|
|
|
Cuban Menu for Fall
Shrimp al Ajillo Banana Curls
Red Pepper Bisque
Orange, Onion and Anise Salad with Goat Cheese
Ropa Vieja Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Pineapple Rum Upside-Down Cake
Coffee Sippin’ Rum
I made this dinner for an evening with our son’s future in-laws. I wanted to make a menu that reflected his Cuban heritage, but it was a bit of a challenge to create a menu that reflected Cuba’s tropical culinary tradition and at the same time felt like an appropriate menu for late fall. This is the result.
Top the meal off with strong coffee and a bottle of premium, aged dark rum for after dinner sipping.
Serves 8
2 pounds shrimp, peeled and de-veined ¾ cup butter 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon Amontillado Sherry 1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley, very finely minced ½ fresh lemon
Preheat oven to 375º. Melt butter in an oven-proof casserole that will hold the shrimp more or less in a single layer. Stir in garlic, Sherry and parsley. Toss with shrimp. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until shrimp is pink and cooked through. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the hot shrimp. Serve warm.
2 plantains sea salt 1 quart canola oil for frying
Peel plantains. Place on a flat surface and peel off long, thin strips with a vegetable peeler. Lay the strips out on a baking sheet and sprinkle lightly with sea salt. Heat oil to 375º. Slide the banana slices into the hot oil, one at a time, turning them as you slide them in to form interesting shapes, and taking care not to crowd them. Fry about 30 seconds. Remove with a strainer and let drain on paper towels. Can be made several hours ahead. Serve in a napkin-lined basket or serving dish.
I like to serve just a bit of cream soup at the beginning of a meal. This recipe makes enough for eight very small dishes. If you have big eaters or want to serve a more normal portion, you will need to increase the recipe as appropriate.
2 tablespoons olive oil 1 cup chopped onion 2 very large or 3 medium red bell peppers, seeded and cut roughly into 1” pieces 2 cups chicken broth 1½ cups heavy cream salt freshly ground black pepper chives for garnish
Sauté onions gently in olive oil in a saucepan until soft and translucent but not beginning to turn brown. Salt the onions lightly while cooking. Add peppers and chicken broth and simmer until peppers are soft and tender, about 10-15 minutes. Cool to lukewarm. Puree in batches in a blender until very smooth. Stir in cream. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve. Add salt and pepper to taste. Heat until just hot. Serve, garnished with chives.
Blood Orange, Onion and Anise Salad with Goat Cheese
¾ cup fresh-squeezed orange juice 1 teaspoon orange zest ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon whole anise seed, plus about 4 more teaspoons for sprinkling 2 heads butter lettuce 1 red onion 5-6 blood oranges or 4-5 navel oranges 5-6 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled sea salt freshly ground black pepper ½ cup apple cider vinegar
Lightly toast 1 teaspoon anise seed in a small fry pan just until fragrant. Combine orange juice, orange zest, olive oil, 1 teaspoon toasted anise seed and ¼ teaspoon sea salt in a small jar and shake to combine. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Wash lettuce and tear into bite-sized pieces. Refrigerate.
Peel oranges with a knife, cutting off all the white pith. Cut into sections between the membranes. Discard membrane. Refrigerate orange sections if not using right away.
Cut red onion into quarters lengthwise and slice thinly. Place slices in a small bowl and cover with apple cider vinegar. Add water if necessary to cover onions completely. Let soak about 30 minutes. Drain and refrigerate if not using right away.
Toss lettuce with dressing. Divide lettuce among eight salad plates. Divide onions and oranges among the salads. Crumble goat cheese over the top. I find the easiest way to do this is by twisting a fork into the chunk of cheese and letting the crumbles fall onto the salad. Sprinkle each salad with a good-sized pinch or two of anise seeds and some freshly ground black pepper to taste.
2 ½ pounds flank steak 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 quart beef broth 2 bay leaves 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 onion, chopped 1 green pepper, chopped 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon oregano leaves ½ teaspoon thyme leaves 2/3 cup red wine 1 28-ounce tomatoes, pureed in a blender 1 cup frozen peas salt freshly ground black pepper
Salt flank steak on both sides. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot. Add flank steak and cook until dark brown and caramelized. Turn over and brown the other side. Add beef broth and bay leaves and simmer until meat is fork-tender, about 2 hours. Remove meat from broth and set aside to cool slightly. Reserve broth.
Sauté chopped onion and green pepper in 3 tablespoons olive oil in another large pot until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, oregano and thyme and sauté another 1-2 minutes. Add wine and simmer until wine is almost all evaporated. Add pureed tomatoes and simmer another 3-4 minutes or so. Add the reserved beef broth and several grinds of black pepper. Simmer about 30 minutes. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper to taste.
Cut flank steak into 2” chunks. Add meat back to tomato sauce and simmer another 15 minutes or so. Just before serving add peas and heat just until peas are hot, about 1 minute. Place a couple of scoops of mashed potatoes on a plate and make a well in the center. Top with the meat and a good amount of the sauce. Serve immediately.
3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes 1 medium-sized yam ¼ cup butter ½ to ¾ cup heavy cream salt
Peel and cut potatoes and yam into quarters. Place in a pot and add enough water to come up about half way. Add 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil and simmer about 20 minutes, until very soft. Drain. Press through a potato ricer if you have one, then whisk in butter and cream with a fairly heavy-duty whisk or potato masher. Add salt to taste. Keep warm until ready to serve.
If you don’t have a potato ricer, a hand-held electric mixer also works well for mashing the potatoes.
Pineapple Rum Upside-Down Cake
For this I used Rose Levy Beranbaum’s Pineapple Upside-Down Cake from her book The Cake Bible, the book I go to whenever I want to bake a cake. I added 2 tablespoons dark rum to the brown sugar and butter mixture before placing the pineapple slices. If you prefer a stronger rum flavor, add one to two additional tablespoons.
|
|
Copyright © 2008 by Charlotte Rose. All rights reserved. |
