Oswald Rivera

Author, Warrior, and Teacher

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PECHUGAS DE POLLO CON VINO (Chicken Breasts with Wine)

July 8, 2025 / / 0 Comments

This is one of those favorites from back on the block. During my youth in Spanish Harlem (today, East Harlem), times were hard. So, we had to be innovative with dinners. Chicken Breasts, like rice, was a common staple—because it was cheap. And it supplied magic when it was prepared, as we’re doing today, by adding a bit of white wine. Pechugas de Pollo con Vino or, Chicken Breasts with White Wine, is a sumptuous dish. In terms of the wine used, I recommend a white wine like Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blank, Chardonnay, Chablis or Riesling. If you want to give it a distinct nutty taste and aroma, you can substitute a dry sherry for the white wine. The rest is as easy as pie. Just seasoned the breasts with typical Nuyorican herbs, fry the suckers and serve, Naturally, we serve it with rice, but any favorite grain or even, pasta, will do. Friends and family will yell for more. This is your show. So go at it.

Let me add that, when cooking chicken breasts, there is a minor difference between cooking bone-in chicken breasts and boneless, skinless chicken breasts. In our family, we were contrarians. We prefer bone-in chicken breasts. Again, it was partly a matter of price. Simply, they were cheaper. Also, since they had skin on, they were juicer and, to us, that meant a better taste. Be aware that boneless take less time to cook than bone-in. With boneless it’s about 2-3 minutes to fry per side. With bone-in it’s about 3-4 minutes per side. When you add the wine, the breasts are steamed until done. The finish product will still be delicious.

Pechugas de Pollo con Vino
(Chicken Breasts with Wine)

Ingredients

4 chicken breasts, bone-in or boneless (see above)
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small to medium red onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
¼ teaspoon cumin
½ cup white wine
1/3 cup chicken broth or bouillon

Instructions:

  1. Wash chicken breasts under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
  2. Place chicken breasts on a large plate. Prick them all over with a fork, about 1/8 inch deep. Flip the breasts and repeat pricking the other side.
  3. Heat olive oil in a large frypan or skillet over medium-high heat.
  4.  Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is soft and translucent.
  5.  Add chicken breasts and cook until browned.  Again, 2-3 minutes for boneless and 3-4 minutes for bone-in.
  6.  Add cumin, wine and water. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 25 minutes. Remove lid and continue cooking until chicken is deep golden brown and juices run clear, About 4-5 minutes more.
    Yield: 4 servings.

 

 

 

 

This is for bone-in: fry chicken until browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 25 minutes. Remove the lid and increase the heat to medium-high; continue cooking until chicken is deep golden brown and the juices run clear, about 5 more minutes.

CHULETAS FRITO (Fried Pork Chops)

July 1, 2025 / / 0 Comments

Who doesn’t like pan-fried pork chops?  Unless you’re a vegetarian, that is. Back on the block in Spanish Harlem, pork chops were a very common staple. Why? At the time they were cheap, and easy to prepare. The recipe today follows that vein. It harks back to what we had in olden days. And normally the chops were served with rice. This time around we had them with potatoes. These can be boiled or baked, your choice. The sauce rendered by the pork chops makes a great glaze for the potatoes. Nothing else is needed. So, bring the lowly pork chop to prominence with this dish.  You won’t be disappointed. In fact, you’ll love the suckers.

In the old days, we would cook the chops for about 40 minutes. That is no longer the case. You do not want the chops to be overcooked and rubbery. For this recipe, cooking time is about 18-20 minutes. If you’re still not sure, just use a meat thermometer. The meat should register 140 to 145 degrees F. As for preference, in this dish we recommend boneless pork chops. You can use bone-in, if desired, but it may take maybe about 5 minutes more to cook. Again, just use a meat thermometer to be sure.

Also, some folks like to add 2 Tablespoons wine at the last minute over high heat. Supposedly, it adds a richer flavor. The wine used is open to question. It could be a red wine, sweet or dry, or white wine, again sweet or dry. This is an individual option left up to the cook. Your choice. You’re the boss.

