My girlfriend of the moment was the daughter of a Cuban father and an Irish mother, (Lucy/Dessie all over again). May, her mom was an outstanding cook and had blended her learned style of American cooking with that of Cuban cooking.
One of her dishes, (my favorite), was something she called crawfish morretés. (In Florida, the spinny lobster is called a crawfish)
Basically a thick lobster stew made to Cuban standards, which is packed into a Cuban loaf. A Cuban loaf is an individual serving bread roll that has a hard crust, about 6" long, and tapered at each end. It has no serrations on top, (as opposed to a French baguette), and no seeds or flour baked on to the outside.
So here's how to make 'em:
Crawfish (Lobster) Morretes
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Saute time: 5 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
Yield: 4 - 6 servings
INGREDIENTS:
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 large onion chopped
1 cup chopped celery
5 cloves garlic, minced
6 medium ripe Roma tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 teaspoons cumin
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup tomato juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 lobster tails chopped to 1/2" cubes, (Florida lobster is the best)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped
In a large pan, melt the butter with the oil on medium heat. Add the green pepper, onion, and celery and sauté until the onion and celery are tender. Add the garlic and fry an additional minute or two. Add the tomatoes, cumin, wine, salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for about 15 minutes.
Add the seafood to the pan of vegetables and sauce. Stir gently, adjust seasonings as necessary.
Simmer for two or three minutes only to meld the flavors.
A Cuban loaf is an individual serving bread roll that has a hard crust, about 6" long, and tapered at each end. It has no serrations on top, (as opposed to a French baguette), and no seeds or flour baked on to the outside.
Now to finish off, take a Cuban loaf, (small crusty Italian bread will do if Cubans can't be found), cut off about 2" from one end. Make a square cut. Spoon out the soft inside of the loaf and discard or save for making bread crumbs.
Spoon the morreté into the loaf, not quite full. Turn the cut off end of the loaf and plug up the opening. Dip the plugged end of the stuffed loaf into beaten egg, (make sure the egg is above the cut & onto the loaf).
Set the loaf, plugged end down, into hot cooking oil briefly, to seal the plug. As soon as the egg sealant has cooked, (about 1 minute or less), carefully move the stuffed roll to a large frying pan containing a couple table spoons of olive oil. Sauté until golden brown on all sides.
Serve hot! ¡Buen apetito, Disfrutar!
