Cocinerita

Chef Melissa “La Cooking Diva“,  invited me to one of her classes at the Culinary Arts Academy in Panama, this class was a level 1 for a group of friends who work together, so the fact that it was not a group of students made it very interesting.

I arrived ealier than the Chef  so I went for a walk on that nice area, when I came back Melissa also arrived and showed me the 2 dishes and 1 dessert she was going to work with the students.

This is for the Plantain Pie with Chorizo

Ingredients for the Arroz con Pollo

I really liked her system of writing on the board the dishes and students choosing where they wanted to work, for some reason I ended up with the Plantain-Chorizo Pie & I was thrilled (you all know how much I love plantains)

Everyone going through the Prep List divided per dish

I wish I could have recorded this class and not just done photos, every single student has a marvelous personality, and the little fellow you will see on this next picture, he behaved so well, I mean as well as a kid can behave around knives and kitchen toys haha, trust me if I was him I don’t think adults could have cooked a thing with me around.

The little fellow

Student chopping Pimentón Verde

Chef Melissa & students stirring the pot of the Arroz con Pollo

This is the Sweet Plantain Pie, with chorizo & Queso Fresco

It was amazing all the stories, the jokes the comments mostly on football, you know world cup 2010!

Deboning the chicken for the Arroz con Pollo

The kitchen layout for this class was pretty comfy, huge tables, a nice organized pantry, the Academy provides a good environment for these students, having said that a class with Chef Melissa could be informative & fun at the same time, I wish I could have gone to many others but it will be a must once I go back to Panama.

The delicious Arroz con Pollo

Student using his creative skills, it shows you that cooking is an expression of art

This Pie, was my favorite, the perfect combination of chorizo, the queso fresco & the sweet plantains, it brought me from sweet to salty, quite tasty!

The wonders of Phyllo Dough, just this simple recipe brought so many ideas to all the students, and even the little fellow mentioned how much he wanted cheese & ham inside of  it instead of an apple strudel ha!

It was a lovely happy Thursday night with Chef Melissa and her group, they were really warm and cheerful, I can’t believe they came straight from work, so much energy and enthusiasm, this class is the best therapy anyone can have for stress.  No yoga, no running, no swimming or watching movies, grab a recipe, bunch of ingredients and let your mind and hands do the rest.

You know, some people cook for a living, some because they have to, and some others choose to cook just because, the reason doesn’t matter as long you always, always enjoy your time in the kitchen.

¡a comer!

Follow Chef Melissa on:

Facebook

Panama Gourmet

On a Sunday during my visit in Panama a my friend Estrella took me for a day trip to El Valle de Antón in the province of Coclé.

The sun was up and I was so happy I could scream (I love The Cure), well we saw this truck flipped on the road, we don’t know what happened but I had to take pictures just because.

Quesos Chela

Lottery Tables!

Look at them prices, it used to be cheaper! ha!   Estrella had the Chicheme & I had the Naranjilla, my favorite (at home) is the Chicha de Avena (oatmeal juice?)

Dear Cheese Empanada I miss you!

My romance with food started  while stopping by Quesos Chela buying a Chicheme and a Chicha of Naranjilla (fancy name Solanum quitoense), we ordered one baked empanada stuffed with queso fresco, the thing my friends it’s that it is a huge effort to eat just one, but I knew once we were in El Valle we were going to eat many more things, and so it happened.

Back to the Road

And then I was falling asleep and Estrella told me to take a nap, it’s very easy for me to get dizzy while driving into a valley, so once we arrived we went for coffee!

I wanted to try all their baked goods but if I did I wouldn’t have eaten lunch then, so I just ordered a cup of black coffee with a espresso shot & a piece of 70% Cacao Chocolate, Estrella of course had a Moccha!

Kiaroa Farms, I hope the next time I visit El Valle de Antón I get to stop by their farm, making Goat Cheese!

Estrella un beso guapa!  This trip was her idea!

My trip in Panama was while the World Cup so around this time you could see everyone heading towards a bar with their flag on top of the cars, ready to support their teams.

On our way to the Market! On this picture you can see how unpredictable the weather could go.

I will miss you $1 Pineapples, $1 for 2 Papayas

Pixbae I will always love you!

Nothing much to say that I had a Mamon Chino affair!

