Dominican delights

By Mary-Liz Shaw of the Journal Sentinel

Posted: May. 9, 2009


Rick Wood
A good Dominican meal could feature rice and beans (top, clockwise), Mangú (mashed plantains topped with sautéed red onions), Chicharrones de Pollo (Dominican-style fried chicken) served with sliced mango, and Pernil (roast pork shoulder), served with fresh lime wedges

Junot Díaz possesses a rare gift for straddling borders of all kinds. Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in New Jersey, Díaz mines the "otherness" of the first-generation immigrant to heartbreaking effect.

His style is a unique blend of highly literate language and über-cool street slang, making for a narrative texture rich in what The New York Times' A.O. Scott calls "high-low dexterity."

Díaz's 2007 novel, "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao," his first and only novel to date, garnered almost universal acclaim, winning the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Pulitzer Prize, among many accolades.

Readers of Díaz's only other published work, "Drown," a collection of short stories that appeared in 1996, recognized the engaging voice that captivated so many of us in "Oscar Wao." It is Yunior, a savvy, resourceful, street-smart observer of the world.

In "Drown" we encounter Yunior at different stages of his life, beginning with his childhood in the Dominican Republic through to his young adulthood in New Jersey.

Díaz chooses to tell Yunior's story as a series of first-person tales, from scene to scene, like someone talking about his past at the dinner table.

What I admire most about this approach is how much like life it is, yet how rare it is in fiction: Whenever we think about our past, we don't reminisce in complete, fully formed narratives; we remember incidents, scenes, single, crystallizing experiences.

In one or two of Yunior's experiences, the crystallizing event involves food. Food is a problem of one sort or another throughout "Drown." In the earliest years, in the Dominican Republic, Yunior's "Moms," as he calls her, struggles to get enough of it to feed herself and her boys.

In the later stories, with the family transplanted to the United States, acquiring the right ingredients for an authentic taste can be a matter of frustration or pride, depending on how successful was Moms' trip to the market.

And in the tale called "Fiesta, 1980," food is at the heart of a growing tension and resentment between a boy and his tyrannical father.

In this story the family prepares a feast to welcome an aunt and uncle as new immigrants to the United States. The table groans under a surfeit of Yunior's favorite foods, including chicharrones (fried pork or chicken), tostones (fried plantains), rice, and "a meteor-sized hunk of pernil" (roasted pork shoulder).

But he is not allowed to eat any of it. For every time he gets in his father's car, Yunior gets so sick that he, well, loses his lunch, let's say. So the father orders Yunior not to eat - an order that Yunior's young aunt defies by secretly slipping him some food.

Díaz says so much about Yunior and, by extension, Dominican culture in this funny, deceptively simple metaphor. There is the irony of a once deprived, poor child now living in "the land of plenty," but unable to partake of the bounty; there is the poor man's ludicrous preference for his fancy American car over his son's comfort; there is the cultural deference to the whims of the patriarch, however unreasonable; and there is a young woman's subversive expression of freedom and defiance against the constraints of that culture.


Celebrate Junot Díaz’s writing with Mangú, Chicharrones de Pollo, Moro de Habichuelas and Pernil.

Literal Feast RecipesThis classic Dominican dish is based on a recipe from www.dominicancooking.com. Dominicans often will eat this at breakfast, with eggs.

Mangú
Makes 4 to 6 servings

4 green plantains

4 teaspoons salt (divided)

2 tablespoons oil (divided) 2 large onions, sliced

1 tablespoon vinegar

4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter

1 cup cold water



Peel each plantain by slicing lengthwise through the skin along each side, then pulling off the strips. Cut peeled plantains into 1-inch chunks. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil with 2 teaspoons salt. Add chopped plantains and boil until very tender, about 40 minutes.

While plantains cook, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet. Sauté onions until translucent, about 5 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and add vinegar and remaining 2 teaspoons salt. Mix well. Remove from heat and set aside.

When plantains are tender, drain and mash with butter and the cold water. Serve dish by placing a scoop or two of mashed plantains topped with about ¼ cup of the onion mixture.

This dish, another classic of the Dominican table, is based on one created by Mark Bittman for The New York Times.

Pernil
Makes 8 servings

1 pork shoulder (butt), 4 to 7 pounds

4 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled

1 large onion, quartered

2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves or 1 tablespoon dried

1 tablespoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon ancho or other mild chili powder

1 tablespoon salt

2 teaspoons pepper

¼ cup olive oil

1 tablespoon white-wine or cider vinegar

1 to 2 cups water

3 limes, sliced in wedges



Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Score surface of meat all over with a sharp knife, forming a cross-hatch pattern.

Pulse garlic, onion, oregano, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper in food processor, drizzling in the oil, to form a thick paste. Blend in vinegar.

Rub paste all over exterior of meat. Put pork in roasting pan. Pour up to 2 cups of water in pan, depending on size of pan, to cover bottom and about one-fourth of the way up sides of meat.

Roast pork several hours, turning every hour or so, and adding more water as necessary, until meat is very tender. (A 4-pound roast will be done in about 3 hours.) Cut meat into chunks and serve with lime wedges.

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Chicharrones usually are made of pork - and Díaz has his Yunior eating pork chicharrones at one point. But this version, made with chicken, is popular too. The author of this recipe, About.com's Hector Rodriguez, calls it the Dominican answer to fried chicken. This is a delicious snack, with a bright, complex flavor set up by the combination of lime and paprika.

