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Cookbookh

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INTRODUCTION

When we started planning for the Cuban Food Stories (CFS) Kickstarter campaign,

we thought it was a good idea to send our supporters a mini cookbook with the

recipes we liked the most from our culinary journey. With time, the work we have

put into the film and thinking about this mini book has come to mean much more

to us. It has changed the way we think about Cuban food and heritage. Thanks to

it, we are starting our next Cuban culinary chapter: the CFS - Culinary Initiative, a

non-profit endeavor with the mission to honor Cuba’s rich and diverse food culture.

We wish that this mini book becomes a flavorful companion to our film. We hope

it brings a little of the Cuban Food Stories experience not only to your screens but

also to your kitchens.

This e-book is organized into four sections: The Classics, The Unexpected, A New

Take, and From Our Kitchen.

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The Classics: As you may expect, these are the greatest hits of Cuban cuisine on

the island. The ones anyone would recognize and expect to find in Cuba. We chose

the tastiest versions of these classic dishes that we could discover.

The Unexpected: In this section, we included three dishes that were surprises

for us. These dishes challenge the flavor profile you expect to find in Cuba. These

three dishes represent only the beginning of deeper research that we are doing

with the CFS - Culinary Initiative.

A New Take: This section is very special for us. It shows how new restauranteurs in

Cuba can use our culinary heritage and create a modern Cuban cuisine. The recipe

that we included in this section is composed of two very traditional and cherished

Cuban recipes that were transformed into an unexpected new Cuban dish.

From Our Kitchen: As the name suggests, these are our interpretations of

traditional Cuban recipes. We added this section because for us, it is important to

share our very own Cuban food story with you. In this segment, you will see certain

modifications either in cooking methods, ingredients, or both, but all the recipes

are intrinsically Cuban.

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For the entire mini book, we picked the recipes that were easy to recreate in a

conventional kitchen. We also chose recipes with ingredients that we all can

find outside of Cuba. We tested all the recipes multiple times in our tiny New

York kitchen. In some cases, we made slight changes to the traditional way

they are made in Cuba, but those changes are clearly marked so that you can

still do it the original way if you like.

Please let us know if there are any specific recipes that you would like to try. We will search in our archives, test a couple of ideas, and send them right back to you. You can contact us through social media on Instagram or Facebook. Last but not the least, Cuban food always tastes better with some Cuban music; so, here’s a playlist with some of our favorite Cuban music of all times.

Happy cooking!!!

Asori Soto and Malena Svarch

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RECIPES

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RECIPES

THE CLASSICS Like many Cubans, when we feel homesick, we think of these dishes – Arroz Congris, Succulent Fried Pork Chunks, and Garlicky Tostones. Although these dishes are labor intensive, they are some of the most well known Cuban comfort foods. Perhaps, that’s the reason we decided to start this book with them.

During the research for Cuban Food Stories, we heard about Migdalia, a very kind lady who was also one of the best criolla food cuisine cooks on the island. She lives in the Escambray Mountains with her handsome husband, Gilberto. In our film, you can enjoy the raw beauty of mountain living in Cuba as you enjoy their unique love story.

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ARROZ CONGRIS A.K.A MOROS Y CRISTIANOS

(black beans and rice).Escambray Mountains, Villa Clara

This is easily one of the most recognizable Cuban dishes. It’s also one of the most challenging that we have in this book. It took us many iterations of Migdalia’s recipe to get close to the experience, but don’t get discouraged; even our worst try was an explosion of flavors. To be fair, she cooked in a wood stove, and there is no way we can achieve those smokey flavors in our tiny apartment without burning the entire building away.

Ingredients:2 cups of dried black beans

2 cups of rice1 green pepper

1 red pepper½ onion

3 or 4 cloves of garlic4 tablespoons of olive oil (if you want to keep the dish vegetarian-friendly)

or lard (which is more traditional and the way Migdalia cooks it)½ pound of chopped pork belly (optional, but highly recommended)

2 bay leaves1 teaspoon of cumin (we like to use whole cumin)

1 teaspoon of oreganoSalt to taste

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Steps:

Note: We use a pressure cooker for this dish; if you don’t have one, just add more time to the cooking process.