Molas, I will buy more the next time

Interesting & Creative hand crafted jewelry

Cashew Nuts! Very sad the Cashew fruit was not in season

The Butcher Shop

Bakery “Panadería”

One of my favorite “orejitas” (little ears), or by the famous name “Palmier”

We so wanted to have lunch at La Casa de Lourdes but they had the restaurant closed since they were getting ready for a wedding reception.  The Hotel Campestre doesn’t exist anymore, at the end we ended up going to Los Capitanes.

Los Capitanes, the owner is really a German Captain

I ordered the German Parrillada, friendly price, great customer service, terrible sausages, they were not cooked properly, the smoked pork chop was pretty decent.  I also wish they had a better side instead of frozen french fries or white rice.  I gave my parents a gift to stay a weekend here and they had a fantastic time.

Estrella ordered the corvina a la plancha (I have to verify with her), I remember it wasn’t anything special and the same problem with the sides.  It’s a shame but maybe the next time we will have a better experience.

I had an awesome time, we kept driving around town

We said goodbye to El Valle de Antón and drove back to Panama City

Drastic weather change, that’s my Panamá

I really love these wires on El Puente Centenario

Yes, we listened some salsa from Luis Enrique, with that rain we needed something very tropical

¡Dúo Dinámico!

And more fun!

And we were back in the loud city, this car was promoting something on the streets, with very, very loud music and we stuck in traffic.

This trip was on a Saturday, during the World Cup US lost against Ghana so it was sad, however I had a great time during my trip with Estrella.  We ate a lot, we sang a lot of songs, we talked about life & silly things, and the best part is that we spent time as friends the whole day laughing and getting emotional just as two little girls would do if they’re left alone.

I went back to my folks home and I gave Estrella one of my tamales, I had Octopus Ceviche and finished the book I started in the airplane.

¡a comer!

A recipe by my friend Mitch, from the land of Cristiano Ronaldo! I am sure my sister will enjoy this recipe she is the opposite of me, I love strawberries, she loves Cherries, I adore pancakes, she prefers Waffles!

To all my friends, whoever wants to share a recipe either in Spanish, English or any other language please feel free, the only thing I ask for is to take pictures of your work!

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Sometimes I get excited with small things. This time is my boy’s week to take a dessert to his job  -“I decided to get down to work”. I thought about Homemade Fudge Brownies, Bread Pudding “Mamallena” (which he baptized as Mamacita!) or maybe some Muffins. He would just say “Yes” to whatever I choose. At the end I came up with an Extra Creamy Cheesecake with Cherries Jam topping. I say Extra because I doubled the cheese cream portion. On the other hand, is cherry season in Portugal, this means food markets overloaded with anything related to cherries.
Some pictures and the recipe for you to enjoy it. I’ll be waiting for his colleague’s comments!

Crust

2 pkg. of Maria crackers
½ butter stick
½ tbsp of cinnamon
½ tbsp of nutmeg

Filling

3 pkg. of Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup of sugar
½ cup of milk
4 eggs
Dash of salt
Dash of vanilla bean
1 tsp of lemon juice

Topping

Cherry Jam
Fresh cherries

Combine the Maria crackers crumbs and butter, press into a pie plate with vegetable paper to form a crust on bottom and sides.  Bake for 10 min @ 150°C.

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually add in lemon juice, sugar, milk, salt and vanilla.

Add eggs, one by one, mixing well after each addition. Pour filling into the crust. Let it rest for 15 min.

Bake @ 170°C for 1:30 hrs or until set.

Let it cool down, spread Cherries Jam over the top of the cheesecake and chill for some hours before serving.

A very hectic way to start my day, we had to wake up very early, left home without breakfast but brought snacks with me at least and my sweet folks got me a water bottle to take along with me.  I also left home without my wallet but it was a good thing to have my Dad nearby; he brought me some cash so I am not penniless the whole day.

Arriving to the Hotel El Panama (where the festival is taking place), I am so excited to see everything set up already, I take a seat on the first row and there it was Chef Elena apologizing for the event starting passed the scheduled time.

Chef Collins started the Conference, explaining the “tomate de arbol” and how his family brought this and “naranjilla” from Ecuador, I got so excited to hear this that after the conference I requested him his email so I can obtain more information on this and I can write an article about it, he promised he will tell me the story.

He made a dessert of Tomate de Arbol, cooked them in water, sugar and lemon juice.  Used this juice to make a shot with vodka, and also blended the tomatoes to make a sauce.  Baked some sort of Baklava but a thinner version and cut them in very long triangles as you can see on the picture.  Then he made foam with the goat cheese and milk.

