Taste bud Travels: Dominican Cuisine Wedding Shower

One of my colleagues is marrying his love of 10 years later this month.  They decided on a destination wedding:  Dominican Republic.  I thought a great way to send them off would be to have a wedding shower in the office with Dominican cuisine, beverages and music (dancing was inevitable).

For my part I made:

• Pollo guisao (stewed chicken - Dominican style)
• Moro de habichuelas (rice and beans)
• Rum punch
• Mamajuana (Dominican drink)

I would suggest you buy your ingredients from a local Latino market.  I needed to feed 40 - 50 people on a budget.  I bought all of my ingredients for less than $75!

Now you are going to be in the kitchen for quite some time.  Hydration is important.  Be sure to mix a nice Brugal Extra Viejo with coke and lime, over ice.  Sip as you cook for best results. 

Pollo Guisao (stewed chicken - Dominican style)

The recipe below should serve 6.

Ingredients

12 - 13 Chicken thighs (I prefer boneless but with the bone is fine)
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
1 teaspoons of sugar
3 tablespoons of sazon seasoning
Adobo (sprinkle to your taste buds content)
3 chicken bouillon cube, crumbled
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of chili powder
1 lime
1 green bell pepper
1 small red onion chopped finely
1/2 teaspoon of mashed fresh garlic
1 medium potato (Idaho russet preferred)
1/2 jar of pitted Spanish olives
1 can of chopped tomatoes/green peppers (mild)
Tabasco (if you like Tabasco)

Directions

1. Clean the chicken thighs.  I trim the fat and cut in half if they are boneless.
2. In a bowl mix the chicken, cumin, onion, squeeze in the juice of the lime (roll the lime between the counter top and your hand until it feels soft to get the most juice out of it), olives (I put in 1/2 a jar and then 2 - 3 tablespoons of the juice), a pinch of salt and garlic. Marinate for 30 minutes. 
   
3. Chop up the potato and green pepper.  Set to the side.  
   
4. In another bowl, mix tomato paste, the can of can of chopped tomatoes/green peppers, adobo to taste and salt to taste.  Put to the side.
   
5. In a pot heat up the oil, add the sugar, bouillon, adobo and sazon seasoning then cook until the sugar gets to a lightly brown color. 
   
6. Add the marinated chicken (with all the goodies you marinated with the chicken) and cook until meat is light brown. 
   
7. Once meat is light brown, transfer to the crockpot and add the remaining ingredients which you set to the side in #3 and #4.  
   
   
   
   
8. Add enough water until it covers the chicken and about 10 - 15 dashes of Tabasco to taste.
9. Cover and and simmer until all the ingredients are tender and a delicious sauce is formed.  I did this all night in the crockpot and then 4 hours the next day - the meat was falling off the bone!
10. Serve with moro de habichuelas.

Moro de habichuelas (rice and beans)
While I used kidney beans in the recipe below, you can also use black beans or pigeon peas.  This recipe should also serve 6.

Ingredients
4 cups of rice (avoid boil in a bag rice)
2 cups of kidney beans (canned is fine.  If you use canned be sure to drain and wash the beans so that the liquid they come in is no longer present.)
6 cups of water
5 tablespoons of vegetable oil
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
Pinch of oregano
1/2 tablespoon of fresh mashed garlic
1 tablespoon of capers
10 chopped pitted Spanish olives
Salt
Adobo

Directions

1. Heat up 2.5 tablespoons of the vegetable oil adding in the garlic, olives, oregano, capers and tomato paste. 
2. Stir on high heat until the tomato paste becomes liquid. 
   
3. Add the canned kidney beans, salt and adobo to taste. 
   
4. Once beans are well heated, add the water and bring to a boil.  
5. Once the water is boiling, add the rice and continuously stir until the water has evaporated and rice is fluffy.
6. Once rice is fluffy, cover and turn heat to 'simmer'.  Add the remaining 2.5 tablespoons of oil, salt and adobo to taste.  Simmer for 15 - 20 minutes.
7. In 5 minute intervals uncover the rice to check it is not sticking/burning and continue to 'fluff' using a fork.  Be sure to NOT OVERCOOK!  Otherwise the dish will become 'mushy.'
   
8. Serve.  Optional garnish - cilantro.  (We have colleagues allergic to cilantro so I did not add but I highly recommend!)

Adult beverages - Rum punch

Mix 1 liter of passion fruit juice and 1 liter of guava nectar with 1/2 (or 3/4) bottle of Dominican rum.  Squeeze 1 full softened lime.
Serve over ice with lime garnish.

Adult beverages - Mamajuana

At parties I normally serve this as the 'welcome shot.'  To the bottled Dominican herbs which include cinnamon, I added Brugal Extra Viejo (3/4 of the bottle), red wine (a little less than 1/4 of the bottle) and organic bee honey or agave nector (to taste). ** There is my personal secret ingredient which I am not sharing** Once you have added these ingredients I suggest letting it 'sit' for a minimum of 2 weeks.  I normally do not touch it for 2 - 3 months. Besides being rumored to be a natural aphrodisiac, mamajuana is also consumed for its medicinal value, said to aid in cough, digestion, help circulation as well as act as a liver and kidney cleanser. So "salud!" 

We also served plantain chips with a side of pikliz (Haitian cabbage) and spiced sweet plantains.  Of course there was Dominican rum being served with coke and lime or simply over ice with lime.

It is not a Dominican party without music!  We played Bachata, Merengue and Salsa in the background while we all gathered and toasted the soon to be wedded couple - Blake and Kelsey.  By the end of the party guests comfortable (tipsy) enough and learning bachata and salsa.  It was a very nice Dominican inspired event.  We all wish them well with many more years of happiness!   

 Felicidades Kelsey and Blake