¡Buen provecho!

Serves 10

Ingredients:

• 10 cups of water
• 4 pounds of skinless chicken with bone. I prefer dark meat.
• 4 cups of Valencia short grain rice (two 14 oz. packages.)
• 1 large onion
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 large carrot
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
• 1 tablespoon ground oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground bay leaves
• ½ teaspoon yellow coloring (optional)
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 fresh culantro leaves (May substitute cilantro or omit.)
• 2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves (optional; can substitute thyme or cilantro)

In a heavy stockpot, heat water on high. Add chicken. Grate vegetables (or chop) and add to pot. Add garlic, salt and ground spices. When water is at full boil, reduce to medium heat and cook uncovered for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, remove chicken and place on a plate to cool. Return pot to high and boil liquid to continue reducing.

In about 15-20 minutes, chicken should be cool enough to remove from bones with a fork. Tear chicken into irregular pieces and set aside in a large bowl.

Pour reduced liquid from pot into the bowl with chicken. Return empty pot to high heat and add olive oil and rice. Stir rice in the oil for about 2 minutes.

Add 8 cups of liquid back to the pot and stir. If there’s not enough liquid, make up the difference with water or beer. Do not add more than 8 cups of liquid unless you like the rice “Asopado” – soupy. When it reaches a boil, add chicken and culantro leaves and reduce to low temperature. Simmer covered for 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

Fluff in fresh herbs and serve. The classic side dish is fried sweet plantains. French fries or fried green plantains go well too.

The post Steve’s Easy Cuban Arroz con Pollo (Chicken & Yellow Rice) appeared first on PALO! - Miami-based Afro-Cuban Funk Band.

“I don’t get Twitter!”

I’ve heard many people say this. I didn’t get it either when I first heard of it. I was thrown by the whole “What are you doing now?” thing. Why would I care?

I’ve learned that Twitter is a fantastic way to communicate and socialize. Yeah, sometimes I tell people what I’m doing, but it’s open to almost anything. Unlike Facebook, Twitter doesn’t offer photos, groups, or events. However, you can link to anything in a Tweet. Many users see Twitter’s streamlined, mobile-friendly format as an advantage. I’ve used it to form many important friendships and alliances.

Twitter profile checklist:

An easy handle. Ideally, your Twitter user name will be short and easy to say and spell. Avoid underscores and dashes if possible. Companies should try to keep all of their Internet presence consistent. For instance, everything I do with my band PALO! uses “gopalo”.

A good pic. You need a picture. You are not a huevo/egg:

If you’re a company, use your logo. In the tiny world of Social Media, it’s important to format your logo to occupy most of the area of a square. It must work at very reduced sizes. Ornate designs or old-school “letterhead” logos don’t work.

A descriptive bio. Put some thought into this. It should succinctly express what you want people to know about you. Use the appropriate tone for your personality or brand.

Your real location. To build your local network, it helps if people know where you’re located.

A link to your website. Even a Facbook profile or page is fine if that’s all you have. Since Twitter doesn’t include pics, etc. this gives people a way to find out more about you.

At least a few tweets. If I find someone who has never tweeted, I’m very hesitant to follow them.

Custom look and background. This is more important for companies. As an individual, you can just customize the available designs and colors to fit your personality. Make sure to create good contrast between font and background color.

If you’re new to Twitter, just dive in, and give it a chance. You’ll get used to it. You may grow to love it as much as I do!

Stay tuned for future articles about Social Media. Until then, please follow me on Twitter and tweet me to say hi!

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The myth in our society is that we are all separate. That we should be completely self-sufficient. That we should not depend upon each other. The truth is, we need each other. We need to connect.

When fans show us that our music connects with them, our mission takes on its most important meaning. Whatever it is that people enjoy about our music, they let us know.

Sometimes, our fans and friends share our music with their friends. Sometimes they take the time to express their thanks and appreciation directly to us. This is a reminder that we are accomplishing our goal: to connect.

Thank you all!

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I love San Miguel, and by now it almost feels like a second home to me. But accepting that Norma’s happiness included moving to another country is still somewhat difficult. While her independent spirit is inspirational, the distance can be frustrating; it’s a bit inconvenient to travel there, and when things like health issues arise, the remoteness complicates things. Oh well, it’s just another item on the long list of “things I can’t control”, which includes almost everything.

