Recipies of Dominican Republic page 2

Habichuelas con Dulce/ Sweet Beans This is a typical Dominican dish. It is a sort of pudding but not as thick. It is made with Kidney Beans,Yam, Condensed Milk, Raisins and Cinnamon. It sounds terrible but trust me, it is wonderful. This desert has become an Easter/Semana Santa tradition, served during Lent, in the Dominican household.

(Bon Helados also serves up an ice cream version that is wonderful)

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked kidney beans/habichuelas rojas

2 cups water reserved from the beans

1/4 cup of raisins/ciruelas pasas

3 cups of evaporated milk/leche evaporada

1 cup of coconut milk/leche de coco

1 cup sweetened condensed milk/Leche Condensada

1/2 lb of sweet potatoes/batatas cooked and mashed

1/2 cup of sugar/azucar

2 cinnamon sticks/palitos de canela

2 tablespoons butter/mantequilla

8 to 10 cloves/Clavos dulces

1/2 teaspoon salt/sal

optional

Cassava bread toasted or milk cookies

canela casabe tostado o galleticas de leche

Instructions:

Puree the beans with a little cooking liquid and then strain.

Add beans, coconut milk, evaporated milk and bring to a boil

Lower heat to medium add the Condensed milk, sugar, cinnamon stick, raisins and sweet potatoes

Keep stirring so it does not stick.

Add the rest of the ingredients

Stir until the desired consistency has been reached.

Serve warm or cold with the cassava bread

or float the cookies on top.

I have been known to enjoy a few bowls before feeling satisfied. This is a treat one will not soon forget. It sounds terrible but it is ever so tasty.

Que Sabroso!

(If you want to cheat and have no places to buy Goya foods you can order a can of Habichuelas con Dulce and have it delivered. http://store.amigofoods.com/gohacondu15o.html)

La Bandera Dominicana/ The Dominican Flag is typically prepared for lunch and is the most important meal in Dominican Republic. It is a combination of beans, rice, meat/seafood and salad type dish. It is very filling and satisfying and is quite healthy also because it is made with fresh ingredients.

The meat is cooked Guisado/ Stewed this is a general recipe for making the stewed meats. You can use this recipe to make Pollo Guisado/ Stewed Chicken, Rés Guisada/Stewed Beef, or other stewed meats.

Recipe: Cut bell peppers, chop some celery, add some onion cut coarse, preferably red onion, some tomatoes cut in large pieces, some mashed garlic, tomato paste to give it some liquid and thicken up the sauce, some lemon or vinegar, a few green olives if you desire, a little dash of sugar, and some oregano, salt and a little oil. Sauté the meat (usually cut in medium to small bite sized pieces) in the oil then add the veggies and spices. Add a little water and cover and let simmer until the meat is cooked and veggies are soft. Add water as needed. Mix the tomato paste in a little water and add to the mix until the desired consistency has been reached.

The Arroz Blanco/ White Rice is cooked soft. Add a little oil to the rice so you can get some Concón/ Burnt Rice on the bottom of the pan. This is a delicacy and is the sign that you have mastered the Dominican rice cooking.

This is the way Dominicans make their white rice.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups raw rice rinsed and drained

3 TBSPN. cooking oil

1 1/2 tspn. salt

4 cups water

Directions:

A heavy skillet is best. Add oil salt water and rice to the pan. Mix. Cook over high heat until boiling. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the water absorbed. Remove the lid and allow the rice to rest a few minutes. For concon let the rice cook on low heat on the stove for a little time more until the crust appears on the bottom of the pan. It takes a little skill and some luck to easily remove the con-con from the bottom of the pan. Serve the rice hot and the con-con on the side.

The Habichuelas Guisadas/ Stewed Beans can be made with any type of bean, red, white, fava, lentils, whatever you have on hand. Recipe: Cook the beans until soft or buy them in a can. Add some chopped celery, some squash if you have it, a little onion, parsley, thyme, oregano, coriander or cilantro, some mashed garlic, a cube of chicken stock, a little oil, some tomato paste, and salt. Cook the veggies and spices in the oil until they are soft. Add the stock and tomato paste. Add the beans. Mash the beans a little to make them juicy. Cook until they have thickened up a little, adding water if needed. Adjust the ingredients to your taste.

Make a small Ensalada/ Salad with lettuce and tomato, cut up an avocado and top with límon or vinegar and oil, finely chop cabbage with some tomato and peppers with oil and vinegar dressing, make Dominican style potato salad called Ensalada Hervida/ Boiled Salad using boiled carrots, potato, eggs, with an oil and vinegar dressing.

