Cuban night Chez Walls

This was AMAZING food. Excellent recipes, and the flavours were perfectly complementary. On the menu was mojo chicken, brown rice with black beans, warm mango-avocado salsa, and mojitos:

Brown rice with black beans:

Prepare 1.5 - 2 cups of rice as directed. When cooked, add a 12oz can of black beans.

Mojo Chicken with Mango Avacado Salsa. (Make sure you follow the directions closely!):

Chicken prep. ingredients:
1tsp cumin seeds (or cumin powder)
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 red chili, stemmed
¼ tsp salt
2tbsp olive oil
1½ tbsp fresh-squeezed orange juice (most can also use sour orange juice)
1½ tbsp fresh-squeezed lime juice
2 large boneless chicken breasts

For the Warm Salsa:
2 tbsp chicken drippings or olive oil
½ cup orange juice
1 tsp grated lime peel
1 tsp honey
2 tsp thick sweet soy sauce
4-5 tbsp of chilled, unsalted butter
½ firm but ripe mango, peeled, diced
½ ripe avocado, peeled, diced
freshly chopped herbs to taste (coriander, parsley, etc.)

To make the marinade: In a heavy medium-size skillet over a medium-high heat, toast the cumin seeds until fragrant (slightly darker in color), about 2 minutes. Transfer the seeds, garlic, chili and salt into food processor (preferably a amll one) and grind into a coarse paste. Place into a medium bowl.

Heat the olive oil in the same skillet until very hot and pour over the paste. Stir to blend. Let stand for 15 minutes. Whisk in the orange juice and lime juice. Pour the marinade into a rectangular or oval gratin dish and cool. Add the chicken to the marinade, turning to coat.

Cover the chicken with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Remove the chicken from the marinade. In a heavy skillet, over moderately high heat, brown the chicken on both sides (about 2-3 minutes per side).

Finish chicken in the oven (7-8 minutes). Cover with foil and allow to rest for 3-5 minutes.

While the chicken is baking, whisk together the chicken drippings, orange juice, lime peel, honey and soy sauce in saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce (approximately 5-8 minutes). Remove from the heat and quickly whisk in the pats of butter one at a time.

Combine the mango and avocado in medium bowl. Scatter the mango and avocado around the chicken, drizzle with sauce and sprinkle with fresh chopped herbs.

Serve with black beans and rice

Serves 4

Mojitos - the official recipe that Ernest Hemmingway enjoyed:

1 teaspoon powdered sugar
Juice from 1 lime (2 ounces)
4 mint leaves

1 sprig of mint
Havana Club white Rum (2 ounces)
2 ounces club soda

Place the mint leaves into a long mojito glass (often called a "collins" glass) and squeeze the juice from a cut lime over it. You'll want about two ounces of lime juice, so it may not require all of the juice from a single lime. Add the powdered sugar, then gently smash the mint into the lime juice and sugar with a muddler (a long wooden device pictured below, though you can also use the back of a fork or spoon if one isn't available *note from ticblog: we used a mortar and pestle*). Add ice (preferably crushed) then add the rum and stir, and top off with the club soda. Garnish with a mint sprig.