The Classic Cuban Bistec de Palomilla

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Classic Cuban food is really unsophisticated and simple.  It is spicy but by that I do not mean it's hot. Onions, green peppers, and garlic are the key ingredients in a traditional Cuban sofrito, sometimes with the addition of tomato paste, parsley or lime.

Bistec de Palomilla is one of the most traditional Cuban recipes, right up there with black beans and roast pork.  It is found in every Cuban restaurant you will ever visit.   Usually when I'm not sure about the caliber of the food in a new Cuban restaurant, this is what I order and I'm seldom wrong.  If the palomilla is not good, the rest will be inedible!

If you live anywhere outside Miami, you will find the steaks at your local supermarket labeled as top sirloin steaks. They must be very thin, no more than a quarter inch thick.  Pound them a little to get to the desired thickness,  Do not get top round steaks, they will be tough.

In Miami you will find palomilla steaks, labeled as such,  that are fairly sized and you can figure on one per person.  In the rest of the country, where you buy top sirloin steaks, they will be smaller so figure accordingly.

Another way of eating palomilla, and you must be a real Cuban for this, is to top the steaks with the raw onions and parsley instead of sauteeing them at the end.  I love it like this but certainly not if I'm planning on talking to or kissing anyone for the rest of the day.

Traditionally, palomilla is eaten with white rice and fried bananas.  Oh, and if you are a real Cuban, you will squeeze some lemon or lime juice on top before eating.  Just saying....

This is not traditional, just a bit of creativity...but soo good!

Ingredients
1 tbsp butter 3 tbsp olive oil 6 thin-sliced top sirloin steaks 4 tbsp lime or lemon juice 1 large Spanish onion (chopped) 2 garlic cloves 2 TB finely chopped parsley salt and ground black pepper

Directions

Marinade the steaks in half the chopped onion and 2 TB lime or lemon juice for an hour or two.

Mince the parsley and combine in a cup with the other half of the chopped onions.  This is one of the secrets of a good palomilla!

Heat 2 TBs olive oil and 1 TB of butter over medium-high heat in a large frying pan. Mash the 2 cloves of garlic and saute in the oil for about a minute.  Remove from the oil and discard.  

Place two to three pieces of the steaks in the pan and saute on medium high for 1 minute on each side. Repeat again until all the steaks have been cooked. The steaks should be very thinly cut, so cooking time should only be a few minutes. They should end up slightly browned on the outside and medium rare inside.  If you like them medium, cook them an extra minute but not more, or you will end up with a tough palomilla and that's a no no.

Place the steaks on a paper towel covered plate and keep them warm.

Add the extra TB of oil to the pan as well as the onions from the marinade and the onion parsley combination,  2 TB lime or lemon juice and sautee for a couple of minutes. Pour over the steaks, add salt and pepper to taste and extra parsley for garnish if desired.    Serve with white rice and a lemon or lime wedge on the side.Yum!

Thinking Of Summer...Linguini With Shrimp And Lemon Oil

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I was up until 3:00 am last night reading the Williams Sonoma catalogue, not because it was that good, just because I couldn't sleep. This recipe struck my fancy and I decided to make it for dinner tonight.  My daughter, who enjoys withholding her praises even when things turn out exceptionally well, couldn't stop raving about it and telling me it was a keeper.  So there you have it...on a scale of 1 to 10,  I think what she meant was it was an 11.

It is truly a delightful pasta, very lemony and perfect for lunch or summer.  I have to say I cheated and used a California Meyer lemon infused oil.  I am going back tomorrow to buy a few bottles to keep in the pantry for the coming months.  You can find lemon oil at most specialty stores or, as I did, at Homegoods.   You can also make your own, as detailed below. Nothing to it.

I also did not make my own pasta, using instead Barilla linguini.  But it's up to you, whether you go the long route or the short one, as I did, this dish is spectacular!


In Sicily’s fishing villages, rustic handmade pasta is tossed with olive oil, garlic and fresh seafood. It’s all about casual simplicity—and making the most of the day’s catch. Inspired by that tradition, we created this recipe using prawns and lemon-infused olive oil. For the best results, make your own pasta from scratch.

Ingredients:

• Kosher salt, to taste
  
• 3/4 lb. spaghetti or linguini
• 1 1/4 cups olive oil
• 2 lemons, 1 zested
  
• 3 cups coarse bread crumbs(I used Panko)
• 2 lb. prawns, peeled and deveined
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp. anchovy paste
• 1/4 cup capers, rinsed and drained
• 2 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for serving (optional) I did not use

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Salt the water, add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain the pasta in a colander, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water. Rinse the pasta with cool water; set aside.

