COQUITO RECIPE - Lee Chico

• 1 c water;
• 2-3 cinnamon sticks; 
• 1/4 -1/2 tsp ground cloves; 
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg 
• 4 egg yolks; 
• 14oz can sweetened condensed milk; 
• 12 oz can evaporated milk; 
• 15 oz can creme of coconut; (optional 15 oz can coconut milk) 

Boil the spices in water a few minutes till water nice and brown, strain and let cool. In meantime combinel all the canned fluids and egg yolks, then add cooled spiced water and stir well. Bottle and refrigerate. That is the recipe for all family members. 

For ADULTS add about 1 cup or to taste of Puerto Rican rum, making sure its a good quality white clear rum. This should be made several days prior to drinking as the flavors marinate best over a few days.

There are several different recipes out there some more simple than others, will shortly post another one without eggs for those leery of raw eggs in their drink.

Cubed Steak with Yuca (Cassava) - Lee Chico

• 4 beef cubed steaks seasoned with Goya Adobo then marinate the steaks in a large bottle of Italian dressing a couple of hours. 
• Place on high heat till it starts to boil and quickly turn down to low and cover tightly.
• Simmer about an hour or till fork tender checking on liquid and turning once.

Serve with boiled Pierogies or boiled Yuca and pour the dresssing from the pan over the them.

I buy the frozen Yuca (Cassava) in a bag.

The Yuca will take about an hour, check for doneness by splittling a large piece to make sure it is cooked thru.

Puerto Rican Style Beef Stew - Lee Chico

• 1 1/2 lbs stew beef cut into medium size cubes about an inch size each
• approx 2 tbsp vinegar
• 1/4 cup tomato sauce
• 2 leaves fresh culantro rinsed and ripped to pieces (culantro NOT Cilantro)
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic (from a jar)
• 1/4 cup GOYA RECAITO
• 1 1/2 Knorr beef cubes
• 2-3 potatoes peeled and cubed (about half the quantity of the stew beef)
• 1/2 c tomato sauce ( can use jarred spaghetti sauce instead)

In a 5 qt pot brown the stew beef with the vinegar on low heat covered stirrring often, add tomato sauce, culantro, cumin garlic recaito Knorr beef cubes and sautee abt 2 mins. or till cubes break down, stir well and add potatoes sautee stirring constantly another minute or so or until it starts to get thick, add approx 30 oz of water and bring to a low boil let boil about a min, then put on low and cover. Let simmer at least 45 min stirring occasionally.

Variations: 

a can of chick peas with liquid and bring to low boil before adding the water Or diced carrots and peas.

Serve over white rice with a slice of avocado and or fried plantains.

NOTE: I do not measure so these are all approximate, taste test as you go along and adjust the recaito, cumin garlic to your taste. If you dont have fresh Culantro just add more recaito. Recao is culantro and goya recaito is a mixture of this with garlic onions peppers etc. Culantro is a long oval shaped leaf while cilantro resembles parsley. I always use the Goya Recaito but since I now have easy access to the fresh culantro leaves I like to add them in, ummmm you can smell it cooking.