![Key West Cuban Sandwiches]()
by Yvonne Maffei | Jun 24, 2017 | Cuban, Latin, Sandwiches & Burgers
Since I’ve never been to Cuba, how could I really say what a Cuban sandwich is like? It’s because I feel like I sorta traveled there by way of south Florida when I was young girl. My dad us there often and we visited a lot of great Latin restaurants, which is where I really developed my palate for diverse latin food. I often wonder if they’re still there, because they were that memorable: from Greek food in Tarpon Springs to Colombian food in Sarasota, or Cuban fare like Paella Valencia and Cuban Sandwiches in Miami and Key West at the famed El Siboney, often times at hyper local spots that were also neighborhood phenomenons like this one.
This developed my love of fine restaurant food, diversity in food, the various food cultures available to explore in the world- how blessed I am to have had that experience and develop a palette at such a young age. I think that’s why I’m sitting here writing about food and cooking this type of food today, among the other varieties of globally-inspired dishes I love so much.
So to re-create the dishes I wanted to eat halal, I started with the famed Cuban Sandwich, since it’s one that has ham and pork meat in it, and something I thought I might never be able to have again. After some research, however, I was able to figure out right spice mixture and build a sandwich that not only I love, but my family and friends love, too. We tested the recipe many times to get it just right, which is why it also ended up in my newest cookbook, My Halal Kitchen: Global Recipes, Cooking Tips, Lifestyle Inspiration.
Basically, the meat I use is boneless, skinless chicken thighs. It’s dark meat, separates easily and cooks down great. The spice mixture is like an adobo somewhat but when you begin to cook it, the real kicker is adding in some orange juice- that gives not just flavor, but added acidity to break down the meat faster as it cooks.
If you have chicken stock or broth, add that, too. That gives it a little extra chicken flavor and color to the stock. Eventually, all the liquid will boil out before you plop it into the sandwich, but the flavor will be in the meat.
The original cooking time is long, but I’ve since made it twice recently and kicked up the flame to speed it up and had this done and ready to shred within 35 minutes, so it is doable.
Once that’s done, you can pull the meat apart with a fork. Now comes the building part- as you’ll see in the recipe, get some really great bread. If you’re near a Mexican store get the bolillo bread, but make sure it is not made with manteca, or lard. If you can’t find a good source, then a hoagie bread bun will do just fine.
Each side of the bread gets mustard, cheese (I use provolone if I can’t find Swiss), pickles (I use gardener if I’m out of pickles) and some halal smoked Turkey salami or bologna that you can find at most Middle Eastern/Mediterranean and Indo-Pakistani markets.
Then, I add the shredded chicken, close up the sandwich and wrap it in foil. I place it in a panini press or over a grill or in a grill pan and push it down with something heavier. This makes it flattened, makes the cheese melt and heats up all the ingredients so well.
Even if you’ve never had an authentic Cuban sandwich, this is one I think you’re absolutely going to love- and why not, it’s totally saborosa!
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![Caribbean Beef Stew]()
by Yvonne Maffei | Jun 24, 2017 | Latin
This Ramadan I’ve chosen to make a bunch of Latin dishes, mainly because of the hot, steamy weather we’ve been experiencing here in Chicago. It’s ironically not dissimilar to the weather in the Caribbean when it rains for 30 minutes and then the sun comes out and that goes on all week. It reminds me of weather in Florida, Puerto Rico and other hot, humid climates I’ve visited. When I experience that weather, I crave the foods that come from those places. More specifically, I crave the foods I also grew up with, rooted in Puerto Rican fare. I wrote about this extensively in my most recent cookbook, but it bears repeating in that the smell and taste of things like mangos, plantains, guava and even the spice mixtures of adobo and sofrito will always remind me of my maternal grandparents who were very intent on sharing those flavors with me as a child. I’m so glad they did. I wouldn’t be the cook I am today without that experience.
That said, I was craving a really good Carne Guisada, also known as a Caribbean Beef Stew, due to the flavors and ingredients being a blend of the Spanish, Indigenous and African flavors. It’s a classic dish on the island of Puerto Rico and I’m so happy to be able to share the recipe with you.