Pour 1 cup of the olive oil into a small saucepan. Using a knife, cut the peel off 1 lemon and add the peel to the pan. Set over medium heat and heat the oil until just warm. Remove the pan from the heat and let stand for 30 minutes. Strain the lemon oil; set aside.

In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, warm the remaining 1/4 cup plain olive oil. Add the bread crumbs and cook, stirring, until browned and toasted, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

Wipe out the sauté pan, set over medium-high heat and warm 1 Tbs. of the lemon oil. Season the prawns with salt and pepper. Add half of the prawns to the pan and cook until pink and opaque throughout, 1 to 2 minutes per side; stir in 1 tsp. of the garlic during the last 30 seconds of cooking. Transfer the prawns to a bowl. Wipe out the pan and repeat with 1 Tbs. of the lemon oil, the remaining prawns and 1 tsp. garlic. Toss the prawns with the lemon juice.

In the same pan over medium-high heat, warm 1 Tbs. of the lemon oil. Add the anchovy paste and stir until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking water, the pasta, capers and lemon zest and stir until heated through, adding more cooking water as needed. Transfer to a platter. Top with the prawns, bread crumbs and parsley. Drizzle with some of the lemon oil (reserve the remaining oil for another use). Sprinkle with cheese and serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6.


Recipe adapted from Williams-Sonoma Kitchen.
Photos Lindaraxa

How To Give A Successful Dinner Party...The Guest List

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One of the most important considerations in planning a dinner party is putting together a list of those who will attend. This is not a haphazard exercise.   It is one that merits a lot of thought and consideration;  for in its outcome lies the success or failure of a memorable evening.

As a host or hostess, it is your responsibility to provide a beautiful setting where good food, good drinks and excellent service are enjoyed by all.  The rest and most important part of the evening  is a shared responsibility between the host or hostess and the guests.   You can have the best chef in the world and serve the most delightful Bordeaux from your cellar but if a good time is not had by all, there goes a very expensive dinner party .

Whether your dinner party consist of eight people or twenty the same rules apply, although in the case of a small group, the guest list is crucial.

I believe that a good mix is the secret to a fun evening.  But be careful how you mix.  Whether the different personalities come from age, culture or social standing,  make sure a common thread runs through the mix, such as a shared interest or hobby.  This levels the playing field and makes everyone more at ease with each other and facilitates breaking the ice amongst strangers.

 

On the other hand, at a dinner party of equals where you have to mix an array of people you simply owe a social invitation to, a balance of personalities is crucial.  When it comes to guests, I have learned, there are the givers and the takers.

The givers come in and immediately take to their responsibilities...being good guests.  They have been trained from birth on how to behave in social circumstances.  Most of them are simply born with this gene.  Others have been trained at home, something extremely rare and lacking these days.  They are usually alpha males or females. They go out of their way to meet and shake everyone's hand and make sure everyone is having a good time.  If they see someone with an empty drink, they offer to fill it.  If the hostess is hassled, they offer to help at the bar or in the kitchen.  If someone is standing alone in a corner, they rush over to talk to them. If there is a momentary lull in the conversation, they feel obligated to fill it, even if they put their foot in their mouth. They are a pleasure to have around and are always sought out by hostesses in the know.

Then there are the takers.  They are awfully nice people too, but they are there to be fed and entertained.  They stand with their drinks in a corner like a potted plant and never move an inch until dinner time.  They speak only when engaged in conversation by others or if no one is around,  by their partner, thus taking another guest out of the loop.  They are usually there because their spouse or date is a giver or a good friend of the host or hostess. These people are labeled as shy, although in my book they are really socially inept.  All of us are shy when we first walk into a room full of strangers.  Some of us just know how to take a deep breath and dive in. Hopefully you won't have more than one of these guests at your dinner party or the evening will be an enormous flop.

In a dinner party for eight, where most of the guests will be in close proximity most of the night, make sure you have at least one fun and outgoing couple to help keep the party and the conversation going.  If you are having a new couple who are strangers to the rest of the guests, make sure they at least know one other person or have something in common with the group.  Take the time to introduce them around and leave them with someone you know will take care of them for the first half hour or so.  When it comes to table settings, this is the only time I will seat a couple in the same table and across from each other.  It gives them that extra oomph and security to be more social in a group of strangers.

