Memories of a Cuban Kitchen: A Favorite Thing

I often describe myself as a good Cuban boy from Miami.  I don't know why.  I don't have the requisite jet black hair.  I don't have a discernible accent in English.  I don't follow baseball, eat seafood or follow the Dolphins football team. And the time I could describe myself as a boy evaporated a long time ago.  But the Cuban moniker will stick with me until way after I'm dead.  

First generation American (yes, my Latin-American friends, I know America is the entire continent, but you know what I mean), I grew up in South Florida constantly translating from English to Spanish and vice-versa for my parents and other relatives, navigating the waters in our adopted homeland.  Even though I left Miami over 20 years ago (and have no plans on returning) I carry Miami within me, and with it, that Cuban culture that was pounded into my head each time my parents took me to a Jose Marti parade or blasted La Cubanisima radio full-volume (along with the requisite Radio Reloj).  For this, I am thankful.  The Cuban culture influences every aspect of my life -- especially my cooking.  Enter, Memories of a Cuban Kitchen by Mary Urrutia Randelman, a solid cookbook of traditional Cuban recipes, interspersed with anecdotes from Randelman's life in pre-Castro Havana. 

Randleman includes traditional recipes like Carne con Papas (Cuban Beef Stew), Picadillo (Cuban Beef Hash), Tamal en Cazuela (Cornmeal Stew), Ropa Vieja (Old Clothes - Flank Steak Hash in Tomato Sauce).  Her presentation is straight forward, no nonsense and traditional.  She also includes some of the more exotic Cuban recipes like Arroz con Chorizo (Rice with Chorizo), Tasajo a la Cubana (Stir-Fried Dried Beef) and Ensalada de Garbanzos y Pulpo (Chick-Pea and Octopus Salad). In short, this is one of the most complete, thorough collections of Cuban recipes I have found.  Yes, traditional desserts are included too.  There's a Flan recipe in there too!

A word to the uninitiated.  Contrary to somewhat popular belief (every time I hear this I roll my eyes and clench my jaw) Cuban food is NOT generally spicy.  If that's what you are looking for, stay away from this book and look to traditional Indian cuisine.

You can pick up Memories of a Cuban Kitchen on Amazon.  The book has been out for a while, so it's available on paperback.

Enjoy!

--Alex

The Butch Bakery Cookbook: A Favorite Thing

You've got to love a cookbook that has its own manifesto.

The Butch MAN-ifesto.  Our objective is simple.  We're men.  Men who like cupcakes.  Not the frilly pink-frosted sprinkles-and-unicorns kind of cupcakes.  We make manly cupcakes. For manly men. (Butch Bakery|New York)

I stumbled across this book while browsing the virtual library shelves of my local online library catalog.  I'm ashamed to say the title alone was too good to pass-up.  Apparently, I'm a sucker for something that is smartly branded, and the juxtaposition between butch and bakery caught my eye.  I put the book on hold and had it delivered to my local branch.  

Written by David Arrick, a former asset-backed securities dealer on Wall Street, The Butch Bakery Cookbook comes in at a solid 192 pages with plenty of color pictures.  According to the Butch Bakery website, when Arrick read a magazine article mentioning that cupcakes were a combination of everything "pink, sweet, cute and magical" he decided to take action and "butch it up." (Really, I have no comment.)

Upon scanning the table of contents I came across some unusual entries: Driller, Jack Hammer, Big Papi, Sweet Mama, Peppermint Patty, and Butch Meets Buttercream. Convinced I had actually checked-out a book on soft-core activities, I ventured forward with a bit of trepidation.  Sure enough, past the hype and the attention-grabbing titles, The Butch Bakery Cookbook delivers solid-tasting cupcake recipes that will make most adults happy.

A word of warning, this is not a cookbook for teetotalers.  The recipes include liberal use of brandy, bourbon, Bailey's, whiskey and all sorts of wonderful spirits that butch up prissy cupcakes and pack a punch. As some of you know, my office colleagues regularly demand that I bring baked-goods to work with me.  I decided to try out the Sidecar recipe and not only was it a hit, I was also told that I should have brought in enough for each person in the office to have two cupcakes, rather than one.  I reminded them that they were fortunate to have one cupcake, and snarled in their general directions.

So, what was in the Sidecar?  Well, at press-time I had not received permission to post the recipe but I can tell you this: the Sidecar is a delicious cupcake that is comprised of a lemon cake, drenched in brandy, with a cointreau/brandy buttercream.  Yes, it is as decadent as it sounds.  And, it's like doing a shot and eating cake at the same time!  Because none of the liquor is cooked-out, not only do you taste it, but you get that immediate contact buzz from the sugar and the alcohol.  

If they behave, my office colleagues will soon be getting some B-52s (yellow cake/Bailey's buttercream) and some Really Hot Dogs (chile-spike devil's food cake/dark and white chocolate-chile buttercream).  Yes, I broke down and bought the book.  It was cheap.  Last time I looked $8.00.  You can get it here: The Butch Bakery Cookbook [Amazon Link].

Enjoy!

--Alex

The Manhattan! -- A Cocktail from the '50's

Guest blogger, my hunky nephew Paul, is writing for us today.  Paul is a mixologist at one of our local watering holes and is currently single.  Yes, I meddle in my nephew's personal life.  Serious inquiries should inbox me privately. <wink>
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Known as "the drinking man's drink," it was the father to the "Martinez cocktail," which was the father to the popular "Martini." So, yeah, it's the martini's grand-daddy -- that ever so popular and sexy concoction of gin and vermouth. In fact, the Manhattan could be the reason we use vermouth in cocktails today.

