Sofrito

Sofrito is not only a common seasoning in many Puerto Rican dishes, but it is also frequently served at the table as a condiment. It will keep refrigerated for several days, and can be frozen in small batches for future use.

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 ounces lean cured ham, finely chopped
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and freshly-ground pepper, to taste

Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over low heat. Add the remaining ingredients and sauté for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Makes about 1 cup to serve 6 to 8 as a condiment.

Shrimp Curry, Caribbean Style

1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
4 medium tomatoes, chopped, or 2 (16 ounce) cans
    tomatoes, drained and chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 cups cleaned cooked shrimp
Hot cooked rice
Chutney

Cook and stir onion in butter in 10-inch skillet until tender, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, salt, coriander, turmeric, ginger, cumin and red pepper. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in shrimp; heat until shrimp are hot, 3 to 5 minutes.

Serve with rice and chutney.

Sancocho (Dominican Republic)

2 tablespoons extra light virgin olive oil
1 medium Spanish onion, chopped
2 or 3 stalks celery with leaves, chopped
1 or 2 whole chickens, washed, skinned, and cut up
2 to 3 teaspoons oregano
2 to 3 teaspoons garlic salt
2 to 3 teaspoons herb garlic seasoning
1 1/2 quarts water
2 or 3 chicken bouillon cubes
3 or 4 ears of field or yellow corn, cut in half or thirds.
3 to 5 cilantro leaves
Couple chunks of otoe or malanga, peeled and washed
Nice size piece of zapallo or calabasa, peeled and washed
Nice size piece of ñame, peeled and washed
Couple chunks of yuca, peeled and washed

In large pot over medium heat, add oil, onion, and celery. Sauté for several minutes. Add chicken and about 1 or 2 cups of the water. Sprinkle oregano, garlic salt, and herb garlic seasoning. Cover and let flavors mix for about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 2 to 3 cups of water at a time, keeping the mixture at a slow boil until all water has been added. Add chicken bouillon cubes. Add corn. Cook on slow boil for about 30 to 45 minutes.

Peel the vegetables. Cut up in 2- to 3-inch pieces. Soak in water.

Skim gray foam from top of cooked chicken broth. Add cilantro leaves. Drain water from vegetables and add vegetables to chicken broth, except the zapallo (or calabasa). Stir gently. Allow soup to boil slowly. Add zapallo 5 minutes later. Allow zapallo to cook on top of mixture. Allow to boil slowly for an additional 10 to 15 minutes until vegetables are tender.

Add salt, pepper, and/or hot sauce to taste.

NOTE: Frozen sancocho vegetables may be purchased in many grocery stores. Substitute frozen vegetables, if desired, rather than purchasing fresh vegetables.

For a clear broth, once the vegetables are tender, carefully remove them from the soup; place in covered container.

For a thicker broth, allow the vegetables to continue cooking; vegetables become very soft and break apart. Zapallo will break apart very fast.

If additional broth is needed, add a can or two of chicken broth plus one cilantro leaf.

Puerto Rican Pork Roast

1 (4 1/2 to 5 pound) bone-in pork shoulder roast
12 medium cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
1 tablespoon dried powdered oregano
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper, or to taste
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar or freshly-squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil

Rinse pork shoulder under cold running water. Pat it dry with paper towels. Cut shallow slits with a small sharp knife all over the pork shoulder.

Make an adobo, a garlic-spice rub. Purée the garlic with the oregano, salt, black pepper and vinegar or lime juice in a food processor or electric blender. Pour in the olive oil and blend well. You can also make the adobo the old-fashioned way by crushing the garlic, oregano and slat and pepper with a mortar and pestle, and then combining the crushed garlic mixture and the vinegar and oil.

Place pork in a shallow roasting pan, then pour the adobo over it. Rub the adobo into the pork with your fingers, forcing it into the slits. Cover the pork with plastic wrap and marinate it in the refrigerator overnight.

Roast the pork at 350 degrees F, basting regularly with pan juices, until tender, about 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Remove the pork from the pan to a carving board and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Serve the pork hot or warm, with accompaniments of your choice.

Rum-Raisin Pound Cake

1 1/2 cups brown raisins
2 1/4 cups sifted all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
    (at room temperature)
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
5 large eggs
7 tablespoons dark rum
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoon whipping cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan.

