‘Culture Kitchen’ Season 2 Now Airing On CLEO TV

CLEO TV’s popular cooking series Culture Kitchen returned Wednesday for its second season. The series airs each Wednesday at 9/8c, hosted by Chef Bren Herrera.

According to the show’s description, Herrera gives viewers a look into her life through her recipes. “With her infectious personality and Afro-Latina flair, the D.C.-native delights with her bright, flavorful recipes and stories from her travels abroad,” states the network.

In the season premiere, Bren cooked oxtails in a spicy tomato sauce with cilantro lime rice alongside a roasted butternut, beet and egg salad. Scroll below for the full recipe, images from the premiere.

Here’s more about Herrera, according to CLEO TV:

Herrera is an award-winning celebrity chef, TV personality, entrepreneur, actress, author with an infectious ability to curate and tell stories that matter. Born in Havana, Cuba and raised in Washington, D.C. she fell in love with cooking at a young age as her Mom introduced her to the art of pressure cooking. After leaving a lofty career in law, Herrera turned to cooking as her way to celebrate her Afro-Cuban roots but also to entertain through dynamic experiences. In her very soulful kitchen, she combine’s Cuba’s vibrant plate, seeded in African, European, and Spanish culture and cuisine, with modern flavors and textures, to create memorable and smart dishes. She is the pressure-cooking Queen whose philosophy is to save time and energy so that you can spend precious time with your loved ones without sacrificing flavor and nutrition.

Braise Oxtails in Spicy Tomato Sauce
Recipes Courtesy of Bren Herrera

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients
3 lbs. of oxtails (rinsed and pat dry)
3 tablespoons of avocado oil
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1 large onion diced
1 large green bell pepper diced
6 cloves of garlic minced
2 teaspoons of cumin
2 tablespoons of oregano
1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
2 cups of tomato sauce
1 cup of good red wine
1 cup of chicken stock
½ cup chipotle peppers in adobo sauce chopped
2 sprigs of rosemary

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place a large Dutch oven over medium high heat and coat with avocado oil.
3. Season oxtails with salt and pepper on both sides and place in the hot dutch oven, and
   sear on both sides until caramel brown in color. Add the oregano and smoked paprika,
   stir again and reduce heat to medium.
4. Next, add the onions, peppers, garlic and gently stir. Add the bay leaves, tomato paste,
   tomato sauce, chicken stock, red wine, and the chipotle peppers. Gently stir to combine
   all ingredients.
5. Cover dutch oven with a lid, and place oxtails in the oven for 2 ½ to 3 hours until they are
   tender. Remove oxtails from the oven and add the 2 rosemary sprigs. Place the lid back
   on the dutch oven and allow the residual heat to cook down the rosemary sprigs to lock in
   the rosemary flavor.

Cilantro Lime Rice
Recipes courtesy of Chef Bren Herrera

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients
2 cup long grain rice
2 ½ cups of water
1 tablespoon of avocado oil
Salt to taste
1 medium Spanish onion diced
½ cup fresh minced cilantro
Zest of 1 lime
Juice from 1 lime

Preparation:

1. Place a medium saucepan over medium high heat add 2 ½ cups of water and the 2 cups of
   long grain rice. Add the salt and avocado oil and bring to a boil with lid on.
2. Once the rice begins to boil reduce the temperature to a low medium setting and cook
   covered for 20 minutes or until done.
3. Remove from the heat and fluff with a fork. Next, zest the lime into the rice. Then take
   that same lime and squeeze the juice into the rice and mix well.
4. Stir in the minced cilantro, cover rice so an all the flavors are locked in.

Butternut Squash & Egg Salad with Vinaigrette
Recipes Courtesy of Chef Bren Herrera

Yield: 4 servings

Vinaigrette
Ingredients:
1 cup of balsamic vinegar
2 cloves of finely minced garlic
1 tablespoon of honey
a pinch of salt
juice of ½ a lime
¼ cup of olive oil

Preparation:

1. Mix all ingredients into a medium size bowl and stir with whisk until everything is well
   incorporated. Cover and place in the refrigerator and chill until ready to serve.

Butternut Squash and Egg Salad
Ingredients:
1 large butternut squash/peel and cut into one-inch rounds
7 medium fresh red beets
2 – 3 tablespoons of olive oil
6 boiled eggs cut in half
salt
pepper
1 fennel bulb sliced thin (reserve the leaves)
2 bulbs of sliced shallots
2 bulbs of sliced shallots fried crispy

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Place butternut squash rounds onto a baking sheet. Season it on both sides with salt and
   pepper and drizzle with olive oil.
3. Next place beats on another baking sheet seasoned with salt and pepper and drizzle with
   olive oil. Place both the squash and the beets in the oven for 2 – 2 1/2 hours. When they
   are fork tender remove them from the oven and allow to cool completely. Pat dry the
   beets to remove any excess beat juice. Then cut into 2-inch chunks.
4. Cut the fennel into thin slices and set aside. Lay out the squash and beets on a platter,
   place eggs on top, then lay the sliced fennel on top of the squash, beets, and eggs.
5. Top the salad with half of the sliced shallots, drizzle the vinaigrette over the entire salad.
6. Then garnish salad with crispy shallots and fennel leaves.

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