Archive for the ‘La Cocina’ Category

Posted on September 11, 2009 - by OP40

El Rincon “Criollo”

Rincon Criollo

My good friend Frank asked me a long time ago to contribute to Operation40.com, I struggled to find something that I was willing to write about for a while. Then it dawned on me, duh! Food! What Cuban doesn’t love to eat good, home-style Cuban food? But this little ditty won’t be just a recipe and that’s it, there will be a story or two thrown in and maybe even some political opinion and advice. It will definitely be something with some sabor and maybe a little picante every once in while but I promise this much, no matter what, whether you follow my advise, political takes or recipes, you’ll always come away full.

Enjoy,

Orlando J. Avila
Cocinero opionado

“As a first generation America of Cuban parents I grew up at my mother and fathers side in the kitchen, food was always an integral part of every major celebration. My mom taught me how to make her famous beans and congris so this column is dedicated to her.”

For generations America, the good ole USA has been called a melting pot but it is not the only melting pot in the western hemisphere. Cuba has a rich and storied past, influenced by innumerable cultures that have landed on her shores. Culture has many facets, music, language, and food. This column will focus on the latter; food for Cubans is a part of life, not just matter of sustenance. After the revolution and the massive influx of Cubans into the US, especially in South Florida, Cubans brought their culture with them, including their food. Coincidentally, many aspects of southern cuisine were compatible with Cuban cuisine. We also call Cuban cuisine criollo, pronounced cree-o-yo, similar to the word Creole, normally associated with Louisiana. This is no coincidence, as many creoles are of Spanish extraction mixed with Native Americans and French, similar to what happened in Cuba. Hence the title at the top of the column.

Now, let’s talk about what Cuban food really is, it’ll take a while, so sit back, relax, get a cold drink and enjoy.

Cuban food is seafood, pork, rice, beans, bread, lamb, goat, beef, root vegetables, greens, plantains, eggs, milk, sugar and coffee along with all manner of spices and seasonings. Pretty basic right? Well, now the fun begins. Cuban food is rustic, earthy, folksy food, country food to some extent, large portions for hard working people of an agrarian society.

One of the staple dishes in Cuban households is beans and rice, typically black bean or red kidney beans. Sometimes, they are called “moros con cristianos” or Christians and Moors” alluding to the Moorish invasion of Spain. The beans are the moors, the rice is the Christians. No, it’s not politically correct, it just is. We, in the US think of beans as a side dish, or a soup a soup, basically an afterthought. In Cuba however, beans are the central part of most meals, it is a cheap, high energy food, just look at the Food Pyramid. Being a predominantly Catholic nation, most Cuban families did not eat meat on Fridays and beans were a substitute for the meat. Beans and rice can also be a meal as most pots of black beans contain either salt pork or bacon, chorizo (sausage) and sometimes meat form smoked ham hocks. (Notice a correlation and common ingredients to some other regional dishes in the US?)

So enough about the black beans, let’s cook!

This will make you a big pot of beans, enough to feed a good sized crowd or small family for a few days. (They are always better the next day.)

First we start with the beans, usually 2-3 pounds, they have to be cleaned, this is easy, just lay out some wax paper on the counter, pour the beans on there, take out the little pebbles and funky looking beans and then put them in the pot. Fill the pot with cold water (about 2 inches above the beans and let the beans soak at least 6-8 hours or overnight. In the meantime let’s get on with the rest of the show.

You’ll need the following additional ingredients:

1 package of Spanish Chorizo, (usually with the pepperoni on the end caps in stores, they are preserved similar to pepperoni but are a lot greasier and taste different. Lots of paprika! Fry some up with some tomato sauce and slap on some Cuban bread! That’s chori-pan and some seriously good grub!)

