Are you looking to explore a new cuisine in the New Year? If so, you may want to think about going Cuban. I started exploring Cuban cuisine in 2001 and haven’t looked back since. It is highly flavorful and fairly easy to prepare except for the empanadas. You don’t want to know what happened with my first attempt at those. Nonetheless, if you do decide to put a little Cuban flare into your cooking, you’ll want to have these staples in your pantry:
Adobo
Adobo quickly became one of my “go to” Cuban spices. It is actually a spice blend that comes in several different varieties and is used in multiple dishes. I use the one that contains pepper, turmeric, salt, oregano and garlic in everything from marinades and dry rubs to sauces. For example, I will use it to season pork chops, beans, potatoes and steak.
Sazon
Sazon is another blend of Cuban spices that I absolutely can’t do without. It gets massaged into pork shoulder, inserted into the cavities of chicken, rubbed onto beef and sprinkled in sauces. The only downside to using it is that it will turn your hands this yellowish orange color unless you wash it off quickly. I should also mention that there are several different types of Sazon, so you’ll want to read the boxes carefully. The one that I use the most contains cilantro, coriander and annatto. Other varieties contain saffron or tomato.
Mojo
If you ask me, Mojo is also one of the greatest things on earth. It is a heavenly, liquid blend of spices that gets used as a marinade and poured into sauces. It also comes in several varieties. The one that my family and I use the most is the Mojo Criollo. It is made with citrus juice, garlic and onions. We use it to make Cuban style pernil. Just in case you have never heard of the dish, it is a heavily marinated pork shoulder that gets slow cooked and served with rice and beans.
Sofrito
Over the years, I have found that Sofrito is great to have in the kitchen too. It is a blend of ingredients that comes in two varieties, red and green. The red Sofrito gets added to tomato based sauces. It contains tomatoes, onions, green peppers, garlic and olive oil. The green one (recaito) gets added to cilantro based sauces. It contains olive oil, green peppers, cilantro, garlic and onion.
Bijol
Bijol is basically a mixture of ground cumin, annatto, food coloring and corn flour that is sold in a little can. It reminds me of Sazon in that it will stain your hands an odd orange-yellow if you aren’t careful. I have used it in sauces, marinades and dry rubs. If you do decide to give it a try, keep in mind that a little goes a long way.
Spanish Paprika
If you have spent some time in a kitchen, you already know that there are different types of paprika available on the market today. One of my favorite is Spanish paprika. It is a smoked paprika that comes in three varieties and all of them rock. The main difference between the three is their level of spiciness. If you want a super spicy flavor, I’d suggest purchasing the picante version. Dulce is the sweet version and agridulce is somewhere in the middle. You can use them just like you would any other paprika.
Fresh Garlic
Lastly, I’d recommend that you keep a few heads of fresh garlic on hand. It is used in a wide array of Cuban dishes including pernil. If you don’t want to keep fresh cloves on hand, the pre-cut garlic in a jar or dried garlic will do in emergencies.
Source: Personal Experience
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