Cafiroleta - Cuban Coconut Delight

Recipe from tasteofcuba.com, courtesy of the Cocina Cubana Club by Sonia Martinez. Tweaked a little to the availability of ingredients. Please try the recipe and leave your comments!

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups grated coconut, tightly packed
• 1 3/4 cups corn syrup (Recipe below)
• 3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
• 3 tbsp white wine

Corn Syrup

Yield 1 3/4 cups

Ingredients

• 2 cups white sugar  
• 6/8 cups (120 ml) water
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar (You can substitute with 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice or vinegar)
• 1 pinch salt

Preparation

• Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to a simmer and put cover for 3 minutes to get sugar crystals off the sides of the pan. Uncover and simmer, stirring often, until it reaches the soft ball stage, about 25 minutes. Cool and store in a covered container at room temperature.
• Syrup should keep for about 2 months.

Before browning

After browning

Served with Homemade Cream Cheese

Preparation

• Mix grated coconut and corn syrup in a deep saucepan and cook over medium - high heat until it starts to boil. Add the egg yolks and cook for a few minutes. 
• Add white wine and simmer and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes. Do not stir.
• Place the mixture in an oven proof dish and broil until brown on top. (I preheated the oven and baked for about 25 minutes on 200 degrees C).
• Serve hot with or without cream cheese. 

Notes

1. The dish tasted delicious even without browning.
2. The original recipe calls for a can of coconut in heavy syrup. As this is not available even in the supermarkets in Chennai, I checked the ingredients of the can and thus settled for grated coconut and corn syrup in the given proportion.

Southern Fried Chicken

Inspired from the menu of The Manhattan Fish Market, Chennai! I was initially wondering what a chicken dish was doing in a seafood joint. But when I wanted to do the Manhattan Fish and Chips for dinner and checked about the availability of cherry snapper (which is actually red snapper - I checked with TMFM!), the fishermen in Chennai happened to be on a strike and cherry snapper was not available. So, I looked at this dish again and found it quite interesting - Country Style Fried Chicken -  with a good old-fashioned Southern taste. And I started hunting for the recipe and found an excellent one - one that can even give KFC a run for their money! It's from food.com by Paula Deen posted by Sharlene W.

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 2 lbs ( 900 grams) cut-up chicken
• Peanut oil for frying

Sauce mixture

• 4 eggs
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 cup hot sauce (I used Tabasco sauce)

Seasoning blend

• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

Dredging mixture

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tbsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

Preparation

• For sauce mixture: In a medium-sized bowl, beat the eggs with the water. Add hot sauce and whisk together well. Pour this mixture into a large plastic zip-top bag.
• For seasoning mixture: In a small bowl, combine salt, freshly ground black pepper and garlic powder.
• For dredging mixture: In a another bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt.
• Heat peanut oil in a large saucepan to 350°F. 
• Rinse and pat dry chicken pieces with a paper towel.
• Sprinkle chicken generously on both sides with seasoning mixture.
• Drop a few chicken pieces of chicken into the bag of sauce mixture and squish around to coat thoroughly.
• One piece at a time, roll chicken in flour mixture (You can let it rest for a while so that the flour sticks to it) and drop into hot oil. Fry until brown and crisp. Dark meat (legs and thigh) takes longer to cook than white meat (breasts and wings). Check if done by piercing to the bone in the thickest part with a fork. If the juices run clear, it is done.
• Drain on paper towel and serve hot.

Cuban Turrones

Recipe from tasteofcuba.com

Ingredients

• 1 cup almonds
• 1 cup hazelnuts
• 1 cup honey
• 1 cup sugar
• 5 egg whites

Preparation

• Blanch the almonds and remove the skins. Toast the almonds with hazelnuts in a pan. Stir constantly. Remove the peel from hazelnuts. Chop them fine. Beat the egg whites and add to nuts.
• In the pan, mix the honey and sugar and melt over heat. Add the nut paste, mix and stir constantly for ten minutes and remove from heat.
• Put in shallow dish lined with rice paper (See notes below). When cold, sprinkle cinnamon on top. Cut into small pieces when set.

Notes

Rice paper can be bought from supermarkets. Alternatively, it can be made at home. Recipe below:

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup rice flour 
• 1/2 cup tapioca flour
• 2 tbsp corn starch
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 to 1/2 cups water
• 2 tbsp oil

Preparation

• Mix rice flour and tapioca flour in a bowl. Add in the corn starch and salt. Add 1 tbsp oil and water to mix it to make a thin batter.
• Heat a pan and add the rest of the oil. Pour batter like a pancake and cover it with a lid for 30 seconds. 
• Remove cover and put it on a greased cutting board to get the desired shape.

