Puerto Rican Recipes

All recipes came from Recipehound: http://www.recipehound.com/Recipes/puertorico.html

Traditional Tostones (Tostones Tradicionales)

2 cups corn oil

3 green plantains, peeled and cut in 1-inch diagonal slices

1 In a deep heavy skillet, heat the oil until it is very hot but not smoking. Drop in the plantain slices and brown on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon, but maintain the oil temperature. Using a tostonera or two pieces of waxed paper, flatten the plantain slices to 1/4 inch thick (we had fun smashing them with the flat side of a meat tenderizer – kind of like playing Whack-a-mole). Refry until golden brown on both sides. Remove and drain on paper towels.

2 NOTE: For a more sophisticated dish, arrange the tostones on a platter and top each with 1 teaspoon of sour cream and 1/2 teaspoon black or red caviar. Delicious!

Chayote Salad (Ensalada de Chayote)

4 medium chayotes

1 6-ounce jar pimientos, drained and diced

1/4 cup sherry vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 cup olive oil

salt and black pepper to taste.

1 Peel the chayotes and cut each into 4 pieces. Boil in enough salted water to cover for 20 minutes, or until tender. Let cool at room temperature. Add one of the dressings and toss gently.

3 Sherry Vinaigrette: 1/4 cup sherry vinegar, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1 cup olive oil, salt and black pepper to taste. (the original recipe allowed for one of three dressings so most oil/acid dressings could work.)

Cold Avocado Soup La Fortaleza (Sopa Fria de Aguacate Estilo La Fortaleza)

4 medium avocados, peeled and diced

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1/2 cup light cream (we used half & half)

2 cups chicken stock

juice of 3 lemons

salt and white pepper to taste

2 or 3 plum tomatoes, roughly chopped, for garnish

2 tablespoons watercress, roughly chopped, for garnish

1 Combine all of the ingredients except the tomato and watercress in a blender or food processor and process until very smooth. [We had to do this in batches then mix it all in a huge bowl.] Season to taste. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving.

2 Garnish with tomato and watercress.

Puerto Rican Pot Roast (Carne Mechada al Estilo Puertorriqueno)

1/3 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons white-wine vineagar

1 tablespoon Adobo

1/2 tablespoon dried oregano

3 to 3-1/2 pounds eye of round

STUFFING:

1/3 cup dried currants, soaked in 1/3 cup sherry

1/2 cup manzanilla olives, chopped

1/4 pound smoked ham, diced

1 chorizo (red Spanish sausage), chopped

BRAISING MIXTURE:

2 cups tomato sauce

2 cups beef broth

1/3 cup sherry from the marinated currants

1/3 cup Basic Recaito

remaining stuffing

6 red potatoes, cut into pices

1 Combine the oilive oil, vinegar, adobo, and oregano. Season the meat with this mixture. With a sharp knife, cut a large incision through the center of the meat.

2 Combine all of the stuffing ingredients. Stuff the meat [but not to overflowing, leave some stuffing to add to the braising mixture.], cover, and let stand for 1 hour.

3 Sear the meat on all sides in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. [We didn’t turn it over so the stuffing would fall out, just browned all the other sides.] Combine all of the braising ingredients [and leftover stuffing]. Add to the meat and bring to a boil.

4 Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 1 hour. Slice the meat; return it to the liquid. Add the potatoes and cook for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are done.

Basic Yellow Rice (Arroz Amarillo Basico)

2 tablespoons annatto oil combined with 1 tablespoon corn oil

2-1/2 cups rice (we used Jasimine, as I had tons)

4 to 4-1/2 cups boiling water or chicken stock

2 teaspoons salt

1 can pigeon peas [optional- I bought a can of these for fun, and just tossed them in.]

1 Heat the oil in a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Add the rice and stir to combine. Stir in the boiling liquid and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook until the liquid evaporates. Cover and cook over very low heat for 20 minutes, [adding the pigeon peas and] stirring after 10 minutes.

Annato Oil – I made this weeks in advance.

1 cup olive oil

1/2 cup annatto seeds

Heat oil and annato seeds over medium heat and cook until the seeds just bubble and the oil becomes a dark orange color, about 5 mintues. Remove and strain. Store in a jar in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature to use.

Guava Mousse (Mousse de Guayaba)å

6 egg whites

1-1/2 cups sugar

1-1/2 cups heavy cream

1 cup frozen guava pulp, thawed [There was some pulp left in the package, so we just tossed it into the sangria]

1 Beat the egg whites and sugar in a large bowl until stiff peaks form. [This took forever and although it got stiff, it didn’t really “peak” – too heavy with sugar I suppose.] In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Fold the whipped cream and guava into the egg whites, in alternating batches.

2 Notes: This mousse can be served immediately or frozen for later use. [We made this in advance and chilled in the fridge and are glad we did. Tasted good and set well cold.]

Puerto Rican Sangria (Sangria Criolla)

1-1/2 cups frozen passion fruit pulp, thawed [We couldn’t find pulp, so bought concentrate from the Brazilian Emporium on Federal (north of Alameda) in Denver. We used maybe 1-1/4 of it]

2 cups pineapple juice

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

2 cups red wine

2 cups lemon-lime soda

1 cup white rum

1 6-ounce can mandarin oranges

ice cubes

[guava pulp – optional, see the Guava Mousse recipe.]

1 Combine all of the ingredients in a pitcher. Chill for at least 1 hour before serving.