VISIT TO THE TROPICAL RESTAURANT IN SAN JUAN.
Ponce is famous for its seafood & fish restaurants. We are in the Caribbean Sea coast of Puerto Rico. My last week guests were anxious of having a real Cuban dinner. Unfortunately we dont have a Cuban restaurant in Ponce.
I decided that a trip to San Juan was in order to encourage sightseeing of our wonderful capital city, & the EL MORRO CASTLE, that was the fort built by the Spaniard soldiers to defend the city in the 1500's. Also, to visit my favorite Cuban restaurant.
To say that they were impressed is the least. The EL MORRO is a gigantic structure of ancient brick & stone, with rusty cannons, towers, turrets & forgotten rusty armors of our Spanish settlers. EL MORRO (as in Cuba) is at the opening of San Juan City Bay & shows that the Spaniards were wise in their selection of sites for defending their cities.
After EL MORRO, we made a tour in my car of the new parts of the city, specially the hotels & the EL CONDADO Ashford Avenue, near the sea.
Then we went to my favorite Cuban restaurant in San Juan, THE TROPICAL. There we were warmy greeted by personnel & guests because I frequently visited it for 35 years. It was a special treat for me & my guests. Here is the Menu & recipes. BUEN PROVECHO!
Cold Yuca Soup (Cassava Soup)
Potato Salad Cuban Style
Boliche (Cuban Stuffed Pot Roast)
Rice with Chorizos
Fried Ripe Plantains (Platanitos Maduros)
Mamey Dessert (Dulce de Mamey-Zapote)
COLD YUCA SOUP (CASSAVA SOUP)
7 cups water
4 cups chopped mild onion
4 cups peeled and diced yucca
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup heavy cream
Sour cream and chopped scallion for garnish
In a saucepan, bring water, onions, and yucca to a boil. Reduce heat to low, add 1/2 tsp salt, stir, cover, and simmer 20 to 30 minutes.
When the yucca is tender, remove from heat and puree in a food processor or blender. Stir in heavy cream. Transfer to bowl, cover with plastic wrap, chill for two to three hours.
Serve garnished with sour cream and chopped scallion and enjoy.
POTATO SALAD CUBAN STYLE
2 1/2 lbs potatoes
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 pkg (3 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
Cook diced potatoes in boiling salted water.
When soft, drain and add onion and green pepper. Place in a covered casserole and store in the refrigerator for two hours.
Mix the mayonnaise with the cream cheese and add the potatoes. Mix gently so potato cubes will not break.
Serve over a chilled bed of lettuce.
BOLICHE (CUBAN STUFFED POT ROAST)
Source: Best Ever Spicy Cookbook: Scintillating Recipes to Spice Up Every Meal by Lucia Perez
4 lbs. eye of round
2 chorizos (Spanish sausages)
6 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/8 tsp. paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
2 large onions, thickly sliced
3 cups beef broth
1 cup dry sherry
2 bay leaves, crumbled
4 medium potatoes, peeled and halved
Create a space for the sausages in the center of the eye of round; insert the sausage.
In a small bowl, mash garlic and oregano into a paste. Rub paste over the meat and sprinkle with paprika, salt and pepper.
Combine orange, lime and lemon juice and pour over meat; cover and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.
Remove roast from marinade; reserve marinade.
Pour olive oil in a large roasting pan; add the roast and sear on both sides. Once the roast is well browned, remove from pan.
Add sliced onions to the pan and sear them (don't brown them, just soften them).
Return roast to pan; add broth, sherry, bay leaves, and the leftover marinade. Bring to a boil; cover the pan, lower the heat and cook for 2 hours.
Add peeled and halved potatoes to the pan (if you prefer, leave the skin on the potatoes) and cook for another hour.
Transfer roast to serving dish and place onions and potatoes around it. Slice roast into 1/2-inch servings.
RICE WITH CHORIZOS
2 chorizos, cut in small pieces
1 small onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup dry wine
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cumin
1 bay leaf
black pepper to taste
pinch saffron or bijol
1 lb long grain rice
2 tsp olive oil
Place chorizos, bell pepper, onion, and garlic in a cast iron pot or heavy skillet. Add oil and saute for 5 minutes.
Add water, tomato sauce, wine, vinegar, salt, paprika, cumin, bay leaf, black pepper, and saffron or bijol, bring mixture to a boil.
Add rice and cook for about 15 minutes, uncovered, over medium flame.
Lower flame, stir and cover, cook for another 15 minutes or until rice is fully done. If grains are not completely soft, sprinkle some additional water and cook a little longer.
At serving time, add 2 tsp olive oil to make it shine.
FRIED RIPE PLANTAINS (PLATANITOS MADUROS)
Servings: 4
1 or more very ripe plantains
2 cups oil for frying
Plantains should be very ripe, black skin. Peel plantains, and slice diagonally.
In enough oil to almost cover slices, fry over medium heat. When golden brown on one side, turn and cook other side for another 5 minutes. Remove and drain over paper towels, serve hot.
MAMEY DESSERT (DULCE DE MAMEY-ZAPOTE)
Servings: 10
2 cups mamey pulp*
2 cups sugar
stick cinnamon
powdered cinnamon
Strain pulp before measuring and mix with sugar. Add the stick cinnamon and cook over medium heat stirring constantly with a wooden spoon in straight lines, not in a circular motion, until mixture reaches desired thickness.
Serve chilled, sprinkled with cinnamon.
* Mamey Sapote - large, round fruit with thick, brown skin. The flesh is firm and has a peach-apricot flavor.
