Recipes

Kosher version: Cuban Bread
STARTER
3/4 tsp active dry yeast(1/3 envelope)
1/3 cup warm water
1/3 cup bread or all-purpose flour

The day before baking; mix the starter ingredients, dissolving the yeast in the water first. You want a thick paste when you add the flour. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let "ripen" in refrigerator for 24 hours. Leftover starter will keep for several days in the refrigerator and can be frozen.

DOUGH
4-1/2 tsp active dry yeast -(2 envelopes or 2 cakes of compressed yeast)
1 TB sugar
1-1/2 cups warm water
3 to 4 TB solid vegetable shortening, at room temperature
1/2 batch starter (see above recipe)
1 TB salt
4 to 5 cups bread flour

Dissolve yeast and sugar in 3 tablespoons of water in a large mixing bowl. When the mixture is foamy (5 to 10 minutes), stir in the shortening, the remaining water, and the 1/2 batch of starter.

Mix well with your fingers or a wooden spoon. Stir in salt and flour, 1 cup at a time. You want to get a dough that is stiff enough to knead. You can also mix and knead in a mixer fitted with the dough hook or in a food processor fitted with the double blade, as the processor dough hook will not handle this job easily.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 to 8 minutes, adding flour as necessary. The dough should be pliable and not sticky.

Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot until it doubles its' bulk, about 45 minutes. Punch down.

To form the loaves, divide the dough in 4 pieces. Roll out each to form a 14-inch long tube, with rounded ends (sort of like a long meat loaf) Put 2 of the loaves on a baking sheet, about 6 inches apart. Cover with dampened cotton dish towels and let rise in warm, draft-free spot until double their bulk, about 1 hour. If you want to let it rise at a slower pace, you can do it in a cooler spot and even in the refrigerator, but give it 3 to 4 hours instead.

Preheat oven to 350 F

Lay a dampened piece of thick kitchen string or twine (about 1/8 " thick) all along the top length of the loaf. Bake until the breads are lightly browned on top and sound hollow when lightly tapped, about 30 minutes.

Let them cool slightly and remove the strings. They will leave a distinct little ridge on top. Transfer loaves onto a wire rack for cooling.

Palomilla Steak
1.5 pounds minute steaks
2 TB Olive Oil
4 cloves Garlic, peeled, mashed and chopped finely
¼ tsp Ac'cent™ Flavor Enhancer
⅔ c of sweet Onion, diced
⅓ c sweet Onion, finely minced
3 TB fresh Parsley, chopped
Juice of one Lemon
Ground Black Pepper to taste
Salt, to taste

Pound steaks to 1/2" thickness between sheets of plastic wrap.
Rub the cleaned and trimmed, very thin steaks with the garlic, liberally, on both sides.
Into a tight ZipLock® type bag, place the garlic rubbed steaks and the lemon juice.
Place the bag into the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, turning and kneading frequently.
Heat a heavy skillet on medium-high heat and add the olive oil.
Heat skillet until oil begins to foam.
Remove the steaks from the bag, discarding the marinating liquid.
Salt on the Ac'cent™ Flavor Enhancer.
Sear the steaks until barely crusty brown on both sides (they are thin; it will not take long).
Two minutes before serving, add DICED onion to the pan to warm, until onion is translucent.
Serve one steak to each plate. Add some of the MINCED onions and a sprinkle of the parsley to each.
Serve with crispy thinly sliced 'home' fries and hot white rice; Tabasco™ sauce.

Yucca Buns (Pan de Yucca)
Recipe courtesy Ingrid Hoffmann, 2008

Makes10 buns
Ingredients
Cooking spray
1 c tapioca flour, plus extra for kneading
1 tsp baking powder
2 c mozzarella, finely grated
2 large egg yolks
2 to 3 TB heavy cream, if necessary

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking pan with aluminum foil, and coat with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

Combine the tapioca flour and baking powder together in a large bowl. Stir in the cheese and egg yolks. Mix until the dough forms a ball. Lightly flour a work surface and turn the dough out. Knead the dough with your hands until the dough is smooth, even-textured, and not sticky. If the dough doesn't come together or seems too stiff, then add cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it comes together and feels supple.

Divide the dough into 10 even pieces and with your hands, roll each into a ball. Shape the balls into ovals and place them 1-inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until the rolls are pale gold (not browned), about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 5 to 10 minutes and serve while still warm. Serve with Pineapple Marmalade, if desired.

Pineapple Jalapeno Marmalade:
1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple in juice, strained
4 c sugar
1 orange, zested and juiced
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 jalapenos, seeded and minced
Combine the pineapple, sugar, orange zest, orange juice, lemon zest, lemon juice and jalapenos in medium saucepan.

Bring mixture to a rapid boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Lower heat to medium and continue to cook for 15 minutes, stirring often to prevent scorching.

Remove from heat and cool before serving.

Store in refrigerator for up to 1 month or in the freezer for 6 months.

Yield: 3 cups