Posted by Marlen on December 11, 2000 at 16:27:53:
In Reply to: Dominican republic posted by Lindsay on December 11, 2000 at 13:07:11:
Lindsay, whether you are asking for a school project or just out of curiosity, you deserve a correct answer. The problem with posting recipes off the Internet without knowing the cuisine of a particular country is that there are a lot of crazy things posted in the Internet which just are not so.
I am Cuban-American, I am a professional simultaneous translator (English/Spanish), a former president of the Pan American Counil and I just returned from one of many trips I have taken to the Dominican Republic. My best friend is from that country, and I just finished speaking with her so I could answer your request properly.
First, a recipe for paselitas was posted. I certainly never heard of it, nor is there such a word in Spanish. There are pastelitos, which mean pastries, not necessarily typical of the Dominican Republic. My best friend's brother in law is a chef in the Dominican Republic. He has never heard of Pan Dulce de Maiz as being typical Dominican fare.
The one dish that is absolutely prepared for Christmas is Pasteles en Hoja, similar to Puerto Rican Pasteles, but not quite. Think of it as a tamal with a meat filling, but instead of corn, green plantains are used. There is a recipe in Spanish at the link. It is quite an involved process and you may not be able to get all of the ingredients needed, for example, yautia.
There is another dish which is synonymous with the Dominican Republic and that is Mangú. This eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There are many variations but what I am posting is a basic recipe. I hope this answers your question. Please feel free to email me if I can be of any further assistance.
Mangú
4 green plaintains (remove the skin and cut in 3 inch pieces)
2 teaspoons of salt
1 cup of water
½ cup of whole milk
½ cup of cold water
5 Tablespoons of American cheese or other cheese that you like (grated or cut into small pieces so it well blend well and melt easier)
½ stick of butter (cold)
5 strips of bacon
Salt to taste
In a large saucepan, Place your cut Platano bananas and add sufficient room temperature water (or from tap) to cover the bananas for boiling. Add 2 teaspoon of salt to the water. Cook or boil the bananas for 20 or 25 minutes, until soft. You do not need to boil the water first, simply place the bananas on the stove with water to begin.
Add additional water to replace the water that has boiled off, and with a lid now on the saucepan, cook for another 15 minutes.
Remove from the stove and drain off the water in your saucepan completely. Mash the bananas with a potato masher (or something similar) ~ adding the cold water from the refrigerator, ½ cup of whole milk and your cheese that you like (you may also add chopped sweet onions if you like). After this mixture has come to the consistency of mashed potatoes. add ½ stick of lightly salted butter.
In a frying pan, fry the 5 bacon strips. Drain off the fat from the bacon and add it to your already prepared Mangu, blending well with a wooden spoon. If you like, you may also cut the bacon into small pieces and add this also (this is optional). Your Mangu is Ready!