Ropa Vieja with Alcaparrado

Aaaand another Cuban dish just about everyone knows. The Cubans do a lot of soupy, stewy dishes, much more Spanish influenced than on most other Caribbean islands. Or not so much more influenced, as less influenced by other things, and by other things I mean spicy things. Cuban cooking is fairly mild, with many dishes starting out with a sofrito, that is onion and green peppers cooked soft in oil then cooked some more with tomatoes of some kind. That's what happens here. Seasonings are cumin and oregano, almost always, and the Alcaparrado is also very typical; a mix of olives, capers and raisins.

4 servings
45 minutes not including pre-cooking the beef (2 hours)


Pre-Cook the Beef:
1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil
500 grams (1 pound) flank or skirt steak
salt & pepper to taste
2 cups water
2 or 3 bay leaves

Heat the oil in a skillet. Cook the steak, patted dry, on both sides until nicely browned, seasoning with salt and pepper as you go. When it is well browned, add the water and the bay leaves, and simmer for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Keep the meat and the broth from cooking it in separate containers in the fridge until wanted.


Make the Dish:
1 large onion
1 large red pepper
1 large green pepper
1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil
2 teaspoons cumin seed, ground
1 1/2 teaspoons rubbed oregano
4 cloves of garlic
2 or 3 cups crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoon red wine or sherry vinegar

Peel the onion and cut it into slivers. Wash and destem the peppers, and cut them into similar sized slivers. Heat the oil in a large skillet, and add the onions and peppers. Cook, stirring regularly, until they soften. Do not let them brown. Add the ground cumin seed and the oregano.

Meanwhile, peel and mince the garlic. When the vegetables are well on the way to being cooked down, add the garlic and cook it for just a minute or two. Add the tomatoes and the broth from cooking the meat, and simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes, until the mixture is amalgamated and somewhat reduced.

While that is happening, shred the meat into long strands. This can be done by pulling strands off with a fork, but I always remember the family motto: "fingers were invented before forks." Once done, add the beef strands to the pan along with the vinegar and simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes, stirring regularly, until everything in the pan is very well acquainted. It should be moist and juicy, so you may need to add more broth or water or tomatoes, if it shows signs of drying out.

Make the Alcaparrado:
1 or 2 teaspoons drained capers
8 to 12 stuffed green olives
2 tablespoons raisins
1 tablespoon roasted red pepper

Chop together the capers, olives and raisins, to form a coarse relish texture. The red pepper should be mashed quite smooth. Mix it in to hold the alcaparrado together. (I admit that for the red pepper I used a bit of my Ajvar. Why not? It was good.)

Cuban Black Bean Soup

This very classic Cuban soup is usually made with a meaty ham-bone or smoked hock. I made mine vegetarian, as I had a vegetarian guest at the time, but if you want to add it back in, there is no reason not to.

8 to 12 servings
1 hour prep time, not including cooking the beans


Cook the Beans:
450 grams (1 pound) dried black beans
8 cups of water
3 or 4 bay leaves

Rinse the beans and put them in a large pot with the water and the bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat off. Leave them covered for an hour or two. Repeat, until the beans are fairly soft. Once they are close to being done, leave them on a simmer for an hour or so until completely cooked. This can be done a day in advance.

Make the Sofrito:
2 stalks of celery
2 medium onions
1 large green pepper
4 to 6 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons mild vegetable oil
2 teaspoons rubbed oregano
1 tablespoon cumin seeds, ground
1 teaspoon smoked sweet Spanish paprika
1 cup tomato sauce

Wash, trim and finely dice the celery. Peel and finely dice the onions. Destem and deseed the pepper, and cut it in fine dice. Peel and mince the garlic.

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Cook the celery, onions and pepper until soft but not browned. Add the oregano, cumin, paprika and garlic, and stir until well combined and fragrant. Add the tomato sauce and cook for another 20 minutes or so, until the whole is well amalgamated and somewhat reduced.

Finish the Soup:
4 cups ham, chicken or vegetable broth
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup rum
finely chopped sweet onion, steamed rice, OR sour cream

Meanwhile, drain the beans and return them to the pot with the broth. Pick out the bay leaves. Bring the beans to a simmer.

When the sofrito is ready, add it to the beans. Simmer for a few minutes. Remove about one third to one half of the soup, and purée it, or at least mash it very thoroughly. Return it to the pot.

Just before serving, add the lime juice and rum and heat through. Serve traditionally, with chopped raw sweet onion and spoonfuls of steamed white rice, or with sour cream. Since I was serving the soup as a "primero" in a larger meal, I did not serve it with any rice.




Last year at this time I made Bean & Barley Burgers.

