Florida's Finest

Y'all know that I am a Florida girl, and this is one of the many Floridian habits that I just can't shake (along with craving fresh squeezed OJ and ditching the lines at Disney...FastPass anyone?)  I think it's high time that I introduce to you one of my absolute favorite secret ingredients...

Source: Everglades Seasoning

Everglades Seasoning is amazing.  You use it instead of salt and pepper, but it adds a little something extra beyond that.  It has natural tenderizers in it, so it's great on meat.  It also has several other spices in it, but even the manufacturers won't reveal what those secret spices are.  ¡Que misterioso!  Everglades Seasoning also makes a low-sodium version of their spice jar, as well as a version with no MSG.  I have to admit that I have not yet purchased either of these healthier options.  A little bit of Everglades Seasoning goes a long way, and I've been working on my bottle of the original stuff for a while.

One disclaimer I will say about this stuff is that unfortunately it's not available everywhere.  It's available in most stores in the South and along the east coast.  If you have Publix in your area, you're in good shape.  Fortunately for those of you who live further away from Florida, Everglades Seasoning products are available on their website.

So what exactly can you make with Everglades Seasoning?  Allow me to introduce you to my Quick and Easy Guacalmole!

For every ripe avocado, add:

• 1/2 teaspoon Everglades Seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Then combine in a mortar and pestle and serve.  It doesn't get any easier than that!

And speaking of mortar and pestle, don't forget...you have until this Friday, April 9th to enter our first sponsored giveaway!

One thing I love about Everglades Seasoning is the response I get when I introduce it to non-Floridians.  Do you have a secret ingredient from your hometown that you like the share with people from other areas?  How about a recipe unique to your home state?

By Request: Platanos Maduros

A plantain is a fruit that likes to impersonate a vegetable.  It's kind of like a banana mixed with a potato.  They can be served a million different ways (stay tuned for follow-up experiments), but one of the most common ways is sweet and fried (as though they were after my Southern heart).  They go great with just about everything, and it's guaranteed to dazzle dinner guests by introducing them to exotic flavors that they may not be accustomed to.  The best part is that it's really easy to make!

First, buy some plantains.  There is much debate surrounding yellow vs. green plantains.  I've found that green plantains are more savory and more difficult to peel, while yellow plantains are more sweet and easier to peel.  Regardless of your preference, you need to allow 5-7 days for the plantains to ripen.  The Spanish word maduros actually means ripe.  And we're not talking about a-few-brown-spots-ripe; these ain't bananas.  Your plantains need to be nearly black, like so:

To cook three large plantains, you will need 1/2 cup of canola oil and 1/2 cup of dark brown sugar.  You can make more or less plantains; my skillet just happens to hold three.

 

Next, peel your plantains.  Unfortunately, this isn't as easy as peeling a banana, but slicing off the tips is a good trick to get you started.  Once peeled, slice the plantain into 3/4-inch thick slices, on the bias.

                     

  

Pour the brown sugar into a small bowl and give the slices a toss in there.  You don't have to coat each slice in brown sugar as you would with flour when frying chicken.  Just a little dusting will suffice in order to improve the caramelization process.

Heat your oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Once it's good and hot, gently place your slices in the skillet.  The key to the cooking process is to be gentle.  If your plantains are as ripe as they should be, they'll be very delicate...and you don't want to mess up that pretty shape that you created with your perfect bias slices!  I've found that using plastic tongs helps (metal is too harsh and a plastic spatula is too cumbersome).

As your plantains cook, minimize contact between slices.  That brown sugar is going to make for a sticky situation.  You'll know it's time to flip them over when you can see the crispy caramelized bottom creeping up the sides of each slice.

When you flip them over, they should look just slightly crispy, like this:

 

La perrita gringa recognized this smell and, the eternal optimist that she is, truly believed that today was the day she would finally get to try platanos.  Wrong.

 

Once both sides are cooked evenly, place on paper to cool/get rid of some of the grease.  Make sure it's parchment or wax paper, and not paper towels.  Hey, I'm still learning too!

Have you ever had plantains before?  What's your favorite plantain dish?

How to Make Perfect Arroz Blanco

White rice, or arroz blanco, is one of Cuban cuisine's simplest dishes.  It is also one of the easiest to ruin.  I can't tell you how many times I've turned it into mush, undercooked it, even burned it!  Maybe the secret is to have a fancy rice cooker.  Well, I'm a poor graduate student, so I need a stove-top solution.  After much experimenting, here is the protocol I've come up with.

Before we get started, a few helpful hints:

1. Make sure you use a stock pot or saucepan with a tight-fitting lid.
2. Choose a stock pot or saucepan that is sized appropriately to the amount of rice you're cooking.  Large stock pots or spaghetti pots are great for 2 cups or more, but if you try to cook less than that in a pot too large, it's more likely to spread too thin and stick to the bottom.
3. Use long grain or jasmine rice.  I don't know if this is the traditional thing to do.  I do know that the smaller grain, the more likely it is to turn to mush.  Longer grain = more room for absorption.
4. Be patient!

Now we're ready to begin!

Rule #1: Use 1-1/2 cups of water for every 1 cup of rice.

 

Rule #2: For every 1 cup of rice, use 1-1/2 tablespoons of butter, 1-1/2 teaspoons of salt, and 1 teaspoon of cumin.

                   

Rule #3: Always rinse your rice. 

 Some plants that process rice can add things like talc.  This isn't harmful to eat, but it can mess up the chemistry involved in cooking rice to a perfect consistency.  Make sure you get rid of any excess water after rinsing.

Next, bring your rinsed and refreshed rice to your saucepan.  This brings us to Rule #4: Coat your rice in butter before cooking it.

 Pour the butter over the rice and gently stir until well-distributed.  This decreases the rice's risk of sticking to the pan.

Rule #5: Cook the rice first before you let it absorb.  This isn't couscous.  Absorption alone won't cut it.  Add the water and spices and heat to medium-high heat.  Bring to a boil.  Cover, and cook for 12 minutes.  Stir occasionally to make sure that your rice isn't sticking to the bottom of the pan.  It's okay to uncover to accomplish this...remember, you're not absorbing yet.

Rule #6: Absorption is key.  As soon as your 12 minutes are up, immediately remove from heat.  Keep it covered and let it sit for 30 minutes.  I know, I know.  That's a long time!  Your next step is to relax and find something to distract yourself with during those 30 minutes.

After your 30 minutes are up, uncover and fluff.

 

¡Buen provecho!

Did this work for you?  Any other suggestions you'd like to share?  Comment away or email me at cooking4gringas (at) gmail (dot) com!