Recipes

We compiled a couple of recipes for dishes mentioned in other sections, as well as other selections. The source of each recipe is listed in the introduction of each recipe. Enjoy! 

Mangú:

This is a dish made of mashed plantains, and it is popular in Dominican communities as breakfast or dinner. It is often served with pickled red onion shreds, eggs, fried cheese, and salami. This recipe and graphic are by Clara Gonzalez, from dominicancooking.com 

To make mangu 

• 4 unripe plantains 
• 1 1/2 tsp salt 
• 4 tsp olive oil or butter 
• 1 cup water at room temperature 

To make onion garnish 

• 2 tbsp olive oil 
• 2 red onions large 
• 1 tbsp fruit vinegar 
• salt 

How to make mangú 

1. Peel the plantains and cut lengthwise, then divide each half into two. Remove the center where the seeds are located (optional, this is just my preference for a smoother mangú). 
2. Boil the plantains in enough water to cover them plus an inch until they are very tender, having added the salt to the water before the water breaks the boil. 
3. Remove the plantains from the water and mash them with a fork until they are very smooth and there are few to no lumps. Mix in olive oil, and water at room temperature and keep mashing and mixing until it turns into a smooth puree. 

How to make onions for mangú 

1. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a skillet over low heat. Add onions and cook and stir until they become translucent. Pour in vinegar and season with salt to taste. 
2. Garnish mangu with the onions and serve with sunny side-up eggs or Dominican scrambled eggs, Dominican fried cheese or fried slices of Dominican salami. 

Morir Soñando:

This is a sweet orange cream drink that can be drunk during breakfast. It contains orange juice, evaporated milk, Dominican Vanilla, and sugar. The recipe and tutorial are from the YouTube Channel Chef Zee Cooks are below.

Ingredients (Yields 4 Servings):  

• 2 cups evaporated milk — chilled  
• 2.5 cups orange juice– chilled 1 tsp  
• Dominican Vanilla *optional 1 tbs sugar (use sugar to taste)  
• Ice (for serving) 

Note: All in all, I use a 1:1.5 ratio of milk to orange juice. So if I’m making Morir Soñando for two people, I’ll use 1 cup of evaporated milk and 1 1/2 cups of orange juice, sugar to taste– typically 1-2tsp since I don’t like it too sweet and a drop of Dominican vanilla. At the end of the day, you can alter this recipe however you like and make it as sweet as you want. 

Ropa Vieja:

Directly translated from Spanish as “old clothes,” this is a Cuban dish that is made of shredded braised beef and served with white rice and Cuban black beans. This tutorial and recipe are from Chef Zee Cooks, and the photo is from Goya Recipes. 

Ingredients for Braising

• 2lbs Brisket  
• ½ tbs Lite sodium soy sauce  
• ½ tbs sazón  
• 1 tsp orégano  
• ¼ tsp cumin  
• 2 bay leaves  
• ½ white onion minced  
• ½ cubanelle pepper minced  
• 5 garlic cloves mashed  
• ¼ tsp black pepper  
• ½ lemon  
• ½ tbs adobo  
• Olive Oil  
• Water

Ingredients for Sauce  

• 1 White Onion  
• ½ Green Pepper  
• ½ Red Pepper  
• 3 garlic cloves chopped  
• ½ tsp red wine vinegar  
• 3 tbs (Vino Seco) Dry White cooking wine 
• 1 ½ cups braising liquid  
• 3 tbs tomato paste or ½ cup tomato sauce  
• 1-2 tbsp Spanish Olives  
• 1 tbs Cilantro 

Coco Bread: 

The following section is an excerpt from Rachel Wharton’s New York Times piece The New Caribbean Food Movement, and the recipe is from Adam Schop of Ms. Lily’s, a Caribbean restaurant in New York City. The photo is by Imma from Immaculate Bites. “Coco bread is the Jamaican version of buttery and sweet yeast-risen dinner rolls. In New York City, they are often sold wrapped around a Jamaican beef patty with a slice of American cheese, but at Miss Lily’s in Manhattan, [they are served] with garlic butter flavored with thyme, a commonly used herb in the Caribbean. Note that the origin of the name coco bread is up for debate: Some say original recipes called for coconut milk, others that the dish is named after a similarly named brand of Jamaican butter.  

