Cuban Inspired Dishes from Miami

A meal inspired by a trip to Miami, where we experienced Cuban culture, ate Cuban food, and drank too much Cuban coffee.

My two favorite trips to Florida involved Cuban and Puerto Rican cuisines. On each visit, I dove into restaurants with mostly unfamiliar menus and discovered a love for Latin and Caribbean flavors. 

When we planned The Davises Eat episode devoted to Florida, we reminisced about our 2011 trip to Miami. Next to our hotel was a small Cuban restaurant that we frequented during our stay. We drank entirely too much Cuban coffee and ate the most delicious food. We ventured downtown a couple of evenings and found a few more gems serving up traditional Cuban food. It was a delight for my taste buds!  

We started our days with a colada coffee, the Cuban version of espresso. It is a sweetened coffee, served in a large cup with smaller thimble-sized cups for sharing. If you down the whole cup yourself, well, you may feel like your heart is beating out of your chest. Just ask my husband. He knows this to be true! I do not recommend it, however. Yikes.    

This visit long predates any notion I had of taking photos of the food we ate while traveling, but I still remember the smells and tastes of those meals. We recreated a few of our favorite dishes on Cuban Inspired Dishes from Miami, which was the first time our teenage daughter had tasted Cuban food.

She loved it. She ate leftovers for three days. She wants more. Mama is happy!   

In and of itself, Cuban food is a blend of many cultures. Spanish, Portuguese, and Caribbean influences are all present. Pork is a staple protein and sofrito - a mix of cooked aromatics like garlic, onion, pepper, and tomato - is a base flavor profile. Meals are often topped off with very sweet and decadent desserts. 

We skipped the decadent dessert in favor of the very decadent coffee cocktail, but I held as true as a Midwestern girl can to the basic Cuban flavors. Even better, the kiddo learned something about Cuba and the U.S. and the importance of retaining a cultural identity. Yes… what I write for you, she learns, too.