I wish Avi Barak’s presentation wouldn’t have been cancelled.  Maybe next year we will hear from his tropical flavors.

El Chicheme from Chef Melissa was a really informative segment, she shared with us a documentary she made on bollos and tamales in Chorrera, where the Chicharron Bollo was the star (a bollo is a dough made of cooked “old corn” that has butter and some seasonings, the chicharron is pork fried skin, it was chopped and mixed along with the dough).

Little details such as we wrap our tamales in Panama with Banana leaves and then Bijao leaves, you should not use aluminum paper, etc, where taken by the audience with a lot of enthusiasm.  She recommended to wrap the bollo in a Palma Real leaf, and after her presentation everyone went almost running to the Stand outside the conference where the lady who was in the documentary was actually selling those bollos, my parents loved it, me I didn’t try them, I had more ceviche that night!

Las Curbitaceas de André Lestienne, Pastry chef at the Club Union.  one of the thing I remember the most of his piece was the comment on how Zapayo came from Egypt, from there this Chef really surprised me that with the little time he has been here (I think less than 2 years), he has worked so much with tropical fruits, and really fell in love with them, I actually asked him about his favorite vegetables or fruits and he mentioned the “Chayote” I was in shock, he said it is almost like a pear, and I tought and remembered we usually use it for salads and that is it!  Now I wish I bought the marmalade he was selling at his stand.

(correction, the Chef Lestienne has lived in Panama for 12 years and he is the Executive Chef at the Club Union, apologies Chef! =)

Chef Elena (organizer of this event) and Chef Luis Young, these two Chef brought the Cocina del Barrio to Panama Gastronomica. I believe Cocina del Barrio translation could be “Ghetto Food” or something like that.  The food that comes out of a necessity to cover expenses, which is very interesting since my grandma has already mentioned me in the past how the days she didn’t have a penny in her pocket, she would ask for corn and work on empanadas and tortillas to sell, because she had to.

Chef Elena presented a video on Rio Abajo’s Saus (pickled pig’s trotters), and Chorrillo’s fried fish, though she explained El Chorrillo was a very dangerous area so she went to a different place to get the video shot.  They were both very traditional and I liked the touch of garlic the lady added to the Saus on the video, on the other hand I felt the fried fish was a different one than the classic one offered in El Chorrillo, still it looked delicious.

Chef Luis did a deconstruction of both dishes, Sous-Vide technique for both and on the picture I hope you can see the different way he composed his dish.  They looked interesting, I am sure because of the technique the flavors were amazing, though I am still not sure if I want my Saus boneless!

Another big fan of Chef Jose Andres, this was Chef Alvaro Perrino from El Bodegon, he may be the first Chef that I know who will have a tasting room in Panama, and it really breaks my heart I won’t be here by the time he opens it.  His theme “Nuestras Tapas” was a new take on classic tapas, without falling in the classic deconstruction he went with inspiration and smaller portions with cuter presentations, on the picture you will see how he served both gazpachos on test tubes, the Gamba (shrimp) was serve in a stick, the Tortilla Española was served in a shot and he also made potato chips explaning how when in his childhood in Spain he and his friends would go running after football to buy these chips, it was a fun presentation.

Everyone knew Chef Pedro was running a little behind nobody cared when he started his presentation it was that fun and hilarious!  Before his segment I was so tired but once he started talking it was better than a Capuccino with 4 shots of espresso.  He explained how he is self taught, how he doesn’t care about rules, he is just a rebel and I loved every bit of it.  I had so much fun I couldn’t take picture of his dishes, they were a risotto and a paella.

The last presentation, by the Chilean Chef Guillermo Rodriguez. He mentioned so many good things, how we have to work with what he have already, how when we travel abroad we should always share some of our beautiful and tasty gastronomy.  He took 2 traditional Chilean dishes who aftewards would never look again like comfort food.

Overall on the first day of this event.

I know I am quite late uploading this post, and I still have 3 days of the event to cover, but for now I can say that I won’t think too much about it and just enjoy the time until I get all my posts up.

All the pics are without name. if you have any questions sent me an email at littleladycook@gmail.com

¡a comer!

El día antes  del Festival Gastronómica decidí hacer pan Challah (pan de moña) con algunas amistades.  Trabajamos con lo que pudimos encontrar en el supermercado.  El Super 99 ofrece menos de 4 opciones para Harina de Todo Propósito, y todas son blanqueadas, pero el resto de los ingredientes los encontré sin problema alguno.

