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Caldo Concentrado and Vino Seco

No Cuban kitchen would be complete without a supply of caldo concentrado (bouillon cubes) and vino seco, a dry red cooking wine. The only problem with these two ingredients is that they are loaded with sodium. Although bouillon cubes turned up regularly in Cuban dishes, many Cuban abuelas (grandmothers) made their own stocks with real meat. You can simmer beef bones and trimmings, chicken bones and skin, a hambone and so on in water to create a delicious and natural stock.

Although Cuban abuelas occasionally went natural with the meat stocks, when it came to vino seco they accepted no substitutes. Check out the pantry of any well stocked Cuban kitchen in Miami and you'll find a bottle or two of these "Spanish style" cooking wines.

When most Cuban cooks talk about cooking sherry, they're really talking about vino seco.We normally recommend using a good red or white wine in your Cuban dishes. However, if you grew up in a Cuban household and you really want to make it just like your mom or grandmother did, go ahead and reach for the vino seco. And that goes for the bouillon cubes as well! However, you may want to adjust the salt. . .

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