The Manhattan was created in the late 1800's, and due to vermouth's increasing popularity at the time, may bartenders were experimenting with it. It is probable that many bartenders created the same cocktail at the same time. One theory is that the cocktail was created at the Manhattan club in New York City in 1874, when Jennie Churchill (Mother of Winston) threw a party for the newly elected Governor.

Now, to the nitty-gritty. The cocktail falls into the French-Italian family of cocktails. Because New York was a rye town at the time, the original recipe calls for rye whiskey. Other adaptations use bourbon (the South) or brandy (the Midwest). We're going to do it the way it was intended:

The Manhattan

2 oz Rye Whiskey (I use Old Overholt - Cheap and Good for Cocktails)
3/4 Oz Sweet Vermouth (I use Dolin)
2 Dashes Angostura Bitters
Maraschino Cherry

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass.  Add ice.  Stir (preferably with a bar spoon), minimum of 20 revolutions, no more than 25.  The idea is to chill the drink, dilute the whisky and NOT water the cocktail down.  Strain into a chilled martini or coupe glass.  Garnish with cherry.

WARNING:  Vermouth is wine.  It will go bad, even though it is fortified.  When not in use, refrigerate, it will keep longer.  Generally, you can stretch it to a week.

Note:  I make my own cherries because most of the ones you buy are brined, bleached, and colored to that disposable bright red.  The recipe?  I'll share that in the future.  For now, you can buy Luxardo Brand Maraschino Cherries or any brandied Maraschino Cherries.  Just avoid anything bright red.  That's garbage.

Try the recipe.  Let Uncle Alex know what you think.

--Paul

Asafoetida Powder -- A Mysterious Spice Fart: A Favorite Thing

Also known as Hing, Asafoetida (Asafetida) is a well known ingredient in Indian cooking. Before you open the spice bottle however, prepare yourself, this thing has a very pungent odor.  In short, if spice bottles could fart, this is what they would smell like!

So, given the pungent odor, why is this spice fart one of my favorite things?  Well, a bit more background first.  Asafoetida is made from the resin of the giant fennel plant.  It is also known as stinking gum and Devil's dung among its more colorful names. In addition to cooking, it has been used for its medicinal properties treating everything from flatulence to bronchitis.  In Jamaica, its used to prevent spirits from entering a baby's skull.

I use it in my kitchen, making sure to keep it in a tightly sealed jar, and running the kitchen exhaust fan whenever I open the spice bottle.  But, when I use it in my cooking (and not to ward of evil spirits), ooh la la, what a difference a spice fart makes!

Please, don't be foolish enough to put it on your tongue straight up.  Asafoetida is a combination spice.  When added to food and used in combination with other spices, the vomit-inducing sulfur smell gives way to a garlicky-leeky-earthy yummy goodness that brings out that umami flavor we all love.  It adds depth to stews, lentils, beans, breads, while working in the background, accenting whatever it is you've already added to your recipe.  Like most medicine, we don't know quite how it works, but we know it's working!  You can also use it as a featured spice, dominating your recipe, bringing an earthier, heavier taste, to whatever your complementing.

My secret?  1-2 teaspoon(s) in beef stew.  Don't tell anyone.

Oh!  Yes, the smell goes away rather quickly, as you cook.  The spice fart fades away,  leaving nothing but the smell of goooood cooking!

Have you used Asafoetida?  What have your results been?  Let me know in the comments.

Enjoy!

Alex

The Flavor Bible: A Favorite Thing

The Flavor Bible, originally published by Little, Brown and Company in 2008, is a necessary tool for anyone who is serious about, dare I say it, flavor.

Those of you that know me, know that I had gastric bypass surgery in February of 2013 (losing a whopping 147 lbs to date!) and that I can only eat very small portions of food at any one sitting -- less than a cup (in total) of consumption at any meal.  Yes, you read that correctly.  A cup!  This makes being a foodie very difficult.  And, yes, I still consider myself a foodie.  Although I cannot inhale the voluminous amounts of food I was accustomed to eating, I enjoy the food I eat and make every bite count.  

For me, the key to making every bite count is ensuring that the flavors pop guaranteeing the perpetual party in my mouth.  Well, this is not easy.  Although I am a solid cook -- some would say awesome (I pay them) -- it is difficult to come up with flavor combinations that aren't boring, expensive, and/or repetitive.  Enter The Flavor Bible.

The Flavor Bible answers the age old question: What goes with what?  Don't know what to add to pumpkin to make it pop?  Check The Flavor Bible (Answer: bay leaf).  Want to know what flavor affinities are present in Georgian (Russian) cuisine?  Check The Flavor Bible.  (Answer: coriander + dill + fenugreek (blue) + garlic + red peppers + walnuts).  Did you know chicken goes well with cinnamon?  That you should use marjoram in egg dishes?  That navy beans go well with YELLOW onions?  OK, I think I've made my point.

From the mundane to the exotic, look up an ingredient in the matching tables and you will get the wisdom of some of the worlds most celebrated chefs to guide you, whether you want to enhance a recipe or are creating something from scratch.  From personal experience I can tell you that pumpkin/bay leaf trick really works.  I made some pumpkin cookies the other day that I had made a zillion times before.  But, this time I added a bay leaf to the pumpkin mixture and sauteed for a while before adding to the batter.  The pumpkin flavor was enhanced tremendously and the cookies were better than ever before!  Yes, you need to remove the bay leaf.  ;)

I turn to this book again and again.  Instead of keeping it in the library, I keep it in my kitchen.  My one regret is that it took me 5 years to find it.  You can check it out here:  The Flavor Bible

Enjoy!

Alex