The German Corner - Does The Conga.... Lets celebrate in Cuba

This is the easy version of a Cuban Classic.

Cuban Bean Salad

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 fresh jalapeño pepper, seeded, finely chopped
1/4 tsp. dried oregano leaves
1-1/2 cups chopped Kosher Dill Pickles
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained, rinsed
1 can (15 oz.) pinto beans, drained, rinsed
1 can (15 oz.) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained, rinsed
1 stalk celery, sliced
1/2 red pepper, cut into 2-inch strips
2 green onions, sliced
1 tomato, chopped

Cuban Garlic Soup recipe (Sopa de Ajo)

This soup is a very strong tasting and rich soup due to the amount of garlic and butter. You may wish to saute the garlic in less butter, or cut the amount of garlic used. I love it as is. Serves 4-6 people

I thought this sounded interesting. 

Larry's Mojito Cake 

20 ounce can crushed pineapple, un-drained
Juice of 1 lime
1 (1 lb.) box angel food cake mix
8 ounces reduced fat cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup limeade from concentrate
0-4 tablespoons powdered sugar — I used 4 tablespoons
1 teaspoon rum extract
8 ounce tub Cool Whip Lite (a little over 3 cups)
1/3 cup shredded sweetened coconut
Zest of lime
Mint leaves

Torrejas (Cuban French Toast)

1 loaf Cuban bread
4 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoon dry wine
1 can evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup sugar
2 cups oil for frying (*)

Torrejas is the Cuban version of French Toast.  If Cuban bread is not available in your area, use a French or an Italian bread loaf.

Chayote/ Mirliton Fritters recipe

courtesy of Cocina Cubana Club (please join) / Pascual Perez and chef Sonia Martinez

4-5 medium chayote (mirlitons / melatons)
boiling water
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg, beaten
2 tbsp milk
oil for deep frying

Cook mirlitons until tender. Peel, remove seed and puree pulp. Measure 3 cups pulp. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Combine milk and egg; add to flour mixture along with mirliton pulp, stirring until just blended. Add a little teaspoon of vinegar to the batter. It prevents them from soaking a lot of oil when frying.

Heat oil to 365 degrees in a pan. Drop batter by tablespoonfuls into hot oil; fry until golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. Makes 6-8 servings.
 

Coquitos (Coconut Balls) recipe

1 18 ounce can grated coconut in heavy syrup
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup white sugar

Drain syrup from coconut. Mix coconut, brown sugar, and vanilla in a medium size saucepan. Cook over medium heat for a few minutes then allow to cool.

Make small balls on buttered cookie sheet and set aside. Mix coconut syrup and white sugar in small saucepan and cook over medium heat. Stir frequently until it becomes dark brown.

Pour over coconut balls and allow to cool
Serves 4
 

Frijoles con Dulce recipe

courtesy of Cocina Cubana Club (please join) / Cayobo and chef Sonia Martinez

This is another Cuban recipe that is kind of different.
I like to serve this as a desert after we feast on roasted suckling pig at a big gathering.

Beans for dessert? Yes, beans for dessert! This recipe is sure to surprise your guests.

1 1/2 cups red (or kidney) beans
5 large sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced
1 1/2 cups raisins
1 cup plus 2 Tbs. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
8 cups milk
2 cans (14 1/2 oz. size) evaporated milk

Wash and soak the beans overnight in enough water to cover. The next day, drain and add all the other ingredients to the beans. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 to 3 hours until the beans are tender. Stir frequently during the last hour of cooking to be sure the beans do not stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove the pan from the heat and cool. Serve with vanilla wafers. This is about 12 servings.
 

Heaven's Bacon (Tocino del Cielo) recipe

from All About Cuban Cooking, courtesy of Josefina Alvarez

(posted with author's permission, repost with credit but do not reprint)

[webmaster's note: okay, so there's really no bacon in this recipe, and to be perfectly honest I'm not sure where the name came from so let me if you have its origin]

6 egg yolks
3 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 tsp. vanilla

Boil sugar and water for about 15 minutes until a light syrup is formed. Let cool. Beat egg yolks and add to light syrup, include vanilla. Follow instructions for flan (see recipe for caramel mold). using a double broiler, put in oven for 1 hour at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) in caramel mold like flan.

serves 8

Cuban Flan (custard) recipe
courtesy of Cocina Cubana Club (please join) / Pascual Perez and chef Sonia Martinez

[site owner's note: you'll need a baking dish to make this, though ideally you can buy a flan mold from a Latin food site, such as the Cuban Food Market]

1 1/2 cups of sugar

6 egg yolks

2 Cups of milk

3 egg whites

1 tsp vanilla

1 lemon peel
1/4 tsp salt

1 cinnamon stick
1/4 cup water

Prepare a caramel by adding the 1/4 cup of water to 3/4 cups of sugar in a small saucepan over medium to low heat. Stir while cooking until the sugar starts melting. Let it simmer. Use a pastry brush dipped in water to wash the sides of the pan free of granular sugar. When sugar starts to thicken and turn brown remove from heat and add 2 cubes of ice to stop the cooking process, being very careful not to get burned with any splattering that may occur. Coat a warm baking dish or round mold by pouring the caramel and swirl it around the sides and bottom. put the coated mold aside( By the way the mold should be 9 inches in diameter).

