Haitian Bread (Pain Ha?tien)

2 packages active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water (105 to 155 degrees F)
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon freeze-dried instant coffee
2 tablespoons milk

Dissolve yeast in warm water in large bowl. Stir in honey, oil, salt, nutmeg and 2 cups of the flour. Beat until very smooth, about 1 minute. Gradually add enough of the remaining flour to make a stiff dough. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. Place in greased bowl; turn greased side up. Cover; let rise in warm place until double, about 50 minutes. Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.

Punch dough down. Press into greased 15 1/2 x 10 1/2-inch jellyroll pan. Cut dough into about 2 1/2-inch squares with sharp knife, cutting two-thirds of the way through dough. Cover; let rise until double, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Dissolve instant coffee in milk; brush over dough. Bake until bread is golden brown, about 35 minutes.

Break bread into squares to serve.

Makes 24 squares.

Cuban Bread (Pan Cubano)

1 package active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F)
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/4 to 3 1/2 cups bread flour
Vegetable oil (for greasing)

Sprinkle yeast over 1/2 cup of the warm water in a large mixing bowl. Add sugar, and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in remaining 1 cup water, the olive oil and salt. Slowly add the flour, 1 cup at a time, and mix to make a dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for about 4 minutes, or until the dough is satiny and elastic. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.

Punch down the dough and shape it into a 12-inch long oblong loaf. Place the loaf on a lightly greased baking sheet (or one dusted with cornmeal), cover it with a towel, and allow it to rise for 30 minutes.

Brush loaf lightly with warm water. Bake it on the baking sheet in a preheated 400 degrees F oven until it is golden brown and sounds hollow when the bottom is tapped, about 35 minutes. Remove the bread and cool it on a wire rack before serving.

Makes 1 large loaf.

A Cuban Sandwich

Posted by Olga at recipegoldmine.com 3/27/02 7:33:25 pm

Pan Cubano
4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 1/4 teaspoons instant or active dry yeast
3 tablespoons fresh lard, cut into small pieces
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) water

Roast Pork and Marinade
1 (1 1/4 pound) boneless pork roast or pork tenderloin
3 tablespoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons minced parsley
1 tablespoon paprika (preferably hot)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lime juice 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil

Sandwich Filling
Sliced roast pork
3/4 pound thinly sliced smoked ham
3/4 pound thinly sliced Swiss cheese
4 dill pickles, sliced
3 tablespoons butter or olive oil

Manual Method: In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and stir till the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased surface, oil your hands, and knead it for 6 to 8 minutes, or until it begins to become smooth and supple.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl or dough-rising bucket, cover the bowl or bucket, and allow the dough to rise till puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, about 1 hour, depending on the warmth of your kitchen. Gently fold the dough in upon itself and turn it upside-down after 30 minutes; this "turn" helps eliminate some of the excess carbon dioxide and redistributes the yeast's food, both imperative for optimum yeast growth.

Mixer Method: Combine the ingredients as directed at left, using a flat beater paddle or beaters, then switch to the dough hook(s) and knead for 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl or dough-rising bucket, cover the bowl or bucket, and allow the dough to rise, with a turn, as directed above.

Bread Machine Method: Place all of the ingredients into the pan of your machine, program the machine for Manual or Dough, and press Start. Examine the dough about 10 minutes before the end of the final kneading cycle, and adjust its consistency with additional water or flour as needed, to produce a smooth, supple dough. Allow the machine to complete its cycle.

Divide the dough into six pieces, and shape each piece into a rough log. Let the logs rest for 15 minutes, covered, then shape each piece into a smooth batard shape (a log about 8 inches long, slightly tapered at each end). Sprinkle a baking sheet with cornmeal, and place the loaves on the baking sheet.

Let the loaves rise, covered, for 1 hour. Brush or spray them with water, and slash one long lengthwise slit down the middle of each loaf.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F while the loaves are rising.

Transfer the loaves from the cornmeal-sprinkled pan to your oven stone (if you have one), or leave them on the pan and place them in the preheated oven (if baked on a sheet pan, the loaves will be slightly less puffy). Bake the bread for 16 to 18 minutes, or until it's golden brown. Remove it from the oven, and cool it on a wire rack. The loaves may be made one day in advance and stored at room temperature, or several weeks in advance and frozen. Yield: 6 sandwich loaves.

