I don’t know a lot about Cuban food. I do know that much of originated from the Canary Islands and Spain, just like most of Latin America. With that said, Nick wanted to make something called “mojo” (prounounced “mo-ho” not “mo-jo” which is an Austin Powers act, just to be clear). It’s a very popular sauce and marinade from the Caribbean island and like most indigenous recipes has a lot of different variations based upon family recipes.However, the sauce has to include citrus, garlic and oregano.
Nick discovered it while living in Miami. It’s served up in restaurants, at parties and also bottled. It can also be found as “pollo de mojo” in Miami stores at the hot bar along with rice and beans, plantains and other dishes native to Cuba.
We tried making a couple of different recipes but it was never “cuminy” (is that a word?) for Nick. It lacked that deep earthiness and warmth that he kept wanting and would explain to me. Finally, Nick added several heaping tablespoons of the dried cumin to get that intense flavor which was required. Having never had “mojo”, I couldn’t help. Eventually, it wasn’t just the addition of the extra cumin but also the fresh oregano which made it taste just right.
How to Make “Mojo”:
Two to three bulbs of garlic (chopped)
1/2 cup of fresh lime juice
1/2 cup of orange juice
1/2 cup of olive oil
2 tablespoons of fresh oregano (minced)
3 tablespoons of cumin
1 small onion (chopped)
1. Put everything in a bowl and mix together. To use as a sauce, reserve about a cup.
Mojo Chicken
Use 3 pounds of meat (chicken, pork or beef) and place the sauce into a resealable plastic bag. Marinate overnight for at least 24 hours. We found this to be key to the flavoring as well.
You can roast at 400 degrees for an hour or grill.
A delicious, easy way to bring a bit of Cuba to your table.
