Author Kate Stone Lombardi wrote a book called “The Mama’s Boy Myth, Why Keeping Our Sons Close Makes them Stronger” It is about the importance of the mother and son bond and studies revealed that boys with strong bonds with their mothers fare better in school, the workplace, and in friendships and relationships with significant others. The purpose of this feature is to show how Food, Family, and Love are celebrated many different ways within many different ethnicities, cultures, and religions AND from a Mother and Sons perspective. Quite often traditions with foods seem to be carried down because of the daughters and I believe as a Mother of TWO Sons, it is equally important to share cooking, recipes, cultural traditions, and the kitchen with my BOYS.

This feature sheds light on a dynamic relationship between Mothers & Sons…I have long heard the idiotic saying that “your son is a son until he takes his wife??? Serioulsy?? People believe it too!!! I want to debunk that age old saying, thus my feature. The two featured, Sean and Susi have a wonderful relationship. They laugh often, love working side by side, cook together, clean dishes together constantly, and love each other dearly.  As a wife, I wouldn’t want it any other way……My love and our relationship would never stand in the way of our family being whole, with HIS and MY Family, combined. The Whole is what makes a family special, never just half. The Whole makes for a solid foundation for children, which extends to their Confidence, Stability, and Inclusiveness of the whole, which perpetuates the importance of relationships that should be EQUALLY important with accountability from a son and daughter to their parents. I hope you enjoy the video interview, the background music of PJ, and a glimpse into our beautifully unique Italian, German, Jewish, and Puerto Rican family and food….Enjoy!!!

Print Recipe

Featured Dish, A Soffrito Beef Roast and Latkes with A Side of Plantains Yum

Keyword

Latkes, Plantains, Puerto Rican Food

Servings

Ingredients

Soffrito

• 1 Tablespoon Felippo Berio Olive Oil Olive oil helps decrease the total cholesterol and "bad" LDL cholesterol levels.
• 3 Medium Onions Onion is high in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Some benefits may include reducing the risk of heart disease.
• 5 Colored Bell Peppers Studies have discovered that high levels of lycopene in the blood are associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease in both men and women.
• 1 Cup Fresh Cilantro
• 1 Teaspoon Coriander Seeds
• 1 Teaspoon Sea Salt
• 2 Teaspoons Dried Oregano or Fresh Oregano treats inflammation in the body.
• 1 Teaspoon Black pepper
• 5 Cloves of Garlic Garlic offers a variety of benefits, from cardiovascular protection, and lowering LDL levels along with triglycerides and lowering blood pressure.

Yucca and Yam Latkes

• 3 Grated Yucca Also known as cassava, yucca is a dense, starchy food that's rich in carbohydrates. It's a good source of fiber, folate, vitamin C, and potassium.
• 3 Grated Yams Eating potassium-rich sweet potatoes helps promote a healthy heart. Higher potassium intake allows you to excrete more sodium, lower your blood pressure and reduce your risk for heart disease, according to the American Heart Association.
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 15 Grinds Fresh Black Pepper
• 5 Brown Eggs
• 1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
• 1/4-1/2 Cup Low Fat Milk
• 5-6 Green Onions

Plantains

• 1 Teaspoon Land O Lakes Butter
• 1/2 Teaspoon Sugar in the Raw
• 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon Cinnamon is one of the most delicious and healthiest spices on the planet. It can lower blood sugar levels, reduce heart disease risk factors and has a plethora of other impressive health benefits.

Keyword Latkes, Plantains, Puerto Rican Food Servings Ingredients Soffrito 1 Tablespoon Felippo Berio Olive Oil Olive oil helps decrease the total cholesterol and "bad" LDL cholesterol levels. 3 Medium Onions Onion is high in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Some benefits may include reducing the risk of heart disease. 5 Colored Bell Peppers Studies have discovered that high levels of lycopene in the blood are associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease in both men and women. 1 Cup Fresh Cilantro 1 Teaspoon Coriander Seeds 1 Teaspoon Sea Salt 2 Teaspoons Dried Oregano or Fresh Oregano treats inflammation in the body. 1 Teaspoon Black pepper 5 Cloves of Garlic Garlic offers a variety of benefits, from cardiovascular protection, and lowering LDL levels along with triglycerides and lowering blood pressure. Yucca and Yam Latkes 3 Grated Yucca Also known as cassava, yucca is a dense, starchy food that's rich in carbohydrates. It's a good source of fiber, folate, vitamin C, and potassium. 3 Grated Yams Eating potassium-rich sweet potatoes helps promote a healthy heart. Higher potassium intake allows you to excrete more sodium, lower your blood pressure and reduce your risk for heart disease, according to the American Heart Association. 1 Teaspoon Salt 15 Grinds Fresh Black Pepper 5 Brown Eggs 1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour 1/4-1/2 Cup Low Fat Milk 5-6 Green Onions Plantains 1 Teaspoon Land O Lakes Butter 1/2 Teaspoon Sugar in the Raw 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon Cinnamon is one of the most delicious and healthiest spices on the planet. It can lower blood sugar levels, reduce heart disease risk factors and has a plethora of other impressive health benefits.

Instructions

Making the Soffrito and Marinading the Chuck Roast

1. First, preheat the oven to 425. Next, Largely chop the peppers and onions and place them on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Add your garlic and dash of salt and pepper and bake for 15-20 minutes.

   
2. Remove from the oven and cool. Add peppers, onions, garlic, coriander, cilantro, olive oil, and oregano, salt and pepper to a food processor or blender and blend until finely chopped.

   
3. Add the meat and soffrito to a large ziploc bag or sealed tupperware and refrigerate over night.

Slow Baking the Chuck Roast

1. Preheat the oven to 325. Add your a teaspoon of olive oil to your cast iron skillet or dutch oven and sear your roast for 2-3 minutes on each side.
2. Add 2 bay leaves, add1/2 squeezed lemon and juice, add 1 cup of the soffrito and bake for 2.5 hours.

   

Making your Yucca/Yam Latkes

1. In a food processor or by hand if you want, grate 3 peeled yucca and 3 peeled Yams. After, add yucca, yams, sea salt, grinds of pepper, eggs, flour, and milk and stir until all is blended.

   
2. Next, spray grease your skillet. Scoop your raw latkes with a large spoon in your hand and put them on the skillet and pat down with the spoon into a pancake. Cook on medium high for 3-4 minutes on each side until browned.

   

Plantains

1. First, add a teaspoon of butter to a pan, add your sliced plantains, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon and cook over a low heat until browned about 10-12 minutes.

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