1. Migdalia soaked the dry beans in a large pot with four to five cups of water for about one hour. We found that the Black Goya beans are the some of the best you can find in any U.S. supermarket for this recipe. 2. After 1 hour, you will see how the beans have absorbed quite a lot of water. Just put them with the remaining water into the pressure cooker. Add 3 cups of water, a bay leaf, ½ of the green pepper, and ½ of the red pepper. Leave this to cook with pressure for 15-20 minutes (about 50 mins if not using a pressure cooker, but please check on them occasionally). 3. In the meantime, prepare the “sofrito,” which is one of the secrets of Cuban cuisine. In a small pan on medium heat, just put olive oil (or lard), chopped garlic, onion, and the rest of the peppers. Let them cook for a couple of minutes. When the ingredients get soft, and the house starts smelling with a delicious aroma, turn the heat off and let them simmer until the beans are ready. 4. PRO-TIP, if you want to go super authentic, start with half a pound of chopped pork belly and when the meat is cooked and crispy, you can add the sofrito steps we just described. 5. By now, the beans should be ready. The texture should be soft, but since you will add cooking time with the rice, they should be a little “al dente.” When done, strain the beans in a colander and save the water in a different pot.

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6. Clean the pressure cooker or the pan you are using and dry it thoroughly. Add the sofrito. PRO-TIP: My grandmother used to cook the sofrito in the same pot she would use to finish the rice. 7. To the sofrito, add the rice and two cups of the cooked beans. Stir-fry for a couple of minutes so that the sofrito brings its flavor to all the rice and beans. Add 3 cups of the bean water, the cumin, the oregano, and salt to taste. Stir well. 8. Put the lid on. Let it cook for 20 minutes. 9. Open the lid and stir the rice. You can add a little olive oil at the end to bring out the flavors.10. It’s ready to serve!

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GARLICKY TOSTONES WITH CILANTROEscambray Mountains, Villa Clara

Tostones (green fried plantains) are one of the most versatile fried side dishes in Cuban cuisine. Many cook the tostones as a snack or a side dish, or use it with multiple toppings just as you would use a crispy tortilla. In our house, we like to top them with ceviche. In Migdalia’s house, we tried the tostones differently. She makes them garlicky and with cilantro. The resulting dish is delicious and equally versatile.

Ingredients:4 green plantains

2-3 cups of canola oil5-7 garlic cloves, finely chopped1 cup of finely chopped cilantro

Salt to taste

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Steps:

1. Peel the plantains. There are tons of different tricks to do this since they’re not super easy to peel. This is Migdalia’s suggestion for how to tackle it: you cut the ends of the plantain, cut the skin lengthwise, and start peeling. 2. Once all the plantains are peeled, cut them into 1-inch pieces. 3. Put the oil in a big pot, and turn the heat on medium high. The first trick is to add the pieces of plantain to the room temperature oil. Don’t overcrowd the pan. It’s a good idea to fry them in different batches if necessary. Stir occasionally. 4. When the plantain pieces get a golden color, take them out of the oil. Turn the heat off. 5. Once the pieces have cooled down, it’s time to make the “tostón.” Fold parchment paper around a piece of fried plantain. With a heavy pot or coffee cup, smash the plantain into a disc shape. Repeat the process with all the plantain pieces. 6. Reheat the pan with oil. Once the oil is hot, put the tostones in and stir occasionally. 7. In the meanwhile, cut the garlic and cilantro into finely diced pieces. Place them in a big bowl with salt. 8. When the tostones are golden, take them out of the oil one by one with a spatula, making sure to take out any excess fat. 9. Place the tostones in the cilantro and garlic bowl and stir them. The hot tostones will absorb the garlic and cilantro flavors deliciously. Make sure to have a beer close by. It will be totally worth it! :)

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SUCCULENT FRIED PORK CHUNKSEscambray Mountains, Villa Clara

The name of this dish says everything that is to know about it. It’s fried, it’s pork and it’s SUCCULENT!!! I remember when I was a kid and went to my grandmother’s house, they had them pre-made and preserved in tanks of lard, you would just “fish” them out, and heat it in the pan with some onions. Just remembering it brings tears of joy to my eyes. This recipe comes straight from Migdalia’s kitchen, the one difference, is that she cooked them in a wood fire stove, adding a beautiful cedar wood smokey flavor.

