Bistec De Palomilla

Being from South Florida, I miss Cuban food very much! Since there is no Cuban food in South Korea, I have to make my own. I made my favorite, Bistec de Palomilla and served it with Cuban style white rice and Cuban style black beans. You can find my recipe for black beans here on my blog. The recipe for the rice and steak are below. I hope you enjoy it as much as my husband and I did!

Bistec de Palomilla

Ingredients:

6-8 oz boneless steaks (top round) 1/4 inch thick
1/4 cup Naranja Agria or (substitute 2 parts lemon juice to 1 part orange juice)
2 tablespoons garlic minced
1/2 medium onion finely chopped
1-cup parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup lime juice
Olive oil

Directions:

• In a mixing bowl combine the naranja agria, garlic, salt and pepper to make the marinade. Place the steaks in a deep baking dish in a single layer and sprinkle them with salt on both sides. Pour the marinade over the steaks, cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-hour.

• Option 1 for the onions, if you like raw onion: Prepare the garnish in a medium bowl. Combine the parsley, chopped onion, lime juice and drizzle a small amount of olive oil over the mixture. Do not add to much olive oil or the topping will be too soggy. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside
• Option 2 for the onions, which is what I did: Slice the onion and when you are done cooking the steaks, cook the onions with the leftover marinade. Cook until golden brown or your desired tenderness. I like mine cooked enough to take the bitterness out of the onion but still a bit crispy.
• To cook the meat on a grill: Heat grill to high heat. Remove the steaks from marinade and grill for 1 to 2 minutes per side. Because the steaks are so thin, they will cook very quickly.
• To cook the meat on the stove top: Heat skillet in between medium high and high heat, cook steaks about 2-3 minutes on each side.

Cuban Style White Rice

Ingredients:

1 cup extra long grain white rice, if you can find Goya brand that is great, I used Canilla which is a Goya product
2 cups water
1/2 Tbs. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:

While stirring, bring to a boil. Then reduce heat, cover and allow to simmer until water is absorbed. Normally 20-25 minutes.

Bring
Enjoy!

Black Beans

You will need:

1 large onion
1 large green pepper
3 cloves garlic, peeled, crushed, and chopped
3 tablespoons mojo sauce or 3 tablespoons vinegar (I use Mojo)
Olive oil for frying
2 or 3 cans plain, unseasoned black beans
1 bay leaf
3 teaspoons ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

Make a sofrito by chopping onion and green pepper. Sauté onions and green pepper in olive oil until onions are translucent.

Add crushed and chopped garlic and sauté another minute or so. Take about one cup of beans and mash them to make a chunky paste.

Add this paste, the canned beans and the sofrito to a sauce pan. Add bay leaf, mojo, cumin, and let simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes.

Serve over rice.

* If you are only cooking for 2-3 people, only use one can of beans and then half of all the other ingredients.

* I personally like my beans the thickness you see in the picture. If you see that the beans are too watery just cook on high heat while stir constantly until some of the liquid evaporates out and you have your desired thickness.

Enjoy!

Chicken Fajitas

You will need:

Marinade:
1/8 cup lime juice
1/8 cup lemon juice
1/8 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic-crushed
3 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 pound boneless chicken breast

Mixture for vegetables:
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon lime juice
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
dash of salt
dash of pepper

Vegetables:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 regular Spanish onion sliced
1/2 medium green pepper sliced thin
1/2 medium red pepper sliced thin
Handful of mushrooms sliced

~ Combine all ingredients for marinade in a seal-able container, add chicken, cover and refrigerate at least for 2 hours or overnight.
~ Combine water, lime juice, lemon juice, salt and pepper; set aside.
~ Grill meat over medium-high flame for 4-5 minutes per side. Flip the chicken when you see the outside of the chicken cooked.
~ Cut meat into strips, set aside and keep warm.
~ In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook onion, peppers, and mushrooms in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. When browned add the reserved soy sauce mixture and add the chicken and toss to coat. Serve with flour tortillas and your choice of fajita fixings.