Recipe(tried): Caribbean Side Dish Recipes

Classic Black Beans and Rice
This is a typical dish served in Cuba or Puerto Rico, each country has their own method of preparation. You can flavor this dish with meat, but I left it out as I serve it as a side dish with my meats. It is an easy and healthy short cut and takes about 30 minutes to cook.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/4 cup chopped green peppers
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 (15.00 ounces) can black beans (undrained)
3/4 cup water
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 package salzon goya (without annato *see note)
1 tablespoon cooking wine or cider vinegar
2 cups cooked white rice

Heat oil in a medium sauce pan, saut onion, green pepper, and garlic. Saut until tender@8-10 minutes. Add in remaining ingredients and stir until boiling, reduce heat and simmer until sauce is reduced@ 20 minutes. Serve over white rice. I like to mash a few of the beans with the back of a spoon to flavor the sauce.

Note: if you do not have Saz n Goya an appropriate substitute would be ground cumin, chicken bouillon, and garlic salt to taste.


Yuca with Garlic Sauce

1 1 1/2 pounds yuca, peeled, halved and cut into chunks
(Frozen yuca may be available in Latin markets in your area)
1 teaspoon salt
Juice of one lime
6 cloves garlic, mashed into 1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1 onion, chopped fine

Place yuca in a saucepan; add water until yuca is just covered. Add salt and lime juice, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until tender -- about 30 minutes. Drain. (Remove any "woody" parts from center of yuca.) Mash garlic cloves into salt with mortar and pestle. Add garlic, lemon juice, and onions to olive oil in a separate saucepan, heat until bubbling, and then pour over yuca. Toss the yuca and all ingredients lightly while continuing to saut over medium heat until barely browned, but not crisp!


Green Bananas in Balsamic Vinaigrette (Guineos Verdes con Vinagre Balsamico)
Servings 6

2 cups milk
2 quarts water
1 tablespoon salt
4 pounds unpeeled unripe (green) bananas, halved crosswise (do not peel)
2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 tablespoon black pepper
1-2/3 cups light olive oil
1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
4 bay leaves

In a soup kettle or large pot, bring the milk and water to a boil. Add the salt and bananas. Bring to a boil again, then reduce the heat, and simmer until the bananas are cooked but firm, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain and peel the bananas, anc cut them into 1/2-inch-thick slices. In a large nonreactive bowl, mix the vinegar with the black pepper. Wisk in the oil. Add the olives, bay leaves, and bananas and toss well. Let stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour before serving. This dish can be refrigerated overnight.


Baked Yellow Plantains (Maduros Asados)

6 medium yellow plantains
4 tablespoons olive oil
salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Cut a 2-inch slit in each plantain and warp with aluminum foil. Bake for 40 minutes. Peel the plantains and arrange them on a serving platter. Drizzle olive oil over all and season with salt.


Basic Yellow Rice (Arroz Amarillo Basico)

2 tablespoons annatto oil combined with 1 tablespoon corn oil
2-1/2 cups rice
4 to 4-1/2 cups boiling water or chicken stock
2 teaspoons salt

Heat the oil in a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Add the rice and stir to combine. Stir in the boiling liquid and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook until the liquid evaporates. Cover and cook over very low heat for 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes.