Tuesday, February 9, 2010

TASAJO CRIOLLO

Tasajo= dried beef similar to beef jerky.the sent is very strong.

In Cuba when I was little girl my grandmother use to make tasajo, dried beef.
We eat the tasajo with white rice and tostone (fried plantain). it was a special meal only ones in a wile.

You can buy the tasajo meat a a Spanish food market just ask for it and they will know. Is a dark red meat dried with a fat around it and it comes in a package air tight.

To make tasajo you need to put the meat in water and soak over night change water a 2 or 3 time. boil it 1/2 hour change the water to fresh water and boil again do this 2 time you see the meat is very salt and that's the way to get rid of the salt, in the2nd time of boiling let the meat get very tender.
when finish shred the beef just like corn beef.

there are two ways of cooking it .
(1) shred beef.
(2) ground the beef.

I like it ground is pasty.

Here we go TASAJO CRIOLLO A LA ABUELITA .

1) package of tasajo.

6)cups of water.

1)white onion chopped

1)red and green peppers chopped.

4)cloves of garlic.

NO SALT.

1/2 tsp. BLACK PEPPER.

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp oregano.

3)bay leaf.

1) can of tomato sauce.

1/4) cup parsley. chopped.

1/2) cup dried white wine cooking wine.

Once the meat is ready put aside.( make the sofrito.)
Add the onion first in a grease pan big enough to hold all the ingredient then the peppers garlic and bay leaf let simmer a few minutes , add tomato sauce let simmer then add oregano, cumin and black pepper to taste when sofrito is done add the wine simmer. Add the meat let cook. in low heat 5 10 minutes.

Serve with white rice and tostone.

Buen probecho. thats a very old time dinner for Cubans. MY grandfather use st to say back in the old days they would use for tasajo horse meat. Is in that something ah!

Monday, February 8, 2010

PASTA DE BOCADITO DE JAMON

When I was a little girl in all the birthday parties I whet, they always serve (bocaditos) small bite sandwich of ham and cream cheese they were very good and everyone loved them.( kids love them to, they were the thing of the party).

1) lb. of boiled ham

1) stick of cream cheese.

10) green olive with pimentos in center and pickle 1/2) of one cut in very small pieces or food processor.

1) red roasted pepper cut in very small or use food processor

Put all ingredient in a food processor or whisk till a very thick cream ,spread on white bread with out the crust.

It is the best you will ever eat you will never go back to DEVIL HAM.

Cuban version of Devil Ham Spread.

good luck and Buen Probecho.

Pasta de Bocadito it bring back lots of memories wow. memories of when I was about 6 or 7 years old back in Havana.