Sunday Cena

Pressure Cooker Sancocho - cut your time in HALF!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 10 Dec 2016 15:17:00 +0000

This dish normally takes about 3 to 3.5 hours to cook with no pressure cooker. If you don't have a pressure cooker, you can still follow this recipe. With a pressure cooker, it takes about 1.5 to 2 hours to cook (including prep). Prepping doesn't take long. Most of the time is utilized during the simmering time.

Serves about 10-12

1pound of chicken
1 pound of baby back ribs
1 pound of steak
2 green plantains
3 corn stalks
3 potatoes
1 cup of carrots
1 yautia blanca
about 10 strands of cilantro

sofrito (for seasoning - about 3 large spoons)
adobo (for seasoning)
garlic cloves (about 8)

Wash and cut meat into cubes (aside the baby back ribs)
Season your meat (adobo, 1 large spoon of sofrito, Goya sazón total, Adobo, garlic cloves)
Add to pressure cooker with enough water to cover the rim of the meat (shown in second image) and cook on high pressure, locked for 29 minutes.

If you don't have a pressure cooker - cook meat on High for about 20-30 minutes (or until you see meat is cooked) then bring down to medium high when your ready to add the rest of the ingredients to the caldero (pot). You can keep adding water as it evaporates. (see image 8)

Image 1

Add enough water that the meat is submerged

Image 3

Close and lock pressure cooker and set for 28-29 minutes (depending on your pressure cooker)

Image 4

While the meat is on pressure (or cooking in caldero - pot), start chopping all veggies and set aside in caldero (Stew pot)

Image 5

Image 6

Once meat is cooked, transfer to caldero with veggies with all juices (if your not using a pressure cooker - meat should look similar to the image 8 below when your cooking)

Image 7

If not using a pressure cooker (your meat should look like the image below)

Image 8

Add water to fill up to 1/2 inch from the rim of the pot; add the rest of the sofrito, cilantro, adobo, chicken bouillon

Image 9

Set on high and boil for about 15-20 min; then set back down to medium heat and simmer for about 45 min to an hour (until you see meat tearing and veggies are soft and ready).

Image 10

Serve with a small bowl of rice on the side.

Caldo Gallego (Gallcian Soup)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 17:11:00 +0000

What you need:
9 cups of water
1/2 bag of dried white navy beans (or one can)
2 spanish chorizos sliced
1/2 a red onion (chopped into small pieces)
4 garlic cloves (smashed and minced)
2 yellow skin potatoes
1 teaspoon of adobo (or less or more to your liking)
3/4 to 1 cup of collard greens

Soak your dried bean in water 3-4 hours

Rinse your Greens, remove stems where possible, roll the leaves and slice; set aside

Slice Chorizo

Dice your ham (if you have a bone in it; leave it there)

Dice your onion

Smash and mince your garlic

Slice and chop 2 medium sized golden potatoes

Heat pot, throw in chorizo and ham until brown

Add your onion and garlic and let it sauté a bit

Add your greens, potatoes and greens

Add 8 cups of water; let it cook on medium to high heat for about half hour; then add another cup of water because it evaporates s after some time; add your adobo (don't over do it; the ham releases the salty flavors after about 20 minutes to half hour).

Once the beans have softened, it's ready to serve. If you decide to use canned beans, it will cut the cooking time in half.

Buen Provecho!

Chimichurri Sauce

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 17:10:00 +0000

For Father's Day, my husband asked me for some rice, black beans, and churrasco (skirt steak) with what he called "green sauce". And on Fathers Day, what the hubs wants, the hubs gets, because he is the most awesome dad in the world!

What you need:

1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil

Handful of parsley (gives you about a table spoon once chopped)

Handful of cilantro

About 8-9 leaves of fresh basil

3 garlic cloves

1 shallot

About 8 stems of fresh oregano with the leaves

1/2 of a whole lime

1 teaspoon of salt

What you need to do:

Keep the 1/2 cup of olive oil in a small bowl to the side

Wash each ingredient and chop each one very finely. As you chop each herb, put them in the olive oil.

Parsley

Cilantro

Basil

Garlic

Shallot

Oregano

Remove the leaves from the oregano stems and chop finely. Discard that stems.