Una vez terminado el pan llamé a la Chef Melissa para saludarla y me invitó a visitar el Hotel para mirar tras bastidores todo el trabajo que se está realizando para la Inauguración del Festival.

Llegué y me tomé con una gran sorpresa ya que por primera vez he visto un evento culinario con tanta organización, incluso el tema de los Chefs suenan muy interesantes.   Trataré de tomar nota a los detalles más importantes que se den durante la conferencia y ver si puedo compartir con todos ustedes.

Conocí a las Chefs Elena y Cuquita, mujeres muy cálidas que aunque estuviesen tan ocupadas, aún así hallaron el tiempo para detenerse y dedicarme unos minutos para conversar un rato.  Espero poder conocer el Chef Phillipe y Luis Young antes de que acabe el festival, me he encariñado con ellos todo gracias al Facebook (por cierto deberían seguir al Chef Phillipe en Facebook un trabajo pastelero fabuloso.

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The day before the Festival Gastronomica  I decided to make Challah with some friends.   We worked with what we found at the nearest Grocery store.  Super 99, they had less than 4 options of AP flour and they were all bleached but I found everything else I was looking for.

Done with the bread I called Chef Melissa to say hi and she invited me over the Hotel to take a look behind the scenes to the whole work they are doing before the big opening of the Festival.

I arrived and the big surprised I got, for the first time in Panama I saw such a well organized culinary event , I felt that way also because of the different Chefs and their subjects for the that will be presented.  I will try to take note on the highlights while listening to their conferences and share all of that goodness with you.

I got to meet Chef Elena Hernandez and Cuquita Calvo, very warm ladies even while they were super busy with their own projects.  I still hope to meet Chef Phillipe and Luis Young before this festival is over, I have grown fond of them thanks to dear Facebook (btw you should all follow Chef Philllipe, great pastry work!)

Chef Cuquita

Luego de las 2pm todo seguían muy ocupados y yo ni había almorzado, así que fue el momento perfecto para que mi amigo José Luis me llamara para saludarme.  Quedamos almorzando en el Causeway en Amador y ordenamos delicias. José Luis ordenó  Sancocho, cerveza Balboa y un Pulpo Al Ajillo con Patacones.  Por mi lado yo ordené un ceviche mixto y una Corvina Frita con Salsa Criolla, yuca frita y un Jugo de naranja natural que hubiese preferido la naranja no tan ácida, pero en resume todo fue fantástico así que si estás por el área de Amador y se te antoja un pescado frito, definitivamente que el lugar para ir es Mi Ranchito.

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After 2pm everyone still busy and me with no lunch, it was the best timing for my friend Jose Luis to call me to say hi, so we ended up going to the Causeway in Amador and ordered deliciousness.  Jose Luis had a Sancocho (Panamanian style chicken soup), a Balboa beer and a Pulpo al Ajillo (sautéed Octopus in a garlic sauce).  On my side I ordered a mixed Ceviche and a Whole Fried Corvina Fish with Criolla sauce (some sort of refried tomatos, peppers and onion sauce).  It was all great, I washed it down with a natural orange juice I wished would have been sweeter overall if you are around the Causeway you should stop by Mi Ranchito.

Mixed Ceviche

Mi Ranchito 

Corvina Frita con Salsa Criolla (Fried Corvina w/ Criolla Sauce) 

Pulpo al Ajillo con Patacones (Octopus in Garlic sauce w/ fried green plantains)

Mi amigo me llevó al Mercado de Abasto, tal vez otro día lo visitaré nuevamente para comprar frutas y vegetales; aunque soy panameña no me sentí cómoda en ese momento así que la próxima vez iré más temprano y con más personas.

José Luis me dejó por Vía Argentina para que otro amigo y yo luego nos encontráramos en Manolo´s  para compartir un café y unos churros, pero eso mis amigos es otra historia porque yo ni siquiera pude comerme mi churro y ahora me arrepiento muchísimo.

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My friend drove me to the Mercado de Abasto, maybe another day I will go back to that market and purchase some fruits and vegetables; even though I am Panamanian I did not feel comfortable at that time, so I may try again to go this time earlier and with more people.

He dropped me around la Via Argentina so another friend could then share some Churros and great coffee with me at Manolos, but that my friends is a story I shall tell another day because I didn’t even had my churro and now I regret it very much.

