When it comes to cooking Puerto Rican Cuisine, I have found some patterns in cooking that I refer to as the flavors of Puerto Rico. I really just need a reference post for my Puerto Rican recipes.
I am not Puerto Rican. I have never lived on the island. My ex-husband (14 years of marriage + 3 kids) is Puerto Rican, Island Raised.
I wanted the flavor of my ex-husband’s mother’s cooking, his grandmother’s cooking, (the flavors of Puerto Rico) so he had some comfort food while living state side. Now I aim for his family’s traditions to the best of my ability for our kids. I want them to normalize a lot of his culture, as much as possible.
But let’s face it. They look like tourists when they visit. They feel like tourists when they visit. But I try.
At least they’re related to Jamsha so they’ll still have some street cred regardless.
Everything I know about Puerto Rican Cuisine, I learned from my ex-MIL. I do know she’s well known and respected for cooking among all her friends and family, as well as neighbors and haters. Like I could make some of this on the island with strangers with a bit of confidence. They’d be surprised like, “How does a gringa…?” and it’s like, “You have someone who learns too quickly watching and learning from one of the best.”
The Main Ingredients / Flavors of Puerto Rico
The thing with the way Puerto Rican dishes are made by the way I’ve learned to make them is they are incredibly adaptable. You really can use any ratio of any flavors. Just add the flavor of Puerto Rico to the best of your ability.
THESE ARE IN ORDER OF HOW I ADD INGREDIENTS TO COOKING (not best to least relevant).
- Onion
- Garlic
- Green Pepper
- Cilantro
- Sometimes Red Pepper. Sometimes not.
- Sometimes Tomato or Tomato Sauce. Sometimes not.
- Sazon
- Sofrito – Goya Recaito or Sofrito but the best here is homemade.
- Adobo – Goya or Badia
- Culantro or Ground Coriander – Badia
So when you see any recipes for Puerto Rican foods, I personally just find it easiest to be like, “Puerto Rico flavoring, plus or minus red stuff?”
Then I just do my best to incorporate those flavors. It’s ok if you’re missing some.
Substitute Ingredients for Seasoning
For Adobo, use a little garlic salt, pepper, and oregano.
For Sofrito, mix 1/2 onion, 1 and a half green pepper, 1 red pepper, 2 TSP of Minced Garlic, some Adobo, a fistful of cilantro, and a little oregano into a blender (or food processor) until well blended. Add a little olive oil to help preserve it. Store in fridge. Maybe in an old clean margarine tub.
For Sazon, mix equal amounts of ground coriander, ground cumin, paprika, and garlic salt.
Wine Pairing with these Flavors
I cannot talk about the flavors of Puerto Rico without giving this a major mention…
Consider this my wine pairing. Any Puerto Rican cuisine is best paired with Rum.
And Puerto Rico is known for their rum. Ron.
The best. and I mean THE BEST. rum you’ll ever find is Pitorro from the island. It’s moonshine rum that is only legal to share between friends. It’s not allowed to leave the island. So we can’t get it here.
But the second best. the Best you Can Buy. and I mean THE BEST YOU CAN BUY. is Don Q Gran Anejo. It’s not for the weak of heart. But this is the best you can find on the market. You can find it here.
If you want cheap rum, the best option there is Castillo.
Malibu and Captain Morgan and Bacardi are ok, but I’ve never seen anyone in Puerto Rico drink it. It’s a little weird actually.
For Pinterest
