Matzo Balls to Maduros: Reinventing my Cuban and Jewish Family Recipes for the Instant Pot
This recipe is one of my favorite family dishes. It's comforting, flavorful, filling, inexpensive, and the leftovers are even better. The Cuban way to eat this is served over white rice. Now, you might be put off with the idea of having 2 starches on a plate. I've had non-Cuban friends who were perplexed with… Continue reading IP Cuban Chicken and Potato Stew (Fricase de Pollo)
I love it when I find family recipes that don't take too much work in order to reinvent them into Instant Pot recipes. So when I find a recipe that already calls for a pressure cooker, it's a win win. And when that recipe also happens to be a delicious dessert, it's a win win… Continue reading IP Cuban Bread Pudding (Pudin de Pan)
One trick to help you determine if a Cuban restaurant you are eating at is authentic is to look at their side dishes. If their menu doesn't include Yucca con Mojo, walk out! Yucca, also known as cassava, is the Cuban equivalent to the potato. It can be prepared in lots of different ways and… Continue reading Instant Pot Yucca with Mojo (Cassava with Olive Oil, Onion, and Garlic Sauce)
If I had to choose one food that is the exact opposite of fast, easy, and uses readily available ingredients, it would be Tamales. Just about every Hispanic and Latin culture has a form of tamales, but most people are most familiar with the delicious Mexican Tamales which are a corn mixture stuffed with a… Continue reading Instant Pot Easy Cuban Tamales with Pork
My favorite part about writing this blog is definitely sharing my family's recipes and learning about the history and experiences behind the dishes I make. As I have gone along I have gotten family members interested in cooking more and sharing with me their recipes and stories and even gotten a few of them to… Continue reading Instant Pot Cuban Style Split Pea Soup (Potaje de Chícharo)
Ropa Vieja is probably the most delicious dish with the most unappetizing name. It literally means "Old Clothes" in English, but that's not a description of how it tastes. I promise. It got it's name because the meat is shredded after cooking and the vegetables are cut in long strips. After they have been cooked… Continue reading Instant Pot Cuban Shredded Beef (Ropa Vieja)
I believe the "Pot" in Instant Pot must stand for Pot Roast, because once you make it using the IP you will never make it any other way again. Pot Roast is the perfect family dish because you can prepare an entire dinner in one pot, it utilizes a very inexpensive cut of meat, it's… Continue reading Instant Pot Cuban Pot Roast Stuffed with Chorizo (Boliche)
I love collecting old cookbooks. One of my most prized cookbook was given to me by my husband. This cookbook is considered the Cuban Cooking Bible and it's called Cocina Criolla by Nitza Villapol. Nitza Villapol was a talented Cuban chef and her cooking show was one of the longest running television shows in Cuban… Continue reading Instant Pot Cuban Ground Beef Dish (Picadillo)
Arroz con Pollo, or Chicken with Rice, is a common dish among most Spanish speaking cultures. Obviously all of them include rice and chicken, after that, the variations are endless. It really is a versatile dish and once you have the flavorful base down, you can add really anything you want from peas to asparagus… Continue reading Instant Pot Cuban Chicken and Rice (Arroz con Pollo)
The great thing about the Instant Pot is that for procrastinators like me, you can get the same flavor of traditional frijoles negros (black beans) without having to remember to soak them overnight and cook them all day. I mean seriously.....I ain't got time for that! This recipe is a mash up of my families… Continue reading Instant Pot Cuban Black Beans