A Spoonful of Sofrito: Panda Express's Orange Chicken!

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

Panda Express's Orange Chicken!

Sofrito Lovers,

As much as I detest fast food, I can't deny the popularity of Panda Express's signature Orange Chicken or how yummy it is.  Yes, I admit to tasting and enjoying the world famous Orange Chicken!  How could I not?  My partner is one of Panda Express's biggest fans.  David loves that damn Panda Bear more than he loves me, his BearBear!  

The first time I tried Panda Express was in California, where it's more popular, while on vacation to see my in-laws.  David was dying to have lunch there and insisted I taste their signature Orange Chicken to see what I thought. He raved about it incessantly, there was no way I'd be leaving Cali without eating there once.

Despite the sticky texture and super sweet taste, I did enjoy it with the Chow Mein and steamed veggies.  It's not my favorite Panda protein, but I see the appeal.  It's reminiscent of General Tso's chicken, but with a tangier acidic flavor to it.

When I first saw the Tasty video below I knew I had to post it.  I'm sure many of you would love to learn how to make some Orange Chicken at home!  Check it out and try it out!  Go taste for yourself!  ¡Buen provecho!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: People Try New York Chopped Cheese For The First Time!

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

People Try New York Chopped Cheese For The First Time!

Sofrito Lovers,

The Chopped Cheese has become the hottest food trend to come out of Harlem in a long time!  Simply put, this ground beef hamburger hero has become the talk and taste of the town.  

Check out the video below, from Pero Like, and see how some non-New Yorkers like the infamous Chopped Cheese.

Watch and go taste for yourself!  ¡Buen Provecho!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: Win a Once-in-a-Lifetime Trip to Morocco!

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

Win a Once-in-a-Lifetime Trip to Morocco!

 

Sofrito Lovers,

Get into this amazing contest! The geniuses at SeriousEats.com are sponsoring a "Win a Once-in-a-lifetime trip to Morocco" contest!

Check out the information below and sign up!  You never know! You might be spending your summer vacay sipping wine in Casablanca or munching on some Ma'akouda (fried potato pancakes) in Marrakesh!

Give it a try!  Fortune favors the bold!  Go taste for yourself! ¡Buen provecho!

Win a Once-in-a-Lifetime Trip to Morocco 

 

 

We love Moroccan food over here at Serious Eats. Shakshuka? You bet. Kefta? We're all in. Give us some preserved lemons, a jar of olives, a tin of sardines, ras al hanout—we'll find some way to use them and be happy campers.

Sound like you, too? Let us send you and a friend to Morocco to take a hands-on cooking class to learn from the locals.

We've partnered with Acanela Expeditions—and five other great brands—to put together an immersive adventure that explores even more than the amazing food. Meet the people of Morocco, visit the famous markets, and relax for five days at a boutique hotel. Oh, and eat a lot, too.

YOUR PACKAGE INCLUDES:
$1000 Airfare Voucher
4 nights, 5 days Boutique Hotel
Artisan Market Visit
Hands-on Cooking Class
Behind the Scenes City Tour
8 Great Reads from Simon and Schuster
2 Wandrd Backpacks

Enter the Contest here!

 

A Spoonful of Sofrito: I Learned To Make My Grandma's Puerto Rican Rice!

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

I Learned To Make My Grandma's Puerto Rican Rice!

 

Sofrito Lovers,

The title of this blog is misleading!  I'm not making my grandmother's Arroz con gandules, a handsome sweetie pie named Eli from PeroLike is making his abuela's famous pot of "Puerto Rican Rice."  Unfortunately, I never knew my abuelas and never had their cooking.  Sad, right?

I chose to post this PeroLike DIY because I love how Eli, a fourth generation Boricua born in the U.S., goes on this journey of cultural reclamation and reaffirmation simply by cooking this quintessential Puerto Rican dish.  Cooking has this powerful way of linking us to our families, cultures, and memories.