Bocadito Elena Ruz

Hey everyone! I'm not here right now, but at the sound of the beep...

Oh, wait; that's not right. Let me try again. Hey, everyone! I'm not here right now. I'm in Cuba! Yes, Cuba! For 2 weeks. In preparation for this momentous occasion I have made a few Cuban dishes which will, thanks to the miracle of modern computing, appear at intervals until I return; at least, that's the plan. We'll see.

This one is a simple sandwich of cream cheese, strawberry preserves, and sliced cooked chicken or turkey on a plain white or slightly sweet sandwich bread (challah, for instance). It was invented in the 1930's at the request of a young Cuban socialite who would go seeking a late-night snack at one of Havana's trendy cafes. It's also very handy if you still have any leftover Christmas turkey around, and if you decide to put in cranberry sauce rather than strawberries preserves, well, it will be much less Cuban but perfectly tasty. It's traditionally toasted, but you don't have to. It's a sandwich, - a bocadito, - for heaven's sake.

Anyway, a very happy new year to all, and I'll "see" you when I get back.




Last year at this time I made Caroline's Low-Sugar Sweet Potato Cake.

Peanut Brittle

I've had candy thermometers at various times, but either they haven't worked or I do not have what it takes to use them properly. It's not like I need to be making candy anyway, but there are a few things that are fairly foolproof and can be done without one.

We used our! own! homegrown! peanuts for this, which was very exciting, but you could use any nuts you like, or pumpkin, sunflower or sesame seeds for that matter.


The sugar should turn a good definite dark brown, even a little darker than in the photo although, of course, you don't want to burn it.


2 cups shelled roasted peanuts
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon baking soda (optional)
1/2 to 1 teaspoon sea salt

Have the peanuts measured and ready. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper, and grease it generously with the butter.

Put the sugar and honey into a fairly deep, heavy-bottomed pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring only once at the beginning to get the sugar dissolved.

Once the mixture is boiling briskly, but in no danger of boiling over, let it boil for another 4 to 5 minutes, watching it closely but not stirring. When it turns to a deep golden brown, remove it from the heat at once. Mix in the peanuts, and the baking soda if you want to add it. This will give the peanut brittle a very different texture, as it will make it full of tiny bubbles.

Spread the hot peanut mixture out on the prepared parchment paper, spreading it as evenly and as thinly as you can. Sprinkle the salt over the top evenly. If you used the baking soda, use less salt. If you did not use baking soda, you can use a little more salt. Let the brittle set for several hours in a cool spot, then break it up and store it between sheets of parchment paper in a sealed tin.

Pizza Mushrooms

If you can find a little oven space, these are an easy appetizer to make and very tasty. You can use other pizza-type toppings instead of the pepperoni if you like; maybe stuffed olives, chopped ham or green peppers.

36 large mushrooms
45 minutes - 15 minutes prep time


36 large button mushrooms
200 grams (1/2 pound) cheddar or mozzarella cheese
1 cup tomato sauce
1 teaspoon oregano
100 grams (1/4 pound) pepperoni


Clean the mushrooms, and remove the stems. Reserve the stems for some other use. Set the mushrooms on a baking tray, gills up. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Grate the cheese and mix it with the tomato and oregano. Chop up the pepperoni and mix it in as well. Spoon this mixture into the mushroom caps. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve hot.

They will exude a lot of juice as they bake, so make sure the baking tray has edges to prevent it from running off the edge.





Last year at this time I made Jerusalem Artichoke, Celeriac & Turnip Salad with Ginger-Orange Dressing.

White Bean & Dried Tomato Dip

I keep trying with the white bean dips. I find an awful lot of them pretty dull, actually. Perhaps I have finally gotten enough other stuff in there that it can actually be tasty. At any rate, this was quite popular.

If you don't want to cook the beans, you should use 2 540 ml (19 ounce) tins.

about 3 cups dip
20 minutes prep time, not including cooking the beans



1 cup raw pea (navy) beans
1/3 cup parsley
1/2 cup dried tomatoes
2 cups grated celeriac
2 or 3 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon sunflower seed oil
the finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon
the juice of 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon salt (maybe)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon rubbed basil
1/4 teaspoon rubbed rosemary
1/2 teaspoon rubbed oregano
1/4 teaspoon rubbed thyme
1/4 cup stuffed olives (optional)

The beans need to be cooked the day before; put them in a pot and cover them with generous amounts of water. Bring them to a boil, then let them soak for several hours. Bring to a boil again, and then simmer until tender, about an hour.

Put the drained beans into a food processor. Add a good handful of parsley, washed and squeezed dry (and without any tough stems).

Put the tomatoes into a small pot with water to just cover, and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and let them sit, covered, for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel and grate the celeriac. Heat the oil in a medium skillet, and cook the celeriac gently until softened. Add the peeled, sliced garlic and cook for a minute or two more.

Add the drained tomatoes and the celeriac and garlic to the beans. Add the lemon juice and zest, and the seasonings, and the olives if you want them. Note; the amount of salt called for supposes home-cooked beans and no olives. If you use canned beans and/or olives, you should reduce the salt accordingly. If you use both you will not likely need to add any.




Last year at this time I made Pasta with Roasted Squash, Mushrooms, Onions & Dried Tomatoes.

Cornmeal Pancakes

I trust that when I call for cooked, cooled cornmeal mush you recognize that it's leftovers. Make cornmeal for cereal one morning, cook some extra and have pancakes the next day. In order to have a cup of cornmeal mush left over, you should cook a generous 1/3 of a cup extra. Cornmeal gets cooked at the rate of 3 parts water to 1 part cornmeal, with a pinch of salt.

Delicious with maple syrup, honey, peanut butter, applesauce, applebutter, jam; all the usual pancake accompaniments in other words. These are a bit more solid and moist than regular pancakes with a nice delicate flavour. As always with pancakes, honestly: buttermilk is so much better than regular milk. It keeps extremely well (generally a couple of weeks past the date on the carton) and is useful in all kinds of baking. It should get used more often.

12 4" pancakes
40 minutes prep time



1 cup cooked cooled cornmeal mush
1 tablespoon sugar
2 eggs
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
about 1 cup buttermilk or milk
mild vegetable oil to cook

Preheat the oven to 150° to 200°F. Put your plates in there to get warm.

Mix the sugar into leftover cornmeal mush. Beat in the eggs.

Mix the baking powder and salt into the flour, then beat it in.

Mix in the buttermilk to make a smooth, pourable batter. Start with 1/2 cup and add more as needed; 1 cup will probably be about right, but it depends on how thick your cornmeal turned out and how thick you would like your pancakes to be. You will likely need a bit more buttermilk than you would plain milk.

Cook in an oiled pan at pancake temperature for about 2 minutes on each side, until nicely browned. Keep them warm in the oven on the plates there until they are all cooked.




Last year at this time I made Paprika Soup.

Cranberry Cole Slaw

Cranberries! They go with so many things, even cole slaw. What can I say? I do love those fruity, nutty salads. Here's another one.

Makes 6 to 8 servings
1 hour - 30 minutes prep time


Make the Dressing:
1/2 cup mayonnaise (light is fine)
1/2 cup buttermilk
a little finely grated lemon zest
the juice of 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon anise seed, ground
salt & pepper to taste

Mix the mayonnaise and buttermilk. Grate in a little lemon zest, about 1/8th of a teaspoon, then add the lemon juice. Grind the anise seed and mix it in, with salt and pepper to taste.

Make the Salad:
6 cups finely chopped cabbage
2 medium apples
1/2 cup chopped nuts (pecans, almonds or hazelnuts)
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries

Put a pot of water on to boil.

Chop the cabbage finely. Wash the apples, and cut the in quarters. Core them, then dice them. Mix the cabbage, apples and nuts.

When the water boils, add the cranberries and boil them for one or two minutes, until they are mostly popped but still whole. Lift them out of the water with a slotted spoon, draining thoroughly, then add them to the salad. Discard the water.

Toss the dressing with the salad, and let rest in the fridge for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.

Hazelnut Macaroons

Here's a quick and easy recipe just in case you need to make some Christmas cookies at the last moment. Of course, you will then be left with the egg yolks. Maybe you could make Eggnog Shorties with them, unless there is call for them elsewhere.

I'm going to step away from the computer for a while since Christmas is indeed just about upon us. Hope everyone has a great holiday, and a happy new year. And best of all, todays the day: from here on, the days get longer and the nights get shorter!

24 cookies
40 minutes - 20 minutes prep time PLUS overnight



2 extra-large egg whites
1 cup icing sugar
1 cup ground hazelnuts
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon almond extract

Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Beat the egg whites until very foamy. Continue beating, and add the icing sugar, about a quarter at at time, until it is well amalgamated and the egg whites form stiff peaks. Fold in the ground nuts, lemon juice, and almond extract.

Scoop out with a melon baller and place on a the prepared cookie sheet. Let the cookies stand overnight in a cool spot (not the fridge) to dry. Preheat the oven to 350°F and bake the cookies for 15 to 20 minutes.




Last year at this time I made Dried Tomato Pesto.

