CHAPTER 1

From Boiling Water to Special Recipes

Laz's Hearty Homemade Chicken Soup

If you can boil water, you can make soup. Take a large pot, add 2 quartsof water and bring it to a boil. Hey, now you're cooking!

Once the water comes to a boil, add the following:

4 chopped celery sticks
1 chopped carrot
8 cloves of garlic
1 chopped green pepper (no seeds)
2 chopped tomatoes
1 piece of pumpkin (about the size of a slice of pie)
2 chopped onions

Let that continue to boil for 5 minutes. Thereafter add 3–4 chicken legquarters (or chicken breasts) with skin and bone and continue to boilfor 25–30 minutes or until chicken is almost done. Then add 2 potatoes,peeled and cut into fourths, add salt and pepper to taste, continue tocook over medium heat for 20 minutes (or until chicken is cooked andpotatoes are soft). Add a small handful of egg noodles and cook for 3–5minutes or until noodles are at desired tenderness.

There you are! Congratulations, Chef! You did it! Believe it or not,you've got yourself Laz's Hearty Homemade Chicken Soup.No more soup out of a can for you full of sodium and unwantedpreservatives that will only weigh you down and leave you feelingunsatisfied and hungrier in a few minutes.

So next time you are feeling down, under the weather, or simply tired,make Laz's Hearty Homemade Chicken Soup.

To take your hearty homemade chicken soup to the next level, simplyadd a variety of other ingredients, such as an ear or two of yellow corn(cut in half) and some malanga and/or chayote (these vegetables can bepurchased at your local farmers' market).

Now that you have mastered the art and technique of homemadechicken soup, with some minor variations, you can make vegetablesoup, chicken noodle soup, navy bean soup, beef barley soup, and evenbone marrow soup.

Please feel free to create your own special recipe. Don't be afraid to becreative. When in doubt, remember, cooking is an art, not an exactscience. Just have fun and enjoy!

You can pair up your hearty homemade chicken soup with a goodthick slice of oven-warmed Cuban or French bread, a couple of slices ofavocado, and a nice, icy cold beer and call it "the perfect home remedy"for the workday blues.

Laz's Arroz con Pollo

Now that you know how to boil water and make homemade chickensoup, you are ready to make a traditional mouth-watering classic Spanishdish called Arroz con Pollo (chicken with yellow rice).

Take a deep pot, add a quarter cup of olive oil, and let that come tomedium heat. Then add these ingredients:

4 chicken leg quarters (or 4 chicken breasts) with skin and bone, cut in
half and slightly browned on both sides
2 chopped tomatoes
2 chopped onions
2 chopped green peppers (without seeds)

Continue to stir occasionally over medium heat for 5 minutes untilthe onions are translucent and soft. Then add 6 garlic cloves and 2 bayleaves. Now add 32 ounces of homemade chicken broth (can be storepurchased in the can). Let that come to a boil and continue boiling for15 minutes. Now add 1 cup of short-grain rice and a pinch of saffronand salt and pepper to taste. Let that come to a boil and then cook for20 minutes over medium-low heat (until the rice is cooked) and youhave a mouth-watering chicken with yellow rice.

This delicious dish will impress everyone, including you! Serve with redpimentos and/or asparagus for garnish.

Arlen's Hot and Spicy Jambalaya (with a Nica Twist)

Now with a minor variation you can make Jambalaya. Again take adeep pot. Instead of chicken, use one smoked sausage cut into half-inchpieces and a pound of pork spareribs cut into 3-inch pieces and brownover medium heat.

Then add 2 chopped onions and 2 chopped green peppers (withoutseeds) and stir occasionally for 5 minutes.

Add the following ingredients:

6 garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
8-ounce can tomato sauce
32 ounces of chicken stock (can be store bought)

Bring to a boil. Add 3 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce, 1–2 teaspoonsof hot Louisiana sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. As it boils, add 1cup of short-grain white rice and cook for 20 minutes over medium-lowheat (until rice is done). And you have yourself one hot and spicyjambalaya.

Won the Lotto" Paella

Okay, this is it. You got the break you've been waiting for (or maybe youjust got paid). Time to celebrate!

Take a deep pot and heat ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil over a mediumheat and brown 1 pound of pork ribs cut into 3-inch pieces along with4 chicken leg quarters cut in half.

Then add 2 chopped tomatoes, 2 chopped green peppers (without seeds),and 2 chopped onions, 6 garlic cloves, and 2 bay leaves.

Cook over medium-low heat and stir occasionally for 10 minutes.

Add 32 ounces of chicken broth and 1 cup of short-grain rice, and letthat come to a boil. Cook over medium-low heat for 20 minutes.

Now add 4 lobster tails (still in shell), each lobster cut in 3 even piecesand cook for 3–5 minutes or until the shell turns red. Then add thefollowing:

½ pound of shelled, deveined shrimp
¼ cup of mussels
¼ cup of clams

Salt and pepper to taste and add a pinch of saffron. Allow the pot tosimmer for 3–5 minutes, and you have it—a feast fit for a star, "paella."

By now you have the hang of it. You have seen that with the same basicingredients and techniques, you can make a variety of mouth-wateringdishes. Now you are ready for more Latin...