Does anyone have any good, easy, cheap Cuban recipes?

[kellogg]

Dh and I went to Miami and I still can't get over the cuban food we had. I can't remember the names of the dishes, but they were great!

So, does anyone have any recipes to share? Please?

 

[Mary Kay]

Garbonzo bean soup. Also known as Spanish Bean Soup

2 cans of garbonzo beans

4 medium potatos diced.

A handful or 1/4 cup of large diced onion

Same for large diced green peppers (need that nic lol)

Chorizo 2 to a pack, add both sliced thin. (picture below)

1 packet sazon flavoring (picture below) for flavor and yellow color.

salt and peper to taste

A sprinkle of Italian seaoning. (about a 1/2 teaspoon)

Fill with water in a dutch oven or large pot until the potatos are covered.

If the soup seems a bit thin, add a handful of instant potatos..make a good neutral tasting thickener!

If you like onions add a bit more, same with the green peppers and seasoning.

You will find these two items in the mexican/Spanish foods section of your supermarket. Ask for Goya products.
Sometimes the Chorizo is hanging on one of those plastic strips. If there are none, you can find larger Chorizo in the sausage section. Ask the butcher.

Apetito bueno!!!

 

[Mary Kay]

Bragging

I am going to brag..on my 16 year old grandson! The picture above is Picadillo pronounced Picka-de-o. It is a Cuban dish he learned from family friends. he cooked it for us Sunday.
I am going to post the whole recipe for you but we take the shortcut for a quicker dish.
Shawn's way:
1 1/2 pound hambuger fried and drained.
add 1/2 bottle (6 oz.) of Goya Recaito cilantro cooking base Found in the Latin section of the supermarket
add 1/2 bottle (6 oz) of Goya Sofrito tomato cooking base found same place
about 12 olives..more if you like them
diced cooked potatos optional.
Shawn says if you like it juicer add more sofrito and recainto, evenly
serve over white rice.
###############################################
The "real" way: (you will note all the ingrediants are the same as what is in the sofrito and recanto sauces.)
This recipe from About dot com

This picadillo recipe is a cuban picadillo recipe made with ground beef called picadillo santiaguero. You can serve it with rice or use it as a filling for empanadas and papas rellenas.
Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 medium white onion (chopped fine)
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 medium white onion (chopped fine)
• 1 small green pepper (chopped)
• 1/2 cup beef stock
• 3/4 cup tomato sauce
• 2 small potatoes (peeled and diced)
• 8 to 10 green olives (pitted)
• salt and pepper to taste
• olive oil for sautéing

Preparation:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, oregano, cumin, salt and pepper.
2. In a fruing pan, heat the olive oil. Sauté the onions, green pepper, and garlic until soft.
3. Add the ground beef mixture, beef stock, and tomato sauce. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes.
4. Add the diced potato. Cover and cook another 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are done.
5. Remove the cover. Add the olives and cook uncovered 15 minutes or until the liquid is fully evaporated, but the meat is still moist.
6. Serve the picadillo warm with rice or let cool and use as a filling for empanadas and papas rellenas. Serves: 4 - 6 servings.​

 

[Mary Kay]

Taste of Cuba | Free Cuban Food Recipes | Authentic Easy Recipe

http://icuban.com/about.html

 

[Mary Kay]

Papa's Rellena (stuffed mashed potatos, use the Picadillo from the above post to stuff them)

4 large potatoes, peeled and boiled 1/2 teaspoon salt 4 eggs beaten Dry bread crumbs 1 lb. Cuban seasoned ground beef or picadillo Flour (enough to roll the papas rellenas in) Peanut, vegetable, or corn oil for frying


Boil potatoes until they are fully cooked. Drain. Mash potatoes with the salt (do not add any butter, oil, or liquid!) and let cool.
Grab a handful of mashed potatoes, split the handful in half, and make each half into a little bowl by pressing in with your fingers. Stuff the indentation in each half with the spiced ground beef (recipe below) or picadillo. Bring the two halves together and smooth to make a round ball, about the size of an overstuffed golf ball.
Dip the ball into the beaten egg, and then roll in the flour until lightly covered. Dip the ball in the egg again and roll in the bread crumbs to coat thoroughly.
Important: Refrigerate the balls for two to four hours before proceeding to the next step. You may also freeze for later use, see "deep frying" note below.
Use a frying pan with enough oil to cover half the ball at a time. Heat oil to the frying stage (about 375º F) and drop each papa rellena into the hot oil. Let it cook for about two minutes or until golden brown. Turn the balls and cook the other half in the same way.
If you have a deep fat fryer, heat the oil to 375º F. place a single layer of papas rellenas in the basket, drop into the oil and cook for about 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Be careful not to overcook. Deep frying works best if the rellenas are frozen.
​

Cuban Seasoned Ground Beef
​

1/2 cup finely chopped onions 1 large Green Bell pepper, finely chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 pound ground beef 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons cumin 1 teaspoon freshly grated black pepper 4 teaspoons tomato paste 1 tablespoon vinegar

Sauté the onions, and green pepper until the onions are limp. Add the garlic, ground beef, salt, cumin, black pepper, tomato paste, and vinegar. Continue to cook until the meat is completely cooked. Drain off excess fat and let cool.

