Happy Cinco de Mayo! Ok, so maybe we’re a little late, but just because June is here, that doesn’t mean we should stop enjoying these Mexican treats! Besides, watching the short film Gordo (see Mío) made me hungry for some authentic Mexican eats, not any of that super-processed Tex-Mex stuff or the faux-food we find all over midtown. I’m talking beef burritos and pico de gallo (this tastes sooooo good!). So read on, cook up, and celebrate Cinco de Mayo all summer long!

Pico de Gallo Salsa

2 Tomatoes
1 onion
Fresh cilantro (bunch)
1 Chile pepper
Sugar
Medium Bowl

Mix in bowl the 2 tomatoes and onions finely chopped.
Add 2 tablespoons of the snipped fresh cilantro.
Then take the Chile pepper seeded and finely chopped and mix all the ingredients together and add a dash of sugar and chill for a few hours.

You can use the Pico de Gallo Salsa for adding to your meals or just eating it with Tortilla chips.

Beef and Chipotle Burritos

1 ½ pounds of boneless beef round steak
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 onion
1 tablespoon of dried oregano
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
1 Garlic clove
9 or 10 inch Plain flour Tortillas
¾ cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Pico de Gallo Salsa
Sour cream (optional)
Crock pot

First you need to cut meat into 6pieces. Place meat in a crock pot with the can of undrained tomatoes and finely chopped onion, chipotle pepper and add the 1 tablespoon of oregano, ¼ Cumin, and Garlic (minced).
And then add the 1 can of chipotle peppers mix.
Let cook on high heat setting for 4 to 5 hours
Remove meat from cooker.
Using a fork pull meat apart into shreds and place meat in a large bowl
Stir in cooking liquid to reach desired consistency.
Warm up the Flour Tortilla in foil. Heat in a 350F oven for 10 minutes.
Then divide the meat and place just below the middle of the Tortilla.
Top with cheese, Pico de Gallo Salsa and sour cream.
Roll up tortillas and Enjoy!
Makes 6 servings

This month we jump on a flight to Puerto Plata (or is it the 1 train to the Heights?) for some old-fashioned Dominican breakfast. Mangú (boiled mashed platanos), fried salami, and queso de freir are about as low-frills a breakfast as one can have, but its’ low-maintenance is one of the reasons why so many folks from the Caribbean country love it! It’s quick and easy to make, takes minimal preparation, and fills you for the early part of your day. The dish has traveled to New York City via Washington Heights where one can see mangú dishes in the windows of many a Dominican restaurant on a stroll of upper Broadway. So pull out your tattered copy of Drown or Oscar Wilde this coming Saturday and enjoy a hardy breakfast, Dominican style.

Dominican Breakfast

Ingredients:

2 Green Plantains
½ Red Onions
3 table spoons vinegar
Queso de frier (white cheese, made for frying)
Salami (Smoked cooked chicken & Pork salami)
4 eggs
½ table spoon olive oil
4 table spoons butter
6 table spoons vegetable oil
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Mangú-
1. Place water to boil in medium pot.
2. Cut off the edges of the 2 green plantains. Next, cut them in half and slice the peel lengthwise without actually peeling off the skin. Place in boiling water with the skin of the plantains on.
3. Put in the 2 table spoons of butter to boil with plantains and add salt to taste.
4. Boil for about 45mins or until soft. Drain the water leaving a little bit of water to moisten add 2 table spoons of butter while mashing the plantains. When serving place a little of the olive oil on top of the plantains salt and pepper to taste.

Salami- (you can do his step towards the end of the mangú prep)
5. Slice Salami thin and place in frying pan no oil for about 3 to 4mins each side.
6. Slice the ½ of red onion and place in a bowl
7. Then apply the 3 table spoons of vinegar in the bowl with the onions and add salt to taste. Let stand for a few mins
8. When your finished frying the salami in the same frying pan put 4 table spoons of vegetable oil let it heat up 2mins and place the bowl of onions and vinegar to fry for 3mins (sauce)
Tip-You can place the sauce left in the frying pan on top of the plantains for more flavor.

Queso Frito- (try this at the same time as the salami, in a separate frying pan)
9. Slice the queso de frier thin and place in another frying pan with 2 table spoons of vegetable oil fry on each side for about 2mins or until golden on each side.
Tip-(Take out and place on top of a plate with paper towels to help absorb excess oil)

Eggs-
10. However you like best. (But to have that authentic feel, I suggest fried eggs)

Serves 2. Enjoy!

By: Mrs. P

Hola mi gente! This week in La Comida Corner we travel to what many folks refer to as the culinary capital of the Caribbean: Cuban cuisine has been credited with originating many noteworthy dishes that can be found throughout many other countries throughout Latin America. Ropa Vieja, black beans and rice, and perhaps the most famous of all: the almighty Cuban Sandwich.

Always having a reputation for high quality rum, Cuba has been the home of many great cocktails. Mojitos, Piña Coladas and the ubiquitous Rum & Coke have all been thought to have their origins on the island.

With this edition, we’ll get into what may be my simplest recipe, but always a sure hit in my home: Fricasé de Pollo with white rice. Traditionally this dish would be prefect with a side of black beans, but you can pick your legume of choice.

Let’s get started!

This recipe serves up to 4 people. Enjoy!

Fricasé De Pollo - Cuban Style with White Rice and a Mojito (for my 21 and over readers only!)

