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cuba cocina
The Tantalizing World of Cuban Cooking-Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
By Joyce Lafray HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.
Copyright © 2005 Joyce Lafray
All right reserved. ISBN: 0060785853
Black Bean Cakes
Tories de Frijoles Negros
Serves 4 to 6Here is still another use for leftover beans.
7 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/3 cup chopped red onion
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
1/3 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/3 cup chopped green bell popper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 caps cooked or canned black beans, rinsed
1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 egg beaten with 1/3 cup low-fat milk
1/2 cup fine dry brand crumbs, mixed with 1/2 teaspoon confectioners' sugar
Sour cream
Chopped fresh parsley
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a saucepan, add flour, and whisk to a light roux. Set aside.
In another pan, make a sofrito by sautéing the onion, garlic, and peppers in 2 tablespoons olive oil until just translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the cumin and combine well, then add the cooked beans. Stir in the roux and continue to stir until the mixture becomes thickened, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Add the chopped cilantro. Form into 6 to 8 cakes and refrigerate until firm.
Coat each cake with the egg mixture and then with bread crumbs. Sauté cakes in remaining olive oil until nicely browned. Top each cake with a dollop of sour cream and chopped parsley.
Pork Tenderloin with Mango-Ginger Sauce
Filetillos de Cerdo con Salsa de Mango y Jengibre
Serves 6The sauce for this recipe can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator for a couple of days, or frozen and kept for up to 2 months.
Be sure to choose mangoes that are soft to the touch and smell aromatic at the ends. The flavor is similar to a combination of peach and pineapple.
2 (1-pound) pork tenderloins
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, or I teaspoon dried
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
Salt, to taste
4 garlic cloves, peeled and cut In half lengthwise
Sauce
3 pounds mangoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
1/8 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup dry sherry
3 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
Preheat the oven to 425 °F.
To prepare the pork, brush with olive oil. Using your hands, coat well with herbs, pepper, and salt. Make slits in several places in the tenderloins and insert garlic pieces. Place on a rack sprayed with olive oil and put in a roasting pan. Roast about 12 minutes, then reduce heat to 325 °F. Roast 15 to 20 minutes longer, or until internal temperature registers 160' F. Turn roast and cook another 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a carving board and allow to stand for about 10 minutes to cool.
To prepare mango-ginger sauce, purée the mangoes in the container of a food processor or blender. Pour into a medium saucepan. Add the brown sugar, vinegars, sherry, and ginger. Heat over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat.
Carve loins into thin slices. Spoon sauce over and garnish with sprigs of fresh herbs. Serve with yuca with Creole Seasoning Sauce (page 183) and fresh green beans.
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Excerpted from cuba cocina by Joyce Lafray Copyright © 2005 by Joyce Lafray. Excerpted by permission.
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