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The Sophie's News For January
With the cold weather upon us and everyone's expenses rising we've been working hard to come up with another great value combo for the winter. We should be finished soon and will issue a special Newsletter when we put the finishing touches on it.
In the meanwhile, let's look forward to Valentine's Day and the gift of something sweet tasting or sweet smelling or sweet sounding. These include: chocolates, flowers, and Valentine's Day cards. Why not also add a Sophie's Gift Card to the mix and give them that "Warm" feeling all over that only a Sophie's entree or sandwich can produce with Sophie's Special Green Sauce on it. (But don't forget the other three sweet things either.)
Chef Eduardo is back home at the New St. Sophie's and has given us a great Cuban recipe for Lentil soup - check it out below.
We started the FAQ section last month with the #1 question. There are a few new ones added this month and we look forward to answering the most popular each month until we have all of them answered ... so keep them coming.
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 | | Chef Eduardo Morgado |
Sophie's Recipe of the Month
You will find that these favorite recipes of Eduardo are designed so that you can get great tasting Cuban food at home without having to use commercial cooking equipment. Many Cuban recipes require several steps with some requiring advanced timing and we will include a few of those for our more ambitious fans.
Others, you will be able to enjoy within a short preparation time. We hope you have fun cooking (and eating) Cuban style.
Lentil Soup (Potje)
A flavorful recipe to warm and nourish you.
Serves four to eight people
Ingredients:
1/2 pound pork (your choice) cut into 1 inch strips
1/4 bacon cut into small pieces
2 Bay leaves (laurel)
1/2 pound lentils
1/2 tsp. cumin
12 oz. tomato sauce
1/2 onion cubed
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 oz. olive oil
1 large potato cut into ½ inch cubes
Preparation:
- Heat oil in pan, add pork and bacon and cook for 4 minutes while stirring occasionally
- Stir in onion and cook another minute
- Stir in garlic and bay leaves and cook for another minute
- Add tomato sauce and stir for another minute
- Add 3/4 gallon of water and the cumin, bring to boil then reduce heat 10 minutes
- Add lentils, lower heat to simmer and cook 10 minutes covered
- Add potato and simmer 10 more minutes covered
- Add salt to taste and serve.
¡Buen provecho!
Eduardo and the Sophie's Team
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 | | Happy to Serve You! |
Article Headline
This month we feature a few of our dedicated staff at the New Street Sophie's. This is a very busy place in the Wall Street area but the servers are always both fast and friendly. She knows every detail of every item. |
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FAQ
FAQ
Please send your questions to us and we will select the most popular to answer each month.
Sophie's Cuban Cuisine Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q What is in the Sophie's Special Green Sauce?
A We begin with the category of questions about our famous green sauce; the Sophie's Special Green Sauce is its official name. The recipe is proprietary - a secret recipe - but what we can tell you is that it is made up mostly of Jalapenos. This is a very expensive ingredient which is why you don't find it in many restaurants. It is also why we are careful not to waste any of it. At some seasons of the year it is very difficult to find enough for our needs at any price. We add a special blend of spices and oils and it is an amazing addition to almost any of our meals or sandwiches.
It does not contain any egg or dairy products, no mayonnaise, no guacamole, no avocado, no flour, no chemicals, no preservatives or stabilizers (it separates rather quickly if left unshaken), and is produced fresh every day. The "spiciness" will also vary from batch to batch as there are sometimes individual differences in the Jalapeno crop, so try a small amount at first (and wait a few moments) and then add more to your taste.
Many of you have also asked about buying larger quantities and we will be testing the sale in small bottles at our Lexington Street Sophie's pretty soon. A move to manufacturing this for resale would require a large capital outlay and we will consider that if the testing goes well - stay tuned!
If you try a bottle, just remember to keep it refrigerated, shake or stir it well before using, and consume it within three or four days (if you can wait that long).
Q Is there any Gluten in the beans? Is there gluten in the grilled chicken or spicy grilled chicken?
A Most of the Gluten questions have been about the beans and a few about the two varieties of grilled chicken. It can be frustrating to manage dietary restrictions so for any of you who have these concerns here is the best answer we can provide: "True" gluten is found in grains such as wheat, rye, and barley (people with certain diseases related to gluten also sometimes avoid oats and some other more obscure grains).
Our recipe for grilled chicken does not include any gluten-containing ingredients. We do have gluten products in the kitchen and do not guarantee that it is impossible for some to get into the mix in error. Our black beans contain 1 pound of wheat flour per approximately 1,000 - 4 oz. servings (.016 oz. of flour per serving). To avoid gluten in a side order the recipes for "moro rice" and the "rice with red beans" do not call for flour, although once again it is not possible to absolutely guarantee that no flour will ever get into the mix.
From time to time we also make adjustments to our recipes to enhance flavor, presentation, appeal, or for other culinary reasons.
Q Is there any animal fat in the beans?
A No, but if you order an entrée with meat the juices will get into the beans and the rice since they are served on the same plate.
Q Does Sophie's franchise their restaurants? Are Franchises available?
A Yes, Sophie's now has four Sophie's Cuban Cuisine restaurants operated in New York City by the founding family and three franchisee operated Sophie's. If you or anyone you know wants information, the web page - SophiesCuban.com - has a Franchising tab with everything needed to get started.
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