The Yuca Diaries

I have posted a shortcut version to Cuban black beans here before, but I thought I’d also post the real way my mom and grandma have made black beans for years.  Let me just state that black beans are one of, if not the most important or common dishes in Cuban cuisine. We serve them over rice, eat them alone, cook them into the rice to make “moros”- another typical Cuban side dish.   Black beans are served from parties to weekday dinners, and are always a welcomed addition to any meal.  There are tons of recipes for black beans, but I tend to be a bit of a purist when it comes to the ingredient list.  I think the flavor of the beans when you’re not using the canned variety really lends a totally different taste that doesn’t need much “help” as opposed to the doctored up version I’ve posted here before.  Some people add vinegar, or bay leaves or even olives which I add to my shortcut version, but for my family’s traditional recipe I omit all three. In the picture above there is a really typical side dish called “tostones” which is made with green plantains.  I will post that recipe next.

Ingredients:

1 package dried black beans

Water (for soaking the beans and later cooking them)

2 Onions

2 green peppers

1 red pepper

5 garlic cloves

3 tbsp olive oil

Salt to taste

For the veggies:

1 Japanese eggplant

1 large zucchini

2 large onions (I used Vidalia)

Himalayan pink salt (ground fine)

Take the eggplant and slice into three sections. Begin slicing lengthwise to create planks- about 1/4″ thick.  Slice the zucchini into 1/4″ rounds.  Lastly slice the onion removing the outer tough skin.  Make sure to slice the onion into rounds without separating them.  You should have discs of onions that are still intact.  Take a grill pan and put it on the stove, setting the heat to high. Do not add oil or anything. If you absolutely have to, spray a little PAM, but really it’s not necessary.  Lay the pieces of eggplant on the pan and allow for them to cook until you get nice grill marks. Season the top side of the eggplant with a little salt. Flip and cook on the other side until you get grill marks on each side. Remove from the pan and do the same thing the zucchini and onions.  It’s important that you let the veggies cook undisturbed.  If you start flipping them around too much then the veggies will stick and not caramelize like it’s supposed to.

I served this with doctored up Cuban style black beans.  Because this was a veggie heavy meal, I really bumped up the onions and peppers I added to the dish. I’ve posted this recipe before but for convenience’s sake, here it is again.

For the doctored up Cuban style black beans:

2 cans black beans

1/3 cup water

1 tsp. vinegar

2 bay leaves

1/3 cup finely diced green pepper

1/3 cup finely diced red pepper

1 large onion finely diced

4 large clove of garlic

3 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

Salt to taste

Finely dice the peppers, onion and garlic and sauté with olive oil in a pot. Once this mix has become tender, add the cans of black beans and water. Add the bay leaves and vinegar, allowing the beans to simmer over med-low heat for 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaves before serving.

In Cuban cuisine, mojo sauce (pronounced Mo-ho) is a staple.  It’s used to pour over yuca, as a condiment or to marinate meats.  I drizzled a little of this over the veggies and added to the beans for extra umph.

For the mojo sauce:

2 limes (juice only)

4 large garlic cloves

1/3 cup grapeseed or light unflavored oil

pinch of salt

Grate the garlic and add to a bowl.  Squeeze the lime juice into the bowl and add the oil.  Using a whisk, blend vigorously until it’s slightly emulsified.  Make sure to stir before spooning over your food.

One of the reasons I had a mini posting hiatus was because in April my mom came to visit.  When she was here, she made the yummiest flan ever.  Let me just say that this thing was massive.  She made a double recipe because there were lots of people eating.  I will just post the single recipe though.  This was sooooo delicious. The caramel was rich and very plentiful which to me, is a huge part of a successful flan.  She usually makes the flan in a bundt pan, but since this was a double recipe (and I don’t own a bundt pan) we did it in a regular round mold.  Without further ado… here’s my mom’s flan recipe.

For the caramel topping:

2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. lime juice

1/4 water

For the flan

5 eggs

1 can condensed milk

1 can evaporated milk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/3 cup cream cheese

1 can coconut cream

12/ can grated coconut in syrup (I used the Ancel brand)

1 pinch of salt.

The first thing to do is preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Next add the sugar, water and lime juice  to your mold and turn up the heat to medium- do not stir. The lime acts as a sugar stabilizer- a little trick I recently discovered.  You have to stand by the stove and really WATCH this because the difference between lovely golden caramel and burnt sugar is a matter of seconds.  Don’t answer the phone and talk to Aunt Clara now.  Don’t watch Oprah or answer the door- you need to give this caramel your undivided attention.  Now that we’ve established that, lets get back to making caramel.  Ok? Ok.   So when the sugar begins to bubble, begins swirling the pan around. As the sugar dissolves and the mixture turns into liquid consistency, swirl the pan around to coat all sides- you will have to work FAST as the mixture congeals quickly, and although you’ll be using oven mits the pan is still hot.  Once the pan is completed coated, set aside and let it cool.

