.

2) Add the dark brown sugar to the butter and stir together (use a wooden spoon).

Bananas Marta

3) Add the sliced bananas, stirring to coat and until they are caramelized on both sides.

4) Remove from heat.

5) Add the rum.

Bananas Marta 5

6) Using a long lighter (just trust me on this) light the bananas and flambé.

7) Shake the pan to coat bananas until flame dies out and the alcohol cooks out.

8) Serve over a slice of pound cake and vanilla ice cream.

And just for the record, the most compelling part of the fantasy cooking show thing is having a Clean-up STAFF, but that's not important right now.

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.

October 01, 2013

Arroz Imperial Recipe

October 01, 2013/ Marta M. Darby

I tend to feel extremely patriotic on this date in history, hence the following story and recipe.

Years ago, my big, fat, Cuban family moved to a sleepy peanut-butter-and-jelly neighborhood in Anaheim, California. Our house was at the end of a cul-de-sac where the other families had been living forever. They had their own neighborhood traditions, including a 4th of July Block Party. Life was predictable and quiet and everyone liked it that way, thank-you very much.

And then…. The Cuban Family moved in.

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 25, 2013

Arroz Con Leche Recipe

September 25, 2013/ Marta M. Darby

A classic Cuban arroz con leche recipe with pictures from Marta Maria along with why Cuban women make great wives.

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.

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!

April 25, 2013

Platanos en Tentacíon

April 25, 2013/ Marta M. Darby

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)

February 02, 2013

Fricasé de Pollo Recipe - a lo Cubano

February 02, 2013/ Marta M. Darby

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

Fricase de pollo

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

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