95: Cuban Cooking: YUM! with Lourdes Castro, MS, RDN - a podcast by Liz Weiss, MS, RDN

COVID may be restricting our travel, but you can join me today on a food adventure to Cuba, a beautiful and exciting place that I’ve always wanted to visit. We are talking about all things Cuban cooking, so join us to learn more!

Lourdes Castro is a fellow dietitian and cookbook author, and the co-author of a brand new cookbook, Cuba Cooks. She shares insights to traditional Cuban cuisine and what you might find if you travel across this island in the Caribbean. We’ll discuss delicious recipes that you will want to try, like Cuban Rice and Beans, Citrus Marinated Chicken, Seared Romaine Hearts, and Quick Pickled Onions. 

Show Highlights:

• Get to know Lourdes and learn about her life growing up in Miami and her work in Brooklyn as the Director of the NYU Food Lab, where she teaches food science and nutrition
• How COVID has given Lourdes a richer toolbox with which to teach students via Zoom
• How Cuban family meals revolve around beans, rice, tropical fruits, and fish, but are very “benign” in many ways and not as varied as we might assume
• How traditional Cuban foods are full of sweet, sour, and tangy flavors from a combination of Spanish, African, and Chinese influences
• How Cuban food is MUCH more than rice and beans and Cuban sandwiches
• How Cuban pizza became popular in the 1970s
• How Lourdes’ parents reacted to her visit to their Cuban homeland with her mother
• Lourdes’ recipe for Cuban Rice and Beans starts with garlic, olive oil, onion, and green peppers. Cumin, oregano, and rice are added and sauteed. Canned black beans with their liquid are added with water, and the dish cooks for 45 minutes. For full flavor and color, let the dish sit for about an hour before serving. (Use medium or long-grain rice, and other beans can be substituted.)
• Lourdes’ recipe for Citrus Marinated Chicken starts with a Mojo-like blend of olive oil, garlic, orange juice, lime juice, oregano, cumin, and salt and pepper. Puree in a blender and marinate for 30 minutes or overnight in the refrigerator. Cook the chicken quickly in a skillet for a beautiful caramelization.
• With Citrus Marinated Chicken, Lourdes serves Seared Romaine Hearts sprinkled with seared lime juice and Pickled Onion, which is simply thinly sliced red onion marinated in red wine vinegar.

 

Resources:

 

Giveaway: Cuba Cooks by Lourdes Castro and Guillermo Pernot

Post a comment below and tell me about your favorite Cuban recipe or the best Cuban restaurant you've been to, or tell me why you'd like to win a copy of this cookbook.

 

Website: http://lourdescastro.net/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lourdes.castro.rdn/

 

Culinary Nutrition Collaborative (how Liz and Lourdes met): https://www.culinarynutritioncollaborative.com/ 

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