Now for the flan it self.  Take out your blender and add the condensed milk, evaporated milk, vanilla extract, cream cheese, eggs, salt and coconut cream.  Reserve the grated coconut for the end.  Blend on low speed to avoid creating air bubbles.  Once the mixture is completely blended and all the ingredients are well incorporated, pass the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl.  Add the grated coconut and blend softly but completely.  Now add the mixture to your flan mold.  You will cook the flan in a bain de Marie (water bath).  Place the mold into a tray with water about 3/4th of the way up the mold and then cover the tray with foil.  Bake for 45 minutes or until you prick it with a toothpick and it comes out clean.  Once you remove the flan from the oven, set aside and allow it to cool.  Using a butter knife, ever so gently run through the edges.  Invert the flan unto a plate- preferably something with a lip so that the caramel doesn’t spill.  Refrigerate and serve cold.

Fufú de Plátano is a Cuban dish that isn’t as popular as some of the other dishes I’ve posted.  When I was little, my grandma would make this, and boy was it an event.  Everyone would come over to eat it, since it was only made once in a while.  The recipe varies quite a bit but my grandma made hers with crackling pork rinds. Since I follow kosher laws, I had to find a substitute- which 9 times of of 10 ends up being turkey bacon.

Ingredients:

3 large semi-ripe plantains (they should be pale yellow with few brown streaks and somewhat pliable to the to the touch but not soft or mushy)

3 garlic cloves

4 tbsp. butter

1 cup cooked turkey bacon (chopped into little pieces and fried till crispy)

salt to taste

First peel the plantains and cut them into sections.  Boil them until they’re fork tender.  While the plantains are boiling, dice the bacon and sauté in a non-stick pan until they’re nice and crispy- transfer to a plate.  Using a knife, smash the garlic cloves and add to the pan with the butter.  Allow the garlic to sauté for a bit to infuse the butter, removing the pieces once they’re cooked. Mince the garlic and toss back into the pan.  Once the plantains are cooked, drain well and transfer to the pan with the butter.  Take a potato masher or fork and begin mashing the plantains, adding a little water if the mixture is too dry- but go easy on the water, this dish should be chunky with imperfect pieces.  Once the plantains are mashed, add in the bacon and combine well.   Season with salt as needed.

For the Chicken Ropa Vieja:

4 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless) (boiled and shredded)

1 small yellow onion

1 small red bell pepper

1 small green bell pepper

1 small yellow bell pepper ( I usually don’t add this, but I had one left that I didn’t want to let spoil)

4 garlic cloves

1 bay leaf

2 cans tomato sauce

1/4 cup dry white wine

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. mojo (if you don’t have this add a tiny little pinch of cumin and a squeeze of lime)

1 tbsp. ketchup

1 tsp. garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

For the Mangu:

3 large green plantains

5 tbsp. butter

1/3 cup water

a pinch of garlic powder

salt to taste

The last post I have from my trip to Miami happens to be of my favorite Cuban dish, Rabo Encendido or (braised oxtails). My grandmother also spoiled me by making this the day before I left for home. I don’t know if I was hungry, or I had been craving this for a year, or maybe I just enjoyed it to the fullest knowing that it would probably be another year before I ate grandma’s cooking, but seriously, that was the best oxtail dish I had ever eaten.

Ingredients:

4 lbs. oxtails

1 onion

6 cups wine (my grandmother used half red wine and half white- she prefers white, and I prefer red for this dish so she decided that half and half would be best, but really any good tasting wine that’s not sweet will work well)

1 bay leaf

3 cloves garlic

1/2 cup green, pimento stuffed olives

1/3 cup tomato sauce

1 tbsp ketchup

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp. garlic powder

salt to taste

The first thing to do is to put the oxtails into a pressure cooker with the wine and bay leaf. Cook the oxtails until they’re really tender. About 45 minutes. Oxtails tend to be fatty, so one way to remedy this problem is by letting the fat rise to the top after cooking and skimming it off. To do this, once the oxtails are cooked, transfer to a container and put in the refrigerator until the mixture cools and skim the fat that rises to the top. Next take a braising pot and add the olive oil. Finely chop the onion and garlic and saute until the onions are tender. Transfer the oxtails into the braising pot and add the tomato sauce, ketchup, olives and season with salt and garlic powder. Allow for the flavors to combine well by simmering for about half an hour. Remove the bay leaf and serve with steamed white rice.

Oh yeah… and my grandmother suggests having lots of napkins nearby and a little plate for the bones. She says the best part is making sure you suck the bones clean.

