1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die: A Food Lover's Life List (167 page)

Many Latin American cuisines have their versions—Mexicans finish theirs with a garnish of
queso fresco
and fried tortilla strips—but Cuban black bean soup stands out for its surprisingly complex and wonderful mix of flavors and textures. The secret is the sautéed mixture of onions or scallions, garlic, and green peppers called
sofrito
(meaning browned in Spanish), which lends the dish its distinctive earthiness. As the finishing touch, pork trimmings or ham add saltiness and heft, and a little squeeze of fresh lemon or lime brightens the proceedings tremendously.

Traditionally served with a mound of snowy rice and chopped raw onions, the soup was reportedly a favorite of Ernest Hemingway during his Havana days, when he was a habitué of El Floridita restaurant—best known as the original home of the daiquiri. The bracing drink is an ideal accompaniment to the rich soup, so why not raise an icy glass before diving in, to toast Papa Hemingway and one of his favorite dishes.

Where:
In Miami
, Islas Canarias, tel 305-559-6666,
islascanariasrestaurant.com
; Versailles, tel 305-444-0204,
versaillesrestaurant.com
;
in Tampa, FL
, Columbia Restaurant, tel 813-248-4961,
columbiarestaurant.com
;
in Los Angeles
, El Floridita, tel 323-871-8612,
elfloridita.com
.
Mail order:
amazon.com (search cuban black bean mix; Iberia dried black beans).
Further information and recipes:
Coyote Café
by Mark Miller (2002);
Zarela’s Veracruz
by Zarela Martinez with Anne Mendelson (2001);
In a Cuban Kitchen
by Alex Garcia (2004);
cookstr.com
(search cuban black bean soup);
foodnetwork.com
(search cuban black bean soup).
Tip:
In supermarkets, look for Goya brand black beans, both dried (in bags) and cooked (in cans).
See also:
Moros y Cristianos
;
Red Beans and Rice
.

A Latin-American cousin of chili, served over rice.

Belonging to the category of pungent, meaty comfort foods that make much out of little—and a first cousin of chili,
ropa vieja
, and sloppy joes—Latin America’s
picadillo
is a full-flavored medley of tomatoes, sweet spices, and onions, combined with finely chopped beef or pork. Derived from the word
picar
, “to chop,” picadillo can be embellished with a variety of ingredients, although the foundation of simmered, chopped meat remains constant. In Mexico, raisins or pineapple sweeten the sauce, which is also spiked with peppers, enriched with potatoes, and scattered with almonds. In Cuba, green bell
peppers are often added to the mix, their bitterness offset with warm spices like cinnamon, cloves, and cumin.

As diverse as the recipes for picadillo are, so is the manner in which it is presented. It may be tucked into the buttery shell of an empanada, poured over white rice or cornbread, sandwiched in a roll, baked with plantains, or stuffed into a taco or quesadilla along with luscious melted cheese. An inexpensive dish to make, picadillo is widely loved, a crowd pleaser whose complex spice and humble richness beat a sloppy joe any day.

Where:
In El Paso, TX
, H&H Car Wash and Coffee Shop, tel 915-533-1144;
in San Rafael, CA
, Sol Food Restaurant, tel 415-451-4765,
solfoodrestaurant.com
;
in New York
, Benny’s Burritos, tel 212-254-2054,
orderbennysburritos.com
.
Further information and recipes:
Rick Bayless’s Mexican Kitchen
by Rick Bayless (1996);
saveur.com
(search picadillo).

Unlike bananas, plantains are rarely eaten raw.

Sweet and salty, crisp yet gently soft, warm and fragrant, fried plantain chips are to many Latin Americans and Caribbeans what potato chips are to us. Unlike spud chips, these salty discs have a short shelf life and taste best not more than thirty minutes out of the fryer, long before they chill to limpness. The basis for this delectable snack, the plantain (
Musa paradisiaca
), is a member of the banana family, but with a big difference: Unlike other peel-and-go bananas, plantains are rarely eaten raw, and then only in their near-rotting stage of purple-black ripeness. Bright green when immature, they ripen from yellow to red-gold until they blacken.

For the chips dubbed
tostones
, green plantains meant for frying are peeled, which is not so easy to do, as the unripe skins tend to cling. Then they are sliced about one inch thick, patted dry, and briefly deep-fried in vegetable oil to a pale golden color. The next step is to drain them on a paper towel or a similar absorbent surface and then sandwich them between two sheets of waxed paper or plastic wrap for flattening. Depending upon the skills of the cook, this may be done with the heel of a hand or with a small plate or a flat-bottomed glass. Anyone who loves specialized utensils or seeks mechanical perfection can resort to a
tostonera
, a hinged rectangular paddle made of wood or
metal that clamps and spreads the plantain rounds to the correct ⅛-inch thickness. The fruit then receives another quick deep-frying and a liberal salting for a result that is most enticing as an accompaniment to rum or beer, whether served alone or alongside various dips or salsas.

