CULTURA.

Food

MOFONGO

Puerto Rican comfort food at its finest...

Mofongo is traditionally made from deep-fried green plantain pieces mashed with garlic and either salt-cured pork, pork crackling, butter, or oil. Some recipes use a salty broth to soften the plantains while mashing.

Mofongo can be served as a side dish or stuffed with any meat, such as stewed chicken, crab meat, octopus, skirt steak, fried pork, seafood, or stewed vegetables. Other variations of mofongo include yuca mofongo and trifongo, made with green plantain, sweet plantain, and yuca.

PAsteles

A childhood favorite of Stephanie, pasteles resemble tamales and are traditionally made with green banana masa stuffed with stewed pork meat. Pasteles can also be stuffed with chicken or bacalao (salted cod), and some vegan versions have been introduced recently.

To form the pastel, masa is pressed onto a plantain leaf, the stuffing added in the center, and the plantain leaf is folded, tied with string and covered in parchment paper. The pasteles are then boiled, unwrapped, and served.

An enduring debate revolves around whether or not it is appropriate to eat pastels with ketchup. Stephanie is team ketchup.

Tostones y Amarillos

These are two traditional ways to prepare plantains. Tostones are made from green plantain, which is savory. The plantain is cut into thick wheels marinated in water and garlic, then deep-fried in oil to soften, smashed, and deep-fried again until crispy. Amarillos, on the other hand, are ripe plantains cut into pieces and fried until the outside is almost blackened, and the inside is soft and sweet.

Arroz con gandules

Considered a boricua staple, this signature Puerto Rican rice dish is consumed year-round. Pigeon peas, or gandules, are small, dense legumes cooked with the rice in a large pot. First, salted pork or ham hock is sautéed in olive oil. Sofrito is then added, along with bay leaves, tomato paste, annatto, and often olives or capers. The rice and pigeon peas are then coated with this sauce, water or broth is added, and everything is cooked together until the rice is done.

Jackson often has to be restrained from eating so much arroz con gandules that he becomes ill.

Música

“Classic” Puerto Rican

Some of the classics Stephanie grew up with. You are guaranteed to hear more than one of these songs in a restaurant, a store, maybe even before you make it out of the airport.

Clásico Playlist