 | | Chicken Soup is good for you! |
The Sophie's News For February
Well, as long as winter keeps hanging on we'll get a nice Winter Special combo out there to keep you warm through the rest of the winter (and maybe into the spring a little if you like it).
If you were lucky enough to receive a Sophie's Gift Card for Valentine's Day - come on in and use it. These are refillable too to make it easy for you to budget your Sophie's visits.
Our Fulton St. restaurant (near Broadway & WTC) is featured this month.
Chef Eduardo has been travelling extensively in February so we will reprise one of his best recipes from the past.
|
 | | A Real Cuban Lunch Experience - delicious! |
The Winter Special This is a first for us and we are excited to be able to offer it to our guests. Please let us know how you like it. |
 | | 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.
Picadillo
This recipe can be used many ways. You can serve it as a main course with white or yellow rice and black beans; you can serve a smaller amount with or without rice for an appetizer; or you can use it as an ingredient in little pies, empanadas, or in the Papa Rellena which you will see in another month's recipe of the month.
Ingredients
1 lb ground beef (not too lean) - L'garto or Bola de sapo are often used in Cuban cooking but you may want to try a brisket or similar cut of beef.
1 large Spanish onion, chopped into small cubes
½ of a large red pepper and one whole large green pepper, chopped into small cubes
8 - 10 oz. potato chopped into ¼" cubes
1 oz. of garlic cloves, chopped fine
1 small can tomato - either 8 oz. of salsa tomato or 4 oz. tomato puree
1 oz. olive oil
12 small Pimiento stuffed olives
1 oz. Raisins
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
Cook the ground beef in a pan until browned and set aside.
In a large skillet on medium high heat, brown the garlic in the olive oil; add the fat and juices from the beef and then the chopped onions and peppers and cook until well colored (2 - 3 minutes).
Lower the heat low to medium, add tomato sauce and cook 2 - 3 minutes.
Next add the ground beef and the potatoes and cook 8 - 10 minutes. You may add a little bit of water if it looks too dry for you.
Stir and add salt and pepper to taste then sprinkle the raisins and olives over the top.
Serving
Let the picadillo sit covered for a while to absorb the flavors into the ingredients and then heat, serve, and eat or cover and chill in a refrigerator until ready to use.
You can serve it as a main course with white or yellow rice and black beans; you can serve a smaller amount with or without rice for an appetizer; or you can use it as an ingredient in little pies, empanadas, or in the Papa Rellena which you will see in another month's recipe of the month. Use your imagination too!
¡Buen provecho!
The Sophie's Team
|
 | | This crew moves so fast they blur the picture! |
Article Headline
This month we feature Fulton St. where the crew is getting ready for the lunch rush. Now that most of the construction on the street is finished a lot more of you are visiting us for lunch.
Either Tom, the franchisee, or Mike, the manager, are almost always there to keep things running smoothly. Say hello when you come in, they'll be delighted to meet you. |
|
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.
|