I have a great friend who is a master in the art of mixing guests.  He is  the product of a prominent Cuban family and an American education, has lived in New York City and presently shuttles between an apartment in Paris and South Beach, was and is a prominent antiquaire,  travels all over Europe with the Georgian Group and has friends from all over the world.  His parties are a pleasure to attend.  Your dinner partner may be the head of Armani Europe or a prominent Spanish author or playwright...he may even be an old friend from college or childhood;  but,  I guarantee, he won't be boring. His dinner parties are an extension of a fantastic life and of a giving and delightful personality.  I have learned much from this friend when it comes to the art of the mix.

This last anecdote doesn't mean that you can only have a successful dinner party if you invite prominent guests.  It is simply to illustrate that a wide array of nationalities and personalities can be brought together under one roof and at the same table and a wonderful evening will be had by all.

In my previous life as a hostess, both at home and in the corporate world, I have had to entertain friends and clients from all over the world in a wide array of circumstances.  These are some of the things I have learned, sometimes the hard way, and I hope they will be of use to you when you plan your guest list for a future dinner party.

The Crashers...Wouldn't you love to have them at your next dinner party?

Tell me, is there a particular way in which you put together your guest list?




All images Google/Life Magazine
Images #2 - 6 Dinner Party at the Cuban Embassy, Washington DC 1947
Image # 1 Valentina the fashion designer
Image #3 Marjory Merriweather Post Davis, wife of Ambassador Davis

Valentine's Day...Lobster Newburg

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When it comes to Valentine's Day there are only two things to think about as far as I'm concerned, filet mignon or lobster.  The other must is chocolate for desert (here).  The rest is up for grabs.

A couple of years ago, I gave you a Filet Mignon With Roquefort Sauce as a main course for a Valentine's dinner.  There is also a recipe for Filet Mignon with Bernaise Sauce on the blog.

This year I am making you work a little, but not a lot.   If he or she is a lobster lover,  Lobster Newburg will be impressive...just what you want. It is much easier and less labor intensive than the Lobster Thermidor I posted for New Year's Eve but just as delicious.

Gastronomic lore tells us that the forerunner of this famous lobster dish was actually created at Delmonico's, the well-known New York City restaurant, during its heyday in the latter part of the last century. Mr. Ben Wenburg (or Wenberg, as some believe), a Delmonico's habitué during this period, is said to have devised a dish made with seafood, cream, and egg yolks. It was called Wenburg on the menu until some time later when the epicurean Mr. Wenburg became involved in a dispute with the management. Thereafter, the restaurant renamed the offering seafood "Newburg," and a classic was born.

A word to those who are squeamish about boiling live lobsters (I am).  Most fishmongers or reputable food markets will be happy to cook the lobster for you. Tell them to undercook by a couple of minutes and take the dead things home in a bag and immediately  proceed with the rest of the recipe.  Problem solved.

Check out Omnomicon's blog for the most beautiful photos I have ever seen on how to make this delicious dish and go for it! If that doesn't inspire you, nothing else will. (her recipe is different)

The recipe below is for 6 people, but if you serve it for Valentine's Day to just one significant other it can be easily adjusted.


Serves 6
 

Ingredients

• three 1 1/2-pound live lobsters
• 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon medium-dry Sherry
• 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon brandy
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated paprika*
• salt to taste
• 4 large egg yolks, beaten well
• toast points or white rice as an accompaniment
• Tarragon for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Into a large kettle of boiling salted water plunge the lobsters, head first, and boil them, covered, for 8 minutes from the time the water returns to a boil.

Transfer the lobsters with tongs to a cutting board and let them cool until they can be handled. Break off the claws at the body and crack them.

Remove the claw meat and cut it into 1-inch pieces. Halve the lobsters length-wise along the undersides, remove the meat from the tails, discarding the bodies but saving the tails, and cut it into 1-inch pieces.

In a heavy saucepan brown the lobster tail shells on medium high in 1/2 the butter for a couple of minutes.  Remove from heat and discard.  Add the additional butter and the lobster meat and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes.  Add 2 tablespoons of the Sherry and 3 tablespoons of the brandy, and cook the mixture, stirring, for 2 minutes.

Transfer the lobster meat with a slotted spoon to a bowl.

Add the cream to the Sherry mixture and boil the mixture until it is reduced to about 1 cup.

