Oswald Rivera

Author, Warrior, and Teacher

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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.

FISH FILLETS IN A LEMON-CAPER SAUCE

May 15, 2025 / / 0 Comments

 

In our family, Fish Fillets in a Lemon-Caper Sauce has been a constant favorite. It was so in my youth when we lived in the projects, and it is so today. It is a singular dish for us. Note that this dish can also be prepared with fish steaks. Whatever one you use, it’s an easy recipe, and it goes great our favorite side dish, rice and noodles. That doesn’t mean you can’t have it with couscous or any other combination, or just by itself with a good loaf of bread.

As to the fish fillets, you can use whatever you prefer or have on hand. This time around we did it with rockfish. But any good variety will do be it cod, haddock, perch, tilapia, snapper, catfish, etc. You won’t be disappointed. So, liven that dinner tonight with this old time favorite. It won’t disappoint.

And added note: among the ingredients, the recipe calls for salt and pepper. Capers are salty as it is. So be judicious with the salt. When we made it, we omitted the salt, and it came out just find.

FISH FILLETS IN LEMON CAPER SAUCE

Ingredients:

4 fish fillets of your choice (about 6 oz. each)
¼cup flour, or more as needed
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
¼teaspoon oregano
¼ teaspoon coriander
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons capers

Directions: 

1. Combine the flour, salt and pepper. Coat the fish in the seasoned flour, shaking off the excess flour. Heat the butter to foaming over medium-high heat in a heavy pan or skillet.
2. Cook over medium heat on both side for 2-3 minutes until fish is firm, flaky and slightly browned, about 2-3 minutes. (do not overcook).
3. Add the lemon juice and capers. Heat for a minute more  and serve.
Yield: 4 servings.

FRITTATA WITH REFRIED BEANS

May 12, 2025 / / 0 Comments

Back on the block, my mother would make omelets for breakfast, lunch or dinner. This was long before the term “brunch” came into our lexicon. The omelet, for us, was just a regular meal. With breakfast or lunch, we would have the thing with a crusty loaf of bread. With dinner, we would have it with rice.

What we didn’t realize was that we were making a “frittata.” Now, a frittata is an Italian egg dish made by whisking eggs with milk or cream, and adding fillings like a vegetable, cheese or meat, and baked in a skillet. Our omelet was similar, since we cooked it on the stovetop. And we then finished it in the oven, with some cheese on top to create a golden finish. To us it was just a partially baked omelet. Whatever you call it, it’s a marvelous dish that, yes, as noted above, can even be served for dinner.

With our omelet we used anything that was available as a filling. Following that vein, in today’s dish, we add refried beans as a filling. That’s right, refried beans. It was an experiment on our part that worked out marvelously. Also, for this dish we use cheese slices, and it can be whatever you have on hand, be it cheddar, Swiss, pepper jack or even American cheese.  So, try this one out, and discover what a Nuyorican omelet is all about. And, for the sake of consistency, I call it a frittata.

FRITTATA WITH REFRIED BEANS

Ingredients:

8 large eggs
¼ cup tablespoons milk or cream
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
¾ teaspoon garlic powder
¾ teaspoon oregano
2 (15.5 oz.) cans refried beans
3 tablespoons olive oil
5-6 cheese slices of your choice

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Crack eggs into a bowl. Add milk or cream, salt, garlic powder and oregano. Whisk to combine.
3. Stir in refried beans and mix well.
4. Heat oil over medium heat in large skillet (12-inch). Let me add that, in this round, we prefer cast-iron (it’s a Nuyorican thing).
5. Top and cover with the cheese slices. Place in oven and bake about 15-20 minutes or until the eggs are set and the top is melted and
slightly golden.
Yield: 6 servings.

 

 

MUSTARD SALMON (Salmόn con Mostaza)

April 28, 2025 / / 0 Comments

Salmόn con Mostaza, or Mustard Salmon is a popular entrée in our crowd. It combines two favorite ingredients in Hispanic cooking. This was always not so. Back in the island of Puerto Rico, mustard was not a regular cooking item. It was with the Puerto Rican migration to the Northeast coast, particularly New York City, that mustard came into our preview. Hot dogs and burgers with mustard filtered into our cuisine. Before long, we started experimenting with it in such dishes as Mustard Salmon.

