Champignones al Ajillo (Mushrooms "al Ajillo")

Super simple, nothing special. It is simply sliced button mushrooms sauteed with lots of garlic and olive oil and then some fresh lime or lemon juice topped with minced parsley or cilantro.

Ingredients:
-4 cups botton mushrooms cleaned, sliced
-4 cloves garlic crushed and minced
-3 to 4 tablespoon olive oil
-3 tablespoons parsley or cilantro minced
-juice or 1 lime or lemon




Directions:
(1)Heat olive oil on medium, sautee garlic quicky until golden and slightly fragrant (dont burn).
(2)Add mushrooms sautee stir a little, add some salt.
(3)When mushrooms nearly done add lime or lemon juice, stir in cilantro/ parsley and turn of heat.



NOTE: You can sautee the mushrooms first then add garlic if your to scared of burning it. Also I wish I had more I only had one 8 oz package, so if I where you I would double this recipe or quadruple. (you don't have to quadruple the garlic though maybe just add 6 instead of 4 if you up the quantity)

Chilindron de Carnero (Cuban Lamb Stew)

Someone commented my blog, they said they wanted to learn to make, "Chilindron" which is the Cuban Lamb stew. It can also be made with "mutton" or "goats meat." This would also taste wonderful using beef or pork maybe rabbit or veal (not so sure about the last 2)

I honestly had no idea how to make it at the time they asked, so I talked with my grandmother but she didn't remember well because she said she never made it that her father is the one who made it (you can imagine how long ago that was)

Well so I searched several recipes, told them to my grandmother in an attempt to maybe help her remember.

After much searching I bumped into many "faux" Cuban "Chilindrones" some sounded authentic but way to bland and not proper to get rid of the odd lamb taste. Some sounded like they could possibly be from Cuba's "Oriente" provinces that use "allspice" in many things but it didn't appeal, I lean more towards more Spanish style of cooking especially in Cuban food.

Well the closest one I found was one from a book called, "Memories of a Cuban Kitchen" the writer was from Havana, Cuba, left in 1958, etc. (so she can be trusted I assume when it comes to cooking, but none the less I ONLY USED IT AS A GUIDE LINE. After reading it was SOOOOOOOOO SIMILAR to my grandmas style except when it came to the proportions of added spices and also usually when cooking Cuban food the cheaper the wine the BETTER ahahaha. So I didn't use no good "Sherry" or anything like that. I used "GOYA'S Dry White Wine" perfect for Cuban cooking IMO.

So I pretty much made the recipe my own, it is not like the original, close but not really so Im confident to put it as MY OWN, it's not my grandmas, it's not the authors BUT MINE. Influenced by both, perfect results. :)

Ingredients to marinade meat:
-2 1/2 pounds lamb shank (I used "mutton" but if you can I suggest lamb, it's softer and might not need to cook as long)
-1-2 teaspoons salt (or less to taste)
-1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper.
-Juice of 2 juicy limes or 2-4 tablespoons of white vinegar (we prefer white vinegar)

Ingredients for the rest:
-1/4 cup or more extra-virgin olive oil
-6 slices of bacon minced
-1 whole medium or large onion finely minced
-1 whole large green bell pepper julienned (thinly sliced)
-1/2 head of garlic (about 5-6 cloves) peeled, minced finely (pressed or mashed in a mortar)
-2 cups tomato puree (I used 4 cups but thats because I like it tomato alot, I used fresh tomato, I blended it in the blender with no water in it's own juices)
-1 teaspoonful of ground cumin
-1 teaspoonful of paprika (whatever you have on hand hot smoked is good so is sweet)
-1/2 teaspoonful dry oregano
-2 bay leaves
-1 teaspoon salt or to taste if needed.
-1 cup water (because it will reduce significantly during cooking.

Directions:
(1)Marinade meat for atleast 2 hours, I left mine overnight about 12 hours or so. When ready to use dust with flour.

(2)Now heat olive oil on medium high heat in a deep- shallow pan, or in a dutch oven, brown the meat on all sides it takes about 3 minutes on each side. It's okay to do it in batches. (DO NOT DO IT ON SUPER HIGH MEAT YOU WILL DESTROY THE OLIVE OIL BY SMOKING IT)
(3)Now set meat aside.
(4)In same pan and same heat (medium to medium high) add bacon and sautee until browned (about 5-7 minutes). Now add onion, garlic, and bell pepper sautee it for 5-6 minutes until caramelized and soft while doing this scrape to pick up tasty burnt toasted parts of the meats browning.(5)Stir meat back in, add tomato puree/ sauce, dry white wine, cumin, paprika, oregano, salt and bay leaves.
(6)Cover and simmer for about 2-3 hours, check every 1 hour add water if it reduces to much.

When done transfer to a nice large serving thing.

This is one of the best Cuban stewed meat dishes I have ever had honestly DO NOT LET THE MUTTON OR LAMB TURN YOU OFF IF IT DOES JUST USE BEEF ROAST OR PORK BUTT OR SHOULDER.

P.S. I have a great story to say, kinda funny (to me) but I'm putting it last here because some might want to skip haha. Here goes:

Well my Dad always say's, "Ew I don't eat mutton or lamb that's garbage"(he said it in Spanish to make of me) so I didn't tell him I was making it, it was really well seasoned so it got rid of the strong smell and taste people dislike.

I was like, "Im gonna make it really good and fool him into eating it" I prepared it and told him, "Oh es una carne de res entomatada con tocino" (translates to it's a Beef In Tomato Sauce with Bacon)

He was so hungry to, so I served him immediately, laughed inside so hard and didn't tell him anything I will tell him some other day hahaha! So he will have to swallow his words hahahaha!!!!!!!!

When he walked into the house he was like, "Oh it smells so good what you cooking" (me in my head rolling on floor laughing my ass off, I'm sooo imature)

Aji Relleno (Green Bell Pepper Stuffed with Ground Beef)

Well this is my grandmothers stuffed Bell Pepper dish. It is a green bell pepper, stuffed with well seasoned raw ground beef binded with raw beaten eggs, stuffed well, sealed and simmered in a tomato based sauce.

This is a comorting dish (well to me almost anything Cuban that has been simmered, etc. is comfort food.)

Main Ingredients:

-6 medium green bell peppers

-1 beaten egg to bind the tops

Ingredients for filling:

-1 lbs. lean ground beef

-2 large eggs beaten

-1/2 onion minced

-4 cloves garlic finely minced (mashed to a paste in a mortar or with a garlic press)

-1/2 bunch cilantro or parsley minced

-1 teaspoon cumin

-1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

-1 1/2 more or less salt to taste

-1/2 cup cracker meal or bread crumbs

For the sauce

-1 can 8 oz. tomato sauce

-1 teaspoon cumin

-1/2 teaspoon oregano

-Salt to taste

-1/2 a bunch of cilantro minced or parsley

-1/2 onion minced

-4 cloves of garlic finely minced or mashed (in a mortar or garlic press)

Directions for Main Ingredients and Filling:

(1)Wash the green bell pepper from outside only, cut a small circle on top of the bell pepper where the stem is, just remove the stem cap, carefully clean out the insides without ripping, remove seeds and white parts. As much as you can without breaking it. Set aside.

(2)Beat an egg and add a pinch of salt set aside.

(3)Now mix ground beef with 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and salt to taste, 1/2 minced onion, 4 cloves minced garlic, 1/2 bunch cilantro, 2 beaten eggs, and 1/2 cup cracker crumbs or bread crumbs, or grated hard old bread your choice ( I use crackers)

(4)Now fill bell peppers carefully with ground beef mixture, don't fill all the way to top leave a little bit of space and spoon in a little beaten egg to be able to make the caps of the bell pepper fit. Repeat until your done with all peppers. If you have leftover meat you can just get another bell pepper and prepare it, or you can make it into a meatball or something. (I had no leftover ground meat)

Directions for sauce:

(5)Now heat exra-virgin olive oil on medium, then sautee 1/2 minced onions and 4 garlic cloves until fragrant don't let garlic burn, add tomato sauce, and about 1 cup water to thin our sauce, then add cumin, oregano, and salt to taste, bring to a boil stir.

(6)Place carefully bell peppers over boiling sauce standing up, spoon over sauce, cover and simmer on medium low for 25- 30 minutes until everything is cooked.

(7)Your done sprinkle some minced cilantro or parsley around.

I ate it today with the "Congri Con Coco" (check out recipe on my blog) I made.

If your wondering how to start digging into the bell pepper, in my house we simply cut it right down the middle with a fork and kinfe then cut pieces with bell pepper and meat and eat like that. Then I scoop some of the tasty sauce with my spoon and drizzle it over each bite.

PLEASE DO NOT JUST SCOOP OUT MEAT AND NOT EAT BELL PEPPER IF SO DON'T EAT IT AT ALL!