CHULETAS FRITO
(Fried Pork Chops)

Ingredients:

4 boneless pork chops cut about 1-inch thick, about 10 ounces each
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon oregano
¼ teaspoon marjoram
1 small to medium onion, peeled and slice into thin rounds
½ stick butter, cut into small pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon cumin (cumino, in Spanish)

Instructions:

  1. Rinse pork chops under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
  2. Place the pork chops on a large plate. Prick the chops all over with a fork, about 1/8 inch deep. Flip the pork chops and repeat pricking the other side.
  3. Rub each chop thoroughly with the pepper, salt, garlic, oregano, and marjoram.
  4. Place chops in a heavy skillet or frying pan (we prefer cast-iron) and brown over moderate heat on both sides, about 4 minutes per side, until deep golden brown.
  5. Add onion, cover and cook about 5 minutes.
  6. Add butter, olive oil, and cumin. Cover and cook about 5-7 minutes (or until chops reach 140-to-145-degrees F).
    Yield: 4 servings.

 

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ZUCCHIN IN A CREAM SAUCE

June 27, 2025 / / 0 Comments

Back in 07/27/22 I posted a recipe titled, Salade à la Crѐme. It’s just a basic cream sauce from French continental cuisine, and it’s normally served over Boston or Bibb lettuce. So, I thought, why not try it with zucchini, one of our favorite vegetables? Indeed, why not? Particularly now that summer is upon us and, let’s be honest, if you live on the east Coast or in the heartland the weather has been, well, awful. Some places have reach temps in triple digits. A nice salad is the recommendation in such circumstances. Especially a salad that’s easy to prepare, cool and soothing. So, here it is, a Nuyorican treat, Ensalada de Zucchini con Salsa de Crema, or Zucchini in a Cream Sauce since that’s just what it is. Want to impress family and friends then say it’s Zucchini in Salade à la Crème. Whatever.  In this one you can experiment with any other favorite vegetable beside zucchini.  It is a recipe of convenience.  And forget about heating up the stove. You most likely have all the ingredients you need in your fridge or cupboard. With a good loaf of bread and some chill white wine, or beer, it’s a dish tailor-made for a sulfurous day, or any day for that matter.

ENSALADA DE ZUCCHINI EN SALSA DE CREMA
(Zucchini in a Cream Sauce)

Ingredients:

3 small to medium zucchini
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
4 teaspoons wine vinegar
5 tablespoon heavy cream
3 tablespoons peanut oil

Instructions:

  1. Wash zucchini under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Do not peel.
  2.  Cut into thin round slices. I find that, for this, a simple handheld slice cutter works best than trying to cut individual slices with a kitchen knife. Use what suits best. Place zucchini in a salad plate, set aside.
  3.  In a small bowl or cup, combine the pepper, salt, vinegar and cream. Beat with a whisk for 20 seconds. The mixture should be creamy and foamy.
  4. Add the peanut oil and mix with a spoon to blend. Drizzle or pour overf the zucchini slices and serve.
    Yield: 4-6 servings.

SOY SAUCE TOFU

June 23, 2025 / / 0 Comments

This dish is just tofu with soy sauce.  We could just call it that, but my wife thought that Soy Sauce Tofu was a snazzier title. So, we’re going with that. When using tofu, it is a good idea to press the tofu before cooking. Pressing tofu removes excess water leading to a firmer texture and better Absorbtion of flavors. This is especially good for stir-fried dishes, like the one we’re preparing today. My experience has been that, if you don’t press the excess liquid out of the tofu, when cooking, it will crumble.  With this dish you don’t want that. You want crisp and firm cubes with a dryer texture. Pressing is an easy enough process: Just remove the tofu from its package and drain liquid.  Next, wash the tofu and place in a double layer of paper towels. Then put wrapped tofu on a plate atop a cutting board with a heavy weight on top, such as a cast-iron skillet or heavy books, or stack of cans. Allow tofu to press for at least 30 minutes or preferably up to an hour or more. Note that the longer you press the tofu, the more water you’ll remove, which is what you want.  Finally, remove the weight and cook per recipe instructions. For this process I like to use extra-firm tofu. This variety is denser and holds its shape better during pressing. 

This time around we served this dish with spaghetti. But any other ringed or tubular pasta will do, as well as any good grain like rice, couscous or quinoa. As stated many times before, with regard to Nuyorican cooking (or any good cuisine), the possibilities are endless.

SOY SAUCE TOFU

Ingredients:

2 (14-oz) block extra tofu
1/2 cup flour
3 tablespoons olive oil
Ground black pepper to taste
¼ teaspoon oregano
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup back olives, sliced in half

Instructions:

  1. Press tofu as instructed above and then cut into 1-inch cubes.
  2. Dredge tofu in flour seasoned with pepper, oregano and garlic.
  3. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet, frypan or wok
  4. Add tofu and stir-fry until golden, about 5 minutes.
  5. Stir in soy sauce and olives and cook 3 minutes.
  6. Add wine and cook 2 minutes more.
    Yield: 4-6 servings.

