Casabe: The Taíno Bread That Outlived the Taíno
What is casabe: the Taíno flatbread of bitter yuca, how the poison gets pressed out, how Spain adopted it, and why yuca is still a Cuban side today.
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The Café con Leche That Ran Ybor City’s Cigar Factories
Ybor City café con leche history: 1880s Cuban immigrants, the coffee round through the cigar factories, and the lectores silenced after the 1931 strike.
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How to Press a Cuban Sandwich Without a Plancha
Press a Cuban sandwich at home without a plancha: a cast-iron skillet, a weight, real times, the right bread, and the mistakes that ruin the crust.
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The African layer of Cuban cooking
Okra, fufú, black-eyed pea fritters and congrí: the West and Central African foundations of Cuban cooking, and the kitchens that kept them going.
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Kitchen Secrets with Our Cuban Chef – The Elena Ruz Sandwich
Turkey, cream cheese and strawberry jam on sweet bread: the Elena Ruz sandwich recipe our Tampa kitchen presses to order, with timings and heat notes.
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Kitchen Secrets with Our Cuban Chef – Mariquitas
Paper-thin green plantain chips fried once and served with garlic mojo. The mariquitas recipe our Tampa kitchen uses, plus how to keep them snapping.
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Kitchen Secrets with Our Cuban Chef – Papa Rellena
Cuban papa rellena: mashed potato wrapped around seasoned picadillo, breaded and fried golden. The method that keeps them from cracking, from our Tampa kitchen.
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Kitchen Secrets with Our Cuban Chef – Pastelitos de Guayaba
Flaky Cuban guava pastries with cream cheese, finished with a sugar glaze. The bakery-counter recipe, adapted for a home oven, from our Tampa kitchen.
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Kitchen Secrets with Our Cuban Chef – Flan Cubano
A Cuban flan recipe that sets dense and silky, not spongy: caramel, condensed and evaporated milk, and a water bath. Step by step from our Tampa kitchen.
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Kitchen Secrets with Our Cuban Chef – Frijoles Negros
Cuban black beans done properly: a sofrito base, a whole green pepper in the pot, and a slow simmer until the broth turns thick and dark. Recipe from our Tampa kitchen.