Reduce the heat to low and stir in the remaining 1 teaspoon Sherry, the remaining 1 teaspoon brandy, the paprika, and salt to taste.

Whisk in the yolks, cook the mixture, whisking constantly, until it registers 140°F. on a deep-fat thermometer, and cook it, whisking, for 3 minutes more.

Stir in the lobster meat and serve the lobster Newburg over the toast or, alternatively, over rice. Garnish with fresh tarragon.

*The original recipe called for 1/4 tsp. nutmeg and cayenne to taste.  I much prefer the use of paprika in this dish.  It is definitely more traditional 

Apple Frangipane Tart

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With its layers of flaky pastry, nutty- sweet almond frangipane and thinly sliced apples, this tart makes a great last-minute dessert and is showstoppingly gorgeous. It’s even more delicious served with lightly whipped crème fraîche.


Ingredients:

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, about 10 by 14 inches, thawed

For the frangipane:

1 1/2 cups sliced almonds, lightly toasted

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. almond extract

2 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted

2 large baking apples, such as Pink Lady or Gravenstein

1/2 lemon

1/4 cup apricot jam (optional)

Directions:

Position a rack in the upper third of an oven and preheat to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the puff pastry into a 16-by-12-inch rectangle (it should just fit onto the baking sheet). Transfer to the prepared pan, fold over the edges of the pastry to form a rim and pinch the edges together. Refrigerate while you make the frangipane and prepare the apples.

To make the frangipane, in a food processor, combine the almonds, sugar and salt and process until the almonds are finely ground. Add the eggs, vanilla extract, almond extract and melted butter and process until the mixture comes together.

Peel and core each apple (or you can leave them unpeeled, if you like). Slice them very thinly crosswise (this is easiest on a mandoline, but you can use a sharp knife). In a bowl, toss the apple slices with a squeeze of lemon juice.

Prick the chilled puff pastry all over with a fork. Bake until it looks dried out and very lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Smear a thin, even layer of the frangipane on top of the pastry and then top evenly with the sliced apples. Bake until the tart is golden and the apples are crisp-tender, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack.

If you want to make the tart fancy, heat the jam in a saucepan over low heat until it liquefies. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve set over a small bowl. Using a pastry brush, gently brush the top of the tart with a thin coating of jam. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes one 16-by-12-inch tart.

Baker’s note: The ideal way to slice the apples is with a mandoline, so you can be sure the slices are ultrathin and even. If you don’t have a mandoline, simply use a large, sharp knife to cut slices as thinly as possible.



Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Home Baked Comfort, by Kim Laidlaw (Weldon Owen, 2011).

Cuban Chinese Food...Mandarin Chicken Thighs

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This recipe derives its name from the mandarin oranges (clementines) that are prevalent in most supermarkets at this time of the year and not from the traditional dish found at most Chinese restaurants.  It is an attempt, and a very successful one at that, to use up the remains of a box that was purchased during the Christmas holiday. You could classify it as elegant leftovers or Cuban Chinese Cuisine.

I use orange juice in a lot of my recipes, particularly in chicken and pork marinades, and the addition of a small amount of lemon juice as a substitute for naranja agria or bitter orange, is very typical in many Cuban dishes, perhaps as a result of the large migration of Chinese laborers who settled in Cuba in the middle of the 19th century. 

The Chinese first arrived in Cuba in significant numbers in the late 1850s to toil in Cuba’s sugarcane fields after the abolition of slavery in England led plantation owners in Cuba to search for workers elsewhere.

China emerged as the labor source following deep social upheaval after the First and Second Opium Wars. Changes in the farming system, a surge in population growth, political discontentment, natural disasters, banditry, and ethnic strife -- especially in southern China -- led many farmers and peasants to leave China and look for work overseas. While some willingly left China for contract work in Cuba, others were coerced into semi-indentured servitude.

On June 3, 1857 the first ship arrived in Cuba carrying about 200 Chinese laborers on eight-year contracts. In many cases, these Chinese “coolies” were treated just as the African slaves were. The situation was so severe that the imperial Chinese government even sent investigators to Cuba in 1873 to look into a large number of suicides by Chinese laborers in Cuba, as well as allegations of abuse and breach of contract by plantation owners. Shortly after, the Chinese labor trade was prohibited and the last ship carrying Chinese laborers reached Cuba in 1874.