Watching Eli on this journey reminded me of how I felt a few years back when I decided that cooking was going to be my new hobby!  Naturally, I wanted to start with Boricua cuisine.  I wanted my foray into the kitchen to be this culturally exploratory experience.  I can't tell you how gratifying and empowering it felt to make my first caldero de Arroz con gandules.  It was a spiritual revelation; it was moving and powerful.

Watch, laugh, cry, and then go taste for yourself!  ¡Buen Provecho!

 

 

A Spoonful of Sofrito: Humans were meant to eat insects!

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

Humans were meant to eat insects!

Sofrito Lovers,

Humans were meant to eat insects. You can choose to disagree all you want, but science says different!  I know that it sounds incredibly disgusting, but as someone who has eaten fried tarantulas (an arachnid not insect) and chocolate covered ants, I'm totally down!

Okay, control your gag reflex, it's not that bad!  Check out the article below from Men's Health Magazine and read about how insects are our primate protein of choice.

Read and then go taste for yourself...okay, then don't!  ¡Buen Provecho!

Humans Were Meant to Eat Insects, So Here's How to Try Them Out

Yep, you're hardwired to digest crickets, beetles, and other bugs, according to a new study.

BY MARY BROPHY MARCUS JANUARY 29, 2018

Crunchy cricket tacos anyone? If the idea sounds stomach-turning, consider new research that shows humans are meant to eat bugs. Well, insects to be exact.

Rutgers researchers found that insects were the food of choice for our early primate ancestors and that we 21st century humans — among other modern day primates — are still made to eat and digest termites, crickets, beetles, and their ilk.

Check out the rest of the article here!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: Foods To Avoid Buying At All Costs!

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

Foods To Avoid Buying At All Costs!

 

Sofrito Lovers,

Do you love cow shit in your ice cream?  Do you want to get Salmonella poisoning from your salad? Do you want to get Diabetes from eating Reduced fat Peanut butter? Yeah, me neither, that's way you need to check out the Mashed video posted below!

Processed and packaged food can be amazing, but some of it is pure death and destruction.  After watching the video below, I've decided to make better choices at the market!  Watch and carefully taste for yourself!  ¡Buen Provecho!

 

A Spoonful of Sofrito: Lush Midtown Restaurant Nails Ropa Vieja, Cuba’s National Dish!

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

Lush Midtown Restaurant Nails Ropa Vieja, Cuba’s National Dish!

 

Sofrito Lovers,

Finding good Cuban food in New York City is a challenge! That's why I got excited when I saw the article posted below from Eater.com. Good Ropa Vieja?  Yes sir, I'm there!

I've heard of Victor's Cafe, but have never visited.  You all know that I'm an uptown boy and I rarely dine downtown, but if the Ropa Vieja (Stewed shredded beef) at Victor's Cafe is has good as Ryan Sutton says, then I'm heading down to Midtown on the next D train! 

Check out the article below and see if it sparks your interest the way it did mine!  Go taste for yourself!  ¡Buen provecho!

Lush Midtown Restaurant Nails Ropa Vieja, Cuba’s National Dish

2 comments
Victor Cafe’s version of the pulled beef dish is clean and balanced

by Ryan Sutton Mar 9, 2018, 12:29pm EST 

On Eater’s list of 38 essential New York restaurants, a Cuban spot recently made the cut. I was hoping it would be Guantanamera, but Victor’s Cafe, which Robert Sietsema calls the city’s “most luxurious and venerable Cuban restaurant,” ended up winning out for now. It was a solid choice.

Victor del Corral, who ran restaurants in and around Havana before emigrating to the states, opened his namesake venue in 1963 on the Upper West Side. “Featuring robust Cuban food at affordable prices, the restaurant was routinely packed with an assortment of New Yorkers, including graying beatniks and Lincoln Center concertgoers as well as Cuban expatriates,” the New York Times wrote in its 2006 obituary for Del Corral. Victor’s relocated to its current home on 52nd street in 1980, where it’s currently run by Del Corral’s daughter and granddaughter, Sonia and Monica Zaldivar. 

 

Check out the rest of the article here!