Arroz a la Cubana

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             FOOD FUNNY
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Here's an unusual food funny from Anna Welander:

A guy was walking down the street and saw a sign: Word Bar. He walked in
and saw a woman behind the counter. "What's all this 'Word Bar' stuff?" he asked.

She said, "Exactly what it says - we've got verbs, prepositions,
hyperbole, punctuation, whatever you want."

"OK," said the guy, "gimme an entendre."

"Single or double?" she asked.

"Make it a double!"

She raised one eyebrow, looked him up and down, and with a sly grin
said, "Don't you mean a large one?"

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             TODAY'S RECIPE
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This recipe is one we discovered in Uruguay where my family lived when I
was a boy, and it was a favorite of my brother's and mine. The name
"Cuban rice" is a mystery, because in subsequent years I have never met
a Cuban who knew this dish. My guess is that in Uruguay they called it
"Cuban rice" because of the use of fried bananas, a Caribbean item. The
original version called for fried bananas, but my version cuts down on
the fat and simplifies the process by baking the bananas instead. It is
easy to make for two people or twenty, so I have decided to give
ingredients on a per-person basis rather than in the usual format. As
they say in Uruguay - ¡Buen Provecho!

Arroz a la Cubana ("Cuban" Rice)

All quantities given are per person:
1/2 cup (125 ml) raw white rice
1 cup (250 ml) water
1/4 tsp (1 ml) turmeric
1 banana
2 to 4 slices bacon
1 to 2 eggs
A few drops of olive oil or bacon drippings

Bring the water to a boil and add the rice and turmeric. Stir once,
cover, reduce the heat to a slow simmer, and cook for 15 minutes. Do not
remove the cover from the pot. After 15 minutes, remove the pot from
heat and set aside. Meanwhile cook the bacon until crisp. I prefer to do
this by placing the bacon strips in a single layer on a large baking
sheet and baking in a moderate oven (350F, 180C) until crisp, in order
to reduce the amount of stove-top activity. Cut both ends off the
bananas and, using the point of a sharp knife, cut through the peel from
one end to the other. Bake these on a separate baking sheet at the same
time as the bacon, for about 20 minutes, until the bananas are soft and
the peel is completely black. When the bananas are done, remove the peel
by grabbing (CAUTION: VERY HOT) the peel where you made the slit and
rolling the banana out of the peel. Fry the eggs in the olive oil or
bacon drippings. To assemble, place a mound of rice in the center of
each plate, and surround it with the bacon and the peeled, cooked
bananas. Top with a fried egg or two.
Received on Wed Dec 12 21:19:48 2007