Latin American Recipes

A fun Peruvian dish that looks cool and is always a hit with the kids! Seasoned meat is the surprise center to the rice on top. Makes great leftovers!

For any Colombian food you serve, always have some aji on the table. Hot, spicy, fresh, and flavorful.

Originally this came from a Cuban friend, but I've since doctored it quite a bit. This dish is hearty and a meal in itself. By adding more meat, beans, and rice, you can feed a large group of people. You might want to add more spice as well.

This is my favorite Mexican pork dish that is always a hit. Can be toned down with less or no peppers and still tastes awesome. If you can find Seville orange juice, use it in place of the lemon and regular orange juice for authentic Mexican flavor. Quite easy to prepare too! Your whole family will love this famous Mexican dish!

A very traditional Brazilian stew made with black beans, sausage, and all the tasty bits of pork. For a traditional Brazilian spread, serve hot with white rice and collard greens. You can look for the greens in Caribbean markets, but if unavailable try kale instead.

Here's how I build a Cuban, or Cubano, sandwich. I like to use pulled pork. Carnitas would work too. These ingredients and amounts are open to your own personal preferences, but here's the general idea.

Guatemalan version of rice pudding. Serve hot or cold.

A Puerto Rican side, usually served with rice and beans in our family.

Crispy fried plantains. A plantain is a very firm banana. Serve as side dish with your meal or as appetizers.

This is an authentic recipe for mojito. I sized the recipe for one serving, but you can adjust it accordingly and make a pitcher full. It's a very refreshing drink for hot summer days. Be careful when drinking it, however. If you make a pitcher you might be tempted to drink the whole thing yourself, and you just might find yourself talking Spanish in no time! Tonic water can be substituted instead of the soda water but the taste is different and somewhat bitter.

This cake is made with three layers: Cake, filling, and topping. There are 4 types of milk in the filling and topping (whole milk, condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream). This is an excellent cake for milk lovers!

This is my grandmother's Cuban picadillo (ground beef hash/chili) recipe which is usually served with white rice, beans and plantains. Picadillo also goes great with mashed potatoes and can be made without the squash. This dish is a favorite at home so I usually make 2 pounds to have leftovers for making empanadas (meat pies) the next day. Picadillo also freezes well. Of course my kids say this is the best picadillo they've ever had and I have to agree!