Since the dawn of time, people have associated certain foods, fruit and vegetables with sex. The ancient Greeks and Romans who were famous for their bacchanals and orgies even had treatises and writings about the effects of various foods on their libidos. Some of these beliefs, whether true or not, endure to this day. There
We have mentioned before the old maxim that while cooking is an art, baking is science. We are sorry to have perpetuated a myth. We’re usually better than that. The fact is, cooking is as much science as baking, and baking is as much an art as cooking. Very few artistic disciplines are rooted in
If you’ve been around for a while you may have noticed that my versions of traditional recipes, like this one for locrio de pica-pica (rice and spicy sardines), are often modified to make them healthier, and sometimes some extra vegetables are included. There is a reason for that: I write the recipes the same way I
Some weeks ago I wrote about our trip to Constanza a few weeks back, and some time before that I wrote of my memories of that beautiful region of the country. There was so much to see, so much to do in the three days that we were there, that I can’t help but try and
Many of our readers have let us know how much they appreciate the background information we provide on many of our dishes, their origins and cultural context. What you may not know is how much we enjoy doing this research, learning about our food and culture, and about the people that have given them to
Summer, summer, summer! It’s everywhere. It’s “summer this”, and “summer that”. Girls in bikinis, over-tanned idiots and kids playing with garden hoses. Will the cliches never end? But I’m going to let you in on a little dirty secret: summer is my least favorite part of the year. If you don’t understand why I just don’t feel
This is a post about rediscovering. about meeting again, about going back to the past. It is not only about a dish that I had not seen or tasted in decades, it is about going back to a place I haven’t been in for an almost equal amount of time. It is about discovering that
Based on the data published in December by the Dominican Ministry of Agriculture, Dominicans consume about 200 times as much chicken as the next most popular meat: pork. This is not strange at all: chicken is less expensive, abundant and easy to cook. Chicken is also one of the least controversial meats. When it comes
School summer break is almost here. My daughter finishes school in a week or so, and with it comes the good and the bad of having a 6 year old who requires supervision and entertaining. For the time being I am concentrating on the fact that I will no longer have to get up very
Cooking with rum is not unfamiliar to Dominicans, totally the opposite actually. Some of the dishes that may be cooked with rum are rabo encendido and chivo liniero (each family has its own recipe and lore about these dishes). With a wide variety of world-class rum available at reasonable prices here, it is no surprise
We once took a poll amongst our readers called “Mondongo: Yucky or Yummy?”, which sparked in me some reflection. My money was on a landslide victory for the Yuckies. I admit it, I voted more than once, in order to better register my enormous dislike. The Yuckies lost. By a lot. For those innocently unaware,
What Dominican does not love a good pollo guisado (braised chicken)? I am the grandchild of farmers, and so is my husband. If you can count on anything it is on farmers being sensible people. They are rarely too picky about their food, after all they know full well that pork does not come cut into
A few of our readers have commented that they are intimidated by their oven, and sometimes don’t know how to use it. This is a perfect dish to start practicing your skills, it is almost foolproof. Originally I had no intention of sharing this in our blog, but when I saw how just nice it
This story started like many others before: with the need to write a recipe and take pictures, and a husband befuddled by the introduction of yet another “suspicious” Dominican dish. – “Honey, what are you cooking”. – “Something you’ve never eaten before”. – “I can see that, but, what is it?” – “Salami guisado” –
Yesterday I got the call from school that every parent dreads: the school doctor told me Nadia had fallen in the playground. Before I went into full panic mode, and with a swiftness that I suppose comes from either training in handling freaked-out parents, or the experience of doing so, she informed me that other
Every culture’s cuisine has dishes that are supposed to have aphrodisiac properties. These dishes range from the harmless to the clearly bizarre. Luckily the dishes in our cuisine alleged to help one’s amorous skills are a pleasure to eat just for the sake of delicious foods. This is one of those dishes. Other Dominican dishes
Sometimes the day finishes and I look back and ask myself “where did the hours go?”. It suddenly seems as if I got hit on the head and could not account for all the hours in my day. Then I wish my days had at least 12 more hours. I am sure I am not
