Cuban Food: A Welcome Surprise

Paella, my favorite dish.

I was pleasantly surprised at how tasty our Cuban food was on our recent trip with the NC State Wolftrekers.  It was very bland though, and I took along a bottle of Texas Pete to spice up the dishes.  Others in the group took along spices as well. 

Texas Pete to spice things up a bit.

Bread with butter was usually served first.  Cuban bread is a white bread, similar to French bread or Italian bread with an outer crust and a soft middle.

This bread was a little more crispy than some.

Appetizers usually comprised the first course, and I was particularly fond of the croquettes that seemed to be filled with potatoes, cheese, or in some cases meat.  I found a  recipe for Cuban ham croquettes  that I plan to try.

Croquettes and fried plantain chips.

Often there was soup before the main course.

Lentil soup.

I had been warned to steer clear of the salads, but the few salads that I did eat were made of shredded cabbage, carrots and beets.  There wasn't much lettuce used in salads.

Salad of cabbage, beets and carrots.

The main course was usually chicken or some kind of seafood (fish, shrimp or lobster). And almost always with rice and black beans on the side.

Chicken with mango sauce, rice and beans on the side.

Lobster and Shrimp.

   We had to learn to order "medium rare" to avoid over cooked meat and fish. Probably my favorite dish was the paella served at El Floridita.

El Floridita, Hemingway's favorite restaurant.

This paella was delicious.

Desserts consisted of ice cream (not like Local Fresh Raleigh ice cream), puddings or tiramisu.

Ice cream and a "brownie".

 But yes, all in all, I was quite pleased with the Cuban food.  I'll have another post about our breakfast buffet in the Melia Havana Hotel where we stayed. 

Paella at a Cuban Restaurant

Fernandez the Bull Cafe in Naples gave us an opportunity to try Cuban cuisine for the first time, and Patrick and Dan both pronounced their paella the best meal they have had on the trip so far.  I had a sample of theirs, and it was good.  I selected  the restaurant's famous sandwich, which turned out to be a lot like barbecue with cheese but without the sauce and slaw.

Patrick trying to locate the Bay of Pigs on the Cuban map while waiting for dinner. He's always been fascinated with maps even as a kid.  He should have been a cartographer.

Pat ready to eat.

Seafood paella.

It was fun trying a new cuisine.  They had no Key lime pie, so we shared flan, a traditional Cuban dessert. 

Shrimp Paella for Lunch

I should have been making toffee or baking for the weekend, but instead Patrick came over and made paella for Dan and me today. When we were in Spain years ago, Patrick became very fond of paella, and he's been wanting to come over and prepare some, so I got the ingredients and he did the cooking.  I'll post the recipe we used.

LOW SODIUM SHRIMP PAELLA

Paella can be made in many different ways and with many different ingredients. This version is adapted from The Unsalted Heart.com. Paella in a restaurant will have anywhere from 780mg to as high as 5050mg of sodium. This recipe is flavorful and very low sodium.

Shrimp Paella  Serving's:  4

Per Serving: - Calories 395; Sodium 115mg

It is important to get all your ingredients chopped, measured, prepared before you start cooking. 

Ingredients:

1 pound uncooked, peeled deveined shrimp(or shrimp and scallops)

2 cups low sodium chicken broth

3 Tbsp EVOO

1 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic minced

1 cup Arborio rice

2 medium tomatoes, skinned and chopped coarsely

1 red bell pepper sliced

4 large Crimini mushrooms quartered

½ cup frozen English peas

½ tsp Saffron threads

½ lemon juice

1 tsp smoked paprika

Directions:

1. Put the 2 cups of chicken broth in a large pot, add the saffron and bring the broth to a very low simmer to allow the saffron to mix well. 

2. In a large skillet add 2 Tbsp olive oil and on medium high sauté the onions until translucent.  Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. 

3. Next add the bell pepper and cook for 5 minutes stirring so that it doesn’t stick.  Add the mushrooms, peas, tomatoes and cook 2 minutes more.

4. Add 1 Tbsp of the oil & rice in the pan and sauté for 3 minutes making sure that the rice becomes completely coated. 

5. Add the hot chicken broth and the smoked paprika.  Cook over medium heat until the liquid is almost gone, approximately 20 minutes or until the rice is tender.  If rice is not tender, add a little more chicken stock (or water) and simmer until rice is done.

6. Nestle the shrimp into the rice, cover and cook until shrimp are opaque in center, about five minutes.

7.  When the rice is done, squeeze the lemon over the dish and cook for another minute. Season to taste with fresh ground black pepper.

Saute onions, garlic, red pepper.

Add tomatoes, mushrooms, green peas.

Add rice.

Add broth.

When rice is cooked add scallops and shrimp.

Ready to eat.

Ready to eat, and it was delicious.  Thanks Patrick.  You can come back anytime and cook paella for us.  He didn't offer to stay and help with making the toffee or with the baking.