Recipes.

     Frijoles Negros.
     (Black Beans)

          1 12-ounce package of uncooked black beans
          2 bay leaves
          1/2 medium onion, chopped
          1/2 medium green pepper, chopped
          3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
          3 tablespoon olive oil
          1/2 teaspoon oregano
          1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
          1 teaspoon salt
          4 teaspoons sugar

     1. Soak beans in a large (covered) soup pot, with enough water to cover the beans, for at least six to eight hours.
     Add two bay leaves and a few drops of olive oil to the water.

     2. Cook the beans over high heat for 90 minutes, checking frequently to see that there is enough water in the pot. The water should always cover the beans.

     3. Once the beans are tender, prepare a sofrito by combining the onion, green pepper, garlic, oregano, ground pepper and olive oil in a small frying pan. Cook over medium-high heat for six to eight minutes, stirring frequently.

     4. Add the sofrito to the black beans, reducing the heat on the beans to low. Mix the sofrito well with the beans, pressing some of the beans with a slotted spoon so that the flavors will soak in. Add the salt and sugar to the beans and simmer for half an hour. Remove bay leaves and serve.
     serves six

    Arroz con Pollo.
     (Chicken with Yellow Rice)

          1 whole chicken, cut up
          1/2 lemon
          1/2 orange
          1 small green pepper, chopped
          1 small onion, chopped
          3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
          1 bay leaf
          1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
          1/2 teaspoon bijol*
          3/4 cup tomato sauce
          3 tablespoon olive oil
          1 teaspoon salt
          1/4 cup dry white cooking wine
          1 8-1/2 ounce can small peas
          1 10-1/2 ounce can asparagus
          2 cups rice
          1/2 bottle of beer
          pimentos for garnish

     1. Remove all skin from chicken. Rinse chicken and sprinkle with juice from lemon and orange.

     2. Prepare a sofrito by combining green pepper, onion, garlic, bay leaf, ground pepper, bijol, tomato sauce, and olive oil. Cook over medium-high heat in a large pot for five minutes, stirring frequently. Lower heat and add chicken pieces, cooking chicken for three minutes on each side.

     3. Add salt, cooking wine, juice from can of peas, juice from can of asparagus and 1 1/2 cups of water. Poach chicken over medium-high heat (covered) for 30 minutes, or until tender. Remove chicken from the pot and set aside.

     4. Add 2 cups rice to the pot and bring to boil (covered), making sure that there is enough liquid in the pot to cook the rice (you will probably have to add more water). Reduce heat and cook rice (approximately 30 minutes). When rice is nearly cooked, add 1/2 bottle of beer to rice and stir well. Rice should remain moist.

     5. Add chicken to the rice and simmer all for five minutes. Correct salt to taste and serve, garnished with peas, asparagus and pimentos.
     serves six

     * Bijol is a natural food coloring. The powder is available at most Latin and ethnic food markets.

    Ensalada de Aguacate y Piña.
    (Avocado & Pineapple Salad)

These native American fruits the pineapple and avocado, combine with the sharp flavor of onion to provide a tangy bite.

     1/4 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
     2 cups pineapple chunks, fresh or canned
     1 large ripe avocado, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
     1 small onion, thinly sliced
     oil & red wine vinegar

Spread shredded lettuce onto a salad platter and top with the avocado, pineapple and onion slices. Dress lightly with oil and vinegar.

    serves four

     Pollo con Quimbobó y Platanos.
     (Chicken Stew with Okra & Plantains

This hearty stew has its roots in West Africa, and prepared by Yorubans brought to the island in earlier times. The smaller, more tender okras are best for this dish.

     1 cup chopped okra, fresh or frozen
     1 - 2&1/2 to 3 lbs. chicken, skinned and cut into 8 pieces
     1&1/2 tablespoons adobo powder, or 1&1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
     1/3 cup vegetable oil
     1 large onion, chopped
     3 cloves garlic, minced
     1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
     1&1/2 cups water
     1-2 medium-ripe plantains, peeled and sliced into 2-inch rounds
     2 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped
     2 tablespoons lime juice

Prepare fresh okra by trimming away the caps and tips, and cut into 1-inch sized pieces. Sprinkle chicken pieces with adobo, or salt and pepper. Heat oil in a wide cooking pot and brown chicken on all sides. Remove chicken to a plate and in the remaining oil, saute the onion, garlic, and bell pepper for 2 minutes.

Return the chicken pieces to the pot, and add the water, and plantain pieces. Cover and simmer for appx. 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the okra, lime juice (keeps okra from getting slimy), and tomatoes.