That said, I’ve been very lucky/blessed in this life. I’ve survived the few difficulties that have come my way, and I’m mostly healthy, happy, and vital. Wonderful people, pets, and stuff surround me. And for that, I’m grateful. Even philosophical.

For centuries, various Mexican cultures have believed in “La muerte” or, death. The day of the dead celebrates the concept that everything and everyone we have in this life, including our own life, is just on loan, and can be taken from us at any moment. This allows us to choose to live and love for today and not be so “attached”.

My new altar

I totally dig this philosophy, but I still seem to want to hold onto the people and stuff that I love. That’s part of why the many miles between my family members and me bothers me so much. And when I lose stuff that I like, it bugs me. Like on this trip back from Mexico, when AeroMexico lost my suitcase.

After talking to the Miami Airport baggage personnel every day for four days, Miguel said there was little hope of finding it and I should give up and submit a list of items and their value. I was pretty bummed out; the suitcase held some cool Mexican cooking utensils I had purchased as well as a few irreplaceable clothing items. I began to ponder how the spreadsheet would look. How much value do I give an out-of-print PALO! t-shirt? Does Amazon.com even sell an authentic handmade molcajete or comal?

Suddenly Mexico’s omnipresent death symbols entered my mind. Oh yeah. Maybe this is a lesson. After all, who knows? Perhaps it wasn’t my destiny to grind my own chiles or make quesadillas with authentic Mexican tools. Maybe I needed a reminder of the unimportance of stuff. Just as I began to accept this possibility, the phone rang.

“¿Halo? Mister Estif? Ees Miguel. We half jorr suitcase!” I must admit, I was very happy. Yes, I know, it’s just stuff, but it’s stuff that I like.

Still, I’d trade that whole suitcase full of stuff, and a lot more, for a chance to see my mom more often. Love you, mom! Thanks for a great visit.

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Typical cafeteria Cuban coffee

At the time, Toby was working his marketing magic at Tilson Communications – he has since moved on to another agency – but I don’t recall if he was tweeting as himself or using their client’s Dunkin’ Donuts’ Twitter account.

As it turns out, Dunkin’ Donuts (DD) eventually chose to offer Cuban Coffee and Cafe con Leche at their South Florida locations. I assume their decision was based on many factors, but my ego would love to think that I somehow influenced their plan. The super-nice Alexia Davis of Tilson cordially invited me to attend their Cafe con Leche promotional event at the Weston Road Davie location. Although scheduling conflicts didn’t allow PALO! to accept their invitation to perform live at the event, I was able to offer a copy of our CD, This Is Afro-Cuban Funk, to be placed in each of the cool gift bags that all attendees received.

When I heard about their plan to sell Cuban coffee, I must admit I was a bit skeptical, despite my initial suggestion. I’m a Cuban coffee fanatic, especially when it comes from a homey place like El Exquisito, one of my favorite Little Havana hangouts. Not being a huge doughnut enthusiast, I don’t frequent DD on a regular basis, but I’ll occasionally stop in for a cup of American coffee. I think they do a great job at that. ¿Pero cafe cubano en Dónki Dónah? Could it possibly compete with the real deal?

When I approached the location for the event, I was surprised to see a little window where you can order from the sidewalk, just like Cuban cafeterias! Upon entering, the place looked big, bright and shiny, if somewhat generic, like most of their stores. Since I was early for the event, I went up to the counter and noticed that their menu board has a new addition:

New addition to DD menu board

I ordered a “Colada” from the friendly, Anglo-looking young man, who asked if I’d like sugar in it. This is almost never an option at a Cuban joint; “cafe cubano” is traditionally sweetened with sugar unless you specifically request otherwise. The very cheery employee proceeded to prepare my order (con azucar) using the same machine used for regular espresso.

La colada

This “Colada”, $1.26 with tax, contained about half the amount of product I’d expect for a similar price at a South Florida Cuban cafeteria. The Cuban coffee looked perfect: dark, with a nice foam on the surface. The taste was good, but didn’t quite equal a classic “cafecito cubano”. Slightly on the watery side, it fell somewhere between an Italian espresso and a Cuban coffee.

