During this time my father was in a labor camp, for the crime of wanting to leave the country. Alone, and with few provisions, as my mother struggled to care for us, she was struck with inspiration. One day she went out to the back patio to do the wash and saw a cute little frog sitting by the door to the kitchen. My mother has always liked frogs, and this little frog by the kitchen door gave her an idea...
My father and I were very close, but I did not always get along with my mother, so even though she was a marvelous cook, I had never been interested in learning her cooking secrets. However, after my father’s death, I witnessed my mother’s severe deterioration and overwhelming sadness. Looking for a way to engage her, I had the idea to ask her to teach me how to cook like her...
A great many of the delicious foods that came out of Mamina’s kitchen began with a sofrito. It is the seasoning base for many Cuban dishes. Sofrito is sauted onions, peppers, garlic and sometimes tomatoes....
La Nochebuena means "The Good Night", the night that Jesus Christ was born. It's Christmas Eve, and it is a big deal in Latin America and Spain, much more than Christmas day. In Cuba BC (before Castro) we celebrated with a "Cena de Nochebuena", a wonderful feast which took place late at night. Then we went to "La Misa del Gallo" or Midnight Mass and continued to celebrate the season until January 6th, El Dia de los Reyes Magos, when the Three Kings would bring presents to the children. Fidel and his Communist comarades did not allow Christmas, because of that Religion thing totalitarians are so against. However, people stubbornly insisted on celebrating, even under Fidel's oppression and with very little to celebrate with. So the Communists cleverly scheduled other celebrations (harvest, the Revolution) for the same December dates. Just like the ancient Church scheduled Christmas celebration near the pagan winter solstice celebrations.
On our last Nochebuena in Cuba, I remember quietly peaking over the wall that separated us from our neighbors, and watching them celebrate. It was 1967 and our family was not celebrating anything, my father had been sent to a “labor camp” for the crime of wanting to leave Cuba, and my mother was doing all she could just to feed us. The neighbors had put together tables and old doors on top of barrels to create one huge table, covered with various table cloths, at which all the family could be seated. It was late at night and along with the one spot light at the corner of the roof, which poorly illuminated the concrete patio, there were kerosene lamps illuminating the faces of the people gathered together to celebrate. I thought they looked beautiful, as they laughed and enjoyed themselves.
I couldn’t really distinguish the food on the table, but I pretended it held all the traditional foods, a roasted pig, plantains, rice, black beans, wine…. Not likely since food was rationed and very hard to come by. Our neighbors had probably saved up provisions and pooled resources with other relatives for this celebration. There might have been some cans of eastern European peaches, with strange writing on the label... that was sometimes a special item available for the holidays.
Once we got to the US we resumed celebrating Nochebuena on Christmas Eve with our extended family, eating all the traditional Cuban foods, with roasted pork as the main course. A shoulder roast is great, cooked in the oven, but the real traditional way of cooking pork is by roasting it whole, in a pit in the ground, wrapped in banana leaves…or aluminum foil.
One year, after my parents came to live with us, my father decided he wanted to roast a pig the traditional way. We needed to find a whole pig, specifically a young tender one. My brother in law, Daniel, generously offered to take him to a livestock auction to buy a pig. Daniel doesn’t speak Spanish, and my father spoke broken English, but he and Daniel had often gone hunting together, and they seemed to communicate well enough to manage just fine.
Off to the auction they went. Papillo was very excited, he loved livestock and this was his first auction. A HUGE pig was brought out and Papillo--who had a very expressive face and definitely talked with his hands--made an animated comment about the size of the animal. Unfortunately, Daniel thought my father was saying how much he liked the pig, and so he bid on it!
The more Papillo exclaimed, the more Daniel bid. I think by the time my father realized they were buying the pig, it was too late. They had to borrow a trailer to bring it home!
