Cocido Salvadoreño (Salvadorian Beef and Vegetable Stew)

This stew is a very healthy, nutritious and nourishing, it is a stew with beef bone and meat, with a large variety of different colored hardy veggies and for some body some starchy plantain, cassava root, and potatoes. Sure to revive anyone and make you feel stronger. As they say in spanish, "Levanta muertos" (raises the dead). Ha ha.

This recipe is from a Salvadorian family friend, we call her "Tita" and she cooks amazing delicious food, she is elderly and kind, when I learn from her it's like learning from a grandmother. Her cooking though she cooks Salvadorian many of her dishes are unique to her because they are clearly strongly Spanish influenced because her grandparents from both sides of the family are Spaniard born, both her parents where born in El Salvador from Spaniard immigrants, it is even evident in her speech which I find interesting because she uses typical Salvadorian word usage and slang but her accent is Castillion so I have fun listining to her :)

I also have a 1/2 sister (media hermana) from my father's side whom is 1/2 Salvadorian and 1/2 Cuban Spanish, she also makes this Cocido but she does it differently (she probably won't read this so I feel safe to say that I find Titas version to be tastier than my sisters ha ha, my sister's is more straight forward and excludes some stuff that I feel give it more "oomph") also she doesn't do much cooking anyways, and heck she doesn't read my blog shame on her ha ha she would probably learn a thing or two about our culinary heritage (atleast our Cuban and Spanish side) you know I believe you can know a culture very well and preserve it through their/ your food :)

Ingredients:
-3 limes and salt (to clean meat)
-2 1/2 lbs. of beef shank cut into large chunks fat left on
-3 lbs. of beef bone with meat
-1 bay leaf
-1 teaspoon cumin
-1 teaspoon ground black pepper
-1 teaspoon chicken or beef bouillon (about 1 cube?)
-salt to taste
-3 celery stalks cut into large chunks
-4 large tomatoes chopped into 4 large pieces
-1 large green bell pepper cut into 4 large pieces or just halved
-1 large onion cut in half
-7 cloves of garlic, peeled and left whole
-4 carrots peeled and cut into 3 sections (leave in big chunks)
-2 medium chayotes, cut into 4 large pieces each
-1 small bag of frozen cassava root (yucca) or 2 fresh yucca
-4 small potatoes, peeled and left whole (or 2 large ones halved)
-2 fresh peeled corn cobs (each cut into 3 sections)
-3 yellow plantains well washed with soap cut into 4 sections PEEL LEFT ON! Or else it will disintegrate into the soup)
-2 cups of green beans. stems removed (optional, I didn't have any on hand)
-3 Italian Squashes/ zucchini (cut into 3 sections)
-1/2 head of cabbage (cut into 4 large sections)
-1 bunch of spinach cut in 1/2 (well cleaned and rinsed several times)
-1 large bunch of cilantro well washed and coarsely chopped
-more salt to taste if needed
Extra Ingredients:
-additional fresh cut limes to squeeze over soup when serving

Directions:
(1)In a large bowl wash meat and bones and drain several times, squeeze in lime juice, and add a lot of salt, rub the meat and slowly add more water wash meat with limes and water, then drain and rinse again. (you will do this about 7 times) rinse meat well until you wash away the lime and salt.

(2)In a really large pot (I mean really big) bring to a boil enough water to submerge meat about 6-7 inches in water. When water comes to boil add meat, let boil for a bit maybe 5-10 minutes, when the scum from the meat comes up, remove it, scoop it out.

(3)Once most scum rises up (very little will because we washed meat so well), now add chicken/beef bouillon, salt to taste, bay leaves, black pepper, ground cumin, celery, onion, tomato, garlic, and green bell pepper. Cover and boil on medium low for about 1 hour and 30 minutes.


