Arroz a la Cubana

I'm not quite sure if this is an authentic Cuban dish, but I came across this recipe from Skip to Malou when I found her website through Pinterest. It looked really simple and yummy. So when I made it, I was pleasantly surprised. It really was so simple, flavorful, and super yummy. Hubby really enjoyed it. This recipe is definitely going to frequent our household.

2 tbsp. oil
1 lb. ground meat (beef, turkey, chicken)
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 Tbsp. oyster sauce
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
3/4 cup frozen green peas & carrots
1/2 bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup raisins (optional)
fried plantains
fried egg

1) Heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in ground meat. Add bay leaf. Cook until juices is almost completely dry.

2) Add tomato sauce and simmer for about 10 minutes. Season with oyster sauce and soy sauce. Stir in green peas, carrots, bell peppers and raisins (if using). Continue to simmer for another 2 minutes.

3) Serve over steamed rice, topped with fried egg and plantains.

Cuban Garlic Chicken

A few months ago, I was assigned to a new position at work where I get the chance to work again with an old colleague of mine that I worked with when I first started my career almost 15 years ago. Its great working with an old friend and reminiscing of old times. Since being assigned at this new position, however, all she and I have been talking about was food and exchanging recipes. I introduced her to my blog and she introduced me to this wonderful, flavorful recipe for Cuban Chicken. She lead me to this recipe from the Food Network. Let me just cut down to the chase...........this chicken is probably one of THE BEST things I've made on this blog. Yup, its that's good. And I have thanked my friend a million times for introducing to me this dish that is reminiscent of our days when we would eat at one of our favorite Cuban restaurant - Versailles, and I would have their garlic chicken. This dish was so easy to make, it was ridiculous. And the end result is this burst of flavor in your mouth. You will be just as amazed as I was. It marinades for 2 days. But the first time I made it, I didn't get to cook it until the 3rd day, and it probably made it even more delicious. I cooked half of the batch of chicken, and froze the other half for later use, which came out just as good. I also served this with sweet fried plantains. You can also serve this with black beans to complete your Cuban meal. Make this dish now, and you'll thank me later. Thanks Cossette!!!

1 cup lime juice
2 cups orange juice (preferably fresh squeezed, but store-bought is ok)
1/2 cup lemon juice
12 cloves garlic, crushed then roughly chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp. cumin
salt & pepper to taste
3 whole chickens cut up (or 8-10 pieces of chicken thighs)

1) Combine all marinating ingredients together. Place chicken in a deep roasting dish or gallon sized Ziploc bag. Pour marinade over chicken and marinade for 1-2 days in the refrigerator.

2) When ready to cook, preheat oven to 450 deg F. Arrange chicken in a single layer in a roasting pan. Pour marinade over the chicken and place pan on the lower third of the oven. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour until juices run clear and chicken is cooked through and sauce begins to caramelize. During the last 10 minutes of cooking, baste the chicken with the sauce. Serve with rice, fried plantains and black beans.
(Note: You can also grill the chicken over an open flame until cooked through. Use the sauce to baste the chicken to keep it moist).

Arroz con Pollo (Chicken and Rice)

Man, I am on a roll! This is my third new recipe today. I think I'm using newer recipes more in the beginning of the week because hubby is back in school again. His classes are scheduled more in the middle of the week where I don't have too much time to experiment.

Anyway, I've been dying to make Arroz con Pollo for a long time, but I somehow convince myself not to because it just reminds me of my Paella recipe. I thought, why make another rice dish that tastes the same? But I was watching a show on the Cooking Channel where they were making it, and so it inspired me to give it a try for dinner tonight.

I've seen quite a few recipes online, but I found this recipe from the Cooking Channel. I've modified the original recipe because I didn't have some of the ingredients it called for. I also cut the recipe in half. It came it out quite tasty and it won the approval of hubby and daughter. Its definitely different from paella.

1/4 cup achuete oil (annato seeds cooked in oil)

3 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into large chunks

salt & pepper to taste

1/4 cup sofrito

1/2 tsp. cumin

pinch of ground cloves

2 cups long grain rice

3 cups chicken broth

3/4 cup frozen peas and carrots

1/2 red bell pepper, cut into strips

Sofrito

1 medium onion, cut into large chunks

8-10 garlic cloves, peeled

1/2 bunch cilantro, washed

2 plum tomatoes, cut into large chunks

1/2 red bell pepper, cut into large chunks

1) First make the sofrito by combining all its ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth. Set aside.

2) In a wide, shallow pan, heat half of the achuete oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper and cook in the oil for about 5 minutes until it starts to brown. Remove from heat.

3) Heat the remaining oil in the same pan and add the sofrito. Season with salt and pepper. Increase the heat to high and boil until water has evaporated. Add cumin and cloves.

4) Stir in rice until it is coated with the sofrito mixture. Stir in the cooked chicken. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Continue cooking until the liquid reaches the level of the rice. Gently stir in peas and carrots and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pan and cook until the liquid is absorbed, about 15-20 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.

Crockpot Ropa Vieja (Shredded Beef)

Being a working mom, a crockpot has been my best friend in the kitchen. Throw everything in the pot, set the timer on, and let it cook all day. I come home and the house smells so good with the scent of dinner in the air. The meat always comes out tender and there isn't much to clean up except the one pot. You can make breakfast, lunch, dinner or even dessert in a crockpot. Its awesome. I love my crockpot!

Tonight's dinner is a tribute to our favorite Cuban restaurant, Versailles. My husband's favorite dish is their shredded beef, Ropa Vieja. So when I came across a recipe on cdkitchen.com, I tried it out and it came out really good. I adjusted the recipe a bit to accomodate feeding only about 4 people. The recipe also called for green olives for garnish, which I omitted because I'm not a huge fan of it. When I first made this dish, my husband instantly LOVED it and actually said it was "heaven." lol! Needless to say, this became one of my signature potluck dishes. Literally translated, Ropa Vieja means "old clothes." Its real simple to make because you just throw everything in the crockpot. I serve this on top of a cuban rice pilaf and fried plaintains. yummy!

1 medium onion, sliced

1 green bell pepper, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced

4 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. worcestershire

1 bay leaf

1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

16 oz crushed tomatoes

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1 lb. skirt or flank steak

1/2 cup vegetable or beef broth

2 bay leaves

1) Combine onion, bell pepper, garlic, vinegar, worcestershire, bay leaves, cumin, crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper in a bowl. Toss to coat well.

2) Place half of the mixture on the bottom of the crockpot. Place the steak on top and spoon the remaining mixture on top of the steak. Pour broth around the steak and tuck in the remaining bay leaves.

3) Cover and cook in crockpot on low for 8-10 hours, until steak is fork-tender.

4) Once cooked, remove bay leaves. Remove and shred the meat in to small pieces and return to the sauce and stir. Serve over cuban rice pilaf with a side of fried plaintains.