Husband: "This is really good. What kind of pizza is it?”
I make homemade pizza all the time, so that part doesn't surprise him. It's the distinctly Cuban flavor that gives him pause….
Me: “It’s a Cuban pizza, of course.”
Husband: “Who are you trying to kid?? There’s no such thing as a Cuban pizza.”
“No such thing??” (them’s fighting words….)
So, I bring in the heavy artillery.
“Mami, prueba esto.” I ask my mom (self-proclaimed expert on all things Cuban) to taste my creation.
It reminds her of a pizza she used to eat in Varadero in pre-revolutionary Cuba and she says so. She closes her eyes and savors another bite.
The Authority has spoken. This is exactly what a Cuban pizza should taste like…
I throw my arms up over my head and do the victory dance. =D
My recipe for The Very Best Cuban Pizza EVER will be posted up at Babalú today.
Looks good, Marta!…I thinks there’s a restaurant or chain in Miami that specializes in Cuban pizzas. I probably saw it in the 3 Guys from Miami website.
George,Trust me. It is SOOO good.
Yes, Miami has all things Cuban, including pizza. I didn’t get to try it while I was there. This one is “de oido” – in other words, I made it up. =D
I could open a store and call it O.C.C.P. (Orange County Cuban Pizza) I crack myself up.
I always used to say that pizza here never tasted as good as when I was a kid in Cuba. I yearned for it again. Then one day a while back I added gouda cheese to a homemade pizza and realized that THAT was the secret to the taste of a Cuban pizza and what I had been missing so badly! I must now try your sofrito variety for sure!!
The pizza was great! You gotta try it!- Eric
mario,I found that every ingredient in this recipe is vital for that “authentic Cuban” flavor. Especially the gouda cheese.
Buen Provecho!
My gradnmother makes one with “ragu sauce” on bottom,lots of shredded mozzarela and monterrey mixture on top, and finally top it with raw green bell pepper julienned, red onion julienned, mushroom, and finally canned smokey oysters and if not oysters just crumbled baconI know sounds wierd, but my grandmother and me love it like that (she lived in Cuba many years, but I guess her pizza isn’t very Cuban)
She does make a very Cuban “Spaghetti” though, I’ll need to post it at some point in my blog to share with others, I’ll tell you when I do, since we are on topic of “Cubanized Italian food” ha ha.
Marta,Are you keeping this page current just to torture us?!!!….Do you guys deliver (COD) to Irvine?….J/K…:).
George,Yes. Torture. That was my master plan.
This wouldn’t be the first time I’ve been called “evil.” =D
Nathan,Pizza was available in Cuba in the 40’s and 50’s. A lot of the ships that came into the port of Havana were Italian. That’s probably where we learned to make the pizza.
In Varadero, there was a place that particularly made great pizza – of course, it was this type of Cubanized version. My mom can’t recall the name of it, but she assured me I got the taste right.
Try putting picadillo or chorizo on it just to mix it up while still keeping the distinctive Cuban flavor.
Me? I’m thinking that next time I’ll maybe add some plantains…
This Cuban pizza thing could really get out of control. =D
I see, thanks fir the history lesson, well your pizza is on my list of “things I have to make” 🙂