Recipes

MOJITO (Garlic Dipping Sauce)

10 cloves garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon fine sea or kosher salt
1 medium Spanish onion, finely chopped
¾ cup gently warmed olive oil
¼ cup white vinegar
Juice of 1 each: lime, orange, and lemon
2 tablespoons cilantro (optional)

 

Pound the garlic and salt to a paste using a mortar and pestle. (Do not use a food processor.)

Stir in the onions, followed by the remaining ingredients.

Taste and add additional salt if needed.

You can make this up to three days in advance, and keep in the refrigerator.

 

Bring to room temperature 1 hour before serving.

 

Makes about 1 cup

SOFRITO

Sofrito is a seasoning that adds freshness and zing to
dishes. You can use it to complement yellow rice,
black bean soup, braised chicken, and sautéed shrimp.

 

 

2 medium Spanish onions, cut into large chunks
3 to 4 Italian frying peppers or cubanelle peppers
16 to 20 cloves garlic, peeled
1 large bunch cilantro, washed
7 to 10 ajices dulces (sweet peppers)
1 large red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into large
chunks

 

After all ingredients are rinsed and seeded, blend in small batches in either a food processor or blender.

Refrigerate in sealed container up to three days. Freeze extra in small containers.

 

Makes about 4 cups

TOSTONES (Twice Fried Green Plantain Chips)

Green plantains
Salt
Canola Oil

 

Peel green plantains and slice into ½-inch thick rounds, and immediately soak in cold salted water. Pour enough canola oil into a skillet to fill to about 1 inch. Heat until the tip of the handle of a wooden spoon dipped in the oil gives off a faint sizzle (325° F).

Drain the plantain rounds and dry them thoroughly. Put as many of the plantain pieces into the oil as can fit without touching. Fry, turning once or twice, until fork tender, but not browned. If the plantains start to brown before they are tender, remove the pan from the heat, lower the heat, and wait a minute or two before returning the pan to the heat. Remove and drain on paper towels. Let cool 5 to 10 minutes or up to 2 hours.

Using a tostonera, or a kitchen mallet, or the broad side of a knife, whack the plantain slice so that it is smashed but still retains its shape.

To serve the plantains, reheat the oil until the tip of the handle of a wooden spoon dipped in the oil gives off a lively sizzle (360° F). Slip a batch of plantains into the hot oil and fry, turning once, until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

Sprinkle with salt or top with mojito—garlic dipping sauce.

 

Each plantain yields about 20 chips

MOFONGO

1 pound salt pork
6 green plantains
6 garlic cloves, peeled
Vegetable oil
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

 

Cut the salt pork through the skin into ½-inch slices. Turn the slices skin side down and cut through the fat to, but not through the skin at ½-inch intervals. Lay the slices on their sides in a cold skillet large enough to hold them all comfortably. Set the skillet over low heat. The salt pork will slowly render its own fat and then start to brown in the fat. The focus is to draw as much fat from the salt pork as possible, leaving behind crispy cracklings known as chicharrones. Remove the cracklings from the skillet with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Chop the cracklings coarsely in a food processor. There should still be crispy-crunchy bits and more finely chopped bits. Discard the fat.

Peel the plantains and cut them into 1-inch lengths and cook them according to the recipe for twice-fried green plantain chips. Do not fry the plantains for the second time until just before you plan to serve the mofongo.

Using the vegetable oil, lightly grease twelve 4-ounce ramekins or custard cups. Working with half of the twice-fried plantains at a time, chop them coarsely in a food processor. Add half of the cracklings and garlic and enough olive oil to reach the correct consistency (similar to chewy sushi rice with a bit of crunch from the cracklings). Pulse the processor once or twice to mix. Repeat with the second batch. Taste and add salt and pepper if you like. Pack the mofongo lightly into the prepared molds. Invert onto serving plates. Serve immediately.

 

Makes 12 serving (Can be easily halved)

PERÑIL (Puerto Rican Roast Pork Shoulder)

One 4-½–5-pound skin-on pork shoulder
Wet Rub

 

WET RUB—Adobo Mojado

 

12 cloves garlic, peeled
1-½ tablespoons fine sea or kosher salt
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

 

Up to 3 days before you serve the roast, set it in a bowl, skin side up. With a paring or boning knife, make several slits about 1-½ inches apart through the skin of the roast and into the meat. Make the slits as deep as you can. Wiggle a finger in the slits to open them up a bit and then fill each one with wet rub using a teaspoon. (Recommended: use a pair of latex gloves). Do the same on all sides. If you have rub left over, smear it all over the outside of the roast. Refrigerate, covered, at least 1 day or up to 3 days.

Preheat the oven to 450° F.

Set the roast, skin side up, on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast for 1 hour, turn the heat down to 400° F, and roast until the skin is a deep golden brown and crackly and with no trace of pink near the bone, for an additional 1-½ hours or until an instant-read thermometer inserted near the bone registers 160° F. Let the roast rest at least 15 minutes before carving.

To serve: Remove the crispy skin. It will pull right off in big pieces. Cut into smaller pieces with kitchen shears and pile them in the middle of the platter. Carve the meat parallel to the bones all the way down to the bone.

 

Makes 8 large servings plus leftovers

CUBANOS (Cuban Sandwiches)

If you have a panini maker or grilled sandwich maker, this is when you should use it.

 

1 loaf Italian bread (about 24 inches long), or four hero
rolls
Mayonnaise
Sliced leftover Roast Puerto Rican Pork Shoulder
3 fairly thick slices of boiled ham
Sliced bread and butter pickles
½ pound fairly thickly sliced Swiss cheese
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Split the bread lengthwise and
spread the bottom of the loaf with mayonnaise. Make an
even layer of the pork, then add the ham, pickles, and cheese.
Top with the other piece of bread and press lightly but firmly.

 

Wrap the sandwich(es) securely in foil and lay between baking sheets. Set on the oven rack and weight the top sheet with a heavy ovenproof skillet. Bake until warmed through enough and the cheese has softened, about 30 minutes. Serve warm, cut into manageable pieces.

 

Makes 4 servings

CHICHARRONES DE POLLO (Crispy Chicken Bits)

1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into pinky-
size strips
2 teaspoons Dry Rub
1½ tablespoons cider or your favorite vinegar
Vegetable or canola oil
All-purpose flour

 

DRY RUB—Adobo Seco

 

6 tablespoons salt
3 tablespoons onion powder
3 tablespoons garlic powder
3 tablespoons ground black pepper
1-½ teaspoons ground oregano

 

Makes 1 cup

 

Toss the chicken with the dry rub and the vinegar until coated. Marinate, covered, at room temperature up to 30 minutes in the refrigerator or up to 1 day. Drain the chicken thoroughly.

Pour enough oil into a deep, heavy pot to fill to about 3 inches. Heat over medium-high heat until the tip of the handle of a wooden spoon dipped in the oil gives off a very lively sizzle (about 390° F).

While the oil is heating, dredge the chicken in the flour until coated. Tap off any excess flour. Once the oil is hot enough, carefully slip as many of the floured chicken pieces into the oil as will comfortably fit, turning them with a spoon once or twice, until deep golden brown and cooked through—about 4 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels and repeat with the remaining chicken. Serve hot.

 

Makes 6 snack-size servings