Help with Cuban food

[dergyll]

Hey guys, just registered on this forum.

I have a question on making SPanish food. In my cooking class right now I'm making a food especially from a SPanish speaking country. When it was my turn to sign on the sheet, all the major countries are taken and I picked Cuba.

Now I heard that the Cubans make great Sandwiches from scrap meat and great fries. What can I make that would show Cuban culture?

Any tip is greatly appreciated.
Derg

[Andy M.]

Welcome aboard, Derg.

Black bean soup is a Cuban classic.

[dergyll]

Is this soup sweet or salty? It looks delicious though, I might give it a shot. Here is the recipe, it doesn't look too complicated.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/reci..._16801,00.html

Thanks again.
Anymore cuban food?
Derg

sorry, forgot to tell you that I need to make an actual course...so soup and I need more.

[boufa06]

Dergy, welcome to our group. Hope this website will help you to find the recipes you are looking for:

http://www.mayraldole.com/Default.asp?page=33

[SizzlininIN]

somewhere I'd posted a query on here about cuban sandwiches.....maybe Alix or KitchenElf can find it. Had all kinds of wonderful ideas.

[dergyll]

Ha, I'm posting on this forum and cooking my plantains at the same time. Everytime I fry them they turn out dry and mushy , I can't get it to be like the recipe "crispy and sweet"

Derg

[Andy M.]

Originally Posted by dergyll

Is this soup sweet or salty? It looks delicious though, I might give it a shot. Here is the recipe, it doesn't look too complicated.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/reci..._16801,00.html

Thanks again.
Anymore cuban food?
Derg

sorry, forgot to tell you that I need to make an actual course...so soup and I need more.

It's a savory soup. Don't be concerned about the sugar. Also, search for other recipes.

[Flourgirl]

Do you have time to visit your library or go online? I am teaching a Cuban cooking class in the spring and currently have a fantastic Cuban cookbook on my desk titled, A Taste of Old Cuba by Maria Josefa Lluria De O'Higgins (she's Cuban married to an Irishman). The book is full of traditional receipes and the author's memories of the food and culture of old Cuba. It's well-worth looking for.

Some signature recipes would be picadillo (a ground beef and potato mixture) or ropa vieja (a shredded beef dish to die for), black beans with rice, puerco frita (fried pork morsels with lime), and plantains for just a few suggestions.

Derg, for the sweetest plantains, make sure you are using very ripe ones (they will peel easily like a banana) and try sprinkling them with granulated sugar while you are pan frying them, the sugar will caramelize and turn dark brown on top, yumm.

Good luck.

[TATTRAT]

I love empanadas, carnitas, ropa vieja, and of course a good mojito.

[Chopstix]

Arroz a la Cubana is a popular dish in the Philippines, brought there I suppose by the Spanish. Not sure if this is authentic Cuban but it's a very hearty and comforting one-dish meal. I sometimes serve it for breakfast. It's simply steamed rice topped with minced beef/carrots/green peas/raisins simmered in tomato sauce, served with fried egg and fried plantains.

I also can't forget the very rich pumpkin soup I had at a Cuban restaurant. It was topped with olive oil and fried shallots, giving the soup a great twist. Yum!