10.  Cuba
"Cuba is located in the northern Caribbean where the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean meet. It is east of the Yucatán Peninsula (Mexico), south of both the U.S. state of Florida and the Bahamas, west of Hispaniola, and north of both Jamaica and the Cayman Islands." -Wikipedia

The dishes we made:
Ropa Vieja (National Dish of Cuba) with Black Beans and Rice, Crispy Fried Sweet Plantains, Cuban Bread, Pork Mojo and Cubanos (Cuban Sandwiches).

 

Ropa Vieja (National Dish of Cuba) with Rice     VERY, VERY Good!
Shredded beef and vegetables that resemble a heap of rags that’s Ropa Vieja.  From the Spanish term for “old clothes”, this is one of Cuba’s most popular dishes. 

2 pounds chuck ask your butcher to cut it taller than wider so you get long strands of beef along the grain or flank steak (see discussion in this post about cuts of beef)
1 large yellow onion thinly sliced
1 of each large green red and yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic minced
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken broth chicken broth has a stronger/deeper flavor than beef broth
1 16 ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 6 ounce can tomato paste
2 bay leaves
1 large carrot cut in half
1 large stalk celery cut in half
1 cup Green Olives rinsed & drained (whole or sliced)
1/2 cup thinly sliced Lindsay Roasted Red Peppers drained
1/4 cup Lindsay Pimientos drained
2 tablespoons Lindsay Capers rinsed and drained
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

Pat the beef dry & sprinkle with salt & freshly ground bl pepper.
Heat a little oil in a Dutch oven over high heat. Once very hot add beef & brown generously on all sides. Transfer beef to a plate. (Do not discard the drippings & blackened bits in the pot, they are key to the flavor.)
Add the sliced vegetables to the pot and cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes until caramelized. Add the garlic and spices and cook for another minute. Add the white wine and bring it to a rapid boil, deglazing the bottom of the pan (scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan).
Add the broth, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and bay leaves. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Return roast to pot along w/ pieces of carrots & celery. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover & simmer for 3-4 hours or until the beef is fork tender and falls apart easily. Discard the celery, carrots and bay leaves.
Transfer the beef to a plate and shred it.
Stir in the olives, roasted red peppers, capers and pimientos. Simmer uncovered to thicken the sauce for 30 minutes. Stir in the parsley and add salt and pepper to taste.
NOTES
For a variation on traditional beef you can also use pork or chicken (bone-in/skin-on for the most flavor or boneless breast or thighs).

 

Cuban-Style Black Beans VERY Good!
1 pound dried black beans, rinsed and drained
2 medium white onions, halved lengthwise
2 medium green bell peppers, halved
4 bay leaves, divided
8 cups cold water
3 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon kosher salt, divided
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Chopped cilantro (optional)
Lime wedges (optional)

Combine black beans, 1 onion half, 1 bell pepper half, 2 bay leaves, and 8 cups cold water in a pressure cooker. Lock lid into place and set pressure to HIGH (15 pounds); bring up to pressure over high heat. When pressurized, reduce heat to medium and cook 15 minutes. Remove from heat, release pressure, and let stand until pressure is completely released. Remove lid. Discard onion, bell pepper, and bay leaves.
Meanwhile, finely chop remaining onion and bell pepper halves. Smash garlic on cutting board with flat side of a chef’s knife. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt, then rub salt into garlic with the knife to form a paste.
Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet over medium. Add chopped onions, chopped bell peppers, and garlic-salt paste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent, about 8 minutes. Stir in remaining 2 bay leaves, wine, cumin, oregano, and tomato paste. Cook, stirring, until tomato paste is incorporated and wine has evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes.
Place uncovered pressure cooker over medium heat. Stir in onion-bell pepper mixture; season with black pepper and remaining 2 teaspoons salt. Simmer until beans are cooked through, about 30 minutes. Drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil.
Serve black beans with cilantro and lime wedges, if desired, and season to taste.

