Malanga, Yuca, Boniato and Calabaza: A Cuban Root Vegetable Guide
A plain guide to Cuban viandas: what malanga, yuca, boniato and calabaza look like, how they taste, how to cook them, and why yuca is not yucca.
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Kitchen Secrets with Our Cuban Chef – The Cuban Sandwich Argument: Tampa versus Miami
Tampa puts salami on the Cuban sandwich and Miami does not. The Ybor City history, the 2012 city council resolution, and what the argument is really about.
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Kitchen Secrets with Our Cuban Chef – What Makes Cuban Bread Different
Lard, a palmetto leaf and the Ybor City bakeries that built it. What makes Cuban bread different, and why it presses flat in a Tampa sandwich.
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Kitchen Secrets with Our Cuban Chef – Mojo Criollo, the Sauce Under Everything
Mojo criollo the Cuban way: garlic mashed with salt, toasted cumin and sour orange, plus why the acid works on pork. Made fresh at Kiki’s in Tampa.
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Kitchen Secrets with Our Cuban Chef – Naranja Agria and What to Use Instead
What naranja agria is, where to buy Cuban sour orange in Tampa, and the exact juice ratios to substitute when you cannot find it. From Kiki’s kitchen.
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Kitchen Secrets with Our Cuban Chef – Cortadito, Colada or Cafe con Leche
Cortadito, colada or cafe con leche? A plain guide to ordering Cuban coffee, what espumita is and when each one is drunk, from our Tampa kitchen.
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Kitchen Secrets with Our Cuban Chef – Guarapo, Fresh Sugarcane Juice
Guarapo is sugarcane juice pressed to order and drunk within minutes. How the trapiche works, why it cannot be stored, and where to drink it in Tampa.
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Kitchen Secrets with Our Cuban Chef – Batidos Cubanos
How to make Cuban batidos at home – mamey, trigo and fruta bomba – with the exact ratios and blending order our Tampa kitchen uses every morning.
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Kitchen Secrets with Our Cuban Chef – Arroz con Leche Cubano
Cuban arroz con leche made with cinnamon, lime peel and condensed milk. The full method from our Tampa kitchen, plus the notes that keep it creamy.
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Kitchen Secrets with Our Cuban Chef – Malta and the Cuban Soda Shelf
Malta, Materva, Ironbeer and Jupina: what each Cuban soda tastes like, how to serve it cold, and what to eat it with, from our Tampa restaurant.