I thought I would begin putting together a recipe book for my little sister of my Cuban recipes, each time I make a meal I'd snap a few pictures, and then compile them into a book for her. While I was putting it together I thought that this would make a nice "tasty Thursday" blog. Please keep in mind that I don't really measure anything, I'm one of those people who do everything by eye, so there are no measurements.
I don't cook like this on a regular basis, to be perfectly honest, I don't particullarly like cooking all that much, however when the mood strikes I kick arse in the kitchen, and today I was longing for some comfort food. Buen Provecho!
Cuban Red Beans (Frijoles Colorados)
Ingredients:
Ingredients:
1 pkg dry red kidney beans
1 can tomato sauce
Pork [ the bone from one ham, two inch cube salt pork, 5 strips bacon all work well for this recipe]
1 medium onion
5 cloves garlic
¼ green pepper
Oregano
Cumin
Adobo seasoning
1 package sazon completo
Olive oil
There are two ways to handle the beans the first is an overnight soak the second is to skip the soaking overnight and to cook this recipe using a pressure cooker. I’ve made them both ways and either way the come out great. For this recipe I soaked the beans overnight.
1 can tomato sauce
Pork [ the bone from one ham, two inch cube salt pork, 5 strips bacon all work well for this recipe]
1 medium onion
5 cloves garlic
¼ green pepper
Oregano
Cumin
Adobo seasoning
1 package sazon completo
Olive oil
There are two ways to handle the beans the first is an overnight soak the second is to skip the soaking overnight and to cook this recipe using a pressure cooker. I’ve made them both ways and either way the come out great. For this recipe I soaked the beans overnight.
Instructions:
Wash the beans then soak completely covered overnight (24 hours).
Peel and chop the onion in half
Peel and smash the cloves of garlic
Chop the green pepper (I didn’t use it this time around)
Place into a food processor and puree (for this recipe I cooked the in halves and the garlic whole pureeing them after cooking – either way works fine – however if you do it before hand it saves you the time of having to dig for them once the beans were cooked)
When ready to begin cooking in a large pot place the pork, olive oil (2 tablespoons) onion, garlic, and sauté until the onions are clear and soft.
Add the tomato sauce and continue to cook for another minute or two (this is called a sofrito – when I began preparing this recipe I didn’t realize that I had no tomato sauce on hand – which
never happens, so after freaking for a minute I noticed a can of Campbell’s Tomato Soup I substituted that for the tomato sauce and it worked beautifully!)
Next add the beans in the same water that they soaked in overnight.
Add water if necessary to make the beans completely covered in about one inch of the liquid mixture.
Cook until the beans are tender 1-2 hours
Wash the beans then soak completely covered overnight (24 hours).
Peel and chop the onion in half
Peel and smash the cloves of garlic
Chop the green pepper (I didn’t use it this time around)
Place into a food processor and puree (for this recipe I cooked the in halves and the garlic whole pureeing them after cooking – either way works fine – however if you do it before hand it saves you the time of having to dig for them once the beans were cooked)
When ready to begin cooking in a large pot place the pork, olive oil (2 tablespoons) onion, garlic, and sauté until the onions are clear and soft.
Add the tomato sauce and continue to cook for another minute or two (this is called a sofrito – when I began preparing this recipe I didn’t realize that I had no tomato sauce on hand – which
never happens, so after freaking for a minute I noticed a can of Campbell’s Tomato Soup I substituted that for the tomato sauce and it worked beautifully!)Next add the beans in the same water that they soaked in overnight.
Add water if necessary to make the beans completely covered in about one inch of the liquid mixture.
Cook until the beans are tender 1-2 hours
If you’re using a pressure cooker make sure to check on the beans about every half hour and add more water.
Pollo Empanizado (Baked Breaded Chicken)
Ingredients
Boneless skinless chicken breasts
Vegetable oil
Cuban Crackers (Saltine crackers works great too)
Adobo seasoning
Cumin
Parsley
Mojo Criollo
2 eggs
Splash of milk (optional)
Lime
Instructions
For this recipe boneless skinless chicken breast works best but I had chicken breast tenderloins on hand so that’s what I used. Please note that traditionally the skin is left on the chicken.
Wash the chicken breasts
Marinate for about an hour in the mojo criollo (I used the store bought kind however if you would like to make some at home I have the recipe, just send me a message)
By hand or using a mortar and pestle crush the crackers into both fine and large chunks, Sprinkle adobo, cumin and parsley into the mixture, Poor into a large bowl or plate.
In a separate bowl whisk eggs and splash of milk.
Take the chicken out of the marinade and place on to plastic wrap then beat with a mallet until the meat is thin.
In a frying pan poor about ½ inch of the oil into the pan and heat.
One at a time place the chicken into the egg mixture, shake excess egg off, then place into the bread crumb mixture. Place the chicken into the hot oil and cook, flipping occasionally until golden brown and the chicken is cooked through.
Sprinkle with lime and enjoy
Here is the end result!