Toss raisins with 2 tablespoons flour in small bowl. Combine remaining flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl.

Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until light. Add 1 2/3 cups sugar and beat until fluffy. Adding eggs 2 at a time, beat after each addition until well blended. Beat in 6 tablespoons rum and vanilla extract. Mix in flour mixture, fold in raisin mixture and spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake cake until top is golden and tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 1 hour.

Cool in pan on rack 10 minutes. Turn out cake onto rack and cool completely.

Stir confectioners’ sugar and 1 tablespoon rum in bowl until smooth; mix in cream and spoon over cake. Let stand until glaze is set, about 30 minutes.

Makes 12 servings.

Roast Pork a la Criolla (Puerto Rico)

Criolla (also known as Creole throughout Latin America) refers to the first generation born in a new country. This dish was probably fixed by the first generation of Spanish born in Puerto Rico, using oregano which was brought to the islands from the Mediterranean. This pork roast is traditionally made with fresh ham.

1 (3 pound) boneless pork single loin
    roast or boneless fresh ham roast
    (inside round), netted or tied
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
6 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon oregano
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons vinegar
1 tablespoon salt

In a small bowl, mix together all seasonings, then rub this mixture on all surfaces of the pork roast. Place roast in shallow pan and roast at 350 degrees F for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until meat thermometer inserted reads 160 degrees F. Remove roast from oven; let rest 5 to 10 minutes before slicing to serve.

Serves 8.

NOTE: Use leftovers for Cuban Sandwiches.

Puerto Rican Coquito

2 cups coconut milk*
3/4 to 1 cup granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 egg yolks
2 cups white Puerto Rican Rum

* Buy frozen milk in supermarket, or crack and pry the meat from a fresh coconut, add half the amount of warm water as coconut meat, place in food processor, process for 2 to 3 minutes. Let it cool and then squeeze half the mixture through cheesecloth, then second half. If you do not get 2 cups, add water to what you have to make the required coconut milk.

Put the sugar, salt, cinnamon, egg yolks and 1/2 cup of the coconut milk in a blender. Blend until sugar is dissolved. Add the rest of the coconut milk and blend again. Pour the entire mixture into an enamel pot and bring JUST to a low boil. Stirring, remove from heat and let cool.

Add rum and stir thoroughly to completely blend the flavors. Bottle and chill well before serving in very small liquor glasses with a dusting of cinnamon.

This should yield about 4 cups.

Puerto Rican Cheese Fritters

1/2 pound Gouda, Swiss, or Cheddar cheese, grated
1 egg
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Cayenne pepper, to taste (optional)
Bread crumbs (for coating)
Vegetable oil for (deep-frying)

Combine the cheese, egg, cornstarch and cayenne in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on high speed until well blended. Roll into small balls using 1 teaspoon of mixture. Coat with the bread crumbs and fry in oil heated to 350 degrees F until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.

Serves 4 to 6 as an appetizer.

Lime Meringue Pie (Pastel de Limon — Puerto Rico)

1 (9-inch) pie crust, your favorite recipe or packaged

Filling
3/4 cup cornstarch
4 egg yolks (reserve the white for the meringue)
2 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter

Meringue
4 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Bake the pie crust in a preheated 350 degree F oven for about 30 minutes, or according to the package directions, until light golden brown. Cool and set aside.

Combine the cornstarch and 1 cup of the water in a saucepan and whisk until combined. Add the remaining water and filling ingredients and whisk to combine. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until thick and boiling. Pour into the baked pie shell.

Beat the egg whites until stiff. Add the remaining Meringue ingredients, beating until thoroughly combined. Top the pie filling with the egg white mixture, spreading it just to the edge of the pie crust. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for about 15 minutes, until light golden brown. Overcooking will cause the meringue to crack when serving. Cool and refrigerate before serving.

Makes one 9-inch pie to serve 6 to 8.

Piri Piri

2 red chile peppers
1 cup olive oil
Zest of 1 lemon
1 bay leaf

Combine chile peppers with olive oil, zest and bay leaf in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Leave it in a warm spot for two or three weeks. The longer you keep the Piri Piri, the hotter it will get. A few drops will enhance almost all Caribbean dishes, especially fish dishes.