Chef Alex Garcia brings rum-glazed shrimp to THE Dish

Cuban-born chef Alex Garcia is one of the founders of "nuevo latino" cuisine, blending the flavors and ingredients of foods from throughout Latin America.

He's also a TV personality, cookbook author and, of course, a restaurateur. He is executive chef and partner of AG Kitchen, Amigos and the Copacabana Supper Club, all in New York.

Garcia joined "CBS This Morning: Saturday" and shared recipes for some of his favorite dishes.

Rum Glazed Shrimp

Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients

2 cups rum

1/2 cup molasses

Rind of 1/2 a lemon

Rind of 1/2 an orange

1 cinnamon stick

24 star anise

4 peppercorns

1 teaspoon dried juniper berries

1 teaspoon pickling spices

1 dried guajillo chili, cut in half

12 jumbo shrimps

Extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, crushed

Salt and pepper

Procedure

In a saucepan combine rum, molasses, lemon rind, orange rind, cinnamon, anise, peppercorns, juniper berries, pickling spices and the guajillo chili. Reduce until it becomes a glaze and set aside for later use. Brush the shrimps with olive oil on both sides. Then rub and season with garlic and salt and pepper to taste and grill. Arrange shrimps on a serving platter and drizzle with the rum glaze.

Seafood Stew

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

Olive oil, for sautéing

1 white onion, cut into large dice, plus 1 white onion, cut into small dice

1 green pepper, cut into large dice, plus 1 green pepper, cut into small dice

2 (1 1/2 pound) lobsters, heads removed and reserved, tail sliced into 1-inch thick pieces, and claws cracked

8 ounces large shrimp, peeled and cleaned, shells reserved

1 cup canned tomato sauce

1 cup white wine

4 cups clam juice

4 cups water

2 bay leaves

2 cups rice

24 Little Neck clams

24 mussels

8 ounces sea scallops, cleaned

Pinch saffron

1/2 bunch culantro (not cilantro), finely chopped

Procedure

In a large stockpot, add enough olive oil to coat the bottom the pan thinly and saute the large diced white onion and large diced green pepper until translucent. Add lobster heads and shrimp shells. Cook until color starts changing and starts to look red. Add tomato sauce, white wine, and bay leaf. Add clam juice and water. Cook for at least 2 hours, then strain.

In a medium size stockpot, saute the small diced onion, and small diced pepper until translucent. Add rice, clams, mussels, bay leaf, and a pinch of saffron. Add all strained seafood stock and cook until rice is soft, approximately 20 minutes. Add shrimp, scallops, and lobster. Cook for approximately 8 minutes. Add culantro and season with salt and pepper.

Arroz con Gandules

Makes 10 servings

Ingredients

6 strips bacon

1 large onion, chopped

2 aji verdes (Italian frying peppers), diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound ham, diced

3 tablespoons tomato paste

2 (15-ounce) cans pigeon peas

6 cups chicken stock

Salt, to taste

6 cups Canilla rice

Banana leaves (optional)

Procedure

In a saute pan, cook the bacon, drain the fat and cut into small pieces. In the same pan, add onion, aji verdes and garlic. Saute until golden brown. Add the ham. Add tomato paste and caramelize. Add pigeon peas and chicken stock. Season with salt to taste and bring to a boil. Add rice and stir once. Cook on medium heat until most of the liquid is absorbed. Cover with banana leaves and continue cooking on very low heat until the rest of the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.

Carimanolas: Fried Pork and Yucca Balls

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

1 pound lean pork shoulder, cut into large dice

1 lime, juiced

1 bay leaf

1/4 cup vinegar

1 cup water

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 pounds yucca, peeled

1 red onion, cut into small dice

3 scallions, thinly sliced

2 tomatoes, cut into small dice

1 red pepper, cut into small dice

1 clove garlic, chopped

Canola oil, for frying

Procedure

In a saucepot, combine diced pork, lime juice, bay leaf, vinegar, and water. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer until the pork is tender, about 45 minutes. Strain the meat, cool, and grind in a meat grinder.

Boil the yucca in salted water until tender. Cool and grind in the meat grinder. Saute onions, scallions, tomatoes, peppers, and garlic. Add the ground pork. Season. Make egg shaped balls from the yucca dough with your hands. Press a hole into them with your thumb. Fill with the pork mixture.

Close the hole with additional dough. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Fill a deep saucepot 1/2 way with canola oil, heat to 375 degrees F. Fry the carimanolas until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Pasteles de Guayaba: Guava Pastries

Makes 8-16 servings

Ingredients

1 pound cream cheese

1 pound butter, softened

1 pound flour

1 1/2 pounds guava paste

Sugar, for sprinkling

Procedure

Blend the cream cheese, butter and flour until well mixed. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Roll out the dough into a 1/4-inch thick square. Cut the rolled dough into 16 to 20 squares. A little off center of each square, place 1 tablespoon guava paste. Fold the dough over the guava paste, forming a triangle. Press the edges shut. Place the pasteles onto a cookie sheet and sprinkle them with a thin layer of sugar. Bake until the pasteles are evenly browned, about 25 minutes.

Copacabana Island Cocktail

Makes 1 Cocktail

Ingredients

1.5 oz Copacabana 1940 Anejo Rum

0.5 oz. Amaretto

0.5 oz. triple sec

2 oz. fresh lemonade

4 Lime wedges

Half bar spoon of Agave Nectar

Muddle the limes and agave, then add the rest of the ingredients and shake.

Strain over ice in a tall glass and garnish with orange and lime.

Procedure

Muddle the limes and agave, then add the rest of the ingredients and shake.

Strain over ice in a tall glass and garnish with orange and lime.