Recipe(tried): Recipes from my Mother's Cookbook

My mother is one of those extremely lucky people who outlived by far his generation, and who still can tell a story of his youth with gusto and happiness, still looking forward for what tomorrow will bring. She was born on June 16, 1907, at the Playa de Ponce (beach sector of Ponce), and married my father on August 6, 1924.

She was 11 years old during the 1918 earthquakes in Puerto Rico. According to her, the earth continued shaking (small tremors) for 60 days. Thousands of people died and most of the existing structures were destroyed. The worst part of the experience was the seismic wave that almost destroyed Ponce and San Juan.

I am the couple's only daughter. I was born to them in 1944, after 20 years of marriage. In typical Spanish tradition, they sent a Mass to the Virgin Mary, in gratitude for my birth, and they baptized me as Gladys Monserrate (first name), in honor of the Virgin of Montserrat. As a gift, during my recent vacation's visit, my mother gave me some recipes, copied by hand, and a very old cookbook, from the 40th. Unfortunately, she cannot recall some of the ingredients, but her stories, by themselves, can be the object of one book. Let us enjoy a few of those recipes, having in mind that they are product of another generation and their taste. Buen Provecho!

PUMPKIN SOUP

5 cups chicken broth
2 lbs pumkin or squash
1/2 cup Sofrito
1/4 cup chopped cilantrillo (chinese parsley)
salt and ground pepper
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Peel the pumpkin and cut into 1 inch cubes. Place the pumpkin in large saucepan with the cilantrillo, Sofrito and chicken stock. Cover and simmer until the pumpkin begins to disintegrate, about 1 hour. Rub the soup through a sieve (puree in blender). Return to the saucepan, season with salt and pepper, stir in the cream and nutmeg and heat through without letting the soup come to a boil. The pumpkin could be substituted by another root vegetable (vianda) as for example yuca, ame, malanga o batata. There was always soup in the table to begin a dinner.

STUFFED LEG OF VEAL

5 lb leg of veal
1 tb salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed.

Take out the bone of the leg of veal and season the leg inside and outside with the salt, pepper and garlic cloves.

Stuffing for the leg:
1/2 lb ground pork
2 oz ground ham
1 onion chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 cup stuffed green olives, sliced
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1 tsp salt

Saut the pork, ham, vegetables and salt. Cook at low for a few minutes. Remove from the stove and add the olives and chopped eggs. Stuff the leg and sew it carefully. Put the meat in a roasting pan, covered with aluminum foil, and cook in a 350 F oven for 1 1/2 hour. Transfer the leg to a platter. To prepare the gravy, spoon off the excess fat, leaving about 1 tb. Put the pan in the stove in low. Add 1 tb flour, scraping the browned bits. Cook for 1 minute or two. Add 1/2 cup chicken or beef stock, bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for a few minutes. Adjust seasoning. Serve with the leg, in a sauceboat. Serves 8 or more, in slices.

ARROZ A LA JARDINERA
Rice and Vegetables

1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper chopped
1/4 cup olive oil (they used shortening, which gives a better taste and texture but a lot of cholesterol)
3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 tomatoes, chopped
4 oz green beans, sliced and ready to cook
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
1 cup corn
3 1/2 cups rice
1 tb olive oil with bijol or annato oil
3 cups water or chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste
chopped parsley to taste.

Saut the onion, pimiento in the oil. Add the garlic, tomatoes, sliced green beans the carrot, corn and saut for a few minutes. Add the stock or water, the annato oil and the rice. Cook uncovered at medium heat, until it is dry. Stir from the bottom up a few times, cover and lower the heat to low. Cook for 18 to 20 more minutes.

BAKED BREADFRUIT

1 breadfruit, peeled and cut in pieces as for boiling
3 tb butter or shortening
1 tsp salt

Grease the breadfruit with the shortening or butter and some salt. Bake at 350 F oven until soft. Serve with the rice and leg of veal. You can also add sliced onions sauteed in oil and some parsley and serve alone or as said before.

COFFEE TART

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup very dark coffee
2 egg yolks
1 sponge cake
2 oz toasted sliced almonds

Beat the butter, and slowly, beating very well, add the sugar, the egg yolks and the coffee. Slice the cake and place the slices in the sides and bottom of a greased baking dish. Add some of the coffee cream. Add some more cake slices. Add more coffee cream and more cake until the baking dish is full. Cover with a heavy dish and something else that can add more weight, to press the cake. Refrigerate for 6 or more hours. Unmold and garnish with the sliced almonds. Serve in slices, as dessert.

BUEN PROVECHO!