Ingredients:

4 Chicken Breasts (with skin, to seal in the flavor)
6 cloves of whole garlic
3 Round Potatoes
5 Reccado Leaves
1/3 Cup of Red Cooking Wine
1 Can of Tomato sauce
1 Packet of Sazón Goya con Achiote
1 lemon
Pimento Olives (the tasty kind with the red peppers inside)
Adobo con pimento (to Taste)
Large mixing bowl
Large cooking pot

Perform the following steps:

1. Rinse chicken breast with cold water
2. cut each of the 4 chicken breasts in half
3. cut the lemon in half and squeezes the lemon juice all over the chicken breasts
4. Season to taste with adobo con pimento
5. Mix in bowl
6. Then, pour 1 packet of Sazón Goya con achiote
7. Mix in the seasonings again with hands or if you prefer a spoon (I like using my hands, though your hands turn a bright orange color due to the Sazón)
8. Let the seasoned chicken marinate for 20 minutes in the refrigerator
9. Chop the 6 garlic cloves in a small food processor
10. Peal the 3 potatoes and cut into four pieces, lengthwise
11. Coat the bottom of the cooking pot with vegetable oil
12. Heat well then place chicken breast in the pot
13. Turn over when each side of the chicken is browned (all sides are cooked)
14. Then, put in the crushed garlic to cook with the chicken for a minute or two. Do not let the garlic burn stir if needed
15. Pour can of tomato sauce over the chicken and garlic
16. Place the cut potatoes in the pot
17. Stir and put in the olives and some of the olive juice (if you like)
18. Break the recado leaves in half and place in to cook as well
19. Lastly, pour in the 1/3 cup of red cooking wine
20. Mix in pot and cover with lid
21. Cook on low heat for up to 30mins
22. Continue to keep an eye on the stovetop during the cooking process. Add water if needed. It is very important not to allow the chicken to dry itself out.

White Rice Preparation:

1. 4 cups of white rice
2. Rinse under cold water 2 or three times
3. Then place in rice cooker or in a pot
4. Add for and a half-cup of water
5. 2 table spoons of salt
6. ¼ cup of vegetable oil
7. stir and wait till it boils and water is completely gone
8. Mix and cover with lid until rice is fully cooked

Mojitos recipe (as provided by our friends at www.tasteofcuba.com):

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon powdered sugar
Juice from 1 lime (2 ounces)
4 mint leaves
1 sprig of mint
Havana Club white Rum (2 ounces)
2 ounces club soda

Mojito Prep:

Place the mint leaves into a long mojito glass (often called a “collins” glass) and squeeze the juice from a cut lime over it. You’ll want about two ounces of lime juice, so it may not require all of the juice from a single lime. Add the powdered sugar, then gently smash the mint into the lime juice and sugar with a muddler (a long wooden device pictured below, though you can also use the back of a fork or spoon if one isn’t available). Add ice (preferably crushed) then add the rum and stir, and top off with the club soda (you can also stir the club soda in as per your taste). Garnish with a mint sprig.

Ceviche: The Ecuadorian Sushi

Ceviche is a popular seafood delight with origins in South America. It is most associated with both Peru and Ecuador. However, there are differences with the Ceviche from both of these nations. Peruvian ceviche is most closely associated various kinds of fish. In Ecuador, shrimp is what is generally used as the seafood fare of choice.

Ceviche in the culinary world is commonly referred to as the “South American Sushi”. However, that name implies the fish or seafood involved is explicitly raw, when it is actually cooked without heat. The method by which the fish is “cooked” in this case is by marinating the fish in a citric acid blend. Therein lays the major difference between sushi and Ceviche, this marinating process that may incorporate blends of limes, oranges, lemons and grapefruits.

In ancient times Ecuadorians would also drink the juice that stays in the plate after eating the ceviche. They would come to name this juice “tiger’s milk.” The people of Ecuador believe the “tiger’s milk” to be good for hangovers. It is customary and quite ordinary and acceptable to lift the plate to your mouth to drink it, after all the ceviche has been eaten. Some people even mix it with vodka to make a ceviche cocktail.

With this edition, we focus on Ecuadorian styled ceviche. In order to keep your ceviche experience as authentic as possible to its Ecuadorian roots, I recommend serving this dish with popcorn. Yes, popcorn! Of course, if you’d like, this can be substituted with any side salad or a simple bowl of white or whole grain rice.

Just follow the recipe below, and enjoy!

Ecuadorian-Styled Shrimp Ceviche

For Shrimp Ceviche you will need the following:

1lb. of Shrimp
1 big red onion
1 bunch of Cilantro
6 Lemons
2 Plum tomatoes
3 tbs. Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

How to prepare Ceviche:

1. Finely chop onions and cilantro and set aside. Then chop up tomatoes.
2. Mix onions and cilantro and the tomatoes together in a big bowl. Then squeeze all the lemons into mixture with olive oil and set aside.
3. After that is prepared you want to put the shrimp to boil until shrimp turns pink (and that’s about a minute or two). Do not drain the shrimp.
4. using a big spoon remove the shrimp and start to peel the excess skin and de-vein.
5. You can then add the shrimp and the shrimp water to the mixture we prepared earlier. Stir together add salt and pepper to desired taste.

Ready to serve:
For that authentic Ecuadorian experience, serve with fresh popcorn.