Boriqua Blog

Our favorite stocking stuffer!

Help us welcome our new addition: Roxie Heart!

P.S. The boys liked their Christmas morning surprises, as well!

Feliz Navidad, y un Prospero Ano Nuevo, from my home to yours!

oxoDaisy

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Noche Buena preparations usually starts around the first week of December, in my house, but for one reason or another (and probably because I scaled down entertaining way down this year!), I really didn’t do a lot of prep at all this year. The menu was a mix of new and traditional: I didn’t go extremely overboard with the nosh part of the evening, deciding to present a few different cheeses (cow, sheep and goat), some grapes, nuts, and a couple of dips (artichoke/parmesan and guacamole).

I served it with plenty of cold, creamy, coquito to wash it all down and we had a great beginning to our Noche Buena celebration.

I decided the rest of the menu, with the exception of the soup first course, would be served buffet style. I broke down the ducks for the Pato con Peras early in the day, saving the trimmings and the bones (along with some aromatics) to make stock, which in turn serve as the foundation for the sauce.

The kids all joined in to help in the preparations, in and out of the kitchen, and being that we weren’t expecting a crowd of 50 (the usual!), stress was relatively low.

Dave and Angie set the table

By 6PM, I had everything well in hand. I put the finishing touches on my lobster bisque (I shelled the lobsters and made the stock the night before),assembled the guacamole, and double checked the decorations.

After about an hour of coquito toasts and little bites of artichoke/parmesan dip, nuts and cheese, we were ready for the main event. The buffet table looked very inviting, and my guests were eager to sample its wares. It featured a lovely Christmas salad of green lettuce, endive, fennel, English cucumber, feta cheese and pomegrante seed, dressed in a citrus/ginger scented olive oil with champagne vinegar vinagrette.

The pernil was done perfectly. I took it out of the oven when the center read 150 degrees F, and I set it to rest for about 30 minutes. The skin was roasted to a lovely mahogany lacquer and the meat was garlicky and moist….paradise on a plate!

The pernil was accompanied by arroz con gandules,

Frutta di Mare salad (for the Sicilian contingent, lol),

and Pato con Peras (a Catalan Christmas must).

After much oohing and ahhing, second and third helpings, we retired back to the living room to open gifts and catch our breaths before dessert: cherry cheese cake, cookies, canolis, and Recchiuti chocolates. Everyone mutually agreed that Noche Buena 2006 was very much a solid success!!

Feliz Navidad!

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The official countdown has started for Noche Buena on Sunday, and being that everyone always asks me for a bottle of coquito (the magnificent Puerto Rican version of eggnog!), I figured I’ll get a jump on things and start putting it up. Now, I can remember helping Mami make coquito when I was a little girl, and the processs was ever so much more complicated. For starters, I had to grate the coconut by hand (knuckles beware!), but making coquito today is as complicated as turning your blender on. Assemble your ingredients: 1 can Cream of Coconut, 1 can sweetened condensed milk, 1/2 cup egg substitute, 1 can evaporated milk, 2 teaspoons vanilla, and rum to taste.

You’ll find that upon opening the can of cream of coconut, there is a waxy “head” that rises to the top of the can, which sometimes becomes a little difficult to break through. Gently break through it with your spatula, to expose the liquid in the can.

I add this to the blender, and process it for a few minutes until it is smooth, then I add the condensed milk, which is thick and creamy. This helps to bind the cream of coconut so that it doesn’t seperate in your coquito later on.

Follow with the egg substitute, the evaporated milk, and the vanilla.

Stir in the rum to taste, and finish off with a dusting of cinnamon and or nutmeg. Chill.

Being that I’ll be entertaining guests at my home on Noche Buena (Christmas Eve), I have been busy building my menu, from hors d’ oeurves to dessert. When I build a menu, I try to coordinate flavors, textures, temperature, in short, every aspect of the menu is similiar to an instrument in an orchestra; it is delicious on its own, but in combination with everything else, it should sing!

I first had these little arepitas at my friend Migui’s Mom’s house. Actually, Angela parked herself next to the platter where they had been served, and did not budge until every last one was gone. The are super easy to make, and remind me of the delicious “Latkes” that are so popular this time of year… these make a mouthwatering alternative. Whether you eat then for religious reasons or just because they are addicting, is totally up to you!

Ready for some “Latkes Latinas”? Click on the link below.

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Be sure to check out DaisyMartinez.com for great Puerto Rican holiday recipes from Daisy!