My father was furious—furious with himself, with Daniel, with the huge job ahead of him. But he was never one to shy away from a difficult task, so he butchered the pig (I was grateful that this took place at Daniel and Nina’s house). However, the beast was prepared for cooking in my kitchen; my whole kitchen was taken over for several days. Every counter top and surface was covered with pork meat. Some of the pork was fried, but most of it was “adobado” (marinated) with mojo for roasting.
We decided to invite the whole neighborhood to join in the feast. A huge pit was dug in a neighbor’s yard; my father got up in the middle of the night, and tended the roasting pig until the middle of the next day. We had a marvelous neighborhood feast. That was over twenty years ago, and we no longer live in that neighborhood, but the other day I ran into one of those neighbors and he talked about “the time we had the roasted pig.”
LECHON ASADO – Roast Pork
I consider this is the centerpiece of Cuban cooking. Every major celebration would hopefully include a roasted pig, preferably roasted in a pit in the ground. Here is how you make lechon on a smaller scale, in the oven. I didn't pay attention the many times my parents prepared lechon, but fortunately my godmother Tia China taught me how to do it, after my father passed away. Tia China is my father’s youngest sister and I love her! We think a lot alike and have had a lot of great times together throughout the years. She even went camping with us at Lake Powell, while in her seventies. 1 Pork shoulder or Fresh Ham Salt, lots
A whole head of garlic
1-2 cups Mojo (buy at Latin markets, or make your own. Click herefor recipe)
Wash the pork and pat it dry with paper towels. Do not remove the fat. Rub with lots of salt. Puncture with a knife all over.
Peel and mash garlic cloves, I use a mortar and pestle. Add a tablespoon of salt. Put this paste into the holes you made in the pork. Pour mojo over the whole thing. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator, at least over night.
Bake uncovered, fat side up. First 15 minutes at 500 to toast the outside, then 30 minutes at 350 degrees, after that turn the oven down to 325. Bake ½ hour per pound, or till meat thermometer says it’s done (180 internal temp). Puncture fat every so often with a fork. Eat it with all the trimmings (yuca, tostones, frijoles negros, arroz, flan, etc), but most of all with family and friends! Feliz Navidad!
I've been tending grandchildren while their parents are out of town, it's a lot of work but oh so very rewarding. Got me thinking about the wonderful and almost magical bond between grandchildren and their grandparents. My children were blessed to grow up with grandparents that were very available to them.
When my parents got close to retirement, my husband suggested we invite them to come live with us. Not having housing expenses they would be able to stretch their retirement income and do a little traveling. We felt it was a way of thanking them for the sacrifices they had made for us, and their courage in leaving Cuba and starting over in the US to provide a chance for us children to live free. For a long time they hesitated to accept our invitation. They feared that moving in with us would be too great an imposition. My father used his colorful language as an excuse not to take us up on our offer. He was concerned about the grandchildren picking up his Cuban swearing! But finally, they accepted and came to live in an apartment we created for them in our basement.
For more than twenty years, during Spring, Summer and Fall, our family had the blessing and challenge of having three generations living together under one roof. Winters they would drive to Miami and visit family. Our children grew up enveloped in their grandparents love, this more than compensated for the loss in privacy.
Of course, another great benefit was being able to enjoy Mamina's cooking! Here is one of the stand-by dishes she cooked quite often, because it's simple to make and we all loved it.
I liked Carne Con Papas best when Mamina made it with carrots and potatoes (sometimes even broccoli) from Papillo's garden.
It might seem similar to a stew, but it is not as soupy.
CARNE CON PAPAS- Meat & Potatoes
Sofrito: Olive oil to coat the frying pan 1 onion ½ to 1 green bell pepper 3-5 garlic cloves 1- 8 oz can of tomato sauce
2 lbs. cubed Stew Meat 4 to 6 Potatoes, cubed 3 to 4 Carrots chopped 1 tsp Salt ¼ cup Cooking Wine (optional-it’s still great without it)
2 cups of broccoli florets- if you happen to have some around
Make sofrito: chop onion, garlic and pepper finely. Sautee in olive oil on medium high, for 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the meat and brown it for about 5 minutes.