Ingredients (Yields 10 breads):

• 1/2 cup/1 stick/113 grams unsalted butter  
• 4 garlic cloves, minced  
• 10 sprigs of thyme  
• 2 packages/18 grams active dry yeast  
• 1 teaspoon sugar  
• 3/4 cup/180 milliliters whole milk, warmed  
• 1 teaspoon salt  
• 1 egg, beaten  
• 3 cups/460 grams all-purpose flour  
• 6 tablespoons/85 grams unsalted butter, melted  
• Oil, for baking sheet  

Instructions: 

1. Make the garlic butter: Melt butter over low heat and add garlic. Raise the temperature slightly and cook just until butter is frothy; do not let the garlic brown. Remove from heat, add thyme and let steep for 5 to 10 minutes.  
2. Make the bread: Dissolve the yeast and sugar in 1/4 cup/60 milliliters warm water and then stir in milk, salt and egg.  
3. Add half the flour and stir, continuing to add the remaining flour until dough can be turned out of the bowl. (You may not need all of the flour.)  
4. Turn out the dough onto a floured work surface. Knead dough for 10 minutes until smooth but firm. Transfer dough to an oiled, clean bowl. Cover with a damp towel and let rise for 1 hour.  
5. Cut dough into 10 portions and roll each piece into a 6-inch diameter circle. Brush each piece with melted unsalted butter and fold in half. Lightly flatten each piece with the palm of your hand, brush again with melted unsalted butter, then fold in half again.  
6. Place pieces on an oiled baking sheet, cover loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap and let them rise in a warm place until they double in size, about 1 hour.  
7. Heat oven to 425 degrees and set a pan of hot water on the lowest oven rack. Bake bread on upper rack for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Use pastry brush to apply melted garlic butter to the coco bread while still hot.”

Jamaican Style Beef Patties: 

The following recipe is taken from https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/jamaican-beef-patties

For the Dough:

Ingredients:

• 3 cups (420 g) all-purpose flour

  

• 2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1″ pieces, frozen
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp. distilled white vinegar

1. Pulse the flour, salt, and turmeric in a food processor to combine.
2. Add butter and pulse until mixture is crumbly and pieces of butter are evenly distributed.
3. Whisk egg, vinegar, and ¾ cup ice-cold water in a small bowl to combine.
4. Add to flour mixture and pulse until a smooth ball of dough forms.
5. Wrap dough and chill until cold, about 1 hour.

For the Filling and Assembly

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 lb. ground beef chuck (20% fat)
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium Scotch bonnet or habanero chile, stemmed, finely chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp. ground allspice
• 1½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• ½ tsp. smoked paprika
• 2 cups homemade beef stock or low-sodium beef broth
• Kosher salt
• 4 scallions, light green and whites parts finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp. thyme, finely chopped
• All-purpose flour (for dusting)
• 1 large egg

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium until hot.
2. Cook beef, breaking up into pieces, until nearly cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate using a slotted spoon, leaving fat behind.
3. Add onion, chile, and garlic to pan and cook, stirring often, until vegetables are softened, about 3 minutes.
4. Add allspice, pepper, and paprika. Stir to combine, reduce heat to low, and return beef to pan.
5. Add stock and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits on bottom of pan. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until about half of the liquid has evaporated, 5–8 minutes.
6. Season with salt and remove from heat. Add scallions and thyme. Taste and adjust seasoning.
7. Let cool slightly.

Assembly:

1. Place a rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 375°.
2. Lightly flour a rolling pin. Cut dough in half on a lightly floured work surface.
3. Working with one half at a time, roll dough to ⅛” thick and a circular shape.
4. Place 2 Tbsp. meat filling on one-half of each round, leaving a ½” border. Brush edges of dough with water.
5. Fold dough over filling to make a half-moon shape. Press edges with the tines of a fork to seal.
6. Remove excess dough from the edges to create a clean finish.
7. Repeat process with remaining dough and filling, rerolling scraps as needed. Transfer patties to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
8. Whisk egg and 2 Tbsp. water in a small bowl to combine. Brush top of each patty with egg wash.
9. Bake patties until golden brown and cooked through, 20–25 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

***The patties can be made up to 5 days ahead and reheated in an oven at 375°. They can also be frozen and kept up to one month. ***