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Makes 8 Daisy servings, plus leftovers

• 4 ½ pound skin-on pork shoulder roast
• Wet Adobo

Up to 3 days before you serve the roast, set the roast in a bowl skin side up. With a paring or boning knife, make several slits about 1½ inches wide through the skin of the roast and into the meat. Make the slits as deep as you can. Wiggle a finger in the slits to open them up a bit, then fill each with wet adobo, using a teaspoon. Turn the roast over and do the same to all sides. If you have adobo left over, rub it all over the outside of the roast. Refrigerate, covered, at least 1 day or up to 3 days.
Preheat the oven to 450° F.
Set the roast skin side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast 1 hour, turn the heat down to 400° F and roast until the skin is deep golden brown and crackly and there is no trace of pink near the bone, about 1 ½ hours. Let the roast rest at least 15 minutes before carving.
To serve, remove the crispy skin. It will pull right off in nice, big pieces. Cut them into pieces—kitchen shears work well for this—and pile them up in the center of the platter. Carve the meat parallel to the bones all the way down to the bone. (It will get trickier to carve neat slices as you get near the bone; don’t let that bother you.)

*A good rule of thumb for roasting pork is to cook the roast half an hour for every pound.

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Makes 10 to 15 servings, as part of a larger meal

• ½ cup Achiote Oil
• 1 cup Sofrito
• 3 tablespoons alcaparrado or coarsely chopped pimiento-stuffed olives
• 3 tablespoons fine sea or kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1½ pounds smoked pork neck bones or smoked turkey wings or one smoked ham hock
• One 13-ounce bag frozen pigeon peas or one 15-ounce can pigeon peas, drained
• 6 cups long grain rice
• Beef Broth, homemade or store-bought and/or water as needed (about 8 cups)
• 1 banana leaf, optional

Heat the achiote oil in a heavy 5-quart pot or Dutch oven over high heat until rippling. Stir in the sofrito, alcaparrada or olives, salt, pepper and cumin. Cook until the sofrito stops boiling and starts to sizzle, about 5 minutes
Add the pork bones and stir until they’re coated with oil, then stir in the rice until everything is mixed together and the rice is coated with oil. Stir in the pigeon peas, then pour in enough broth and/or water to cover the rice by the width of two fingers. Top with the banana leaf, folding it up as necessary to fit over the rice. Bring to a boil and boil without stirring until the level of liquid meets the rice. Take the banana leaf off, give the rice a big, healthy stir and put the leaf back on top. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and cook until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 20 minutes.
Remove the banana leaf, give the rice a big stir and fluff it with a fork. Serve hot.

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Makes about 24

For the pork stock:

• 2 pounds pork bones
• Half a small onion, peeled
• 1 bay leaf
• Fine sea or kosher salt
• Black peppercorns

For the meat filling

• 2 pounds pork, preferably Boston butt, cut into ½-cubes
• ¼ cup Achiote Oil
• 1 bay leaf
• Add 1/3 cup Sofrito
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh culantro or ½ bunch fresh cilantro tied with twine

For the Root Vegetable Filling:

• 8 pounds green bananas, peeled
• ¾ pounds yautia, peeled
• ¾ pound calabaza, peeled
• 1 small green plantain, peeled
• 1 small (about 7 ounces) russet potatoes, peeled
• 1/3 cup Achiote Oil
• 1 cup (or as needed) Pork Stock (see above)
• 2 teaspoons fine sea or kosher salt
• ¾ cup milk
• ¾ cup broth from the pork stew
• 2 teaspoons fine sea or kosher salt

You will also need:

• 1 pound banana leaves, cut into twenty-four 7-inch squares
• ½ cup Achiote Oil for assembling the pasteles
• 24 pieces (12 x18) parchment paper
• 24 whole small hot peppers, such as cayenne or bird peppers
• 24 thirty-inch lengths kitchen twine

Make the pork stock: Preheat the oven to 400° F Toss the pork bones, onion, and bay leaf together in a roasting pan large enough to hold them comfortably. Roast, stirring once or twice, until well browned, about 45 minutes.
Transfer the bones to a 5 or 6-quart pot. Pour in enough water to cover the bones. Add a big pinch of salt and a dozen or so peppercorns. Bring to a boil, then adjust the heat so the liquid is at a lively simmer. Cook, skimming off any foam or fat that rises to the surface, 1 1/2 hours.
Make the meat filling: Put the pork in a 4-quart pot. Add the achiote oil and bay leaf and pour in enough cold water to cover the pork. Bring to a boil. Cook 45 minutes.
Stir in the sofrito, culantro or cilantro, and salt and continue simmering until the pork is tender, about 45 minutes.
When the pork stock and pork filling are ready, set them aside. Gather the twine, parchment, achiote oil, and banana leaves together before making the root vegetable filling.
Make the root vegetable filling: Grate the root vegetables by hand on the finest side of a box grater. Don’t be tempted to do this in a food processor. Stir in the achiote oil, pork stock, salt, milk, pork cooking liquid and broth. The mixture should be the color of a sweet potato and the texture of a sticky muffin batter.