 

SALMON STEAK WITH CHEESE SAUCE

June 16, 2025 / / 0 Comments

A dish that is rich and delicious: Salmon Steak in a Cheese Sauce. And when I say rich, I mean salmon in a succulent sauce that even finnicky kids will like. The recipe is simple enough, season salmon steaks with salt, pepper and oregano. Then bake for 15-20 minutes. While the fish is baking, make the cheese sauce. Then serve the fish with the sauce. That’s it. A piece of cake, as they use to say in the old days. So, go at it. Amaze everyone with this delight.

Ingredients:

4 fresh or frozen salmon steaks, about 1-inch thick
Salt to taste
¼ teaspoon oregano
¼ cup butter
1 small onion, peeled and grated
2 tablespoons minced parsley

For sauce:
¼ cup butter
¼ cup flour
2 cups milk
1 package (8-oz.) American cheese, diced
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Wash salmon steaks under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
  3.  Sprinkle salmon with salt, pepper and oregano. Place side by side in a greased shallow baking pan or skillet (we prefer cast-iron, but that’s relative).
  4. In a small bowl, combine butter, onion and parsley; and spread over salmon. Place in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes if fresh. Or bake 20-30 minutes if frozen.
  5.  Meanwhile, while fish is baking, melt butter in a saucepan, and stir in flour. Gradually add milk. and stir constantly over low heat until sauce bubbles and thickens.
  6.  Gradually stir in cheese until sauce is smooth.
  7.  Stir in Worcestershire sauce, and serve salmon topped with the cheese sauce.
    Yield: 4 servings.

 

BAKED MEAT WITH POTATOES AND ONIONS

June 10, 2025 / / 0 Comments

A simple dish that makes a fantastic meal, it’s just Baked Meat with Potatoes and Onions. Nothing complex or difficult about it.  Try this one out on family and friends, and they’ll comeback asking for more. Let me add that, in this dish, the “meat” part is relative. If you’re health conscience, you can substitute ground chicken or turkey in place of beef. Believe me, it’ll taste just as good. Also, the recipe calls for a cheese topping. We use grated mozzarella, but one can use any cheese of choice, be it cheddar, blue cheese, etc., even the old favorite, American cheese. Unlike most of my sophisticated friends, I like American cheese and still use it in my cooking. Be aware that this recipe calls for cinnamon, Again, use as much as desired in terms of your taste buds. If you’re not partial to cinnamon, then skip it. And, if use it, don’t overdo it.

BAKED MEAT WITH POTATOES AND ONIONS

Ingredients: 

2 pounds ground beef (can substitute turkey or chicken)
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 small to medium onion, peeled and chopped
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
¼ teaspoon oregano
Ground cinnamon to taste
1-pound tomatoes, washed and sliced
1 medium onion, peeled and sliced
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
½ cup chicken broth or water
2 tablespoons grated mozzarella cheese

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In a bowl, mix the meat, garlic, chopped onion, salt, pepper, oregano and cinnamon
  3. Top with sliced tomatoes, sliced onions and sliced potatoes.
  4. Place meat in an oven proof dish or skillet. We use cast-iron, but then that’s our thing.
  5. Dissolve tomato paste in the water and pour over the meat.
  6. Top with cheese, place in oven and bake for about one hour. By this time cheese will have melted, and meat should be cooked.
    Yield: 4-6 servings.

 

SARDINAS GUISADA CON SPAGHETTI (Stewed Sardines with Spaghetti)

June 5, 2025 / / 0 Comments

 

For a great meal, Stewed Sardines with Spaghetti or, Sardinas Guisada con Spaghetti is a perfect entrée. During my boyhood in Spanish Harlem, when times were lean, this was one of our favorite go-to dishes. Born out of necessity, because it was cheap and plentiful, nothing could be better or more satisfying. Now, let me add, you have a choice here. We did this dish with spaghetti, but any pasta of choice will do, even a macaroni product like penne or rigatoni. A great combination of two cultures, Nuyorican and Italian. Or, you can forego the pasta and go with rice, or couscous, or whatever grain you prefer. Or forgo the spaghetti and, with sliced bread, make it into sandwiches. The possibilities are endless.

Let me add that, for this recipe, we include Bijol, a condiment which, like sofrito and achioto, we use for coloring and seasoning. At one time, outside of Latino neighborhoods,  bijol was hard to get. Not anymore. Today you can find it in Latino or specialty food stores and most supermarkets. If, for some reason you find this condiment, then substitute turmeric. It won’t be the same, but it’s a close second. So, enhance your horizons with this simple and enjoyable dish, and the unique and satisfying taste it offers. Also, be aware that canned sardines contain salt. So, go easy on the salt or skip it as we did and it still tasted great.