Roasting The Pork: Mix all of the marinade ingredients together (all of the ingredients except the pork), and rub this mixture over all surfaces of the pork. Cover well, and refrigerate for 6 to 24 hours.

Place the pork in a roasting pan or ovenproof dish, and roast it in a preheated 425 degrees F oven for 30 to 40 minutes, basting occasionally with the pan juices, until a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the roast registers 160 degrees F. Remove the pork from the oven, and cool it completely before slicing thinly.

Sandwich Assembly: Slice the Cuban loaves in half horizontally. Brush the cut surfaces of the rolls with olive oil, soft butter or the remaining pan juices. Layer the sandwiches as follows: Swiss cheese, sliced pickle, ham, sliced roast pork, then additional cheese.

Now comes the somewhat challenging part. You want to grill these sandwiches, top and bottom, while at the same time flattening them slightly. This helps meld all of the filling ingredients. Heat two large skillets, or a grill and one skillet, to medium-hot. Lightly grease the grill and/or skillets. Place the sandwiches in the greased pan(s). Top them with a piece of parchment paper, then the remaining skillet (or flat sheet pan, or other heavy, flat, non-meltable object -- the point is to weigh them down). Press down firmly on the top pan, and weigh it down. A teakettle filled with water makes a good weight, as does a clean brick wrapped in aluminum foil.

Grill the sandwiches for 5 to 8 minutes over medium heat, checking often to make sure the bottoms aren't burning (we burned our first attempts to a crisp!). Adjust the heat downward if the bottoms are becoming brown after only a couple of minutes. Turn the sandwiches over and grill for several more minutes, until they're crisp on both sides.

Yield: 6 sandwiches, 12 servings.

Baked Stuffed Papayas (Jamaica)

1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (16 ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained
1 jalape?o pepper, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 (12 ounce) papayas
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Cook and stir beef, onion and garlic in 10-inch skillet over medium heat until beef is light brown; drain. Stir in tomatoes, jalape?o pepper, salt and pepper; break up tomatoes with fork. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered until most of the liquid is evaporated, about 10 minutes.

Cut papayas lengthwise into halves; remove seeds. Place about 1/3 cup beef mixture in each papaya half; sprinkle with cheese. Arrange in shallow roasting pan. Pour very hot water into pan to within 1 inch of tops of papaya halves. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees F until papayas are very tender and hot, about 30 minutes.

Fried Ripe Plantains (Pl?tanos Maduras Fritos ? Puerto Rico)

4 medium very ripe (nearly all black) plantains
4 tablespoons butter, divided
Salt or garlic salt, to taste (optional)
2 limes, cut into wedges (optional)

Peel plantains as you would a banana, then cut them on the diagonal into 3/4-inch slices. Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Saut? half the plantain slices in a single layer until they are quite brown on the underside, about 4 minutes. Flip them over with a spatula and saut? until brown on the other side, about 3 minutes. Leaning the slices against each other if necessary, stand each plantain slice on one of its edges in the skillet and saut? for 30 seconds. Next stand the slices on their opposite edges and saut? an additional 30 seconds.

Remove one slice from the skillet, cut it in half, and check to see that the plantain has lost its pale yellow, white, or pink tinge and has turned yellow all the way through. If so, the plantains are ready. If not, continue saut?ing them for another minute on the sides that are the least brown.

Gently remove fried plantains from the skillet with a spatula and pace them on paper towels to drain. Add remaining butter to the skillet and saut? remaining plantains in the same fashion. Arrange fried plantains in one layer on a large serving plate. Sprinkle them with salt or garlic salt, if desired, and serve at once with lime wedges or plain.

Serves 6 to 8 as a side dish or appetizer.

Puerto Rican Egg Nog (Coquito)

Posted by Darlene at recipegoldmine.com 12/18/2001 7:07 am

Yield: 16 Servings

2 cups water
8 (3 inch) cinnamon sticks
6 large egg yolks
3 (12 ounce) cans evaporated milk
2 cans coconut milk
3 (14 ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk
3 cups white rum (a touch less if you use 151 proof!! Burp!!)