(4)Check meat for tenderness keeping in mind it will cook for another 30 minutes with the stuff added later. You should have a golden rich stock. Now add carrot, chayote, yuca, corn, potatoes, green beans (if using optional) and plantain. Let it boil 15-20 minutes

(5)Now after 15- 20 minutes add cabbage, squash/ zucchini, cilantro, and spinach cook add salt to taste if neseccary and cover let boil for about 10 minutes.


(6)Turn off heat your done, serve in large bowls, with some freshly squeezed lime and if desired a hot sauce on the side to add in on your own serving plate.


PLEASE NOTE:
-Everything for this stew should be cut in really large chunks, it's a hardy soup, the chunks are large you should only need 1 piece of each thing and broth to fill your bowl. It is purposely like this.
-The plantains after cooked are usually taken out and peeled, people add it to their stews from the plate.
-If you over cook some veggies may disintegrate, nevertheless don't get upset it's still delicious :)

VERY IMPORTANT
-Chances are if you do this late for dinner you'll be to tired to put away the stew or it might be to big and you don't want to take up space, here is a helpful tip I learned from my mother I don't know the scientific explanation, but if you don't want it to spoil but still leave it out for the night do this.
(1)Bring it to a strong boil (it has to boil evenly), after it comes to a strong boil let it boil atleast 5 minutes.
(2)Turn of heat DO NOT TOUCH AND DO NOT STIR IT LEAVE IT ALONE, DON'T MOVE IT, for some reason the next day it will not be spoiled the next day, but if you touch it and stir it will spoil, pretty cool isn't it.
(3)This trick works with any type of bean stew and other stews, when you ready to eat again, bring to boil and consume :)
-This is a large recipe, we like this soup so we have it for like 2 days, if you wish cut the recipe in 1/2 more and use your judgment.

My Favorite Breakfast Sandwich

Very simple, didn't know if it was worth a blog post, but I'll share anyways just in case other's haven't though it :)

I don't have a name for this it's just straight forward ham, egg, and cream cheese sandwich. Or how I usually say it in my home "Sanguise de Jamon Con Huevo y Queso Crema" (yes there's no direct translation I know for sandwich in Spanish, but in my home it's always butchered like that) it is very comforting for me. I remember my mother whipping these for breakfast sometimes, she would pack it sometimes when we had to go somewhere early and I hadn't had breakfast yet so I was able to eat it on the road (better than stopping at Mc Donalds :) It's not the healthiest sandwich or anything like that, but man is it satisfying with a tall glass of milk.

Don't know what to label this as, but I guess I'll call it "American" since breakfast type sandwiches and all other sorts of sandwiches are very common here in the states (at least for me here in Southern Cali there's deli's in almost every Donut shop which is usually at every corner ha ha, as well as these Donut shops are usually owned by Asians and they sell "Boba" drinks but that's another story all together.

Ingredients for 1 sandwich:
-2 slices of your choice of sandwich bread (any white, wheat, etc. I used the Mexican "Bolillo" rolls which are also very common and available fresh daily at the Mexican stores here in Southern Cali, but you use whatever is available to you :)
-2 eggs (beaten with a pinch of salt, and a small splash of whole milk like 1 teaspoon)
-2 slices of ham (I always use regular pork ham thin sliced)
-2-4 tablespoons cream cheese to spread on bread (more or less depends on your tastes and likes)
-1-2 tablespoons butter (I use real butter, if you must you can use margarine or even just use regular oil)
Directions:
(1)Heat a small pan, add butter, lightly brown the 2 slices of ham on each side, set aside.

(2) In the same pan add a little more butter if necessary, now add your scrambled eggs, and let them cook, every time you see the edges cook gently push them towards the center and tilt the pan to let it he uncooked run to the sides, when it starts sort of cooking like turning a little firmer flip in sections if desired and be gentle, don't overcook eggs, set aside.



(3)Now in same pan, place bread sliced face down and lightly press and let it brown and toast to your liking. Set aside.

(4)Now to assemble, spread cream cheese on both slices, place ham folded on 1 slice, place egg over ham, and cover with other slice, press lightly if desired.

(5)You may cut it in half or leave whole and enjoy with a tall glass of warm or cold milk whatever mood your in.

PLEASE NOTE: We use cream cheese for this in my house, but you can also use in place of cream cheese you can use Mayonnaise, or any variety of sour cream (Mexican unsalted or salted cream, Salvadorian cream, regular American sour cream, etc.)

Congri Oriental (Cuban Red Beans and Rice)

This is a very easy simple, typical Cuban Red Beans and Rice known as "Congri", Congri is the preferred mixed rice and bean dish of the people from "Oriente" provinces of Cuba which are most of the eastern provinces all the way to the south end of the Island. It is rice steamed with red bean broth and red beans. Oriente provinces are more African influenced and native Taino influenced I believe I've read somewhere that the word "Congri" came from the Haitian Creole language with it's root words being "congo" referring to the beans and "riz" referring to the rice put together as "Congri" not sure though...

Western Cuban cooking (I'm speaking more towards the capital Havana) which is more inclined towards Spaniard cooking prefers and commonly makes "Moros y Christianos" (Moors and Christians, the black beans represent the Moors the white rice represents the Christians and former power) it is white rice steamed with black bean broth and black beans. It is seasoned differently than Congri usually and has no pork product more often than not (though sometimes my grandmother will use bacon grease) Moros is what is typically consumed at my home, but occasionally I crave some Congri.

My grandmother makes a different version of Congri most of the time she calls, "Congri Con Coco" (coconut flavored version of Cuban Red Beans and Rice) it is not an authentic dish, but my grandmother said she was taught to make it this way by Haitian friends she knew in pre-Castro Cuba.


Ingredients:
-3 cups of white rice
-1 1/2 cups of dry red beans
-6 strips of bacon cur into small pieces (mined if possible)
-1 medium onion minced
-1 medium green bell pepper
-6-7 cloves of garlic finely minced (through a paste, or mashed to paste)
-1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
-1/2-1 teaspoon dried oregano
-2 bay leaves
-2 1/2 teaspoons salt (atleast)
-water (to make red bean broth)

Directions:
(1)In a medium pot rinse red beans well, add 12 cups of water stir, bring to a boil on high then cover and simmer on medium low for about 60 minutes. (IMPORTANT DO NOT PRE-SOAK OR OVERCOOK BEANS OR MAKE THEM SUPER COOKED BECAUSE YOU WILL RUIN THE WHOLE RECIPE BECAUSE IF BEANS ARE OVERCOOKED THEY WILL RELEASE STARCH WHEN COOKING WITH RICE AND THE RICE WON'T ABSORB LIQUID AND OR YOU WILL END UP WITH A MESS! IT'S HAPPENED TO ME BEFORE!)

(2)The beans should be soft but not really mooshy and falling apart easily. They should be able to hold it's shape because you will cook them an additional 30 minutes with the rice.

(3)Drain beans and SAVE the red bean broth (this will give the rice a nice color and has to be used to cook rice)
(4)Wash rice really well in rice cooker pot, then drain well, add red beans, and the amount of red bean broth necessary to cook rice (it depends what type of rice regular white long grain rice will only need 1 1/2 cups of red bean broth per cup. if using Jasmine White Rice that is new crop you will need equal water to rice so 1 cup red bean broth for 1 cup rice)

(5)Heat a pan on medium high heat, add the chopped bacon, render it's fat, leave it there stirring occasionally until it renders it's fat and gets crispier, now add onion and bell pepper minced, sautee until translucent, add garlic and sautee until fragrant, throw this sautee into the rice cooker where the rice, beans, and red bean broth it, add salt, cumin, oregano, bay leave, carefully stir without breaking or pressing red beans.


(6)Cover and set rice to cook, wait until the rice cooker beeps, your done, uncover and fluff carefully not crushing anything.