Cuban at Priya's

Usually around this time of year in Chicago, I get inconsolably sad. Growing up in Southern California has spoiled me forever on temperate weather. I'm like the orange tree that needs to be tucked away in a hothouse during the winter. On top of that, February doesn't usually produce the fluffy and lazy flakes of snow that we get before the New Year. December's snow drifts delicately and lands on your hair — framing your face in just that magical way you see in movies. You've seen them. It's always in a scene where the heroine is about to get a good night kiss. No, for the month of February we have endless days of grey. And we get angry, pelting, horizontal particles of snow and ice. Uh, no thanks.

So it was with relief that I walked into Priya's kitchen. Priya and her younger sister Shaila, who was visiting from college, were hovering over an enormous vat of Cuban-style arroz con pollo. Sapna, who claims not to cook, was frying up thin slices of yuca and plaintain. We were eating the chips dipped in a velvety mix of oil and cilantro, just as fast as Sapna could make them. Then, we took turns mixing our own drinks with rum and lime.

After a lot of time spent stirring and fussing, along with multiple rounds of tasting, the chicken and rice were finally done. Pieces of breast and thigh were nestled among tender grains of orange-colored rice. The rice was rich with flavor, having absorbed the juices of the chicken, and was infused with the taste of tomatoes, spices, onion and beer. In total, Priya and Shaila had spent three hours getting it right.

I was feeling pretty good. Snug and relaxed. Defrosted. This wasn't a good night kiss...this was like an all-enveloping bear hug from a friend you really liked. I think the universe was telling me something with a cooking metaphor. You can't just sit around and boohoo that the maindish isn't done yet. Just like you can't sit around and pine for spring like I had been doing. Waiting is part of the process, so make it memorable. Find some friends. Eat some chips. And while you're at it, have a drink with rum and lime.

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Papa Hemingway
2 ounces grapefruit juice
2 ounces white rum
Juice of 1/2 lime
splashes of maraschino cherry juice
lime twist
crushed ice

Blend and serve well chilled.

Three Guys from Miami

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Mojito
3 teaspoons sugar
Juice of 1/2 lime
Fresh yerbabuena (or mint) leaves
1 ounce white rum Soda water

Put sugar and lime juice in a glass. Crush a few fresh mint leaves into the sugar and the lime juice. Add one ounce of white rum and ice cubes. Fill with soda water and serve with a sprig of mint.

Three Guys from Miami

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Cuba Libre
Ice cold Coca-cola (six ounces)
1 1/2 ounces white rum
Squeeze of lime juice
Ice cubes
Lime twist

Pour rum in a tall glass. Fill with cold Coke, add a squeeze of lime juice and stir. Add ice and garnish with a twist of lime.

Three Guys from Miami

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Mariquitas de platano (Plantain Chips)
2 large green plantains, peeled
Corn or vegetable oil (not olive) for deep-fat or frying pan frying

Heat oil in a deep fat fryer or a frying pan.

With a sharp knife or plantain slicer, cut plantain into thin circles. (The thinner the better.) You can also slice plantains diagonally for a long strip.Soak the chips in ice water for about 20 to 30 minutes. Drain the chips and dry them with a paper towel.

Immediately fry plantain chips in small batches until crisp and golden brown.Drain on paper towels; keep warm in oven until you can serve them.

Three Guys from Miami

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Mariquitas de yuca (Yuca Chips)
2 large yucas, peeled, cut in half horizontally
Corn or vegetable oil (not olive) for deep-fat or frying pan frying

In a large pot, cover yuca with water by about two inches. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cook uncovered. Cook until yuca becomes slightly tender, but NOT mushy - about 15 minutes or less. Remove yuca and drain thoroughly. Let cool. With a sharp knife or plantain slicer, cut yuca into long, thin strips. (The thinner the better.)

Heat oil in a deep fat fryer or a frying pan.

Fry yuca strips in small batches until crisp and golden brown. Drain on paper towels; keep warm in oven.

