cuban bread
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.
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cuban sandwich
1 loaf Cuban Bread
Mayonnaise
Yellow mustard
1/2 pound deli ham, thinly sliced
1/2 pound roast pork, thinly sliced
8 thin slices dill pickle
1/2 pound Swiss cheese, thinly slicedCut bread into 6 x 3-inch pieces with a serrated knife. Slice bread horizontally to open. Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on the 4 top halves and a thin layer of mustard on the 4 bottom halves. Arrange one-fourth of the ham evenly on each of the bottom halves, then stack a fourth of the pork, 2 pickle slices and a fourth of the cheese on each. Cover sandwiches with the top halves of the bread.Grill sandwiches in a buttered sandwich press until they are flat, the bread is browned, and the cheese has melted. If you do not have a sandwich press, substitute a waffle iron. Cut each sandwich in half and serve at once.Serves 4.
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fried ripe plantains
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. Sauté 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 sauté 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 sauté for 30 seconds. Next stand the slices on their opposite edges and sauté 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 sautéing 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 sauté 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.
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haitian bread
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 milkDissolve 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.
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hearts of palm in tomato sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
4 ounces fully cooked smoked ham, coarsely chopped (2/3 cup)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 (16 ounce) can whole tomatoes with liquid
2 tablespoons minced parsley
1 teaspoon vinegar
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 (14 ounce) cans hearts of palm, rinsed drained and sliced 1/2 inch thick
Grated Parmesan cheeseCook and stir onion, garlic, jalapeño peppers and ham in oil in skillet over medium heat until onion is tender. Add tomatoes, parsley, vinegar and pepper break up tomatoes with fork. Heat to boiling reduce heat. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until mixture is thickened, about 15 minutes. Stir in hearts of palm. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until hearts of palm are hot, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese.Yields 6 servings.
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jamaican beef patties
Dough
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
5 tablespoons cold waterMix together dry ingredients thoroughly in a medium size mixing bowl. Add vegetable shortening and cold water rub them into the seasoned flour with your fingers until you have a stiff dough. If the dough is too dry to hold together, add more cold water, 1/2 teaspoon at a time. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.Meanwhile, make the filling.After the filling is made, roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface to 1/8-inch thick. Cut the dough into circles 5 inches in diameter. This is easily accomplished by pressing the edges of a 5-inch diameter plate or bowl into the dough, and then following the outline with a sharp knife to cut the circles. Roll out the scraps and cut more circles until all the dough is used.Assemble beef patties by spooning about 1 1/2 tablespoons filling on one side of a pastry circle. Fold the other half of the circle over the filling so the edges meet, forming a half-moon. Seal the edges by pressing lightly with your fingertips and then with the tines of a fork. Place the beef patties on a baking sheet. Brush the tops of the beef patties with the beaten egg and bake them on the upper rack of a preheated 400 degree F oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove the beef patties from the oven and transfer them to wire racks. Serve them while they are still warm.Makes about 1 dozen.Filling
1/2 pound lean ground beef
1/2 pound hot or sweet Italian link
sausage, removed from casing
1 medium yellow onion, finely minced
1 large clove garlic, finely minced
1/2 Scotch bonnet chile or 1 jalapeño,
seeded and finely minced (optional)
1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup water
2 medium scallions, root ends removed, minced
1 large egg yolk, beatenSauté ground beef, sausage, onions, garlic and chile in a large skillet over medium-high heat until brown, about 15 minutes, breaking the meats up with a fork as they cook. Reduce heat to low add bread crumbs, curry powder, thyme, sage, salt, pepper and water. Cook the filling, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Stir in the scallions. Remove from the heat and allow the filling to cool to room temperature.
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jamaican codfish fritters
8 ounces cod fillets
2 medium onions, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
Vegetable oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepperHeat fish and just enough water to cover to boiling reduce heat. Cover and simmer until fish flakes easily with fork, 5 to 7 minutes drain. Cool and flake. Cook and stir onions in 2 tablespoons oil until tender.Heat 1 to 1 1/2 inches oil to 360 degrees F. Beat remaining ingredients with hand beater until smooth. Stir in fish and onions drop by level tablespoonsful into hot oil. Fry 5 or 6 at a time until golden brown, turning once, about 4 minutes drain. Serve with tartar sauce and lemon wedges.Makes about 36 fritters.
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jamaican jerk paste
1 small white onion, peeled and quartered
2 medium cloves garlic, peeled
1 Scotch bonnet chile or a 1-inch long habañero,
stem removed, halved and seeded, or to taste
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground allspice
2 teaspoons fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
2 tablespoons freshly-squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon soy saucePurée all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth. Transfer the jerk paste to a medium non-reactive mixing bowl.To Use
Coat cubed meat with jerk paste. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator, stirring once, for at least 3 hours. Toss onion wedges, bell pepper, zucchini and cherry tomatoes in a large mixing bowl with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Thread equal amounts of marinated meat and vegetables, alternating the ingredients, on 6 metal skewers. Broil the kebabs 1 to 2 inches from a preheated broiler, rotating them as they cook, until well browned on all sides. Or you can prepare a grill with wood chips or charcoal. When the fire is ready, place the kebabs on an oiled grill and cook until well browned. Transfer the kebabs to serving plates and serve with the rice dish of your choice.
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jamaican rice and peas
This is known in Jamaica as "Jamaican Coat of Arms." It is used as a side dish or as an entrée.1 cup dried small red beans
2 cups canned unsweetened coconut milk
2 cups long-grain rice
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and finely diced
1 large clove garlic, finely minced
1 whole Scotch bonnet chile, or a 1-inch long whole
habañero or any other very hot whole chile pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to tastePour beans into a colander pick over them and discard any pebbles, debris or malformed beans. Rinse beans thoroughly with cold running water. Place beans in a large pot and soak them overnight in enough water to cover.Drain beans, return them to the pot, and add 4 cups of water. Bring the beans to a boil, covered, over medium heat. Lower the heat and simmer the beans until they are not quite tender, about 30 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk, rice, diced onions, garlic, chile pepper, thyme, salt and pepper. Simmer the rice and beans, covered, until the rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Discard the chile pepper and serve at once.
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mango-marinated beef kabobs
1 small ripe mango
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon curry powder
2 tablespoons vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 drops red pepper sauce
1 pound beef boneless sirloin steak, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
2 large firm bananas, each cut into 6 pieces
12 (1 1/2-inch) cubes fresh pineapplePare and remove seed from mango place mango in blender container. Cover and blend on low speed until smooth, about 30 seconds.Cook and stir onion and garlic in oil until onion is tender. Mix onion mixture, mango, brown sugar, curry powder, vinegar, salt and pepper sauce in a non-reactive bowl. Stir in beef. Cover and refrigerate at least 24 hours.Remove beef from marinade reserve marinade. Alternate beef, banana and pineapple pieces on each of four 14-inch metal skewers. Brush marinade over all sides of fruit. Set oven to broil or 550 degrees F. Broil kabobs with tops about 4 inches from heat for 7 to 8 minutes. Turn brush with marinade. Broil until beef is of medium doneness and fruit is brown, 7 to 8 minutes longer. Heat remaining marinade to boiling. Serve kabobs with marinade and hot cooked rice, if desired.Yields 4 servings.
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