Recipe(tried): Typical Puerto Rican Food in Cayey.

Typical Puerto Rican Food in Cayey

For many years I had been sharing with my beloved RECIPELINK friends typical recipes from my beautiful Puerto Rico. I am sure that my descriptions of our typical dishes had been unfair with the real wonderful character, aroma, coloring & variety of our autochthonous food.

There had been a resurgence of our dishes because of younger generation's interest in our typical food. For next week there is Festival in San Juan where representatives of our Fondas will present their best contributions for the delight of the general public.

A Fonda is similar to the trattorias in Italy or the bistros in France. Their offerings are tasty, uncomplicated, cheap & abundant food that represents the best in our repertoire of favorite food. Food in the Fondas represent our national character, our simplicity, generosity & desire to gratify all our guests.

I am including a photo, with dearest Betsy's help, of the food offerings of the Fonda El Cu ao, very high in the mountains of Cayey. With this photo I am including my heart & my love for all of you my friend's & for Puerto Rico. Buen provecho!

TYPICAL PUERTO RICAN FOOD IN CAYEY
Tostones (Green Plantain Rounds) (Appetizer)
Morcillas (Black Sausages)(Appetizer)
Gandinga de Cerdo (Innards Stew)
Lechon Asado (Grilled or Baked Pork)
Pasteles de Yuca y de Masa
Arroz con Gandures (Rice with Pidgeon Peas)
Boiled Green Bananas
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Green Fried Plantains (Tostones)
Recipe from Turbana.com - growers, packers, shippers of bananas, plantains and other exotic fruits.

2 plantains (green)
2 cups canola oil
Salt, add to taste

In a large frying pan or deep fryer, heat the oil. In a separate plate, peel and cut the plantains into one inch rounds. Place them in the hot oil and cook for about 3 minutes while turning. Remove from oil and pat dry with a paper towel. Place each round inside a sandwich bag and smash it with the bottom of a bottle or with a "tostonera". Put them back in the hot oil for about 3 minutes turning until golden brown on both sides. Remove from oil and pat dry with a paper towel. Add salt to taste.

Serving Suggestions:
Eat with guacamole topping or your favorite dip. Great appetizer for picnics and parties or serve as a side dish.
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Morcillas ~ Blood Sausage (recipe in Spanish & English)

3 tazas de arroz
2 1/2 tazas de sangre de cerdo
1 cucharada de sal
2 cucharads de cilantro (recao)
2 aj es picantes, molidos
2 dientes de ajo, molido
2 yarda de tripa de cerdo***

En una olla prepara el arroz blanco, como se acostumbra para comer, pero sin aceite... Luego le agregas la sangre, sal, cilantro, aj es, y ajo.. mezclando todo bien.
Rellene la tripa usando un embudo o maquina, pero no aprietes el relleno. debe quedar un poco flojo.
Hierva en agua con sal por 25 minutos; escurra y guarda en la nevera.. Parte en pedazos y fr a antes de servir.

***La tripa se consigue en la mayor a de los supermercados, ya preparadas y listos para usar.. En cuanto a conseguir la sangre de cerdo, pues puede ser que lo consigas en los mataderos.. Es com n aqui, ya que los he visto vender morcillas aqui, hecho sin arroz..
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3 cups of rice
2 1/2 cups of pork blood
1 tbsp of salt
2 tbsp of cilantro (recao)
2 small hot peppers, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 yards of pork tripe or sausage casings.


Prepare the rice as you would normally make it, but without the oil. Add the pork blood, salt, cilantro, peppers and garlic, mixing well.

Use a funnel or machine to fill the casings but don't over-fill; the filling should be a little loose.

Boil the prepared blood sausage in salted water for about 25 minutes. Then drain on paper towels and refrigerate until ready to fry them.

Fry them in hot oil for a few minutes.. until dark and a little crisp. drain on paper towels.
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Gandinga de Cerdo (Innards Stew)

3 lbs. gandinga (The pork's heart, kidneys, and livers)
4 tsp. salt
2 small bay leaves
3 tbsp. achiote (orange tinted oil)
1/4 tsp. black pepper (in powder)
4 culantro leaves
1/2 cup sofrito
10-12 stems cilantro (with leaves)
1/4 tsp. oregano (in powder)
2 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp. sugar
2 tbsp. Manzanilla olives
3/4 cup tomato sauce
2 tsp. capers (alcaparras)
3 cups boiling water
3 large potatoes

Rinse the gandinga very well and remove the yucky chunks and the skins. From the kidneys, remove the outside membrane and cut the kidneys lengthwise to remove all the fat and the white veins. Cut them into 1 1/2"-2" pieces.

