Julian Crews: December 2009 Archives

He was known for his legendary Cuban black beans & rice.   But great-grandfather, Julio, had a flavorful way with words, too.  Like many Habaneros,  fueled by rum, café Cubano and ever-present tobacco, Julio had a knack for inventing colorful & crazy sayings, unique to the island.  Strangely wonderful Cuban sayings occupy a special place in the world-wide lexicon of the Spanish language.  And there's often a double-meaning behind these famous phrases.  Here are some of my favorites (with translations to English and the actual meaning in red )

Hay un frio que chilfla el mono!  (it's so cold the monkey is whistling!)

Esta pasando el Niagara en bicicleta (he's going over Niagara Falls by bicycle)

Actual meaning:  "he's having an impossibly difficult time"

Esta tocao del queso   (his cheese has been "touched" or tampered with) 

Actual meaning:  "he's out of his mind"

Se esta comiendo un cable  (he's eating a [steel] cable)

Actual meaning:  "he's in desperate straits"

Tiene un coco con Elena  (he has a "coconut" with Elena)

Actual meaning:  "he has a crush on Elena"

El horno no esta para galleticas! (the oven isn't ready for cookies)

Actual meaning:   "don't bother me.  I'm in a foul mood!"

Feliz ano nuevo everybody!

(Chicago) The Fraser Fir isn't native to Cuba, and neither is the Scottish Pine.  The evergreen trees we're used to are hard to find in the tropics.  But for decades, Habaneros found a way to get their hands on real North American Christmas trees - thanks in large part to my great-grandfather, Thomas D. Crews.

I'm not talking about my maternal great-grandfather (the man behind my famous frijoles negros and the face of Old Havana Foods).  This is the one-of-a-kind story of my paternal great-grandpa, who was born and raised in Georgia.   

As an American expatriate living in Havana, Crews was the first to import evergreens from the United States, when Christmas trees became fashionable in Cuba during the 1940's.  Relatives say he'd harvest evergreens from the upper Midwest and bring them down by railroad car to ship across to Havana.      

But exactly how he came to live in Cuba is a story all by itself.  And it's an interesting piece of history.  Born in Stockton, Georgia, Thomas D. Crews had a sense of adventure.  Which probably helps explain how his life took a dramatic turn in 1898.  He met a charming young Cuban woman in Jacksonville, Florida, just before the start of the Spanish-American war.  Her name was Sophia Carrera.  Carrera was in Florida with mother and brother, a prominent doctor who treated Cuban insurrectionists (drawing the wrath of the Spanish army).  Fearing for his safety, the family found temporary refuge in Florida.  

That's when my great-grandfather met Carrera and fell in love, courting the young woman during her stay in the U.S.  It wasn't long before he made the decision to follow her back to the island. 

But first, in an impressive display of devotion, my great-grandfather enlisted in the U.S. Army to help win Cuba's freedom from Spain.  He served as a military telegraph operator, stationed mostly in Puerto Rico, until the war was over.  Afterwards, Crews landed in Cuba to marry his fiancé and begin a new life.    

Thomas D. Crews and Sophia Carrera were soon married and had three children (one of them, my paternal grandfather, Joseph Crews).  He fathered my Cuban-born dad, Julio Crews, a talented abstract painter (see JulioCrews.com) who now lives in Houston, Texas. 

And that brings me to the end of the story.  Here in Chicago, people always ask me about my last name.  Knowing that I'm fluent in Spanish and of Latino descent, they wonder why I don't spell my last name, "Cruz?"  Some wonder if my family anglicized our last name after emigrating to the United States in 1961. 

For those demanding to know the true story, I tell them about my fearless "red-neck" great-grandfather from Georgia, who fell in love with a Cuban woman and followed his heart to  Havana. 

And along the way, he earned a curious foot note to history, as the man who helped bring the Christmas tree to Cuba.   

You're not going to believe it.  But just in time for the holiday season comes easy-to-follow recipes from Abraham Lincoln.   That's right!  "Free Range" Abe, as he was known in culinary circles, is just the latest celebrity to cash in on the lucrative cookbook circuit.   

O.K., maybe the president himself didn't have time to roll up his sleeves in the kitchen.  But he's likely to have sampled some of the authentic period recipes contained in, "A. Lincoln Cookbook: A Cookbook of Epic Proportions."  Among the 623 frontier recipes you'll find some of Mary Todd's favorites.  Other authentic recipes come from staffers at the Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum.  

You can get a copy of the book and whip up genuine Abe Lincoln favorites for your little "Railsplitters" - like Brown Chicken Fricassee and Caramel Ice Cream.  

The unusual cookbook's already up for a national book award - a finalist in the Morris Cookbook Company's Annual Community Cookbook Contest.  It sells for $40, at the Lincoln Library and Museum Gift Shop in Springfield, or you can buy it on line at www.presidentlincoln.org   Proceeds from the book go to pay for volunteer programs at the not-for-profit museum.  