As the event got going, the nice folks from Tilson PR and Dunkin’ Donuts treated us to Cafe con Leche and some samples of sandwiches and donuts. Since this was a Twitter-driven event, we were told that adding the #DDelish hashtag to our tweets would make them easier to search. It was fun to meet the attendees, including bloggers, media, and interested Tweeps, some of whom I’ve known on Twitter for quite a while but hadn’t previously met in person. We compared opinions about the various products. Most people really liked the Cafe con Leche. One person said they preferred theirs slightly darker, as do I. Aside from that personal preference, had I not known better, I would have believed that this was authentic Cuban Cafe con Leche; I was very pleasantly surprised. My favorite product was the Tuna Melt; I’ll definitely order that on a future visit.

@UltimateCarWash & @subeehonee

This was a really fun event. I got some cool swag, including a DD USB drive, and it was nice meeting everyone. Honestly, although their Cafe con Leche was good, it probably won’t make me pass up a funky Cuban place to find a Dunkin’ Donuts. But I love how you can get it at South Florida DD locations. Now, as I see their ubiquitous stores in Miami, I smile, knowing I had something to do with the Cubanization of Dónki Dónah!

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I come from a family of teachers, so I guess it’s not surprising that in 2003 I became a professor of Music Business at Miami Dade College’s School of Entertainment & Design Technology. My mom, Norma, was an art teacher in Dade County for most of her adult life. Her encouragement of my early efforts gave me the momentum to pursue music. And she still knows the power of words.

David Roitstein

My biggest influence, mentor, and role model was, and still is, my brother David Roitstein. He’s been supporting and facilitating my musical efforts since I was a kid. David is the chair of the Jazz Studies at CalArts, where he’s built an outstanding program that has produced many successful musicians. What I treasure most about my brother is how he always knows exactly what to say to make me feel good about what I’m doing. He’s a master of the power of words. And his vast musical gift and work ethic are motivational. Dave’s wife Rosy Sackstein and her extraordinary mom, Dr. Rosalina Sackstein, are great music educators and longtime examples for me.

Byron Hanson

John Casbarro, my first French horn instructor, introduced me to expression, music theory, and tone. My ninth grade band director, Brad Meyerdierks, took extra time to coach me on musicianship. When I attended Interlochen Arts Academy, many amazing educators contributed to my development; I couldn’t possibly list them all. But in particular, Dave Sporny, John Lindenau, and especially orchestra director Byron Hanson helped to shape the person and musician I was becoming. Byron always knew the right words to give me the confidence I needed. Many of his sayings still resonate. That is the power of words.

At the University of Miami, I had many great professors, but the biggest impact was from Jerry Peel, Vince Maggio, Ron Miller, and especially Whit Sidener.

Whit Sidener

Whit taught me in several classes and was the director of the Concert Jazz Band, of which I was a proud member. An impromptu compliment about my songwriting made me think I might have a future as a composer. The power of words showed the way.

Some of my best teachers are fellow musicians, colleagues, artists, clients, friends, and students. My students teach me every day. Sometimes they thank me or offer feedback about how they’re learning. The power of words reminds me: I must be doing something right.

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1. Make the Cuban coffee as usual. I typically use a 3-cup “cafetera”.
2. Pour into large glass while the coffee is still hot.
3. Add sugar or sweetener to taste and mix while coffee is still hot. I usually use one packet of fake sweetener.
4. Add milk. I use skim milk. Leche descremada, or “descreaming mik” as Tany says.
5. Add ice.
6. Blend. I usually skip this step, but technically a “batido” is like a milk shake.
7. Enjoy.

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This recipe makes around 12 servings. It’s like a cross between flan and cheesecake. I don’t like the “eggy” taste of regular flan, so this is perfect for me.

The hardest thing about this recipe is the caramel topping. You can buy pre-made if you prefer.

The flan needs to cool for at least a few hours before serving.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 14 ounce can of evaporated milk
• 1 12 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
• 1 8 ounce package of cream cheese
• 5 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Heat sugar in a small, heavy-duty saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, for 3 to 4 minutes or until sugar is dissolved and caramel colored.
3. Pour into bottom of a 2-quart casserole dish.
4. Place evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, cream cheese, eggs and vanilla in a blender and cover. Blend until smooth.
5. Pour mixture into the prepared casserole dish, covering the dissolved sugar.
6. Place casserole in a 13×9-inch baking dish. Fill the baking dish with warm water to 1-inch depth.
7. Bake until the flan is brownish and a knife inserted comes out clean.
8. Remove flan from hot water.
9. Cool at room temperature.
10. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
11. Run knife around rim and gently shake to loosen.
12. Invert into serving dish.
13. Enjoy!

