Special Requests
Rellenos De Papa - Stuffed Balls of Potato
Rellenos de papa is another one of our favorite fast foods. This can be found in any restaurant that sells what we call Frituras ( fried foods). I have even seen street vendors cooking them in parks during the summer.
Even though these are known as snacks, one or two rellenos de papa along with a beverage is enough to serve as a lunch that can be very filling.
The rellenos de papa is made with mashed potato stuffed with a seasoned chopped meat mixture shaped into a ball and then deep fried until golden brown.
Ingredients:
1- 2 ponds of white potatoes (Peeled washed and cut up into quarters.) 2- ½ stick of salted butter. 3- Salt and pepper to taste. 4- 2 eggs beaten. 5- 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. 6- 1 ½ cups of meat filling (the recipe for the meat filling can be found in the appetizers page.)
Preparation:
1- Place potatoes in a pot with a teaspoon of salt and cold water make sure that the pot is large enough so that the water will cover the potatoes. 2- Bring to a high boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Allow to cook until the potatoes can be pierced with a fork easily. 3- Drain all the water and mash potatoes. 4- Blend in butter, cornstarch and eggs. 5- Place mixture in a clean bowl, and cover with a clean towel allow to rest and come to room temperature.
Now comes the fun part, just make sure that you have washed your hands and that they are dry.
1- Dust your hands with a little cornstarch. 2- Place a kitchen spoon of the potato mixture on the palm of your hand. 3- Make a pocket in the center of the mixture and put a tablespoon of the meat mixture into the pocket. 4- Fold the mixture over and then shape it into a ball, making sure that the meat filling is completely covered. 5- Remember to keep your hands dusted with the cornstarch this will keep the potato mixture from sticking all over your hands. 6- Continue making the balls and set aside, it would be a good idea to place them in the refrigerator so that they won't get soft and mushy. 7- Place enough oil or shorting in a deep fryer to cover the balls for deep-frying. 8- Bring the deep fryer up to heat and place balls one at a time. Make sure not to crowd the fryer, you need enough room to be able turn the balls so that that they will not break while frying. 9- Fry until golden brown, remove and allow to drain on a paper towel. 10- Serve while still hot.
For those of you that don't care for fried foods, you can try placing the potato balls in the oven on a nonstick pan and bake at 375 degrees or until golden brown.
Well I hope that you will try this dish and enjoy it as much as I do bringing you these recipes.
Ok Jaime this One is for you thanks for the request Aug. 05, 1999
Fish
Escabeche Pickled King Fish
Escabeche will be found on most every Puerto Rican table on Good Friday. I personally can't remember a Good Friday that Mom did not have it already prepared. Once again like many of our dishes it entails a great deal of work and at least three days marinating in the refrigerator before it can really be appreciated. Once again this is one of those dishes that goes well with either white rice, boiled green bananas or boiled green plantains. Whatever side dish you decide to choose to go with, if you're a lover of fish I know that you won't be disappointed. Ingredients:
1- Three to four pounds of King fish cleaned and sliced about one inch thick. 2- Two to two and half pounds of Spanish or Bermuda onions peeled and thinly sliced. 3- The juice of two limes. 4- Seasoned flour for dredging. 5- Two cups of olive oil. 6- One cup of vinegar. 7- Four bay leaves. 8- Twelve pepper corns. 9- One teaspoon of salt. 10- Three to four tablespoons of crushed garlic. (Note: This is optional and can be added to the onion mixture during the cooking cycle or after this is up to you)
1- In a large heavy pot, place oil, vinegar, salt, pepper corns and bring to a simmer. Add onions and allow to simmer slowly for about one hour. 2- While the onions are simmering rinse fish under cold water and place on a cutting board. 3- Pat the pieces of fish dry with a paper towel and then rub all sides with the lime juice. 4- Dredge fish in the seasoned flour make sure that it is completely covered with the flour coating and set aside. Once you have floured all of the fish place it in the refrigerator for at least a half hour. 5- Place about one quarter cup of oil in a heavy skillet and bring up to heat. Once the oil comes up to heat place a few pieces of fish in it and fry until golden brown on all sides. You may have to adjust the heat so as not to burn the fish. 6- Place a layer of the onion and oil mixture in to a large container that has a tight lid, preferably glass. 7- Place a layer of the fried fish into the container, now add another layer of the onion and oil mixture. Continue this process until you have added all of the fish. Make sure that you have enough of the onion and oil mixture to completely cover the last layer of fish. 8- Place in the refrigerator for at least three days turning the fish from bottom to top at least twice a day. Be careful not to break the pieces of fish when turning.
