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I’m Margaret Sabia, the creator and host of the Dailymotion and YouTube Channel Deliciously Sweet and Savory ! This blog provides writ...

Monday, April 30, 2018

Tostones


One of the best side dishes to any Cuban meal are plantains as they can be made in a variety of ways. I’ve already posted a recipe for how to make platanos maduros, which are made with ripe plantains, and a recipe for plantain chips using green plantains. And another great way to make plantains is to make tostones using green, unripe plantains. In fact, tostones can be made using plantains that are green all the way to starting to turn yellow but are still firm. Very ripened plantains, like the kind you want for platanos maduros, won’t work for tostones. Tostones are really great because they can be eaten as is, lightly salted, or can be added to soups, roasts, and stews. Moreover, they are very simple and inexpensive to make, so have fun trying out this recipe and enjoy! 
   
Tostones Recipe

INGREDIENTS:
  • 1 or more green plantains (you can use plantains that are firm and just starting to turn yellow)
  • Corn or vegetable oil for frying
  • Salt to taste (optional)
TOOLS NEEDED:
  • A frying pan or small pot
  • A knife and cutting board
  • Forks or spatula for flipping and removing plantains from the oil
  • Wire strainer
VIDEO DEMONSTRATION / INSTRUCTIONS


BRIEF DIRECTIONS (See the video demonstration for detailed instructions):
  1. First, peel the plantains, cut into slices 1 inch thick, and reserve the peel for later (see video demonstration for further detail).
  2. Fill a pot or frying pan with oil at least 2 inches deep. Heat the oil on high heat.
  3. Once hot enough, carefully place the plantain slices in the pot/pan, so they are not overlapping. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook the plantains for 2 minutes. Then flip the pieces over and continue to cook for 2 minutes or until they start to have a golden yellow color. Remove the plantains from the pot/pan and place on a plate.
  4. Now take the plantain peel, place one cooked plantain piece on the peel, fold the peel over, and press down over the plantain slice with the palm of your hand. You want to squash and flatten the plantain a bit so that the slices are about ¼ inch thick (see video demonstration for visual). Repeat the process for the rest of the plantain pieces.
  5. Next, place the plantains back into the oil and cook on medium-high heat for about 1 minute and 30 seconds flipping the tostones over ½ way through the cooking process. Cook the tostones until they are golden brown. Then remove the tostones from the oil, place on a plate, add a little salt over them (if you want), and serve!
***NOTE: The plantains will continue to cook once they are removed from the frying pan,
so remove them when they are starting to turn golden brown to avoid overcooking or burning     
them.

Friday, April 27, 2018

Arroz con Pollo

Another viewer of mine requested an arroz con pollo recipe because they fell in love with the dish while vacationing in the Caribbean. And, well, I can’t really blame them, as arroz con pollo is one of my favorite dishes, especially when made by my Abuela! It is one of those dishes that is truly comforting to eat, and the taste is absolutely amazing! So, it should be of no surprise that my recipe is based on my Abuela’s recipe. The great part about arroz con pollo is that it is a one-pot wonder, which results in a complete meal of chicken and rice. The rice is extremely flavorful due to the blending of flavors of the freshly made chicken broth, small peas, roasted red peppers, and the addition of beer! Making fresh chicken broth and the inclusion of beer is really important as it gives the rice that distinct arroz con pollo flavor. The chicken also ends up extremely flavorful and moist. Overall, arroz con pollo is not difficult to make, and it is an incredibly satisfying meal, so have fun trying this recipe and enjoy!

Arroz con Pollo Recipe

INGREDIENTS:
  • 4 lbs of chicken
  • 2 medium-sized red peppers
  • 2 medium-sized onion
  • 3 cups of long grain rice (or medium grain rice)
  • 7 cups of water
  • 1 3/4 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 ½ tsp salt
  • 1 packet of sazón con asafran or ½ tablespoon saffron
  • ½ cup of tomato sauce 
  • 1 bottle of beer (about 1 ½ cups)
  • 5 oz bottle of fancy pimentos/roasted red pepper, the water drained 
  • 1, 15 oz can of very young small sweet peas 
  • ¼ cup of olive oil 
  • ¼ cup of vegetable oil 
·     
TOOLS NEEDED:
  • A large pot
  • Fork, knife, cutting board, large spoon, and measuring utensils
  • A food processor (optional)

VIDEO DEMONSTRATION / INSTRUCTIONS


BRIEF DIRECTIONS (See the video demonstration for detailed instructions):
  1. Collect the ingredients. Remove the skin from the chicken (Note: if you use leg quarters or a whole chicken you need to cut the chicken into pieces and remove the rib ends along with the skin, so you don't get any loose bones in the chicken broth being created).
  2. Finely chop the onions in a food processor or by hand. Slice the red peppers into long strips, 1-inch wide.
  3. In a large, deep pot, put 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and spread around the pot. Heat on high heat, add the chicken to the pot, and brown the chicken on all sides. Then remove the chicken from the pot and set aside.
  4. Next, add the olive oil to the pot along with the onion and red pepper, and saute for 1 minute.  Then, add the tomato sauce and saute for 30 to 40 seconds.
  5. Now add the chicken back to the pot, then add the water and stir to loosen up the bottom of the pot. Next add the salt, garlic powder, and saffron and mix. Bring the pot to a boil on high heat and let cook for 5 minutes. Then reduce the heat to medium and let cook for 40 to 50 minutes.
  6. Remove the chicken and red peppers from the pot and about 1 ½ cups of the fluid and reserve for later. Rinse the rice 3 times with water and drain the water each time. Then add the rice to the pot, stir to evenly distribute the rice in the broth, and let cook for 10 minutes on medium heat.
  7. Now loosen the rice with a fork, add the beer, and let cook for 15 to 20 minutes until the rice is fully cooked, not hard (Note: if the rice is still hard, add some of the reserved broth ¼ cup at a time. If the rice seems too wet, let cook for 5 minutes or more with the pot uncovered).
  8. Once the rice is fully cooked, reduce the heat to as low as possible with the stove top still being on. Then add the peas to the rice and gently mix them in. Next, create pockets in the rice and add the chicken to the rice. Then top the rice with the red pepper and pimentos (Note: I suggest removing the skins from the red pepper using a thin knife, but it's not entirely necessary. Most of the skins should have separated from the peppers anyway so it should be easy to remove them). Let the rice sit on the stove top on the lowest setting for 5 minutes. The chicken, peppers, and peas should be warmed up, and the flavors will meld together. Then the rice is ready to serve!