1. inspired your love of food:

   My love of food stems from cooking alongside my Mamita Amada, my grandmother, when I was young. Our favorite dishes to prepare for the family were traditional foods such as arepas (recipe below), enchiladas and ceviches.

2. is your signature:

   I have different favorites at each of my restaurants, but the cochinillo asado at Amada, my first restaurant, has a special place in my heart. It’s a whole roasted suckling pig, brined so that it’s incredibly tender, and served with several side dishes including charred green onions with romesco sauce and rosemary white bean stew with bacon. I love that it’s a large dish, meant to be shared among a group of family and friends. Food has a magical way of bringing people together, and this dish is a great example.

3. you cook on your night off:

   When I have time to prepare a meal at home, rather than in my restaurants, I tend to return to family dishes. My daughter’s favorite is caldo gallego, a Galician white bean and ham stew with shredded romaine. It’s rich and soul-warming without being unbearably heavy, and it appears frequently in our house.

Can we have an extra helping?

• What one new ingredient should I add to my pantry and how should I use it?

  Smoked paprika. The depth of flavor that it adds to any dish is just amazing – rich and smoky, with a great earthy heat. Once you try it, you won’t be able to get enough. It’s great with almost any meal – in a rub for steak or chicken, as a seasoning for vegetables, even sprinkled over eggs for breakfast!

• What are you making tomorrow night for dinner?

  I’m cooking yuca fries at my new restaurant, Chifa. Come try some! They’re delicious.

Chef, can you share a recipe for one of these dishes?

Arepas with Oxtail Ropa Vieja and Avocado Espuma
From Latin Evolution

Serves 4

1/4 cup vegetable oil, for frying
4 arepas
Kosher salt, to taste
2 ounces uncooked smoked bacon
3/4 pound oxtail ropa vieja with 1/4 cup jus
4 thin slices green heirloom tomato
4 thin slices red heirloom tomato
1/2 cup avocado espuma
1/2 cup micro arugula
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Putting it all together: Preheat oven to 350°F. To a sauté pan add vegetable oil to just cover the bottom of the pan. Heat oil over medium heat until it starts to sizzle. Add the arepas and fry until golden brown, about 1 minute on each side. Remove arepas, drain, and season with salt. Split each arepa by cutting in half horizontally.

Cut each slice of bacon on the bias into 2 triangles. Arrange on a baking sheet and cook in oven until crisp.

In a saucepan over medium heat, heat oxtail ropa vieja with jus.

Place 2 arepa halves on each of 4 plates. Top each with oxtail mixture. Place a slice of green tomato and a slice of red tomato over the oxtail. Top with a bacon triangle, avocado espuma, and micro arugula tossed in olive oil.
Arepas

Yields 4 arepas

1 cup instant arepas flour (corn flour; available at Latin grocery stores)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 cups hot water
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup queso fresco

To make arepas: In a bowl combine flour and salt. Add water and butter to flour mixture while stirring. Mix thoroughly. Add queso fresco and mix to combine. Take the dough out of the bowl and knead until pliable. Using a 3-inch ring mold, form four 1/2-inch-thick disks.

Oxtail Ropa Vieja

Yields 1 1/4 pound

3 pounds oxtail
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large Spanish onion, 1/2 chopped, 1/2 julienned
1/2 large carrot, chopped
9 cloves garlic, 6 whole, 3 julienned
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup plus 1/3 cup tomato paste
3 cups red wine
4 cups veal stock
3 guindilla chiles or 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
10 sprigs thyme
1 yellow bell pepper, julienned

To make oxtail ropa vieja: Preheat oven to 325°F. In a braising pan over medium-high heat, sear oxtails on all sides in 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Remove oxtails and place in a deep pot. Add chopped onion, carrots, and whole garlic cloves to the braising pan and season with salt. Over high heat sauté the vegetables until browned. Add 1/4 cup tomato paste and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add red wine and veal stock to deglaze, scraping bottom of pan to loosen caramelized bits. Bring mixture to a boil. Remove from heat and pour mixture over oxtails. Add guindilla chiles (or red pepper flakes), peppercorns, and thyme. Cover tightly with foil and cook for 3 hours. Remove oxtails from the liquid and shred the meat. Strain jus and reserve.

In a large braising pan over low heat, sweat julienned onions and yellow bell peppers in vegetable oil until soft. Add julienned garlic and 1/3 cup tomato paste, and continue to sweat for an additional 5 minutes. Add reserved oxtail jus and bring to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer. Reduce mixture until the sauce has thickened to nappé. Add shredded oxtail and cook for an additional 10 minutes over low heat. Pour mixture out onto a sheet tray and refrigerate to cool. Ropa vieja can be frozen for up to 1 week.

Avocado Espuma

Yields 1 cup

1/2 avocado, peeled and chopped
1/2 jalapeño chile, seeded and diced
1 tablespoon cilantro leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1/4 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

To make avocado espuma: In a blender, combine avocado, jalapeño, cilantro, and lemon juice, and puree. With blender running, add cream and milk and process until smooth. Season with sugar and salt. Use immediately.