Home Made BREAD CRUMBS!

Bread crumbs are a staple 

and key to making everything from

meatloaf, fried veggies to meatballs and

 a Rodsan Favorite:

FRIED CHICKEN !

Making homemade seasoned breadcrumbs 

is a great way to use up left over

La Esperanza bread !

Ingredients
Loaf of La Esperanza stale bread - cut or torn into chunks
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Place all of the ingredients into a food processor,  pulse until coarse crumbs form, about 2 minutes. Spread the crumbs evenly on sheet pans and bake until the crumbs just begin to brown and are crisp, about 5 minutes. Cool the crumbs on the pans before transferring to an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Easy, Economical and

DELICIOUS! 

Back to Blogging AND a great recipe

It's been a while.

Months.

But, losing our Papa - el Jefe - 

was hard on the whole La Esperanza Family.

It's been an adjustment to say the least.

But, we're  breathing fresh air into

La Esperanza Baking Company

With the lungs of the next generation.

So, how about we start off with a delicious

Summer time recipe!

Crock Pot Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Using the crock pot ensures the house stays cool!

Ingredients:

Boneless Pork Loin

1 Sweet Onion - sliced into strips

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup Brown Sugar

3 tbs White Vinegar

1/4 cup Honey

1/2 cup Mollasses

La Esperanza Kaiser Rolls

Directions:

Put first seven ingredients in the crock pot.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours until the meat falls apart.

Shred the meat using two forks.

Pile onto split rolls -

make sure so spoon some of that

delicious sauce on too!

Offering shredded lettuce, cheese, pickles or

just about any toppings is always a welcome bonus!

Enjoy!

El Jefe.........

Heriberto Santos

June 4, 1924 - November 27, 2012

On Saturday, December 1, from 3pm to 6pm, there will be a 

Memorial Visitation at 

Barrett Funeral Home: 148 Dean Drive, Tenafly, NJ.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made 

in memory of Heriberto Santos, in honor of his grandson Jacob Rodsan to:

The Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center -

 Cardiac Transplant Center

3959 Broadway Manhattan, NY 10032

What's Cooking?

BREAD BOWLS using La Esperanza's delicious fresh rolls - that's what!

Bread Bowls filled with soup, dips or even an oven baked egg are a throw back to the '70's and a retro hit today!   So, why go to a restaurant when you get make one at home today?  

They are very easy to prepare - all you need is a roll for each person and your favorite soup, dip or filling.  Simply slice off the top of the roll to form a lid and then hollow out the roll.  Be sure to leave enough filling to keep your bowl sturdy!

Now, just fill 'em up!

Sloppy Joe with grated cheese!

Creamy chowder!

Baked Eggs!

Or how about Mama's amazing Spinach Dip served up in a La Esperanza Round Italian Loaf:

Ingredients:

• 2 Bags frozen spinach leaves (do not use fresh, frozen only!)
• 1 Cup regular mayo 
• 1 Package  onion soup mix (powder)
• 1 16 oz container sour cream
• 3 Green onions (finely chopped)

Directions:

 

Drain spinach well. Ring out spinach like a wet towel to squeeze out excess juice, with hands.

Place spinach in a large bowl and mix in sour cream, onion soup packet, mayo and green onion. 

Mix well. 

Cover and refrigerate overnight (or at least 2-4 hrs)

Hollow out a large, round loaf of La Esperanza's Italian Round Bread, leaving at least a 2 inch wall. Place bread bowl on tray and pour in the dip. (Place extra bread pieces around spinach bowl for easy to get, bite sized pieces to dip with.)

Use another loaf of bread to tear more pieces with and place around bowl.

Enjoy !

Peter loves tuna salad and  Joshua enjoys stuffing a dinner roll with baked ziti!  Everyone has their own version....

What's your favorite filling?  We'd love to hear your ideas - leave them in the comments below so we can all try them!

Pick up a dozen La Esperanza rolls at your local grocer or bodega and start stuffing!

Can a Cuban Bakery be Kosher???

     You bet it can!
    
The Hebrew word "Kasheir," or "Kosher," means fit or proper. When applied to food, the term indicates that an item is fit for consumption according to Jewish law.
      Parve is a Hebrew term (pareve is the Yiddish term) that describes food without any meat or dairy ingredients. 

     Millions of people, from various religious and ethnic backgrounds, eat kosher food for religious, cultural, health and quality reasons. Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Seventh Day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Vegetarians, Lactose-Intolerant and others may share an interest in kosher food, but their definitions of kosher food may vary.  Jewish dietary laws considers pareve food to be neutral; Pareve food can be eaten with both meat and milk dishes. The kosher or non-kosher state of a product depends on the source of the ingredients and the status of the equipment on which it was processed.

