Salsa Stories (6 page)

Mamá's Arroz con Pollo

C
HICKEN WITH
R
ICE

P
UERTO
R
ICO

Coat the chicken with lime juice and sprinkle generously with Adobo seasoning. Set in refrigerator overnight.

In a
caldero
, a heavy pot, brown the pork and ham in olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and marinated chicken. Reduce heat to moderate. Brown the chicken for 5 to 10 minutes then remove the chicken pieces and set them aside. Add onion, green peppers, and tomato to the pot, and sauté until tender. Replace the chicken, and add olives and capers to taste. Add rice, water, chicken bouillon cubes, tomato paste, Sazón seasoning, cilantro, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir well. Cover and bring to a boil. Then turn heat to low and cook for 20 minutes. Turn rice with a wooden spoon. Keep covered on the stove with the heat off for 10 to 15 minutes more.

Serves 6 to 8.
Have an adult help you when frying or boiling.

Mamá's Yuca con Mojo Criollo

S
TEAMED
Y
UCA WITH
S
AUCE

P
UERTO
R
ICO

Place frozen yuca in a large pot. Cover with water and sprinkle with salt. Boil for at least 1 hour. Meanwhile, prepare
mojo criollo
.

 

When the yuca is very tender, remove it from the water with a slotted spoon, and arrange on a platter. Sprinkle with lemon juice, salt to taste, and pour
mojo criollo
on top. Serve immediately.

In a large saucepan, sauté onions and garlic in olive oil until the onions are soft, but still white. Add bay leaves and peppercorns, and simmer covered for ½ hour.

Serves 8.
Have an adult help you when frying or boiling.

Flor's Bacalao a la Vizcaína

C
ODFISH
S
TEW

G
UATEMALA

Cover codfish in water and soak for 4 hours, changing the water twice. Drain well. Place codfish in a pot with 8 cups of water, and boil for 15 minutes. Drain and let cool. Discard skin and bones, and then shred the flesh.

Mix tomato paste with 1 cup water and olive oil, and stir until paste is smooth. Add olives, capers, garlic, and bay leaf to the tomato mixture.

In a large frying pan, arrange alternate layers of tomato mixture, potatoes, codfish, and onions. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cover. Turn heat to low, and cook for 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Transfer to a serving platter.

Serves 4 to 6.
Have an adult help you when frying or boiling.

Flor's Torrejas

G
UATEMALAN
T
OAST

G
UATEMALA

To prepare
torrejas
, cut bread into ½ inch-thick slices. Dip each slice in milk. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle both sides of the bread with cinnamon. Dip into beaten eggs and remove with a slotted spoon. Fry bread slices in hot oil until both sides are golden brown. Remove. Drain on
absorbent paper towels and place several slices in each dessert bowl. Serve with syrup (
see recipe below
).

For the syrup, mix sugar, water, salt, cinnamon stick, and lime peel in a saucepan. Boil over high heat without stirring until syrup thickens slightly, about 20 minutes. Pour syrup over toast. Allow the syrup to cool a little before serving. Enjoy
torrejas
with a tall glass of milk.

Serves 4.
Have an adult help you when frying or boiling.

Flor's Horchata

S
ESAME
D
RINK

G
UATEMALA

Soak sesame seeds in 4 cups of water for 3 hours. Drain well. Crush seeds in a food processor or with a mortar. Add seeds to 2 cups of lukewarm water, mix, and squeeze the mixture through a muslin cloth into a pot. Add sugar, mix, and refrigerate to chill. Stir well. Serve in a tall glass with ice.

Serves 4.

Fernando's Tortilla Española

S
PANISH
O
MELET

C
UBA

Place oil, onion, ¼ tsp. salt, and
chorizo
(optional) in a 10-inch nonstick frying pan. Sauté for 10 minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally. Strain in a colander, reserving oil. Set onions aside and pour oil back into pan. Add potatoes and ¼ tsp. salt. Turn heat to high, then when mixture sizzles, cover and cook over low heat until potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes. Remove potatoes with a slotted spoon and set aside.

In a bowl, beat eggs with the pepper and ¾ tsp. salt. Stir in onions and potatoes. Turn heat to medium-high. Pour egg mixture into frying pan. Cook over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, then turn heat to low. Cook
tortilla
until surface is dry. Gently move pan back and forth to release the edges of the
tortilla
. Then, put a plate over the top of the pan. Using oven mitts, turn the pan over onto the plate. Once the
tortilla
is on the plate, slip it back into the pan to cook for 10 minutes on the other side. Remove from the pan and let cool before cutting into 1½-inch cubes. Serve at room temperature.

Makes about 32 appetizers.
Have an adult help you when frying.

Amalia's Helado de Coco

C
OCONUT
S
HERBET

P
UERTO
R
ICO

Mix all ingredients well. Pour in a freezer container and freeze for several hours until the sherbet is half frozen. Remove from freezer and beat the sherbet to break up crystals. For a smoother texture, you can repeat this process. Freeze overnight or until firm.

Serves 10 to 12.

José Manuel's Surullitos de Maíz

C
ORN
F
RITTERS

P
UERTO
R
ICO

Combine water and salt in saucepan. Heat to boiling and remove from heat. Add cornmeal and mix thoroughly. Cook over moderate heat for about 10 minutes or until mixture separates from the bottom and sides of pan. Mixture will be thick and steam will rise from it. Remove from heat. Add cheese and mix well. Let cool slightly. Take mixture by the tablespoon, and roll it in the palms of your hands to form ½-inch-thick cylinders with rounded ends. Deep-fry in oil heated to 375° F. until golden brown. Remove and drain on absorbent paper. Serve warm with salsa.

Makes about 50.
Have an adult help you when frying.

Mix all ingredients together and serve as a cold dip for the warm
surullitos
.