2-3 slices of bacon or about 3-4 ounces of salt pork, cut into small bits

6-8 cloves of garlic, smashed, granulated garlic will do in a pinch, not garlic powder

Cumin- about a tablespoon

2-3 bay leaves

1 onion, diced

1 green pepper diced (if you can find cachucha peppers (go to the bodega), even better, don’t buy scotch bonnet peppers, you will pay dearly)

Cilantro leaves, not Mexican cilantro, but Caribbean cilantro, they are long, spiky leaves also called cilantro. Usually you will have to go to a bodega to find this. Happy hunting. In a pinch, Mexican cilantro will do.

Olive oil (gotta be a little healthy right?)

Salt & Pepper to taste

I add chile powder to my beans, a couple teaspoons, it’s not about spice, chile powder is very earthy and adds to the depth of the bean’s flavors.

You will cook your beans in the same water you soaked them in to ensure that you keep all that beautiful black bean color, this is especially important if you are making “arroz congris”, we’ll talk about that later.

Cooking beans is easy, make sure you have about 3 inches of water above the beans, bring them to a boil, lower the heat and let them simmer, covered until tender. How will you know they are tender? Check them in about 30-40 minutes and taste a couple. If they are edible and don’t break your teeth they are done, if not, cook them for another 10 minutes and then let them sit, they’ll finish cooking soon enough.

The basis of flavor in most pot cooked dishes whether they be beans or meat dishes is a sofrito, a mixture of onions, garlic, peppers, salt, pepper and bay leaves sautéed in some sort of fat with a little salt and pepper.

Make your sofrito by first rendering the bacon or salt pork with a little bit of olive oil to help in the cooking over medium heat, cut up the chorizo and throw them in and sauté them some to render a little bit of their fat, it will turn a nice red color. Remove the meat and leave the fat in the pan, add the garlic and bay leaves, sauté for 3-5 minutes to flavor the oil, then add the onions and peppers, sauté until soft and translucent, add the cumin and cilantro, add some more salt, the beans will soak it up along with some fresh ground black pepper. You don’t want it to be salty; you want the salt and pepper to bring out all the other flavors. Let the mixture cool a bit, this will let the flavors meld.

When your beans are cooked, add the sofrito, chorizo and bacon to the bean pot and let it simmer for another 30 or so minutes, constantly tasting the broth and adjusting the spices, make sure the beans are cooked through! Add more cilantro or cumin or salt or pepper to suit your taste. Make some rice. Just follow the instructions on the package, you don’t have to be Bobby Flay to make good rice, just don’t use too much water, always add salt and olive oil to your rice, you’ll thank me.

Arroz congris is just the rice cooked in the beans, you make this instead of making a separate pot of rice, (a lot of time we use the leftovers this way) the rice turns grey and it is tasty, especially with a couple fried eggs on top, typical Cuban breakfast. Don’t add cooked rice to try to make the “congri” as we call it, that’s just the lazy way out and it won’t look right. You will need to add some water to the beans the next day because all the starch will really thicken the beans up. This is why they are always better the next day.

Serve your beans over the rice or as a soup with a little bit of rice on top, as a side dish to some pork chops or chicken. Chop up some more onions to put on top or some hot sauce or pepper vinegar, it only adds to the flavor. Whatever you do, DON’T PUT SOUR CREAM ON THEM! That’s just sacrilege. If you put sour cream on your black beans, don’t ever read this column again.

So there you have it, enjoy! Email me if you have any questions: ojavila@bellsouth.net

Posted on September 11, 2009 - by OP40

Fatten up, Havana style

This very special section of Operation40.com will be dedicated to one of the more unique aspects of Cuban culture which has so deliciously been integrated into American life, at least to those lucky enough to have tried it, and that is our food. Beyond simple recipes however, this section will highlight the nuances and uniqueness of this particular part of our culture, and how it relates to everyday living in old-time Cuba, as well as for those exiles living here in the US.

So stay tuned, and prepare for new “old” recipes sure to bring a smile to your taste buds. And learn a little about our past, and soon to be NEW future.

OP40