Good luck with this recipe if you follow these instructions you will really enjoy this dish.
Hi Iris I didn't forget you Aug.05, 1999
Asopao
Here is one version of the famous asopao. You can consider this a one-meal dish because it has everything but the kitchen sink. You can make this dish with chicken, beef, pork ribs, dried codfish or any combination of the above. The recipe I am offering here is an asopao de bacalao, which is made with dried codfish. This is great on a cold winter day. It has also been known to replace the hair of the dog that bit you after a night of strong partying. If you get my drift, then you partygoers know what I'm talking about.
1- One package of boneless dried codfish. 2- One half cup of sofrito. (You can find the recipe for sofrito on our foundation page.) 3- One eight ounce can of tomato sauce. 4- Four tablespoons of tomato paste. 5- Two quarts of cold water. 6- One small jar of green olives (For this dish I prefer the ones with the pit they seem to hold up better.) 7- Salt and pepper to taste. ( Please don't add the salt until almost the end because the fish is salty enough) 8- Three to four tablespoons of olive oil. 9- One cup of long grain rice. (More or less depending on how thick you want the asopao.) 10- One tablespoon of oregano ( More or less depending on your taste.)
1- Remove codfish from package and rinse under cold water for a few minutes. Place in a large covered bowl covered with cold water and leave over night. 2- When you are ready to prepare the dish rinse the codfish under cold water once more and set aside. 3- In a large heavy pot add olive oil and bring up to heat. When you see the oil start to smoke add the sofrito and stir, add tomato paste and oregano stir once again. When the mixture starts to bubble add tomato sauce and stir. It is very important that you stir the mixture when adding the ingredients so that it does not burn. Next add the olives and then the codfish making sure to flake it. Now add water and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil lower the flame and allow it to simmer. This would be a good time to taste and adjust as needed. If you find that it has sufficient salt just add pepper. Check that you have enough liquid if not you can add more don't worry remember this going to be a soup. At this point you can add the rice and bring up the heat until it starts to boil. Now lower the heat and let simmer. You will know it is done when you see that the rice is nice and soft. If you find that it is too thick you add a can of chicken broth.
I hope that you will enjoy this dish and as I've said in the past if you follow the above instructions you won't be sorry for the time you put in to create this wonderful dish.
Here it is Karen Hope you enjoy it Aug. 05, 1999
Ensalada De Pulpo
Octopus Salad
Ensalada de Pulpo is a great summer dish. We would have it for dinner with green boiled bananas & toasted garlic bread. This doesn't mean that it's only eaten in the summer it's that you will find it very refreshing on a hot day. It takes a bit of work, but in the end you will find that it was well worth it. This recipe should feed from six to eight hardy appetites and you should still have some left for later on, just make sure to keep it tightly covered in the refrigerator.
1- Two medium size pulpos' about two and a half pounds each. 2- One large Spanish onion peeled and thinly sliced into rings. 3- Six cloves of crushed garlic. 4- The juice of two limes. 5- One cup of virgin olive oil. 6- One eighth of a cup of white vinegar. 7- One cup of chopped celery. 8- Salt and pepper to taste. 9- One eighth of a cup of chopped parsley. 10- One pinch of oregano.
1- Rinse the octopus under cold running water to wash off any foreign matter. 2- Place a large pot of cold water with a teaspoon of salt on the stove and bring to a boil. Place the Pulpo into the pot and allow to boil for at least one hour. 3- While the Pulpo is boiling you can start the dressing. In a large bowl blend together garlic, olive oil, vinegar and the lime juice. Once you have blended these ingredients add salt and pepper to taste and the pinch of oregano. This is the time to make sure that your dressing is just right, it should be tangy and yet pleasant to your taste with just a hint of garlic and lime blended in with the olive oil and vinegar. If you feel that you want to adjust it to your taste, this would be the time to do it. Just remember that the secret to this dressing is a complete marriage of all these ingredients you don't want one ingredient to over power the others. 4- Place dressing in the refrigerator and allow to cool while you continue with your preparation. 5- After the Pulpo has boiled for an hour turn off the burner and allow it to cool down in the pot of water. At this time you want the water to cool down enough so that you can put your hand into the pot without burning yourself. This is important because you are going to need this tempered water to clean the Pulpo. Once you are able to place your hand in the water start scrubbing the Pulpo removing the dark film that covers it. You can use a knife to scrape off the parts you can't remove with your hand. When cleaned right the Pulpo should be white in color with some light pink. 6- Once you have cleaned the Pulpo place it on a chopping board and cut it into wheel shaped round medallions. At this time you can decide what you want to do with the head you can cut it up and add it to the salad or give it to your cat this is up to you. 7- Once you have completed cutting up the Pulpo place it in the bowl with the dressing making sure to bath it well. Now you can add the remaining ingredients and mix well, you want the dressing to cover all the ingredients. Now you can place your finished masterpiece in the refrigerator and allow to chill. The best way to serve this dish is cold. I hope that you will enjoy this dish as much as I have bringing it to you.
Hi Carmen I bet you thought I forgot about you. Aug. 14, 1999
Sancocho
I'm sure that all cultures have many, one-dish meals. By that I mean that the main meal consists of only one dish with maybe a side of bread. Well This is one of those meals that can be complemented with a loaf of French, Italian bread or a side dish of plain white rice. It contains different cuts of beef, pork ribs, chicken, smoked cooking ham, stuffed plantain balls and tropical vegetables. Once again I'm going to warn you that the preparation for this dish is time consuming. I wouldn't advise you to try making this after coming home from a hard day on the job. However it would be great to have in the refrigerator & ready to heat up when you got home. This is one of those meals that always taste better the next day. At this time I would like to thank my Mom for teaching me the recipe for this dish and all the other recipes on this web page. I say this because I can still remember the time & love, she would put into everything she prepared in the kitchen & especially this particular meal.
This recipe will feed six to eight easily with some left over for you to put in the freezer. The reason for this is that Mom cooked not only for us, the family but also for whoever would come by. You can be sure that we had a full house when mom made Sancocho. So if you find that it is too much for you at this time please try and adjust the recipe.
1-One to one and half pounds of soup meat. 2- One medium soup chicken. (Cut up into serving pieces). 3- One pound of cooking ham or ham steak. (Diced into one inch square pieces). 4- One to two pounds of pork spare ribs. (Separated and cut in half). 5- Two packages of chorizo. (They usually come two in a package, unless your Butcher carries them fresh in that case get four of them). 6- One pound of yautia, peeled rinsed and cut into quarters. 7- Six green plantains peeled and cut into thirds. 8- One malanga about two pounds peeled and cut into two-inch pieces. 9- One pound of yuca peeled and cut into quarters. 10- Four or five green bananas peeled and cut in half.
Note: Once you have peeled the vegetables it is important that they be placed into a pot with cold water and salt. This will keep the vegetables from turning color. 11-One cup of sofrito 12- Six tablespoons of oregano 13- Salt and pepper to taste 14- One can of tomato sauce 15- Four tablespoons of tomato paste 16- Six quarts of cold water 17- Four tablespoons of olive oil 18- Two tablespoons of white vinegar 19- One medium jar of Spanish olives
Are you still with me? I told you that this one was a winner, and we haven't even started yet. Well for those of you that are still with me, & are adventurous let's get ready to cook. I promise that you won't be sorry, you may put on a few pounds, so please don't blame me.
1-Pour the four tablespoons of olive oil into a large pot, (Remember all the ingredients so please make sure it's large) and bring up to heat when it starts to smoke add the ham and Chorizo stir. You want it to get a golden brown in color. Once that's done add the cup of sofrito and keep stirring. When you see that it is beginning to bubble, stir in the tomato paste. This would be a good time to check the heat because you don't want this mixture to burn, so if you feel that it should lowered do it now.
2- Once the tomato paste has blended into the mixture stir in the tomato sauce and allow it to blend into the mixture.
3- This a good time to add the seasonings oregano, salt and pepper to taste. Allow for the oregano to work its magic and when your kitchen starts giving off aromas like it never did before turn up the heat and add three quarts of water. 4- Add soup meat, chicken and ribs bring to a boil for about fifteen minutes and then lower the heat down to a simmer.
5- When the chicken is just about fork tender remove from pot and set aside. Do the same with the soup meat and the ribs.
6- Return enough soup meat to the pot so that when shredded it will make about one half cup.
7- Allow the soup meat to cook until it is soft enough to shred and then remove and set aside.
8- In a small frying pan add two tablespoons of olive oil and bring up to heat. Add two tablespoons of sofrito and about six or seven chopped up olives add the shredded soup meat and blend together. Add salt and pepper to taste, remove from heat and set aside.
9- At this time you can add the vegetables to the pot with the broth. Add all but four plantains and allow to simmer slowly on low heat. This would be a good time to check to see if you have enough liquid if not add more water.
10- Take the four plantains you have left and grate them. It is important that you use a grater for this part of the recipe, because using a blender will not cut it.
11- Once you have grated the plantains scoop up a large table spoon of the mixture and place it in the palm of your clean hands. Form a small pocket and add a teaspoon or a little more of the shredded soup meat mixture in the center of the pocket, and then form it into the shape of a ball.
12- Making sure that your pot is at a low boil, add the balls to the pot being careful that they do not break apart.
13- Once the vegetables are almost fork tender return the meat that was set aside and continue cooking. Allow to cook until you have a rich thick broth, at this time you can adjust the seasonings to your taste.
Well that wasn't bad was it? I only hope that I made my Mom Proud with this recipe. Now remember that a side dish of white rice is just the compliment to this dish. If you decide the bread well that's OK too.
Enjoy and please let me know what you thought of this dish.
Johnny El Hijo De Flora
Roast Turkey:
November 23, 1999
Ok Homie this one is for you & the Family:
1- One Turkey the size will depend on how many people you will have for dinner. A good rule of thumb would be about a 15 pounder should feed 10 people 2 servings each. 2- One bottle of grape juice 3- One head of garlic peeled & mashed. 4- Salt & pepper to taste. 5- Three tablespoons of Oregano. 6- One half cup of adobo (You can find the recipe on the foundation page) 7- One half cup of olive oil
1- Remove the bag containing the neck, heart, liver & gizzards from inside the Turkey cavity & set aside. Rinse Turkey under cold running water making sure to let the water rinse the inside cavity well. 2- Thoroughly pat dry the Turkey with a clean paper towel. 3- Place Turkey in a large roasting pan. 4- In a large bowl combine grape juice, garlic, salt & pepper & Oregano 5- Pour mixture over the Turkey & into the roasting pan. Make sure to rub it all over & inside the Turkey. Allow it to bathe in the mixture over night in the refrigerator & baste it every 1/2 hour so that it will be completely covered with the mixture.
Roasting:
1- About 1/2 hour before you are ready to roast the Turkey remove it from the refrigerator. Drain it well & place it on a platter. Combine the olive oil & adobo and mix well. Rub the Turkey with this mixture both inside & outside. Save the remainder of the mixture for basting while roasting. 2- Wash & dry The roasting pan & place the Turkey back in it. Wrap the wing tips & drumstick ends with aluminum foil.
Stuffing:
3- 1/2 lb. Ground beef 4- 5- 1/2 lb. ground veal
6- 1/2 lb. ground pork (optional For those of you that do not partake of this meat)
8- 4 to 6 Tablespoons of sofrito 9- 10- 1 - Teaspoon of oregano
11- 6 to 8 pitted or Spanish olives sliced 12- 13- 4 - Tablespoons of olive oil 14- One-half cup of raisins (optional) 15- 2 to Tablespoons of tomato paste (Or you can use about 1/4 can of tomato sauce)
16- Salt and pepper to taste
17- - In a large frying pan put 2 tablespoons of olive oil and bring up to heat. Combine ground meats place in pan and cook thoroughly.
18 Remove from stove, drain all grease and set aside.
19- In a pot that will be large enough to hold the meat you have so far prepared add 2 Tablespoons of olive oil and bring up to heat stir in the sofrito and blend well with the oil. Add tomato paste or sauce along with the sliced olives and oregano along with salt and pepper and blend all the flavors. Now add your ground meat making sure to mix all ingredient together, now would be a good time to check taste and see if you need more salt.
20- Your mixture should be nice and moist but not so moist as to have juices bubbling on the top, if so let the mixture simmer on low heat uncovered until you have a moist not dry consistency. You can add the raisins,chopped cooked chestnuts at this time if you wish.
21- when done set aside and allow mixture to cool.