Many of these laborers intermarried with the local population of Cubans, Africans and mixed-race women, although laws forbade them to marry Spaniards. These Cuban-Chinese began to develop a distinct community. At its height, in the late 1870s, there were more than 40,000 Chinese in Cuba.

In Havana they established “El Barrio Chino” or Chinatown, which grew to 44 square blocks and was once the largest such community in Latin America. In addition to working in the fields, they opened shops, restaurants, and laundries and worked in factories. A unique fusion, Chinese Cuban cuisine melding Caribbean and Chinese flavors, also emerged. (Wikipedia)
.

Dragones Street in Havana's Chinatown

Some famous Cubans of Chinese ancestry include former dictator Fulgencio Batista and one of Cuba's foremost painters, Wilfredo Lam.

While the following recipe is my own, it melds some of the distinct characteristics that make up what is known as Cuban Chinese food.

Serves 4

Ingredients

 8 chicken thighs with skin
4 clementines or mandarin oranges
1/2 lemon
2 TB soy sauce
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic
3 TB olive oil
2 TB butter
1 laurel leaf
Salt and pepper
chopped parsley

White rice

Directions

Pat and dry the chicken thighs and place them in a bowl. Cut the mandarins in half and squeeze the juice over the chicken thighs. Do the same with the lemon.  Add the soy sauce and the chopped onion. Add the mandarin and lemon skins. Cover the bowl and marinade the chicken for a couple of hours.

Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry with paper towles.  In a skillet melt the butter and olive oil.  Brown the chicken pieces on medium high.  Remove to a plate.  Add the mashed garlic and onions from the marinade and sautee until translucent.  Add the chicken pieces back to the pan, the clementine juice as well as the skins and a laurel leaf.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Cover and cook until chicken is tender and cooked, about 30 minutes.  If the sauce begins to dry out add some water to the pan. At this point, you might also add more soy sauce if desired. When the chicken is done, uncover and add some chopped parsley on top.  Let rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with white rice

Photos Lindaraxa

Sherried Mushroom Empanadas

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This recipe came from one of my old Gourmet magazines as part of a tapas buffet.  I couldn't wait for a party to try them so I served them last night as a light meal with a salad on the side.  Deliciosas!

Given the fact that puff pastry is substituted for the regular masa used in empanadas the final result, when sliced, is more like a streussel than anything else. 


The two empanadas, sliced as instructed, serve 8 to 10 as part of a tapas buffet.  I would say they serve 6 to 8 as part of a lunch or light dinner, depending what you serve them with.  Although the recipe does not say, check for salt and pepper.




Ingredients

2 medium onions, chopped fine

3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter

1 1/2 pounds mushrooms, chopped fine

2 small red bell peppers, chopped fine

a 6-ounce piece serrano ham* or prosciutto, trimmed and chopped fine

1/3 cup Sherry

1/2 cup packed fresh parsley leaves, washed, spun dry, and minced

3 tablespoons fine dry bread crumbs

a 17 1/4-ounce package frozen puff pastry sheets (2 pastry sheets), thawed

an egg wash made by beating 1 large egg with 1 teaspoon water

Directions

In a 12-inch heavy skillet cook onions in butter over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened.

Stir in mushrooms and bell peppers and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated and mixture begins to brown.

Add ham and Sherry and cook, stirring, until liquid is evaporated
.

In a bowl stir together mushroom mixture, parsley, bread crumbs, and salt and pepper to taste and cool, uncovered.

Preheat oven to 400°F
.

On a lightly floured surface roll out 1 pastry sheet into a 14- by 10-inch rectangle. Halve rectangle lengthwise with a long sharp knife and spread about half of mushroom filling on 1 half, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Brush edges of mushroom-topped pastry with some egg wash and put remaining pastry half on top of filling. Crimp edges of dough together with fork tines and cut several slits in empanada with a small sharp knife.

 Carefully transfer empanada with 2 spatulas to a large baking sheet, leaving room for second empanada, and brush with some remaining egg wash. Make another empanada in same manner with remaining pastry sheet, filling, and egg wash.

Put empanadas in middle of oven and reduce temperature to 375°F. Bake empanadas until golden, about 35 minutes.

Empanadas may be made 1 day ahead, cooled completely on a rack, and chilled, wrapped in foil. Reheat empanadas, uncovered, on a baking sheet in a preheated 375°F. oven until hot, about 6 minutes. With a serrated knife cut empanadas into 3/4-inch slices.