Ingredients:

2 pounds of pork shoulder or loin, cut into 2–3 inches chunks½ cup of lard (or regular cooking oil)

1 teaspoon of dry oregano1 teaspoon of cumin

2 garlic cloves1 lime

1 lemon1 orange

PRO TIP - You can substitute the lemon, lime, and orange for two Sour Oranges!

1/3 cup of water½ of a thinly sliced onion

1 or 2 teaspoons of salt

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Steps:

1.Put the lard in a heavy pot, turn it to medium heat, and add a cup of water. Add in the chunks of pork. 2. Let it cook for 1.5 hours. Stir them occasionally. 3. In the meantime, make the mojito for the meat. Mojito is a dressing that is very commonly used in Cuban dishes. Heat a couple tablespoons of lard or oil in a pan, and when hot, add it to the mix of the sliced onions, the smashed garlic pieces, and the juices of lemon, lime, and orange, along with the cumin and oregano. 4. When the meat turns to a golden color, take it off the heat and place it on a serving plate. Pour the mojito dressing over it. Serve it with the Tostones and the “Arroz Congris”! Save the leftovers (if any) and make a fried pork mash with fried eggs for breakfast!

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HOMEMADE FLANTrinidad, Sancti Spiritus

The classics section would not be completed without a classic Cuban dessert, and homemade flan is a Cuban’s favorite. This is the flan recipe that we tried in Trinidad with Yohan and his family, just 30 kilometers from Migdalia’s house. You will need individual ramekins or ramekin-substitutes for this recipe, although some Cuban families make the flan in a big ramekin and then cut it into pieces.

Ingredients:

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5 eggs1 teaspoon of vanilla

1 can of evaporated milk1 can of condensed milk

1 cup of sugar1/3 cup of water

Steps:

1. Let’s make the caramel first. Put the water in a pot and, while it is on low heat, dissolve the sugar into the water. Once dissolved, turn it up to medium heat. 2. Stir occasionally until everything is mixed and starts to turn a caramel color. 3. Coat your ramekins with caramel and let them cool. 4. In the meantime, mix all the remaining ingredients using a blender. 5. Fill each ramekin with the mixture. 6. Put the ramekins inside another pan that is filled with water and bake for 30-35 minutes at 350F. 7. To check if they’re done, insert a table knife in the center of the ramekin; the blade has to be clean when you take it out. 8. Now comes the most challenging part - putting them in the fridge and having to wait at least 2 hours before serving. You can serve it in the same ramekins or turn them out onto little plates.

We think that a good flan is a delicious dish when it is plain, but in Cuba, sometimes, they serve it along with “dulce de coco.” It’s up to you to experiment and see which way you like it!

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THE UNEXPECTEDOne of the best parts of making this film was discovering all the dishes that people don’t expect to see when they think of Cuban cuisine. Avocado rice from Trinidad, shrimp in coconut milk from Baracoa, or the delicious Gibarian Paella are excellent examples of less known dishes from the island. As a part of our culinary initiative, we intend to shine light onto many more amazing Cuban dishes.

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AVOCADO RICE — ARROZ CON AGUACATETrinidad, Sancti Spiritus

Trinidad has a very unique interpretation of Cuban dishes, and most of this is because it was a very refined and aristocratic city in the early 1800s. The “Arroz con Aguacate,” or Avocado Rice, was Trinidad’s way of upgrading basic white rice by adding avocado and cardamom. This is a very unique way of transforming the famous white rice. Yohan Machín cooked it for us in his Trinitarian bed and breakfast. This rice dish is not very common to find, but it’s a staple of Yohan’s contemporary Trinidadian kitchen. The rice can be paired with many dishes; Yohan served it with a delicious grilled lobster. But at home, we make it with lamb or seafood.

