FacebookTwitterInstagramPinterestLinkedInSnapchatsnapchat
Home/Tag: MasterChef

Lemon Blueberry Quesito

This easy-to-make lemon blueberry quesito ( Puerto Rico's version of the danish) is one of my favorite summer dessert recipes. OK, if I'm keeping it 100, I make it all year. But it's super awesome during the summer when I get a little crazy buying a ton of berries at the farmer's market. You can have this baby in the oven in under ten minutes and on your table in under thirty. When you choose fresh blueberries at the market, go for plump ones, dent-free, and a deep blue. Skip blueberries that have any red patches on them, as this shows they were picked before their time. Blueberries do [...]

2021-07-24T18:03:31+00:00By |breakfast, brunch, Desserts, Fruits & Veggies|2 Comments
Read More

#StopFoodWaste: Asparagus Ends

I love asparagus season. The appearance of the vibrant green stalks on market shelves means spring (I.E. Foodie Christmas) is just around the corner. It's the most wonderful time of the year. (That last sentence should be sung in your best caroling voice.) Asparagus is ridiculously easy to prepare. Rinse the stalks and then bend them until they break. They'll magically snap exactly where the tough woody end and the tender spear meet. Isn't nature glorious? Of course, the tender part is the best part, but that doesn't mean you have to throw out the woody ends. They have just as much flavor and only need a little love [...]

2021-05-10T15:41:13+00:00By |#StopFoodWaste, Appetizers, Fruits & Veggies, Recipes, Uncategorized|0 Comments
Read More

Island Ratatouille Pie

Spring is here and nothing quite puts the season on the plate like a batch of ratatouille.  If you've never had it, it's a vegetable dish usually made with onions, zucchini, tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers. The veggies are sauteed or roasted with a little oil until they've softened and released their juices. Ratatouille can be served hot or cold or in a Disney movie prepped by the cutest team of rodents ever. Traditionally, ratatouille is accompanied by a few slices of crusty bread to sop up its savory sauce. I wrapped my ratatouille with a pie crust and dressed it with an herbaceous lemon ricotta to create a one-pot dish [...]

2018-04-19T16:00:28+00:00By |#IslandFlavor, Appetizers, Dinner, Fruits & Veggies, Recipes, Uncategorized|0 Comments
Read More

My first Food Network show debuts April 10th

Forgive me for being sentimental, but it's not every day a dream comes true. When I was 24 years old, after years and years of working in restaurants, I signed up for broadcast school. It was a six-week course. On Day 1 I was asked what my dream was and I said I wanted to host a show on Food Network just like Emeril. On my way to school on Day 3, my car was hit by a dump truck. I woke up from a coma to find that I had 19 broken ribs and a punctured lung. I checked myself out of the hospital as soon as I could [...]

2017-12-19T00:37:22+00:00By |Journal|21 Comments
Read More

#IslandFlavor: Pastelón, Puerto Rican Shepherd’s Pie

  What I love the most about social media is that it allows me to connect with people that I would never have met otherwise and my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE is getting a message from another Boricua who feels as strongly about Puerto Rican flavors as I do. I recently received this note from Hilarie Santiago: Dearest Monti, I've been a huge fan of yours since your appearance in Master Chef 3. I truly identified from the beginning, being a Puerto Rican mom, hustling to make a better life for her  baby. Let me just say, you are a fantastic mom and Danger is a lucky little guy, to have [...]

2017-12-19T00:37:22+00:00By |#IslandFlavor, Recipes, Uncategorized|2 Comments
Read More

#IslandFlavor: Empanadas Stuffed with Picadillo

Empanadillas work triple duty on my little island. They're served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner as an appetizer, main course, and even as a dessert. They are our version of the hot pocket (we freeze them for the future!), usually fried (though they can be baked BUT WHY WOULD YOU?!?!?), totally portable and mouth-wateringly DELICIOUS. Empanadillas are a pastry that can be stuffed with cheese, fruits, veggies, and every protein under the sun. But if you're going old school, the big daddy of all empanadillas is the one stuffed with picadillo. It's a sort of ground beef hash, stewed in a tomato-sauce-based sofrito with olives and raisins. You'll find [...]

2021-05-18T16:39:49+00:00By |Uncategorized|0 Comments
Read More

#IslandFlavor: The Freakin’ Rican Burger

Everyone has a favorite burger recipe and the Freakin' Rican is mine. I developed the recipe when I competed on Gordon Ramsay's MasterChef because it’s Puerto Rico in one juicy bite. The patty is made from 50% short rib, 25% sirloin and %25 pork shoulder, all coarsely ground. I season the patty with sazón, a Puerto Rican spice blend and then layer it with a chunky sofrito (flavorful tomato based sauce) and slices of creamy meunster cheese. Then come the smashed ripe plantains and strips of crispy thick cut bacon. I top those with tomato, onion, and arugula and sandwich all of it on a potato bun toasted with garlic [...]

2017-12-19T00:37:22+00:00By |#IslandFlavor, Proteins, Recipes, Uncategorized|2 Comments
Read More

#IslandFlavor: Abuela’s Rice and Beans

There's nothing I love more than getting messages like this one: My name is Jamie and I watched you on MasterChef and I just saw you on The Kitchen. My mom is from Puerto Rico and her mom used to make "the best" rice and beans. She doesn't know how to make it, she's not a good cook and she's been in America for a very long time. Do you happen to have a good traditional recipe for rice and beans? It seems simple but I wouldn't know where to start with seasonings. Thank you!!! Jaime, one of the biggest reasons I focus on Puerto Rican flavors is that they [...]

2017-12-19T00:37:22+00:00By |#IslandFlavor, Fruits & Veggies, Recipes, Uncategorized|0 Comments
Read More

#IslandFlavor: Sazón

Sazón is a type of seasoned salt used heavily in Puerto Rican recipes. In its simplest form, it is a blend of salt, garlic and onion powders, cumin, coriander, oregano and usually features annatto, which gives it its orange color. You can also find versions with the additions of cilantro, black pepper, saffron or tomato. The most popular brand of sazón on the island without question is Goya. While I'm a huge fan of most Goya products, they use MSG in their sazón so I prefer to make my own. It only takes a few minutes to have one of the most distinct flavors of Puerto Rico at your fingertips. [...]

2017-12-19T00:37:22+00:00By |#IslandFlavor, Spices, Uncategorized|8 Comments
Read More

#IslandFlavor: Coconut Hot Fudge Sundae

July 25th is National #HotFudgeSundaeDay. It also happens to be Danger's birthday (he's turning seven) which makes this day one of The. Biggest. Days. of the year for me. What better way to celebrate than with a tropical, coconut hot fudge sundae! My little man Danger loves sweet fried plantains (he may not have been born on the island but that kid is Puerto Rican I tell you!) and he loves chocolate, so I combined those flavors with one of our favorite things in the world: vanilla ice cream. This is a really easy quick sundae but if you don't have sweet plantain, you can substitute a ripe banana or [...]

2017-12-19T00:37:22+00:00By |Desserts, Fruits & Veggies, Recipes, Sauces, Uncategorized|0 Comments
Read More
Go to Top