This afternoon I received a text from a good friend asking me what to put in a “Caribbean” salad. I made some suggestions, then asked if she needed a recipe for a Mojo-type vinaigrette. I make one without using a recipe, but knew I needed measurements for her. I went to the Saveur magazine website. I liked, and often used, the Mojo sauce they developed. I hoped that I could use those measurements with a bit more acid and oil for a good salad dressing. As I scrolled through the site, I came across an article that intrigued and distressed me.
The author of the article, a Cuban exile, who went to culinary school in the U.S., talked of a battered cookbook given to her by her mother when she moved away to college. The book, Cocina Criolla, is the definitive record of Cuban cooking. It was written more than 60 years previously by Nitza Villapol, Cuba's premier culinary figure. Known simply as “Nitza,” this incredible woman was the primary resource for the standardization and preservation of Cuban cuisine. She began a television program called Cocina al Minuto in 1948; Julia Child didn't begin her iconic television program until 1963. She hosted a radio program, was a prolific writer about food, and a representative for different food brands. Her influence to generations of Cubans forced from their homeland by Castro was to provide a blueprint for reproducing the tastes of a home that was gone forever.
Nitza was actually born in America to Cuban parents. In the 1920s her parents were known as gracious hosts to the group of Cuban ex-pats. In her childhood the family moved back to Havana. In the early days of her career on television Cuba was the playground for the rich and famous. Life had a certain cache and glamour. The recipes she cooked and wrote about included fancy international dishes as well as beans and plantains. Everything changed dramatically when Fidel Castro came to power in 1959. He seized more than 70 percent of the agricultural land on the island. In 1962 a program of severe food rationing was begun to handle drastic food shortages. The rationing continues today.
The author’s parents were still in Cuba when the shortages began. She spoke of the night when dinner for the entire family was a single avocado. Some days they only had water. In 1991 the collapse of the Soviet Union, which had supported the Cuban economy for many years, was apocalyptic. It is reported the average Cuban citizen lost 20 pounds in the two years following the Russian collapse. However, even in this unthinkable time, Nitza was determined to give hope and encouragement to Cubans when food was so scarce. She held fast to the belief that even in the most tragic moments, a plate of food, eaten around the table with family, could preserve dignity in horrific times.
Her several cookbooks are all out of print, but are available for a price. Sadly for me, they are all printed in Spanish. I would love to read the work of a patriot who struggled against all odds to preserve the tastes of a better time.
Fricasse de Pollo - from Nitza Villapol
(Serves 4)
• 1⁄4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1⁄4 cup fresh orange juice
• 3 cloves garlic, lightly smashed
• 1 (3 1⁄2–4-lb.) chicken, quartered (backbone discarded or saved for stock)
• 1⁄3 cup olive oil
• 1 large green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and thinly sliced
• 1 large white onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 lb. russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
• 1⁄2 cup cup jarred alcaparrado or 1⁄3 cup pimento-stuffed olives and 2 tbsp. capers
• 1⁄4 cup raisins
• 1 cup frozen peas, defrosted
• 1 (8-oz.) can tomato sauce
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Toss lime and orange juices, garlic, chicken, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap; chill 1 hour.
Heat oil in an 8-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Remove chicken from marinade; pat dry using paper towels and reserve marinade. Working in batches, cook chicken, flipping once, until browned, 8–10 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate. Add bell pepper and onion to pan; cook until soft, 6–8 minutes. Add wine; cook, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan, until reduced by half, 5–7 minutes. Return chicken to pan and add reserved marinade, potatoes, alcaparrado, raisins, tomato sauce, salt, pepper, and 1⁄2cup water; boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, covered, until chicken and potatoes are tender, about 45 minutes. Stir in peas before serving.
Fran Ginn is former chef/owner of The Back Door Café, who retired after 31 years in the food industry to be a grandmother. She can be contacted at fran@franginn.com.
