Amish Hats

2 cups margarine
4 eggs
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
4 cups granulated sugar
7 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cups cocoa powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Large marshmallows, cut in half
Chocolate frosting

Mix margarine, eggs, baking soda, salt, sugar, flour and cocoa powder and drop by teaspoon onto a cookie sheet. Bake 8 minutes at 375 degrees F. Remove from oven and put half a marshmallow on top of each cookie. Bake in oven only until marshmallow is slightly puffed. Put chocolate frosting on top when cooled.

Black Bean and Bacon Dip (Frijoles Molidos — Puerto Rico)

10 ounces dried black beans
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup finely minced yellow onion
3 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
3 tablespoons finely minced fresh cilantro
1/3 cup sour cream
5 bacon strips, fried and crumbled

Remove any pebbles and debris from beans; rinse under cold running water, and soak overnight.

Pour soaked black beans into a colander and rinse under cold running water. Put beans in a medium pot with enough water to cover, then bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer the black beans for 1 1/2 hours, or until they are tender, adding more water, if necessary, to keep them covered. Drain beans, then purée them with 1 cup fresh water in a food processor fitted with the metal blade or an electric blender until smooth.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and sauté the minced onions and garlic until the onions are limp, about 4 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and add puréed black beans, lemon juice, Tabasco sauce and salt. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so that the beans do not stick to the skillet. If the beans bubble too vigorously, reduce heat to low. Remove beans from the heat and let them rest for 15 minutes so that they set. At this point you can also cool the beans and store them in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Stir in 2 tablespoons of the cilantro, then spoon the black beans into a medium serving bowl. Top with dollops of sour cream, and then the crumbled bacon and the remaining tablespoon of cilantro.

Serves 6 to 8 as an hors d’oeuvre or side dish.

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.

Mango Preserves (Puerto Rico)

6 mangoes, peeled
4 cups water
4 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine the mangoes and water in a pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove the mangoes and measure 4 cups of the liquid, discarding the rest. Combine mangoes, the liquid, the sugar and the vanilla extract in the same pot and boil over moderate heat until the syrup thickens (222 degrees F on a candy thermometer). Allow to cool and serve chilled or at room temperature.

Will keep for 1 week refrigerated.

Serves 6.

Guava Cake (Puerto Rico)

10 tablespoons butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 pound guava paste*, cut into 16 slices

* Available in finer supermarkets and Hispanic specialty shops.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Sift together the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt and add the butter mixture, mixing until well combined. Add the eggs one at a time and mix well.  Spoon half the batter into a buttered 8-inch square baking pan. Top with the sliced guava paste and cover with the remaining batter. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Serves 8 to 12.

Cuban Sandwich

1 loaf Cuban Bread
Mayonnaise
Yellow mustard
1/2 pound deli ham, thinly sliced
1/2 pound roast pork, thinly sliced
8 thin slices dill pickle
1/2 pound Swiss cheese, thinly sliced

Cut bread into 6 x 3-inch pieces with a serrated knife. Slice bread horizontally to open. Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on the 4 top halves and a thin layer of mustard on the 4 bottom halves. Arrange one-fourth of the ham evenly on each of the bottom halves, then stack a fourth of the pork, 2 pickle slices and a fourth of the cheese on each. Cover sandwiches with the top halves of the bread.

Grill sandwiches in a buttered sandwich press until they are flat, the bread is browned, and the cheese has melted. If you do not have a sandwich press, substitute a waffle iron. Cut each sandwich in half and serve at once.

Serves 4.

A Cuban Sandwich

Posted by Olga at recipegoldmine.com 3/27/02 7:33:25 pm

Pan Cubano
4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 1/4 teaspoons instant or active dry yeast
3 tablespoons fresh lard, cut into small pieces
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) water

Roast Pork and Marinade
1 (1 1/4 pound) boneless pork roast or pork tenderloin
3 tablespoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons minced parsley
1 tablespoon paprika (preferably hot)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lime juice 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil

Sandwich Filling
Sliced roast pork
3/4 pound thinly sliced smoked ham
3/4 pound thinly sliced Swiss cheese
4 dill pickles, sliced
3 tablespoons butter or olive oil

Manual Method: In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and stir till the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased surface, oil your hands, and knead it for 6 to 8 minutes, or until it begins to become smooth and supple.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl or dough-rising bucket, cover the bowl or bucket, and allow the dough to rise till puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, about 1 hour, depending on the warmth of your kitchen. Gently fold the dough in upon itself and turn it upside-down after 30 minutes; this "turn" helps eliminate some of the excess carbon dioxide and redistributes the yeast’s food, both imperative for optimum yeast growth.

