I have been receiving requests to add this recipe for a long time, years in fact. I have to say that it isn’t just procrastination that has caused this, if you know me well, you know that I am not a big fan of fried foods. As a food blogger that documents a lot of
I finished cooking, served lunch, and my husband had a first taste of a dish I was cooking for the first time. My dear spousal unit is my usual test subject, and he knows to be honest. This is no time to lovingly lie to protect my feelings. My readers count on him. – “It
How has the year treated you so far? For me last year was a year of professional growth, and some personal challenges. I saw some more of our beloved country, met new people, networked with some awesome colleagues, got a lot of new clients. In all, the balance was good, and it seems like this year
Finger foods and dips go together like… like, er, two things that go together. Ahem. Today I am kinda blocked, so please bear with me. I have received many an email asking for recipes for sauces and dips that go with fried finger foods, you know, like yuca and batata fries, croquettes, etc. So, I
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
The good thing about this season’s celebrations is that it spares no segment of our country. At least everyone celebrates New Year’s Eve with a feast fitting their budget. But let’s not forget those with alimentary restrictions, be them because of religious, ethical or health reasons. A good thing about our moving our sites to
‘Tis the season. For this challenge our sponsor Holland House chose a theme that had me scratching my head and wondering how I was going to meet it: A light Thanksgiving dish with at least a hint of Dominican flavors. I have to say that it took me much longer to come up with something than it took me to
I love, love these delicious mini-sandwiches. They are perfect for parties and get togethers. I’m sure I’m not alone when I say that entertaining can be sometimes a stressing proposition. But it need not be. One thing I learned over the years is that, the host(ess) too is supposed to enjoy the occasion. What’s the point
What’s in a name? For a a lot of people around the globe, especially for those that do not speak Spanish, tortillas are the corn-based thin flatbread that the Mexicans have popularized the world over. For Spanish speakers tortilla is also the thick Spanish omelette containing potatoes and other ingredients. Many of us Dominicans grew
Sometimes I think we should change the name of our site to Dominican Cake and Other Recipes. A good percentage of the people who come to our site do it because they are searching for this recipe, this recipe generates more questions than any other, and it’s the one that seems to give most people
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
One of the things we Dominicans are most grateful for is to have discovered eggplants (scientific name: solanum melongena) as a daily staple. Eggplants or aubergines are delicious, versatile and cheap. They grow all year round and complement every dish. They are fondly known as “the poor person’s meat”. Eggplants are in fact fruits, not vegetables. They
These biscuits are very popular in the Dominican Republic. You can walk to any colmado (corner store) and you will in all likelihood find them. Its preparation is easy and it is a sure-bet with kids. If yours turn out flatter, don’t fret, that’s exactly how the store-bought ones look. Time: 1 hr. Serves: 4
Have you every taken any shortcuts on cooking. I did that the first time I made flan (creme caramel). It came back to bite me. We all think we know what a good cook is supposed to do, and what they’re not supposed to do, but who doesn’t break the golden rules now and then?
We Dominicans did not come up with the idea of bread pudding (pudín de pan or budín de pan), it seems to be a near-universal dish, but like everything in our cuisine we gave it our own touch and added a ton of flavor. With a great combination of spices (how can you go wrong
The main agricultural crop in the Dominican Republic is sugar, so it is not surprising that sweets are an important part of Dominican cuisine. The national passion for very sweet coffee is a testament to the Dominican “sweet tooth” so it follows that Dominicans should adore their sweets, cakes and desserts. Some Dominican dessert favorites,
A favorite of kids and grownups alike, and perfect to serve alongside the afternoon cafecito, this biscuits are easy to prepare, even for the novice baker. You can bake them in the shape of a disk, or the traditional leaf shape. Time: 1 hr. Serves: 4 Before starting to cook: Pre-heat oven to medium heat.
This is a drink that to Dominicans is associated with Christmas and New year. The spiced, chilled eggnog must not lack in your own Christmas’ Eve dinner table. We suggest you prepare some extra and give it to friends and family. They’ll appreciate it. Ponche de ron (Rum eggnog) Prep Time: 10 minutesCook Time: 35
This is one of the simplest desserts in Dominican cookery. It is very easy to find them in colmados and supermarkets. You can either bake it completely dry, or leave a soft center (in which case it has to be consumed fresh). Time: 2 hrs. Serves: 4 Before starting to cook: Pre-heat oven at …
Practically every country on earth has a version of potato salad, but did you know where “our” Russian salad originated? I bet you won’t guess in a million years. Well, what do you know, it did come from Russia after all! The original “Russian salad” was created by the chef Laurence Olivier who worked at
When vegetarianism was not so common, parents like me used to be accused of imposing an unconventional diet on their children, sometimes to the extent that it was believed to be a form of neglect. But don’t most parents impose some sort of belief system on their children, and don’t usually let them decide for
I write this article not as a chef, but as a teacher of Spanish to US high school students. What does that have to do with cooking? you ask. Everything. I believe in hands-on, in-depth experiences for my students. Food is a terrific starting point of getting to know and love any culture, and I
The other day I happened to meet a former employee at the Dominican embassy in Paris who told me that our sister site Cocina Dominicana played a very useful role in their diplomatic duties in the French capital. “Whenever we held a reception”, she said, “we wanted to serve food that was typically Dominican, but there was
A few weeks ago we had a poll to determine how good our readers were in the kitchen. From this we learnt that 44% of our visitors were good cooks, 33% were ok cooks and 21% were a hazard in the kitchen. If I am surprised by the result it is because there weren’t more
There are many theories on the origin of tres leches cake, whatever it might be the fact is that it has become part of our vernacular cuisine and everybody’s favorite. Time: 1 hr. Serves: 4 Before starting to cook: Butter up and flour a baking pan (5-inch tall by 10 inches in diameter). Heat up
Julia Alvarez, a Dominican and one of my favourite writers, once wrote that as a child in Santo Domingo the first thing anyone would ask when she or one of her sisters complained of a stomach-ache, was ‘did you eat anything in the street?’* Dominican street food has a bad image. As it’s often unhygienic and sometimes
Volumes can be written about bizcocho dominican (Dominican cake), and have in fact already been written (check our forums). This cake seems to be the ultimate test for the expert Dominican cook, and however daunting, and confusing the instructions might look to the novice cook, let me assure you, if you follow the instructions carefully
A few years ago I worked for someone who is today a friend. Every morning, very early, somebody would bring coffee from the kitchen. All day I would pretend to steal cups of coffee from his office, pretend I say because he was right there in front of me. One day after one of my
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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