Rainy Day Comfort Cooking

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>>8519346
Adding the stock, wine, olives, capers and then a simmering step..

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>>8519346
Before having some wine with my meal which is simmering, need a little cafecito first...which in my case will be a cortadito. Foaming step incoming (not that whole will get too foamy altogether).

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This foam really collapsed when I added the espresso which I expected. Like a Cuban counter, it has ridiculous amounts of sugar in the espresso :P That's my spoiled child on the mug.

The main is simmering, back burners are rice and platanos maduros.

got some limey coconut massaman chicken butts brewing in the oven

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Baking bread

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Cuban picadillo, platano maduros, white rice done!

This was inspired by the month of news related to immigration, from the end of wet foot dry foot (boo Obama) to protests going on right now at MIA about immigration.

I don't have a cuban restaurant where I live now, so I *sniff* have to do it myself from time to time when the cravings arise.

Have a beautiful day /ck *nomnom* Felicidades!

>>8519439
Can we see the platanos? I always wondered how you make them but can't get plaintains in the UK

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>>8519489
>Can we see the platanos? I always wondered how you make them but can't get plaintains in the UK
At the back of my plate are the ones I am eating...

You buy them green and quite hard where you have a hell of time a time to peel them if you want to make chips, tostones, mariquitas....but if you wait for about 6-10 days...and then they go from green to yellow mottled and finally nearly all black (they look rotten, sorry no pics of that). You can carefully peel them at this point, leaving all the flesh intact. Slice them pretty thickly, pan fry until caramelized and softer. Be careful, the sugar content is higher and it has a flashpoint to burn, like I did here on one side...got a phone call while I was working. Usually I drain them on paper towels, but these were so sticky, the oil absorption would have simply been a loss of crust to the paper towel.

>>8519457
Sounds good, two of my favorite flavors, lime and coconut...I must admit I don't know what a chicken butt is? Is that like beer butt chicken? ;)

>>8519469
Yikes that's cold.

I'm packing for a cruise next weekend, so just a laundry day with clothing decisions to make. I have enough picadillo to pack into the freezer for a couple meals down the line when I come back and I'm in the mood again. Plantains freeze beautifully.

>>8519489
>can't get plaintains in the UK
If you do find them down the line, just freeze them after fully cooking :) You can also take the mariquitas if you can buy them in the bag (probably a jamaican knows where to get them), and adorn them cuban style with your own mojo (soften a ton of chopped garlic in olive oil, remove from heat, add lime juice, pour over your chips).
My picadillo I never ever order in a restaurant, because it can be kind of done frugally. I use sirloin, they might use chuck, and then not drain it :o I use a generous amount of the dates (some use raisins), olives and capers, and wine. They might use just a garnish, and skip the parsley and wine for using Sazon Goya completo stock. I don't think it needs MSG from that if you brown it well and go heavy on the mix of sweet, salty and savory.