Ingredients: 2 cups of rice

2 tablespoons of olive oil2 ripe avocados1 cup of cilantro

2 or 3 cloves of garlic3-4 cups of chicken stock, depending on the rice quality (or vegetable stock if

you want to keep it vegetarian-friendly)1 teaspoon of cardamom

½ teaspoon of black pepperSalt to taste

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Steps:

Note: For this recipe, use a pot that has a lid.

1. Add the olive oil to the pan. 2. Add the smashed garlic cloves and let them simmer for 15-30 sec. 3. Add in the rice and mix it all together. 4. Add the chicken stock, salt, and pepper and stir well. 5. Put the lid back on and set the temperature to medium hot. 6. Leave it for 15 min. 7. While the rice is cooking, peel the avocados and smash them. You should create a sort of chunky guacamole. 8. When the rice is cooked, add the avocado puree, the thyme, and the chopped cilantro and mix it together.

You can eat this rice hot or at room temperature. It is delicious both ways!

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SHRIMP IN COCONUT MILKBaracoa, Guantanamo

Shrimp in Coconut Milk is one of the best examples of unexpected Cuban dishes. In Cuba, it’s not typical to cook with coconut milk. What we love about making this discovery is the chance to understand what a nuanced and varied heritage Cuban cuisine has to offer. If you thought it was just pork, beans, and rice, you’re in for a surprise! This is a simple recipe, but one with unique flavors. Because this region of Cuba is still not well-connected with the rest of the island, we find its cuisine to be reminiscent of other Caribbean countries, such as Jamaica and Haiti. For a time, it was easier for the people of Baracoa to sail to other countries in the Caribbean or even to French Louisiana than it was to travel to other regions of Cuba. We shot this recipe up the Toa river, in a place where you can only arrive at by rafts.

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Ingredients: 1 pound of freshly peeled and deveined large shrimps

(In the Toa river, they used river shrimp)1 small onion4 garlic cloves

4 small peppers (In Cuba, they use Scotch bonnet peppers; in the US,

we use mini peppers.)1 can (14 oz) of unsweetened coconut milk

(In Baracoa they make this coconut milk from scratch, but that’s a bit hard to do in our tiny Brooklyn apartment.)

2 tablespoons of olive oil1 teaspoon cumin

1 bunch of cilantro½ teaspoon of saffron (in Baracoa they use achiote (annatto seeds), but

saffron is not only easier to find but brings a little more flavor to the dish, too).

Salt and black pepper to taste

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Steps:

1. Finely chop the onion, garlic, and pepper. 2. Heat the olive oil in a pan at medium to medium/high heat and then simmer the onion, garlic, and pepper in the oil. (This is the sofrito step). Remember to stir the ingredients with a tong from time to time. Lower to medium and cook for 5 to 7 minutes. 3. Open the can of coconut milk and whisk with a spoon. Add the coconut milk to the sofrito. Stir occasionally. 4. Add the cumin, some salt, and the saffron, and let it cook until you get a nice, silky reduction. 5. After the reduction is almost done, add the shrimp to the pan and let it cook for 3-5 minutes (until the shrimp are pink). It’s important not to overcook the shrimp. 6. Serve and garnish with cilantro. In Baracoa, they eat this dish with bacán, a plantain-based tamale, and white rice. In our house, we eat it with white rice, fried tostones, and an avocado/tomato salad.

It’s delicious with whatever you want to pair it with!

