Mojo de Ajo (Cuban Garlic Lime Sauce)

A very sour acidic sauce, extremely garlicky and pungent, not for everyone but we love it and many Cubans do to :)


INGREDIENTS

1)Juice of 4 fresh juicy limes
2) 12-14 cloves of Garlic Cloves
3)1/4 cup olive oil
4) salt to taste about a good tablespoon or less.
5)1 teaspoon dried oregano (optional)
6)Thinly sliced julienned or minced onion (optional I didnt use it)


DIRECTIONS
1)Mince and crush garlic or use a garlic press or a "mortar and pestle" with oregano (optional) and salt (that's what I did) add lime juice. Add minced onion (if using)

2)Heat extra- virgin olive oil til it nealry smokes then pour it into the lime juice garlic mix.

3)Sauce is done.

NOTE:This sauce is poured over sliced veggies like cucumber, tomatoes, avocados, and fire roasted bell pepper, and raw thinly sliced onions.

You can use it to marinade meat and roast it but add more or less oregano and crush peppercorns and use less oil and also add some sliced onions. Or marinade and pan fry.

Steamed plantains ripe or unripe and top with sauce.

Boil yuca, malanga, boniato, or ñame and pour sauce over

Papas Rellenas (Potato Balls Stuffed With Ground Beef)

This is a Cuban recipe
Very popular snack food as well as in the dinner table
This recipe makes 8 medium an 1 small potato ball, you will have leftover filling if you want to make more (and I suggest you do) just double or triple the quantities


INGREDIENTS FOR PAPAS RELLENAS AND COATING:


-6 large cheap BROWN RUSSET potatoes steamed, peeled, mashed to a paste, salted. (steam by bringing some water to boil in pot covering potatoe half way cover and simmer on low until cooked prepare while hot)
-Bread Crumbs or Cracker Meal Crumbs (I simply blend crackers to make cracker meal)
-2 Beaten eggs with salt
-Oil to pan or deep fry.

INGREDIENTS FOR FILLING- Picadillo (Ground Beef Hash)

-1 lb Ground Beef
-¼ Bell Pepper minced
-½ Spanish Onion
-4 Cloves Garlic crushed minced
-1/3 Canned Tomatoe Sauce
-Extra Virgin Olive Oil
-Ground Cumin about a tiny Palm full
-Salt to taste
-Spanish Olives or black Olives sliced

DIRECTIONS FOR FILLING:
Heat Extra- Virgin Olive Oil. Add onion & Bell Pepper sautee till fragrant. Add garlic sautee till fragrant.
Add ground beef sautee til browned, salt, add ground cumin and oregano. Near the end of cooking stir in tomatoe sauce.

DIRECTIONS FOR "PAPAS RELLENAS
1) Grab some of the hot potato mashe. Flatten some in hand like thick tortilla. Put a tablespoon of Picadillo or more. Close and make into a ball. Repeat until you run out of potatoe mash

2)Heat oil on medium high to deep fry or pan fry
3)Roll potatoe ball in egg then roll in bread crumbs
4)Deep fry or pan fry to a golden brown
5) Put on Paper Towels
7)Eat Hot

I ate it with some "Arroz Con Gandules" (YEAH I KNOW ARROZ CON GANDULES IS PUERTO RICAN BUT IT TASTED GOOD WITH PAPAS RELLENAS)

Bistec Encebollado (Thin Sirloin steak smothered in Onions)

Typical garlicky Cuban steak smothered in onions

Ingredients:

-1 1/2 lbs. Top Sirloin steak – sliced very thin

-10 garlic cloves crushed with a garlic press or minced (I end up using 12 sometimes)

-juice of 2 fresh limes or more to taste

-2 onions sliced into thin rounds

-salt and black pepper

-olive oil (twice around the pan or enough to pan fry)

-fresh cilantro or parsley to garnish

Directions
(1)Clean steaks, remove any nerves, etc.

(2)Crush garlic in a mortar and pestle with salt or use a garlic press then salt and pepper the steak.

(3)Rub the steaks with the garlic, salt, pepper, and lime. Put in a zip-lock bag and marinade atleast 2 hours (optional)

(4)Heat olive oil on high and fry the steaks until browned and cooked on both sides. Set aside.

(5)In the drippings heat more olive oil and fry sautee the onions to pick up drippings and a little salt and deglaze with freshly squeezed lime juice. Throw over steaks.

(6)Garnish with Cilantro.

NOTE: Well I did it differently this month... I decided to use the mortar and pestle and make a paste with all the ingredients except onions the way and marinaded it with the onions but it didn't turn out as good as the above. I prefer the above method, but here is the pics for those interested: