dominican cookbook

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Patricia

Guest
I have been trying to search for a Dominican cookbook but can't seem to find one. I am in Toronto. I have printed out all the recipes that I have found on the net, thanks to many of you who have let other reads know about this. I know that at one point there was a sight cookingwithcaro.bizhosting.com and from here you where able to order her cookbook. I have emailed them but not heard from her/them. Has anyone ordered this book in the past? Does anyone know where I could get a cookbook in Toronto or in Puerto Plata please let me know thanks in advance and sorry for this being so long
 
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trina

Guest
Hi Pat. Have you checked your library? I know that the library in Calgary has a Dominican cooking cookbook, so I bet you can find some help there. Good idea, learning to cook Dominican food, because they're already facing big adjustments coming here without adding the change in diet. If you want, e-mail me, and I'll give you my recipe for rice, beans, and pork; mangu; and arroz con leche.
 
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Natasha

Guest
I am a die hard cookbook collector! Have you tried to order Maria Ramirez de Carias' La Cocina Dominicana through Amazon.com?

Regards, Natasha
 
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mike

Guest
Trina

Put your recetas here on Dr1 so that we can all have a go or is this privilage only for the chosen few.
 
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Patricia

Guest
Re: dominican cookbook:Natasha

Thanks, one big question the proper way to make tostones. I have such a hard time making these what's the secret
 
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Patricia

Guest
Re: dominican cookbook: Trina

Thanks Trina and I will email you soon,
 
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trina

Guest
Rice, beans, and pork recipe

Rice, beans, and Pork:

Shopping List:

1 bunch of cilantro
2 celery stalks
6 green onions (you only need the stems)
whole garlic
1 green pepper
1 Spanish onion
1 can tomato paste
Rice (I use the Safeway brand)
1 (big) can Romano beans
1 big pckg Pork Shoulder Blade Steak (2-3 medium size steaks)
Apple Cider Vinegar or Garlic Vinegar (if using G. vinegar, do not put garlic cloves in)

The night before, make the sausson:
Chop up the cilantro, celery, green stems of the onions, 4 cloves of garlic, and green pepper. Put in a little jar and cover with vinegar (apple cider or garlic vinegar tastes best). This jar will stay good for up to 6 months because of the vinegar, it preserves it.

The day of, total prep time is about 45 minutes.

The rice...
For 2 people, I usually make 1.25 cups of uncooked rice. This means that you double that amount in water. Pour 2.5 cups water, and maybe .25 cups of oil (I never measure, it's whatever looks good) into a pot. When it starts boiling, add a fair bit of salt (wait until it starts boiling, because otherwise, it ruins the pot...salt to taste, you don't want too much) and your rice. Boil hard for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, then decrease temp so the burner is on about medium or a little less (I put it on 4). Cook for about another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all the water is gone and rice isn't too sticky. Cover with plastic to keep from getting dry.

The beans...
Cover the bottom of the pot with oil, not too too much. Add a little Spanish onion, chopped in small pieces (maybe 2 thin slices off the middle of the onion). Add about a tablespoon and a half of sousson, and a heaping tablespoon of tomato paste. Let simmer, add a can of Romano beans and half can of water. Cook on medium until beans are soft.

The pork...
Cover the bottom of big pot with oil. Probably about .25 cup of oil, I never measure anything, whatever looks good! Add 1 tablespoon of white sugar. Wait until sugar is brown (burned) until you add anything else. The purpose for this is that it makes the meat very tender. Add a little more Spanish onion than you did for the beans. Add about 2.5 tablespoons of sousson, and 1.5-2 tablespoons of tomato paste. Let simmer for a little while, let everything mix into the oil. Add chopped up pork, keep mixing well, and cook for about 30 minutes, or until done.

Okay, that was a lot of typing, and made for a long message. If you want the other recipes, just e-mail me. I'll put them into a word document and send them to you.
 
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Natasha

Guest
Re: dominican cookbook:Natasha

Ummm, I love tostones. I like to buy the greenest possible plantains. I think the "secret" might be in frying the tostones TWICE. This is what I mean: after you peel and slice up the plantains, fry them in corn oil (I use corn oil - Mazola). Make sure not to fry them too quickly though and definitely don't over fry them. Then, flatten each plantain slice with a tostonera, if you have one. The bottom of a bottle against a cutting board will do too. I like to flatten mine using a salad plate against one of my cutting boards. They come out great! After you flatten the tostones, then you have to RE-FRY them again in the corn oil. Don't fry them for too long. I think that is the secret! Also, my father dunks the tostones in salted water before re-frying them. They come out crispier!! Hope this helps.

Regards, Natasha
 
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Mercy

Guest
Re: dominican cookbook:Natasha

I made some tostones this weekend for my in-laws and it was a fiasco. I've never made them before, but they wanted "Comida Dominicana". I think my plantains were not very green and also I fry them too long. They sold pretty good, but I knew they were not the real stuff.

Mercy
 
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mondongo

Guest
flattening tostones....

Natasha, you definitely know what you are doing....one way I flatten the tostones after the first frying is to use the plantain peel...this means first cutting the plaintain in half..then only making two longitudinal incisions on the plaintain peel...and then peeling it off carefully such that you come away with two whole pieces....this works really well because the plaintain slices dont stick to the plantain peel..

Other "tricks"
1) make sure that when you initially slice the plantain, the slices are no less than 3/4 inch thick. Too thin and the inside overcooks, too thick the inside does not cook.
2) I try to slice them at a slight angle. They then flatten more easily.
3) the objective of the first frying is to cook the plantain just long enough to cook it through, but without turning the outside too crusty. This usually means using medium heat in the first frying. If you have to err on the first frying, its best to err on the side of undercooking.
4) Flatten them all before putting any flattened ones in the oil. The second frying is quicker than the first, with slightly higher heat. I like to take them out before they start to turn brown.
5) Slice some fresh aguacate...make some carne guisada....and presto, you are in heaven.
 
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Natasha

Guest
Re: flattening tostones....

Mondongo, you most definitely know about tostones too! Thanks for adding your tricks. I should have mentioned that I also slice the plantains at a slight angle. And yes, don't forget the aguacate!! Thanks again.

Regards, Natasha
 
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Natasha

Guest
Re: Rice, beans, and pork recipe

Trina, great recipes! If you will allow me, I'd like to add a few things. The sason or sofrito that you refer to in your post is the basis, the true basis of nearly all Dominican cooking. However, preparing a sofrito is a truly intricate thing which requires knowing which ingredients work best for which dishes. It means for example that the sofrito that you make to prepare meats or poultry may not work that well for preparing beans. In essence, you may have to prepare different sofritos - it is tedious, I know. For the beans, I would skip the celery and I would add the vinegar (a drop or two) almost at the end of the cooking, when you are ready to simmer the beans. Otherwise, if you use a sofrito which contains too much vinegar, your beans may turn out slightly too acidic. I like to add little cubes of carrots to my beans, but that is certainly not essential. Again, great recipes!

Regards, Natasha
 
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trina

Guest
Thanks for the tips!

I love the sofrito, have used it with beef, chicken, pork, and beans...wasn't aware that I should be making different sofritos for different dishes. Thanks for the tip...one other thing I didn't mention was that when cooking the beans, one cube of OXO chicken bouillion just makes it that little bit better.

Take care
 
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Lyse

Guest
Re: Rice, beans, and pork recipe

To the beans I add little cubes of ??(forgot the name) the yellow vegetable that gives a little sweet taste to the salcocho.
 
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Patricia

Guest
Thank you

Just want to say thank you for all who replied, will try everything out especailly the tostones, they eventually have to turn out right!!!!!! Thanks again
 
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Natasha

Guest
Re: ooops, my mistake

It is auyama (squash) that I add. Don't know why I wrote carrots. I think that is the vegetable you are referring to Lyse. I find that butternut squash is the best.

Regards, Natasha
 
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Lyse

Guest
Re: ooops, my mistake

Yes auyama it is. What is the butternut squash in Spanish and what does it look like??
 
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Natasha

Guest
Re: ooops, my mistake, PIC*

Hi Lyse,

I actually do not know the name in Spanish for butternut squash. I had never seen that type of squash grow in the DR - perhaps they only grow in cold climates, hence the general name winter squash? With experimentation, I have found that butternut squash is the closest tasting squash to the auyama I knew in the DR. It tends to be sweeter than acorn squash, although when ripe, acorn squash is absolutely wonderful! Butternut squash is usually yellow on the outside and it is shaped like a vase. I try to buy the yellowest of the batch as they tend to be the sweetest. Below is a site you might like.

Regards, Natasha
 
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Lyse

Guest
Re: ooops, my mistake, PIC*

Great site thanks. As a matter of fact right now here in Montreal all the grocery stores and markets are full of all kind of squash including butternut.