Cranberry-Orange-Poppy Seed Loaf Cake

This is a cake I came up with about 10 years ago, to combine some of my favourite cake flavours. It was still in the days of low-fat cooking, so I really cut back on the butter a lot. It seems to work fine though. Nowadays I am probably more worried about the amount of sugar in things. Heigh-ho. Still, I don't make cake all that often, in spite of the inordinate number of desserts that I seem to be posting this month. Hmm. This was for someone's birthday, honest.

I actually made this particular cake with Meyer lemons instead of oranges. They worked out very well. I used 3 in the cake and 1 for the glaze. If you use oranges, don't forget you will need 3 of them if you want to glaze it.

8 servings
1 hour 15 minutes - 30 minutes prep time

Make the Cake:
2 cups fresh cranberries, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 extra-large egg
the zest of 2 large oranges
2 cups soft whole wheat flour
1/3 cup poppy seeds
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup buttermilk or milk

Chop the cranberries coarsely; actually I just cut them in half individually. Lightly butter a large loaf pan or 8" round springform pan. If using a springform pan, line the bottom with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Put the butter in a mixing bowl with the sugar, and work it in until it is evenly distributed throughout. Beat in the egg. Grate in the zest from the oranges, and mix it in.

Measure the flour and mix it with the poppy seeds, baking powder, and salt.

Mix the flour into the sugar and egg mixture alternately with the orange juice and buttermilk. Gently stir in the chopped cranberries.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out evenly. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Optional Glaze:
1/4 cup orange juice
1/3 to 1/2 cup icing sugar

If you would like to glaze the cake, while it is still warm mix the orange juice and icing sugar until smooth. Poke the cake all over the top with a fork, then drizzle and spread the glaze over the top of the cake as evenly as you can. Let the cake finish cooling before serving.




Last year at this time I made Baked Ricotta Cheese.

Brussels Sprouts Salad

I feel like I always add fruit, nuts and cheese to salads. Look! It's another salad with fruit, nuts and cheese! Surprise!

But really, that's the salad that I like. So here it is again, with Brussels sprouts this time. Yep, you can eat them raw. Who knew? Okay, I'm surprised.

4 to 6 servings
30 minutes prep time


Make the Vinaigrette:
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/2 cup lemon juice (the juice of 2 medium lemons)
2 teaspoons honey
3 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/3 cup hazelnut or walnut oil
salt & pepper to taste

Mix all the above ingredients in a small bowl and whisk, or put them in a jam jar, seal, and shake until well blended.

Make the Salad:
1/2 cup hazelnuts
200 grams (scant 1/2 pound) Brussels sprouts
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2 or 3 clementines or mandarin oranges
1/2 cup coarsely grated or finely shaved Parmesan cheese

Toast the hazelnuts in a dry skillet, stirring frequently until they turn a little darker in spots. Put them out onto a plate to cool.

Meanwhile, wash trim and shred the Brussels sprouts as finely as you can and put them in a salad bowl. Add the dried cranberries. Peel the oranges, and divide them into segments. Cut the segments in half and add them to the salad. Chop the nuts roughly and add them to the salad.

Toss the salad with the dressing, then sprinkle the cheese over and mix it in gently.




Last year at this time I made Finnish Nisa (Pulla) and German Stollen.

Squash with Roasted Squash Seeds

This is a ridiculously simple way to serve squash, and it uses the whole thing. I love the rich, nutty flavour of the roasted squash seeds.

You can use any other squash besides butternut, provided it is reasonably dense and mashable, and the seeds are tender enough to be nice to eat.

4 to 6 servings
1 hour 45 minutes - 15 minutes prep time


1 medium butternut squash, about 1 kilo (2 pounds)
2 or 3 tablespoons butter
salt & pepper to taste
2 teaspoons mild vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cut the squash in half and clean out the seeds and any stringy bits from the core. Peel and cut the squash into thickish slices or chunks to be roasted. Put them in a shallow roasting pan, and dot them with the butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Roast until tender, about an hour and a quarter to an hour and a half.

Meanwhile, go back and clean the seeds, picking out all the stringy orange stuff that attaches them to each other or the squash, and discarding it. Rinse the seeds thoroughly, and drain well. Put them in a shallow roasting pan and toss them with the oil, and salt to taste (or other seasonings if you like). Roast the seeds for 20 to 30 minutes, ideally timing them to come out at about the same time as the squash. They should be lightly browned and a bit crisp.

To serve, mash the squash with the butter it was roasted in. Coarsely chop the roasted seeds and sprinkle them over the top of the squash once it has been placed in a serving dish.




Last year at this time I made Jelly-Glazed Acorn Squash - more quick and easy squash.