Oswald Rivera

Author, Warrior, and Teacher

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BÓCOLI CON CURRY (Curried Broccoli)

November 6, 2025 / / 0 Comments

Recently I had some vegetarian friends over for dinner. Being a meat eater, I asked myself, “What the hell do I do now?” Luckily, I had some broccoli on hand and then I thought, how about how about doing a curry sauce with it? Thus, was born Brócoli con Curry, or Curried Broccoli. Think of it as a new take on Nuyorican cuisine. Let me add that the perfect accompaniment to this dish is rice; but you can substitute couscous, quinoa or pasta, either tubular like penne or string like spaghetti or linguini. The choice is endless. I think you’re gonna like this one.

BRÓCOLI CON CURRY
(Curried Broccoli)

Ingredients:

1 medium to large head of broccoli, about 2 pounds (can use frozen if can’t find fresh)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1½ cups broth or water
1 teaspoon curry powder (or more to taste)

Instructions:

  1. Rinse broccoli under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Cut into florets.
  2. Heat oil in large skillet or frypan over medium -high heat
  3.  Add onion and garlic and stir-fry until onion is soft and translucent.
  4.  Mix water with curry powder and add to broccoli. Stir to mix, cover, lower heat and cook until broccoli is tender, about 7 minutes.
    Yield: 4-6 servings.

MEAT WITH PEAS (Keema Matar)

November 3, 2025 / / 0 Comments

 

This is an Indian dish I discovered years ago, and it still strikes my fancy. Though Nuyorican cuisine is a what I’ve always known; I am also partial to Indian cooking. The host of spices and condiments in the cuisine intrigue me. When I first discovered it, it was nothing like what we prepared back in Spanish Harlem. It has its own pedigreed and style. As you will see in this dish. Simple enough, at its basic it’s just ground meat combined with peas. The meat can be anything you favor or have on hand. Traditionally, it’s ground beef. But you can use ground pork, as we did this time, or it could be ground lamb. Simple, economical and delicious. And it goes great with rice, couscous, quinoa or even pasta. This entrée covers all basis. So, be adventurous and amaze and delight friends and family with this one.

MEAT WITH PEAS
(Keema Matar)

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 pound ground pork (can substitute beef or lamb)
½ teaspoon garam masala
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
¾ teaspoon chili powder or more to taste
Salt to taste
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
8 oz, (1½) cups frozen green peas

  1. Heat the oil over medium-high in a large skillet or frypan. Add onions and garlic and stir-fry until onion is soft and translucent.
  2. Add meat and continue to fry until meat is brown, stirring frequently.
  3.  Stir in spices and salt.
  4.  Add tomato sauce and peas. Cove, lower heat and cook until meat is tender, about 10 minutes. Note that, if for some reason, the sauce starts to dry out, you can always add a little water to the sauce.
    Yield: 4 servings.

 

SALMON AL VAPOR (Steamed Salmon)

October 29, 2025 / / 0 Comments

 

Steaming is a great a deficient way to cook food. Following that vein, today we give you Steamed Salmon. And it’s not as difficult as it seems.  If you have a regulate streamer, then it’s a cinch. Same if you have a bamboo steamer, again no problem. This also works well with a wok. But what if you don’t have a steamer or a wok? Then we improvise. Simple, take a big pan or kettle, place an 8-ounce can of tomato sauce in the bottom of it, fill it up with water until it reaches the height of the can, place the salmon fillets on a dish atop the tomato can, bring to boil, cover and cook until the salmon fillets are done.  Salmon fillets usually take 7-10 minutes to cook depending upon the size and thickness the fillets.  Check for doneness. If it flakes easily, then the fillet is done. This dish goes great with boiled rice, couscous, quinoa or your favorite pasta product, such as orzo or penner. We felt adventurous so we paired it with French fries. Again, it’s your show, so use whatever works.

That’s it. Try something new today: Steam rather than frying your fish. It’s a healthier choice I’m told, and just as delicious. Enjoy.

Ingredients:

4 salmon fish fillets, about 6-ounce each
¾ teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons white wine (dry or sweet, your choice)
4 tablespoons butter

Instructions:

  1. Rinse fillets under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
  2. Season thoroughly on both sides with garlic powder, salt, pepper and oregano.
  3. Arrange on a plate, drizzle wine over fillets. Place fillets in steamer. Fill steamer with water, bring to a boil, cover and stream 7-10 minutes until fillets are done (they should flake easily with a fork).
    Yield: 4 servings.

