First Attempt: Lomo Saltado

 

There are things about Miami that never occurred to me that I would miss. One of these is Peruvian food. I never really had it that often, but when I did, it was really good!
I came across this recipe by Gaston Acurio. Mr. Acurio is one of Peru’s most famous chefs and owns a number of restaurants across Latin America, Europe and the US.

Lomo saltado closely resembles a stir fry with beef, peppers, potatoes, onions and tomatoes. The finished product has a really flavorful sauce that gets absorbed by the potatoes and rice and gives them this wonderful salty and acidic taste. It’s even better the next day!

I followed the recipe as instructed. I think next time I might add some fresh grated ginger with the garlic. The linked recipe is in Spanish. See below for my translation. Enjoy!

Lomo Saltado de Gaston Acurio:

600gr beef loin, cubed
1/2 cup olive oil
2 medium onions in thick slices
2 yellow bell peppers in thin slices
4 tomatoes in thick, quartered slices
1 tbsp minced garlic or garlic paste
1/4 cup soy sauce
4 tbsp white wine vinegar
1/2 cup beef broth
1/2 cup green onion, chopped
1 tbsp chopped culantro leaves
Salt and Pepper to taste

For the fried potatoes:
1/2 lb yellow potatoes
vegetable oil

Slice the potatoes into french fry shape.
In a large pan, heat the oil and fry the potatoes until lightly browned and crunchy.
Remove from the oil with tongs or a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Set aside.

Season the beef with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a wok over high heat. Add the beef and cook until brown on all sides.
Add the onions, tomatoes and peppers. Stir and cook for about 40 seconds.
Add the garlic, soy, vinegar and broth. Stir and cook for about 30 seconds and add the potatoes. Check for seasoning.
Stir in the green onions and culantro leaves.
Serve with white rice.

Notes:
I used tri-tip sirloin which is more inexpensive than the tenderloin.
I did not have culantro leaves so I seasoned the beef with ground coriander in addition to the salt and pepper.
I used a combination of yellow, red and purple potatoes to add more color.

Buen Provecho!

A recipe for ribs in the oven that actually works and other fun stuff

Having more days off means inventing more projects. At least for me. I had a craving for ribs and had never made them from scratch. I came across a recipe from my Food & Wine Annual Cookbook for Mo’s Sticky Ribs and I have to say, it was really easy and really delicious. The only thing I added was a shot of sweet Thai chili sauce to the recipe’s sauce mixture. I might try it with guava jelly instead of apricot next time too.

I couldn’t just eat the ribs alone, so I decided to go with a kind of BBQ theme and made this German-style potato salad from Bobby Flay. His instructions say to use your pans on the grill, but I just did it on the stove. Here, I added some sliced cornichons for some more tang and texture and some snipped chives in addition to the parsley. You’ll see that it says that it should be served warm, but it’s delicious straight out of the fridge.

Finally, because I didn’t seem to get enough sugar, fat and starch, I decided to make baked beans as well. Below is my aunt Nola’s recipe for New England Baked Beans. These are always a hit at family gatherings and a nice item to bring as a side dish to pot-lucks and such.

3 cup Bushes Original Baked Beans

Bacon (a few slices cut in 1 inch pieces to top beans)

1 large onion

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup ketchup

2 tsp dry mustard

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients except bacon.
*You can mix them in a  greased 2-quart dish or, when doubling, a 9×13 pan.

Scatter the bacon pieces on top. Cover with lid or foil. Bake in a 300 degree oven for 2 hours. Uncover during the second hour.

With this one, take note that you are using the original baked beans. I’ve bought the wrong kind in the past and they have been a bit too sweet for my taste.

Et voila!

Three super tasty recipes to serve together or apart!