Geez, Louise!  Makes me think I'd better get to work right away on my Old Havana cookbook!  You think Honest Abe would like black beans and rice?    

There's no shortage of recipes for this Cuban holiday favorite - savory roast pork!  But this one is my favorite because it's so easy-to-prepare.  It comes from my family's cookbook of centuries-old Cuban recipes.  Together with my famous black beans and rice, it's a fun new way to celebrate the holidays!  

Roast Pork with Magic "Mojo" Seasoning (recipe for 1 pound boneless pork loin)

Step 1 - Find your "Mojo"

Marinade (Mojo) Ingredients:

1/3 cup fresh orange juice
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

10 finely minced garlic cloves

2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon sea salt
4 bay leaves
 

Directions: In a small bowl, combine all marinade (mojo) ingredients stirring until salt is dissolved. Cover sauce and refrigerate at least 1 hour and no longer than 24 hours.

Step 2 - Marinating 

Trim fat from pork loin.  In a re-sealable plastic bag, combine pork and mojo seasoning.  Seal bag, pressing out excess air. Marinate pork in refrigerator a minimum of 3 hours or up to 24 hours.

Step 3 - Roasting  

Preheat oven to 400 deg F. Remove pork from marinade, reserving mojo in refrigerator. Pat pork dry with paper towels. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the pork, 4 to 5 minutes total, until lightly golden brown on all sides. Transfer to roasting pan. Roast the pork approximately 30 to 40 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted in center registers 160 deg F. Transfer pork to a cutting board and allow to rest 10 minutes before carving. Meanwhile pour reserved mojo into small sauce pan.  Bring mojo to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Cut pork into thin slices and drizzle with magic mojo seasoning.

Step 4 - Serve and watch your guests turn into carnivorous pirahnas! 

For more authentic Cuban recipes, history, music and art, visit Oldhavanafoods.blogspot.com    Feliz Navidad everybody! 

For the very latest in Chicago's northwest suburbs, watch us on WGN News at 11AM and Noon (as well as CLTV).  Or, of course, you can log-on to our weather center to see a LIVE radar or read Tom Skilling's upt-to-the-minute predictions ( http://www.wgntv.com/weather/).

Our remote crew is LIVE in Woodstock and other portions of McHenry county ... watching road conditions as the winds start to pick up and temperatures drop.  Got to say that the  famous square looks like a winter post-card.  Boy is it beautiful here!  And the people are so friendly! 

Snow plows and road crews have done an amazing job here in this historic McHenry county city.  They've cleared away truckloads of snow and ice and are working to stay ahead of the curve.  We'll give you a LIVE look at conditions throughout the day ... so you can know what to expect as the storm delivers its "one-two" punch of wind and bitter cold.   

  For Cubanos (and many Latin Americans), the highlight of the holiday season is the night of December 24th, otherwise known as La Noche Buena. 

It usually begins with a traditional meal of frijoles negros (black beans and rice) and Lechon (roast pig).  In the old country, hardy ancestors would cook an entire pig (a time-consuming  and somwhat gruesome experience where they'd slowly roast the pig outside over a pit).  

In the harried and time-constrained world of today, it's much easier to cook a pork loin.  And you don't have to venture outside to prepare tantalizing cocktails for the adults, like the classic Mojito drink, a mixture of Cuban rum, lime, sugar and fresh mint leaves (see the WGN Morning News archive for my famous family recipe) .   

My older relatives say when it comes to Noche Buena, nobody put on a bigger culinary production than my great-grandfather, Julio.  His bositerous Christmas Eve feasts (known as La Cena) were an Old Havana neighborhood legend.    

Here in Chicago, I'm the one preparing a much scaled-down Noche Buena feast (with help from my wonderful Irish wife, Terry).  Following my family's centuries-old Cuban recipes, we whip up dinner (with some supplemental Irish mashed-potatoes, of course!)  And we light candles and give thanks for our blessings over a magical family dinner.

Afterwards, we usually head off to a special midnight Catholic mass known as Misa del Gallo ("Mass of the Rooster").  By the time you return home, you can definitely hear the roosters crowing - but there's no time for sleep!  With a boost from Cafe Cubano, it's time to open the presents. If you're lucky, maybe you're laying your head down on the pillow by 3 or 4 in the morning.     

I'm not much of a night owl these days (getting up for my 3:30 AM news shift everyday at WGN-TV).  So I usually try to take a long nap to survive the evening.  But my kids sure don't mind staying up (fueled by chocolate and the rush of opening presents early).  And I love that we're preserving a rich Cuban tradition.    Feliz Navidad everybody!  Happy Chanukah and happy holidays to all!  With best wishes for a happy and healthy 2010.