Beth
10-18-2004, 05:16 PM
Some of my favorite food in the world is Cuban food. Living here in Tampa where there is a relatively high Cuban population, I have been fortunate to have had this type of food as a staple since childhood.
I am also lucky enough that we know many Cuban people and we get invited to cook outs occasionally.
My first experience with Cuban food was going to the Sea Breeze Restauraunt (old management) on the Causeway in Tampa. From there, we would order the most wonderful deviled crabs that I have ever tasted, delicious Cubans, and wonderful black beans and yellow rice (I have a weakness for yellow rice) with a nice slice of buttered Cuban bread. We would order the food, then sit off to the side of the parking lot, near the edge of the embankment and fish into the port or just sit and look at the water and feel the hot breeze whip into our hair.
Sea Breeze is not the only place that we bought the crabs from, there was one deli in Orient that sold wonderful deviled crabs as well, but never matched the Sea Breazes quality. We also ate chicken and yellow rice and a few other Cuban dishes, but it was not until adulthood that I was fully introduced to the wonders of Cuban food.
My husband used to play ball will Cubans who would cook out after the games. When I first stayed for one of these cookouts, I was amazed at the food. It was not hot dogs and burgers like we have always done, They would marinate skirt steak and other meats, actually cook real food.
We then attended a family gathering. I watched them press plantains and fry them, they had stuffed potatoes, fried. Had the most delicious assortments of meats and meat dishes. The flan was to die for and the atmosphere was that of togetherness and family.
Since childhood, eating Cuban food always seemed special and gave me a feeling of togetherness.
The Sea Breeze has a new ownership, the deviled crabs no longer are that good and is not packed with crab as they once were, so my kids, unfortunately no longer enjoy the tradition I carried down from my childhood, just as my mom had. But I still cook Cuban food and we enjoy the food that Ybor has to offer.
I wanted to recommend this book: Three Guys From Miami Cook Cuban. (http://www.icuban.com/) I thought this to be a wonderful book offering recipes and a little flavor of the culture.
And here are a few of my favorite recipes (not from the book):
GRANDPA ARROYO'S CUBAN BLACK BEANS &
RICE (http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1650,156176-241198,00.html#)
2 lbs. black beans
2 lg. bell peppers
1 c. olive oil
1/2 c. sugar
2 lg. onions
8 oz. diced pimentos
1 c. vegetable oil
1 1/2 c. sherry
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 c. vinegar (to taste)
2 c. rice
Salt & pepper to taste
Soak black beans overnight. Cover in pressure cooker with water 2 inches over top of black beans. Cook in pressure cooker for 45 minutes. Do not drain any remaining fluid. Dice onions. Cut bell peppers into 1/2 inch by 3/4 inch slices. Add all ingredients to black beans. Simmer for 2 to 4 hours. Beans should make their own broth.
Add liquid when necessary to prevent drying out or burning, but keep broth thick. Serve over rice. Use as side dish to chicken or steak, or main dish on its own. Also, try in flour tortillas to make unique Cuban burittos.
CHICKEN AND YELLOW RICE CUBAN STYLE (http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1642,156178-229193,00.html)
1/4 c. Spanish olive oil
1 1/2 sm. chickens (3 1/2 lb.) cut into quarters
1 med. onion, finely chopped
1/2 med. green pepper, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lg. ripe tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. chopped parsley
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. hot sauce
Generous pinch saffron
3 1/2 c. chicken stock
2 c. long grain rice
1 can tiny French style peas, heated
1 can pimento, cut in thin strips
Parsley sprigs
Heat 2 tablespoons oil over moderate heat in heavy non-iron 10 inch frying pan until hot (not smoking). Cook chicken 2 or 3 pieces at a time until pale gold, adding more oil when necessary, then transfer to heavy flame-proof casserole with tight cover. Adjust heat to moderately high. Add onion, green pepper and garlic to hot drippings in pan; cook, stirring until onion turns gold. Stir in tomato, blend and spoon mixture over chicken. Add lemon juice, bay leaf, chopped parsley, salt and hot sauce. Add saffron to 1 1/4 cups of stock, bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes. Add to chicken, cover casserole and simmer over low heat until chicken is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. (Meanwhile preheat oven to 325 degrees.) Bring remaining stock to a boil and add to chicken. Add rice, bring to a boil once more, then cover casserole tightly and transfer to oven. Bake for 20 minutes (until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed). Uncover and garnish with peas, pimento and parsley sprigs. You can cheat, I often do, by using a package of yellow rice from the stores. I then add more saffron and lots of butter to the rice before cooking. Sometimes, I cut the chicken (boneless, skinless) up into bite size pieces before cooking. I then cook it in butter partially with a liberal dose of lemon pepper and then finish cooking it with green peppers and onions and then add frozen baby peas to the mixture. After the rice is done, I add it everything together (the rice must cool a little first or it will get mushy) and serve with crusty pan cuban bread.