Ingredients​

 

[kellogg]

Mary Kay, thank you so much! I am going to try some of these this week.

If your grandson made that dish you should be so proud. (I know you are) You may have a budding chef in your family!

Thanks again, Debbie.

 

[Safira]

Oh MK that Garbonzo bean soup sounds so delicious. (I've been know to eat Garbonzo beans out of the can) The added bonus to that soup is if your significant other starts up with the snoring at night you can get him back with some sounds of your own.

 

[Mary Kay]

You are very welcome K , being from Tampa I ate good Cuban food (as well as Spanish/Itailian) all my life. I do miss going to pick up cuban sandwiches for dinner.
Those two links above are the biggest and best Cuban sites on the web, Remember to use the sofito and recainto sauces to cut down on prep time!
Safira..LOLOLOL
The Garbonzo soup is easy and will freeze if you want to make a bit extra. I can't get good Cuban bread up here so I make Itailian or French toasted garlic bread to sop up the juice!

 

[Mary Kay]

yellow Rice and chicken


(Arroz con Pollo)











4 or 5 large pieces of Chicken

½ cup Olive Oil

2 Cups Water

1 large or 2 medium yellow Onions, peeled, ends discarded, minced

1 small Green Pepper, both ends discarded, seeded, pith removed and finely chopped

2 cloves Garlic, peeled, mashed and minced

3 fresh Bay Leaves

1 large or 2 medium Tomatoes, cored, seeded and diced

1 Cup Yellow Rice

1 Cup small Green Peas

2 Tablespoons Pimiento, chopped

½ teaspoon Ac'cent™ Flavor Enhancer

1 teaspoon Salt

½ teaspoon ground Black Pepper
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat
Braise chicken completely on all sides until browned. Remove chicken from pot.
Add all ingredients into the pot except water, rice and chicken. Sauté until onion is translucent.
Add water, bring to a rolling boil, stirring thoroughly frequently.
Add rice and chicken. Return to a rolling boil. Stir very thoroughly and lower heat.
Cook on low, covered tightly, for 25 more minutes.
Remove and discard the bay leaves.
Garnish with pimento and serve very hot.

This is a great recipe..but please,. lets insert some real life!
I roast or boil my chicken and then take the skin off and take the chicken off the bone and add it to the rice once it's done.
Less onion! use garlic powder unless you choose to use some yellow rice in a package (see below)
Ac'cent is fine but I like prefer goya saz'on (It give the yellow color and saffron taste. again, not needed if you use the rice mix.
I don't botter with the tomatos or pimento..I like red bell peppers mixed with green. It's up to you.
We like black beans with our yellow rice (goes on top, peas on the side)
Best served with garlic bread and a salad.

 

[thelook]

I love Cuban food!!!!! Great thread!

 

[Mary Kay]

Flan is a traditional Cuban dessert and there are many versions. This Flan recipe is prized for it's simplicity. If you've never made flan before, now is the time to try this recipe.
Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup and 1/2 cup sugar
• 6 large eggs
• 1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 13 oz cans evaporated milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. You will need 6 ramekins or other specialty flan cook ware and a large baking pan to put them in.
Pour 1 cup sugar in warm pan over medium heat. Constantly stir sugar until is browns and becomes caramel. Quickly pour approximately 2-3 tablespoons of caramel in each ramekin, tilting it to swirl the caramel around the sides. Reheat caramel if it starts to harden.
In a mixer or with a whisk, blend the eggs together. Mix in the milks then slowly mix in the 1/2 cup of sugar, then the vanilla. Blend smooth after each ingredient is added.
Pour custard into caramel lined ramekins. Place ramekins in a large glass or ceramic baking dish and fill with about 1-2 inches of hot water. Bake for 45 minutes in the water bath and check with a knife just to the side of the center. If knife comes out clean, it's ready. Remove and let cool. Let each ramekin cool in refrigerator for 1 hour. Invert each ramekin onto a small plate, the caramel sauce will flow over the custard.

 

[thelook]

Flan...........drool............

 

[whiskey]

In answer to the OP...yes I do...hang on I'll go get him....LOL..J/K MK

 

[Mary Kay]

Do you think pointy ears give you a pass Whiskey?..They do!