latinamerica

ARROZ CON POLLO - Cuba

Arroz con pollo means "Rice with Chicken" in Spanish. It is a classic dish of Spain and Latin America, with many different traditional ways to prepare it, unique to various countries. An arroz con pollo you find in Cuba may be quite different than one you find in Peru.

Ingredients

Chicken, cut into 8 serving pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons paprika
2 cups long-grain white rice
1 1/4 cups dry white wine
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes including juice
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
3/4 teaspoon crumbled saffron threads
1 bay leaf (not California)
1 cup frozen peas (not thawed)
1/2 cup pimiento-stuffed green olives, coarsely chopped
Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Method

Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a medium Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid, over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown chicken on all sides, about 12 minutes total. Transfer chicken with tongs to a plate.

Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from skillet and add onion, bell pepper, and salt to taste. Cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 7 minutes. Add garlic, paprika, and rice, then cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add wine and boil, uncovered, for 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes with juice, chicken broth, saffron, and bay leaf. Nestle chicken in rice, adding any juices from plate.

Cook, covered, over low heat until chicken is cooked through, rice is tender, and most of liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in peas, olives, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover skillet and let stand 10 minutes. Discard bay leaf and serve.

CEVICHE - Peru, Chile & Ecuador

Ceviche also spelled as cebiche or seviche) is a form of citrus-marinated seafood dish, popular in mainly Latin American countries. Both finfish and shellfish are used; finfish is typically used raw while shellfish is typically cooked.

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds sea bass fillets cut into 1-inch pieces

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 green chilies, seeds and stems removed, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon paprika

1 large onion, thinly sliced

1 cup fresh lemon juice

1 cup fresh lime juice

1 clove garlic, minced

1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch thick slices

3 ears fresh corn, cleaned and cut into 2-inch thick slices

Bibb lettuce leaves

Method

Place the cut and cleaned fish into a large glass or ceramic bowl and sprinkle with the salt and black pepper. Add 1/2 of the chile rings, paprika, onion, lemon juice, lime juice, and the garlic and mix lightly; cover the mixture and refrigerate for 3 to 5 hours until the flesh is opaque. About 30 minutes before serving the fish, cook the sweet potatoes in a large pot of boiling salted water for 12 minutes; then, add the corn to pot and cook for 10 minutes more, until tender. Drain the vegetables and reserve them, at room temperature, for the garnish. Drain the fish thoroughly in a colander and arrange the Bibb lettuce leaves on 4 dinner plates. Place the fish on the lettuce leaves and garnish with the reserved chile rings, and surround the fish with the wheels of cooked sweet potatoes and corn. Yield: 4 servings

PUPUSAS - El Salvador & Honduras

Pupusas are similar to corn tortillas, only thicker and stuffed with cheese, beans or meat. The pupusa originated in El Salvador, but it is also popular in neighboring Honduras.

Ingredients

1 pound ground turkey breast

½ large onion, finely diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 medium fresh green chili, seeded and minced

1 small tomato, finely chopped

¼ teaspoon cumin

¼ pound low-fat white cheese, grated

½ teaspoon salt

5 cups flour

4 cups water

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Method

In a large, non-stick saucepan, over high heat, cook the turkey, onion, and garlic until cooked through. If necessary, add small amounts of water to the turkey to prevent sticking. When the meat is firm, reduce heat to low and add the chili, tomato, and cumin. Let mixture cook until all liquid has evaporated. Set aside to cool. Stir in the cheese and salt.

Put the flour in a large mixing bowl and stir in enough water to make a tortilla-like dough. Divide the dough into 25 pieces and roll each into a ball. Flatten each ball between the palms of your hands to ½-inch. Put a spoonful of the meat mixture in the middle of each disk of dough and enclose it firmly. Flatten the pupusas again to about ½-inch thick.

To cook, heat a flat, heavy-bottom skillet until it is very hot. Brush the skillet with a little oil. Cook the pupusas on each side for 4 to 5 minutes until nicely browned. Serve immediately.

AREPAS - Colombia y Venezuela

Ingredients

1 cup of precooked corn flour

(masarepa, masarica, masaharina)

2 cups of water

1 half teaspoon of salt

1 half teaspoon of butter

Method

Add the salt to the water then add the flour little by little and knead until it turns to dough. Add the half teaspoon of butter. Start making small balls of dough about 4 inches wide and flatten them until they get about half an inch thick. To cook you can either put them in the oven or toast them. Serve them warm.

CHIMICHURRI - Argentina, Paraguay y Uruguay

Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup minced fresh parsley

1 clove garlic

2 minced shallots

1 teaspoon minced basil, thyme or oregano, or mixture

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Combine all ingredients and let set for at least 2 hours before serving.

PATACONES/TOSTONES - Caribbean

Ingredients

4 Large Green Plantains
Vegetable Oil
Salt

Method

Peel the plantains and cut into 3-4 pieces. Fry in hot vegetable oil. When they are golden, take them out of the oil and pound them flat. Return them to the oil and refry for a few minutes.
Remove and place on absorbent paper. Sprinkle salt to taste.

GALLO PINTO - Costa Rica & Nicaragua

Ingredients

1 pound black beans

8 cups of cooked white rice

2 medium onions

6 cloves of garlic

1/2 sweet red pepper

Dash of Worcestershire

Method

Boil black beans in pressure cooker with 3 cloves of garlic and a hefty pinch of salt until cooked, use directions on the package of beans. Sauté onion, garlic and sweet pepper till soft - Not brown. Add the rice and the beans and mix together. Season if needed, and add the Worcestershire. This simple yet delicious local dish is usually served with scrambled or fried eggs (over easy).

SANCOCHO DE GALLINA - Panamá & Colombia

Ingredients

One 4-5 lb. cut up chicken

1 large onion

2 ripe tomatoes

2 green peppers

4 garlic cloves, mashed

4 quarts cold water

1 lb. yucca

1 lb. name

3 green plantains

3 ears of tender corn

1 lb. potatoes

Salt & Pepper

Coriander & Parsley

Method

Place the cut-up hen in the cold water with the herbs and salt and pepper and cook slowly until tender. While it is cooking, chop the onion, tomatoes, and peppers and add to the pot with the garlic. Cut the corn and plantains in 1 1/2-inch pieces and add. Then chop the remaining vegetables (not too small) and add. Continue cooking until all the vegetables are tender. Season to taste. For a little more zip, add a bit of hot pepper. Serve in large soup dishes.

MOJITO - Cuba

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz vodka
1 oz lime juice
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
5 raspberries
4 oz club soda
6 - 7 mint leaves

Method

Tear up the mint leaves and add them to an old-fashioned glass containing the lime juice and sugar. Press the laves with the back of a spoon against the glass to release the aroma. Add vodka. Fill the glass with ice cubes and top off with club soda. Add the raspberries. Mix it with a spoon so that mint leaves and raspberries get distributed throughout the glass. Serve.