LENTEJAS CON SALCHICHA

October 20, 2025 / / 0 Comments

This recipe combines two Nuyorican favorites: lentils and sausage. Now, the lentils can be brown, green or red lentils. In terms of the sausage, it can be beef, turkey, smoked or Italian sausage. Even the Vienna sausage out of the can cane be used. We don’t stand on formality here. Some folks prefer Spanish chorizo sausage common to our cuisine. And normally that would be our preference. Except that we had a package of chicken sausage links on hand, and we went with that. Also, for this recipe we used brown lentils which, depending on how old they are, will take 30 to 40 minutes to cook. Red lentils cook fast, maybe simmering 10 minutes or so in water. Green lentils take about 15-20 to cook at a slow simmer. Just use the taste test. That is, they should be tender with a slight crunchiness but not mushy.

When cooking with sausage note that some variety of sausage comes with a casing that has to be removed before cooking. To do this, make a cut along the sausage with a knife, peel off the casing and then slice the meat.

Normally with this dish, we would serve it with boiled rice.  This time around we paired it with wild rice which is not a true rice. It is a native North American grain. You can also pair it with couscous, quinoa or a small pasta such as orzo or radiatori. Even on its own, Lentejas con Salchicha makes for a great dinner.

LENTEJAS CON SALCHICHA
(Lentils with Sausage)

Ingredients:

1½ cups dried brown lentils (can use green or red lentils, see above)
4 cups water or broth
1 bay leaf
1 (12 -16 ounce) package sausage, cut diagonally into ¼-inch slices
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 (8-oz) can tomato sauce
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
¾ teaspoon dried oregano

Instructions:

  1. Rince lentils in a fine-mesh strainer under cold, running water.
  2. Place lentils to a medium-sized saucepan. Add water or broth plus bay leaf. Bring the liquid to a rolling boil over high heat. Immediately reduce the heat to a very gentle simmer and cover. Cook until tender (30-40 minutes). If using red or green lentils, see above.
  3.  While lentils are cooking, heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a fry pan or skillet. Add onion and garlic and sauté until onion is soft and translucent.
  4. Add sausage and cook over medium heat until browned on all sides.
  5.  Add tomato sauce, stir to combine, cover and simmer on low heat for 10 minutes.
  6. Drain any excess liquid from the lentils. Stir in the sausage with the tomato sauce. Serve over rice, pasta or favorite grain.
    Yield: 4-6 servings.

 

Cordera con Achiote (Lamb with Achiote)

October 14, 2025 / / 0 Comments

This dish is a favorite both back on the Island, and for Nuyoricans on the mainland. The main ingredient is Achiote, or ground annatto seeds.  So, what the hell is Achiote? What’s this annatto business? Well, annatto seeds are small, brick red seeds from the tropical achiote tree used as a natural food coloring and flavoring in Caribbean, Mexican and Filipino cuisine. In our cooking, they impart a yellow to deep orange color and a mild, and peppery flavor to dishes like rice and meat. The seeds can also be ground into a powder or paste. We mixed it with olive oil to enhance food and give it color, as we did it with lamb in this recipe. Paired with rice, potatoes or pasta, or, as we did it, with couscous. it makes for a delicious and memorable meal. 

Nore that for this recipe, 4 lamb chops give you 2 servings. You can double the recipe for 4 servings if desired. Le me add that today achiote can be found in most supermarkets, or specialty stores, either in seeds or ground powder form.

CORDERA CON ACHIOTE
(Lamb with Achiote)

Ingredients:

4 lamb loin or rid chops (1-inch thick)
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
¼ teaspoon oregano
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon achiote (or more to taste)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons white wine (dry or sweet, your choice)

Instructions:

  1. Season chops thoroughly on both side with salt, pepper, oregano. garlic powder and achiote.
  2. Hest olive oil in a pan or skillet (we prefer cast iron) over moderate-high heat. Add chops and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side.
  3.  Add butter and, as it melts, spoon it over each of the lamb chops for about 5 minutes.
  4.  Sprinkle wine over chops. Turn heat to high and sizzle chops with the wine until evaporated.
  5.  Remove chops from pan and serve.
    Yield: 4 servings.

INDIAN LAMB

October 9, 2025 / / 0 Comments

In our crowd, lamb has always been a favorite. So, I’m always on the lookout for good lamb dishes. Thias recipe, Indian Lamb, I got years ago. I can’t recall from whom, but it’s been a favorite in our repertoire ever since. It contains all the popular Indian spices we’ve come to know and love. We normally serve this dish with rice, as we did this time with parsley rice. Burt you can substitute couscous, quinoa or eben pasta such as orzo. No telling what you can pair with this dish. Or you can sreve it, as traditional done in India with pita bread and cucumber-yogurt salad. The possibilities are infinite. Enjoy this one.

