Nombre: ______Maestra:______

For extra credit, make any of these dishes and show me a picture or bring me a note from your parent. Let me know what you think of the dish and whether you would make it again.

Gracias, Señora Mery

CUBAN DISHES

Cuban Ropa Vieja recipe

2 1/2 lbs flank steak, cut in strips 5 tablespoons oil 2 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic or 5 cloves garlic, minced 1 large onion, diced 1 green pepper, diced 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce 1 cup water 6 ounces sofrito sauce

Heat 3 tbsp. oil in skillet on medium, brown meat on all sides. Remove from skillet, add remaining oil to skillet, stir in garlic, onion and green pepper and cook until translucent. Stir in black pepper, browned meat, tomato sauce, water and sofrito. Simmer until meat is tender and shreds easily, about 1 hour. Serve on top of rice. Serves 6 ______Cuban Recipe There are many variations on the . On a traditional Cuban, there should not be any mayonnaise, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers or lettuce. The sandwich is sometimes served cold, as its name implies you might eat it very late as a midnight snack or coming back from dancing or a movie. Some make the medianoche smaller, with a sweeter variety of yellow egg bread (similar to Jewish bread). In making a good Cuban sandwich, remember this: the Roast Pork is what will make the sandwich, so you can never leave it out.

3 thin slices of 3 thin slices roast pork hot or cold (I use hot, slow roasted pork) 3 thin slices of Swiss cheese 3 or 4 slices of pickles 1/3 cut Cuban bread hard crust (or French bread)

You should be using fresh, crusty Cuban bread, but you can always use a 12" loaf of French bread cut in half. Slice the bread open face so that both halves are still barely connected and spread on both halves. Add the ham, and then the roasted pork. When in a hurry, you can use one whole piece of roasted pork. Add your Swiss cheese and then a few pickle slices. Make sure to spray your sandwich press with a little butter flavored Pam, or for a tastier sandwich you can brush some softened butter on the outside of the bread. Place the sandwich in a Cuban sandwich press and press down until the cheese is melted and the bread is slightly hard to the touch. For those of you without a press, you can also place the sandwich in a hot skillet and press down on it with a heavy kitchen object, maybe a baking pan (some, believe it or not, use a brick wrapped in tin foil when nothing else is available). For years I've used a Gaunaurd sandwich maker from the Cuban Food Market, it has removable plates and is easy to clean. Never use a grill, they simply don't heat evenly and a real Cuban doesn't have little lines grilled into it. When finished, slice the sandwich diagonally across the middle so that you have two triangle shaped wedges.

Arroz Con Leche (Rice Pudding) recipe courtesy of Cocina Cubana Club (please join) / Pascual Perez and chef Sonia Martinez

It is of course, very easy to do, but a bit time consuming as the rice and milk have to simmer for about one hour, but the results were very good. The only variation I made from her [Nilla] recipe was that I poured the finished pudding in the blender and made it smooth instead of leaving the rice "bumps". It was silky and delicious!

1/2 cup rice (I used jasmine, since it was what I had on hand) 1-1/2 cups water 1 small piece of lemon peel 1 small cinnamon stick 4 cups milk 1 cup sugar 1/4 tsp salt 1 tsp vanilla extract Cinnamon powder

The recipe calls for washing the rice (in the old days, you had to pick through the rice and take little bits of trash and pebbles out, then wash it, as it was not clean) but I did not wash it.

Cook the rice in the water, lemon peel and cinnamon stick until rice is soft, about 10 minutes or so. Add the milk, salt, vanilla and sugar. Bring to just under a boil and turn down heat. Cook at medium-low heat, uncovered, until it gets thick and rice has absorbed most of the milk. Stir once in a while so it will not stick.

Fish out the cinnamon stick and pour into a bowl or several individual bowls and sprinkle with powdered cinnamon. Serves 8. ______

Cuban Cheese Turnovers Recipe: Empanada de Queso receta courtesy of Cocina Cubana Club (please join) / Pascual Perez and chef Sonia Martinez

1 pound flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 pound butter, chilled and cut into small cubes, plus 2 tablespoons butter 1 egg 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1 scant cup ice water 1 medium white onion, small dice 1 bunch spinach, chiffonade 3 cups coarsely grated manchego cheese 1 cup chopped hazelnuts 1 cup dark raisins Egg wash (1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water)

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and salt. With a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in the chilled butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the egg and vinegar. Slowly add the water, as needed, mixing to form the dough, until well blended. Turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic and knead gently until the dough becomes smooth, only a few seconds. Wrap well and chill for 30 minutes.

Saute onion in butter and add spinach over medium heat. Cool and then combine with cheese, hazelnuts, and raisins.

On a lightly floured surface, roll half the chilled dough to 1/8 inch thick (keep the other half refrigerated until ready to use). Cut out 3-inch circles. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the filling into the center of each circle. Brush egg wash around the edges of the dough. Fold the edges up forming a pouch, and seal.

Refrigerate the empanadas on greased or parchment lined baking sheets at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Brush the empanadas with egg wash and bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes.

Serves 4

Cuban Tres Leches recipe courtesy of Cocina Cubana Club (please join) / Pascual Perez and chef Sonia Martinez

This dessert is actually Nicaraguan, but has been widely (or should I say, wildly!) adopted by all Cubans with a sweet tooth! Three different kinds of milk (thus the Tres Leches name) are used in the preparation. Fresh, evaporated and condensed. This version serves 8 to 10 portions.

CAKE: 1 cup sugar 5 large eggs, separated 1/3 cup milk 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 1 cup all-purpose flour 1-1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

MILK SYRUP: 1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk 1 cup sweetened condensed milk 1 cup heavy (or whipping) cream 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 Tbsp light rum

MERINGUE: 1 cup sugar 1/2 tsp cream of tartar 3 egg whites

Preheat oven to 350oF. Generously butter a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.

CAKE: Beat 3/4 cup sugar and the egg yolks until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Fold in the milk, vanilla, flour and baking powder.

Beat the egg whites to soft peaks, adding the cream of tartar after 20 seconds. Gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and continue beating until the whites are glossy and firm, but not dry. Gently fold the whites into the yolk mixture. Pour this batter into the buttered baking dish.

Bake the cake until it feels firm and an inserted toothpick comes out clean, about 40 to 50 minutes. Let the cake cool completely on a wire rack. Unmold unto a large, deep platter (*). Pierce the cake all over with a fork, taking care to not tear it up.

MILK SYRUP: Combine the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, cream, vanilla and rum in a mixing bowl. Whisk until well blended. Pour the syrup over the cake, spooning the overflow back on top, until it is all absorbed.

MERINGUE: Place 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the sugar in a heavy saucepan with 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook over high heat for 2 minutes. Uncover pan and cook the sugar to the soft ball stage, 239oF on a candy thermometer, 6 to 8 minutes.

Meanwhile beat the egg whites to soft peaks with the cream of tartar. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of the sugar and continue beating to stiff peaks. Pour the boiling sugar syrup in a thin stream into the stiff egg whites and continue beating until the mixture is cool to the touch. The hot syrup "cooks" the egg whites.

Using a wet spatula, spread the top and sides of the cake with a thick layer of the meringue. Refrigerate the cake for at least 2 hours before serving.

Not low-cal by any means, but well worth the effort!