Cover and continue to cook for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until chicken is tender and easily falls away from the bone when pierced with a fork. Serve over white rice, or eat as a stew.

      serves four

       Isla de Pinos.
       (Isle of Pines Cocktail)



The cool and refreshing combination of grapefruit juice and rum, makes this drink an ideal choice for garden parties.

     1&1/2 oz. white rum
     4 oz. sweetened grapefruit juice, cold
     1 teaspoon sugar
     crushed ice

Combine all ingredients and shake well. Strain into a glass tumbler.

      serves one

                                           Seafood.

Since Cuba is a fisherman's paradise, seafood is very popular. The seas surrounding Cuba are home to marlin, barracuda, red snapper, and tuna, as well as lobster, shrimp and crab.

Fish

     Bacalao Criollo (Creole Salt Cod)

Before preparing this dish, soak the fish in a bowl of cold water for six hours or overnight. It's advisable to change the water a couple of times too. However, you can also simmer the fish in a pan of cold water for an hour until the fish is tender and most of the salt has been removed.

      1 lb. Salted codfish, soaked 1 tbsp. flour
       Butter (or Pam) for greasing the baking dish
       2 tbsp. Butter 1/2 c. white wine
       1 large onion, diced 1 c. water
       2 cloves of garlic, minced 1 can of tomato paste
       1 tbsp. Minced parsley Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the fish skin and bones (you can purchase Cod boneless). Lightly grease the baking dish and put the cod fillets inside.

In a large saucepan, melt two-tbsp. Butter over medium heat and add the onions and garlic. Sauté until golden colored. Add the flour and mix until it's well blended. In a separate bowl, mix the water, wine and tomato paste until there are no lumps, then add to the saucepan. Stir over medium heat for about five minutes, then pour the mixture over the fillets. The tops of the fillets should be above the broth. Bake 30-40 minutes until the tops are brown and serve immediately. This recipe can also be done in a large pot, but the fish absorbs a lot of the broth's flavor in baking. Makes 4-6 servings.  

     serves four
 
Bacalao a la Vizcaina.
     (Codfish Fricassee)

          1 pound dried, salted codfish
          4 medium red potatoes, peeled and quartered
          1 small green pepper, sliced
          1 small onion, sliced
          2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
          1 bay leaf
          1/4 teaspoon oregano
          dash of ground pepper
          1/3 teaspoon bijol*
          1/8 teaspoon cumin
          1/3 cup dry white cooking wine
          2 tablespoons olive oil
          1 cup tomato sauce
          3/4 cup water
          pimientos for garnish

     1. Place codfish filets in a pot of water. The fish should soak all day if possible. Ideally, change the water several times during the day so as to extract the maximum amount of salt from the fish.

     2. Boil the potatoes until tender.

     3. Prepare a sauce by combining the next 12 ingredients listed. Cook in a large pot (covered) over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

     4. Place codfish in sauce, reduce heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

     5. Add potatoes, and simmer for another 10 minutes. Uncover pot if you want to reduce liquid.

     6. Serve, garnishing with chopped pimentos.
    serves six

     Pargo con Salsa de Frijoles Negro.
    (Steamed Snapper in Black Bean Sauce)

This dish comes from the Oriental Influence in Cuban Cuisine. The fermented black beans can be found in an oriental market. If you do not have the right gadgets for steaming, you can place the fish on a rack in the bottom of a large pot, over, but not in, boiling water. Grouper can be used for this recipe also.

    1/2 c. cooked black beans 1 tbsp. Peanut oil
     2 tbsp. Fermented black beans 2 lbs. Snapper fillet
     2 large garlic cloves, minced 1/4 c. chopped scallions
     1/2" piece of ginger root, minced 2 tbsp. Rice wine
     1/4 c. soy sauce 1 tsp. Sugar

In a medium sized mixing bowl, mix the black beans, fermented black beans garlic and ginger. Mash all the ingredients with the back of a fork and when it becomes pasty. Add soy sauce, sugar and oil and mix well.