22- Stuff the turkey with the meat mixture in both the neck cavity & the inside cavity. Make sure not to over stuff it Pack it loose & then sew it shut.
- Preheat your oven at 325 degrees
Place turkey in oven and baste every half hour until done. It should read between 180 to 185 degrees on a meat thermometer.
Gravy:
Place the parts that were in bag in a pot with one quart of cold water. Add one onion, one large carrot & two stalks of celery. Allow to simmer for about one hour. When the meat is tender strain the broth & set aside. When the Turkey is done set aside & let stand for at least twenty minutes. Scrape the bottom of the roasting pan & remove all but about three tablespoons of the grease whisk in three tablespoons of flour and bring up to heat until you have a nice smooth paste. Slowly add the broth and whisk. Add a teaspoon of gravy master & salt & pepper to taste. Continue whisking until you have a nice smooth consistancey.
Baked Ham:
1- One canned ham. 2- One-quarter cup of brown sugar. 3- Half stick of butter. 4- Two cinnamon sticks 5- One cup of pineapple or orange juice. 6- Two to three sliced pineapple rings. 7- Mara chino cherries.
1- Pour juice in to a pot & bring up to heat, do not boil just let it simmer. 2- Add brown sugar & whisk. Add butter & cinnamon sticks & continue whisking. Allow to simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes. This would be a good time to taste and adjust to your liking with more juice or sugar. 3- Once the sauce is done set aside and allow it to cool a little. 4- Put ham into a roasting pan & place pineapple slices on top put a cherry in the center of each pineapple ring and secure with a toothpick. 5- Pour some sauce over the ham & put into a 325 degree preheated oven. 6- Cook for about 30 to 45 minutes or until the ham is a nice golden brown. 7- Remove from oven allow to cool for about 15 minutes. 8- Slice & serve with a little sauce.
Baked Sweet Potatoes:
1- 2 to three pounds of sweet potatoes or yams. 2- 3 cups of the same sauce you used for the ham. 3- 1/4 stick of butter.
1- Scrub potatoes under cold water until they are nice and clean. 2- Put them in a pot with enough cold water to cover them and bring up to heat. Allow to boil until fork tender. 3- Drain and place into cold water to stop cooking. 4- Once they have cooled peel & slice. 5- Place potatoes into a buttered baking dish & pour sauce & some cinnamon sticks making sure that the potatoes are completely bathed in the sauce. 6- Put into a 350-degree oven and bake until golden brown.
Macaroni & Tuna fish salad:
1- One box of elbow macaroni. 2- One can of tuna fish. 3- One medium onion chopped. 4- Two stalks of celery chopped. 5- One small green pepper chopped & sliced into rings. 6- Three tablespoons of salad oil. 7- One cup of mayonnaise. 8- Salt & pepper to taste.
1- Cook macaroni according to the directions on the box. Drain and place in cold water to cool. Then drain again and set aside. 2- In a large bowl Combine oil & mayonnaise mix well. 3- Add onion & celery, green pepper & continue to mix. 4- Fold in tuna fish & add salt & pepper to taste. 5- Add macaroni and mix well. 6- Place green pepper slices on top sprinkle with paprika & chill.
Flan de leche:
1- One and half quarts of milk. 2- One & a quarter cups of sugar for mixture. 3- One cup of sugar for Caramelize. 4- 1/4 teaspoon of salt. 5- Zest of one lemon or lime. 6- Ten eggs.
1- In a large pot add milk, sugar, salt & zest. 2- Heat & whisk mixture just before it starts to boil and then reduce heat and allow to simmer for about 20 minutes remember to continue whisking so that it stays foamy & dose not curdle. 3- Put the remaining cup of sugar in a pan and heat it until it starts to become a nice golden brown in color. 4- Pour the sugar mixture into a baking dish that will be large enough to hold the flan and allow it to cover the bottom & sides of the dish. 5- Place eggs into bowl and whisk until they are a nice and creamy yellow in color. 6- Strain the cooled milk mixture & then slowly whisk into the egg mixture until it the two mixtures have combined to become a custard mixture. 7- Place the custard into the baking dish. 8- Place baking dish into another pan with about an inch of water. 9- Bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for about an hour or until golden brown in color.
10- Remove from water and allow to cool, place in refrigerator until you are ready to serve.
11- Before serving turn the baking dish over onto a platter so that the caramelized sugar is on top of the flan.