As a young girl my grandmother Ita would make Mantecaditos for me every time she came to visit from Ponce, the southern part of the island. I learned to make her recipe, a variation of Carmen Aboy Valdejully’s cookbook Cocina Criolla. Ita would alter the recipe and substitute vanilla for the almond extract and place…
Tag: foodie
Emilio's Prime Rib
This is my 50th posting, so I have decided to take this opportunity to start a series of “guest appearances” in my blog with my husband’s Prime Rib recipe. A few weeks ago, my youngest brother Manolo surprised us with the news that he was engaged to be married. My parents invited Janitza’s immediate family…
Panetela de Guayaba (Guava Torte, Masareal)
This torte is a traditional dessert in Puerto Rico and Cuba. In Puerto Rico its called Panetela de Guayaba and in Cuba its called Masareal. I have tried many homemade as well as commercial versions, but I have found no comparison to this recipe. I believe the key is the melted butter. Many recipes…
Ossobuco
Ah! The traditional Northern Italian dish: Ossobuco; veal shank cooked in broth and wine and seasoned with vegetables and herbs. Mmmm! Eleven years ago this week, one week shy of my first wedding anniversary, my husband Emilio attended a fishing tournament in the Dominican Republic, so I took off to a mother and daughter weekend…
Gremolata
Gremolata is used in Italian cuisine as a garnish for Ossobuco alla Milanese. I also like to use it to garnish salads and my favorite; to season my Gremolata Capellini. Believe me when I tell you the combination of tastes just burst in your mouth! Last Sunday we celebrated Mother’s Day. In honor of this…
Vanilla Flan (Flan de Vainilla)
We inherited flans from many cultural influences. Back in Roman times people would make savory flans from the surplus of eggs and other ingredients in their “pantry” (spices, spinach, honey, eel, etc.). Centuries later in Spain and France, sweet flans started to flourish with caramel syrup as well as with other spices and nuts like…
Ale's Whipped Cream
My favorite desserts when I was a child were “Natillas”, Cheesecakes and Strawberries and Cream. I guess taste buds are genetic because my son loves cheesecake and my daughter loves strawberries with whipped cream. Ja! A few weekends ago my daughter became fixed on having strawberries with whipped cream as a snack, so we washed…
Tuscan White Bean Hummus
A few months ago, we travelled to Orlando, Florida to attend a tradeshow related to my husband’s business. My brother and sister in law who live in South Florida, Mandy and Frances, met us there. One afternoon, Frances and I took a break from the show to go shopping in Orlando’s world famous outlet malls…
Arroz con Cilantro
I’m back!!!! As you may have noticed, I like all kinds of rice. When I started to make this recipe a long time ago for a Mother’s Day Celebration in my house, I chose to make it with parboiled rice because it is the best rice to use when cooking for a large group of…
Insalata Caprese
Once again, you can see the colors of the italian flag in this dish. Insalata Caprese is one of my all time favorite salads. I like to serve it over a bed of fresh spinach. Refreshing and light! The word mozzarella comes from the italian verb “mozzare” which means to cut. Mozzarella di bufala is…