Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with Old Havana Foods!
Hispanic Heritage Month 2021 begins on Wednesday, September 15. Here is some recipe inspiration to help you celebrate all month long!
Paella – Spanish Rice with Seafood
Ingredients:
16 ounces Old Havana Foods Sofrito Authentic Cuban Cooking Sauce
1½ cups Broth, seafood, vegetable or chicken
3 tablespoons Lime juice, fresh preferred, from 1 large or 2 small limes
6 ounces Dry, light white wine, sauvignon blanc, rose and pinot grigio are good options
8 ounces Sweet peas (petit pois) if using canned drain and reserve peas and liquid separately
½ teaspoon Black pepper, more to taste
1 pinch Saffron, crumbled optional
1½ cups Long grain white rice jasmine or basmati preferred
1 ½ pounds Raw seafood, such as shrimp, scallops, clams, musssels, lobster, octopus, squid and firm white fish pieces no larger than 1 to 1½ inches thick
Salt to taste
Instructions:
In a 4 to 6 quart stockpot over medium heat, combine Old Havana Foods Sofrito, broth, lime juice, wine, liquid from peas, black pepper, saffron (if using) and rice to stockpot.
Stir well to combine and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to lowest setting; cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.
If using fresh or frozen peas add all of them at the 10 minute mark stirring well to spread throughout, then add seafood pieces, tucking them into the partially cooked rice mixture to nearly cover. Cook an additional 8 to 10 minutes until seafood and rice are cooked through. Remove from heat.
Add salt and pepper to taste. If using canned peas add ½ of them now, stirring gently to combine. Cover and let stand 8 to 10 minutes. Top with remaining peas. Serve.
Notes
Try a mixture of any quick cooking fish or seafood. If using fully cooked seafood, add during the last 3 to 4 minutes of cooking the rice to avoid getting overcooked, dry or chewy seafood.
Arroz con Pollo (Spanish Chicken with Rice)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds Boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into large chunks
1/2 teaspoon Black pepper
2 teaspoons Olive oil
16 ounces Old Havana Foods Sofrito Authentic Cuban Cooking Sauce
8 ounces Sweet peas (petit pois) drained, reserve peas and liquid separately
3 tablespoons Lime juice, fresh preferred from 1 large or 2 small limes
12 ounces Light bodied beer (do not use an IPA or bitter) split into 8 oz and 4 oz
1 1/2 cups Long grain white rice jasmine or basmati preferred
1 pinch Saffron optional
Instructions:
Lightly season chicken with pepper. Heat a large pot over high heat until hot. Add olive oil to pot and swirl to coat bottom. Add the chicken pieces, (skin side down if using bone-in.) Brown about 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally or turning whole pieces after 4 minutes.
Add Old Havana Foods Sofrito to pot, stir well to coat chicken with sofrito. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add 1½ cups chicken broth, 8 ounces beer (or additional chicken broth) lime juice, liquid from peas, rice (and saffron if using) to stockpot. Stir well to combine and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to lowest setting; cover and simmer 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.
Turn off heat. Add remaining 4 ounces of beer (or chicken stock) and drained peas. Stir well to combine, cover and let stand 8 to 10 minutes.Add salt and pepper to taste. If large, cut bone-in chicken pieces in half. For a typical Cuban presentation, serve Arroz con Pollo topped with roasted red pepper strips and asparagus.
Cuban Roast Pork
Ingredients:
4 pounds Pork shoulder (also called pork butt) (bone in or boneless)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut pork into large chunks, roughly 2 to 3 inches.
Place pork in heavy, oven-safe dish, with fatty sides up. Pour Old Havana Foods Mojo – Citrus Garlic Marinade over pork. Cover, roast 2 hours.
Flip meat pieces over. Cover and roast an additional 1½ hours. Uncover, roast ½ hour longer or until tender and top of pork is starting to brown.
Spoon most of the clear liquid fat off of the top of the juices in pan. Using two forks, pull pork apart into bite size chunks. Toss meat lightly with remaining liquid in pan to coat pork.
Notes
Serve as is with a side of Old Havana Foods Fully Prepared Black Beans and fried plantains for a traditional Cuban holiday dish!
Fiery Shrimp Creole (Camarones Enchilados Picante)
Ingredients:
12 ounces Old Havana Foods Zesty Hot Cooking Sauce
3 tablespoons Ketchup
1 teaspoons Worcestershire
3/4 pound Raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 1/2 teaspoons Fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions:
Heat Old Havana Foods Zesty Hot Cooking Sauce, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce in a medium stockpot over medium heat.
Meanwhile, cut shrimp in half lengthwise and check that all veins and shells have been removed.
When sauce begins simmering, add shrimp and cook for 5 to 7 minutes until shrimp are cooked through, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat, add parsley if using. Stir to combine. Serve over cooked rice.
Notes
Serve over riced cauliflower for a Keto-friendly, lower carb version.DO NOT use precooked shrimp or they will not absorb the flavor of the sauce and will get tough.