BLACK BEAN SOUP (Cuban) (http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1648,158189-226206,00.html)
2 c. black beans
8 c. cold water
3 med. sized onions, chopped
1/4 c. butter
2 bay leaves
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tbsp. parsley
1 ham hock
1/2 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2/3 c. dry sherry (optional)
Place beans in soup kettle with enough water to cover entirely. Soak overnight. Drain water off beans and fill kettle with 8 cups cold water. Cook beans on low heat until soft. Saute garlic, onions and parsley in butter and add to soup kettle along with all other ingredients except sherry. Continue cooking over low heat until soft (about 3 hours). Add small amount of water if beans become too thick.
Remove ham hock from kettle and cut into small pieces. Return to kettle along with sherry. Heat just until hot, adjust seasonings to your taste. Serve hot.
An excellent addition to the soup is shredded Cheddar cheese, with a spoonful of sour cream and chopped raw onions, as a garnish. Makes 6-8 servings.
AUTHENTIC CUBAN SANDWICH (http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1644,140184-245199,00.html)
pan criollo (like a crusty french bread)
roast pork
sweet ham (jamon dulce)
Swiss cheese
mayonnaise
mustard
pickles (optional)
Select a crusty bread which is soft inside.
Put a dollop of mayonnaise and mustard on the bread and layer shaved or very thinly sliced ingredients inside.
Butter the outer crust and press in a sizzling panini grill or sandwich press.
Submitted by: CM
And my most favorite:
CUBAN GARBANZO BEAN SOUP (CHICK PEAS) (http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1648,158180-241204,00.html)
1 bag garbanzo beans (chick peas)
1 med. onion
1 chorizo sausage
2 qt. water
1/2 lb. potatoes
1 med. head cabbage
1 beef bone
1 tbsp. salt
Saffron
1 ham hock, smoked
4 oz. bacon
Soak beans in water to cover plus 1 tablespoon salt overnight. Drain water in morning. Add 2 quarts fresh water, ham bone, beef bone. Cook 45 minutes. Fry onions and bacon. Add to beans. Add potatoes and cabbage and salt to taste. When potatoes are done, turn off heat and add thinly sliced chorizo. This was a comfort food when I had the flu. I remember eating this stuff on my sick days off out of school. I especially remember a particular time when I was ill and it was very cold outside. This soup was divine.
I am also lucky enough that we know many Cuban people and we get invited to cook outs occasionally.
My first experience with Cuban food was going to the Sea Breeze Restauraunt (old management) on the Causeway in Tampa. From there, we would order the most wonderful deviled crabs that I have ever tasted, delicious Cubans, and wonderful black beans and yellow rice (I have a weakness for yellow rice) with a nice slice of buttered Cuban bread. We would order the food, then sit off to the side of the parking lot, near the edge of the embankment and fish into the port or just sit and look at the water and feel the hot breeze whip into our hair.
Sea Breeze is not the only place that we bought the crabs from, there was one deli in Orient that sold wonderful deviled crabs as well, but never matched the Sea Breazes quality. We also ate chicken and yellow rice and a few other Cuban dishes, but it was not until adulthood that I was fully introduced to the wonders of Cuban food.
My husband used to play ball will Cubans who would cook out after the games. When I first stayed for one of these cookouts, I was amazed at the food. It was not hot dogs and burgers like we have always done, They would marinate skirt steak and other meats, actually cook real food.
We then attended a family gathering. I watched them press plantains and fry them, they had stuffed potatoes, fried. Had the most delicious assortments of meats and meat dishes. The flan was to die for and the atmosphere was that of togetherness and family.
Since childhood, eating Cuban food always seemed special and gave me a feeling of togetherness.
The Sea Breeze has a new ownership, the deviled crabs no longer are that good and is not packed with crab as they once were, so my kids, unfortunately no longer enjoy the tradition I carried down from my childhood, just as my mom had. But I still cook Cuban food and we enjoy the food that Ybor has to offer.
I wanted to recommend this book: Three Guys From Miami Cook Cuban. (http://www.icuban.com/) I thought this to be a wonderful book offering recipes and a little flavor of the culture.
And here are a few of my favorite recipes (not from the book):
GRANDPA ARROYO'S CUBAN BLACK BEANS &
RICE (http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1650,156176-241198,00.html#)
2 lbs. black beans
2 lg. bell peppers
1 c. olive oil
1/2 c. sugar
2 lg. onions
8 oz. diced pimentos
1 c. vegetable oil
1 1/2 c. sherry
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 c. vinegar (to taste)
2 c. rice
Salt & pepper to taste
Soak black beans overnight. Cover in pressure cooker with water 2 inches over top of black beans. Cook in pressure cooker for 45 minutes. Do not drain any remaining fluid. Dice onions. Cut bell peppers into 1/2 inch by 3/4 inch slices. Add all ingredients to black beans. Simmer for 2 to 4 hours. Beans should make their own broth.