Place the hearts and livers in one pot with water to cover and boil them for about 3-4 minutes. Do the same with the kidneys. After 3-4 minutes drain them, and repeat procedure, using clean fresh water.

After draining them again, chop all the pieces into 1/2-inch pieces and season them with salt. Set this aside for now.

In a big caldero (iron pot for stew) heat the Achiote, on medium heat. Add all the spices, the crushed garlic, (good for your nails) the chopped cilantro, the chopped capers, the tomato sauce, and the olives. Cook between 3 to 4 minutes on medium heat.

Add about 1/3 cup of boiling water, plus the gandinga and cook for about 5 minutes but stir constantly.

Turn up the heat high and pour in the rest of the boiling water plus the sugar.

When it starts to boil, turn the heat down to medium, and cook for about 40-45 minutes.

Now add the potatoes and cook until the gandinga is tender and the sauce is thickened. This should take about 35 to 45 minutes.

Tips:
Serve the gandinga with boiled green bananas and aguacate.
This can be made with only beef liver also.
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Lech n al Horno (Oven roasted pig)
It's the traditional holiday meat.

1 - 50 lb suckling pig , cleaned, washed, dried

Puerto Rican pork roast seasoning (for this size pig):
11/2 cups crushed garlic (jar store bought is ok),
1/2 cup salt,
1/2 cup black coarse pepper,
1/2 cup oregano,
1 cup olive oil,
5 pkges Sazon Goya for color.


Some grocery stores that cater to the Latino market carry whole pigs in their freezer section. If not contact a meat market and order one. Have them clean, remove insides, and scrape off hair. Once you get home rise the pig several times, at first using water with vinegar, then plain water. Pat dry the pig.

Mix all seasoning ingredients together by stiring, don't put in blender, you want to "taste" the different flavors.

With a very sharp knife make many slits both from the inside out and from the outside in. Season with marinade making sure to push seasoning into the slits. Place seasoned pig in a new trash bag and refrigerate at least 4 hours but preferably overnight.

Let the pig get back into room temperature before cooking. (About one hour). Save the marinade that dripped off the pig to baste pig.

Fold hind legs under belly; tie. Place pig, head up and on its belly, in large roasting pan that is at least 2" deep - there will be a lot of fat rendered. Tent ears and tail with foil.

Roast in preheated 350F oven, turning and basting with remaining marinade and any pan juices every hour, until meat thermometer in thickest portion registers 160F in leg and 170F in shoulder. Be careful when turning the pig that it does not break appart. If you are concerned then don't turn the pig when it is almost done.

Cooking will take about 5 hours for this size pig. During last 15 minutes, raise heat to 500F. For crispy "cueritos" don't cover the pig, only the ears and tail to prevent burning.

Carving: how to.

To serve, transfer pig to cutting board. Let the pig rest for 20 minutes before you begin to carve it. This has to do with letting the juices sink into the meat for moist meat. You are going to cut the pig into large sections first and then slice the sections into portions.

Steady the pig with a large fork and detach the hind legs, slicing from the front of the haunch toward the tail.

Cut off the front legs by cutting into the shoulder where it joins the leg. Slice behind the shoulder blade to about 1 inch behind the ear. Then cut straight down to sever the leg.

Place the pig (minus the legs) on its stomach. Make an incision the length of the spine, pressing the knife down to the bone. Press the back of the carving fork agains the loin and slice down, keeping the knife blade against the ribs to detach the loin in one piece.

Carve each loin crosswise into pieces about 3 inches wide.

Cut throught the knee joint to divide the leg into two, then carve the thigh into thin slices, holding the knife parallel to the bone.

