Please be patient!

To whatever few readers I have had recently, I have not posted for several days now because I am still trying to wade through the "how-to's" of blog publishing, specifically HTML text editing.  While not as complicated as some of you may think, to a newbie, it is daunting.  I want my blog to reach as may followers as possible and that means leting others find me through search engines.  That involves HTML text editing and as soon as I figure it out, I will be posting again....So please, be patient.  Thanks!

What to do with leftover Picadillo

This is one of my favorite dishes and although I don't often have occasion to eat it, the memory still recalls the textures, aromas and the taste.  Kids love this dish because it is very basic...meat and potatoes, with a twist.  I was very asthmatic when I was a child and I often refused to eat.  My mother would make this recipe and it would be the  only way she could get me to eat.  I've given this recipe an unexpected twist by coating them in panko bread crumbs, which when fried  really bump up the crunch factor of anything.  So you have this incredibly golden fried exterior of the potatoes and the initial crunch when you bite into them followed by the creaminess of the mashed potatoes themselves and then the surprise of the different textures of the Picadillo in the center. Your tastebuds will explode!
 

Papas Rellenas (Stuffed Mashed Potatoes)


4-5 medium potatoes (about 2 lbs.)
oil for frying
1 cup leftover Picadillo
2 eggs lightly beaten
panko bread crumbs

The best method of preparation for the potatoes is to boil them with their skins on until they are fork tender.  Drain the water and let the potatoes cool.  Once cooled, peel the skins off and mash them.

Take a handful of the potatoes and make a ball about 3-4 inches in diameter.  With your thumb or the back of a teaspoon create a hole or well inside the potato ball.  Fill the well with about 1-2 tbsp. of the Picadillo.  Cover the filled well with the potato ball.  Run the potato ball through the lightly beaten eggs and then through the panko bread crumbs.  Heat the oil thoroughly in a heavy skillet or saute pan.  Drop the potato balls in the hot oil and fry on all sides until golden brown.  remove from the oil and drain on paper towels.  Serve.

Peccadillos and Picadillo

Image via Wikipedia

Don't get one confused with another. "Peccadillo" is s small sin, like lying to protect some one you love.  "Picadillo" (pronounced pea-ca-dee-yo) is one of those simple but grand Cuban dishes that conjure up a myriad of memories.  There are tons of versions of this dish.  Some recipes call for three kinds of meat, others call for turkey, some even are made with tuna.  The meats can vary as can the other ingredients.  Picadillo is a type of hash, if you will, made with anything you can find in the kitchen.  However, this dish has become so entrenched in the Cuban psyche that no matter who makes it or what they put in it...it can only please.

Piccadillo:

Here is what you will need

1 lb. ground beef (80% to 85% fat content is okay for this dish)
4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion (chopped)
3 cloves of garlic (chopped)
1/2 a green bell pepper (chopped)
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp oregano
1 bay leaf
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup of tomato sauce
1/4 cup dry, white wine
a splash of white vinegar
1 1/2 to 2 tbsp. of capers
6 green olives (roughly chopped)
2 tbsp. sultanas (golden raisins)

Method of preparation:  Heat the oil in a heavy skillet or saute pan.  Saute the onion, garlic,  and pepper pepper.  Cook until slightly golden, but do not burn as the garlic will develop an acrid taste.  Add the ground beef and cook until no longer pink.  Add the salt, black pepper, bay leaf, cumin, and oregano.  Stir.  Deglaze the pan with the white wine and then add the tomato sauce, vinegar, capers, olives and raisins.  You want to reduce the liquid somewhat, but still have enough to create a bit of sauce when serving...almost like a slightly dry Sloppy Joe.  This dish is best served with white rice and tostones or fried sweet plantains.

This dish will permit you to be a little experimental.  Don't like beef...try it with pork or veal.  Don't like raisins, olive, or capers...substitute with other ingredients.  The key here is to maximize flavor and all of the ingredients listed here have very intense flavors of their own.  You might want to try adding a chopped chili for heat.

Rice Is Not Just For Throwing At Weddings

Image via Wikipedia

I used to swoon when my mother made her rice pudding.  It was creamy, warm, with hints of lemon peel and cinnamon.  She never put raisins in it.  Then her sister, my aunt Lydia made her rice pudding and I never looked back.  Sorry Mom, hers beat yours out by a knockout punch.  The difference between my mother's rice pudding and my aunt's is that my mother only used whole milk.  My aunt used whole milk, condensed milk, evaporated milk, and a generous pat of butter at the end.  Aunt Lydia's secret was that she cooked the rice in the milk instead of water.  Wow!  The difference was incredible.  It was twice as rich, twice as creamy and delicious.  Que rico!  To those health nuts out there I say, "If you are going to make this recipe with skim milk and butter substitute, FORGET ABOUT IT."  You don't eat rice pudding every day so do this recipe justice and make it as it should be made.  Waddle in the calories.

Lydia's Arroz Con Leche


1 qt of whole milk
1 can of sweetened, condensed milk
1 large can of evaporated milk
2 cups of short grain rice
1 lemon peel
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup sugar
1tsp. vanilla extract or a vanilla bean
a pinch of salt
1/2 a stick of unsalted butter

Start be cleaning your rice of any grit and thoroughly rinsing it.  Place the rice in a heavy 5-6 quart dutch oven.  Add the whole milk, lemon peel, cinnamon stick and salt.  Cook the rice until it reaches a boil and then turn down the heat to a low simmer.  Stir constantly.  Because you are cooking the rice with milk instead of water, the milk will tend to rise and attempt to boil over, constant stirring will prevent this. When the rice has started to absorb the liquid add the evaporated milk and the condensed milk.  Taste the mixture for sweetness and add as much sugar as you need up to a cup.  Stir constantly.  Add the vanilla or split and scraped vanilla bean.  If you find that the pudding starts to absorb too much liquid, add more whole milk.  When the pudding has reached a velvety consistency, take it off the heat.  As a finishing flourish add the butter and stir.  Ideally, this rice pudding is served best when warm with a dash of powdered cinnamon or some whipped cream.

The Flim Flan Man

Image via Wikipedia

Let's discuss Flan.  This oh, so favorite of Cuban desserts had it's humble beginnings in France and Spain, and because it so much a part of those two cultures I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that geographically it was born the region where those two countries meet (anywhere from Galicia and the Basque Country in Spain to Aquitaine and the Languedoc-Rousillon regions of France).  This is a dessert that is simple to make because it only contains a few ingredients: milk, eggs, sugar, and vanilla...That's it!  However, as simple as it is to make it can also be ruined very easily by cooking it too much or not enough.
I will present several versions.  Most purists will swear by the original version that contains just the ingredients above.  There are versions out there with coconut & cream cheese, or pineapple, or even condensed milk.  I happen to love the version that has condensed milk in it.  Not only is it a richer dessert, but it is more velvety in consistency and it holds up better in the caramel sauce.


Now, about the mold.  The mold you use should be metal, not glass.  Because you are working with melted sugar at a high temperature, the melted sugar could potentially crack and break the glass.  My mother always used a lightweight aluminum loaf pan.  But you can really use any shape.  A ring mold works well.  I do not recommend spring form pans as the custard will seep through the seams in the bain-marie and create a soup in your oven.


Flan de Leche (the Original)


2 cups whole milk
1 lemon peel 
1 stick of cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
6 egg yolks
3 egg whites
3/4 cup sugar, plus additional sugar for coating your mold (about 1/2 cup)
1tsp. vanilla


First prepare your mold:  Pour the 1/2 cup sugar in the mold and over medium heat melt the sugar.  When the sugar starts to turn amber in color, turn the heat down to low and work quickly to coat the entire inside of the mold with the caramel.  Please Note: sugar can very quickly turn from amber to brown to black.  You don't want the carmel to turn to brown.  It should be the color of maple syrup.  When the mold has been completely coated, set it aside and let the caramel cool and harden.


Boil the milk, lemon peel, cinnamon stick, and salt.  Let cool.  Lightly beat the egg yolks with the egg whites, sugar, and vanilla.  Add the cooled milk.  Strain the mixture and pour into your prepared mold.  Put the mold in a bain-marie and bake in the oven at 350 degrees until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (about an hour).  Cool the flan in the mold and then chill.  When serving, unmold onto a serving tray.  The caramel that hardened around the walls of the mold has now become a caramel syrup.


Flan with Condensed Milk


1/2 cup sugar
5 eggs
1 can of sweetened, condensed milk
1 cup of whole milk
1 tsp. vanilla

With the 1/2 cup of sugar, follow the steps in the first recipe (above) for coating your mold with caramel.  Beat the eggs, condensed milk, whole milk, and vanilla.  Pour mixture into the prepared mold.  Bake in a bain-marie at 350 degrees until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Tocino Del Cielo (Bacon from Heaven)

1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cups water
4 to 5 drops of lemon juice
1/2 cup of egg yolks
1/2 cup of whole eggs (when measuring, if you have more than 1/2 cup remove a little of the egg whites)
1 tsp. vanilla

In a heavy sauce pan combine the water, sugar, and lemon juice.  Bring to a boil and reduce syrup to about a cup.  Let cool.  Beat the egg yolks and whole eggs until thoroughly combined.  Add the cooled syrup and the vanilla.  Stir and combine the ingredients thoroughly.  Strain the mixture.  Pour into a caramel coated mold  (see recipes above).  Bake in a bain-marie at 350 degrees until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (about 1 1/2 hours).

A Few Words About Mentors

Chefs, amateur cooks, housewives, and foodies will often make reference to those major influences that shaped the way that they cook.  Budding French chefs and those who are already established will refer to Julia Child, the books of Auguste Escoffier, or today the culinary magic of Guy Martin of Paris' "Le Grand Vefour".  Italian chefs often make reference to Marcela Hazan in Venice or Lidia Bastianich in New York.   For Cuban cooks and chefs there is only one name in the hallowed halls of the Chef's Hall of Fame.  That name is Nitza Villapol.  Who was and still is, undeniably, THE authority on Cuban cuisine.  Although she is deceased, her tomes on Cuban cuisine live on in many printings.  My mother stepped onto a plane in Havana to come to America with the clothes on her back, one suitcase, and her cookbook by Nitza Villapol, "Cocina Al Minuto"  She still has that cookbook, albeit torn and tattered, yellowed from age.  But it still produces for its reader some pretty knockout recipes.  Before, Giada, before Mario, before Iron Chef and even before Julia, Nitza was playing in thousands of Cuban homes via television.  Cuban households had television before any other Latin American country.  Nitza had her own cooking show and she was worshipped and adored by Cuban housewives in the 40's and 50's.  She never left Cuba for the kinder, gentler political climate in the U.S.  And even after the Cuban Revolution, the Castro Regime still allowed her to have her show on government controlled television.  During and after the Revolution, Nitza adapted her repertoire of recipes to the tough times that followed as a result of the trade embargo and later the fall of the Soviet Union when Cuba lost alot of resources.  So occasionally if you are Cuban and you are reading this blog, you may see recipes that look familiar because your mother or grandmother cooked a similar dish.  My mother, as well as your mother, or your grandmother, or your aunt read those recipes and adapted them to the family needs and tastes.  We owe it all to Nitza...Thanks, girl!

Manna From the Gods, Pt. 3

Image via Wikipedia

Mantecado Ice Cream


This recipe closely resembles an Italian semi-freddo.