Let me add that this dish is spicy, that’s how we like ity. But, if you want it less spicy, cut the curry powder to just one teaspoon.

INDIAN LAMB

Ingredients:

1 small onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger, peeled and minced or 2 teaspoons dried
2 teaspoons curry powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
12 bay leaf
4 loin lamb chops (3 ounces or more, 1-inch thick) can substitute rib lamb chops
salt and ground black pepper to taste
½ cup water
½ cup raisins
1 teaspoon flour
1 cup chicken or beef broth
2 tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions:

  1. Rinse chops under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
  2.  In a large deep skillet or frypan. heat olive over medium-high heat.
  3. Add onions and garlic and stir-fry until onion is soft, about 3-4 minutes.
  4.  Stir in ginger, curry powder, cumin, cinnamon and bay leaf. Cook 2 minutes.
  5. Add lamb, salt and prepper. Cook until brown on each side, about 3-4 minutes per side.
  6.  Add water and raisins. Brin water to a boil, lower heat, cover and simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed, about20 minutes.
  7.  While lamb is coming, in a small saucepan, whisk together flour and broth, stirring constantly over medium heat until mixture thickens.  Add to lamb along with the cream. Cook a couple of minutes more to serving temperature. Srev with your faborite side dish.
    Yield: $ servings.

CHULETAS GUISADAS (Stewed Pork Chops)

September 15, 2025 / / 0 Comments

 

The beloved black sheep of our family was Uncle Phillip, my mother’s brother. He was bigger than life, a raconteur, storyteller, lover of food and drink, an unabashed lady’s mab. Among his many amours was a lady named Margie who live in Harlem. She was a fabulous cook who loved making the dish given today. What we call Chuletas Guisada, and what she called, just Stewed Pork Chops. Whatever name you gave it, the dish, to us, was the best rendition of pork chops we’ve ever had.

At Margie’s   place, the accompaniment to this dish was always, steamed white rice. In most Nuyorican households, we would serve the chops with Spanish yellow rice. Your choice. If desired, you can serve it with potatoes, mashed or fried. Thar’s the beauty of this recipe; any good side dish will do. Enjoy.

CHULETAS GUISADAS
(Stewed Pork Chops)

Ingredients:

4 loin pork chops
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried Marjoram
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 (28-oz.) can plum tomatoes

Instructions:

  1. Rinse pork chops in cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
  2.  In a cup or small bowl, mix salt, pepper, oregano and marjoram. Blend in olive oil and vinegar.
  3.  Rub each chop thoroughly with the seasoning
  4.  Place chops in a heavy skillet or frypan and brown over moderate heat on both sides (about 5 minutes per side).
  5.  Add onion, cover and cook about 5 minutes.
  6.  Add plum tomatoes and their liquid, and bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat and simmer for about 30-35 minutes.
    Yield: 4 servings.

LETTUCE-TOMATO TUNA SAUCE

September 12, 2025 / / 0 Comments

This is one of those meals that came out of necessity. I had some lettuce, a couple of tomatoes, and what could I do with them besides making an ordinary salad??  Simple, combine them with some canned tuna fish I had in the cupboard, and create a fabulous sauce. Now, this is not your typical salad or sauce. In this recipe I added one of the archetypical Nuyorican seasonings: Sasón Accent.  This is an ingredient that can be found in any Latino market or specialty store. These days you can even find it in your local supermarket. Goya foods make a good Sasón. All you do is combine it with water or chicken broth along with cornstarch as a thickener and add it to the sauce. Note that, if for some reason, the sauce is still too thin or too thick, you can add more cornstarch or water as desired.

For the recipe given you can use whatever lettuce you have on hand. It can looseleaf, chicory, romaine, escarole, arugula, even iceberg. Whatever you can find, as long as its fresh is okay.

Let me add that with canned tuna, the weight factor may depend on the brand. Some cans are 4 ounces, some are 4.5 ounces, and others are 5 ounces. The ones I used, Natural Catch White Albacore Tuna Fillets were 4.5 ounces. That was good enough for us. By the way, we served this sauce over linguine, and it was a perfect match, You’re the boss. You can pair it with rice, couscous or, serve by itself with a good crusty loaf of bread. Whichever you choose, the result will be magnificent.

