As I started to brainstorm topics for this column, I was visiting my parents. Once my mom learned that I had not yet decided on a topic, her trademark grin spread across her face. Enthusiastically, she said, “You never write about ethnic cuisine. Can I show you how I make Cuban food? It would be muy saborosa.” How could I refuse the chance?! My mother lived in south Florida during the 1960s, when more than 14,000 children were exiled to America from Cuba through operation Pedro Pan. She made many new friends and learned to speak Spanish with a Cuban accent. She also learned to appreciate Cuban cooking and prepare it herself.
What appeals to me most about Cuban dishes is that they are flavorful, but not necessarily spicy. This column features my mother’s recipes for Picadillo and Tropical Salad. Picadillo is a comforting meat dish with sweet and savory flavors bursting from each bite. Her Tropical Salad seemed like an odd combination to me at first, but is refreshing and cool.
If you are interested in learning more about Miami-Cuban life and cuisine, my mother raves about these books: Waiting for Snow in Havana by Carlos Eire, Memories of a Cuban Kitchen by Mary Urrutia Randelman, and Miami Spice by Steven Raichlen.
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