Easy optional toppings include canned shredded coconut or canned guava sauce or guava jelly. Really not needed though!

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Note: some of these are just “disparates” I’ve heard over the years. Please accept this blog entry with the affection with which it was intended.

The Growing Cubonics List:

This is just a starter list; please enter your own below and I’ll add them.

Food:
Ambége = hamburger
Otdó = hot dog
Quácke = Quaker Oats
Conflé = Corn Flakes, or ANY cold cereal
Sángweesh = sandwich
Esláy = Slice
Quéi = cake

An actual sign from a Little Havana bakery

Products:
Bibaporrú = Vick’s Vapor Rub
Bébi Yónson = Johnson’s Baby Shampoo or Baby Aspirin
Pécksi = Pepsi
Esprái = Sprite
Colgáteh = Colgate toothpaste

Construction:
Tinsé = Thin Set
Chípi Jáme = chipping hammer
Chi Ró = sheet rock
El Fórley = the fork lift
La Casina = lacquer thinner

Automotive:
Esparplú = spark plug
Páwed Estíri = power steering
Fígaro = fill it up
Picó = pickup truck
Transpoteíchon = junk car “jalopy” only good for “transportation”.

Businesses:
El Públi = Publix
Blu Cro Blu Chiz = Blue Cross Blue Shield
Macdóna = McDonald’s
Toy Serao’ = Toys ‘R’ Us
La Vaquita = Farm Stores
El pollo del viejito = KFC
El Cuiche = Quick Chek (defunct grocery store chain from the Winn-Dixie family)
Guindíci = Winn-Dixie
Jofú = Whole Foods
Cóco = Costco
Besbái = Best Buy
Papayón = Papa John’s Pizza
Picksa Hó = Pizza Hut
Dónki Dónah = Dunkin Donuts

Household items:
Pin-pam-pum = fold away bed
Frijidáire = any refrigerator (Frigidaire)

Technology:
Lató = lap top
Copiúti = computer

Places:
Mayamidéi = Miami-Dade
Cora Géibo = Coral Gables
Coco Nogró = Coconut Grove
Jónste = Homestead
Déilan = Dadeland
Tirate al mar = Miracle Mile
Ayuda de Juan = US1
Nodee = Northeast
Noweh = Northwest
Sauee = Southeast
Saueh = Southwest

Miscellaneous:
Jónle = homeless
¿Guasápeninmeng? = What’s happening man?
Guarejáu = warehouse
Flonquear = to flunk a class
Day care = take care
Dayó = day off
Ícotá = income tax
Da sol = That’s all
Cóli = college

Bueno, da sol for now. Please add your own below! Day care.

Steve

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Some of the Testers

I started my experiments armed only with a sandwich press and my unique culinary point of view. I enlisted some friends for the Juban Sandwich Test Kitchen. We tried various combinations of bread, ingredients and sauces. One version of the sandwich contained cow’s tongue, roast pork, Swiss cheese, pickle, and a sauce. It was delicious, but questions remained: rye bread with caraway seeds or without? Pork, or no pork?

After reporting the results back to Chef Douglas, we settled on a final, delicious recipe. First, he decided that he’d bake his own fresh bread exclusively for the Juban: Cuban bread with caraway seeds. Talk about both worlds colliding! The other ingredients are as follows:

• Pickles, prepared specifically for this sandwich
• Roasted beef brisket, thinly sliced, replacing the Cuban sandwich’s roast pork
• Turkey ham, thinly sliced, adding a nice smokey flavor
• Swiss cheese – this is something the “Cuban” and the “Reuben” have in common!
• Garlic aioli mayonnaise

The bread is split and the ingredients are strategically placed inside. The sandwich is grilled slowly on a sandwich press until the cheese is melted, the ingredients are hot, and you can tap on the bread and hear that Cuban clave percussive sound! It’s served with crispy plantain chips.

The Juban Sandwich

No es por nada pero this sandwich is TO DIE FOR!

See how Chef Douglas makes the Juban Sandwich:

PALO! in the kitchen w/ Chef Douglas Rodriguez. THE JUBAN SANDWICH

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