Acabando Pronto from Marta’s Cuban American Kitchen The entire month of December has flown by in a blur. Like many of you this time of year brings lots of scheduling challenges, but also lots of opportunities for gathering with friends and family, which is of course, The Best Part. There is always that last minute invitation to which I always ...
Platanos en Tentacion Recipe
Platanos en Tentacíon Recipe Sometimes my family sits around and has noisy, opinionated andpointless discussions. (Hello? Cubans!) In this case, we were discussing the wonders of plantains and engaging in the Eternal Cuban debate: Maduros or Tostones? It depends on the main dish you’re serving, of course. I mean, I love a good tostón with garlic ...
Torrejas Recipe – Stuffed with Guava & Cream Cheese
Torrejas Recipe with Guava and Cream Cheese Stuffing Family: “Yay! Guava paste and cream cheese! You’re making Refugiados, aren’t you?” Me: “Good guess. No. I’m making This-Up-As-I-Go.” =DIf there is anything we Cubans love more than our coladitos 12 times a day, it is a new use for guava. Preferably with cream cheese. I decided to do a ...
Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Recipe
Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Recipe Going Old School It’s November, people. Of course you know what that means: It’s time for the holiday "comelatas" to begin. At our house the main course menus don’t vary much from year to year. But then there are the desserts. Ah, yes. Desserts. Plural. I don’t know of a Cuban anywhere who doesn’t love ...
Pastel de Pollo Recipe
Pastel de Pollo Viva La Difference! I started grade school here in the U.S. without speaking a word of English. In fact, I was one of only a handful of newly exiled Cuban kids at the time. Yes, only a fewCubans in Miami. I know. Weird. I tried hard to fit in and learned to speak English pretty quickly (I’m a living argument for English ...
Sopa de Platano de Timbiriche Recipe
Making a Memory from Marta’s Cuban American Kitchen My uncle, who’s here in the states visiting from Cuba, is back in Miami now. What was really fun about having him here was that he was so willing to put on an apron and cook with me. “Let’s try this.” “Let’s add that.” “You know what would be really great?” I was loving it. Some of my very ...
Spanish Hot Chocolate Recipe
Get REAL. I posted my churro recipe here a couple of days ago. And the people who know stuff about churros also know that it is a sin (maybe not mortal, but certainly venial) to make churros without hot chocolate. Sorry, my faux pas. Of course, we make hot chocolate. Spanish (as in, from Spain) Hot Chocolate. The thick, super-sweet, rich, ...
Picadillo Pies Recipe
Cuban Picadillo Pies® Recipe I have a recipe today that was kind of a happy accident. Ever since I went up to San Francisco a few months ago to cook my Picadillo, my family has been clamoring for it. Yes, there's been clamoring. For the past few years I've been making my picadillo with ground turkey. It's just become a thing. When I cooked for ...
Avocado Cocktail Recipe
Starting our Nochebuena right - Thank you, Avocados from Mexico. Nochebuena preparations are in full swing around here. The pig is happily marinating in the Mojo Criollo I told you about a few days ago. The Matervas are chilling in the fridge. Lucy is out in the world on a hunt for Turrones. Every time the phone rings or there is a text, it is ...
Cuban Pizza Recipe
Cuban Pizza Recipe When I say I'm making Cuban pizza, no one believes it's a real thing. What makes it Cuban, you ask? Well, it starts, just like all good Cuban food, with a sofrito. A Cuban "sofrito" is the beginning and end of all that is good and holy about Cuban food - onion, garlic, bell pepper perfectly sauteéd in olive oil with a hint of ...
