Dominican bites Archives

Pondering death, spirit and the wrath of God

Happy New Year everyone! Mine is off to a shaky start. After spending quality time with family and enjoying the mountains and beaches of my Caribbean homeland, I'm back to the cold reality of winters in the heartland... pondering death and new beginnings. A close family member died unexpectedly the day I came back. My family is feeling sadness and the strange emptiness of losing someone you thought would be around for a long time. This death was preceded by my first experience of an earthquake. It is nerve-wracking not knowing when the next one will strike and whether the…

Bachata en Fukuoka

Juan Luis Guerra's Bachata en Fukuoka, 2010 Tropical Song of the Year - from 2010 Latin Grammy's Album of the Year "A Son de Guerra". This beautiful bachata song was written by Guerra in Japan, during a visit to the town of Fukuoka. The video portraits a love story that survived absence and time... and lovers who held on to a memory from their youth and kept it fresh through un-aging love: Song lyrics are below. Here's a link to an unofficial English translation. Dile a la mañana que se acerca mi sueño que lo que se espera con paciencia…

Braised chicken recipe (pollo guisado)

Dark poultry meat is specially tasty when braised. For this braised chicken recipe, I'm going to use all drumsticks (because I like them so much!) but you can use any part of the chicken. See easy print recipe at the end of the post! Braised chicken recipe (pollo guisado) 10 chicken drumsticks6 garlic cloves (peeled)1/2 of a red onion chopped in half inch squares1 tea spoon salt1/2 tea spoon ground oregano or 1 teaspoon oregano flakes1 tea spoon tomato paste1 tea spoon brown sugar2 table spoons vegetable oil4 green onions chopped (for garnish)1 1/2 cups water Garlic: mash garlic in…

Moro de guandules (pigeon pea rice)

This moro de guandules (pigeon pea rice) recipe is for the traditional stove top Dominican moro. I also have a rice-cooker version of this recipe. Easy print recipe below. Definition of moro in Dominican cooking: any combination of rice and legumes cooked in the same dish. Popular types of moro are black bean moro, pigeon pea moro and red bean moro. Pigeon peas are one of my favorite legumes and since they are not as widely produced as other types of beans, it is always a treat to have them. In the U.S., I have only been able to get…

Living with less: is your lifestyle recession-proof?

For about a year now, I've been hearing about the likelihood of a big economic slow-down, a recession or even a depression; first from a family member and for the past six months, from the news. The economic shit hit the fan last month, when several major and seemingly stable financial institutions either failed, were bailed out by the Fed or bought by more solvent corporations. The chant that I heard from just one person has now become a choir, as everyone has finally woken up to the fact that we are in deep trouble. As I write this, I…

Easter-time Dominican recipes

While Americans hunt for eggs filled with candy at Easter, Dominicans are scouting their neighborhood for whomever is making their favorite Easter-time dessert, all Lenten season. Habichuelas con dulce is one of two very popular Easter-time Dominican recipes that use beans or corn, and a combination of evaporated and condensed milk, sweet potatoes and sugar. You are in for a treat with the following habichuelas con dulce recipe. If you're looking to make maíz con dulce or chacá, click here. Source: Dominican Cooking Habichuelas con Dulce is one of Dominican Republic's most cherished traditions. It is prepared for Easter…

Long live merengue!

Merengue has long been the signature rythm of the Dominican Republic. Remarkable how three tiny islands in the Caribbean (Hispaniola, Puerto Rico and Cuba) have been able to deliver so many of the most popular Latin rythms: salsa, merengue, bachata, reigetton, among others. But of all the Dominican rythms, merengue is the most recognized as the national music and it is the one that beats in my heart with the most nostalgia, pride and joy. Here's an excerpt of what makes merengue from wikipedia: Merengue is a musical genre native to the Dominican Republic. The word “merengue” literally means whipped…

Bachata china con flow

E'to se acabo! Video Bachata China con Flow. Si el video debajo no funciona, aquí está el enlace original.