They met in the Dominican Republic. Those roots inspired couple to culinary greatness

Henry and Lisa Peña live on the north side of Kansas City, but their favorite foods originated far from their current home. They met in the Dominican Republic and were inspired by the cuisine. Henry now works for the post office, and Lisa works for the Girl Scouts and founded Urban Hikes. The two enjoy healthy home cooking.

Q: Why do you enjoy foods from the Dominican Republic?

A: “Henry is from the Dominican Republic. We met when I was there serving in the Peace Corps,” Lisa said. “We were married in the Dominican Republic and lived there for several years.”

Q: How did you learn to cook?

A: “I grew up watching my mom cook,” Henry said, adding that he and Lisa “are a team in the kitchen since we both love to cook. She often chops, while I cook and season the foods. She also enjoys baking bread, making soup and fermenting foods.”

Q: What are foods from the Dominican like?

A: “Dominican foods are not spicy or hot from chiles, like Mexican food, but have a depth of flavor,” Henry said.

“Dominican dishes often include a squash called kobocha,” Lisa said. “Here, we substitute butternut squash, adding it to many of our dishes. Also, plantains are a staple food of the Dominican Republic, yet we find many people are not familiar with them. To be sure they are ripe, select plantains that are almost black in color. To sauté them, first peel them and cut them in half, then in pieces. Sauté them in hot vegetable oil until they are dark brown, but not black.”

Q: Do you have difficult purchasing some of the ingredients or seasonings you use?

A: We find most of the ingredients, like Goya and Maggi (products), at local grocery stores,” Lisa said. “But Walmart and some Price Choppers are especially well stocked with Hispanic seasonings. We also shop at stores that specialize in Hispanic foods, such as El Tortito or Bonito Michoacan.”

Q: What recipe are you sharing?

A: “The recipe is for Pollo Guisado Dominicano, or Dominican Stewed Chicken. It is my mom’s recipe and is commonly served in the Dominican,” Henry said.

“The recipe calls for several different seasonings, but you can alter them to fit your personal preferences. At home, Dominicans wash the chicken first in white vinegar, then in red wine before cooking to remove a strong poultry taste. To do so, place the chicken in a deep bowl, pour ½ cup white vinegar over it. Allow it to stand 1 minute, then rinse well. Pour 1 cup red wine over the chicken and swish to coat evenly. Allow it to stand 1 minute, rinse off the wine, and drain well.”

Lisa adds, “It is delicious, and we always serve it with rice and fried plantains. It is great to make on a Sunday then reheat for dinner during the week. It also freezes well.”

Dominican Stewed Chicken (Pollo Guisado Dominicano)

Makes 6 servings

1 (3 to 5 pound) chicken, cut up

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon sugar, optional

10 cups water

3 carrots, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 onions, chopped

2 bell peppers (any color), chopped

½ bunch green onions, chopped, optional

2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, with liquid

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

½ head garlic, or garlic cloves to taste, finely chopped

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1 teaspoon dried basil leaves

½ teaspoon garlic salt or table salt

½ teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon dried oregano leaves

½ teaspoon paprika

¾ teaspoon dried parsley flakes or about 3 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, optional

½ teaspoon Goya Adobo all-purpose seasoning, optional

1 packet Sazon Goya-sin achiote seasoning, optional

2 teaspoon chicken bouillon or 1 cube Maggi’s chicken bouillon

Cooked rice

Fried plantains

Cut fat from the chicken and discard. Put the chicken in a large pot and cook, uncovered, over medium heat, moving the pieces constantly, until any collected water evaporates. (This step is to dry the chicken; do not add oil and watch closely, cooking just until the chicken dries.)

Add the oil and the sugar. Fry the chicken, letting the sugar caramelize, about 2 minutes. The sugar will give the chicken a darker golden look. Continue rearranging the chicken.

Add the water, chopped vegetables, tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, garlic and cilantro. Add all the seasonings and the bouillon. Bring the liquids to a rolling boil and cook, uncovered, until about a quarter of the liquid has evaporated.

Cover the chicken, lower the temperature to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked. Stir occasionally. Serve the chicken with rice and fried plantains on the side.

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Roxanne Wyss and Kathy Moore are cookbook authors and food consultants that make up The Electrified Cooks. They have published over 14 cookbooks and thousands of recipes. They are members of Les Dames d’Escoffier and blog at pluggedintocooking.com.