Barbara's Cuban Food

Learn how to make traditional and non-traditional Cuban foods from scratch!

[cubanfood]

Arroz con Leche (Cuban Rice Pudding)

1/2 cup.rice, fat grain (Diana) 1 1/2 cup water 1 piece of lemon peel 1 stick of cinnamon 1 liter of whole milk 1 can condense milk 1 or1/2 cup of sugar( sweeten to taste) 1/4 tsp.salt 1 tsp.vanilla extract cinnamon powder(on top of rice pudding) Boil rice and cook with, lemon peel and cinnamon stick until soft. Add the milk,salt and condense milk and sugar and cook over medium heat for 1 hour or until thickened. Stir occasionally to avoid sticking.pour into serving dish and sprinkle with cinnamon powder. Don,t fight for the raspa yam the burn bottom of the pot, that was my grandfathers favorite, him and I will sit and wait for that every time my grand mother will make the rice pudding. I miss them.He loved the rice pudding hot , me too.

[cubanfood]

Cuban Steak Sandwich

Hola sorry I have not written but things happen. Here is one of my favorite sandwich. PAN CON BISTEC you need Cuban bread (1)loaf. This will make 3 sandwich (3) thin steak season with mojito and salt to taste slices of white onion slices of tomato for 3 lettuce (3) leaf large mayo, and very thin slices of french fries marinate the steak for about one hour and add the onions. After one hour Frye the steak and the onion cut the bread in half and put mayo, steak, onion tomatoes, lettuce, and fries cover the sandwich with the other half of the bread cut in half and you have Cuban steak sandwich. Buen provecho! Yummy!!!!!!.

[cubanfood]

Tasajo Criollo (Cuban Beef Jerky)

Tasajo = dried beef similar to beef jerky.  The scent is very strong. In Cuba when I was little girl my grandmother use to make tasajo, dried beef. We eat the tasajo with white rice and tostone (fried plantain). it was a special meal only ones in a wile. You can buy the tasajo meat a a Spanish food market just ask for it and they will know. Is a dark red meat dried with a fat around it and it comes in a package air tight. To make tasajo you need to put the meat in water and soak over night change water a 2 or 3 time. boil it 1/2 hour change the water to fresh water and boil again do this 2 time you see the meat is very salt and that's the way to get rid of the salt, in the2nd time of boiling let the meat get very tender.

When finish shred the beef just like corn beef. There are two ways of cooking it .

(1) shred beef.

(2) ground the beef. I like it ground is pasty. Here we go TASAJO CRIOLLO A LA ABUELITA . 1) package of tasajo. 6)cups of water. 1)white onion chopped 1)red and green peppers chopped. 4)cloves of garlic. NO SALT. 1/2 tsp. BLACK PEPPER. 1/2 tsp. cumin 1/2 tsp oregano. 3)bay leaf. 1) can of tomato sauce. 1/4) cup parsley. chopped. 1/2) cup dried white wine cooking wine. Once the meat is ready put aside.( make the sofrito.) Add the onion first in a grease pan big enough to hold all the ingredient then the peppers garlic and bay leaf let simmer a few minutes , add tomato sauce let simmer then add oregano, cumin and black pepper to taste when sofrito is done add the wine simmer. Add the meat let cook. in low heat 5 10 minutes. Serve with white rice and tostone. Buen probecho. thats a very old time dinner for Cubans. MY grandfather use st to say back in the old days they would use for tasajo horse meat. Is in that something ah!

[cubanfood]

Pasta De Bocadito De Hamon (Ham Paste, rough translation)

When I was a little girl in all the birthday parties I whet, they always serve (bocaditos) small bite sandwich of ham and cream cheese they were very good and everyone loved them.( kids love them to, they were the thing of the party). 1) lb. of boiled ham  1) stick of cream cheese. 10) green olive with pimentos in center and pickle 1/2) of one cut in very small pieces or food processor. 1) red roasted pepper cut in very small or use food processor Put all ingredient in a food processor or whisk till a very thick cream ,spread on white bread with out the crust. It is the best you will ever eat you will never go back to DEVIL HAM. Cuban version of Devil Ham Spread. good luck and Buen Probecho.  Pasta de Bocadito it bring back lots of memories wow. memories of when I was about 6 or 7 years old back in Havana.

[cubanfood]

Transparent Soy Sauce!

Hola ,

Yesterday my friend from work from Korea told me that they have transparent soy sauce.  

You see, they take pride in their clear soy sauce.

How cool is that?!

[cubanfood]

Rice with Vienna Sausage (Arroz con Salchicha)

Hola como estan yo bien (Hi how are you I'm fine)? Today recipe is rice with Vienna sausage that was or is my daughters favored rice when she was little. when she was small she would call it Arroz con chicha to me that was so cute, I loved it. I make my rice in a pot called Hitachi rice maker they are the best I,ve been cooking with them for more then 35 years. 1) cup of white rice 1) large cane of Vienna sausage (chicken) cut each sausage in 4. 1) medium white onion (chop in small dice). 1) tsp. garlic powder. 1/4 tsp. cumin. salt to taste and pepper. 1/4 tsp.( BIJOL) if you cant find in your store use (SAZON GOYA CON AZAFRAN) for color and taste. 2) tbs. olive oil. 2) cups of water. mix well cook for 20 min. or till rice is done. Yummy! Eat with a tomato salad . dressing apple cider vinegar and olive oil salt. BUEN PROBECHO.