For example, to get started with this dish, I marinate the beef for a short amount of time in a blend of garlic, oregano, vinegar and olive oil (also known as the adobo). The small will forever remind me of how my abuela (grandmother) cooked her meat. You can marinate this overnight, but if you’re in a crunch for time, 20 minutes should do the trick.
The meat is then sautéed with potatoes, onion, green pepper and olive oil in preparation for all the other goodness to come.
I also add sofrito to give it hat extra special very Puerto Rican taste: a puree of cilantro, tomatoes, yellow onion, serrano pepper, garlic.
Stir thoroughly.
The stew should cook, covered, for a good amount of time- to thoroughly soften the meat and the potato. During the last leg of cooking, add the Manzanilla olives and capers. That’s what really tops this dish off and takes it to new heights, adding slightly vinegary taste.
Once thoroughly cooked, it’s ready to serve.
I prefer to go classic- serve with white rice, pink beans (habichuelas), and baked plantains (which are typically fried).
As they say in Spanish to describe how delicious it is… que saboroso!
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![Halal Beef Tacos]()
by Yvonne Maffei | Jun 20, 2017 | Cooking Techniques & Kitchen Tips, Iftar, Latin, Mexican
For those of you who know me as a home cook or who follow my Instagram page of cooking and recipes and food interests in general, you probably know I love a good taco.
I think it’s one of the best foods you can make at home and quite honestly, one of the easiest. It’s like having street food at home all the time once you get a good recipe under your belt. The trick is definitely in flavoring the meat just right.
That said, I’m going to explain it all right here– and then how to build the taco once you’ve got the meat flavored properly.
First, in order to do it, you have to season the meat with things that are in the recipe below. My trick or secret is that I roast the meat with these spices, honey, and vinegar. It gives the meat have a deep, dark smoky flavor, in my opinion.
Once that’s done, you’ll move the meat to a Dutch oven and cook for a couple hours or until the meat pulls apart. If you’re not having any luck with the meat pulling apart easily, bring it out of the pot and pull it apart with a fork and a knife or two forks, whichever is easier.
Bring it back to the pot to continue cooking, stir it in and keep it hydrated until it’s ready to serve.
A few tips on taco building, and with all of the possible toppings, a little of everything goes a long way…
Warming tortillas
Warming the tortillas, don’t cook them. Whether made from scratch or bought prepared, they are already cooked prior to warming and should not be eaten straight from the package. I recommend eating only the ones with these ingredients at most: corn, lime (cal), and salt. Warm either over an open flame or on a comal, or thin steel pan, for no more than 20-30 seconds per side, warming two at a time. Once they’re nicely scorched, but not too much, wrap them a medium thick towel or place in a tortilla warmer.
Beans
Once you’ve made your own cooked beans, dollop a tablespoon of bean purée (refried-style) in the center of the tortilla and spread outward in a circular fashion, leaving about an inch of tortilla exposed. The layer of beans just coats and helps to keep the other ingredients in the right places.
Meat
On top of the beans is the single most important ingredient. Meat eaters top with meat. Non-meat eaters, top with fish or veggies. Shredded meat or chunks of meat allow the taco to be eaten bite by bite without playing tug of war with your teeth.
Vegetables
Garnish your taco with colorful, crisp vegetables such as shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, and chopped onion, or simply pico de gallo or some sort of salsa. Pinch each topping with all four fingers and thumb and place by spreading on top of meat, fish or veggies.
Crema
A teaspoon of sour cream adds a little weight on top of the vegetables, contrasts the ingredients above and below, nourishes with dairy and cools the edge of the next topping.It also looks nice.
Salsa & Hot Sauce
Choose from your favorite flavors and styles. Popular ones include chipotle or tomatillo and Green tomatillo based salsas lighten the taco and give it a bit of refreshing flavor, in my opinion. Garnish on the sparse side with a few specks so as not to miss out, but not to overwhelm, either.
Citrus & Cheese
Squeeze a small wedge of lime on top of your masterpiece. If you have it, crumble a bit of Mexican cheese, too.
So, there you have it.