Three Guys from Miami

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Mariquitas Salsa
8 cloves of garlic
1/4 chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Juice of one lime
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste

Place the garlic, cilantro leaves, lime juice, and white vinegar in a food processor and puree until thoroughly chopped.

Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan until hot, but not smoking. Remove pan from heat. Pour the pureed garlic and cilantro leaf mixture into the hot oil, whisking constantly for a minute or two.

Serve warm. The sauce should have an intense garlic/sour flavor. Use a fresh, hot mariquita to test!

Three Guys from Miami

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Cuban Chicken and Rice
Shaila was shown how to make this dish by the mother of a close friend. She even gave Shaila a bottle of bijol powder and sent her along with a huge, wide-mouthed pot in which to make the arroz con pollo.

10 chicken breasts
10 thighs
lemon juice (1 whole lemon squeezed)
adobo seasoning
2 large onions chopped
1 1/2 - 2 teaspoons of crushed or chopped garlic
3 jars pimentos (drained and chopped)
2 - 8 oz cans of tomato sauce
3-4 bay leaves
3-4 dashes of cumin (ground)
3-4 dashes of oregano (ground)
3-4 dashes bijol powder
2 tablespoons white wine
8 cups water
4 cups of rice (Uncle Ben's original enchriched parboil long grain rice)
1 bag frozen baby peas( optional)
1 can of beer

Generously season all chicken pieces with adobo seasoning and squirt lemon juice on them. Let sit 15-20 minutes to marinate. Heat 1 1/2 - 2 cups of olive oil in pan. Place garlic and chicken in oil. Saute until nicely browned and pretty much cooked. Remove chicken pieces and set aside.Place onions and pimentoes in hot oil and chicken juices- saute until onion becomes transparent. Add tomato sauce to oil and stir: simmer for a few minutes. Add bay leaves, cumin, oregano, bijol powder and white wine to tomato sauce mixture and simmer. Once well blended, add 8 cups water to tomato/oil sauce mixture. Bring to a boil. Boil for 5-10 minutes. Add chicken pieces and juices bowl to hot boiling tomato sauce water mixture.Bring to a boil and then turn down. Cook for 20-25 minutes to cook chicken.Add rice to chicken and liquid mixture. Turn down and cook on low. Add frozen baby peas. Stir a lot so rice doesn't stick! When rice is beginning to soften add beer and stir in to rice.

Angie's testing notes: I recently made this dish for an impromptu dinner party, but mine, while good...wasn't spectacularly tasty like Priya and Shaila's. My recommendations are for the following:

1. Pick chicken with large pieces of bone, so that you can take the chicken off the bone at the end. My chicken came from a Hispanic grocery store in Pilsen, and their thighs came with backbone and other tiny pieces of bone. The chicken started to fall off the bone, which is great! But my guests had to pick out the tiny bones out among the rice. Not so great.

2. I used Uncle Ben's parboil rice as specified, and the consistency ended up being like risotto. I don't have any Cuban friends to ask about whether or not this is the right consistency. I'm not sure what type of rice Priya and Shaila used. This may explain why their rice took longer to cook and soften up. Priya had mentioned to me that she had to douse the pot with several rounds of chicken stock to get the rice the right consistency. I almost prefer the rice with a bit more bite.

3. According to GourmetSleuth.com, Bijol powder is also referred to as achiote or annoto powder. I had to go to Pilsen to find it. But I could only find it in whole form under the name annoto. I brought it home and gave it a couple of good whirls in my spice grinder.


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Arroz con Leche - Rice Pudding
5 cups milk
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cinnamon stick
1 orange peel
1 lemon peel
1/2 cup Medium-Grain Rice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 oz. light rum
3/4 cup sugar

1. In a large saucepan, combine milk, cinnamon, cinnamon stick, orange peel and lemon peel. Bring to a boil.

2. Remove from heat for one minute, then add rice, vanilla extract and rum. Return to a boil, stir once, reduce heat, and boil gently for 20-25 minutes, or until rice is done.

3. Remove from heat. Discard peel and cinnamon stick and gently stir in sugar. Serves 4-6

http://www.goya.com