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GIBARIAN PAELLAGibara, Holguin

This is one of the tastiest recipes we found on our culinary journey. Gibara has a unique regional cuisine, and it is very different from the rest of the island. It was a region settled by people from the Canary Islands and France and, because the bay is extremely rich in fauna, their cuisine ended up including much more seafood than what you see on the rest of the island. It’s a fisherman’s town even to this day, and they’re very proud of their cuisine. The Gibarian Paella is very similar to regular paella, but it makes use of ingredients local to the area. Time has taken a toll on the town, but it still hosts the second most important film festival in Cuba.

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Ingredients:3 cups of rice

(“bomba” rice is always better)1 bag of seafood blend.

You can pick and choose what goes into it, or you can buy one from Whole Foods (the seafood needs to be thawed).

In an ideal scenario, it will have, at least: mussels, shrimp, squid, and scallops.

2 fillets of cod cut in small cubes2 fresh crabs (we got ours in NYC’s Chinatown)PRO-TIP You can add blue crab for more flavor.

1 small can of anchovies1 cup of cilantro4 cloves of garlic

1 onion1 red pepper

1 green pepper3 tablespoons of olive oil

4 cups of chicken stock2 cups of good white wine (or beer)

1 teaspoon of saffron1 teaspoon of cumin

1 cup of chopped cilantroSalt and pepper to taste

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Steps:

1.Finely chop the onion, garlic, and peppers. 2.Heat the olive oil in a pot. 3.Add the onions, garlic, anchovies, and peppers, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes. 4.Add the rice and mix it all together for a couple of minutes. Let it fry at low heat with the rest of the ingredients, stirring often. 5.Add the fish and continue stirring for another 2-3 minutes. 6.Add the wine, cumin, saffron, salt, and pepper and mix well. 7.Little by little start adding the chicken stock. 8.Leave it simmering for 15 minutes. 9.If you see that the rice is getting too dry, add a little more wine and chicken stock. 10. Taste the rice with a fork; and if it’s cooked, add the seafood blend (including the crabs) and stir well for 2–3 min. 11. Add the cilantro, mix and turn the heat off. 12. Let it rest. Eat with tostones and a cold beer.

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A NEW TAKE

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A NEW TAKE

CHICKEN-AND-RICE CROQUETTESOld Havana, Havana

I was born in Havana, and for most of my childhood, food was almost non-existent. But now, Havana is a different city. After years of necessity, some independent chefs are looking at Cuban cuisine with new eyes. As if they were starting from a blank canvas. One of these restauranteurs is our good friend, Jose Carlos, from “El Del Frente” restaurant in Old Havana. Jose is modernizing dishes that we all love in Cuba. In this case, he has made a Cuban arancini/croquette out of one of the best recipes the Island has to offer, the “arroz con pollo a la chorrera.” We’ve made a simplified version of this dish. Even though this dish has been modernized, I love how the flavors still transport me to my own childhood. One of the main goals of CFS - Culinary Initiative is to encourage more Cuban chefs to embrace their heritage and create new recipes that can make us travel in time.

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CROQUETAS DE ARROZ CON POLLO A LA CHORRERA(and a couple of other recipes tucked into this too)

There are different ways to make this recipe. But in every case, you need to make the “Arroz Con Pollo a la Chorrera” (Soapy Rice with Chicken) first. Some people make the “Arroz con Pollo” directly, but in our house, we divide the process into three steps: 1. We make a simplified “Fricasse de Pollo” (a tasty Cuban chicken stew) that you can have alone or with white rice, or you can use it as a base for the “Arroz con Pollo.” 2. We add rice the next day and make a simplified “Arroz Con Pollo.” 3. We set aside some “Arroz Con Pollo” to make the croquettes. The quantity of ingredients used in this recipe is larger because we ate this recipe at different “stages.” Feel free to cut the recipe in half if you just want to make the croquettes. You can follow the best approach that works for you. We recommend leaving the “Arroz con Pollo” in the fridge for one day so that it’s easier to shape the mixture into balls for the croquettes.

