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Why not try some fresh squeezed mango, pineapple, guanábana, or papaya? These are the juices you probably won't find at the local supermarket back home! <READ MORE>
Recipes range from simple, country-style fare, to more elaborate dishes that are suitable for entertaining. Although we have added our own twists over the years, our recipes are rooted in the classic dishes of Cuba. You won't find any "Nuevo Latino" or Pan-Latin recipes here!
Wherever possible we have made these dishes simple to prepare. You don't need to be a professional chef to create any of the recipes in this book.
You also won't find a lot of esoteric, hard to find, or expensive ingredients such as truffle shavings, couscous, arugula, or anything in aspic!
The recipes are just as easy to make for everyday eating. In fact, most of the recipes in our new book are simple and easy to prepare so you can make some great lunches and dinners at home.
So even if you're not in a party mood, you can treat yourself and your family to a delicious meal.
So which book is right for you? There is only one way to go -- buy both! In these two volumes you will have a great compendium of classic Cuban food recipes. We give you everything you need to start cooking some great Cuban dishes for your family and friends.
Many Cuban showers had a device that most Americans would find really shocking! We're talking about an electric showerhead! These devices are still a common sight in many Cuban homes, where you'll see two electrical wires running down from the ceiling and into the shower head.
At the Castillo house in Cayo la Rosa, the showerhead consisted of a two-inch long pipe with a carbon element in the middle. The Castillo's carbon core rod had been cannibalized from an old crank-type telephone battery. One wire was connected to the carbon element and the other wire was attached to the pipe. The cable then had to be plugged into an electrical outlet on the wall outside the shower!
"There is a common belief in Cuba that 110 volts won't kill you, no matter how wet you are," Jorge says.
Operating the electric shower head was a tricky undertaking. You had to first adjust the water flow to just the right amount -- in practice little more than a trickle...
- Shrimp and lobster tail shells
- 2 quarts water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups diced white onions
- 11/2 cups diced red bell pepper
- 11/2 cups diced green bell pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic, crushed and finely chopped
- 6 cups shrimp broth (see step 1 below)
- 3 cups parboiled rice
- 1 cup chopped Roma tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon Bijol powder
- 11/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 quarts water
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 6 strips bacon, diced
- 1 pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined,
- and butterflied (reserve shells)
- 1 pound bay scallops
- 2 (4- to 6-ounce) lobster tails
- 1/2 pound fish fillets (any ocean fish will do)
- Salt, pepper, and ground cumin for seasoning
- seafood
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup flour
- 2/3 cup frozen green peas
- 6 strips bacon, diced
- 1. Make a broth by placing the shells from the shrimp and lobster in a 3-quart saucepan and filling it with about 2 quarts of lightly salted water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes.
- 2. Sauté the onions and red and green peppers in olive oil in a large sauté pan until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and cook an additional minute, stirring frequently.
- 3. Remove the simmering broth from the heat and strain out all of the shells. Take 6 cups of the seafood broth and pour into a large 8-quart covered pot.
- 4. Add the cooked onion mixture, rice, tomatoes, Bijol powder, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until rice is fully cooked and most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 30 to 45 minutes.
- 5. While the rice cooks, sauté the bacon in a large frying pan. Reduce heat to medium-low and let the fat render out of the bacon, about 10 minutes. Once the fat releases, remove the bacon and increase the temperature to high. Reserve bacon.
- 6. Sauté the shrimp, scallops and lobster tails in small batches in this hot bacon fat, starting with the peeled shrimp. You may add a little olive oil to the pan as necessary. Season each batch of seafood lightly with salt, pepper, and a little cumin. Sauté the seafood quickly, flipping once after a minute or so, until the shrimp turn pink, and the scallops and lobster turn opaque, about 3 to 5 minutes. Do not overcook.
- 7. Remove each batch of seafood from pan and set aside somewhere where it will keep warm, but not continue cooking.
- 8. Sprinkle a little lemon juice on the fish fillets and lightly season them with salt, pepper and a little cumin. Dredge the fillets in the flour and fry them in the pan until just cooked through.
- 9. Fluff the rice up with a fork. Carefully fold the peas, bacon, and the cooked seafood into the cooked rice. Cover and cook over low heat for about 3 minutes -- just long enough to make sure everything is hot. Serve immediately.
- 2. Sauté the onions and red and green peppers in olive oil in a large sauté pan until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and cook an additional minute, stirring frequently.
Get away from all of the hustle and bustle of South Beach in Coral Gables. This urban oasis features beautiful tree-lined streets, historic homes, an historic hotel, and three golf courses in the middle of a large metropolis. <READ MORE>
Come at night for restaurants, clubs, and more people watching... <READ MORE>
