What do you know about foods from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic.
HOLYOKE –What’s the difference between a plantain and a banana?
For some, it’s obvious. But for those who aren’t sure, Harry John Rodriguez-Lopez explains: “Plantains are larger and cannot be eaten raw because of their low moisture and sugar content, as opposed to bananas that have multiple facets raw or cooked. Plantains have to be cooked, boiled, fried, baked—whatever--just cooked first.”
That’s just one thing participants might learn on Oct. 21, during his presentation, "Hispanic Caribbean Foods," from 6 to 8 p.m. at the carriage house at Wistariahurst Museum, 238 Cabot St., Holyoke.
Thanks to his mother’s careful instructions when he was a youth, Rodriguez-Lopez, a Holyoke resident of Puerto Rican heritage, is knowledgeable about Caribbean foods. His presentation will include a discussion of traditional recipes, samples and how ingredients and preparation have evolved.
“Traditional cooking is gaining popularity, but only amongst small, select groups of purists,” he said. “The methods of preparation and the ingredients are just not things that the modern American Hispanic wants to indulge in. Again, it is only for the purists and traditionalists.”
The Caribbean countries of Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Cuba represent three of the top five Hispanic cultures that have melded into American society, said Penni Martorell, curator at Wistariahurst, and Holyoke city historian. She added that the influences and daily use of Mexican cuisine often surpass and diminish the importance and contribution of Caribbean foods.
“Holyoke has a number of markets that carry products you’d find in the Caribbean,” Martorell said, listing among them yucca, plantains and salt cod.
“Holyoke has a large population of Latino and Caribbean folks….We want to educate folks about different foods they might not be familiar with.”
Rodriguez-Lopez, a licensed social worker in the adult foster care program at WestMass ElderCare, said he will begin the presentation by letting audience members describe their experiences of “Spanish food.”
“Most of the time the things they describe are Mexican or Central American in origin; unless they are accustomed to specifically seeking out local Caribbean food they will not have experienced true, ethnic Caribbean food,” he said.
The dish most often associated with Puerto Rico, Rodriguez-Lopez said, is rice with beans, and pork..
“That is the dish that became popular after American involvement in Puerto Rico. The true Puerto Rican food traditionalist knows that before 1895, the people subsisted on a very nourishing diet of native roots and fruits, with seafood as the primary protein," he said.
The Spaniards brought pork, poultry, beef and sheep to Puerto Rico from the early 1500s to the late 1700s when they became normal European-type staples of life, he added.
“Very rarely did the peasant eat anything more than simple goat or wild poultry. Higher proteins and diets were the privilege of the Spanish elite,” Rodriguez-Lopez said.
Peasants also include all parts of the animal into what they ate, using ingredients that make the resultant taste full of flavor.He will discuss some of these dishes.
Mondongo, morcilla, alcapuria, cuajitos, rellenos are some of the tastiest and truly ethnic foods of the Caribbean “cooked in such ways that you will not know what you are eating unless told,” he said.
Rodriguez-Lopez plans to serve small samples of common Spanish Caribbean candies, juices, and snack.
The program is part of the Monday night lecture series: "Culinary Incidents: A Historical Exploration of Food and Culture in the Pioneer Valley." Admission is $7 ; $5 for members.
For more information, go to www.wistariahurst.org.
Here are a few related recipes, from various Web sources. Sofrito is a puree used in many Puerto Rican dishes.
Traditional sofrito
Yields 1 quart
2 medium green bell or Cubanelle peppers, seeds removed
2 medium onions, peeled
1 head of garlic, peeled
1 bunch cilantro leaves
6 small sweet chile peppers
Chop and blend all the ingredients in a food processor or blender.
Sofrito chicken stew with tomatoes
Serves 8
For sofrito:
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 scallions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped fine
2 tomatoes, diced
1/3 cup diced red bell pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
2 teaspoon salt
1 packet sazón or 1 teaspoon annatto seed powder
For chicken:
8 pieces chicken drumsticks on the bone, skin removed
1/2 tsp garlic powder
6 ounces light beer
1 cup water
Salt to taste
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped (or to taste)
Heat oil in a deep saute pan. Add scallions and garlic, sauté 2 minutes, add tomatoes and peppers. Season with salt, cumin, and sazón or annatto. Set aside.
Season chicken with salt and garlic powder; add to center of the pan allowing chicken to brown slightly on both sides. Combine chicken with sofrito, and add beer, water and cilantro, adjust salt if needed. Cover pan and simmer on low until chicken is cooked through, about 20 to 30 minutes. Serve over rice.
Puerto Rican fish stew
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound flaky white fish, such as haddock, tilapia or cod (see tip), cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 can 14-ounce diced tomatoes
1 Anaheim or poblano chile pepper, chopped
1/4 cup packed chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons sliced pimento-stuffed green olives
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt1/2 cup water, as needed
1 avocado, chopped (optional)
Heat oil in a large high-sided skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
Add fish, tomatoes and their juices, chile pepper, cilantro, olives, capers, oregano and salt; stir to combine. Add up to 1/2 cup water if the mixture seems dry. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat. Serve warm or at room temperature, garnished with avocado (if using).
Tip: Opt for firmer hook-and-line-caught haddock or U.S.-farmed tilapia. Pacific cod also works, but will be more flaky.