Ingredients:

1-pound package spaghetti
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 cup water or chicken broth
1 teaspoon cornstarch
½ teaspoon Bijol (see above)
¼ teaspoon oregano
Salt and ground black pepper to taste (easy on salt, see above)
4 cans (4.4 oz.) sardines
2 tablespoons white wine

Instructions:

  1. Place spaghetti in a large pot or Dutch oven with 4 quarts water and bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook until tender, about 7-8 minutes.
  2.  Meanwhile, while spaghetti is cooking, in a large skillet or saucepan, heat oil over moderate. heat, add onion and garlic and sauté until onion is tender and translucent.
  3.  In a cup, mix water, cornstarch, bijol and oregano. Add to onion and garlic; and stir until sauce is slightly thickened.  Season with salt (if using) and pepper.
  4. Add sardines and cook about 2 minutes. Add wine and stir to combine.
  5. Drain spaghetti and serve with the sardines.
    Yield: 4-6 servings.

EASY NOODLES WITH SPINACH AND OLIVES

June 2, 2025 / / 0 Comments

This dish is a combination of spinach and black olives with noodles (or pasta). For the noodles it can be egg noodles, lo mein noodles or soba noodles. And, of course, you can substitute spaghetti, linguine, etc. That’s why I use the term “easy noodles.”    Anything you have on hand will do. For the recipe itself, you just boil the noodles and, while that’s being done, you sauté the spinach with garlic and onions. Then add the olives and a mix of water, cornstarch and sasôn, a seasoning and flavoring popular in what we call Criollo cuisine. or native Puerto Rican cooking.  The sasón you can find in almost any store or supermarket these days. Goya makes a good brand. Essentially, this is an easy enough dish that family and friends will enjoy more than once—and it makes for a great vegetarian meal.

Note that in this ripe, processed olives contain a lot of salt as it is. So, you may be judicious with the additional salt content used in the recipe. Just use your common sense. the rest is fairly easy.

Ingredients:

1 pound lo mein  or soba noodles (can substitute spaghetti or linguine)
1 (10 oz.) package frozen spinach
½ cup water
1 teaspoon cornstarch
¼ teaspoon oregano
¼ teaspoon turmeric
1 cup black olives, sliced in half
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Instructions:

  1. In a pot or Durch oven, bring water 4 quarts to a rolling boil.
  2. Add noodles, cover and cook 4 minutes
  3.  Add spinach and cook, stirring, breaking up chunks of frozen spinach in boiling water. Cook another 4 minutes.
  4.  Meanwhile, while noodles and spinach are cooking, in a cup mix ½ water, cornstarch, oregano and turmeric.
  5.  Drain noodles, put back in pot and add water-spice mixture, stir to combine.
  6. Add olives, season with salt and pepper and cook another 2 minutes. Top with a couple of pats of butter and serve.
    Yield: 4-6 servings.

HABICHUELAS CON TOCINETA (Beans with Bacon)

May 22, 2025 / / 0 Comments

 

In our culture we love beans. It’s as natural to us as ice cream is to other people. We stew it, boil it, bake it, you name it. And, from time to time, we enhance it with other ingredients. Like today’s entrée, Habichuelas con Tocineta, or Beans with Bacon. This is a dish that requires some definition. The word, Tocino, to us, means fatback, or salted pork. But in other cultures, tocino translates as “bacon.” We call it tocineta. Why? I honestly do not know. That’s just the way it is.

There is also lard. Basically, it’s rendered pork fat which, at one time we used a lot in Puerto Rican cuisine. In time, for reasons of health and well-being, lard fat fell out of favor (remember Crisco?). Today, in our cooking, it’s olive oil or canola oil that dominates our cooking. And we do use bacon to liven things up like, as noted above, combining it with beans, in this case, black beans. But any favored bean can be used, be it white beans, red beans, pinto beans or, even chickpeas. You have a wide choice. The usual accompaniment to this meal is, you guessed it, rice, white or brown. But you can pair it with couscous, quinoa, farro or, even pasta. It is a meal for all occasions. Have fun.