Lime

Squeeze your lime juice into the mix

Salt

Once you mix all ingredients, it's ready to serve.

Alcapurrias (Puerto Rican meat filled fritters)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 17:10:00 +0000

Makes 8-10 Alcapurrias

Masa

5 guineitos (green unripened bananas)

1 platanos (green unripened plantains)

1 large yautia

2 tablespoon of adobo

1 tablespoon of annatto

3 tablespoons of oregano

Filling:

1 1/2 pound of ground beef

2 large spoons of sofrito

1 tablespoon of vinegar

1/2 cup of pitted olives
About 10 garlic cloves - crushed
1 tablespoon of adobo (or any amount to your liking)

For the filling:

Season your meat with sofrito, adobo and distilled vinegar

Once you mix it all up, heat your pan first before putting in the meat; once you put the meat in, continue to move the meat as it cooks to separate

Add your olives once the meat browns

Mix it up and set aside until ready for use

Set up for making the masa; fill a pot with water to put the vegetables in as you peel them

Start peeling

With a food processor

Once everything has been re-grated, add your spices (Extra virgin olive oil, adobo, oregano, annatto)

Your masa should look like below once all spices are mixed in and the everything has been grated; set aside

In a small dish, add about a table spoon of olive oil with a teaspoon of annatto so that you can brush on the wrapper

Cut aluminum foil or parchment paper at a size of about 8 1/2 X 11; brush the annatto oil you just prepared on the small plate

Add about 2 spoons of masa and flatten it out on the foil

Add about a spoon of ground beef (filling)

Start folding in the masa to form a bullet type shape and close in the meat

Once you have closed in the meat, tuck in the foil and pinch the sides to close in; if cooking immediately, there's no need to fully wrap.

You can freeze for later use

When ready to cook, Alcapurrias are fried

Guineitos Verde

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 17:08:00 +0000

I had some left over green bananas from making pastels the other day and decided to whip up some guineitos con cebollas for dinner.

I usually like to have guineitos with scrambled eggs in the late morning. But you can eat them at any time of the day really. Alone or with rice and beans on the side.

Serving: 3-4 people

1 quarter of an onion

About 5-6 guineitos (green u ripened bananas)

1/2 a cup of white vinegar

1/3 cup of olive oil

1 teaspoon of salt

Peel and cut bananas about 1/2 inch thick.

Boil until tender (poke with fork).

Drain and set aside in separate bowl.

Slice onion

Pour oil many vintages into small sauce pan on medium to high heat.

Add onions to sauté.

Pour mixture of onions, oil and vinager on to green bananas.

Serve

Heladitos de Tres Leches con Crema de Coco (Three Milks with Coconut Cream Ices)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 06 Aug 2014 23:29:00 +0000

The kids love it and it's EASY and QUICK to make. You just have to wait a few hours so they can freeze. But prepping is a breeze.

What you need:

1 can of cream of coconut

1 can of evaporated milk

1 can of coconut milk

1 cup of whole milk (you can also use heavy cream)

4 cinnamon sticks

1 table spoon of whole cloves

Blender!

What to do:

Add all your liquid ingredients to your blender and mix

1 cup of whole milk

Mix

Once you have mixed everything well, add about 2 cups of your mixture into a pot and heat on medium (do NOT boil)

Add your cinnamon sticks and cloves to the pot and heat for about 10-15 minutes so that all the flavors soak into the mixture

Drain the mixture in the pot back into the mixture in the blender and mix all together again

Pour into shot glasses

Sprinkle cinnamon powder to garnish

Popsicle sticks are optional (insert your popsicle sticks about an hour after your shots have been in the freezer or until the shots are hard enough so that the sticks stay up).

Once frozen, they are ready to eat. ENJOY! Buen Provecho!

