dominican bites

Braised chicken recipe (pollo guisado)

Dark poultry meat is specially tasty when braised. For this braised chicken recipe, I'm going to use all drumsticks (because I like them so much!) but you can use any part of the chicken. See easy print recipe at the end of the post! Braised chicken recipe (pollo guisado) 10 chicken drumsticks6 garlic cloves (peeled)1/2 of a red onion chopped in half inch squares1 tea spoon salt1/2 tea spoon ground oregano or 1 teaspoon oregano flakes1 tea spoon tomato paste1 tea spoon brown sugar2 table spoons vegetable oil4 green onions chopped (for garnish)1 1/2 cups water Garlic: mash garlic in…

Moro de guandules (pigeon pea rice)

This moro de guandules (pigeon pea rice) recipe is for the traditional stove top Dominican moro. I also have a rice-cooker version of this recipe. Easy print recipe below. Definition of moro in Dominican cooking: any combination of rice and legumes cooked in the same dish. Popular types of moro are black bean moro, pigeon pea moro and red bean moro. Pigeon peas are one of my favorite legumes and since they are not as widely produced as other types of beans, it is always a treat to have them. In the U.S., I have only been able to get…

Living with less: is your lifestyle recession-proof?

For about a year now, I've been hearing about the likelihood of a big economic slow-down, a recession or even a depression; first from a family member and for the past six months, from the news. The economic shit hit the fan last month, when several major and seemingly stable financial institutions either failed, were bailed out by the Fed or bought by more solvent corporations. The chant that I heard from just one person has now become a choir, as everyone has finally woken up to the fact that we are in deep trouble. As I write this, I…

Tomato egg scramble recipe

This tomato egg scramble includes onions and your choice of herbs. Serve with fruit for a starch-free breakfast, or add your favorite side for a quick lunch or dinner. Next to cilantro, tomatoes are God's gift to cooking. Tomatoes will add color, flavor and tenderness to your meat dishes, as well as fluffiness to your eggs. This recipe is low in carbohydrates and great for anyone dieting or looking for a starch-free breakfast. Herbs are in this recipe for color and flavor balance. Choose among parsley, cilantro or chives... or add them all. I find that parsley gives the eggs…

Easter-time Dominican recipes

While Americans hunt for eggs filled with candy at Easter, Dominicans are scouting their neighborhood for whomever is making their favorite Easter-time dessert, all Lenten season. Habichuelas con dulce is one of two very popular Easter-time Dominican recipes that use beans or corn, and a combination of evaporated and condensed milk, sweet potatoes and sugar. You are in for a treat with the following habichuelas con dulce recipe. If you're looking to make maíz con dulce or chacá, click here. Source: Dominican Cooking Habichuelas con Dulce is one of Dominican Republic's most cherished traditions. It is prepared for Easter…

Long live merengue!

Merengue has long been the signature rythm of the Dominican Republic. Remarkable how three tiny islands in the Caribbean (Hispaniola, Puerto Rico and Cuba) have been able to deliver so many of the most popular Latin rythms: salsa, merengue, bachata, reigetton, among others. But of all the Dominican rythms, merengue is the most recognized as the national music and it is the one that beats in my heart with the most nostalgia, pride and joy. Here's an excerpt of what makes merengue from wikipedia: Merengue is a musical genre native to the Dominican Republic. The word “merengue” literally means whipped…

Bachata china con flow

E'to se acabo! Video Bachata China con Flow. Si el video debajo no funciona, aquí está el enlace original.

Rant: the cleaning lady

Words repeated ad nauseam in this post: perfect stranger, cleaning lady, god forbid. It's not just that I'm fundamentally against a perfect stranger going through my most personal things, but also that I resent the colonialist aspect of paying someone to clean my house. That said, those of us with office jobs have better things to do than mop the marble tiles, bleach the bath tub or dust the oak furniture twice a week, because god forbid someone visits you and the place is not impeccable! So, my mixed feelings about cleaning ladies are something I usually keep to myself…