Cube potatoes, cut carrots in large round pieces.
Add the tomato sauce, potatoes, carrots, salt, and cooking wine to the meat, (broccoli too, if you are including it). Turn temperature down to medium-low, cover, and cook for 45 minutes.
My friend Rosa Hernandez (read more about her on her previous post Bacalao Con Papas ) is guest blogging once again! Reading this you will find that besides animals, reading and cooking she also loves music. I am so excited to share this wonderful post with you all! Thank you Rosa! Maria
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Growing up in Communist Cuba we didn’t have much. No one did. But we had each other, we had good friends and neighbors and we had Music. We always had music.
Some of my earliest memories have musical backgrounds, in our house the radio played all the time. I remember being very small and playing in the tub with plastic toys while my mother hovered somewhere nearby. The radio in the next room was playing this:
Orquesta Aragon “Los Pescadores de Varadero”
My father’s family all left Cuba early on but most of my mom’s family stayed behind. When I was growing up we would occasionally have family get togethers in our huge backyard. I remember my mom and her sisters-in-law in the kitchen cooking up Frituras. These were small fried morsels and always delicious. Typically they were made from grated vegetables but vegetables were hard to come by. They improvised by making what my uncle’s wife used to call “Frituras de Aire” Air Fritters. They were basically flour and water and garden grown herbs rolled into little balls and fried. They were delicious. At these get togethers, my grandfather and his brother Tio Felo would sing on their own or with the radio. I can almost hear them singing along to this:
Beny More “Maracaibo”
Oh so many memories associated with music! Songs I heard with my grandfather, songs I heard with my dad, my brother, songs my mom sang. With the passing of the years they should sound fainter…but they don’t.
FRITURAS DE AIRE
Just like modern day potato chips, these very plain frituras are not long on taste but they are hot, crunchy comfort food.
1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup of water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 beaten egg
finely chopped fresh herbs of your choice. (I am sure dried herbs would be fine too. I used about 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil. I think dried would take less amount)
Oil for frying
Mix all together in a bowl to make a pancake like batter and let it rest for about 5 to 10 minutes. Letting it rest will enhance the flavor. In any case, though, the flavor will not be over powering.
Heat up your electric fryer or heat oil in a skillet and drop the batter by spoonfuls. They will turn golden quickly. Flip them. When the second side is golden, remove them quickly.
Let them rest a few minutes. They are actually better warm than piping hot. At least I thought so. The flavor came through better.
And that's it.
I had a friend assist me and we loved these and will make them again. I don't own an electric fryer, it's hers, so I would have to involve her in the next Fritura adventure. She assures me she is game. Next I want to try using cornmeal.
I toyed with the idea of adding sugar, soy sauce, crumbled bacon, bbq sauce (one or the other not all) but that would have violated the original concept of the "aire" idea set out by my mom and her sisters-in-law back in the day. Maybe I will try my additions at some point but these were fine and didn't necessarily need to be altered.
For me, one of the most challenging things about cooking for my family every day is coming up with ideas of what to cook. My mother had the same struggle, "No se que hacer hoy", she would say. However, she was aware that this was a good problem because she had many choices, as opposed to when we were in Cuba and the challenge was to find something to feed the family, because even the most basic ingredients were scarce.
On the flip side, she would get very excited when she had a new recipe or the grandkids wanted her to cook something special.
I'm finding that blogging contains a similar challenge. I wonder which recipe to post when and just like with cooking dinner I love requests!
So I am excited to respond to this email I received a few days ago from Tamara:
I was reading your recipe for puding de panand I would love the directions for the pressure cooker method. My grandma used to do it like this but no one in my family ever learned before she passed away. I would appreciate it tremendously. Thank you!
