Oil down is the national dish of Grenada, a humble dish from a humble country and a flavorful one-pot meal consisting of local vegetables, starchy tubers, green bananas, salty meat, and a blend of various seasonings. The ingredients are all combined in a big pot and cooked in coconut milk, giving the dish its name, referring to the coconut milk as it simmers and gets absorbed by all the other ingredients until only the coconut oil remains on the bottom of the pot.
The preparation of this dish is important as the dish itself, because it is traditionally cooked over an open fire on the beaches where families spend their whole days and everybody pitches in to help so that a true communal feeling emerges while the dish cooks for a few hours.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Cuban pizza is a pizza variety that's distinguished by the dough and the sauce. The dough is a little thicker than in other pizzas and the sauce is a little bit sweeter. This is not a fancy pizza style – it's simple, comforting, and accessible.
The selection of toppings (which are baked into the pie!) usually includes ham, chorizo, pepperoni, shrimp, ground beef, lechon asado, lobster, picadillo, bell peppers, and sliced bananas, apart from the base toppings of tomato sauce and cheese, typically gouda in Cuba and a combination of gouda and mozzarella in Miami.
OTHER VARIATIONS OF Pizza
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Boliche is a Cuban-style pot roast, but with a distinctive twist that sets it apart from the other pot roasts: eye round or chuck roast is stuffed with chorizo and sometimes hard-boiled eggs or olives. The meat is first seared to develop a rich crust and then slow-cooked in a flavorful broth made from a base of onions, garlic, bell peppers (often referred to as the "sofrito" which is foundational in many Latin American cuisines), tomatoes, wine, and various spices.
This simmering process not only tenderizes the meat but also infuses it with the aromatic flavors of the broth. Once cooked, the meat is sliced, revealing the colorful stuffing in each slice, and served with the sauce it was cooked in. It's typically accompanied by white rice, black beans, and sometimes plantains, making for a complete and satisfying meal.
Sweet potato pudding is a favorite Sunday dessert throughout Jamaica, consisting of sweet potatoes, flour, coconut milk, dried fruits, and flavorings such as vanilla, nutmeg, sugar, and salt. Although it can be baked in an oven, some Jamaicans still prepare it on a coal pot, where the charcoal is placed under the bottom and on top of the baking pan.
It is recommended to pair sweet potato pudding with a glass of milk.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Tamarind balls are a Jamaican specialty made with tamarind's sticky flesh, water, and brown sugar. The concoction is rolled into round balls that have a unique, sweet and sour flavor. There is also a spicy Guyanese version of tamarind balls with hot peppers and garlic added to the combination, and an alcoholic version with added rum.
The balls are usually rolled in sugar one more time to finish them off, and they are then consumed or stored in airtight containers for later use.
Callaloo is Carribean soup made with a combination of leafy vegetables such as dasheen or spinach, coconut milk, salted meat, yams, onions, peppers, green bananas, and dumplings consisting of flour and cornmeal. Once done, callaloo is served on its own or with toasted bread and avocado slices.
The soup is traditionally consumed during the carnival season, but it's also regularly prepared at local parties and in roadside bars as an energy booster.
Arroz con maiz is a flavorful rice dish popular throughout Latin America. At its most basic, the dish consists of rice cooked together with corn, usually in the same cooking vessel. However, there are a few variations on the dish, especially in Cuba, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico.
The Cuban version uses ingredients such as chorizo, white wine, and chicken stock, while the rice is seasoned with annatto seeds and cumin.
Duff is a sweet dessert dish from the Bahamas, consisting of dough filled with fruits such as guava, when the dish is known as guava duff. The dish is then boiled or steamed, and topped with a sweet, buttery sauce containing either rum or brandy.
Many locals claim that the sauce is the key ingredient that should not be omitted during the preparation of this sweet treat. Guava fruit is indigenous to the Bahamas and it precedes the arrival of Christopher Colombus in 1942. Since the Bahamas are a former British colony, the dish has strong British influences, and duff is also an English slang term for pudding.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Elena Ruz is a unique Cuban sandwich consisting of a roll topped with turkey, fruit jam, and cream cheese. Its popularity is a result of the unusual contrast between the combined sweet and savory flavors. The sandwich is traditionally served during merienda (afternoon tea) in Cuba, either whole or sliced.
It is believed that the sandwich got its name after Elena Ruz Valdez-Fauli, a wealthy socialite from Havana who used to request this specific combination of ingredients during the late 1920s in El Carmelo Restaurant.
Sopa de pollo y fideos is a classic Puerto Rican chicken soup with noodles, a comforting dish that is best consumed on chilly or rainy days. It is made with chicken pieces, chicken stock, sofrito, olive oil, onions, carrots, celery, potatoes, noodles, and various spices.
The noodles are added near the end of cooking because they only need a short amount of cooking time to become tender and fully cooked. It is believed that this soup tastes the best when reheated the next day.
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