Locrio de Salchicha (mixed rice with vienna sausages) Estilo Dominicano

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 17:00:00 +0000

What you need: This amount serves my family of 2 adults, 2 teens, 1 toddler and 1 six year old... AND THEN SOME

Caldero (this rice tastes best when cooked in a caldero); you can order from amazon
1/3 cup of sofrito (How to make basic sofrito is in my first Blog for June 2014)
4 cans of Vienna Sausages
2-3 links of sweet sausages (optional)
1/2 cup of Canola or Vegtable oil
1/2 teaspoon of vinegar
2 packs of sazon with Achote and culantro (found at any super market in the goya section)
5 1/2 cups of rice
6 cups of water

Remove your salchichas from the can and rinse

Chop them up in about 1/2 inch sizes

Cut up your sausage

Heat up your caldero

Add the 1/2 cup of oil to the pot

Cook your sausage on Medium high

Add your vienna sausages/salchichas to the same pot right on top of the sweet sausage

Add your sazon/seasoning

Mix everything up

While that is cooking; wash your rice and add to caldero (pot) once all cleaned up

Since we are cooking 5 1/2 cups of rice, add 6 cups of water to the pot; cook on high

The rice will start to dry

Once you see that the water has evaporated; cook on low and cover up for 1/2 hour

After a 1/2 hour, turn your rice over (mix up) so that the rest of it can cook

Serve; ready to eat

This dish is excellent with a scoop of bean stew right on top

Tres Leches Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 22 Jun 2014 18:53:00 +0000

The Trest Leches Cake is a sponge cake soaked in 3 kinds of milks (evaporated milk, condensed milk and heavy cream).

What you need:

Step I

Cake:

1 cup of all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder

1/4 teaspoon of salt

5 large eggs

3/4 cup of sugar (for one part)
1/4 cup sugar (for second part)

1/3 cup of milk

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (preferably dominican vanilla extract)

Add your all purpose flour in a mixing bowl

Add your baking powder to the mixing bowl

Add Salt to the mixing bowl

Mix dried ingredients and set aside

In another mixing bowl (in the mixer) add your egg yolks and 3/4 cup of sugar

Turn mixer on medium to high speed until you have a sort of pasty look to the eggs and sugar

Turn off mixer and add milk in the mixer

Add vanilla extract

Turn mixer on again on medium to high speed

Once it's all mixed, add to the dry mix of flour that you just set aside

Wisk and set aside

In another mixing bowl (or you can just wash the one you just used for the egg yolks like I did) add your egg white and the remaining sugar (1/4 cup) to the mixing bowl.

Turn mixer on high

Mix on high until you get a fluffy look to the mix

Combine both batters and mix together

Pre - heat oven to 350 degrees

I use a 9inch round baking non stick pan

Pour batter into baking pan

Bake for 35-40 minutes

Once cake is done, let it sit and cool for about 20-30 minutes.

In the meantime... get started on this:

Step II

Tres Leches Mix:

1/4 cup of heavy cream

1 can of condensed milk 14oz

1 can of evaporated milk

Mix all the ingredients and set aside for use once the cake has cooled down.

Step III

Icing:

3 tablespoons of sugar

1 teaspoon of dominican vanilla

1 pint of whipping heavy cream

1 tablespoon of confections sugar

Pour the confections sugar in a mixing bowl

Add other ingredients to the mixer

Turn mixer on high

Icing should look like the below

Step III - soaking the cake

Remove the cake from the bake pan

Pour the tres leeches liquid right on top of the cake so that it can absorb in the cake

Let it sit for about 1/2 hour until it is soaked in; some of the liquid will be on the pan, that's ok

Step IV

Put your icing on refrigerate and serve cold... Enjoy the sweetness

Guacamole

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 12 Jun 2014 17:14:00 +0000

What you need: Serves 4

3 ripe Mexican avocados
1 plum tomato (or vine tomato)
1/2 of a small red onion
handful of cilantro
half a lime
1/4 teaspoon of cumin
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 jalapeño pepper (use half or a quarter of the pepper depending on how spicy you want it)

Extras: One pack of small round soft tortillas (same ones you use for soft tacos)

Peel your avocados and place in a bowl where you will be mashing them

Mash

Slice and cube your tomato

slice and dice your onion

Throw in your tomato and you onion and mix in the bowl

Chop your cilantro

Mix in cilantro with the rest of the ingredients

Cut your lime in have and squeeze the half into your mixture

Add 1/4 teaspoon of cumin in the mixture

Add 1/4 teaspoon of salt in the mixture

Stir everything again

Slice up your jalapeño. I usually use half of one for my taste. If you like it more spicy, add to your taste.