Oil the center of a sheet of parchment paper and place a banana leaf over the oil. Oil the leaf lightly. Spoon about ¾ cup of the masa over the center of the leaf. Make a little well in the masa and spoon about ¼ cup of the pork stew and some juice into the well. Top with an olive and piece of red pepper from the alcaparrado. Also a whole cayenne. Spoon the masa from the edges over the meat and vegetables. Fold the top and bottom sides of the leaf over the filling. Fold the bottom of the paper over the leaf so the two long edges meet at the top. Make two folds along the long edge so the pastel is wrapped nice and tight. Make a 1-inch fold along one the short ends, then bring that end of the paper and banana leaf over the filling. Repeat with the other short side. You now have a pastel made up of the filling tightly wrapped in both banana leaf and paper. Set it aside folded side down on a baking sheet and repeat with the remaining filling, leaves and paper. Tie the pastels: Fold one length of string in half and set it on your work surface with the loose ends closest to you. Center a tamale folded side down over the string, about 4 inches from the folded end. Bring each half of the string outward slightly so it is sitting near the ends of the folds. Bring the loose ends of the string over the packet then under the loop in the string. Keeping the string centered under the folds, pull the loose ends up and out. If this all sounds too complicated, simply tie the folds tightly with shorter lengths of string.

The llunta of pasteles is now ready to be poached in boiling salted water for about an hour.

(see the tutorial)

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• One 15-ounce can sweetened cream of coconut (like Coco Lopez)
• 1 ½ cups white rum
• One 12-ounce can evaporated milk
• One 12-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend at low speed until smooth. Pour into a pitcher and serve in small glasses. NOTE: If you are concerned with eating raw eggs, you can use egg substitute with wonderful results. Also, wash the shells well before using them may reduce any risk of infection. In any case, pregnant women and those with compromised immune system should avoid raw eggs.

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Well, it’s that time of year again (doesn’t it seems like it comes quicker every year that passes?), and I can honestly say, that I’m ready for some cheer! My children kid me all the time, saying that when it comes to Christmas, I am the biggest kid in the house, and I guess it’s true. Memories of happy holidays are something that I have always cherished, and it was certainly something that I wanted to duplicate for my family.
Growing up, one of my earliest Christmas memories is having Santa Clause visit Abuela’s house, late one Christmas Eve. I can remember that my mother had fixed my hair into banana curls, and bought me a pretty new bathrobe, and I couldn’t understand why she was dressing me up for bed. When Santa (my Uncle Sal) came Ho! Ho! Ho-ing up the stairs at Abuela’s house, my knees were shaking so bad, I was grateful for the new, long robe!
And what about the food and the wonderful “aguinaldos”, or “villancicos” (Latino Christmas carols)? I don’t have to close my eyes to smell the mouthwatering aroma of the garlicky pernil, wafting from the oven, or the steamy, delicious, fragrance of pasteles coming from the stovetop, alongside the smoky tang of the arroz con guandules from the caldero , or even the rich, buttery goodness of the freshly grated coconuts Mami used to make her coquito, and arroz con dulce. Wonderful music coming from the record player, tantalizing aromas coming from the kitchen, Mami’s sisters, all dressed up in gorgeous party dresses, the men in the living room discussing sports, the kids trying to peek at the gifts that were placed under the tree…I can’t help but smile when I conjure up those memories.
In true Daisy fashion, I was eager to create memories for my children that they would cherish, as well. We start out our festivities, early in December, I get the kids together, and we drive up to a Christmas tree farm in Connecticut, and we cut down our Christmas tree. We usually have a tailgating party in the parking lot, afterwards, with hot soup, hero sandwiches, and frankfurters, while we blast Christmas music from the car stereo. We then bring our tree home and the next day we invite friends and family over to the house to help decorate the tree, while I put out a huge spread. Everyone looks forward to this tradition!
I am married to a wonderful Italian man, who has Christmas family traditions as well, and I wanted my children to fully embrace all of their heritage, and the traditions that come along with it, so Christmas Eve is a very interesting evening at Casa Daisy. The Puerto Ricans cannot fathom not serving their pernil, while the Italians do not eat meat at all, but fish, so what to do? Easy! I make it all! This way, you can serve yourself whatever you want, as much as you want, and make yourself happy. I usually start putting out food around 5 o’clock pm, and then we take it from there, with people arriving until late in the evening. Our buffet is quite amazing, with pernil, arroz con guandules, roasted duck with figs, langosta al jerez (sherried lobster), and bacala salad, along with white seafood lasagna, manicotti, and bucatelli with anchovies, pine nuts, and raisins. Throw in a couple of salads (I love my romaine, beet, and cabrales salad), and some vegetable sides (red braised cabbage with pears and currants), and we are good to go for a few hours, or at least until dessert! I make sure that there is plenty of coquito available to wash down all this good food, and that’s a fine start to Christmas Eve!

The holidays can be a stressful time, but if you start early, you can cut down on last minute anxiety. I like to make lots of appetizers (little empanadas, seviches, pastel en hoja) beforehand, leaving me enough time to do the last minute stuff without driving myself crazy. In addition, I like to involve my family in the preparations, so that they can enjoy the anticipation as much as I do. Whatever your family traditions are, make sure it’s a good blend of the old and the new to make your experience that much more rich. In keeping with the spirit of the season, I wish you all a blessed holiday alongside your loved ones, I wish you health and happiness in the New Year, and I wish you many happy memories for years and years to come. From my home to yours, Feliz Navidad.

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