Rum and Cake? or Rum and Coke? from Marta’s Cuban American Kitchen One year ago, Val sent me an email asking if I would consider posting recipes here on Babalú. To be honest, I wasn’t quite sure my feature, Marta’s Cuban American Kitchen, was going to go over very well. I confess I was a little intimidated. We Cubans, as you know, are extremely ...
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Pan Con Bistec (Cuban-style Steak Sandwich) Recipe
Cuban Pan con Bistec Recipe (Cuban Steak Sandwich) Working Smarter I’m lazy. There, I said it. No, it’s really okay. I freely admit it. Yep, L-A-Z-Y. Which is why I’m not a big fan of spending hours in the kitchen slaving over a hot stove. I’m going to go out on a limb here and guessing that there aren’t a whole lot of fans of ...
How to Make Cuban Mantecado Ice Cream
How to Make Cuban Mantecado Ice Cream There are so many things that were different to our Cuban sensibilities when we first arrived in the U.S. Mostly in the foods we ate. The bread was different. The meat was different. When someone said 'hamburgers,' we thought, 'frita.' It wasn't the same. "No es igual." "It's not the same." We seemed to say ...
Empanada Gigante Recipe (La Empanada Que Se Le Perdio a Santa Barbara)
Giant Cuban Empanada Recipe Lost and Found My mom has been in Miami for the summer. Last week she was telling me about an avocado that she had purchased from the local viandero. Here in California we get the Haas avocados that are small with bumpy dark skin. The ones in Miami are considerably larger. She says this to make the point: “Es el ...
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 ...
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 ...
Churrasco Estilo Cubano Recipe
Churrasco con Chimichurri Recipe A Simple Barbecue - Churrasco Steak My husband, Eric, invited one of his clients over for dinner the other night, and he asked me not to make a fuss. “Let’s just barbecue,” he said. “Fine,” I said, “I’ll just do a simple Cuban-style barbecue.” So, I didn’t make a fuss . . . I made a mouth-watering Churrasco ...
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 ...
Arroz Imperial Recipe
Arroz Imperial Recipe Written on September 11, 2008 I tend to feel extremely patriotic on this date in history, hence the following story and recipe. Years ago, my big, fat, Cuban family moved to a sleepy peanut-butter-and-jelly neighborhood in Anaheim, California. Our house was at the end of a cul-de-sac where the other families had been living ...
Arroz con Maiz Recipe
Arroz con Maiz Recipe - An Original Thanksgiving Side Dish Cuban-style Thanksgiving with my big, fat, Cuban family is usually a very typical American feast. But because my family has so many amazing cooks, we're often trying new recipes and sometimes we like to put a spin on some old classics. Our turkeys have run the gamut from deep-fried to ...