Stir in the jalapeño

Guacamole is ready

Tortilla chips (You can use as many discs as you think you will eat - I usually just use about 6).

Slice your tortilla disc in 4

Pour in enough oil just to cover the frying pan but not to submerge the tortillas

Once they brown, they are ready to soak in paper towel

ENJOY! Buen Provecho!

Morir Soñando - Die Dreaming drink

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 09 Jun 2014 17:27:00 +0000

Morir Soñando (Die Dreaming) I know that sounds a bit creepy... but it's not as bad as it sounds.

Morir Soñando is a famous non alcoholic drink in the Dominican Republic.

What you need: Serves about 5-6

1.5 cups of Orange Juice (or freshly squeezed Oranges)
2 cups of regular Milk (or you can use evaporated milk if you'd like)
1 cup of sugar (I prefer brown sugar)
1 tea spoon of vanilla extract

You can freshly squeeze your orange juice or just get any brand OJ you like (my grandmother used to use Tang powdered drink back in the 80's)

Add your OJ to the blender

Add your milk

Add your vanilla extract (I use pure dominican vanilla extract - it can be found at any local spanish super market)

Add your sugar

Add about a cup of ice and then mix everything in

Serve with extra ice

Pasteles

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 08 Jun 2014 15:46:00 +0000

I used to hate these things as a kid. Now, I LOVE THEM. With some hot sauce or ketchup on the side, YUM!

Pasteles are either loved or hated. There's no in between! And they are a celebratory MUST during the winter holidays!

You can make them with any type of filling (Steak, Pork, Chicken, Veggie). The most popular is pork.

Phase I: MASA

What you need:
1 cup of evaporated milk
6 table spoons of olive oil
4 teaspoons of adobo
3 teaspoons of annatto

What Vegetables you need:
3 bunches of Guineitos (green unrippened bananas)
3 Yautia (root vegetable - white)
1 pound of Calabaza (not everyone uses calabaza; This is my little secret ingredient)
3 Green Platanos

3 Yautia blanca (root vegetable - white)

3 Green Plantains (platanos)

About one pound of calabaza

Fill a pot with water and set aside. This is where you will dump all your vegetables as you peel them.

Peel guineitos

Peel the platanos

Peel the Yautia

Peel the calabaza

Put everything in the food processor (I use a ninja which works great)

Add about 1/2 a teaspoon of annato (your adding your spices little by little as you mix everything)

Add about 1/2 a teaspoon of adobo or more - you will keep adding seasoning as you keep mixing the vegetables

Add a table spoon of extra virgin olive oil - keep adding as you mix each batch

Add about a quarter of a cup of evaporated milk (you will need about a cup in total for the entire process)

Start chopping

Set aside 1/2 of the first batch

Continue to add the rest of the vegetables again and repeat the process (add the rest of spices as you mix more vegetables)

The masa should have the consistency of mashed potatoes. Refrigerate for later use. Next step is to make the meat.

Phase II: Pork

Cut pork into small cubes

Add about 1/3 cup of vinegar

About 1/2 cup of sofrito or more; you can never go wrong with a little more sofrito

Use about 2 tea spoons of adobo seasoning

Heat about a third cup of extra virgin oil

Once oil is heated, add pork on high heat

Cover up until pork is cooked

Water front he pork should still remain

Once meat is cooked, add about 3 table spoons of tomato paste

Add about 1/2 a cup of pitted olives

Simmer until you get a thick juicy sauce

Set aside until ready for use

Phase III - Wrapping the pastels

What you need:
1 pack of Banana leaves (you can pick up at any local spanish super market - I usually buy the brand "la fe")
1 pack of parchment paper (cut into about 8 1/2 by 11)
1 brush
Annatto powder and extra virgin olive oil(you can also use annatto seeds and do it differently; I prefer powder to save a little time)
String
Scissors

Wipe dirt off leaves

Cut leave about 3-4 inch wide and trip the stiff side

If you have a gas stove, you can just wave the leaves on top of the flame until you see a shiny coat on them. If not (like in my case; I have electric), I use a pan.