Mixer Method: Combine the ingredients as directed at left, using a flat beater paddle or beaters, then switch to the dough hook(s) and knead for 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl or dough-rising bucket, cover the bowl or bucket, and allow the dough to rise, with a turn, as directed above.

Bread Machine Method: Place all of the ingredients into the pan of your machine, program the machine for Manual or Dough, and press Start. Examine the dough about 10 minutes before the end of the final kneading cycle, and adjust its consistency with additional water or flour as needed, to produce a smooth, supple dough. Allow the machine to complete its cycle.

Divide the dough into six pieces, and shape each piece into a rough log. Let the logs rest for 15 minutes, covered, then shape each piece into a smooth batard shape (a log about 8 inches long, slightly tapered at each end). Sprinkle a baking sheet with cornmeal, and place the loaves on the baking sheet.

Let the loaves rise, covered, for 1 hour. Brush or spray them with water, and slash one long lengthwise slit down the middle of each loaf.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F while the loaves are rising.

Transfer the loaves from the cornmeal-sprinkled pan to your oven stone (if you have one), or leave them on the pan and place them in the preheated oven (if baked on a sheet pan, the loaves will be slightly less puffy). Bake the bread for 16 to 18 minutes, or until it’s golden brown. Remove it from the oven, and cool it on a wire rack. The loaves may be made one day in advance and stored at room temperature, or several weeks in advance and frozen. Yield: 6 sandwich loaves.

Roasting The Pork: Mix all of the marinade ingredients together (all of the ingredients except the pork), and rub this mixture over all surfaces of the pork. Cover well, and refrigerate for 6 to 24 hours.

Place the pork in a roasting pan or ovenproof dish, and roast it in a preheated 425 degrees F oven for 30 to 40 minutes, basting occasionally with the pan juices, until a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the roast registers 160 degrees F. Remove the pork from the oven, and cool it completely before slicing thinly.

Sandwich Assembly: Slice the Cuban loaves in half horizontally. Brush the cut surfaces of the rolls with olive oil, soft butter or the remaining pan juices. Layer the sandwiches as follows: Swiss cheese, sliced pickle, ham, sliced roast pork, then additional cheese.

Now comes the somewhat challenging part. You want to grill these sandwiches, top and bottom, while at the same time flattening them slightly. This helps meld all of the filling ingredients. Heat two large skillets, or a grill and one skillet, to medium-hot. Lightly grease the grill and/or skillets. Place the sandwiches in the greased pan(s). Top them with a piece of parchment paper, then the remaining skillet (or flat sheet pan, or other heavy, flat, non-meltable object — the point is to weigh them down). Press down firmly on the top pan, and weigh it down. A teakettle filled with water makes a good weight, as does a clean brick wrapped in aluminum foil.

Grill the sandwiches for 5 to 8 minutes over medium heat, checking often to make sure the bottoms aren’t burning (we burned our first attempts to a crisp!). Adjust the heat downward if the bottoms are becoming brown after only a couple of minutes. Turn the sandwiches over and grill for several more minutes, until they’re crisp on both sides.

Yield: 6 sandwiches, 12 servings.

baked kidney beans and rice

1 medium onion, chopped
2 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup uncooked regular rice
2 (15 ounce) cans kidney beans, drained
4 ounces fully cooked smoked ham, diced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 1/2 cups boiling water

Cook and stir onion, garlic and green pepper in oil until tender. Mix onion mixture and remaining ingredients in ungreased 2-quart casserole. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 55 minutes. Stir before serving.

Yields 5 to 6 servings.