Cuban Arroz con Pollo (Rice and Chicken)

Recipe from tasteofcuba.com courtesy of Cocina Cubana Club

Serves 4 

Ingredients

• 1 cup (150 grams) rice, washed thoroughly

For the marinade

• 1/2 chicken, about 800 grams, cut into 6 pieces.
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground white pepper
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar  

For Sofrito and broth

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, cored, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 small green pepper, cored, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 small yellow pepper, cored, seeded and finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small tomato, seeded and diced
• 1 cup water 
• 2/3 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup beer
• 1/4 tsp saffron threads
• 2 tbsp tomato paste (blanched and pureed tomato)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For Garnish

• 1/2 cup green peas for garnish

Preparation

• Wash the chicken and blot dry with paper towels. Mix the oregano, cumin, white pepper and vinegar in a large glass bowl. Add the chicken, turning the pieces to cover with the mixture. Let marinate at least 15 minutes.
• Heat the oil in a large pan. Brown the chicken pieces all over, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a platter and pour out all but 2 tablespoons of the fat.
• Add the onion, bell peppers and garlic to the oil in the casserole, cook over medium heat until soft but brown, about 1 or 2 minutes. Add the tomato and cook for one more minute. Return the chicken to the casserole with the sofrito and cook for about 1 or 2 more minutes.
• Add the water, wine and beer, saffron, tomato paste and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes. 
• Bring chicken mixture to a boil once again, stir in the washed rice, reduce heat, cover and simmer until the rice is tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. If it starts to dry out and rice is still al dente, add more liquid. If it gets too soupy, uncover during the last 10 or 15 minutes of cooking.
• Just before it is done, stir in half of the peas. Garnish with the rest.
• Serve immediately.

Cuban Huevos Habaneros - Havana Style Eggs

Recipe is from tasteofcuba.com taken from "Memories of a Cuban Kitchen" by Mary Urrutia Randelman

Serves 3

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 small green bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped (Used instead of pimiento in the original recipe)
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 cup tomatoes, blanched and chopped  
• 2 tbsp white wine (Used instead of dry sherry)
• 6 eggs
• 4 tbsp butter
• salt and fresh black pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley to garnish

Preparation

• In a medium-size skillet over low heat, heat the oil until it is fragrant, then cook the onion, bell peppers and garlic, stirring, until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and white wine, cook until thickened, 15 minutes, and season with salt and pepper.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil 3 oven-proof dishes and divide the sauce among them. For each dish, break two eggs into a saucer, slide them on top of the tomato mixture, and drizzle with 1 tablespoon melted butter.
• Bake until the whites are set and the yolks are still soft, 10 to 12 minutes. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and parsley. 
• Place each on a serving plate and serve immediately from the baking dishes. 

Cuban Red Snapper a la Santa Barbara

Recipe is from tasteofcuba.com, courtesy "A Taste of Cuba" by Beatriz Llamas

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 250 grams red snapper fillets
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups shredded fresh coconut
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• oil for deep frying

For the sauce

• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 oz (28 grams) butter
• 2/3 cup white wine
• 1 1/4 cups coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon wheat flour
• Pinch red kesari powder (Used instead of annatto powder in the original recipe)

Preparation

For the sauce

• Saute the onion in two thirds of the butter for 3-4 minutes on a low heat without allowing it to brown. Add the wine and coconut milk and cook until the liquid is reduced by half. 
• In a separate pan, fry the teaspoon of flour in the rest of the butter. Add this to the first mixture to thicken the sauce, add the red kesari powder, and cook for 5-7 minutes more on a low heat until all taste of flour is gone. Season with salt and pepper. 
• Puree the sauce and set aside in a saucepan. The sauce should be light and not too thick.

For the fish fillet 

• Place the flour in one bowl, the beaten eggs in another and the shredded coconut mixed with the chopped scallion and parsley in a third bowl. 
• Season the fish fillets with salt, cover each fillet first with the flour, then the egg, and finally the coconut mixture. 
• Heat the oil in a skillet to about 375 degrees F (oil should sizzle when a drop of batter is put in) and deep fry the fish until golden. Drain the fish on paper towels and serve immediately with the sauce handed separately. 

Cuban Banana Casserole

Recipe from tasteofcuba.com, courtesy Cocina Cubana Club

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 3 bananas - sliced lengthwise
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, diced in small cubes
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans (You can substitute with almonds)
• 1 tablespoon brandy (I left this out as I didn’t have any!)

Preparation

• Butter the bottom of  a baking dish heavily and line it with half of the bananas. Sprinkle with brown sugar and dot with butter cubes.
• Sprinkle with half of the raisins and pecans or almonds. Repeat layers until all ingredients are used. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. 
• Let cool for 5 minutes and serve with vanilla ice cream.