Carve the other side of the pig in the same fashion.
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Pasteles(pa-ste-les)
(makes 36)

Filling:

A-2 pounds lean pork meat, without bone
6 tablespoons jugo de naranja agria (sour orange juice)

B-Crush and mix in a mortar:
4 sweet chili peppers, seeded
4 fresh culantro leaves
2 large cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons whole dried oregano
1 tablespoon salt

C-Cube finely:
1 pound lean cured ham
1 green pepper, seeded
1 onion peeled

D-1 1/2 cups seeded raisins

E-1 can (1 pound) garbanzos (Chick-peas), liquid included
1 cup water

F-24 olives, stuffed with pimientos, finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons capers
6 tablespoons Achiote Coloring (cook anais seed in 1 cup vegetable oil)

Wash and dry pork meat rapidly and cut into very small cubes. Mix meat cubes with the sour orange juice.

Add ingredients included in B to meat.

Add ingredients included in C and the seeded raisins. Mix together well.

In a saucepan, bring to boil ingredients included in E. Drain the liquid over the meat mixture. Remove skins from chick-peas and add chick-peas to the meat mixture.

Add olives and capers.

Add ingredients included in F, mix well, cover, and set in regrigerator until the masa is ready.

Masa (Paste):

A-4 pounds white yautia, peeled
4 pounds yellow yautia, peeled
15 green bananas, peeled and rinsed in salted water
2 cups lukewarm milk

B-1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) Achiote Coloring
2 1/2 tablespoons salt

Wash, drain and grate the yautias and bananas. Crush gradually in a mortar yautias and bananas. Mix in a bowl with lukewarm milk to make a smooth paste. (If using an electric blender, crush gradually yautias and bananas with lukewarm milk. Set in a bowl.)

Add the Achiote Coloring and salt, mix well, cover, and set aside to make the pasteles.

To Shape and Cook the Pasteles:

Use 20 bundles of plaintain leaves. They should be long and wide.

With a knife, remove the central ridge to give greater flexibility to the leaves. Divide leaves into pieces, about 12 inches square. Wash and cleen leaves with a damp cloth.

Place 3 tablespoons of the masa on a leaf and spread it out so thinly, that it is almost transparent.

Place 3 tablespoons of the filling in the center of the masa.

Fold the leaf one half over the other to make a top and bottom layer of plaintain leaf and enclose the contents in it. Fold it over once more.

Fold the right and left ends of the leaf toward the center.

Wrap in a second leaf placed on the diagonal.

Tie the pasteles together, in pairs, with a string, placing folded edges facing each other.

In a large vessel, bring to a boil 5 quarts water with 3 1/2 tablespoons salt. Add 12 pasteles and boil, covered, for 1 hour. Halfway, turn over pasteles. When cooking period is finished, remove pasteles from the water at once. Repeat process with rest of pasteles
Note: Parchment cooking paper may be used in place of plaintain leaves.
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Arroz con Gandules (Rice with Pidgeon Peas)

1 lb. raw medium or long grain rice
1 15 oz. can gandules (pidgeon peas)
2 1/2 tbsp. sofrito*
2 envelopes saz n (seasoning) with achiote
2 tbsp. Manzanilla olives
1 1/2 tsp. capers
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 can tomato sauce
1 envelope onion soup* Optional)
2 1/2 cups water

Place the vegetable oil, sofrito, saz n with achiote, gandules, olives, capers, onion soup and tomato sauce in a big pot.

Thoroughly wash rice and add to the other ingredients.

Pour water over the ingredients and stir well.
(Water should be about 1 inch above the ingredients).

Boil on medium high until all the water is absorbed.

Reduce heat to low and cover the pot with aluminum foil* and lid.

Cook for 35-40 minutes, depending on your stove.

Serve with pasteles or tostones.

Rule of thumb: Add 1 1/4 tbsp. of sofrito for every cup of rice you are cooking.

Placing aluminum foil over the pot of rice. It gives the grains a chance to all pop evenly.
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BOILED GREEN BANANAS AND PLANTAINS

Cut off the ends and make a lengthwise slit on the banana skin.

Boil in salty water without peeling.
(Use enough salted water to cover plantains over two inches.)

Plantains should boil for 15 to 20 minutes. Feel with a fork to see if they are ready. You don't want them mushy but slightly hard at the center. These may be used in cooking or served with olive oil as a side dish (like in our picture).
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