You may have just built one of the most remarkable and versatile three or four bites of your culinary life. Enjoy for breakfast (suhoor), lunch (after Ramadan), dinner (Iftar), late night snack (after Taraweeh night prayers), and of course with friends and family. This may not be your favorite Mexican restaurant’s tacos, but which would you prefer?
At home street food can now be a real thing…
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![Chicken Burrito Bowl]()
by Yvonne Maffei | Apr 6, 2016 | American, Chicken, Latin, Mexican, Poultry Dishes, Recipes
One of the only ‘restaurants’ I ever go to is Chipotle. I’ve always loved how fresh their ingredients are, but never eat any of the meat because it’s not dhabiha. I actually don’t eat out very much anymore mainly because I’m always testing recipes for my latest cookbook and this site, but I do crave certain dishes I really like at my favorite eateries or the ones I wish I could have with the meat in it. Such is the Burrito Bowl with Chicken at Chipotle. I always get the veggie bowl, and it is substantial but sometimes I just want the meat, too, so I decided to make my own at home.
Actually, you might be surprised that you probably have most of the ingredients at home: Rice, beans, chicken, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, salsa or hot sauce, avocados, tortilla chips and fresh cilantro. If not, you can easily get them at any grocery store.
Additionally, fresh or frozen non-GMO corn. Very important.
I use frozen corn – it’s frozen when it’s fresh. If you buy organic, it should not be GMO, so that’s one way to know. Also, any type of lettuce or greens you like. I personally like Romain lettuce chopped finely.
I love white sharp cheddar cheese, which I get from Trader Joe’s as a raw milk cheese variety. I just use a hand grater and grate it nicely, just like it looks at Chipotle.
Chopped tomatoes of any variety. If you have time, remove the seeds so your burrito bowl doesn’t become soggy or watery. If you’re going to eat it right away, then don’t bother.
Somewhere in the process, I prepare my chicken. I buy boneless skinless chicken thighs and cook them in this manner, although I don’t put any herbs and instead add ground cumin and a pinch of turmeric. Beans and rice are cooked separately, too.
The bowl-making begins by placing the cooked rice at the bottom, then the beans then the meat and fresh veggies.
On top are the greens and cheese.
And topped with sour cream, freshly diced avocado and some hot sauce. You can add salsa, too. I just didn’t have any already made on hand, but it’s particularly delicious with this tomatillo salsa.
And so, in my opinion, it’s even better at home. You can feed a lot of people this way, and best of all, you know exactly what’s in everything you’ve just put into your very own Chipotle-style Chicken Burrito Bowl.
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by Yvonne Maffei | Jun 28, 2014 | Appetizers & Snacks, Latin, Mexican
No time for suhoor, but you need something hot in your tummy? These super-quick quesadillas are so easy to make- you may want to take out the hot sauce and fire-roasted chiles (peppers) if your stomach can’t handle the spice in the wee hours of the morning, though.
*White cheddar cheese is produced by Cabot and certified-halal by IFANCA.
Two-minute quesidallas with white cheddar cheese, roasted green chiles and hot sauce. Use a non-stick pan if you prefer not to cook directly over the flame.
![Lamb Stew with Pumpkin, Plantain, Sweet Potato and Chickpeas]()
by Yvonne Maffei | Nov 13, 2011 | Dinner, Fall, Lamb, Latin, North African, Recipes, Red Meat Dishes, Slow Cook, Stews & Curries
When we look through recipes online or in magazines, what really prompts us to go out of our way to make a list and head out to the store with the intention of buying all the ingredients specifically for that recipe we enjoyed looking at so much? 
I look at food for a living, literally, and am incredibly delighted by the vibrant colors and gorgeous photography that exists in the blogosphere and in the publishing world. I can’t, however, make everything that awakens my stomach or inspires me to fly off the couch and dig into my cabinets for every spice listed in a recipe so that I, too, can make a gorgeous Thai noodle dish.
There is one Libyan dish, however, that prompted me to set out to use up our Qurbani meat to make this dish called Tbeikhet ‘Eid which features pumpkin, chickpeas and raisins. I liked the idea of using seasonal produce like pumpkin so much that I decided to give it a try, though digressing a bit by using other ingredients that I had at home that were in much need of being used: (more…)