6 egg yolks
1 cup of sugar
1 cup whole milk
2 tsp. flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp. good vanilla extract
----------------------------------
3 egg whites
4 tbsp. sugar
1 large can evaporated milk (chilled thoroughly)

Beat the egg yolks and sugar until they reach the thick ribbon stage and are pale yellow in color.  In a food processor combine the whole milk, flour, salt, and cinnamon.  Pulse so that the flour does not form clumps in the milk.  Add the beaten egg yolks.  Pulse again until well combined.  Pour mixture through a fine mesh strainer and cook over a double boiler (you may substitute a glass bowl over simmering water).  Cook custard until it thickens.  Add the vanilla and let the custard cool.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites adding the 4 tbsp. of sugar a little bit at a time.  Beat the whites until they have reached the stiff peak stage.  Slowly fold in the cooled custard.  Cool this mixture in the refrigerator thoroughly.  While the custard is chilling in the fridge, pour the chilled can of evaporated milk into a bowl and beat until thick.  Add the custard mixture and pour the combined ingredients into the chilled bowl of your ice cream maker.  Operate the ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.  The ice cream should be ready within 20-25 minutes.

Note:  As the ice cream is churning, you can add some of the homemade "Dulce de Leche" or pour it over the finished ice cream if  you wish.

Manna From the Gods, Pt. 2

Image by stu_spivack via Flickr

Cremitas de Leche


1 qt. whole milk
2 3/4 cups sugar
1/4 tsp. baking soda


Lightly oil a baking sheet or line it with parchment or a silicone liner.

Start by whisking the milk and sugar together in a heavy 6 qt. pot.  Dissolve baking soda in a tbsp. of water and add the the milk and sugar mixture.  Bring the mixture to a brisk simmer over medium heat.  The mixture should be cooking a a rolling simmer, but should not boil over the edge of the pot, so regulating the heat is important.  You should be stirring constantly.  Within 45 minutes, the temperature of the mixture should reach 238 degrees with a candy thermometer (at this temperature a small amount of hot mixture will firm up into a pliable ball when dropped in a cup of cold water).  Keep stirring frequently.  Mixture will thicken and darken.  Pour the mixture into the metal bowl of a stand mixture and with a paddle attachment beat at the slowest speed.  After about 15 minutes, the temperature of the mixture should be at about 150 degrees.  The fudge will turn from glossy to satiny in appearance and it will start to separate from the sides of the metal bowl.  Turn off the mixer and scoop the contents onto the prepared baking sheet.  Press the malleable fudge so that it is between 1/2 inch to 1 inch in thickness.  Cool thoroughly and cut into squares.

Manna From the Gods

Image via Wikipedia

Ever since I was a child I have had a particular penchant for sweets.  As a child I could get away with it, but as an adult it becomes a challenge to stave off the weight gained from eating too many sweets.  I remember my mother making homemade Dulce de Leche by taking a can of sweetened, condensed milk and cooking it, sealed in a pressure cooker for over an hour.  What came out of the can after that hours was a gooey, sticky, amber confection that was pure heaven.  I also remember when we would vacation in Miami during the summer months going through Cuban markets and 'bodegas' for 'Cremitas de Leche' or milk fudge as it is known in English.  Summer wouldn't be summer without my Dad's favorite treat, a 'Mantecado' ice cream (vanilla to you, but the resemblance stops there).  I will offer these three recipes up tonight since they bring a feeling of joy and fond memories.  I hope that you will enjoy them too.

Homemade Dulce de Leche
you will need...

