CookingDiva

If you have ever wondered how to prepare patacones, this post is for you. If you have dreamed enough about a crunchy patacón and salivated while others prepare this tropical delicacy, this is your lucky day. We have prepared this pictorial, step by step tutorial that will make you the star of the kitchen. People will rave about you and your patacones! The best part is that patacones are delicious by themselves or as a side dish with your favorite meat, fish or chicken dish.

Este post se lo dedico a mis lectores que desde hace rato quería una guía para hacer patacones. Este es su día de suerte! Hoy aprenderán a preparar unos crujientes, doraditos patacones que los convertirán en los reyes o reinas de la cocina. La mejor parte es que, los patacones se disfrutan solitos o como acompañante de su plato preferido de carne, pescado o pollo.

• #1: (EN) Preparation is very simple! Get a couple of green, firm, fresh plantains. If the plantains  are large, you will get about 5 patacones from each plantain, enough for one hungry person. This is probably the most important step, selecting the plantain. If you use yellowish plantains the patacones won't be crunchy. Some plantains are really curved, that will only make the peeling of the skin more difficult, so try to get them as straight as possible. Wash them and pat them dry with paper towels.
• #1: (ES) La preparación es muy sencilla! Seleccionar platanos verdes, firmes, frescos y que no esten tan curvos pues eso solo dificultaría el proceso de pelarlos. Si los plátanos son grandes,  uno rendirá aproximadamente 5 patacones, suficiente para una persona con hambre. Para que queden crujientes, evitar los plátanos pintones o amarillos. Enjuagarlos y secarlos con papel toalla.

• #2 (EN): Heat the oil in a deep saucepan, or deep fryer. The oil has to be abundant. For suggestions on the Best Oils for Cooking read our previous post on the subject. With a sharp knife take the end tips off the plantains, then cut it in half. Make a transverse cut of the green skin, make sure it is only deep enough to cut the skin. Then, with the help of the knife loosen the skin in one side and pull with your hand in order to take it all off. Remove any remaining skin with the knife. Once you have peeled the plantains, cut them in 2 inches pieces.
• #2 (ES): Calentar el aceice en una paila, cacerola o en un deep fryer. El aceite tiene que ser abundante. Con un cuchillo filoso cortar las puntitas de los extremos del plátano. Cortar por mitad y pasar una linea transversal con el cuchillo en la cáscara. Asegurarse de que el corte sea sólamente a la cáscara. Desprender la cáscara con la mano, o con la ayuda del cuchillo desprender la misma por el corte que se hizo. Remover cualquier rastro de cáscara que haya quedado.

Love hurts when you have to leave. It really does, it is more like dreaming about the minutes spent there. The time inhaling the breeze, the breeze inhaling sunset, sometimes sunshine. Sometimes it goes through a sieve and leaves only the poem, the most beautiful thought. The truth.

Then, what? ...Empanadas?... LOL Yes!

I am back home after visiting Aruba. It reminded me of my years spent in Cancún, México, ...you know, island breeze and sunshine. Sometimes mosquitos, BUT, that is another story!

It was great to dress up and re-design the all time favorites of Cuba's Cookin'. It was something between sweet and sour. It was something more than serving meals, more than feeding your hunger. I will tell you more about my time spent at Cuba's Cookin' later. Now let me share one of the tasty loves of Latin American street food.: Empanadas de Maíz con Ropa Vieja!

In a country that had been hit in the recent years by an overwhelming real estate growth and inmigration, in the midst of it all, the melting pot of races feed their souls with a sence of liberty. The silent manifesto of our always-evolving culture, is to create a nation whose people are originally from all over the world, and while preserving our roots, they tremendowsly contribute to the expression of universality.

Today more than ever I treasure the heritage our ancestors planted in the land of long ago, which now we realize is what saved (some of) us of becoming air minded. Love, honestly and respect for others is the secret, without that we would be murdering the essence of life, what our ancestors used to overcome adversity.

Panama: Feliz mes de la Patria!
November 3: Independence of Panama from Colombia
November 4: Day of the Flag
November 28: Independence of Panama from Spain

A big hug!

Melissa

P.S. Never miss an opportunity to share a meal with your loved ones, because it is the best time to tell stories, and to tell you the truth...it is a great way to learn about any culture!

Now, with a bright spirit of celebration, we are sharing this delicious recipe we have created with the colors of the Panamanian flag: RED, BLUE and WHITE! Hope you like it!

Celebration Tri-Color Shortbread

Ingredients:
• 2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup glutinous rice flour
• 1 cup + 2 TBS butter (I used salted butter) at room temperature
• 1 cup powdered sugar (confectioners' sugar)
• 5+ drops red food coloring
• 5+ drops blue food coloring
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/4 teaspoon anise extract
• 1/4 teaspoon coconut flavouring
• 1 egg white, slighttly beaten

Directions:
1. Sift together flours into medium size bowl.
2. Beat together butter and powdered sugar until creamy. Then, on low speed, gradually mix in the flour mixture until well combined and soft dough forms. Divide the dough in three portions of same size.
3. Knead red food coloring and almond extract into one thrid of the dough. Add more drops of red food coloring if necessary until reach desired shade.
4. Knead blue food coloring and anise essence into one third of the dough. Knead coconut extract into the third half.
5. Flatten doughs into a disk and wrap each separately in plastic wrap, refrigerate until dough is firm.
6. Roll each batch of dough between waxed paper into an even square, 1 inch high. Refriferate on a baking sheet if dough becomes too soft.

7. Remove top piece of waxed paper from one of the doughs, brush with egg white. Remove waxed paper from top of the second dough and invert onto first dough. Remove top piece of waxed paper from the third dough, brush with egg white and invert onto second dough. If the dough is too soft , wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
8. Pre-heat oven to 375 for 10 minutes.
9. Cut dough crosswise into 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick slices. Place slices on ungreased cookie sheets (1 inch apart) and bake for 10 minutes or until edges are light brown.

TIP: if using unsalted butter, add 1/2 tsp salt to the dry ingredients and sift together.
TIP for the HOLIDAYS: to bake some of these delicious and easy to prepare cookies for the holidays, just use green food coloring instead of the blue, and follow directions above.