When Carmen Medina came to teach me her Arroz Con Gandules on my show, I knew I liked her right away because 1. She brought her own little pot of culantro all the way on the train (a necessary ingredient for the dish). 2. She was a shrimp like me. And 3. She also had a connection to the CIA (only hers was the real deal, and mine is simply a cooking school). I have to say though, it was her fried plantains that really blew me away. Here are the recipes and a link to the episode with Carmen.