[cubanfood]

Cuban Stuffed Shell with Chorizo (El Cubano Italiano)

Hi! I'm back.  How are you all? Today will talk about stuff shell I went to my daughters house in Miami and we made stuff shell but with a little Cuban twist. 1) box of shell pasta 2) marinara sauce 3) 2 chorizo(EL QUIJOTE) the best or other  4) ricotta cheese 16 oz. 5) Italian mix cheese or mozzarella cheese 6) 1 tsp garlic powder 7) 1/2 oregano 8) 1 lb. ground beef or ground turkey 9) salt to taste 10) Parmesan cheese Boiled pasta till ardiente that's semi cooked. cook meat well done, add garlic and oregano when pasta is done add meat inside the shell and cover shell with ricotta cheese do this to all the shells put in a baking pan. when done add Miranda sauce and cover the shells with cheese. put in the oven for 25 minutes at 350 after, broiled in high till cheese is little golden serving: plate, Miranda, shell with cheese,a little Miranda on top and Parmesan cheese to taste. and you have (EL CUBANO ITALIANO).

[cubanfood]

Vitamin of Rice and Eggs

I'm back ,the vitamin for (RICE) Vitamin: RICE A, B1, B3(niacin) B6, Protein, Cabs, Potassium, Calcium, Fiber. vitamin: EGGS A {is needed for the retina of the eye.} D {bone} E { in the yolk and cholesterol fat} B2 , K, B5, B12, folic acid, C, E. Potassium and magnesium. FREE RANGE EGGS { Omega 3 lower levels ,B3 niacin{lowers cholesterol in egg white.} Well that's all for today . BUEN PROVECHO. till next time.

[cubanfood]

Arroz Con Huevo Frito (Rice and Friend Eggs)

Iam back how was you new year? my was OK I was working but that's OK. Today will talk about rice and eggs good old Cuban food yaaamiiiiiii. rice: white rice 1 cup of white rice 2 cups of water 1 pinch of salt 4 garlic cloves stare all ,ingredient, cook for 20 minutes or till ready. Eggs: In a pan put 1/4 cup of olive oil . open 2 eggs per person . put in pan when is hot don't get burn is going to splatter. fried the 2 eggs together when ready put the eggs on top of rice add salt to taste . THAT'S ARROZ CON HUEVO FRITO ( or) RICE WITH FRIES EGGS. BUEN PROVECHO. WHEN I WAS A KID MY GRAND MOTHER GAVE ME RICE AND EGGS WITH YUCA FOR LUNCH I LOVED IT SHE WAS SOO SWEET. HER NAME WAS MARIA ILARIA FROM PINAL Del RIO,CUBA( GUANAJAY). Rice was brought to cuba by Chinese slaves, that was there main food .Rice became a very important part of the Cuban food.

[cubanfood]

Yuca con Mojo

Well I'am back. Happy New Year everyone; going back to the YUCA CON MOJO( yucca with mojo marinate.what is mojo to make mojo you take one head of garlic peal and mash in a mallet put a pinch of salt for the garlic to stick together, when mash add a pinch of oregano,1 lime juice mix well, olive oil very hot heat oil in a small pot. Add oil in the mallet it will fried the garlic when garlic is the color green is done. remember your home will small like a Cuban house garlicky good luck.  BUEN BROVECHO ,BON APPETIT  1 Head of garlic (pealed) 1 Pinch oregano 1 pinch of salt 1 whole lime 1/2 cup olive oil YUCA: Cassava, native to Brazil  How to cook yuca peal cut in median size and boiled add salt a pinch no more cook until tender and translucent,drain and serve .  Pore mijito over yuca and have a fiesta (party) yummy yummy if you get to heaven after eating let me know. NUTRIENT: Fiber. vitamins A,B and C Calcium,Iron, Potassium,Manganese, Phosphorus and Copper.

[cubanfood]

I love Cuban food!

My dream have been to become a writer . I love cooking and i work for a well known company as a culinary artist in other word a decorate food for a living. I have learn a lot about cooking with my father and aunt grandmother and uncles even my son and daughter believe it or not. I remember when i was a little girl I would stay in the kitchen with my grandmother to see how she cook. When i was about 7 or 8 years old I remember coming from school and seating in my grandmother kitchen and wash her cook YUCA COM MOJO just the sound of the name makes my mouth water.and the sent "oh my God "is like you sniff and gone to heaven thank you  Abuela thank you for those great memories I love you. Abuela (oh that gradma in Spanish) would make yuca con mojo and fried eggs on top ummm that was sooooo good yami yami yami.  The only bad thing was there were no vampire next to me after the meal hahaha. Definitely no vampire would come next to me after the meal hahaha. Well more tomorrow merry christmas every one.