• 1 can of sweetened, condensed milk
• a pressure cooker (if you do not have a pressure cooker the recipe can be made in a heavy metal casserole or Dutch oven, but it will take alot longer and the results will vary)

Pour about two inches of water in the pressure cooker .  Place the can of condensed milk in the pot and cover, bring water to a boil.  When using a pressure cooker you will know the water is boiling as soon as steam starts to escape from the escape valve on the lid.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and put the cap on the escape valve.  Cook this way for roughly an hour.  Turn off the burner and place the pressure cooker under cold, running water to equalize the pressure.  The pressure is equalized once you don't hear any hissing from the pot.  Open the lid.  Let the can of condensed milk cool enough so that you can open it with a can opener.  The finished product should be a dark amber color and thick like cream cheese.  Enjoy over pies, cakes, ice cream, or just by itself on a spoon...Yum!

Quimbombo

Image via Wikipedia

One of the quintessential comfort foods in the Cuban cuisine repertoire is "Quimbombo con Fufu de Platanos".  Quimbombo, also spelled Kimbombo, is a rich, earthy, okra stew that contains beef, tomatoes, onion, garlic, and sweet plantain dumplings. The recipe traveled to Cuba via the slave trade from the Ivory Coast of Africa between the 16th and 19th centuries.  This dish is complex in flavors with its saltiness, sweetness, sourness, as well as the different textures from the okra, plantain, and beef.  The flavors and textures play musically in your mouth and on your taste buds.  Most people turn their noses up at the mere mention of okra in any dish.  To them I say, "Don't judge unless you have tried it".  And once you have tried it, you will be a convert.  Okra when prepared sometimes has a slimy texture.  However, when properly primed either with lemon juice or vinegar, the slime totally disappears.  Here is the recipe:

1 lb. of fresh okra pods

First, prime your okra by rinsing the pods in water.  Slice the pods in 1/2 inch segments and immediately soak them in 3 cups of water into which the juice of 3 whole lemons has been added.

1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1 onion (diced)
2-3 garlic cloves (crushed or minced)
2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 small can of tomato sauce
1/4 cup of white wine
1 cup of vegetable stock (use beef stock if you want a heartier sauce)

Fufu:
2 sweet plantains
Peel and boil the plantains in water until tender.  Remove from water and mash with a fork.  Make meatball sized dumplings.


Sautee the beef in the oil until browned and add the onion and garlic.  Add the salt, pepper, tomato sauce, vinegar and white wine.  Drain the okra (do not dispose of the soaking water) and add to the beef.   Add the soaking water w/lemon juice and the stock.  Simmer the mixture until the okra is tender and the liquid has reduced.  Add the Fufu dumplings just before serving.

Cuban life and culture was centered around the dinner table and the preparation of meals in the kitchen.  It is where families, then and now, connect.  Different generations were always able to find common ground no matter how wide the chasm of differences may have been.  You could always count on a young cousin or an older aunt or uncle coming together over plates of Ropa Vieja and Tostones.  Here, everyone was equal and a democratic order existed.  You forgot about the troubles of the day and lived for the moment when "Abuela" came out of the kitchen to the dinner table with plate after plate of everyones' favorite dishes.  In exile, these moments around the dinner table became more special because family members were spread out over wider geographic areas...we only came together at holidays.  Everyone has a 'special' holiday memory or a favorite dish.  The memories are bittersweet for the older generations because of what they left behind and sacrificed to escape repression and servitude.

Much like the sofrito is the basis for alot of Cuban dishes, what is commonly known as Mojo (pronounced moho), is the finishing flourish of flavor. Mojo can be spooned over rice & beans, meats, and fish, as well as prepared vegetables, such as Fufu or Tostones. There are many variations on this theme. Some recipes call for the juice of a sour orange, some are not cooked and are raw. The Mojo I grew up spooning over my meals was a cooked version. Here is how to make it. You will need a good mortar & pestle (preferably wood). This is Mom's recipe.

1 medium onion (diced)

5 cloves of garlic

1 large lime

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil

Crush the garlic cloves with the salt in the mortar using the pestle. The slat will keep the garlic from sliding around everywhere. Add the diced onion and the juice of the lime. heat the olive oil until it reaches the smoking point and pour over the onion and garlic mixture (Be Careful! Step back when you do this as the hot oil will bubble and splatter when you pour it!)