Heat the leaf until you see a shiny coat (see the right side of the leaf below). It only take a few seconds.

Parchment paper (about 8 1/2 by 11)

String to wrap the pastel

pour about a table spoon of extra virgin olive oil in a flat plate

Sprinkle some annatto powder into the oil

Mix well with a small brush (set aside)

Set up your assembly line (parchment, leaves, oil, masa, meat, string, scissors)

Place the parchment paper first and a leaf right on top

Brush the oil with annatto on the leaf

Put about 2.5 spoons of masa into your leave

Put one generous spoon of meat on top of the masa

Take the long end of the paper and bring together

Make an extra small fold

Fold the ends

Turn over to tie with string

I do 2 crosses across the top and two across the bottom along the folded edge

Two ties across the bottom and top (feel free to tie which ever way works best for you)

Boil about 20 minutes if your cooking immediately after wrapping. If not, store in freezer. Boil about 25-30 minutes if frozen.

Unwrap; you can eat with hot sauce or ketchup or just plain. I love them either way!

Warm Avena

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 07 Jun 2014 03:14:00 +0000

Here's my version of Avena for you to try.

What you need (serves about 3-4)

1/2 cup of oatmeal
2 1/2 cups of water
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 12oz can of evaporated milk (you can use regular milk if you'd like also; evaporated milk gives it a thicker texture)
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
2 cinnamon sticks
1/4 teaspoon of black vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon of grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon of whole cloves

Pour your water and start warming in pot. Then pour your oatmeal.

Bring to a boil until the oatmeal is nearly dissolved and has a thick consistency (to your liking)

Drain and discard the solids. Keep the liquid!

In medium heat, mix the remaining ingredients (including evaporated milk) in the same liquid that you used to boil the oatmeal.

Brown sugar

Nutmeg

Cinnamon

Add cloves and vanilla extract

Once you let it warm on low for about 8 minutes, you can drain the liquid again into a serving pot or directly into the mug you will be drinking it from.

Enjoy!

Carne Guisada

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 05 Jun 2014 15:45:00 +0000

Carne guisada is a juicy steak stew normally served with white rice and beans. It normally takes about 1/2 hour to 40 minutes to cook, depending on the type of beef you use. Prepping is about 10 minutes. Sometimes I like to add potatoes to it. Everyone has their own version. You can tweak as you see fit to your taste buds.
In the case below, we just went with the basic steak stew (carne guisada) as my family likes it.

I usually get Beef Chuck Steak and I slice it up really thin.

Add 3 GENEROUS spoons of sofrito

Add Adobo to your liking (this is your salt) and about 3 table spoons of vinegar. The tomato paste and olives pictured here are for later use.

Mix it all up

Add about 3-4 table spoons of olive oil to a deep pot and heat well

Add the meat once the oil is heated

Close with a lid until the water start evaporating

Once the meat is brown and the water has evaporated Add about 3 cups of water to the pot

Add about 3 generous spoons of tomato paste

3 spoons of salad olives (or as many as you'd like) stuffed with red peppers (pitted)

Bring to a low simmer (cover with lid) until meat is tender and sauce has thickened a bit from the tomato paste. I normally do a taste test for about 20-25 minutes. If meat is not tender enough, leave simmering until then. You can add more adobo and/or another spoon of sofrito while cooking (mix it up) if you feel it is still to bland for your taste buds.

Carne guisada is usually served with white rice and beans

Basic Sofrito

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 02 Jun 2014 01:46:00 +0000

Your ingredients: Green bell pepper, hand full of cilantro, red sweet bell pepper, red onion,
cabella pepper, garlic, white distilled vinager, and extra virgin olive oil

Start off by chopping the stems of the cilantro, wash and put in blender

Add caption

Chop up red onion

Chop up green bell pepper

Chop up cabbala pepper

Peel and crush garlic

Add all ingredients with cilantro in blender

Use about 1/3rd cup of extra virgin olive oil and a 1/3 cup of white distilled vinegar ; pour in blender

Blend everything ... and WALA! All done!

Store in freezer for later use

Sofrito is used as a cooking base in the latin culture. You can freeze after every use. You can also choose to freeze them in ice cube containers. I prefer this type of storage so I can seal it with a lid.