Cuban Harina with Broccoli Rabe and Crispy Fried Eggs

I will never forget the day that I met Gabe's grandmother.  It was my first trip to Miami and we went to visit her at her house.  There was no doubt in my mind that the purpose was for her to check me out and decide if I was good enough for her grandson.  I don't speak much Spanish, though, and she didn't speak much English, so I was nervous about how it would go. 

I felt at ease as soon as we ventured into her sun-filled back room.  We sat and "talked" with Gabe's mom and aunt doing the translating.  After a bit, they lapsed into Spanish and the translation stopped.  Hmmm.  I knew they were talking about me, and eventually, I braved it and asked what they were saying.  Gabe leaned over and told me, "She said that it's great that you have big legs -- not too skinny."  Well as a girl that has worked hard not to be labeled "big," I was completely thrown.  But it only took a minute before I realized, I love this family!

And that was before I knew that she was a fantastic cook.  She invited Gabe and me over one day for the sole purpose of showing us how to make harina.  She made it with about two sticks of butter and she served it with picadillo, a tasty ground beef dish laced with olives and peppers. When we became vegetarians, we realized that we needed an alternative to the picadillo that would still offer a balance to the harina.

The bitter greens are an excellent complement to the sweetness of the cornmeal and the egg yolk creates a sauce that unifies the dish.  The crispiness on the egg adds texture.  Ideally, as you cut into the egg, the yolk will run over the rabe and harina and create a delicious, gooey mess.  Comfort food at its best!

Cuban Harina with Broccoli Rabe and Crispy Fried Eggs

Serves 6
10 minutes preparation time
1 hour cooking time

5-6 medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, plus more to taste
approximately 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon pepperoncini
2 medium bunches broccoli rabe
2 cups fine yellow cornmeal
approximately 8 cups milk (skim, whole, or a combination)
approximately 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
6 eggs

In a small mortar and pestle, pound 3 of the garlic cloves with one teaspoon of salt until it becomes a thick pulp.  Set aside.

Heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat and add the remaining garlic cloves.  Cook the garlic just until it becomes golden, 1 to 2 minutes.  Remove the garlic from the pan.  Add the pepperoncini, give it a quick stir into the oil, and add the broccoli rabe.  Cover the pan until the rabe begins to wilt, approximately 5 minutes.  Uncover the pan and saute the rabe until it is tender but still retains some of its bright green color, 2 to 3 more minutes.  Set the pan aside.  

Warm about 3 cups of milk in a microwave or in a small pan.  Put the harina into a large pot over medium heat.  While stirring with a wooden spoon, add the milk in a slow steady stream.  Continue to stir vigorously as you add the milk so that the cornmeal does not clump.  (Note:  if you stop stirring to take pictures of what you are doing, you will get lots of lumps.  If you keep stirring, though, eventually most of these will come out.)  Once you have added the 3 cups of milk, add the garlic-salt mixture and continue to stir. 

Keep the milk bottle handy.  As the mixture thickens, continue to add milk a cup at a time (this milk need not be warm).  This process is not an exact science.  You are aiming for a smooth, creamy texture that is about the consistency of grits or thin oatmeal.  It took me about 30 minutes and 5 additional cups of milk to get to this point.

Gabe knows the harina is ready when it starts to produce large bubbles -- mini volcanoes, really -- when he stops stirring.  The harina should be thick enough to stick to the spoon when you pull it out of the mixture.  The easiest way for me to tell when the harina is done is to taste it.  If the harina is not fully cooked, the individual grains of cornmeal will still be hard when you bite into them.  Once the harina is finished cooking, it will still retain a bit of graniness, but when you bite into an individual grain, you will not get any resistance.

When the harina is finished, taste it and add more salt if you like.  Stir and cover it while you fry the eggs.  Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium high heat.  Depending on the size of your cooking surface, you may be able to cook multiple eggs at once.   Give each egg lots of room so that you can flip it without breaking the yolk. 

Add about a teaspoon each of butter and olive oil to the pan for each egg.  When the butter has melted and begins to sizzle, add the eggs one at a time.  Cook until the edges are brown and crispy and the egg white begins to firm up.  Flip and cook the other side for about 15 seconds.  To plate the dish, ladel a couple of scoops of harina into a shallow bowl, add the broccoli rabe, and top with an egg. 

Note that as the harina sits, it will thicken.  If you want to thin it again, heat it, add more milk, and stir vigorously until it is smooth again.  Leftovers will solidify.  You can cut them into pieces and fry them or heat them and eat them with a bit of sugar sprinkled on it, as Gabe's grandfather used to do.

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Comments

[Carey]

Yum! The woman I lived with in Spain made something similar-- she called it "Cuban eggs".

[Patti]

I don't know that I would ever actually prepare this recipe, but it was a great pleasure to read. And when I read the last line, about Gabe's grandfather, I remembered how my grandfather always drank tea with a sugar cube in his mouth. One of the many joys of your blog is the way if brings memories back from my childhood (and Sam's..).
I enjoy everything about Hide the cheese, but most of all, I like the way it keeps me connected to you and your family.
Love, Patti

[eva]

Thank you Margy for honoring my mom's memory with her harina con huevos fritos which is now part of your family and will be remember always by Olivia, Oscar and Chloe.
That dish is a very simple "campesinos" (peasant) food which I love and don't get to eat very often.
My mom loved your legs, because she liked woman "con las piernas hermosas" which actually does not mean heavy or fat legs, in the Cuban culture, legs that have meat in them are cherish more than the skinny ones, also a nice behind!what can I say!...8-)I feel the same as my mom!

[Jan (Family Bites)]

Mmm...I love eggs and this sounds great. I love the story too!

[Margy]

Thanks, everyone. Eva, I agree with you and your mother about the legs! Really, what choice do I have?! So many dishes have stories to tell, don't they? It's what I love aobut cooking at home.