A Spoonful of Sofrito: Sangria 4 Ways.

A Spoonful of Sofrito: A Pinch of advice that will add a lot of flavor to your life.

Sangria 4 Ways.

Sofrito Lovers,

Summer is Sangria season!  Sangria is a delicious Spanish drink made by mixing red or white wine with fruit, soda, or juice.  Light, refreshing and delicious, it's the perfect summer time after dinner treat! There are innumerable ways to prepare Sangria, but the Tasty video posted below features four recipes that all look amazing and are easy to prepare! 

This summer break out the good wine, buy some organic fresh fruit from a green market, and get some 7 Up or Sprite and make yourself a pitcher of happiness.  Better yet, make a few pitchers and invite your closest friends for a Sangria tasting party!  Mine will be in late in July!

Watch it, make it, and taste for yourself!  ¡Buen Provecho!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: How to eat Pho, a Vietnamese noodle soup!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: A Pinch of advice that will add a lot of flavor to your life.

How to eat Pho, a Vietnamese noodle soup, the right way!

 

Sofrito Lovers,

We've all been eating Pho, Vietnamese beef noodle soup, incorrectly.  Apparently, it's not as easy or intuitive as we thought! Being a Pho lover, I was shocked to learn that I've been eating it incorrectly all these years.  I thought I was an amateur Pho expert, but after watching the video posted below, there;s a lot I need to learn!

Like most people, I love to douse the soup with Hoisin sauce and Red chili paste and dive right in!  According to Vincent Kha, of Pho & Cafe Anh Hong in Upper Darby, PA, the dousing technique is all wrong!  The correct way to eat Pho will enhance the soup's flavor, which makes for a finer dining experience.

Check out the video below from YouTube Channel Munchies and learn to eat Pho from a TRUE Pho expert!  Learn, and then go taste for yourself! ¡Buen Provecho!

 

 

A Spoonful of Sofrito: Latinos Taste Test Each Other's Holiday Dishes

A Spoonful of Sofrito: A Pinch of advice that will add a lot of flavor to your life.

Latinos Taste Test Each Other's Holiday Dishes!

 

Sofrito Lovers,

I love the holidays!  Summer is cool and all, but I wish it were November or December where we can start breaking out the pasteles, coquito, and pernil!  All the food I've mentioned are Puerto Rican "holiday foods", but not all Latinos will know what I'm talking about.  

Being a diverse grouping of people, our holiday foods vary!  That's why I love the video posted below from the YouTube Channel BuzzfeedVideos, which asks Latinos to taste each others holiday foods.

Check out the amazing food from Latin America!  This video has made me so curious that I'm planning on searching out these treats during holiday time!  Go taste for yourself! ¡Buen provecho!

 

A Spoonful of Sofrito: The Perfect Martini Recipe

A Spoonful of Sofrito: A pinch of advice that will add a lot of flavor to your life.

Perfect Martini Recipe 

 

Sofrito Lovers,

My summer foodie resolution is to drink more alcohol.  Admittedly, it sounds like the start of something that will end in rehab, but I promise that I'm starting this new hobby to expand my palate and to learn what alcoholic beverages go well with certain dishes.

Just the other day my friend Rolando encouraged me to taste a martini and I instantly fell in love.  I thought it was delicious and paired well with the smoked fish I had ordered.  As they say, "Fortune Favors the Bold", I took a chance and now I'm anxious to taste, pair, and prepare some classic drinks with my cooking.

I've become so enamored with the Martini I looked up a recipe on ChowHound and came across "The Perfect Martini Recipe."  I haven't tried it yet, but I will be this weekend!  A bold heart can lead to loving bold flavors!  Go taste for yourself!  ¡Buen Provecho!

Check out the Perfect Martini Recipe here!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: Besides Barbecue: NYC’s Other Smoking Traditions!

A Spoonful of Sofrito:  A Pinch of advice that will add a lot of flavor to your life.

Besides Barbeque: NYC's other smoking traditions.

Sofrito Lovers,

If you love smoked, well seasoned, and downright delicious food, then read Robert Sietsema's newest article on NYC's smoking traditions on Eater.com. 

The never-ending diversity of culinary traditions and cooking styles in NYC is truly staggering!  The article below lists an incredible array of non-American cuisines, whose smoking traditions are truly delicious.  Not all smoked foods have to be drenched in BBQ sauce! Go out there and try them all!

After reading the article, run, don't walk, to the closest restaurant on the list and get your grub on!  Go taste for yourself!  ¡Buen Provecho!

Besides Barbecue: NYC’s Other Smoking Traditions

Critic Robert Sietsema takes a look at the city's non-barbecue smoked dishes

by Robert Sietsema, June 15, 2016

Photos by Robert Sietsema

In the days before barbecue became ubiquitous in New York City, ‘cue lovers had to content themselves with other international traditions of smoking meat, poultry, and fish. Aficionados quickly discovered that many of these culinary practices — coming from such widespread places as Jamaica, Brazil, India, Central Asia, and China — were every bit as satisfying as American barbecue. Here are some examples, with favorite places to get them:

Sichuan Tea-Smoked Duck — Tea-smoked duck is a complicated Sichuan recipe that progressively sees the waterfowl marinated in a solution that usually contains wine, camphor, garlic, ginger, and other flavors, patted dry, smoked over tea leaves and stems in a covered wok, then further steamed and fried. Though the smoking only takes 15 or so minutes, the bird tastes miraculously smoky. Grain House, 249-11 Northern Blvd, Queens, (718) 229-8788

Check out the rest of the article here!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: 19 Things You Should NEVER Do With Chopsticks!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: A Pinch of advice that will add a lot of flavor to your life.

19 Things you should NEVER do with Chopsticks!

Sofrito Lovers,

Part of being an international foodie is learning the etiquette and eating customs of various cultures.  This is no easy feat, but when you have YouTube on your side you can do anything!

The video posted below comes from YouTube sensations Dan Chen and Mike Chen, two best friends who host a channel called Double Chen.  On their channel they talk about Asian culture, music and, of course, cuisine.  Hilarious, educational, and down right delicious, these guys are an amazing resource for all things Asian.  I highly encourage you to check out this interesting and entertaining channel; the food alone will have you hooked.

The video posted below is titled, "19 things you should NEVER do with chopsticks"; I'm proud to say that I knew a lot of theses facts.  In High school, I had a Chinese girlfriend who gave me a crash course on Chinese dining etiquette before I had dinner with her parents.  I had no idea there were so many rules and regulations when it came to dining.  I think I prepared harder for meeting her parents than I did my SATs. 

Watch the video below and learn something new!  You'll never point at anyone with chopsticks or lick them clean again!  ¡Buen Provecho!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: Puerto Rican White Bean Soup!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: A Pinch of advice that will add a lot of flavor to your life.

Puerto Rican White Bean Soup!

Sofrito Lovers,

I had a rough weekend and I'm sick as a dog.  I need some sopita (soup) to soothe the achiness, clear the congestion, and warm up my bones.  In order to ensure a speedy recovery, I decided to visit Yvonne Chinea's amazing YouTube Channel, which is chock full of amazing recipes for soups, stews, and other goodies.

I've decided to make her Sopa de Habichuelas Blancas (White Bean Soup) in hopes that it'll bring back some life to this infirmed old body.  As you can see, I get really dramatic when I'm sick.

Check out this awesome recipe and ¡Buen Provecho!