Black Bean & Feta Salad
Ingredients:
1, 15 oz can Old Havana Foods Lightly Seasoned Black Beans
2 tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
2 tablespoons Aged balsamic vinegar (high quality)
¼ cup Chopped red onion
⅓ cup Finely chopped tomatoes
⅓ cup Finely chopped red, orange or yellow pepper
⅓ cup Crumbled feta cheese
Salt and pepper
Instructions:
Combine first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix well to combine. Add feta and gently toss being careful not to break up feta too much or it will smear. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Seafood Ceviche with Avocado
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons Tomato paste
1 tablespoon Extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup Minced red or yellow onion
1 pound Cooked seafood, cut into bite-size pieces shrimp, scallops, calamari or firm white fish
Salt and Pepper
1 teaspoon Hot sauce
2 tablespoons Chopped fresh cilantro
1 medium Avocado
Instructions:
In medium bowl combine Old Havana Foods Mojo Marinade, tomato paste and olive oil. Add, hot sauce and cilantro if using, mix well. Add onion and seafood and mix well to coat. Season with salt and pepper and more Mojo Marinade of desired. Stir to combine. Refrigerate up to 4 hours.
Just before serving chop avocado into ½” dice. Add to seafood mixture, combine gently so as not to smash avocado pieces.
Notes
Serve with tortilla or pita chips or as traditionally done in Latina America – with saltines!
Grilled Coconut Lime Chicken
Ingredients:
3/4 cup Full fat coconut milk, unsweetened
2 teaspoons Sugar
1 teaspoon Fresh ginger, minced
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Crushed red pepper
2 1/2 to 3 pounds Chicken pieces (boneless, skinless chicken thighs are best)
Salt and pepper
Instructions:
Mix Old Havana Foods Mojo Citrus Garlic Marinade, coconut milk, sugar, ginger and red pepper (if using) in a glass or stainless steel bowl or plastic bag. Mix well to combine.
Place chicken in marinade and toss well to coat. Marinate as few as 30 minutes for small pieces or overnight for larger pieces.
Remove chicken from marinade wiping as much marinade off of chicken and reserving. Place reserved marinade in small saucepan and cook over low heat until simmering, stir and simmer on very low heat for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Meanwhile grill chicken until thoroughly cooked and no pink juices flow when pierced, approximately 150°F for breast meat, 175 to 180°F for legs and thighs. Allow chicken to rest at least 5 minutes before serving to retain juices.
OPTIONAL – brush on Old Havana Foods Mango Pineapple BBQ Sauce during last 5 minutes of cooking. Serve with additional sauce for dipping.
Notes
Serve with cooked marinade and fully cooked white rice or use cauliflower “rice” for a low-carb (Keto friendly) version.
Approximately 1/6 of the recipe contains:305 calories, 14 g fat, 38 g protein, 7 g carbs.Nutrition was calculated using Living Cookbook V 1.5, and USDA nutrition data for 2.5 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs, raw. Feel free to make your own calculations.
Cuban Sloppy Joes (Seasoned Ground Meat, a.k.a. Picadillo)
Ingredients:
1 pound Ground meat (beef, pork, lamb or turkey) (or tofu!)
16 ounces Old Havana Foods Sofrito
1/4 cup Pimento stuffed or pitted green olives, chopped (optional but very traditional)
1/4 cup Golden raisins, coarsely chopped (optional but very traditional)
2 tablespoons Dry sherry (optional but very traditional)
Instructions:
Preheat non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Brown meat until no longer pink, breaking up pieces with spoon.
Add Old Havana Foods Sofrito, stir well to combine.
Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 5 to 7 minutes, until bubbly, stirring occasionally.
Serve on buns for sloppy joes, in tortillas for tacos, with chips as a hearty dip, over cooked pasta, as an empanada filling, in a lasagna … the possibilities are endless!
Notes
The traditional recipe includes the chopped green olives (for a briny flavor), raisins (for a little natural sweetness) and sherry (for depth of flavor.) It still tastes great without those additions. For a truly traditional Cuban meal serve over white rice topped with a fried egg and pan fried sweet plantains (maduros.)
Eggs in Savory Sauce (Huevos en Cazuela a.k.a. Shakshuka)
Ingredients:
Per single egg portion you'd like to prepare:
½ cup Old Havana Foods Sofrito OR Chili Cubano OR Zesty Hot Cooking Sauce
¼ cup Water
1 large Egg
Instructions:
Choose ONE of the following Old Havana Foods cooking sauces:
½ cup Old Havana Foods Sofrito (for a rich, more savory flavor) OR
½ cup Old Havana Foods Chili Cubano (for a lighter, tomato flavor) OR
½ cup Old Havana Foods Zesty Hot Cooking Sauce (for a very spicy tomato flavor)
Mix sauce with ¼ cup water in a non-stick skillet. Warm over medium heat until just bubbling.
Make a well in the seasoning mixture with the back of a large spoon. Break egg into the well. Cover, cook 3 to 5 minutes until white is set and yolk cooked to desired doneness.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Notes
Serve with tortillas, chips, pita, roti, naan or toasted bread.Recipe can be doubled, tripled or quadrupled if made in a large nonstick skillet with lid.
Spanish Rice
Ingredients:
16 ounces Old Havana Foods Sofrito – Authentic Cuban Cooking Sauce
2 cups Water
1 cup uncooked, white rice we prefer jasmine rice
Instructions:
In a medium saucepan combine 16 ounces of Old Havana Sofrito and water. Stir well. Bring to a simmer.
Reduce heat to lowest setting, add rice, stir well. Cover pot and simmer 18 to 20 minutes or until rice is tender, stirring every 5 minutes.
Notes
Our favorite rice to use is jasmine (slightly floral and a little stickier) or basmati – an Indian rice which is more savory (it has a popcorn aroma!) However any rice will work well – only the texture will be slightly different for each type of rice.