Veal Fricassée

During the past few years I have reduced my meat consumption greatly.  I have become a “flexitarian” (a person who eats meat occasionally, as a “seasoning” and in much smaller quantities than the leafy greens, dairy, legumes, grains and/or vegetables etc. that are in my plate).  It was not a dramatic decision I made one [...]

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Bul de la Verdad (champagne punch bowl)

I had planned to post this recipe during next month, but I am making an early posting of my champagne punch bowl recipe at the request of my good friend Yuri. This champagne punch bowl is one of my trademarks.  My friend Narah named it “bul de la verdad” or “the drink of truth”  because [...]

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Recaíto

Recaito is the typical seasoning base for many Puerto Rican dishes. It is key to making “sofrito” for arroz con pollo, carne guisada, stews, soups and beans among others.  Recao or culantro, is a long aromatic herb.  Home made recaito is absolutely delicious.  I dare to say every puertorrican has (or at least should) recaito [...]

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Pizza Dough

“NO! THIS IS NOT A LEGAL DOCUMENT.” ja! That ‘s what I have to tell people when they ask for my pizza dough recipe and I hand them a copy or send them an email attachment. I know it’s long, but it’s worth the time. I have been involved in sports throughout my whole life. [...]

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Seasons app

FYI: If you want to contribute in helping the environment by buying local and eating products that are in season like nature intended, check out the iphone app seasons. It tells you when each item is in season with pictures and additional information about the product like which season it is harvested and how many [...]

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Pear Bliss

Sometimes I open the fridge and start improvising with the ingredients and/or leftovers I happen to find. I don’t like to throw away food so I am very creative with my everyday cooking.  I can humbly say most of the time the outcome of my experiments are pretty good.  I got the inspiration to make [...]

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Guava and cilantro sauce

Guava (guayaba) is a tropical fruit mostly found in Central America, northern South America, South East Asia and the Caribbean.  It has also been naturalized in Hawaii, India and Tropical Africa.  Guava trees give 2 crops a year.  One of the reasons I loved going to Mami Chelo and Papi Bartolo’s (my grandparents on my [...]

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Mayo-Ketchup dipping sauce

This is a popular dipping sauce in Puerto Rico.  In other places it is called “Salsa Rosa” or Pink Sauce. You may use it to accompany “tostones” or fried green plantains, which my kids love.  Also, it is used to dip “sorullitos de maiz” or corn fritters. In some restaurants, I have seen that they [...]

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Birthday Cake with Meringue Frosting

On Monday, it was my son’s 8th birthday so I made this delicious cake for him and our family to celebrate! This is a traditional vanilla birthday cake with meringue frosting.  My father calls it “drunken cake”  because I make the cake syrup with Amaretto di Sarono. To make the frosting, which is in some [...]

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Arancini

This is my version of Arancini, or italian rice croquettes filled with mozzarella.  ”Arancini” means small oranges in italian.  Sometimes I have leftover risotto alla milanese and I make these delicious appetizers. Ingredients Make Risotto alla Milanese recipe cubed mozzarella (about 1/2 inch squares) 1 egg (lightly beaten) cracker meal Procedure 1.  Once risotto is [...]

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