Cook like a Cuban

I really love the food I grew up with - Cuban/Puerto Rican. (Cuban and Puerto Rican cuisine are very similar to each other, but very different than Mexican). Cuban and Puerto Rican cuisine is mostly traditional Spanish with a Caribbean influence.

To create the flavor profile of many Cuban dishes you need four things: Achiote Oil, Sofrito, Adobo, and Sazon Completa.

Achiote oil gives Spanish food the deep yellow color and smokey flavor. The easiest way to make Achiote oil is to put 1/2 cup of good olive oil in a custard dish with one tablespoon of achiote (aka annatto seeds). Microwave on high for 60 to 90 seconds - done!

Sofrito is to Cuban food what mirepoix is to French food — aromatic vegetables and herbs for braising and simmering to create the base layer of flavor. Course chop one large onion, two cubanelle peppers (aka Italian frying peppers) or poblano peppers, one large red pepper, one or two serrano peppers (remove the seeds and veins if you don't like the heat), 15 to 20 cloves of garlic, about one cup of cilantro, half cup of culantro - if you can find it, usually only found in a bodega. If you can't find culantro use extra cilantro. Put it all in a food processor and work it to a course paste. If you don't have a food pro, be ambitious with a knife and cutting board.

I put about 3/4 cup of the sofrito in a zip top bag and freeze for easy use.

Adobo is available everywhere now, it is a blend of salt, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin and coriander. I think the Goya version contains msg, so if you are sensitive to msg, you can mix your own adobo, see the google for a multitude of recipes.

Sazon Completa is a blend of savory herbs. I think it is sage, thyme, oregano, basil and parsley. You can buy it on amazon here.

A box of sazon will round out your Cuban kitchen starter kit.

Next post will be basic Arroz con Pollo.