Rinse the fish and pat dry. Put enough water in a fish steamer so that it almost touches the rack. Cover the fish with the black bean mixture, cover and steam for about 10 minutes or until the fish is flaky. In a cruet (a small bowl is fine, too), mix the rice wine and scallions. Sprinkle this mixture over the fish once it's done, to your taste.

     serves four

 

     Pargo en Salsa de Coco.
     (Snapper in Coconut Sauce)

    1/4 lb. Salt pork cut into small pieces
    1 onion, finely chopped 3/4 c. fish stock
    2 shallots, finely chopped 1/2 c. finely grated coconut meat
    1 celery stalk, chopped 1/2 c. heavy cream
    1 bay leaf 1 1/2 lbs. Snapper fillet,
    2 whole cloves 3 large ones, cut in half, or
    1/4 tsp. Ground cumin 6 small fillets

In a saucepan, sauté the salt pork over medium heat until there is about 2-tbsp. grease in the bottom of the pan. With a slotted spoon, remove and throw away the salt pork. Add onions, celery, bay leaf,
shallots, cloves and cumin and sauté about 6-8 minutes. Add the fish stock to the mixture and stir,
scraping the bottom of the pan. Strain through a sieve into a small bowl and throw away the vegetables.
Return the stock to the pan, cover and turn off the heat.

Puree the coconut meat and cream in a blender until smooth and add to the stock.
Lay the fillets in a large sauté pan/skillet. Pour the coconut mixture over the fish and cook over medium heat for 6-8 minutes. Serve with white rice and black beans.

     serves six

 

   Dolfin a la Parilla con Ajíes Rojos.
    (Broiled Dolphin with Sweet Red Peppers)

The sweet papaya chutney and red peppers give the dolphin a succulent flavor. Grouper can be used instead of Dolphin.

     6 8oz. Dolphin Fillets 1/2 c. diced red ripe papaya
     1/2 c. pimentos, diced(roasted red pepper) White Wine
     1/2 tsp. Allspice 1 c. water
     1/4 c. malt or cider vinegar 1 tsp. Tabasco
     1/2 tsp. Garlic salt A pinch of sugar

In a saucepan, combine papaya, roasted red pepper, garlic salt, sugar, allspice, vinegar, onion, Tabasco sauce and water. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Once the chutney is ready, move to a small bowl and let it cool in the refrigerator for at least two hours.

Pour enough white wine in a broiler pan to cover the bottom sufficiently. Add the dolphin filets and broil about 6-8 minutes. Serve with papaya sauce and yellow rice.

     serves six


    Paella.
    (Seafood)

Paella is a Spanish dish which was popularized by the Spanish settlers in Cuba. The mixture of chicken and seafood are what make this dish as tasty as it is. It takes a long time to make, but it is very rewarding when done right. It is important to use Valencia rice and Chorizo because other sausage won't taste as good with this combination of ingredients.

   1 2-lb. Chicken for broiling or frying, cut into 6-8 serving pieces.
   1/2 c. diced ham 1/2 c. cooked Chorizo
   1/4 c. diced onion 4 minced garlic cloves
   2 large tomatoes 1-1/2 lbs. Raw shrimp, peeled and de-veined
   1 dozen clams, with shells scrubbed 1 large lobster tail, steamed, meat cut into pieces
   3 c. Valencia rice 1/2 tsp. Salt
   4 c. water 1/2 c. white wine
   3 red bell peppers, seeded, cut into quarters
   1 small can sweet peas

For this dish, you need a large casserole. In the casserole, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken pieces and cook until it is brown on all sides. Remove the chicken to a plate lined with paper towel to soak up the oil. Again in the casserole, add the ham, chorizo, onion, garlic and tomatoes. Cook until heated through. Add the shrimp, clams and garlic salt and cook five minutes. Remove the seafood to a dish, cover with plastic wrap.

Stir the rice, water, wine, peas and a bit of saffron into the casserole. Add the chicken, shrimp and clams to the rice mixture, reduce the heat and simmer 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender. When the rice is finished, mix in the pimentos (red bell peppers). You can bake this mixture at 350°F for 10 minutes until heated through. Serve hot. 

    serves ten

     Enchilada de Camarones.
     (Creole Shrimp)

    1 1/2 lbs. Raw shrimp, de-veined and peeled 2 tbsp. olive oil
    1/4 c. white wine 1/2 tsp. sugar
    2 large tomatoes peeled, seeded and chopped 1/2 tsp. Garlic salt
    1/4 c. chopped onion 1/2 tsp. Black pepper
    1/4 c. chopped celery 3 minced garlic cloves
    2 tbsp. butter

Combine all the ingredients, except the wine and shrimp, in a large saucepan. Simmer over low heat for one minute. Cover, raise the heat to medium and simmer some more, until the onion and celery are soft.
Add the shrimp, cover, and cook for five minutes. Add white wine to the pan and continue stirring until the broth is thoroughly mixed. Remove from the heat and serve over white rice.

     serves four

MORE COMING SOON!