¡a comer!

Churros!

Today was very interesting my folks and I woke up so early so I could be on time at the “Dirección de Pasaporte” so I could renew my passport, while I was in line Dad took mom to work and then he showed me the sidewalk across which is known as “Cuara-Cuara” meaning “quarter-quarter”, the name is pretty much because every single item these little joints sell cost one quarter, so I took few pics and bought an Hojaldre (fried bread) & a Bollo, which I didn’t eat (not really hungry), but felt I should cooperate (Dad gave the food to someone else).

These are the picture of the places I went today with Viviana which drove me everywhere, it was awesome, I had so many anecdotes, from the Cop who told me I shouldn’t carry a camera in Avenida B around Chinatown, to the car who blocked us but thankfully he had a phone number displayed on his window because is selling the car.  I found out that Chinatown is pretty much located in el Dorado and not in the actual Chinatown where you can see the picture with the Chinese wall.

Most of the places I ate today bring fond memories and though they are not really tasty they had a special place in my heart because those are the places my parents could afford to “take me out” for dinner or a special breakfast.  Somedays after school, before a class, after waiting for hours in the Seguro Social Hospital, so pretty much they mean a lot to me.

This is my Tuesday on pictures, I also hope everyone had a meaningful day.

Peace.

Hoy fue un día muy interesante, mis padres y yo nos despertamos muy temprano para llegar a tiempo a renovar mi pasaporte, mientras yo hice file, mi papi llevó a mi mami al trabajo y luego cuando el volvió por mí me mostró la aera de en frente con los famosos puestos de comida “Cuara y Cuara”.  Compramos unos bollos y hojaldres que luego Papi le dio a unas personas porque no teníamos hambre.

Estas son las fotografias de lugares a los que fui hoy con Viviana que me llevó a todos lados, fue muy chévere, tuve muchas mini aventuras, desde un Policía regañándome por llevar mi cámara a Avenida B, hasta un carro obstruyendo nuestra salida en el Dorado, por suerte el hombre tenía el número de teléfono en la ventana porque tenía su carro en venta (es un cuento largo ja!).  También que ya es un hecho que el barrio chino está en el Dorado apesar de que la pared China está llegando a la Avenida B.

Casi todos los lugares en donde comí hoy me traen memorias lindas y aunque la comida no es muy deliciosa, estos lugares tienen un lugar en mi corazón porque esos fueron los restaurantes en donde mis papas podían llevarme a cenar o a tener un desayuno especial.  Algunos días luego del colegio, otros días antes de una clase, también iríamos luego de esperar por horas en alguna cita en el Seguro Social, así que significan mucho para mí.

Este fue mi martes en fotografías, yo espero que todos también hayan tenido un día tan lindo como yo lo tuve.

Paz.

And for dinner I made Salchichas guisadas (sausages in tomato sauce) with Patacones (double fried green plantains) and a tomato salad. Simple dinner yet full of love.

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Y para la cena hice unas Salchichas guisadas con Patacones y una ensaladita de tomate.  Una cena simple, pero llena de mucho amor.

¡a comer!

I woke up around 3 am.  I really don’t understand how anyone could eat anything at that time, I could have probably, but traveling always makes me nervous so I packed an apple in my bag and took my bags and the boy drove me all the way to the Dulles Airport.

The options for food are just so boring, I decided not to buy anything and boarded the airplane.  Eating half of my apple, then took a benadryl to relax while flying.  Two hours later Copa gave us breakfast, I was too sleepy to try to take a picture, though I should have, but being it nothing special I didn’t bother.  It was bacon, a little bowl of fruits (grapes, pineapple & cantaloupe), pancakes, hard dry bon (ball bread?), and butter, no syrup, but I touched the pancakes and to my mind came the word McDonalds, so I went with the bacon and fruits.

The juices options were from del Monte so I just drank water.

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Desperté alrededor de las 3 de la madrugada.  No esntiendo como existen personas que pueden comer a esa hora, yo podría de repente, pero viajar me pone nerviosa así que empaqué una manzana y me llevé las maletas y mi nene me llevó hasta el Aeropuerto Dulles.