My mother, like many Cubans, cooked almost everything in her pressure cooker. I imagine this practice began in Cuba because ovens create a lot of heat, and who wants to heat up the house when you live in a tropical island. Using a pressure cooker also shortens the cooking time trememdously, and who wants to be cooking all day when you live in a tropical paradise... This practice also served well after Castro reduced the island to poverty and there was no gas for the stoves or ovens.
My mother went through several pressure cookers in her life, they were all similar, not very fancy or expensive. When I decided to buy one, I researched them all and bought one I thought was much better than my mother's. It certainly was more expensive. But it leaks, and it doesn't build up pressure properly or cook evenly. Very annoying. I use Mamina's now... If you would like to do some research on pressure cookers, here is a great place to begin: “Top 5 Pressure Cookers for Quick and Easy Meals”
So this is how you bake in a pressure cooker:
Put the round metal rack (Isis says it's called a trivet) on the bottom of the pressure cooker.
Pour the blended ingredients for Pudin de Pan,Cake, Flan (recipe still to come), etc. into any kind of oven proof metal mold that will fit into the pressure cooker.
Here is a store bought one with a nice lid and clamps that keep the lid in place
My father usually made these molds for my mother. He used a #10 can, like the one in the picture, cut it in half and turned down the sharp cut edge so it was smooth and safe to touch. He liked to make all kinds of things and Mamina seemed to prefer to use his home made molds to the store bought ones.
My sisters and I didn't appreciate his efforts, when it came to these metal molds, so we threw them away when we cleaned out her kitchen.
The pressure cooker instruction booklet will tell you to cover the mold securely with aluminum foil, like this
Mamina would cover hers with wax paper and tie it with a string. I was called many times to put a finger on the string so she could knot it securely. I didn't have string this time, so I used a shoe lace.
Then she would trim the wax paper. Yup, she really did. I asked her why a couple of times, but she changed the subject and did not answer. I think she just liked things to be neat.
Pour a cup of water in the pressure cooker and set the mold on the trivet. By the way, my cousin MaConcha, who is a terrific cook, does not even cover her mold, so don't worry too much that it has to be perfectly sealed.
Put the lid on your pressure cooker securely and heat on high until steam scapes from the little chimney (or vent pipe), then put the little pressure regulator on it. Or put the pressure regulator on from the beginning.
I was hoping you could see the steam in the picture...
If you are using a canning pressure cooker, one of those that has a pressure gage, bring to 15 lbs of pressure. Otherwise wait till the pressure regulator is rocking to start counting the time. Turn heat down to medium and cook for 15 minutes. Let the pressure cooker cool and all the pressure dissipate before you take the lid or even the pressure regulator off.
Or you can cook it for 20 minutes, and cool it under running water immediately and completely (you will hear the pressure escape).
Then you can take the lid off. It's going to be very hot, so be careful taking the mold out of the pressure cooker. Chill before you take the Pudin or Flan out of the mold. Let it cool it if it's a cake.
Thank you for this request, Tamara!
Here are some yummy desserts that were made in the pressure cooker
When I last posted in June I thought I would take a couple of weeks off to do the wedding and reception of my son Skyler and his beautiful French bride, Laetitia, but here we are 2 months later! With much help from family and friends, especially my wonderful daughter in law Susan, everything turned out beautiful.
Table decorations created by Laetitia & Susan
Even after the wedding was over, there was too much life to be lived and blogging was forgotten. We had family with us most of the summer, which meant grandchildren to play with. I'm just barely recuperating from all the fun! My parents would have loved it. I find myself looking around for them when the house is full of family, because I know how much they loved being with their children, grandchildren and greatgrandchildren. A friend said the newlyweds look like my parents when they were young. I don't see it but they are certainly two very good looking couples. What do you think?
My parents on their wedding day
Laetitia & Skyler
Leaving the Church
At their garden reception
Here is a nice summer dish you could serve at a garden wedding reception. We probably would have, if Mamina were still with us.... I had the food mostly catered. ENSALADA DE POLLO-Chicken Salad
This is a marriage of chicken and potato salad. It always says “party” to me, because that is when my mother made it.