Now comes the good part

In a saucepan bring to a boil the milk with the lemon peel, cinnamon stick and salt. When the mixtures starts to boil remove from heat and let it cool a little bit. (like my mother use to say: dejala refrescar)

In a medium bowl beat lightly the egg yolks, whites, vanilla and sugar until well mixed.

Pour into the bowl the slightly cooled milk and strain the egg and milk mixture into the caramel coated mold.

OK so far?

Place the flan mold inside a baking dish filled with water up to half of the mold side, (bain Mary or baño Maria)

Now you have three choices of cooking it

1) Cook over stove top at low to medium flame till a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out dry

2) Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about an hour in the middle rack. Insert a knife or toothpick in the center, if it comes out dry remove from the oven and let it cool till warm

3) In a pressure cooker ,cook in a cup of water at 15 pounds of pressure for about 25 minutes.

When cooled place serving dish flat against top of mold and turn it upside down in a fast motion.

Turrones recipe
courtesy of Cocina Cubana Club (please join) / Pascual Perez and chef Sonia Martinez

1 cup almonds
1 cup hazelnuts
1 cup honey
1 cup sugar
5 egg whites

Blanch the almonds and remove the skins. Toast the almonds with hazelnuts in an open oven. Stir constantly. Chop them fine. Beat the egg whites until they are very stiff and add to nuts. In the pan, mix the honey and sugar and melt over heat. Add the nut paste, mix and stir constantly for ten minutes and remove from heat. Put in shallow china dishes lined with rice paper. When cold, sprinkle cinnamon on top. Cut into small pieces when set.

Chichachirritas/ Mariquitas recipe (Cuban Tostones Recipe)

Chichachirritas is the Cuban name given to green plantain chips, sliced round, fried and salted.  Mariquitas is what Cubans call them when they are sliced the Nicaraguan way; slicing them lengthwise to create long, slender, wavy chips, fried and salted.

They are really good brought to the table piping hot and sprinkled with mojo.

3 to 4 cups canola or peanut oil for frying
2 green plantains
salt or garlic salt

Pour the oil to a depth of 2 or 3 inches in a deep-fat fryer, a dutch oven or heavy skillet. Heat to 350oF.

Peel the plantains. Slice lengthwise for Mariquitas or in round chips for Chicharritas, as thinly as possible, using a mandolin if you have one, with the blade at its thinnest opening. Slide them into the hot fat in small batches. You don't want them to clump together.

Fry until golden brown and crispy, about 1 to 2 minutes, turning with a metal skimmer. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and/or mojo. Serve at once.

Cuban Tostones

Tostones are twice-fried plantain chips.  When making Cuban tostones, first use green plantains (plantains with a black skin are ideal for platano maduro - the sweet and soft dessert version).  Peel both plantains, then slice into pieces, each piece about 2" long (example).  Fry them using the same method as above until soft, and let them drain on paper towels.  Next, take each piece and smash it in a tostonera - a tostones press available at most online Cuban stores.  If you don't have a tostonera, you can simply place paper towels over a slice, and smash it into a flat round with a can of food. 

When your cooking oil is hot again, add all of your flat plantain pieces and fry them on each side until golden brown.  Allow them to drain on paper towels, sprinkle them with mojo sauce (if you like) to taste, or put the mojo on the side to use as a dipping sauce..

Cuban Mojo sauce recipe
courtesy of Cocina Cubana Club (please join) / Pascual Perez and chef Sonia Martinez

The authentic mojo is made with juice from sour oranges. It still has that little orangy taste, but its very acid and tart. You can come close by mixing equal amounts of freshly squeezed orange juice with lime juice (*). If you live in areas with large concentration of Latinos you will probably find bottled Mojo (Goya brand makes one) or their produce department might have the slightly bumpy, thick skinned sour oranges. This recipe makes one cup.

1/3 cup olive oil
6 to 8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or minced
2/3 cup sour orange juice or lime juice
(or equal portions orange juice and lime juice)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Heat the olive oil in a deep saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant and lightly toasted. Don't let it brown or it will be acrid tasting, just about 30 seconds should do it.

Add the sour orange juice, cumin and salt and pepper. STAND BACK; the sauce may sputter. Bring to a rolling boil. Taste and correct seasoning, if needed

Cool before serving. Mojo is best when served within a couple of hours of making, but it will keep for several days, well capped in a jar or bottle, in the refrigerator.

Use with Cuban sandwiches, boiled yucca, grilled seafood and meats, fried green plantain chips, etc.

I have seen recipes for mojo using cilantro in it, but that is not traditional to Cuban Cuisine.

(*) I prefer to add more lime juice than orange, as I like it very tart.