Add liquid when necessary to prevent drying out or burning, but keep broth thick. Serve over rice. Use as side dish to chicken or steak, or main dish on its own. Also, try in flour tortillas to make unique Cuban burittos.
CHICKEN AND YELLOW RICE CUBAN STYLE (http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1642,156178-229193,00.html)
1/4 c. Spanish olive oil
1 1/2 sm. chickens (3 1/2 lb.) cut into quarters
1 med. onion, finely chopped
1/2 med. green pepper, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lg. ripe tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. chopped parsley
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. hot sauce
Generous pinch saffron
3 1/2 c. chicken stock
2 c. long grain rice
1 can tiny French style peas, heated
1 can pimento, cut in thin strips
Parsley sprigs
Heat 2 tablespoons oil over moderate heat in heavy non-iron 10 inch frying pan until hot (not smoking). Cook chicken 2 or 3 pieces at a time until pale gold, adding more oil when necessary, then transfer to heavy flame-proof casserole with tight cover. Adjust heat to moderately high. Add onion, green pepper and garlic to hot drippings in pan; cook, stirring until onion turns gold. Stir in tomato, blend and spoon mixture over chicken. Add lemon juice, bay leaf, chopped parsley, salt and hot sauce. Add saffron to 1 1/4 cups of stock, bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes. Add to chicken, cover casserole and simmer over low heat until chicken is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. (Meanwhile preheat oven to 325 degrees.) Bring remaining stock to a boil and add to chicken. Add rice, bring to a boil once more, then cover casserole tightly and transfer to oven. Bake for 20 minutes (until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed). Uncover and garnish with peas, pimento and parsley sprigs. You can cheat, I often do, by using a package of yellow rice from the stores. I then add more saffron and lots of butter to the rice before cooking. Sometimes, I cut the chicken (boneless, skinless) up into bite size pieces before cooking. I then cook it in butter partially with a liberal dose of lemon pepper and then finish cooking it with green peppers and onions and then add frozen baby peas to the mixture. After the rice is done, I add it everything together (the rice must cool a little first or it will get mushy) and serve with crusty pan cuban bread.
BLACK BEAN SOUP (Cuban) (http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1648,158189-226206,00.html)
2 c. black beans
8 c. cold water
3 med. sized onions, chopped
1/4 c. butter
2 bay leaves
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tbsp. parsley
1 ham hock
1/2 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2/3 c. dry sherry (optional)
Place beans in soup kettle with enough water to cover entirely. Soak overnight. Drain water off beans and fill kettle with 8 cups cold water. Cook beans on low heat until soft. Saute garlic, onions and parsley in butter and add to soup kettle along with all other ingredients except sherry. Continue cooking over low heat until soft (about 3 hours). Add small amount of water if beans become too thick.
Remove ham hock from kettle and cut into small pieces. Return to kettle along with sherry. Heat just until hot, adjust seasonings to your taste. Serve hot.
An excellent addition to the soup is shredded Cheddar cheese, with a spoonful of sour cream and chopped raw onions, as a garnish. Makes 6-8 servings.
AUTHENTIC CUBAN SANDWICH (http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1644,140184-245199,00.html)
pan criollo (like a crusty french bread)
roast pork
sweet ham (jamon dulce)
Swiss cheese
mayonnaise
mustard
pickles (optional)
Select a crusty bread which is soft inside.
Put a dollop of mayonnaise and mustard on the bread and layer shaved or very thinly sliced ingredients inside.
Butter the outer crust and press in a sizzling panini grill or sandwich press.
Submitted by: CM
And my most favorite:
CUBAN GARBANZO BEAN SOUP (CHICK PEAS) (http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1648,158180-241204,00.html)
1 bag garbanzo beans (chick peas)
1 med. onion
1 chorizo sausage
2 qt. water
1/2 lb. potatoes
1 med. head cabbage
1 beef bone
1 tbsp. salt
Saffron
1 ham hock, smoked
4 oz. bacon
Soak beans in water to cover plus 1 tablespoon salt overnight. Drain water in morning. Add 2 quarts fresh water, ham bone, beef bone. Cook 45 minutes. Fry onions and bacon. Add to beans. Add potatoes and cabbage and salt to taste. When potatoes are done, turn off heat and add thinly sliced chorizo. This was a comfort food when I had the flu. I remember eating this stuff on my sick days off out of school. I especially remember a particular time when I was ill and it was very cold outside. This soup was divine.