LETTUCE-TOMATO TUNE SALAD

Ingredients:

1 large head lettuce of your choice (see above)
2 medium-sized tomatoes, washed and chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cans tuna, preferably albacore
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
¼ teaspoon oregano
½ cup water or chicken broth
½ teaspoon cornstarch
1 packet Sasón (see above)

Instructions:

  1. Wash lettuce leaves under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Finally, coarsely chop the lettuce.
  2. Heat olive oil in a saucepan or frypan over medium-high heat,
  3. Add lettuce and tomatoes and cook until lettuce is wilted,
  4. Stir in tuna. Season with salt, pepper and oregano.
  5. In a cup, combine water or chicken broth with cornstarch and Sason mix.  Add it to the sauce. Cook on medium heat for a couple of minutes, stirring frequently until desired consistency, and serve.
    Yield: 4-6 servings.

 

 

INDIAN-STYLE LENTILS

September 8, 2025 / / 0 Comments

If you like Indian food, you’ll love this recipe. I grew up on Nuyorican food but, when I reached my young manhood, I started scouting around in order to discover other cuisines. In this endeavor, Indian food became one of my favorites. And to this day, I still love the spices and norms it provides.  One memorable recipe is Indian-Style Lentils.  I consider it a supplement to that Nuyorican stand-by, Arroz con Habichuelas, or Rice and Beans. Like the Puerto Rican namesake, it’s simple, filling and delicious. So, today, amaze family and friends with this one. It will not disappoint. As noted, the accompaniment to this dish is plain white rice (or brown rice if that’s your preference).  You can also serve it with couscous, quinoa or millet. On the pasta sider, you can try it with orzo.

INSIAN-STYLE LENTILS

Ingredients:

2 cups dried lentils
6 cups water
1 cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
4 cloves garlic, peeled
2 slices (½-inch thick) fresh ginger, peeled
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
4 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, crushed
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
¾ teaspoon ground black pepper (or to taste)
1 lemon, sliced into 6 rounds (about 1/8-inch thick), seeds removed

  1. Wash and drain lentils under cold running water.
  2. In a large pot or Durch oven, combine lentils, water, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, garlic, ginger and turmeric. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Then cover, lower heat and simmer gently until tender, 35 to 40 minutes.
  3. While lentils are cooking, heat olive oil in a skillet or frypan over medium-high heat. Add crushed cumin seeds and cook, stirring, about 1 minute until lightly browned and fragrant. Add to lentils along with salt, pepper and lemon. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve with steamed white rice or other (see above).
    Yield: 4 servings.

SALMÓN EMPANADO (Breaded Salmon Steak)

September 2, 2025 / / 0 Comments

In our family, we love fresh salmon whether it’s broiled, baked, or sautéed. To us, It’s one of life’s great culinary pleasures. Today’s recipe is one of the easiest ways to prepare this great seafood It’s simply breaded salmon steak. Now, salmon is often cooked as is in a butter-wine sauce but, in our crowd, we like the crunchy edge the breadcrumbs bring.

Let me add that this recipe can be prepared two ways: broiled or sautéed on the stovetop. Since it’s summer and it was a fairly hot day when we prepared the dish, we decided to cook it on the stove. Also, for the teetotalers among us, you will note that the recipe contains rum in the breadcrumb mixture, and we add wine while cooking on the stove. Do not be troubled. You will not be affected by the alcohol. You will not get a buzz. The alcohol content dissipates in the cooking.  All that remains is the flavor. So, don’t worry about Uncle Harry getting tipsy and pinching everyone’s bottom.

Final note: this recipe is from my first cookbook, Puerto Rican Cuisine in America, which is in its third printing. Enjoy the meal.

SALMÓN EMPANADO
(Breaded Salmin Steak)

Ingredients:

4 salmon steaks, about ½-inch thick
6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 tablespoons butter
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons Puerto Rican rum (white or gold)
½ cup fresh breadcrumbs
¼ cup dry white wine

Instructions:

  1. Rinse salmon steaks and pat dry with paper towels.
  2. Brush both sides of steaks with 3 tablespoons olive oil.
  3. In a small bowl, combine butter, salt, pepper, garlic, rum and breadcrumbs.
  4. Coat both sides of salmon with breadcrumb mixture.
  5. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet or frypan.
  6. Add salmon and cook 3 minutes on medium-high heat. Then carefully turn over and cook 3 minutes on other side.
  7. Add wine, lower heat to medium, cover and cook 5 minutes more.
    Yield: 4 servings.
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