Straight from my Mom's kitchen

Hey good-lookin'!  What'cha got cookin'?

So, I bet some of you are wondering if I've been cooking, and if so why haven't written about it lately.  I would wonder too.

The truth is that while I have still been cooking, and even some new dishes that you you'd enjoy, I haven't felt compelled to necessarily write about them yet.  Part of it is that I've had challenges with the photos.  I will only use my own photos here.  The lighting in my new kitchen is not the greatest for pictures, although dynamite for ambiance.

The core of the matter is that for many reasons, I haven't "felt" it.  A year ago or so I shared with you that cooking is an emotional experience for me.  Even something simple like a salad, is not really simple for me.  I can't help but to pour my feelings into my dishes.  It really does remind me of that book (and movie) Like Water For Chocolate.

Although it may sound poetic, it can also be a burden.  Some things, and some feelings are too profound and heavy.  Sometimes, rather than to experience them all over again, I rather just put those thoughts into a safe place until I'm ready to reconcile them.

Today, is a special day however.  Today, I'm sitting in my mother's kitchen in The Bronx, NY and watching her cook.  I'm actually sitting in the same chair in the far corner of the kitchen where I told you that Mamita would sit to watch my mom cook & chat with her.  This chair is a tradition.

My daughter, brother and Dad are spending time together in the other room.  My brother occasionally comes in the kitchen to make us laugh or crack a joke.  He is one of the funniest people that I have ever met, and can make my mother and I laugh until we're in tears.  He's also scoping the kitchen and being tortured by the smell of Mami's cooking, repeatedly asking, "Is it ready yet!".  My daughter also keeps doing the same while stopping to play with the magnets on her Nanny's fridge.

Again, my brother just came into the kitchen and just looks at me with that dry sarcastic glare.  I tell him that  I'm writing about him as we speak and he says, "Defamation.", as he walks away.  That's our dynamic, dry sarcasm.  It sometimes makes our mother crazy!

I have a long drive back home and my mom wants to make sure my daughter and I eat "una comida criolla" before we leave New York City.  Home-cooked meals are just her specialty.

This is the lady who taught me to cook with my heart.  As I watch her, I see so much of myself in her.  How much she cares, how deeply she feels her emotions.  How she communicates best with her gestures.

I miss these moments so much, and I treasure them with all my heart.  I couldn't let the moment pass, so I grabbed by iPad and here I am.  I want you to be part of this moment with me.

Today Mami is making Arroz con Costillas y Guandules!  A whole delicious meal made in a traditional rice pot, that used to belong to my grandmother, Mamita.  It's spare rib tips in yellow Criolle-style rice with peas.

Mami starts off with her hand-made sofrito.  She didn't have any pre-prepared, so she does it by hand.  Some people, like my friend Omar, prefer to do it that way.  It's a matter of preference, really. I enjoy both ways of making sofrito very much!  Actually, it's how it tastes and smells that I love... and all of the memories that it brings back.

I love watching my mom in the kitchen. She puts so much love in everything.

Mami cuts culantro leaves, mashes up fresh garlic in her pilon, cuts some white & purple onions, meticulously chops cubanelle peppers and the small delicious multi-colored ajis.  She also sneaks over some fresh-cut peppers and feeds them to me while I'm typing away.  Towards the end, she adds in fresh cilantro.

The trimmed and chopped spare rib tips have been marinating in apple cider vinegar and very little oil, with Sazon, Adobo, black pepper & garlic powder.  Mix well, cover tightly and let marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

In a large pot, already heated, Mami lets the meat cook down- only partially. Once you mix through, you will notice that in the water the ribs have rendered some fat.  Mom scoops this out as much as she can to reduce the amount of fat in the dish.

Then, she smothers the ribs with the homemade sofrito, mixes it through and adds in 2 cans of Goya guandules and one can of Goya tomato sauce.  Mix through again and add your rice and water.  Let that cook through as you would normally when you make rice.  The aroma will drive you crazy!

Serve with a side of garden salad dressed in olive oil and balsamic, and a slice of avocado on the side.  Healthy, delicious Puerto-Rican comfort food!

Muy buen provecho!  

I'm going to stay a while, and enjoy watching my Mami and have her delicious food.  
... I wish that you were here with me!