 

 

Things I have strong feelings about: Salad Dressing Edition

You bought the most beautiful, expensive organic produce. You lovingly chopped up your kale into perfect, bite-sized pieces and arranged your sliced heirloom tomatoes to showcase their jewel-like colors. Maybe you even ever-so-meticulously shaved a nice Grana Padano over it to create that lovely magazine-spread look. And then you slathered the whole thing in a bottle of “Tuscano-inspiration-balsamic-honey-mustard-sriracha” dressing.
No. Stop it. Bottle dressing is the worst. I’m serious.

Now, that’s not to say that there are some appropriate applications for it, just not actually on your salad. More on that later.

It is my personal belief that you can make an excellent salad dressing, without all the sugar and god knows what, at home. Here is my basic recipe. Once you’ve mastered that, and believe me, it will take you three seconds, you can apply the same idea across a wide array of items already found in your fridge and pantry.

Feel free to lower or raise the quantities depending on how big your salad is.

1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and Pepper to taste

Pour all ingredients into a small bowl. Beat with fork or small whisk until emulsified (thickened) and drizzle over salad.

Now that you have that mastered, here are some variations:

Add 1 tsp. honey and 1 tsp. mayonnaise for a honey mustard dressing.

Add 1 tbsp. grated parmesan or other hard cheese to add another level of flavor. I find that Romano and Manchego also work nicely.

Add 1 tsp. dried or fresh basil, oregano, tarragon or sage.

You can also substitute the balsamic vinegar for apple cider, red wine, white wine, sherry, or plain white vinegar. Each one brings its own flavor so you can get creative. You can also leave the mustard out as well.

Now go, make salad! I promise you’ll never buy bottled dressing again because yours will be just that good!

 

 

 

 

 

Guiso de Maiz

 

Guiso de maiz, or corn stew, is one the most underrated Cuban dishes out there. When it comes to Cuban food, the first things that often come to mind are black beans or roast pork. Guiso de maiz is an obscure gem not seen on many restaurant menus but most definitely a great addition to your home menus. It’s also great if you have a crowd to feed because a little goes a long way!

Recipe adapted from Cocina Criolla, by Nitza Villapol.

1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large green pepper, seeds removed and finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup diced calabaza squash
1 cup diced potatoes
1 28oz can crushed or pureed tomatoes
2 lb packages frozen corn kernels
1/4 lb diced ham
1 large Spanish chorizo, diced
1 tbsp white vinegar
2 sachets of Sazon Goya
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large, heavy pot. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant.
Add the ham and chorizo and cook, stirring, for about 2-3 minutes.
Add the bay leaf, peppers and onions and cook, stirring until the onions are translucent. Season with salt and pepper.
Add tomatoes, potatoes, Sazon Goya, and stir.
Add water to cover. Start with 2 cups of water and add more if you need to.
Bring the mixture to a boil and add the squash and corn kernels. Taste for seasoning and adjust salt and pepper if necessary.
Once the mixture is at a boil reduce the heat to medium-medium low and simmer until the potatoes and squash are tender and the cooking liquid has thickened slightly,  about 30 minutes.
Before serving, stir in the vinegar and check the seasoning.
Serve in bowls with white rice.

Notes:
I typically use 1 package of diced ham. You can find them in the packaged deli meat section of most supermarkets.
Spanish chorizo can be challenging to find outside of South Florida, where it’s widely available at most supermarkets. Outside of South Florida, you can find it at specialty markets or more upscale grocery stores like Whole Foods or Metropolitan Market. It’s usually with the packaged prosciutto and pancetta.
Also, please note that chorizo comes in many shapes and sizes. It varies by brand. Sometimes it comes formed in one large sausage, other times it comes in smaller packages of four or five small sausages. What you are looking for is the dry cured Spanish-style, not the Mexican kind which has a very different flavor profile.
If you can’t find calabaza, butternut squash, acorn squash, or pumpkin are great substitutes.
Sazon Goya can be found in the spices section of the supermarket. In some places, it might be in the Hispanic section.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Math. I hate it.

