There are more than 200 recipes in your books. If I have your cookbooks at home, which recipe should I try first?
Raúl Musibay: We recommend going right to the drink recipes. Fix yourself a mojito or a Cuba Libre, find a comfortable chair by the pool, and just relax. After a drink or two, you’ll forget all about cooking anything!
Jorge Castillo: Although that describes the beginnings of several of our meals, we do need to get serious here.
Glenn Lindgren: Yes, seriously, go with the Arroz con Pollo -- chicken and rice. Everybody loves this dish and it is very easy to make!
You guys are Miami experts. Can you tell us three food experiences a visitor to Miami should not miss?
Jorge Castillo: Don’t leave Miami without drinking a glass of guarapo (sugar cane juice), eating a fresh pastelito (Cuban pastry) from a good Cuban bakery, and trying a delicious Cuban sandwich.
Raúl Musibay: Drink a cafecito at a walk up window in any Cuban neighborhood.
Glenn Lindgren: Two words -- Cuban bread. Make sure you get a fresh warm bakery loaf. Add a little sweet cream butter and you will truly believe you are in heaven.
Jorge Castillo: I guess that’s five things -- but that’s just like us, always going overboard.
What are some of the basic flavors of Cuban cooking?
Glenn Lindgren: The base of s
o many recipes is sofrito, a combination of onions, green peppers, and garlic all lightly sautéed together with olive oil.
Jorge Castillo: Citrus flavor is also very dominant. Most common is the sour or bitter orange, which is used as the base for mojo.
Raúl Musibay: Mojo is a marinating sauce made with sour orange, garlic, black pepper, oregano, and salt. It is used to marinate just about every type of meat and fish. I love it!
Glenn Lindgren: We have occasionally caught Raúl drinking mojo straight out of the mortero!
Raúl Musibay: Hey, it’s a Cuban thing...
What is your best cooking tip for someone who wants to be a really good Cuban cook?
Raúl Musibay: Taste it! If you’re not eating all the while you’re cooking, you’ll never be a good cook.
Jorge Castillo: There are so many little adjustments you can make during the preparation of a recipe and having a flair for knowing what to do...
Raúl Musibay: ...and when...
Jorge Castillo: ...is a real talent.
Glenn Lindgren: Follow the recipe, yes, but also adjust the seasonings as you go to make the food taste the way you like it.
In other words, salt and pepper to taste?
Jorge Castillo: We think it goes beyond that and it involves a little creativity and a lot of tasting!
Glenn Lindgren: When someone first said, “Never trust a skinny chef,” they knew what they were talking about.
Raúl Musibay: They certainly weren’t talking about any of us!
What is the favorite activity of the Three Guys from Miami besides cooking?
Raúl Musibay: We all love to fish and we do that whenever we can.
Jorge Castillo: Raúl has a great little boat and we do a
lot of fishing in the Florida Keys.
Glenn Lindgren: We also like to eat out and to travel.
Raúl Musibay: And we’ve never passed up a great party!
Jorge Castillo: We are blessed in that we can combine our various interests with our websites. We cover not only Cuban food and recipes, but also many aspects of Cuban culture.
Glenn Lindgren: We also do restaurant reviews for Cuban restaurants all over the United States on one of our sister sites, CubanFoodUSA.com.
Raúl Musibay: Our websites keep us very busy!
Do you guys have a restaurant in Miami and where is your restaurant located?
Jorge Castillo: People are surprised to find out that we don't have a restaurant. In fact, we have never had a restaurant.
Raúl Musibay: We have EATEN in a lot of restaurants.
Glenn Lindgren: We are just Three Guys who love Cuban culture, enjoy a good party, and love to cook Cuban food. Hey, haven’t we said that before somewhere?
Jorge Castillo: As we’ve said, we aren't classically trained chefs -- we learned all of our skills in the kitchen and at the table!
Raúl Musibay: Yes, we have spent A LOT of time at the table.
Jorge Castillo: Our “happiness curves” (patting his stomach) continue to grow!
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