Cuban

Mofongo is a garlicky, salty green-plantain-based dish hailing from the island of Puerto Rico, though it has woven itself into the cultural fabric of the Dominican Republic and parts of Cuba as well.

For this adaptation of a classic Cuban cocktail, you don't need a muddler. Tear the mint, then stir with lime juice, sugar, white rum, and soda water.

This dish is so tasty and satisfying that you’ll be happy to eat it for days (and so healthful and nutritious that you should eat it for days).

Pineapple cups make a fun presentation for this frosty summer cocktail, but if you're short on time, just use regular cocktail glasses instead.

It's not just a marinade—this classic mojo sauce can also be spooned over chicken or fish for a piquant finishing touch, and deployed as a flavorful stir-in for rice.

Pressure cooking flank steak makes shredding this lean meat really easy. The red wine rounds out the sauce in this quick version of the traditional Cuban stew.

Cuban pulled pork—or lechon asado—meets traditional Cuban ham and Swiss sandwiches in these zesty, melty paninis.

The Cubano’s cuter cousin, the Media Noche was sold as a late-night snack in Havana’s cafés. Calling for the same blend of sweet-cured ham, Swiss cheese, and pickles, it works best with juicier cuts of pork—though what really sets it apart is the egg-rich Pan de Media Noche.

From wild pigs fed on small nuts retrieved by ranch hands nimbly climbing royal palms to all day vigils around wooden roasting boxes, getting pork right is a serious Cuban affair. This Lechón Asado falls in between those extremes. The pork shoulder is marinated in mojo then oven-roasted over several hours, usually overnight. The heat is cranked up at the very end until the skin turns a deep golden brown. Traditionally made for Nochebuena, it’s a holiday dish that’s simple enough to make for any occasion. This recipe comes from Sofía Benítez Otero.

Use this flavorful Cuban condiment as a marinade or as a sandwich spread.

There’s a simple structure behind all sours, a family of citrus-based cocktails.

The elegant Cuban combo of lime and rum has nothing to do with the syrupy slush you'll find at swim-up bars.

Watercress is the green of choice in Cuba, its peppery taste a perfect foil for the avocado and the sweet pineapple in this classic Cuban salad. I serve it with shrimp in a spicy tomato sauce called enchilado de camarones. In Cuba, the pineapple is never roasted, but this technique adds another dimension of flavor I find very appealing.

This heirloom family recipe has the distinctive allspice aroma of the cooking of my hometown, Santiago de Cuba, the only part of Cuba where this complex spice is used in a pork marinade. The combination of cumin and allspice is especially characteristic of my family's cooking. Originally a Christmas dish, cerdo brujo is now one of the most popular dishes at my restaurant Zafra, where we celebrate Christmas every day.

This garlicky sauce is the traditional accompaniment to the starchy root vegetables of the Hispanic Caribbean, especially Cuba. The acidic medium is usually Seville, or bitter, orange juice, though lime juice or white vinegar can be substituted. The mojo is at its best spooned or brushed over piping-hot boiled yuca, plantains, or other starchy tropical vegetables.

A sensuous variation on the theme of bread and chocolate is a silky ganache flavored with a garlicky Cuban-style olive oil mojo, smeared over slices of Cuban bread. Because the ingredients are so few and basic, it is important to use a not-too-bitter premium chocolate. I also like the effect of a mellow Spanish extra-virgin olive oil made with Arbequina olives, with their slight accent of apple peel. Sea salt sprinkled on the bread right at the moment of serving brings out all the flavors.