A more substantial alternative to the simple flat tostone is the stuffed version, for which the correct tostonera has one flat side and one that is a convex half-dome. The dome presses a nest into the fried slice so it can be stuffed with a tomato-sauced seafood mix, seasoned ground meat, or cheese, plain or with olives. Once the stuffing is in place, a second flat tostone covers everything, for what becomes a serious, seductive mouthful.

Where:
In New York
, Victor’s Cafe, tel 212-586-7714,
victorscafe.com
; Cuba, tel 212-420-7878,
cubanyc.com
;
in Miami
, Islas Canarias, tel 305-559-6666,
islascanariasrestaurant.com
;
in Houston
, Cafe Piquet, tel 713-664-1031,
cafepiquet.net
;
in Chicago
, Frontera Grill, tel 312-661-1434,
rickbayless.com
;
in Los Angeles
, Cuba de Oro, tel 323-661-5900,
cubadeoro.com
;
in ten U.S. cities; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Panama City; and Dubai
, Rosa Mexicano,
rosamexicano.com
.
Mail order:
For plantains, Specialty Produce, tel 619-295-3172,
specialtyproduce.com
; for tostoneras, Cuban Food Market, tel 877-999-9945,
cubanfoodmarket.com
(search bamboo toston maker).
Further information and recipes:
A Taste of Puerto Rico
by Yvonne Ortiz (1991);
Memories of a Cuban Kitchen
by Mary Urrutia Randelman and Joan Schwartz (1996);
New World Kitchen
by Norman Van Aken (2003);
Zarela’s Veracruz
by Zarela Martinez with Anne Mendelson (2004);
The Sugar Reef Caribbean Cookbook
by Devra Dedeaux (1991);
cookstr.com
(search tostones with herbed salt raichlen; sweet fried plantains emmons).

Argentina’s famously pungent, garlicky sauce.

What ketchup is to burgers and mustard to hot dogs in the U.S., the supple, aromatic, bright-green
chimichurri
sauce is to grilled steak in Argentina. A heady blend of green herbs such as parsley and cilantro, along with garlic, oregano, bay leaf, onion, and sometimes hot red pepper flakes, chimichurri looks like liquid emeralds and offers endless enticement to the palate. Although primarily served with beef in Argentina, the sauce does every bit as much for grilled or roasted lamb, pork, fish, chicken, and especially (though surprisingly), duck, and it makes for a fragrant, tenderizing marinade as well. Red bell peppers are a common addition to the classic chimichurri mix, and some cooks like to add tomatoes, although they tend to sweeten and water down the result. Thyme is
favored by those who prefer a certain earthy dimension, and cooks with fond memories of Italian
salsa verde
may be inspired to add a spoonful of minced capers.

As for that charming name, there are at least two theories of its origin. One is that the sauce was created by and named for a British meat dealer named Jimmy Curry. Another suggests it was derived from the phrase
che mi curry
, a misguided request for curry spoken by English soldiers who had been captured after unsuccessfully attempting to invade Argentina, a Spanish colony at the time.

Makes about 1½ cups

½ cup olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons finely minced yellow onion

½ teaspoon dried hot chile flakes

1 clove garlic, finely minced

½ cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1 tablespoon finely minced sweet red bell pepper

½ teaspoon dried oregano, or 1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano leaves

1 small bay leaf, very finely crumbled

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir vigorously, then let stand for at least 2 hours at room temperature, or for 7 to 8 hours, covered, in the refrigerator, to allow the flavor to develop. Serve it at room temperature. Chimichurri keeps very well and can be made in advance and stored in tightly closed glass jars in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Where:
In New York
, Chimichurri Grill, tel 212-586-8655,
chimichurrigrill.com
.
Further information and additional recipe:
New World Kitchen
by Norman Van Aken (2003);
foodandwine.com
(search traditional chimichurri);
epicurious.com
(search chimichurri);
asadoargentina.com
(search chimichurri).
Tip:
For a supermarket fix, try Goya Chimichurri Sauce.

Its name a contraction of the Spanish words for kill and hunger,
matambre
is a classic Argentine dish of flank steak split, pounded, and rolled around an herb-flecked vegetable stuffing, and served at room temperature in colorful pinwheel
slices. Although somewhat tricky to prepare, matambre is an ideal special-occasion entrée, elegant on the plate and needing no last-minute fussing in the kitchen. As a bonus, matambre improves upon standing, and its leftovers make a great sandwich filling.

To become matambre, the flank steak must first be butterflied, then generously seasoned with herbs and garlic. Topped with spinach, carrots, and hard-cooked eggs, it is rolled up and secured with kitchen twine, seared for a nice brown crust, braised in strong beef stock, then cooled and sliced. The colorful, confettilike filling and the tender, juicy meat make an enticing, unforgettable combination of flavors and textures. The pride of the pampas, indeed.