Chicharrones de Pollo
Makes 8 servings

2 ½ pounds boneless chicken

1 cup lime juice

4 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 4 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons hot paprika

1 ½ teaspoons pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1/3 to ½ cup oil for frying



Cut chicken into strips about 1 ½ inches wide. Combine lime juice, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and garlic and pour over chicken. Marinate chicken several hours or overnight.

In large bowl, combine flour, paprika, pepper and salt. Heat oil in a deep-fryer or in deep skillet over medium-high heat to reach 360 degrees. Roll marinated chicken pieces in flour mixture, then drop into hot oil. Fry chicken in batches, putting no more than 4 or 5 pieces in skillet at a time to maintain oil's temperature. Fry pieces about 4 minutes per side, until crispy. Remove from oil and drain on a plate or basket lined with paper towel.

Serve as soon as pieces are cool enough to touch.

This rice and beans dish is based on recipes found on three different Dominican tourism Web sites.

Dominican Moro de Habichuelas Negras (Rice and Black Beans)
Makes 8 servings

6 cups water

1 cup black beans

3 tablespoons oil

¼ cup green pepper, finely chopped

½ cup chopped red onion

½ teaspoon dried oregano 2 garlic cloves minced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

1 chicken bouillon cube

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 cups white rice

1 teaspoon salt



In pot, combine water and beans and bring to a boil. Cook 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and soak several hours or overnight, until beans are very tender. Drain beans, reserving 4 cups of the soaking liquid. Set beans aside.

In large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add pepper, onion, oregano, garlic, cilantro and parsley. Sauté about 1 or 2 minutes. Add bouillon cube and tomato paste and stir until dissolved. Add reserved beans and 1 cup of reserved bean soaking liquid. Bring to a simmer. Add rice, bring to a simmer again, then add remaining water and salt. Bring to a boil, stir, then lower heat to low, cover and cook until all water is absorbed.

Mary-Liz Shaw is a Journal Sentinel copy editor. Her Literal Feasts feature suggests a different book-themed menu each month.

Source: http://www.jsonline.com/features/food/44309042.html

Arsenio:

ME dio hambre !! 'Chacho , tate tranquilo con esas fotos que el presupuesto na da para tanto !!

PEro me hubiese gustado mucho mucho mas si el moro fuera de habichuela rojas!

Mi hermano Glimmertwin:

Yo tambien prefiero las habichuelas colora''s. I never aquired the plalate for the black variety.

Ain't our food the finest? Como cocinaba Mama.. Y ese Con-Con donde tu lo dejas?

Lo que falto fue el Mabi!
I believe we should be directing our attention towards our Cuisine, our Traditions, our Culture, and of course our people. Too much, way too much time is wasted bickering and explaining ourselves with the "foriegn envious element", that neither cares, or contributes to our personal growth, or unity.


Let's focus on our Quisqueyan Thing! Fuera--- los mala fe!

La Envidia y la hipocresia son de un pajaro las dos alas,
Agui yo te traigo prueba;;;;Todo en la vida se paga. Adalberto Santiago / Ray Barreto


Quisqueya, Dios te bendiga y te mantega bella!

What about Veggie days...... Save the planet and currency for buying corn to feed chickens from other countries........
Copy the Belgium example throughout the World.....
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8046970.stm
In developing countries government could give a special incentive for veggie days for everyone servincg food.

S.

GlimerTwin
Arsenio:

ME dio hambre !! 'Chacho , tate tranquilo con esas fotos que el presupuesto na da para tanto !!

PEro me hubiese gustado mucho mucho mas si el moro fuera de habichuela rojas!


ArsenioLembertJr.
Mi hermano Glimmertwin:

Yo tambien prefiero las habichuelas colora''s. I never aquired the plalate for the black variety.

Ain't our food the finest? Como cocinaba Mama.. Y ese Con-Con donde tu lo dejas?

Lo que falto fue el Mabi!
I believe we should be directing our attention towards our Cuisine, our Traditions, our Culture, and of course our people. Too much, way too much time is wasted bickering and explaining ourselves with the "foriegn envious element", that neither cares, or contributes to our personal growth, or unity.


Let's focus on our Quisqueyan Thing! Fuera--- los mala fe!

La Envidia y la hipocresia son de un pajaro las dos alas,
Agui yo te traigo prueba;;;;Todo en la vida se paga. Adalberto Santiago / Ray Barreto


Quisqueya, Dios te bendiga y te mantega bella!

Gizmo Don't forget tamarind juice i love it!

Arsenio what about "Morir soriendo and the yuga con bacalao, the sancocho,the mofongo,hielo de mango, dulce de cocopescado y platano frito. the lambi guisado, fried sweet platain
I can wait to go to my vacation house in Puert Plata and go to a cock fight while siping mi ron brugal ( brutal)

Don't forget about the nectar of the gods: Habichuelas con dulce, bien frias de nevera. There's no other dominican dish that I could love the most.

Arsenio,
Now I'm going to have to go the gym for two weeks non-stop! All thanks to you and your food instigation.... I will make a pernill today......

ABC:

Normally, I enjoy your posts, for whatever reason....

but this is one subject you need to lay off.....

dont be messing with my food !!!

Talk about the wrong place and the wrong time...