True to our heritage, back on the block, we served it with rice, or potatoes. Today you can pair it with quinoa, or couscous, or even pasta. The possibilities are endless. So, enjoy a dish long favored by us and, now it seems, by everyone with an adventurous palate.

SALMÓN CON MOSTAZA
(Mustard Salmon)

Ingredients:

4 salmon fillets, about 6-ounce each
Juice of 2 lemons, washed and sliced thinly
1 teaspoon mustard, preferably Dijon
1 tablespoon dried oregano, crumbled
1 teaspoon olive oil
¼ cup chopped scallions

Instructions:

  1. Wash fillets under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
  2. Combine lemon juice, mustard, oregano, olive oil and scallions in a small bowl or cup.
  3. Place fillets in a large zip-lock bag. Add lemon-mustard mix and marinate for at least 2 hours in refrigerator. You can shake bag once or twice while marinating to distribute the flavor.
  4. Place fillets, with marinade, in a baking dish or pan (we prefer cast-iron) and bake for 12-15 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fillets) at 375 degrees F. For 1-inch fillets, 12 minutes is usually sufficient, while thicker cuts might need closer to 15 minutes. The salmon is done when it flakes easily with a fork and reaches an internal temperature of 145°F (63°C).
    Yield: 4 servings.

PATAS DE POLLO EN SALSA DE HONGO (Chicken Legs in Mushroom Sauce)

April 22, 2025 / / 0 Comments

Chicken is beloved in our family and, when combined with mushrooms, it’s a meal fit for royalty. It was so when we lived in Harlem, and it so today. Patas de Pollo en Salsa de Hongo, or Chicken Legs in a Mushroom Sauce epitomizes this ethos. Among other things, with chicken it gives added protein, and, with mushrooms, it enhances the immune system. Also, it’s meal that’s rich and comforting. You can’t go wrong with this one. It pairs well with rice or a good loaf of bread or, as we did it, with spaghetti. However you serve it, this is a dish that’s versatile and delicious. What more could you want?

PATAS DE POLLO EN SALSA DE HONGO
(Chicken Legs in Mushroom Sauce)

Ingredients:

4 chicken legs, about 3 pounds
Salt and black ground pepper to taste
1 tablespoon dried oregano
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and slice thinly
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 red pepper (pimento), washed and sliced thinly
1-pound mushrooms, washed and sliced thinly
½ cup   chicken broth
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon heavy cream

instructions:

1. Rinse chicken legs under cold running pat dry with paper towels.
2. Rub legs with salt pepper and oregano
3. Heat olive oil in large skillet or frypan over medium heat.
4.  Add chicken legs and cook skin side down until well browned, about 6 minutes. Turn chicken and cook on opposite sides until browned, about 5 minutes longer.
5. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is soft and translucent.
6. Add red pepper and cook for about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and stir-fry until they’re browned.
7. Mix chicken broth and cornstarch and add to skillet. Cook, stirring, until thickened. Note that, during this
this time, the mushroom will also release their moisture. That’s why we’re using only ½ cup liquid. If sauce  has not thickened enough, you can add more cornstarch mixed with more water, if desired.
8.  Add cream, lower heat and cook until chicken legs are tender and soft, about 10-15 minutes more.
Yield: 4 servings.


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ROAST LEG OF LAMB WITH GARLIC

April 19, 2025 / / 0 Comments

 

In the old days, back in my old neighborhood (then known as Spanish Harlem), Easter dinner meant a lamb dish, usually leg of lamb. So, to honor that tradition, that is the recipe given today. It’s not your normal leg of lamb dish. This one is Roast Leg of Lamb with Garlic. Yes, garlic, another ingredient that we love in Nuyorican cuisine. So, make that Easter meal memorable this time around. You won’t be disappointed. And, if you like garlic, you’re in luck. At least, it’ll keep the vampires away.

