A Spoonful of Sofrito: FreakinRican Pasteles de Guineo

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

FreakinRican Pasteles de guineo!

Sofrito Lovers,

The holidays are upon us and for many Caribbean Latinos this a time for us to make PASTELES!

Pasteles are a gift God gave us that we happily share with the world!  Pasteles look like Mexican Tamales, but are made from either green banana, plantain, or Yucca dough and are filled with any type of stewed meat (traditionally pork) and veggies.  Pasteles are the perfect example of our cultural culinary fusion; they were created by combining Taino, African, and Spanish cooking styles and ingredients together.

Wrapped in a banana leaf, they're boiled for about an hour and, then served as a side dish or on their own.  Usually, they're made during Christmas, Thanksgiving, or Easter time as a special holiday treat, but you can eat them year round.  

Making Pasteles is a serious process!  Many Caribbean Latinos have fond memories of waking up early to be a part of an all day assembly line of family making these delicious suckers!

In order to inspire you to make your own pasteles, I've posted an incredible Pastel tutorial below by Derrick Lopez, the host of the FreakinRican restaurant channel!  I love Derrick's tutorials; they're quick and easy to follow!  I consider him one of the best YouTube Culinary instructors online...plus, he's really handsome, so watching him cook is an all around treat! 

Check out Derrick's amazing tutorial below and subscribe to his channel for more content!  Watch, make those pasteles, and taste for yourself!  ¡Buen provecho!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: Try Our World Snack Box!

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

Try Our World Snack Box!

 

Sofrito Lovers,

Three weeks ago, I decided to give myself an early birthday gift and subscribed to a monthly snack box series called, Try Our World. Try our World sends its subscribers a monthly package full of incredible international treats, goodies, and candies.  You can choose from several different subscription boxes of all different sizes with all types of treats.  I chose the basic $20 a month box, which contains 6-8 delectable snacks for me to enjoy!

Yesterday, I received my first box and I can't believe how delicious the treats have been!  My box came with 7 goodies and a few description cards with information on the content and how to order more.

I haven't sampled the entire box yet, but the Japanese Pineapple gummy cakes were incredible!

The South African Toffee was chewy, delicious, and decadent!

 

The Canadian (not so exotic, I know) maple cookies were a sweet blessing from the great White North! They were rich, moist, and tasty!

Let me be clear, I'm not a sponsored consumer or anything like that!  I'm just a customer that loves this product and thinks you will too!  Check out the website and treat yourself to a subscription, better yet, get one for a foodie friend you love for the holidays.  He or She will love it!  YOU NEED TO TASTE THIS FOR YOURSELF!  ¡Buen provecho!

Try Our World Website

A Spoonful of Sofrito: Latino Pea Soup Recipe!

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

Latino Pea Soup Recipe

Sofrito Lovers,

For Sunday night dinner, I made a caldero of Latino style Whole Green Pea Soup! The inspiration for this meal came from watching a cooking tutorial from this amazing YouTuber named  Evelyn Dominguez.  I love Evelyn's videos, her recipes are incredible!  Please check out her channel!

Quick, simple, and delicious, this was the perfect meal for a cold and snowy night in Washington Heights.  Winter is here and it's time for some hearty and tasty soups to warm our bones and soothe our souls!  Evelyn's soup recipe helped fight the chill!  As always my litmus test of success is if my partner David liked it...HE DID!

Check out Evelyn's tutorial below!  Watch, cook, and taste for yourself! ¡Buen Provecho!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: 15 NYC Restaurants to Visit on Christmas or Christmas Eve.

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

15 NYC Restaurants to Visit on Christmas or Christmas Eve!

Sofrito Lovers,

If you're in the mood to eat out for the holidays, then you'll find today's post, from Eater.com, extremely helpful! Find the right holiday dinner venue can be hard, but as usual, the good people at Eater.com have created an amazing list of eateries that will help you usher in the holiday season with style and delicious eats!

If I decide to go out on Christmas Eve, then I'm trying Chef Tom Colicchio's Fowler & Wells or Joh Frasser's Narcissa.

Check out the post below and start planning your Christmas Eve out as soon as possible!  Happy Holiday Planning! Go taste for yourself! ¡Buen Provecho!