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SIMPLIFIED FRICASSE DE POLLO (without potatoes)

Ingredients:

4 chicken legs (drumsticks and thighs)

1 spoon of olive oil

1 spoon of butter

1 onion, cut into small pieces

1 red pepper, sliced

1 green pepper, sliced

4 garlic cloves, smashed

1 cup of tomato sauce

1 spoon of tomato paste

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon of cumin

1 bay leaf

1/2 cup of beer

1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar

2 carrots

1 stick of celery

Salt and black pepper to taste

PRO-TIP: For a traditional Fricassee, add potatoes.

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Steps:

1.Finely chop the onion, garlic, and peppers.

2. Heat the olive oil and butter in a pot.

3. Add the onions, garlic, peppers, carrots, and celery, occasionally stirring

for 3-5 minutes.

4. Add the tomato paste, the bay leaf, the cumin, and the oregano. Stir-fry

for 2 to 3 minutes.

5. Add the tomato sauce and the chicken. Stir-fry for 5 minutes.

6. Add the beer and the remaining ingredients.

7. Put the lid on the pot and cook for 45 minutes at medium/high heat.

This is a basic version of the Cuban Fricassee de Pollo. You can have it with

white rice, arroz congris, tostones, salad, or even with a yuca puree.

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SIMPLIFIED “ARROZ CON POLLO A LA CHORRERA”

Here is a simplified way of making the delicious

“Arroz con Pollo a la Chorrera.”

Ingredients:

Chicken Fricassee

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups of rice

1 onion, cut into small pieces

1 red pepper, sliced

1 green pepper, sliced

4 garlic cloves, smashed

2 cups of chicken stock

1 cups of frozen green peas

1 big roasted red pimiento, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon cumin

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

2 cups white wine

Salt and black pepper to taste

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Steps:

Note: For this recipe, it’s important to use a pot with a lid.

1. Put the oil in a large skillet and turn to medium heat. Once hot, place the

garlic, the onions, and the peppers into the pan and then “sofríelos” (which

means fry them as you stir the mixture from time to time) for 2 or 3 minutes.

Lower the heat to medium, medium-low.

2. Add the rice and mix it all together.

3. Add the chicken stock, wine, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper and stir

well.

4. Put the lid back on and set the temperature to medium hot.

5. Leave it for 15 minutes.

6. Stir in the rice, and if you notice that the mixture has become too dry,

you can add in a little bit more wine.

7. Add the chicken fricassee with sauce, roasted peppers, and the frozen

peas. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes, with the lid on and the heat off.

Now it’s ready to eat, save 2-3 cups of the Arroz con Pollo for the croquettes.

Pack it in a very tightly sealed Tupperware and let it rest for a couple of hours

in the fridge.

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CROQUETAS DE ARROZ CON POLLO A LA CHORRERA

Ingredients: 2-3 cups of “Arroz con Pollo”

2 cups of flour

2 cups of panko

2 eggs

1 cup of canola oil

Steps:

1. Take a big spoonful of the arroz con pollo mix. Using your hands, create

balls out of the mixture in a similar way as when you make meatballs.

2. Place all the balls in the fridge for ½-1 hour.

3. Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat them lightly with a fork.

4. Place the flour and panko into two different bowls.

5. Dip a ball of arroz con pollo into the flour and cover all sides. Dip the

floured ball into the egg mixture and make sure it’s covered but there isn’t any

excess egg on it. Then drop into the panko, making sure that all the edges are

covered.

6. Repeat the process for all the balls.

7. Heat the oil in a pot, and once hot, place the balls in the oil very carefully;

it’s important not to overcrowd the pot.

8. Let them crisp to a golden color, using a fork to move them around as

they cook.

9. Once they turn a golden color, take them out of the pan and let them

cool.

Enjoy them as an appetizer!

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FROM OUR KITCHEN At home, we love to cook food from all over the world. It’s not very

often that we cook Cuban food, but when we do, these are some of

our favorite recipes.

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BRAISED LAMB ROPA VIEJA This is one of our favorite Cuban dishes of all time. I personally love it with

lamb, but you can also make it with beef. There are so many different versions

of this dish, but this one is the one we love. It’s a very versatile dish, you can

have it with anything you like.

