Buena Vista Social Club

Brenda's- "Buena Vista Social Club"

Tonight we will discover all that is Traditional Cuban Cooking! It all begins drinking iced beer, Bucanero or Cristal, with crisp pork rinds.

Cuban cooking is based on peasant cuisine... there is little concern for measurements, order and timing. Typically women are in charge of the black beans, yucca with a garnish of chopped parsley, onion and lemon; plenty of white rice, malanga or corn fritters, fried banana patty and tomato salad with lettuce.

For special occasions men, gathered at the courtyard, see to a roast pig, which is placed on a spike above the charcoal fire, covered with leaves from a guava tree and sprinkled with sour orange juice from time to time. Meats and poultry are usually marinated in citrus juices, such as lime or sour orange juices, and then roasted over low heat until the meat is tender and literally falling off the bone.

Typical desserts are guava marmalade with cheese slices and yucca crullers in anise-flavored syrup. Having eaten to the point of contentment, they drink rum and dance till daybreak. This is a cuisine reflective of the Cuban's themselves: simple and straightforward, yet vibrant and diverse... full of the flavors of life!
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THE MENU:
Starter- Shrimp Empanadas, Sara
Salad- Papaya Salad, Jessica
Soup- Black Bean, Camille
Entree- Grilled Pineapple Citrus Chicken, Brenda
Starch Side- Rice & Beans, Erika
Veggie Side- Baked Plantains, Sue (guest)
Wild Card- Garlic & Onion Quick Bread, Christine (guest)
Dessert- Diplomat Pudding, Shellee

CUBAN DRINKS:
Brenda- Mojitos
Shellee- Red Stripe
Christine- Papaya & Watermelon Smoothie
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CUBAN WEB-RESOURCES:
http://www.tasteofcuba.com/cubanrecipes.html
http://www.islandflave.com/recipes/cuba.html
http://www.cubadomainsforsale.com/cuban-foods.html
http://icuban.com/food/comidas.html
http://www.recipezaar.com/r/233
http://www.lasculturas.com/lib/libCubanFood.htm