Fish, eggs, fruits and vegetables are parve.  

So is La Esperanza's bread! 

You can see the Kosher- Parve certification 

right on the front of all of our breads:  

It is also located on the back of the bread sleeve, right below the Nutritional Information:

What does the La Esperanza's Kosher-Parve certification mean for you, our valued customers?

• Better labeling benefits those with allergies. For people with some allergies a kosher label can help stop them from accidentally eating something they're allergic to. 

• Better labeling helps vegetarians and vegans, too. Like hidden sources of dairy, there are also hidden animal products in some foods. Looking for kosher products can help you avoid them. 

• Kosher food inspires more trust. Because of the extra oversight kosher products go through, many people feel more confident about the safety and cleanliness of kosher food.

 

   Going the extra mile to achieve Kosher certification is just one example of how we at  

La Esperanza  to please their wide customer base.  So, pick up a loaf of our delicious bread today and

Shabbat Shalom !

The Inside Scoop...

Everyone loves a sneak peek at the works inside a factory.  The big machines and oversized kitchen tools are fascinating enough that the Food Network has a show devoted to touring food factories.  Although Marc Summers has not filmed an episode of Unwrapped at La Esperanza - not yet anyway - here's a glimpse of the journey our delicious bread makes before being loaded on those big green trucks!

The bakers:

Oldest grandson, Matthew is the family rep at night.  He is Peter's go to guy on the factory floor and Papa's pride and joy:

The rest of the night crew:

Willie:

Jonathan:

Reynaldo:

This guy has been manning these ovens for over 25 years !

Zacharia:

Fernando Rivera - El Nene:

El Nene has been with La Esperanza since he was a boy, hence the nickname!  He started out in our first factory on Wilkins Avenue in the Bronx, over thirty-five years ago.

That's the who -
This is the what and where:

All that equipment and machinery results in lots and lots of this:

Warm crusty bread rolling out of the oven - all night long!

After baking, the hot out of the oven bread takes a trip around the entire plant on a cooling conveyor belt.  It is then packed and sorted, ready to be distributed to all the waiting trucks.

We have a hardy group of packers - for example:

Danilo:

Jose:

Wilson:

These are just some of the men that organize everything for our drivers.  

Working at the bakery is a tough job.  The summers are brutally hot with the ovens roaring and the winters can mean freezing temperatures and rough roads for all the employees, especially the driver.  But, at La Esperanza, the customer always comes first and the bread has to reach the restaurants and grocery shelves on time !

Like Father, Like Son... The Story of the Two Franks...

Ours is not the only family that is part of the La Esperanza's legacy.  There are several groups of brothers who drive routes and more than a few cousins working in the back and we even have an uncle and nephew combination with our mechanic and one of our bakers.  But there is only one Father and Son combo - the two Franciscos!


Francisco Alonso Sr. - Paco:

Paco was born and raised in La Esperanza, Cuba.  He was childhood friends with Heriberto's younger brother Genaro and actually Peter's mother and his father were first cousins. That means flour must run his veins as well!  

Paco came to this country as a young man and began working at La Esperanza in 1957.  This father of four, three daughters and one son, helped make La Esperanza what it is today - a true family business.  He has always been one of our top sellers and definitely one our most dedicated and faithful employees. After over forty years, Paco retired from the grueling routine of bread delivery and now manages his very successful route.  Never one to shirk hard work, he still comes to the bakery nearly every day!  One of the first there every day, he helps out where ever he sees a need and is his cousin Peter's right hand man when it comes to fixing the Cuban Sandwich presses that are in need of repair.

Paco is an institution at La Esperanza.  He symbolizes just how family and friendship have been the driving force in making our business a success over the last 60 years!

Francisco Alonso Jr. -  Macho:

Macho was born in NYC and spent his childhood in Long Island, New York.  He and Peter grew up together, an allied front against all those sisters they both had!  The cousins enjoyed hanging out together at their grandparents' homes and share a love of sports still to this day.  

Macho began helping his dad on the route as a teen and soon learned the ins and outs of being a bread salesman.  He moved to Miami after school and became a Miami Police Officer.  After retirement from the Miami Police Force, Macho found his way back to New York again and like so many of La Esperanza's employees, he has come home too.  He manages a route, does relief driving and just about anything else that comes up at the bakery.  

Married and living in New York City, he and his wife were recently blessed with their first child, an adorable little girl.  

                                                  

Paco and Macho - the two Franciscos:

Another slice of family life at La Esperanza!