In cooking, as in life, math is a necessary evil. In my experience in sourcing recipes I have found that the measurements are not always in tablespoons, pounds, cups or ounces. Sometimes you’ll see a “wine glassful” or “preheat the oven to 20C” and you know, the oven is not in celsius. Or, one of my favorites, 2 tablespoons of butter and the package doesn’t have those nice tablespoon indicators on it. Yes, I have tried to cram butter into measuring spoons when it’s still too cold. It’s messy. Don’t do it.
To combat this frustration, I have linked to this handy guide that answers all your conversion questions. A big thank you to epicurious.com for doing the work for us!

Favorite Cookbooks: Cocina Criolla

Everyone has a different approach to following a recipe. Personally, I like to follow to the letter on the first attempt and then get creative on the second try. In my experience, this works especially well in most savory recipes. Don’t try to be cute and creative when it comes to pastry or baking, unless you are an experienced baker. I, for one, am not, so I don’t even go there.

Cocina Criolla by Nitza Villapol.

As you can see, this one gets a lot of use. Well, this particular edition was my grandmothers, which I inherited. Yes, it is held together with scotch tape and rubber bands. Don’t judge.
This is the bible of Cuban cuisine. You’ll also find some interesting interpretations of other dishes like lasagna and rather disturbing treats of the mid 20th century like tomato and tuna aspic. In any case, if you need a solid basic recipe for your black beans, pork roasts and yuca, this is the place to go.
Mine is particularly special because it is filled with little notes and other recipes from my grandmother. Sadly, the regular edition does not come with those.
Here is a really lovely article from Saveur about the “grande dame of Cuban cuisine” and how the lady, and the book, have become cultural icons on and off the island.

 

 

Vaca Frita

I thought I would begin at the beginning. Vaca frita, which loosely translated is “fried cow,” is a Cuban classic and one of the first things I learned how to make. I admit, I am a vaca frita snob and will pretty much only eat it when I make it. That being said, my recipe is super easy and once you try it, you probably won’t eat it in a restaurant either. A healthier version you can also try is to replace the beef with boneless chicken breasts or thighs. Bear in mind, those of you who like rare beef, we Cubans cook our meat to death. I do like a rare steak and agree that most of the time, “well done” is an aberration. This however, is delicious sacrilege. Buen provecho!

2lbs Skirt or Flank Steak
2 Medium onions (I use white or yellow, not Vidalia)
4-5 Medium to large cloves of garlic
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Juice of 1 lime, plus lime wedges for serving
Salt and Pepper to taste

Boil the in meat in salted water to cover in a large pot for about 20-30 minutes or until just cooked through. Remove the meat and set aside to cool.
*You can also remove the pot from the heat and pour the contents into a bowl. When cooled, place in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, when you are ready to cook, skim the fat off of the top, remove the meat and continue recipe as follows. 
While the meat cools, finely chop the onions and mince the garlic.
Once the meat has cooled enough to handle, shred along the grain of the meat by hand so that you have thin strips. It should look like pulled pork.Set aside.
In a non-stick frying pan, heat the oil and garlic together over medium-high heat. Once the oil and garlic are aromatic, add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent.
Add the shredded meat and stir to combine. Tamp the mixture down in the pan and let it cook.
With tongs or a spoon, check the bottom of the mixture every 5 minutes. Once the bottom of the mixture develops a slight char, stir and re-tamp so that it all evenly chars. This should take about 15 minutes.
*I like it at the point of almost burnt, but you don’t have to take it that far. 
In the last 5 minutes, add the lime juice, salt and pepper.
Once the meat has evenly charred, remove the pan from the heat and serve with white rice and the lime wedges.

Serves 4, generously.

 

 

 

Welcome!

So I finally got around to this! After years of Facebook and Instagram posts of my kitchen projects I have decided to put them all in one place, with notes, recipes, tips and, of course, restaurant recommendations at home and away. I hope you enjoy this little corner of the internet dedicated to better eating, one meal at a time!