4 cups Chicken, cooked and diced 4-6 Potatoes boiled, cubed 1 Apple (peeled, cored, diced in small pieces) 1 cup frozen peas ½ cup onion finely chopped 4 hard boiled eggs 1 small jar diced pimentos 1 cup diced celery (optional) 1 ½ -2 cups mayonnaise ½ Tablespoon salt
Shred or cut the cooked chicken in small pieces. Peel and boil the potatoes, cut up into small cubes. Mix with chicken. Add the peeled, cored and diced apple. Chop the onion up in a food processor, so you don’t have to cry too much. Add that in. Peel and dice the hard boiled eggs, drain the pimentos, mix it all together with the salt and mayonnaise. I add celery, my mother thought that was a heresy, but I like the taste. She liked to add dill pickles, but I leave them out. My cousin MaConcha adds asparagus to her version. It is best if you refrigerate it for a couple of hours before serving, so the flavors blend.
As I have mentioned before, my father loved soup more than any other food. To him a meal was not complete if it didn't include soup. So my mother made wonderful soups nearly every day of their life together. This one is a favorite of my son, Aaron, and nephew, Dano, who requested I post it. This week I'll tell you a little about my father. He was known by his family and friends as Aldito, charming, cheerful, creative, a great dancer and life of every party (and as a young man he never missed a party!), the man who could figure out how to fix anything, the friend who would help you when ever you needed assistance. As I thought about this, I realized with joy that my sons are like him in many ways! Aldito grew up in the small town of Tuinucú, which is located in the belly region of the crocodile shaped island of Cuba. He was very bright and loved to learn, however, in contrast to Mamina (story here), the young Aldito did not like school. He was a headstrong child, who did not like rules or structure. He told us that because of this, he was often physically punished, mostly by his teachers. He would hide to keep from having to go to school, sometimes in a tree. Being found brought on another beating. "It was just the way things were done in those days", he explained. I hope humankind has evolved beyond this, I know my father did.
He wanted to protect his daughters from that kind of maltreatment, so he made a rule for himself that he would never spank us, and never did! He would often remind us, "no man should ever lay a hand on you, except in a kind and loving way". Almost as amazing is what my sister, Nina, remembers. Our very loud and boisterous father would become unusually calm and soft spoken when he needed to address any serious misbehaving on her part. She knew immediately this meant he was serious about something she should recognize as unacceptable.
Above all he was my Papillo. A wonderful father who was always there for me and who not only supported me in all my dreams, but was even willing to explore them with me.
My father is no longer on this Earth, I can't see his "1000 watt smile" (as my friend Rosa Hernandez described it), but I can still feel it! Gracias Papillo!
FRIJOLES BLANCOS-White bean soup 1 lb bag (2 cups) dry white beans (also called Navy beans) 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 carrots
A soup bone, or a piece of ham
1 Tablespoon salt
Sofrito:
2-3 Tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 green bell pepper
1 medium onion
4-5 garlic cloves
chorizo (this is a Spanish sausage, not spicy)
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
Rinse beans and then cover with water and soak overnight. Next day pour out soaking water and add fresh water so it is about 2-3 inches above the beans, add potatoes, carrots and meat. If using a pressure cooker, cook 20-25 minutes after pressure is reached. Otherwise use a heavy pan, set it at the back of the stove, covered, and cook on medium heat for about 2 hours. Add more water as needed. You can also cook them on high in a slow cooker for 7-8 hours. Add the tablespoon of salt after the beans are soft.
Sofrito:
Chop up pepper, onion, garlic. Sauté in olive oil. When onions are getting translucent, add chorizo and tomato sauce and cook a few minutes longer, then add sofrito to beans. Stir and cook, covered, on low, for about 15 more minutes. It will thicken a bit and all the flavors will blend. Adjust salt if necessary.
On Mother's Day I got to be present for the birth of my new grandson! Few things equal the joy of being able to welcome a baby into the world.
