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,
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I have a confession to make: I’m terribly out of tune with the seasons and other natural cycles. It’s actually a bit embarrassing. I used to show up at my corner fruit vendor when I lived in Santo Domingo and ask for mangos when it wasn’t mango season, or avocados when the trees were still
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Just as we do at home, we aim to keep the food in our blog balanced. This seems intentional, and to a certain point it is, but I’ve also noticed that over time I’ve unconsciously been avoiding repeating too many recipes of the same category. After posting a few rice, meat and other type of
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Ginger is used in Dominican cooking in desserts and the ever-welcome ginger tea. It is not a traditional part of our savory cuisine. I’ve set out to change that. OK, that would be a bit too ambitious. But in the meantime let me share with you the many ways in which we use ginger at
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I was introduced to cepa de apio for the very first time a few years back. I had been looking out for it since I first heard of its existence, when a friend told me it was an extremely rich source of calcium as well as one of the better-tasting tubers, or as Dominicans call them, viveres. I
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Having moved from a large city (Santo Domingo) a few years back, one of the things that I like the most about PuntaCana is the sense of old-time community. It helps that none of us is from here, we all have to build support networks and lean on friends for help once in a while.
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It’s fair to say that I have as much from my readers’ comments and emails throughout these years than I may have taught them. And I have discovered a treasure trove of new dishes in our cuisine that I did not know existed prior to my starting writing about Dominican cooking. This hearty stew, seemingly
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No wonder Columbus risked life and limb in a dangerous adventure in his pursuit of spices. Our lives would be duller without them, and for enthusiastic food-lovers nothing warms the cockles of our heart like a well-spiced dish. In the chapter The Great Chilli Migrations of her book Spices Manisha Gambhir tells us the story of how chili left
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Rabo Encendido (“Tail on Fire”, translated literally) is a spicy stew usually prepared for special occasions. It’s preparation is long and it contains many ingredients but it is definitely worth it. Before starting to cook: Wash the meat with warm water and scrub with the cut lemon. Ingredients: 6 lbs of ox-tail cut in the
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We’re not quite half-way through 2004 yet, but now is as good a time as any to sit back and reflect on whether the good intentions expressed at the beginning of the year have turned into reality. In my case, all the resolutions from back in January, were motivated by economic, health and environmental or ethical
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You know what you’re making for supper. You stopped at the grocery store on your way home from work and picked up the necessary ingredients. You’ve diced your onion, your oil is a-heating. OK. Recipe calls for one sopita (a chicken broth cube). One sopita, one sopita…where in Julia Child’s name is the sopita??? You’re
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I spent the summer in Europe where, like north America, the media is currently obsessed with childhood obesity and the increase in the girth of the population as a whole. The Dominican press has also been focusing on this issue, acknowledging that in this particular society we have the dubious honour of exhibiting both sides
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As we all know, a new age of airport security is upon us, as we adjust to the various new stringent measures in place: profiling, nosy questions, long line-ups, and the meat & veggie frisks. The meat & veggie frisks, you ask? Yes, it’s true! 600 kilos of meat are confiscated weekly at DR airports,
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Food is not just nourishment. There’s also an emotional relationship between people and food. And the food we grew up with, no matter how unusual to the rest of the world, always comforts us and brings us memories of happy times long gone. I grew up with this dish. Like we have mentioned before, most
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If I had to define this soup in one word that word would be “yum!”. This light, but rich and creamy soup is perfect as starters to a big meal, or as a light dinner or lunch. It is pretty filling, so a little bit of bread and you will have a dinner that is
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It has sometimes struck me that for a country with a very hot and humid climate, there is very little about Dominican food that is light and refreshing. There are a couple of light salad dishes on the daily Dominican menu, but for most people the preferred salad is the more stodgy Ensalada Rusa, which especially
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Dominicans are spontaneous and happy people who do not need much of an excuse to party. Where there are two or more Dominicans, a party may break out at any moment; some occasions, however, call for more lavish and elaborate celebrations. A baptism is an occasion for family and close friends to meet and celebrate
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Aunt Clara's Kitchen is a collection of traditional Dominican recipes, recipes inspired by Dominican flavors, as well as the chronicles of the Aunties' adventures in the kitchen and outside.
