The Holidays are always a special time for us and our families. After all, they include four of the biggest eating days of the year: Thanksgiving, Noche Buena, Christmas Day, and New Years. We love to prepare huge feasts to celebrate these special days.
This year we kicked off our holiday season with a cooking demonstration and book signing at one of the premier shopping destinations in the United States: the Mall of America.
On November 19 we did a presentation to show how anyone can add a little Latin touch to their own holiday celebrations.
From the Mall of America website:
"Each year it's a tradition to spend the holiday season with friends and family. Entertaining for the Holidays will help you put the trimmings on the tree, hang the mistletoe, and set a table fit for royalty.
Learn the latest ideas for holiday gift giving, entertaining, decorating and more.
Mall of America retailers and local companies will display everything from the hottest gifts for the holiday season, make and take crafts to fudge and coffee samples."
Whether you want to stick close to tradition, or try something completely different this year, we have the recipes to get you started.
Cuban Americans celebrate Thanksgiving just like all Americans do! Many eat turkey and have a big feast, and a lot of Cubans watch the football games on television after dinner!
In Miami, a "Cubanized" version of the traditional bird is very popular. Just like many of the favorites, everybody has their own special recipe for this dish!
The secret to a great turkey? Start with a good, premium brand turkey. If you can get a fresh turkey from your butcher, great!
We have also had good luck with the "Butterball" brand. Obviously, a frozen turkey needs to be completely thawed (following package directions) before you begin this recipe. You can increase the amount of marinade and stuffing to handle just about any size bird.
In Spain, paella is cooked, uncovered, in a shallow, two-handled pan over a hot wood fire. Spanish paella usually features things like eel, snails, frogs, rabbit, and wild duck.
Our version of paella features seafood. We cook ours in a covered pot on top of the stove and finish it in the oven. Although we know that paella is traditionally made with Valencia rice, ours uses standard, parboiled rice. We have found that parboiled rice makes for the most consistent and fool-proof rice dishes. And once your guests dive in, they'll forget all about what kind of rice they're eating.
Another secret of our paella is our slogan: "Seafood in every bite." We really go overboard with the seafood!
This is the dish we made for Tyler Florence when he came to Miami to tape an episode of "Tyler's Ultimate." We have made this recipe many times over the years and it has become our signature dish.
Southern Living, November
The Massachusetts Plimoth Plantation, a historical recreation of Plymouth in the time of the early pilgrims, has always been the definitive source on American Thanksgiving history and customs.
In this new work, which is part historical guidebook and part cookbook, Plimoth Plantation Food Historian Kathleen Curtin and co-author Sandra Oliver have created the definitive work on this quintessential American holiday. The authors joyfully dispel many myths surrounding that first harvest celebration and bring to light many new historical details and anecdotes that really bring that first Thanksgiving to life.
The recipes are great, and the authors have even included some ethnic twists on typical Thanksgiving fare. You'll even discover how Miami Cubans have 'Cubanized' the traditional American turkey with black beans and rice. That's right, the Three Guys From Miami have a featured recipe in this book.
Giving Thanks: Thanksgiving Recipes and History, from Pilgrims to Pumpkin Pie is a great holiday gift idea. If you're going to the in-laws or a friend's house for Thanksgiving this year, instead of bringing that same old "dish to share," order this book and bring it along. It makes a great gift that will get your hosts and all of the partygoers into the Thanksgiving spirit. And on Thanksgiving, who really needs Aunt Edna's green bean casserole anyway? At our house, there's always PLENTY of food to go around!
Are you are a Cuban who has lost touch with Cuban customs and traditional foods? Or are you a non-Cuban who would like to add something special to your own Christmas Celebration?
Now you can organize an old-fashioned Cuban Christmas celebration of your own! We'll tell you everything you need to know about celebrating a traditional Cuban Christmas and New Years!
We share some Cuban Christmas memories. We give you complete instructions on how to roast a pig. And we provide a comprehensive Cuban Christmas Eve Party Menu -- complete with recipes and cooking instructions.
Put a little Latin spice in your Christmas celebration this year!