Now, here’s where we get into the weeds.  Today, since we are all so pressed for time, the easiest thing to do is pick up a couple of cans of beans and that’s it. Just heat up the suckers. I concur, it is convenient and time saving. Yet, to this day, in our family, we cook beans from scratch. Why? Well, it’s tradition but, more than that, you get a better flavor and all the basic nutrients you need in a dish, no processing involved. Also, canned beans, for preservation purposes, contain a lot of salt. If you’re trying to lower your salt content, it’s not a viable option. Problem is, dry beans need to be prepared for cooking. This involves soaking the beans. Preferably overnight. Why? The more soaking the tender the final product. Be aware that packaged dry beans have been stored for transport. That means they could be older and dryer than last year’s leftover meatloaf. You do not want to chew on beans that crack your teeth.

Soaking is fairly easy. Note that dry beans come in one-pound packages. Place beans in a colander and rinse under cold running water. Then place in a pot or pan with water to cover by, at least, 2 inches. Also never use warm or hot water. And, in extremely hot weather, it’s a good idea to soak them in the fridge. Ideally one should change the water once or twice to prevent the beans from fermenting. That’s it.  Lastly, drain beans and cook as given in the recipe. Let me add that in this recipe we include Sasón, a flavoring and seasoning popular in our cooking. Goya brand makes a good one they call Sasón Accent. This is optional.  But I would encourage you to try it. These days you can find it in most food stores or supermarket. If beans as a diet, is new to you, well, you’re on your way to discovering this healthy, delicious, and nutritious food. As we say in our lingo, Disfrute, Enjoy.

HABICHUELAS CON TOCINETA.
(Beans with Bacon)

Ingredients:

1 pound package dry red beans (or beans of your choice)
1 small to medium red onion, peeled and chopped
1 small green bell pepper (pimento), cored seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 (12 oz,) package chopped bacon
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 packet Sasón
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
¼ teaspoon dried oregano

Instructions:

  1. Place beans in a heavy kettle or Dutch oven pot with 2 quarts (8 cups water). Bring to a boil, cover and cook on moderate-low heat until beans are tender (about 1 hour).
  2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet or frying pan. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic.  Cook for 2 minutes.
  3. Add chopped bacon and sauté over moderate heat until tender.
  4. Add tomato sauce and cook 3 minutes.
  5. Mix in sasón,  and add this sauce mixture to the beans. Stir to combine.
  6. Add salt, pepper, oregano and bring to a boil on high heat.
  7. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.
    Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

BIFTEC CON RON (Rum Marinated Steak)

May 17, 2025 / / 0 Comments

We Puerto Ricans enjoy rum, and we like a good steak. So, somewhere along the line, someone decided to combine the two. The result: Biftec con Ron or Rum Marinated Steak. Now, this is gospel, the best rum for this to work, is dark rum. White light rum is not gonna cut it. Save that for your sophisticated mixed rinks like a martini or a Rum Collins. Being a Nuyorican, I gravitate toward Puerto Rican rums That being said, any good brand will do whether it’s from San Juan or Haiti or Venezuela, or elsewhere in the Carribean. These days even Americans make good rum. All in all, it’s an embarrassment of riches.

In this recipe the question invariably arises as to how long to marinate the meat? In my family, we always gave it 4 hours. Some folks may say longer, even marinating it overnight. Use your judgment and common sense. I’m sure you could marinate the thing for as long as you want, and it still would be edible.

For this recipe you can use whatever individual steak cuts you prefer. This could be rib, loin, round, flank, brisker, shank, etc. Since my days back on the block, my circumstances have changed, thus I usually use sirloin steak when making this dish. But, again, any good cut of meat will do. When finances were low, our family would use chuck steak. The beaty of this dush is that the marinade will make even a cheap cut of meat taste like a kingly dish. You can’t go wrong with this sucker. Enjoy.

Ingredients:

4 steaks, 12 ounces to 1 pound each
½ cup mustard
4 ounces dark rum (also called gold rum in some areas)
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions:

  1. Wash steaks under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Pierce meal all over with a fork
  2. In a small bowl or cup, mix mustard, rum and pepper.
  3. Brush meat with olive oil and spread both side with marinade. Place in a large zip-lock bag and refrigerate for 4 hours, turning and mixing with marinade several times.
  4. Place meat in a large pan or skillet. Sear on both sides over medium-high heat. Cover and let meat cook in the marinade until desired degree of doneness. Of course, this all depends on the thickness of the steak. Rule of thumb is this: for rare to medium rare, cook 2-3 minutes per side over medium-high heat, for medium rare to medium steak, cook 4 minutes per side over medium-low heat. For medium to well-done, cook 4-5 minutes per side over medium-low heat.
  5. Allow the steaks to rest for 5 minutes before serving. This allows the juices to redistribute, resulting in a more tender and flavorful steak.
    Yield: 4 servings.

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