I think we should get a slogan, and if we do I have just the perfect one: Keeping spouses happy since 2001! Some of our favorite comments and emails from our readers tell us how proud they were to surprise their spouse with some delicious Dominican food. It’s not only wives, but husbands, too. It
Sometimes feedback is a strange thing. I was pretty sure that this was going to be one of those recipes that people take a look at, shrug and quickly forget. While cocido de paticas (Pig trotters stew) is a popular dish in the Dominican Republic (although not a common one, it takes time to prepare it, so it’s
“Jamaican” you said? Yes, and this would not be the first time we write about Jamaican cuisine, or the [counts fingers] er… many times we have written about other Caribbean cuisines. One of the best ways to learn more about your own culture is to study that of your neighbors. Not surprisingly Caribbean cuisines have
I love cooking, and I love reading about food. Imagine how giddy with glee I was when I was invited by Mizkan to participate in a 6-month long cooking challenge along with many talented Latino bloggers. Today I bring you the first of these cooking challenges: Latino-inspired grilling, sponsored by Holland House Wine Vinegars. Now,
Confession time: I was sorely tempted to start this post with a tawdry joke about a butcher, a housewife and beef tongue. For this I have nobody to blame but Aunt Ilana’s husband, Pedro. Luckily, and for the sake of the children who visit our site, the joke would be lost in translation. Phew! Will
I’ll tell you about this scrumptious shrimp in coconut sauce in a second, but first a story. A few weeks back Aunt Ilana and I were invited by the Ministry of Culture to participate in an exchange with the public about traditional Dominican cooking. It turned out to be a fantastic experience. Some of the
A little while ago I posted the recipe for carne ripiada (shredded beef) and had an exchange with our friend Amity, who has spent a lot of time both in Venezuela and the Dominican Republic. I mentioned that unlike Venezuela, where carne ripiada is known as carne mechada, in the Dominican Republic carne mechada was
Smoked herrings is one of those ingredients that, although arrived from faraway lands, seems to be an essential part of our cuisine. It’s funny that in the area of the world where it should be best-known I have never found anyone that actually knew it. As fish is my basic source of protein – since
Carne ripiada (shredded beef), with some variations, is known throughout Latin America with many different names. The base is an inexpensive cut of beef (flank, for example), cooked over low heat for a long time until it becomes very tender. Some vegetables are also added to the mix. The Dominican carne ripiada is pretty close
Growing up I thought that nearly everybody made meatballs the same way we did, and although it’s not like I’ve become an expert on meatballs (or anything for that matter), I have found out that our meatballs are uniquely ours. Thanks to the Viking superstore, masses of Dominicans have tried the world-famous Swedish ones, and
So you have guests, and you want to impress them with your mad cooking skills, but you don’t want to go out hunting for fancy, exotic ingredients. Few dishes seem to impress people more than a meat roast, it looks like the kind of thing one ought to eat at a restaurant, but fear not,
This is a simple and exotic recipe, perfect for a summer lunch. This recipe was submitted by Sade, one of our regulars. Like all other savory recipes in our site that contain coconut, this too comes from beautiful Samana. Time: 25 mins. Serves: 4 Ingredients: 1 1/2 lbs of crab meat 2 cups of coconut
This is a dish that reminds me of trips to faraway coastal towns, restaurants overlooking the beach and lazy afternoons. It reminds me of inexpensive but surprisingly satisfying meals. Of cold beers and cool breezes blowing across my sand-covered bare feet. Some of the good things in life need not be complicated. This is one of those
Let me start by warning you that liver is verboten in this home, I even had to wait until my husband was out of the country to test this recipe. Since I needed some “testers”, I drafted Lucas (Aunt Ilana’s 10-year old son) and Nadia (my five-year old). They ate it all, and if you
Turkey in the Dominican Republic is synonymous with Christmas, but as the supermarkets here usually stock it outside of the Christmas season, I have prepared it in the way most meats are prepared here. The usual complain about turkey being too dry needs not apply. Time: 45 mins. Serves: 4 Before starting to cook: …
Visitors who come to the Dominican Republic, especially those who come for a ‘holiday in the sun’ often arrive equipped with little background information about the country, its history and its culture. North Americans and Europeans, who make up the majority of these tourists, will have had exposure to Mexican cooking as their only example
Aunt Clara's Kitchen is a collection of traditional Dominican and Dominican-inspired recipes, home ideas, crafts, and the chronicles of Aunt Clara and Aunt Ilana's adventures.
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