ROAST LEG OF LAMB WITH GARLIC

Ingredients:

1 (7-pound) leg of lamb
4 cloves garlic, each cut into 3 lengthwise pieces
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup chopped fresh thyme
Salt and ground black pepper to atste
3 heads garlic, loose skin removed
1 cup vermouth

Instructions:

  1. With a small knife, make 6 incisions on each side of leg of lamb. Insert1 piece garlic in each. Rub lamb with oil and sprinkle with thyme, salt and pepper.
  2.  Place lamb in a shallow roasting pan. Roast, uncovered at 425 degrees F.  about 20 minutes or until meat is brown and crusty. Reduce heat to 375 degrees and continue roasting 1 hour longer. Place 3 whole heads garlic around lamb and continue cooking 30 minutes for rare or 50 minutes for medium. When finished, remove lamb and garlic from roasting pan. Gently break up whole garlic into separate cloves. Cover both with aluminum foil to keep warm.
  3.  Place pan on top of stove over high heat. Bring pan juices to a boil so that drippings adhere to pan and separate from fat. Pour off fat. Add vermouth and swirl around pan to loosen brown bits.
  4.  Carve lamb and serve on individual plates with sauce ladled over slices and 2 or 3 garlic cloves on side.
    Yield: 6-8 servings.

LENTEJAS CON CHORIZO (Lentils with Sausage)

April 17, 2025 / / 0 Comments

In our family we love lentils. Perhaps because they’re part of the group of beans and legumes; and we cook them in a similar fashion. For this recipe, if you can find fresh lentils, then go for it. If not, dried lentils work just as well.  The only difference comes at first sight: fresh lentils look similar to the dried variety except they’re slightly larger and greener. In our crowd we’ve had both, and both are just as good.

This recipe combines lentils with sausage, specifically the Spanish variety known as chorizo, which is sundried and flavored with smoked paprika and salt. At one time, back in the old days, this type of sausage could be found only in Hispanic markets or fancy food shops. I remember that, back in Sanish Harlem, you would go into the local bodega where the owner kept an open can of chorizo on the counter, and he would scoop out whatever amount was needed for each customer.  Today, you can get chorizo almost anywhere, be it your local grocer or supermarket. With this dish, we seldom used any other kind of sausage. Though I’m sure the recipe will work with almost any variety, even Libby’s sausage from the can.

Note that this recipe calls for aji dulce, or sweet chili peppers. These are not the hot variety; these are mild and have a pleasant taste and aroma. If, for some reason, you can’t find aji dulce, then you can skip them and cook the recipe as is. Yes, there have been times when we have been in places where this item could not be found—until the next time.

Let me add that this dish is not a quick fix. It takes time to prepare. That being, said, the results are well worth the effort. You’ll have an entrée that will satisfy everyone and will leave family, friends and guests vying to get the recipe.  They will sing your praises.

The main accompaniment to this entrée was, and is, rice, be it white or brown rice. Burt I’m sure you can pair it with your favorite grain be it couscous, quinoa, or even pasta. The choices are endless.

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh lentils, or dried, soaked overnight
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 chorizo sausage, sliced into ¾-inch rounds
1 medium onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peed and crushed
3 aji dulce (sweet chili peppers), seeded and chopped
6 fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
Salt and ground black pepper
1 bay leave to taste
4½ cups water or broth (beef or chicken)

Instructions:

  1. If fresh, pick over lentils, discarding broken or shriveled ones. Rinse under cold running water.
  2.  Place lentils in a heavy pot, kettle or Dutch oven with 4½ cups water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer on moderate-low heat for 45 minutes.
  3.  While lentils are cooking, heat oil in a skillet or frying pan. Add chorizo and cook over moderate until browned (about 5 minutes).
  4.  Add onion, garlic, aji dulce, cilantro, tomato sauce, salt, pepper and bay leaf. Sauté another 5 minutes.
  5.  Add skillet contents to lentils. Check water level, adding more liquid if necessary. Cook, uncovered, 30 minutes or until sauce has thickened somewhat.
    Yield: 6 to 8 servings.
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