[Luis Gonzalez]

To my mother.

[Luis Gonzalez]

Happy Mother's Day FReepers!

[buffyt]

Best I ever had was made by a friend from Peru. It was a dish to die for. It was tangy and delicious. I have tried to duplicate her recipe and mine is never as good as hers was. And I have been married thirty years and raised three kids, and am an experienced good cook. Arroz con Pollo is just heavenly!

[Cincinatus' Wife]

I love to read your stuff Luis. Great, as usual.

[Aracelis]

Luis...that was beautiful...thank you! I feel the same about my mother's turkey stuffing - she's gone now, and I cannot reproduce the recipe. The ingredients I know, but she added something special.

[Clemenza]

See my comment #4.

BTW: No como pollo, prefiero mariscos, especialmente Camarones al Ajillo y Calamares en su Tinta. El Pulpo Asado en Las Culebrinas es mi comida favorita en el sur de Florida.

[bonfire]

Beautiful, Luis.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Luis, in this touching story there's a sad question hanging over ... where is your wife? Did she have to stay in Cuba?

[aruanan]

That’s when I realized that I would never find the most important ingredient of them all, and that my four year-old boy was right.

You got that right. I loved Thomasa Guzman's arroz con pollo con gandules, but I loved best watching her bustle around the kitchen and steeping lemon leaf from the little tree in the window in hot water, listening to her commentaries on life and the family, hearing her exclaim, "Ai! Gregorio!" and laugh when I'd tell her about something fairly egregious that had happened while at work. Now that she's gone, arroz con pollo is just chicken with rice.

[untenured]

Awesome. Years ago I had a recipe for arroz con pollo that I loved, especially after I tinkered with it. But I lost it when we moved and have to do it from memory, so it never turns out quite right. All I remember that was out of the ordinary was olives and a can of beer.

I'm living in Osaka, Japan at the moment, and there's still time this afternoon to shop for tonight's dinner. There's not a lot of bijol to be had, but I'll see what I can do about ad-libbing the ingredients and giving my wife a night off from cooking.

I was at an exhibit here recently on life in Cuba. Like most things involving the nature of man and how he governs himself, the Japanese are very naive about it. The exhibit was full of delighted multiracial Havana groups laughing, singing and smiling. Little do they know.

[The KG9 Kid]

Where's the black beans with bay leaves and white rice?

What about the Cubano Tamales with steamed white onions?

What about the jerked shredded pork?

Where's the Ironbeer? Materva?

I thought you were REAL Cubano. I am starting to wonder about you. ;)

[Militiaman7]

Great Read Luis.

Mrs. MM7 makes Arroz con Pollo either Nicaraguan or Puerto Rican style depending on her mood. One recipe from her mother and one recipe from her father.

[Militiaman7]

Great Read Luis.

Mrs. MM7 makes Arroz con Pollo either Nicaraguan or Puerto Rican style depending on her mood. One recipe from her mother and one recipe from her father.

[capitan_refugio]

You're a nice guy.

What is bijol? I don't recognize that word.

Remind me sometime and I'll tell you how a make a great Paella Valenciana.

[Luis Gonzalez]

Please pass on a Mother's Day wish to Mrs. Robinson.

[Catspaw]

Luis, what a beautiful and moving tribute to your mother....and I'm suddenly hungry for arroz con pollo :-))

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Thanks, Luis. You're a good son.

BTW, the best Arroz con Pollo from a restaurant I ever had was in Federal Way, Wa. I think the name of the place was Azteca's, near the mall (13 yrs ago). It was superb. One of my favorite meals.

[strela]

Another fine article, which we have come to expect from your pen (or word processor), Luis. Thank you.

My mother treated her cream sauce recipe for chicken-fried steak like a state secret. She never did tell my younger brother how to make it, because up until a few years ago he considered Taco Bell to be haute cuisine and had no interest in passing on the family tradition. As others have noted in this thread though, food is love. And, after lengthy and careful tutelage under my watchful eye, he can prepare a passable version of the stuff that doesn't taste like library paste.

Younger brother finally got his inheritance, just not as soon as he had hoped. And I hope that wherever she is, Mom thinks that I've done the right thing.

[dansangel]

Thank-you for the link you posted bringing me here. This gave me a lump as big as Texas in my throat. Two reasons:

1) I miss my mother's Italian cooking. She's back home in FL and I'm stuck here in Atlanta. She also (like your mother) doesn't cook the same dishes any more due to health reasons. But, when we visit and the mood strikes her, the food is outstanding.

2) I miss the good Cuban restaurants so abundant in FL and so lacking up here. Even though the restaurant food is not as good as your mother's (just like the Italian restaurants don't compare to my mom's or my dearly departed grandmother's), to "novices" like me, it is heaven! :-)

((((((((((Luis)))))))))

[hardhead]

I don't know the subtle differences between countries or regions, but I can remember while stationed in Puerto Rico in the early 1960s that arroz con pollo was excellente! This makes me hungry.

[Bizzy Bugz]

Luis, How beautiful. I did not realize it until I read your post that it is just Mothers love and not her dressing for Thanksgiving that we all miss so much. All of my familiy always try to make dressing like Mother and we cannot make it "Just like hers", although I have watched her for lots of years make dressing and my family just smiles and says "Mother this is so good, But it is just not like Mama's".
Thank you for your post.