In a 2 quart saucepan, heat water and cinnamon sticks to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook until liquid is reduced to one cup. Remove cinnamon sticks and set liquid aside to cool to room temperature.

In a 3 quart saucepan with a wire whisk, beat egg yolks and evaporated milk until well-mixed. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and coats a spoon - about 10 minutes (DO NOT BOIL). Set aside to cool slightly.

When cinnamon flavored liquid has cooled, stir in coconut milk, until well mixed. In serving bowl, combine coconut mixture, yolk mixture, sweetened condensed milk and rum. Chill well and serve.

Coconut Corn Bread (Dominican Republic)

1/2 cup diced mixed candied fruit
2 tablespoons dark rum 
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs
1 cup coconut cream
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup shredded fresh coconut

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix candied fruit and rum in small bowl; reserve.

Beat sugar and butter in large bowl; add eggs, one at a time, beating until well blended. Stir in remaining ingredients except candied fruit mixture and coconut; beat until smooth, about 30 strokes by hand. Fold in candied fruit mixture and coconut. Pour into greased 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Bake until top is golden brown and wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool 20 minutes; remove from pan. Cool completely before slicing.

Citrus-Marinated Pork Roast (Cuba)

1 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lime juice
1 (3 pound) boneless pork loin roast
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 large carrot, sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup orange juice

Mix 1 cup orange juice and the lime juice; pour over pork roast in non-reactive bowl. Cover and refrigerate, turning pork occasionally, at least 4 hours.

Remove pork from juice, reserving juice. Pat pork dry. Mix garlic, oregano and pepper; rub evenly over pork. Place onion, celery and carrot in shallow roasting pan; sprinkle with salt. Pour reserved juice over vegetables. Place pork on top of vegetables. Insert meat thermometer so tip is in center of thickest part of pork and does not rest in fat. Roast uncovered at 325 degrees F, spooning juices over pork occasionally, until thermometer registers 170 degrees F, about 2 1/2 hours.

Remove pork; cover with aluminum foil and let stand 15 to 20 minutes before carving. Place vegetable mixture and 1/2 cup orange juice in blender container. Cover and blend on medium-high speed, stopping blender occasionally to scrape sides, until well blended, about 1 minute. Heat to boiling.

Serve with pork.

Yields 8 to 10 servings.

Caribbean Jerk Pork Chops

1/4 cup water
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon chopped green onion
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
2 1/4 pounds lean pork loin or rib chops
      (6 chops) - about 5/8 inch thick

Place all ingredients except pork in blender. Cover and blend until smooth.

Reserve 1/2 cup of the marinade; cover and refrigerate for basting. Trim excess fat from pork. Place pork in shallow nonmetal dish or heavy-duty resealable plastic bag. Pour remaining marinade over pork. Cover dish or seal bag and refrigerate at least 12 hours but no longer than 24 hours.

Heat coals or gas grill. Remove pork from marinade; discard marinade. Cover and grill pork 4 to 5 inches from medium heat 8 to 11 minutes, turning frequently and brushing with reserved marinade, for medium doneness (160 degrees F) or until pork is slightly pink when cut near bone. Discard any remaining basting marinade.

Yield: 6 servings.

Per Serving: 183 Calories; 8g Fat (40.8% calories from fat); 22g Protein; 5g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 53mg Cholesterol; 312mg Sodium

Exchanges: 0 Grain (Starch); 3 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates

Conkies

3 cups grated coconut (1 large)
2 cups fresh corn flour
4 ounces raisins (optional)
6 ounces shortening
1/2 cup flour
3/4 pound brown sugar
3/4 pound pumpkin
1/2 pound sweet potato
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon powdered cinnamon
1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon almond essence
1 teaspoon salt

Grate coconut, pumpkin and sweet potato. Mix in sugar, liquids and spices. Add raisins and flour last and combine well.

Melt shortening before adding with milk.

Fold a few tablespoons of the mixture in steamed plantain leaves. Cut into squares about 8 inches wide.

Steam Conkies on a rack over boiling water in a large pot or in a steamer until they are firm and cooked.

NOTE: Wax paper will work instead of banana or plantain leaves.