 

Crispy Fried Sweet Plantains
4 cups canola oil or other neutral oil
4 yellow/black plantains, peeled and cut diagonally into 1/2-inch pieces (about 2 1/2 pounds)

Heat oil in a heavy, high-sided skillet or shallow Dutch oven over medium-high to 350°F.
Add half of the plantain slices and cook until bottoms are mahogany-colored with speckles of yellow poking through, 3 to 4 minutes.
Flip and cook until deeply caramelized, about 3 minutes.
Remove with a mesh skimmer to a paper towel–lined baking sheet, and sprinkle with half of the salt.
Repeat with remaining plantains and salt.

*Careful not to burn your plantains. You are going for darkly caramelized, but not charred.

 

Cuban Bread  VERY, VERY Good!
For the starter
1/4 teaspoon instant- -dry yeast
1/8 cup water (cool)
1/8 cup all-purpose flour
For the dough
0.50 cup water (cool)
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon sugar
0.50 tablespoon lard
3/4 teaspoon instant-
 starter
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
Servings:  1 loaf

For the starter
1/2 tsp instant- -dry yeast
1/4 cup water (cool)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
For the dough
1 cup water (cool)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1+ Tbsp lard
1 1/2 tsp instant-
 starter
3 1/2 - 4 cups all-purpose flour
Servings: 2 loaves

Starter
Combine starter ingredients in a small bowl.
Cover with saran wrap and place in a cool spot for about 12 hours.
For the bread dough
In the bowl of a large standing mixer fitted with dough hook, add water, sugar and salt, lard, yeast and the starter. Scrape with spatula.   à  NOTE: Add Sugar, dry yeast & 3-4 Tbsp Water & let activate ~5 min. Then add lard, salt, the starter and then flour.
Dump in about 3.5 cups of flour and mix the dough for 10 minutes on medium. The dough should come clean from the sides of the bowl. If it does not, add a bit more flour as needed.
Let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1.5 hours.
Punch the dough down (or turn the mixer on for 30 seconds). Remove the blade and let rise until doubled in volume, about an hour. Cover with cloth so it doesn't dry out.
Cut into 2 or 3 even pieces.
Pat each piece flat with your hand. It shouldn't stick if the dough is the right consistency. Next, fold it in half, lengthwise. Take your hands and roll it into a long tube.
Preheat the oven to 400F.
Soak twine for a few minutes then squeeze the excess out and press into dough. Flip the dough over, on top of the twine, and let it rest about 20 minutes. (If you instead use metal skewers, press them into the dough, then flip them over and let them rest on top of the skewer for about 20 minutes).
Bake, skewer/twine side up (leaving them in), for about 20 minutes for 3 loaves, and 25 minutes for 2 loaves.

 

Slow Cooker Cuban Mojo Pork      VERY Good!
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 pounds pork shoulder
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lime juice
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 leaves bay
1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional)
1 tablespoon water (optional)

In a large pot add the canola oil on medium high heat.
Season the pork with the kosher salt and black pepper and brown the pork on all sides.
To the slow cooker add OJ, lime juice, cumin, oregano, red pepper flakes, garlic & bay leaves & mix together.
Add the pork to the slow cooker and roll it in the mixture until it is coated well.
Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 6.
When the pork is done you can serve as is with the juice on top.
If you want a thicker sauce, 30 minutes before it is done skim the fat off the top, add a cornstarch slurry (1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of water to the slow cooker and cook on high for 30 minutes.

Cubanos (Cuban Sandwiches)     VERY, VERY Good!
12 thin slices Baked Ham
12 large, thin slices or shredded Mojo Pork
Melted butter, for brushing
Cuban Bread, split lengthwise (or Italian or French Bread, Baguette)
Yellow Mustard, for brushing
6 thin slices Swiss Cheese
12 long thin slices Dill Pickles

Butter and light toast the inside of the cut bread.

Assemble the sandwiches: Layer bottom of buns with pork, ham, cheese and pickles. Brush inside of bun tops with mustard. Close sandwiches. Butter the outside of the bread.
Either heat in the oven, on a grill or use a Panini press.
Weigh down the sandwiches w/ a cast iron skillet w/ something heavy in it.