Ingredients:A piece of lamb as lean as possible (around 2 pounds), cut into pieces

2 or 3 bay leaves

1 red pepper

1 green pepper

2 onions (1 for cooking the meat and another one for the sauce (sofrito)

3 to 4 cloves of garlic

1 cup of white wine (or red if you like more intense flavors)

1 cup of tomato puree

2 spoons of tomato paste

4 cups of chicken stock

1/2 teaspoon of black pepper

1 teaspoon of cumin

1 teaspoon of smoked paprika

1/4 cup of olive oil

Salt and black pepper to taste

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Steps:

1.Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a Dutch oven, we will braise the lamb with all the ingredients. First,

seal the lamb on high heat, and remove from the Dutch oven. Then make the

sofrito in the same pan. Add the lamb back, and stir fry with the ingredients.

Add the wine and tomato puree. If you feel it needs more liquid, add chicken

stock (or beer). Cook for 15 minutes; put the lid, and move to the oven.

3. Braise until tender for about two hours. Check occasionally; if it’s getting

dry, add more wine, chicken stock, or beer.

4. When tender, remove from the oven, and let it cool.

5. When cool, remove the lamb from the sauce, and shred with two forks.

Save the sauce as you will use it later.

6. In a pan, heat some olive oil (or butter), add an extra garlic clove, and

add the lamb. Stir fry for a couple minutes. Add the sauce. Cook until the sauce

is reduced.

In Cuba, we eat Ropa Vieja with rice and fried plantains. Here in our home,

we eat it on Chinese steamed buns or over an avocado toast. We’ve also made

it into tacos with tortillas and some guacamole. You can also mix it with some

greens for a healthier lunch.

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BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

Even though you are probably surprised to see it included in a collection of

Cuban dishes, this soup is made all over the island. In Cuba, they boil the

butternut squash, but we love to make it in the oven. When I was growing up,

this dish was one of my sister’s favorites because it was easy to make but elegant

at the same time.

Ingredients:

2 small butternut squash

(about 1 ½ pound each)

or 1 large butternut squash (3 pounds)

10 garlic cloves

1/3 cup good plain yogurt (we use Labneh)

1 cup chicken stock (you can use vegetable stock to keep it vegetarian)

2 tablespoons butter

Freshly ground nutmeg (½ teaspoon)

Good olive oil

A small bag of plantain chips

Salt and pepper to taste

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Steps:

1.Preheat the oven to 425F. 2.Cut the butternut squash vertically and take the seeds out. 3. Put some parchment paper over a baking sheet and place the butternut squash on the parchment paper. 4. Add some olive oil, salt, and pepper and sprinkle smashed cloves from 5 garlics over it. Massage the butternut squash with this mixture of olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic. Put in the oven for 45-50 minutes. 5. In the meantime, smash the plantain chips without opening the bag. Using a rolling pin, crush the bag very carefully, so you don’t break the bag, but so the chips still get pulverized. 6. Once the butternut squash is done, take it out of the oven. With a spoon, scoop out the butternut squash and place it into a blender. Discard the skin. 7. Add 5 fresh garlic cloves, butter, yogurt, and chicken stock into the blender and blend together. 8. If you think the soup is too thick, add more chicken stock. 9. Once everything is blended, transfer the mixture to a pot and heat until warm. Add nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. 10. To serve, put some of the soup into a serving bowl. Drizzle some good olive oil on top and sprinkle it with some of the plantain chips. You can also add some ricotta cheese.

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LOBSTER ENCHILADO

This is perhaps the most traditional way of cooking lobster in Cuban houses.

Enchilado means a stew, and we ate versions of this stew all over the island.

Every time we get to Cuba, our family knows that this is a treat that we really

enjoy. This recipe comes directly from their kitchen.

Ingredients:

4 fresh lobster tails (approximately 1 pound each).

Ask the fishmonger to clean and quarter the lobster tails,

keeping the meat and the shell together.