Cuban Roasted Pork

1 small (3 to 4 pound) pork shoulder or loin roast
Juice of 2 lemons or 1 cup sour orange juice
4 teaspoons salt
3 teaspoons black pepper
3 teaspoons dried oregano
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, sliced

Marinate pork roast in sour orange or lemon juice for 2 to 3 hours.

Remove pork from juice. Season with salt, pepper, oregano and garlic. Place in roasting pan and cover with foil. Bake 300 degrees F for 2 1/2 hours or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F.

Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

Remove foil and bake 15 minutes to brown meat. Remove from oven and let stand 5 to 10 minutes. Cut into 3/4-inch slices. Top with sliced onions for garnish.

Makes 6 servings.

Cuban Tamales

24 dried corn husks (hojas)
2 cups corn kernels (may use frozen
    sweet corn kernels, defrosted)
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons butter (at room temperature)
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
Salt, to taste
1/3 to 1/2 cup cornmeal

Soak the corn husks in hot water for 1 hour.

Pur?e the corn kernels with the milk and butter in food processor; then add the sugar, salt and 1/3 cup cornmeal; blend quickly. Add more cornmeal only if the batter seems too liquid. Transfer to a bowl. Wash and dry the processor bowl.

Chicken Sofrito Filling
1/2 to 1 haba?ero chile, stemmed, seeded
1 red or green jalapeno chile, stemmed, seeded
8 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion
10 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced
1/2 cup peeled, seeded, diced tomato
1 small cooked potato, diced
1/4 cup raisins (plumped in hot water)
1 tablespoon capers
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

With the food processor running, drop the chiles and garlic through the feed tube; they should be finely minced. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a nonstick saut? pan. Add the onions and cook until softened; push to one side and add the chicken. Saut? until lightly browned.

Add the garlic-chile mixture; saut? 1 minute. Add the tomato, potato, raisins and capers. Season with the cumin, salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

Combine the filling and the corn batter. Place about 1/2 cup of the mixture in the middle of a corn husk. Wrap the husk around the mixture and tie on both ends with string. Continue with remaining tamale mixture and corn husks.

Steam the tamales over barely simmering water for 1 hour. Check on the water level from time to time; add boiling water, if necessary.

Yields 10 tamales.

Fried Plantains

Serve as a side dish or as a dessert.

Allow at least half a plantain per person. Leaving the skin on, cut them in half, and put them into a pan of cold water. Bring them to a boil. It should take about 15 minutes of boiling to get them to the proper degree of softness. Drain them, cool them, and cut the two halves of each in two again. Gently press them flat and saut? them in hot butter. Drain on paper towel and serve. If you want, you can sprinkle them with powdered sugar or drizzle them with honey.

They work as a dessert or a side dish.

Guava Cake (Puerto Rico)

10 tablespoons butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 pound guava paste*, cut into 16 slices

* Available in finer supermarkets and Hispanic specialty shops.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Sift together the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt and add the butter mixture, mixing until well combined. Add the eggs one at a time and mix well.  Spoon half the batter into a buttered 8-inch square baking pan. Top with the sliced guava paste and cover with the remaining batter. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Serves 8 to 12.

Jamaican Banana Bread

2 tablespoons margarine, softened
2 tablespoons light cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
1/2 cup skim milk
2 tablespoons dark rum or 1/4 teaspoon rum extract
1/2 teaspoon grated lime rind
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1/4 cup flaked, sweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

Beat margarine and cream cheese at medium speed with electric mixer; add sugar, beating well. Add egg; beat well.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; stir well. Combine banana, milk, rum, line rind, lime juice and vanilla extract; stir well. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture alternately with banana mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix after each addition. Stir in pecans and coconut. Pour batter into prepared pan; bake for 60 minutes.

Let cool in pan for 10 minutes; remove from pan. Let cool slightly on wire rack.

Topping
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons margarine
2 teaspoons lime juice
2 teaspoons dark rum or 1/8 teaspoon rum extract
2 tablespoons chopped pecans, toasted
2 tablespoons flaked, sweetened coconut

Combine brown sugar, margarine, lime juice and rum in saucepan; bring to a simmer. Cook 1 minute; stir constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in pecans and coconut; spoon over loaf.