Your Mojo is finished! Spoon over your favorite dish. Typically this is served over Yucca, which is the casava root (more on that recipe, later).

Let me share my recipe for my mother's basic Cuban sofrito:

1 medium onion (diced)

3 garlic cloves (crushed)

1/2 green bell pepper

1 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil

a dash of white vinegar

1 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp ground oregano

1/2 cup of tomato sauce

salt & pepper to taste

sweat the onion and garlic in the olive oil until they start to release there essential oils and aroma. Add the bell pepper and stir. Add the cumin and oregano, stir. Add the tomato sauce, stir. Add a dash of white vinegar, and lastly, season with salt and pepper to taste. This sofrito mixture will freeze easily and keep until needed. It is the rock on which all Cuban meals start!

Every world cuisine has evolved from a sum of basic parts. Italian cuisine evolved from the unification of the different regional cuisines of its many principalities and what was handed down from Roman, Etruscan and Greek beginnings. Chinese cuisine evolved from the regional cuisines of its varied provinces and its humble beginnings from the Mongol hordes and the many influences from Korean, and Japanese invaders. Spanish cuisine evolved from the melding together of Basque, Catalan, Galician, Andalusian and...yes, Arab influences amongst many others. Cuban cuisine, on the other hand, evolved from influences that were imprinted by the islands Spanish, French, English colonists, as well as the Chinese and African populations that later came to contribute to the islands culture and life. Cuban food is savory, not spicy as many seem to think and there are some very basic components. Aromatic vegetables and herbs are very prominent. The one major component of Cuban cuisine is the sofrito. Much like the bouquet garni or a court bouillon give French cuisine its definitive base, the sofrito in Cuban cuisine is probably its most important foundation. A sofrito starts with onion and/or garlic, bell pepper, cumin and olive oil. These are the major elements and there are variations, some containing other herbs or spices, and some containing anato as a colorant. The onion, garlic and bell pepper are gently sauteed and sweated in the oil and herbs/spices until the sofrito releases its elemental perfume, which is so characteristic of Cuban food. A good sofrito can awaken an entire neighborhood and have people asking you what delicious dish you are preparing. Another two very basic staples in Cuban food are rice and beans. Every Cuban mother and grandmother has her own recipe and method for making the perfect bowl of rice. And of course, when you mention Cuban food you almost always expect to see black beans at the table. But there are also lentils, kidney beans, garbanzos, navy beans and even black-eyed peas. Beans are everywhere to be found in the Cuban pantry. The other basic elements of Cuban cuisine are tropical fruits and vegetables, sugar and coffee. Where would Cuba be in history without the production of sugar and coffee! Every forthcoming recipe will contain these elements or a combination of them. I welcome comments, as well as variants of the recipes I post. It will be interesting to see how Cuban cuisine evolves in the process.

Okay, so I am now an official blogger. Well, what does that mean to me. Food, family and culture are very important to me. Moreover, Cuban food, culture, and my family. Our Cuban culture needs to be preserved, shared and ultimately, needs to go through an evolutionary process (notice, I didn't say revolution). Cuban culture has seriously eroded thanks, no doubt, to the revolution that separated thousands from home, family, patrimony and a sense of self. I hope to bridge the differences between those Cuban exiles outside of Cuba, and those Cubans within Cuba. Although we are alike in many ways, we are separated by geography and ideology. Food will serve as a common ground for all of us minimize our differences. I hope to share favorite recipes from family, friends and fellow readers. In the end, I hope the readers will appreciate the blood, sweat, and tears that my people have endured and what it means to be Cuban today. There is more than meets the eye, nose, and taste buds when enjoying a lovingly prepared Cuban repast. Come and share our experiences, our history, our heart and our soul.

Please pardon our appearance. This blog is still under construction. See you soon!