1 or 2 bay leaves

1 red pepper

1 green pepper

1 onion

3 or 4 cloves of garlic

2 cups of rose wine

1 cup of tomato puree

1 teaspoon of tomato paste

1 lime

½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes

3 tablespoons of olive oil

½ cup of fresh parsley

Salt and black pepper to taste

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Steps:

Note: Ideally, this dish is cooked in a heavy cast-iron pot. If you don’t have one,

use a pan that you can put a lid on.

1. First, prepare the sofrito! Slice the onion and peppers and smash the

garlic cloves.

2. Heat the oil in the pan on medium heat. Once hot, place the garlic, the

onions, and the peppers in the oil and “sofríelos” (which means fry them while

you move them with a tong from time to time) for 2 or 3 minutes. Lower the

heat to medium or medium-low.

3. Add the tomato puree, tomato paste, red pepper flakes, bay leaves, and

salt. Cook for another couple of minutes.

4. Add the wine and let it cook for another 10-15 min.

5. Once you see the sauce has a nice reduction and is thick, add the lobster

and cook for another 4-6 min.

6 .Once you see that the color of the lobster is getting bright pink, it means

the meat is cooked. It is critical to not overcook the meat as it remains tender

this way.

7. Cut the fresh parsley and pour over the lobster.

Now, it’s ready to eat!

This dish is traditionally served with white rice, but you can also serve it with

some tostones, or even pasta.

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PASTELITOS DE GUAYABA A guava pastelito is the king of Cuban sweet cravings. In Havana, you can find

“pastelitos de guayaba” in most of the street food stands. As a snack, it’s usually

paired along with a Cuban cafecito. And of course, the best guava pastelitos

are the homemade ones. As you can probably guess, my grandmother used to

make the best “pastelitos de guayaba.” She would carefully make the dough

from scratch every time. I can still recall how our house smelled when she was

baking some pastelitos.

At home, we make them often. With a quick trick to facilitate the process that is

totally worth it: puff pastry! We buy puff pastry and use it as the dough. Believe

us, these pastelitos are so good they would make my grandmother proud.

Ingredients:

2 sheets of puff pastry

(we get one package of Pepperidge Farm with 2 sheets,

but you can use a brand of your preference)

A package of guava paste

(you will actually use less than a package).

Some good ones are Goya Guava Paste

or Conchita Guava Paste.

One egg

Some sugar

Optional but worth it: cream cheese

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Steps:

1.Preheat the oven to 400F.

2. Thaw the puff pastry. You can do it by taking it out of the fridge for 30–45

mins.

3. Put some parchment paper over a baking sheet.

4. Break the egg and whisk it with a little bit of tap water (about a tablespoon).

Set aside.

5.Unfold each pastry sheet and cut it in 6 pieces of the same size. We use

the lines made for the folding as a guide and cut it into three pieces, then cut

each in half, which leaves you with 6 equal squares per pastry sheet.

6.At the center of each square, put half of an inch of guava paste and then

brush the edges with some of the egg mixtures that you previously whisked.

Fold the puff pastry over the guava paste to form a triangle. Don’t forget to

seal the edges using a fork, which will also give it a nice finishing to the edges.

Brush the top of the triangles with some of the egg mixtures and then put them

on the pastry sheet.

7.Once you have all the pastelitos on the pastry sheet, sprinkle some sugar

over them. This will caramelize in the oven.

8.Put in the oven for around 25 minutes or until golden.

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PRO-TIP: You can use the same recipe for the two pastry sheets that come in

the package. But at home, we do one of the pastry sheets with guava paste and

the other one with guava paste and cream cheese. The process is very similar;

just add half an inch of cream cheese on top of the guava paste per rectangle

and then follow the same steps that you do for the guava pastelitos. It will be so

good that the only thing you will need is a “Cuban cafecito.” :)

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We genuinely hope you enjoyed this first approach to Cuban cuisine. If you

have any questions or suggestions, please reach out to us on social media. We

would love to hear from you!

Thank you so much for your support.

Asori, Malena and the CFS Team

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