Music AroUnd the WORLD: Modern Day Cuba

As we join Greg Polanik and Corina Iukovici for a walk through the streets of Havana on a Spring afternoon and evening, why not enjoy the tastes and smells of the region while we enjoy the sights and sounds?! Below are recipes for a few Cuban dishes and beverages you can prepare ahead of time at home, allowing you to have a real taste of Havana as we explore.

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Appetizers:

• Mariquitas - https://icuban.com/food/mariquitas_plat.html
• ​Huevos Cubanos - https://icuban.com/food/huevos_cubano2.html

Main Courses:

• Fricasé de Pollo - https://icuban.com/food/chicken_friccasee.html
• Ropa Vieja - https://icuban.com/food/ropa.html

Side dish:

• Moros y Cristianos - https://icuban.com/food/moros_y_cristianos.html

Desert:

• Flan - https://icuban.com/food/flan.html

Beverages:

• Batido de Mango - https://icuban.com/food/batido_mango.html
• Batido de Plátano - https://icuban.com/food/batido_platano.html
• Cafe Cubano - https://icuban.com/food/cafe_cubano.html
•  Mojito (see recipe below)

or

• Rum! (which is what we'll be drinking)

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Mojito Recipe
The Mojito was first served in La Bodeguita del Medio, in La Habana Vieja, in 1942. It's roots go back to the local Native Americans, who mixed a medicinal drink with aguardiente de caña (a crude spirit made from sugar cane), sugar cane juice, lime and mint; and to African slaves who made a similar drink without the lime. The name may have derived from the Spanish Mojadito (a little wet).

Ingredients

• 1 Shot+ (1 1/2 oz. - 2 oz.) Aged White Rum, 3 years maximum, such as Havana Club Añejo 3 Años
• Juice from 1/2 Lime, freshly squeezed
• 2 Sprigs of Mint, Cuban Yerba Buena is best if you can get it, Spearmint is the closest variety
• 2 teaspoons White Sugar or Simple Syrup
• 4 oz. +/- Seltzer Water
• 3-4 large ice cubes

Assembly

• Squeeze the lime juice into a smallish Collins glass
• Add the sugar
• Mix them together with a muddler or a spoon
• Add 5-6 mint leaves from one of the sprigs. Press them gently into the juice, then up against the side of the glass. Bruise them just enough to release the oils, do not crush them
• Pour in the rum
• Stir to dissolve the sugar
• Add the ice cubes
• Pour in the seltzer water, give it a little stir
• Hold the second mint sprig in the palm of one hand, slap it with the other hand (this releases the oils)
• Garnish with the mint sprig and an optional wheel of lime