15 NYC Restaurants to Visit on Christmas or Christmas Eve

by Patty Diez  Dec 7, 2016, 5:00pm EST

[Fowler & Wells] Nick Solares

While many restaurants are closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, there are still plenty of good options for those who prefer to leave the cooking to someone else. Here is a guide to 15 great New York restaurants that will be open on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. This map includes restaurants serving everything from a classic Christmas goose to roast beef with Yorkshire pudding.

[Restaurants are listed by geography: south to north in Manhattan, north to south in Brooklyn]

Check out the rest of the article here!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: 9 British Dishes Everyone Should Try

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

9 British Dishes Everyone Should Try

 

Sofrito Lovers,

There's this horrible stereotype that British food is boring or that it's disgusting.  Nothing could be further from the truth!  British cuisine is incredibly unique, tasty, and brilliant!

Just to offset people's preconceived notions, I've posted this wonderful video from Anglophenia that highlights 9 quintessentially British delicious dishes!  Take a look and unlearn those ridiculous stereotypes! 

After you've watched the video, click the link below for some places in NYC to try out British treats and snack!  Go taste for yourself!  ¡Buen Provecho!

 

If you're in the mood to try some British snacks, then try out these amazing eateries here in NYC! 10 Places to stock up on British goods in NYC!

 

A Spoonful of Sofrito: Serious Eats Gift Guide for food lovers!

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

Serious Eats Gift Guide for food lovers!

Sofrito Lovers,

Gift giving is one of my favorite traditions this holiday season!  Shopping, gift-wrapping, writing cards, and watching people open my gifts gives me immeasurable pleasure! That's why I keep posting Holiday gift ideas for your foodie friends!  I want to spread the love of gift giving to all my Sofrito Lovers!

Check out SeriousEats Holiday Gift Section and get inspired! Maybe that foodie in your life needs new knives, a digital food scale, or some nice sauteeing pans. Happy Shopping!  Happy Gift giving! Get him or her something nice for me!  Go shop for your foodie friend, I'm sure they'll love what you get them!

Serious Eats Holiday Gift Giving Ideas

   

Check out more gifts here!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: Union Square Holiday Market

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

Union Square Holiday Market

Sofrito Lovers,

The holidays are upon us and I'm sure many of us are using our weekends to do some holiday shopping!  One of my favorite go-to shop spots is the Union Square Holiday Market!

It may not seem like it at first, but the market has amazing food, beverages, and "foodie" gifts!  If you've got a foodie in your life, then take a walk through the market and buy him/her some nice new plates, fresh spices, amazing teas, artisanal doughnuts, incredible sea salt samples, or a "Make your own Beer" set.

Trust me, your friend will love the wonderful gifts you can purchase at the market! Go see for yourself! Make sure to taste some of the market fare-those doughnuts will change your life!  ¡Buen Provecho!  Happy Holiday Shopping!

Photo Credit: Brian Hoffsis/Photo Has Been Edited

December: Some say it’s the most wonderful month of the year, especially if you live or are visiting New York City. Besides Rockefeller Center’s Christmas Tree and ice skating rink and the infinite shopping and eating destinations, there are some amazing events going on in the City that Never Sleeps. If you are looking to do more than relax at home with family and hit up the same old bar scene with friends, we’ve lined up the following 11 events and markets involving wine, food, spirits, and craft beers that you won’t want to miss (10 in New York City and 1 in North Jersey).

Union Square Holiday Market

Through December 24th – Weekdays: 11am to 8pm; Saturdays: 10am to 8pm; Sundays: 11am to 7pm; Closed Thanksgiving – FREE! Union Square Park, Manhattan

The Union Square Holiday Market is the New York destination for an intimate and enjoyable holiday shopping experience. Allow yourself the time to slow down and wander through the holly-lined aisles, and connect with the artisans from near and far who are selling their wares and sharing their stories. It’s a delightful place to get swept up in the festive spirit. Featuring an array of warm and indulgent food and beverage, from Dognhnuttery, Brooklyn Brew Shop, Bar Suzette Creperie, Momofuku Milk Bar and many more shops.