So this is celebration time and Bocaditos are Cuban party food!
In Cuba BC (before Communism) and later in the US, my mother made bocaditos for birthday parties, trips to the beach, any celebration. When my parents came to live with us, she made them for my children. The children would ask Mamina for Bocaditos anytime a car trip was being planned, (especially to Lake Powell) and my mother was happy to oblige. We'd put them in a cooler and when hungry reached for a small bite.....or several!
One time I told her not to worry about making them, I was beginning to be concerned about imposing on her as she got older. Plus I was busy packing everything else and didn't want to take the time to go buy the rolls. She was quite offended, and it's a good thing the children and their friends didn't know about it, or I would have had a mutiny on my hands! I repented and never again denied her the joy of making anything for her beloved grandchildren.
My mother would approve of this post. She loved children and joyfully helped me and my sister Nina raise our respective children with lots of loving and good food. I think it is also a cultural Cuban thing; children are treasured and spoiled (in good ways) by their parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles!
Here is Mamina with my sister Isis.
A Bocadito is a small mouthful. They are small sandwiches made with soft rolls. They are always a hit and super easy to make. When I take them to a pot-luck, everyone wants the recipe.
BOCADITOS
1 small can Deviled ham (4.25 oz)
1 package of cream cheese (8 oz)
1 bottle chopped pimentos (2 oz)
2 dozen soft dinner rolls, or potato rolls.
If you are making them for a large group, go ahead and double the recipe. Use the larger can of Deviled ham and 4 oz bottle of pimentos, you will be glad you did!
Mix the first 3 ingredients well till you have a smooth paste. Cut the rolls in half and spread with the paste to make the little sandwiches. Enjoy!
I've been reading my friend Whitney Johnson's new book, Dare, Dream, Do: Remarkable Things Happen When You Dare to Dream, and thinking about how our dreams affect those around us, and how other people's dreams can also bless our lives. In particular our parents dreams. The lives my sisters and I enjoy are the realization of our parents' dreams of freedom. I hope that my dreams have that kind of wonderful impact in my children's lives.
I tell more about Whitney's book in my other blog, let me just say it is a wonderful recipe for a fulfilled life, and how excited I am that she included my story about Antoñica in her book!
So thank you Whitney for including my story in your book, and thank you Mamina for helping me learn to dream.
My mother loved anything sweet, especially chocolate. Chocolaticos were one of her favorite treats to make. I loved watching her make these candies, it seemed like art. She made them often and kept them in empty cookie tins, lined with paper.
I tried to make chocolaticos after Mamina passed away, because my son Jason loves them. I found out candy making is not one of my talents, maybe you need a sweet tooth (like my mother had and I lack) to be successful in candy making. Then I called my sister Nina, and she came over and whipped them up without any trouble!
CHOCOLATICOS- Chocolate squares
These are not creamy like fudge, but more dry like a wafer. They keep very well in a glass or plastic container.
4 cups of sugar
11/2 cups milk
4 Tablespoons cocoa
4 Tablespoons butter
4 Tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix sugar, milk, cocoa and butter. Stir and heat to boil. Once it’s all blended and boiling, lower heat to med-low. Cook for about 20 minutes, do not stir, to hard ball stage (250°-260°-If you put a drop in a dish of water it will form a hard ball which will stay together even if you take it out of the water). Now add honey, keep stirring and cooking until you can see the bottom of the pan. Add vanilla. Spread on greased cookie sheet. When cool cut into squares.
1 lb bag (2 cups) dry white beans (also called Navy beans)
My mother would approve of this post. She loved children and joyfully helped me and my sister Nina raise our respective children with lots of loving and good food. I think it is also a cultural Cuban thing; children are treasured and spoiled (in good ways) by their parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles!
I tell more about Whitney's book in my other blog, let me just say it is a wonderful recipe for a fulfilled life, and how excited I am that she included my story about Antoñica in her book! 