Now for the best part....this is my favorite step

Serve all this on a large plate. Put the beans on top of the rice. Let some of the meat juice get on the rice also. Place a little of the Concón on the the plate. Put the salad on the side. Get a big glass of ice water and a big spoon and enjoy. When finished have a sweet or a cup of coffee. Now you have eaten the typical Dominican lunch just like a true Dominican.

Arepitas de Maiz/ Fried Corn Meal Cakes ( I call them Corn Bread Droppings) A fast and easy snack or meal accompaniment Hispanola style.

1 cup corn meal or corn flour

2 teaspoons of milk

1 teaspoon of sugar

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 egg

Mix these ingredients together. Add more liquid if the mix is not moist enough. Heat about 1/4 cup of oil in a skillet.

Drop about a tablespoon full into the oil. Fry until golden on both sides. Drain on some paper. Serve them up when they are fresh and hot. For variety try adding some hot peppers into the mix or a little cheese. yummmm....

Jugo de Avena/ Oatmeal Juice or Drink

Soak 1 part oat flakes (If you want to make 4 servings start with 1 cup of oat flakes) in 2 parts of water for about an hour. Blend for about a minute and strain out the lumps.

Take 4 parts evaporated milk (or regular milk if you want it to be less rich and have a lot less calories) and 2 parts ice to make the milk really cold.

Add 2 parts of juice with sugar added to taste.

The more traditional juice to use is jugo de china/ orange. You can also use lime juice, papayas, pineapple or a blend of juices. Try apple juice with a little cinnamon added.

Make sure to stir the milk/ avena mixture when you add the juice to keep it from curdleing. Adding the sugar to the juice helps guard against this happening also.

It is like a liquid glass of oatmeal, a great way to get your fiber and enjoy it.

Té Jengibre / Ginger Tea

This is a traditional Christmas drink (more on Dominican Christmas foods). It is said to keep you warm on those cold, tropical Dominican nights (that is a joke). It is a staple for the winter months.

Boil about 5 cups of water and add 8 cinnamon sticks. Boil until the color of the water is a very light brown and it has a little cinnamon flavor, maybe about 5 minutes.

Add about 1/2 cup of pealed, thinly sliced ginger to the cinnamon water. Simmer together for about 5 more minutes adding water as some evaporates.

Strain and add sugar. You can add the sugar to the mix or add it to the cups separately.

The smell is wonderful. It is truly a warming drink. Served sweet, Dominican style it is heavenly.

Some of the virtues of ginger:

Ginger is said to keep away colds because of its warming effect.

It is also good for calming the stomach (how many times did your mother give you ginger ale when you had an upset stomach?).

It aids in digestion by getting rid of gasses and breaks down fatty foods.

It is said to enhance circulation and be very stimulating.

People say it is an Aphrodisiac probably because of it's warming qualities.

Ginger is served with Sushi because it is said to kill parasites in raw fish

Get a FREE phone and compare rates at LetsTalk.com

Chofan (Chinese Fried Rice Dominican Style)

This rice dish is very versatile. The basic recipe is rice with vegetables, egg, and some meat or seafood of your choice added to the mix. It is a great rice dish to use with your leftovers.

The general recipe is here with some different substitutions added. Be creative and make your own signature Dominican style Chofan

Ingredients:(remember all can be adjusted to your taste)

2 eggs scrambled (eggs are usually part of the dish but you can omit them if you desire)
2 tablespoons of oil
1/4 to 1/2 cup of ham, pork, seafood, goat, chicken, tofu...etc. cooked and cubed. (Combine meats and seafood for a flavor all your own).
3 tablespoons soy sauce/ salsa china (or tamari sauce for a lower salt version)
3 tablespoons onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup sweet corn, green peas (petit pois), red beans Add all or 1 of these ingredients. Be creative and try adding some other veggie
2 to 3 cups of cooked rice

If your adding eggs to the mix scramble them up first in the oil. (If your veggies and meats are not all pre cooked remove the egg and set aside to add to the mix along with the rice so it does not get to hard.) Sauté all the pre cooked meats and veggies together until the onion and celery are soft. Add the soy sauce to the mixture. Mix well. Then add the pre cooked rice and stir all together and fry until hot. Fluff it up with a fork. Add salt to taste. Serve alone as a main dish or as a side.