So on my trip to Miami I ate a whole host of things that were not really the greatest for the waistline… but hey I only get to go home once a year and my grandmother really spoiled me this time around. Churros are long strings of fried dough topped with sugar. Usually this treat is eaten along with a cup of hot chocolate… perfect for the weather we’ve been having lately. When I was little my mom used to stop by a famous Miami landmark called “la palma” where there was a walk-up window that you’d order your food at. They’d give us one of those brown paper bags used for school lunches filled with churros for one dollar. The bag had little grease spots, but when you’re a kid you don’t worry about stuff like that. That was our Friday treat. Those were the days! La Palma used to make the churros fresh back in those days, but now they buy them frozen and they’re just not the same according to my grandfather. Now he just complains and my grandmother ends up making them herself. This was what I ate for my first breakfast in Miami. They were gone as soon as they hit the plate.

My brother Eric couldn’t let this little piece go to waste…

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 cup milk

1 cup water

1 pinch salt

1 pinch sugar

canola oil for frying

Bring the liquid to a boil and add the flour. Blend well and allow this mixture to cool before putting into the churro maker (which is really a glorified cookie press). Then drop the churros into hot oil and fry until golden brown. Sprinkle with sugar.

So last night for dinner I made grilled flank steak on the bbq, chimichurri, black bean and rice and Key lime pie for dessert. You can put chimichurri on anything and it will make it taste good- let alone a nice juicy and tender piece of flank steak cooked over burning fire…. YUM! So here’s how you make this dish:

For the flank steak
Marinade:
4 cloves garlic
2 limes
3 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp dark brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Blend all the ingredients well and place in a shallow bowl big enough to hold the steak overnight or at least for 4 hours in the fridge
Turn on your grill to the highest setting- you want it SUPER hot before you place the meat down. Make sure to shake off the excess marinade and put the meat down on the grill on an angle so you get the nice grill marks. Let it cook for about 4 minutes and without flipping over yet, slightly rotate the beef to get criss-cross marks (thanks PW for this trick). Cook for another 4 minutes on this side. Flip over and do the same. Flank steak tends to be somewhat thick, but if your piece looks thin to you, you might want to cook it for less time to avoid overcooking. Overcooked flank steak is not pretty friends. In fact, it’s pretty awful because it gets extremely tough. After the meat is cooked, remove it from the grill- WITH TONGS!!!! You don’t want to pierce it with a fork because this will make all the juices run out, rendering the meat dry. You have to let the meat rest for a few minutes before you slice it thinly against the grain.

For the beans (short-cut, make- after- a -long -day -at work- version):
2 cans black beans
1/3 cup water
1 tsp. cider vinegar
2 bay leaves
1/4 green pepper
1/4 red pepper
1/2 a large onion or one whole small onion
4 large clove of garlic
3 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 dash garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Finely dice the peppers, onion and garlic and sautee with olive oil in a pot. Once this mix has become tender, add the cans of black beans and water. Add the bay leaves and cider vinegar, allowing the beans to simmer over med-low heat for 10 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and serve over white rice.

For the Chimichurri:
3 bunches flat leaf parsley
1/2 a white onion
6 large cloves garlic
1 lemon
2 limes
1/8 tsp sugar
1 tsp. cider vinegar
1/2 cup grapeseed oil

Thoroughly wash the parsley. In a food processor, grind the parsley well and set aside in a large bowl or tupperware. Next add the onions and garlic to the food processor. Combine until it becomes a fine paste. Strain this over a tight mesh sieve to remove the excess water from the onion and add to the bowl with the parsley. Next add the juice of the lemon and limes, the salt, oil, vinegar and sugar and combine well. Allow to set overnight. Serve over juicy steak.

This is one of those dishes that reminds me of mom. I can remember eating this as a kid and sneaking into the fridge when no one was looking to grab a piece of this. Basically this is a Spanish omelet that contains everything but the kitchen sink. A traditional Spanish omelet is only made with eggs and potatoes but this one’s got the works because that’s how my mom made it- but I digress. Either way they’re both made the same way except one has a lot less ingredients. So here’s how you make it.

Ingredients:
15 Eggs
1/3 cup half & half
1 large onion
1 bunch scallion
4 large potatoes
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
3 cloves garlic
1 lb. Turkey ham
6 slices turkey bacon
1 bag shredded cheese (I use the Mexican blend)
salt
olive oil
The first thing you do is peel the potatoes and cut into cubes. Place them on a cookie sheet, drizzle olive oil on them and bake in the oven at 400 degrees until golden brown. While the potatoes cook I dice up the onion, bell pepper, and garlic and sauté on high heat with olive oil and set aside in a bowl. Next sauté the ham and cook until nicely browned. Next, crack the eggs into a large bowl. Then whisk and add half and half. Cook the turkey bacon and dice. Then add the rest of the ingredients into the bowl and combine. Drizzle your pan with olive oil and pour contents in. Turn the heat down to low. Let the omelet cook on the stove for about 25 minutes then transfer the pan into the oven and finish cooking in there.