Published: January 28, 2007 10:33 am      

Super Bowl parties liven up with a Latin-influenced menu

Miami is one of those places that’s a blend of everything. With immigrants from Cuba, the Caribbean, and Central America, the cuisine of the city is ever-evolving, changing and blending to meet the needs of the new consumers flooding into the city every day.

With Super Bowl XLI coming to Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., on Feb. 4, it’s a good time to take a look at the food of Miami — and even draw some inspiration from it to spice up your Super Bowl party.

After all, why serve the same old nachos, hot dogs and beer? You could have tequila steak wraps, Cuban sandwiches, mojitos and empanadas. This is food everyone can enjoy — and chances are, it will make your party the hit of the neighborhood.

For inspiration, we interviewed a Miami-based cookbook author and a Miami chef. The first was Jorge Castillo, one of a trio of writers known as Three Guys from Miami who has penned two cookbooks featuring Cuban food. The latest is “Three Guys from Miami Celebrate Cuban.”

Castillo isn’t a chef by trade. Originally from Cuba, Castillo found himself attending college in Iowa, and craving his mother’s Cuban food. He began to call home for her recipes, and soon, was making the dishes that he had grown to love in his mother’s kitchen. He kept cooking and enjoyed creating food with his own hands.

When he moved to Miami, he and two brothers-in-law started a Web site dedicated to fishing in the Florida Keys. Soon, they were getting e-mails requesting recipes. And since two of them cooked and the third loved food, they were happy to share. That led to the cookbooks.

Cuban is the major influence in South Florida, Castillo said. “It is tasty spicy, but not spicy hot,” Castillo said. “It’s like Italian food but without so much basil.”

The three staples of the Cuban diet are garlic, onion and green pepper. Spices are typically cilantro, cumin and oregano.

The Cuban item most popular with Miami residents: the Cuban sandwich, which is a combination of pork, salty ham, kosher dill pickle, Swiss cheese, mustard and mayo, placed between two think slices of flat bread, and pressed together while cooking. It’s a meaty sandwich that will impress even the heartiest of eaters.

Andrew Rothschild, chef at Santos in Miami, suggests a recipe that meets the “meat” needs of the majority of Super Bowl fans, and has just enough Miami in it to be interesting.

Rothschild’s Tequila Cured Strip Steak South Beach Wrap blends together Spanish influences, with the tequila and the wrap. The key to the recipe, Rothschild said, is a good quality New York Strip Steak, and plenty of marinade time. It’s a simple recipe that anyone can make.

“I believe that you are going to put the same amount of effort into whatever you prepare, you just have to be creative about it,” Rothschild said. “It’s not rocket science.”

With our thanks for recipes to the good folks of Miami, here are some recipes to help you get your Super Bowl party started.

MANGO MARGARITA

Ingredients

3 ounces tequila

2 ounces Triple Sec (Cointreau, Grand Marnier, or generic)

2 ounces simple syrup (recipe below)

3/4 cup orange juice

3/4 cup mango puree

1/4 cup key lime juice

3/4 cup crushed ice

Pour the tequila, Triple Sec, simple syrup, orange juice, mango puree, and lime juice into a blender. Add the crushed ice and blend on high for about one minute. Serves four.

SIMPLE SYRUP

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

Place the water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly until all of the sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue simmering for about 20 to 30 minutes – until some of the water has boiled off and the syrup has thickened slightly.

From: “Three Guys from Miami Celebrate Cuban”



Empanadas de Espinaca – SPINACH EMPANADAS

INGREDIENTS

Filling

3 cups fresh spinach, chopped

1/3 cup olive oil

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups Roma tomatoes, peeled and chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

4 hardboiled eggs chopped

Dough

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons lard

1 whole egg PLUS 1 egg yolk

1/2 cup cold water

(Plus or minus to bring dough to proper consistency)



Filling

1. Steam the spinach in a steamer until it is wilted, but not mushy – approximately 3 minutes.

2. Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan and when it gets moderately hot, quickly stir in the garlic and chopped tomatoes, stirring constantly. Remove the pan from heat and let cool. Mix in the cooked spinach.

3. Finally, gently fold in the chopped hardboiled eggs. Salt and pepper the mixture to taste.



Dough

1. Sift the flour with salt and baking powder. Place half of the flour in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center. Place the butter, lard, eggs, and water in the well. Mix together at low speed to form a paste.

2. Continue to add more flour until all of the flour is added. You may need to add water – slowly and in small quantities until the dough reaches the right consistency. The dough needs to be soft and pliable, like pie dough.

3. Place the dough in a bowl, cover with a clean, damp dish towel, and let stand for 30 minutes at room temperature.

4. Lightly flour a work surface. Divide the dough into 4 pieces (keep the pieces you aren’t using in the refrigerator until you need them); use a floured rolling pin to roll out the dough about 1/8 inch thick. Cut the dough into a large, rough circle. (Don’t worry about making a perfect circle. You will trim the dough in the following steps.)

5. Put some filling in the center of the circle and fold over to make a half circle. Don’t over-fill! Use a pizza wheel to trim away the excess dough and make a nice half-moon shape. Seal the edges of the dough with a fork or your fingers to make a scalloped edge.

6. Get a large frying pan and add enough vegetable oil to cover the empanadas completely. Heat the oil to the frying stage – about 350 degrees F.

7. Fry the empanadas in the oil, turning occasionally until brown on all sides. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot.

Serves 6-8 (Makes 14-18 empanadas.)

From: “Three Guys from Miami Celebrate Cuban”



TEQUILA CURED STRIP STEAK SOUTH BEACH WRAP

2 cups of tequila

1 cup of Mirin or simple syrup (recipe above)

1 cup of soy sauce

2 shallots sliced

2 garlic cloves crushed

1 generous handful of roughly chopped cilantro

2 12 oz strip steaks

8 soft tortillas



Combine in mixing bowl and place steaks in shallow dish. Pour mixture on top.

Place steaks in refrigerator overnight to cure.

Take steaks out of refrigerator, place on wire rack, and place in refrigerator for two hours uncovered to dry.

Once dry, grill to medium rare or your particular taste.

Slice into thin strips.

Lightly grill flour tortilla and garnish with low fat sour cream, lettuce tomato, shredded cheddar and pickled jalapenos (any type of thick roll or bread can be substituted for tortilla).

Makes 8 wraps

From: Chef Andrew Marc Rothschild, Santo Restaurant Miami Beach