Las opciones para comer en ese aeropuerto me dieron tanta pereza, así que decidí no comprar nada y abordé el avión.  Mientras comía la mitad de mi manzana, me tomé una benadryl para relajarme durante el viaje.  Dos horas después Copa nos dio desayuno, yo tenía mucho sueño como para buscar la cámara y fotografiar lo que me sirvieron, al fin y al cabo que fueron un bol de frutas (melón, uvas y piña), tocineta, panqueca, pero sin miel! igual las panquecas se parecían a las de McDonals así que las ignoré.  También el jugo que ofrecieron, del monte, mejor tomé agua.

It is just so nice to travel with no stranger next to you, I was by myself with my apple and my book “Stiff”

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Es ta rico viajar y con ningún extraño al lado, estaba sola con mi manzana y mi libro “Stiff”

If the Clouds could have a flavor what do you think they would taste like?

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Si las nubes tuviesen sabor a qué crees que sabrían?

I was actually happy to see Panama raining while arriving, it brings some blue and grays to the classic green you see all the time.

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En realidad estaba muy contenta de llegar mientras llovía, la lluvia le da un toque de azul y grises al verde clásico que siempre se ve en Panamá.

For dinner, I made Chicken w/ tomatoes & onions sauce served with a side of mashed potatoes & carrot rice (i know weird combination but it worked well).

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Para la cena cociné Pollo con salsa de cebollas y tomates, acompañado de puré de papas y arroz con zanahoria (sé que suena extraño, pero la combinación funcionó).

And for dessert a classic Flan w/ Seco Herrerano, coffee, & burned Caramel of Brown Sugar, it was tasty I must accept.

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Y para postre un Flan con Seco Herrerano, café, caramelo quemadito de azúcar morena, debo aceptar que estuvo deli =)

It was a very simple day, simple meals, but spending time with the family makes the whole event superb, and I just can’t wait what I will be trying the next 28 days!  Tomorrow I may have breakfast outside, I have to wake up very early to renew my passport, if not I won’t be able to go back to beautiful Washington DC and my awesome new job!

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Fue un día muy sencillo, comidas sencillas, pero el pasar este tiempo con mi familia hace que haya sido un evento de alta mafnitud y no puedo esperar por lo que estaré probando los próximos 28 días!  Mañana desayunaré afuera ya que debo madrugar para ir a renovar mi pasaporte, sino no podré volver a mi hermoso Washington DC y mi grandioso trabajo nuevo!

DC Food Blogger Happy Hour!

Location: Donovan House hotel’s ZENTAN (private room)

Date: Wednesday, June 2, at 6:00 pm.

The first Wednesday on every month you can meet, chat &  have a snack with all of us! We hope to see you there! If you plan in joining us please RSVP to the DC Food Blogger Facebook page.

Thanks!  And feel free to repost this flyer on your blog to spread the LOVE!

Cheers!

¡a comer!

Mi amiga Mitch nuevamente compartiendo una de sus aventuras culinarias en Portugal, esta vez de un viaje a Alentejo. Aquí les dejo con un breve escrito de Mitch y esta vez también en portugués.

¡a comer!

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Viajé a una región conocida como Alentejo al sur de Portugal.   El propósito de mi viaje fue el de ir en búsqueda de sabores, aromas y aire fresco.  Como respuesta a mis deseos, al amanecer, mi olfato fue inundado con fragancia de lavanda salvaje.

Con el  pasar de las horas, cual no fue mi sorpresa, al sentir un aroma de carne de puerco que invadía las calles de Évora (Ya casi era medio día). Entré al restaurante/cafetería mas próximo,  y pedí Carne de Porco à Alentejana. Dado que la vida en Alentejo es más sabrosa y transcurre con más calma, nuestro pedido no fue atendido con la frialdad y la celeridad de una metrópoli sino más bien con el calor humano típico de la vida del campo; y sin duda que de esta forma la comida es mas sabrosa.

Simplemente todo estuvo delicioso. Un sabor a pimentón rojo, ajo y perejil hacen la base para el marinado que se conjuga con una jugosa carne de puerco y almejas! Todo esto acompañado con papas fritas crujientes en cubos, y una buena copa de vino tinto de la región.  Fue mas que un Bom Proveito!

Viajei para a região do Alentejo no sul de Portugal. O objectivo desta viagem era ir em busca de sabores, aromas e ar limpo. Em resposta às minhas vontades, logo de manhã, um cheiro de fragrância de lavanda selvagem encheu o meu nariz.

Com o passar das horas, qual não foi a minha surpresa quando senti um aroma de carne de porco que enchia as ruas de Évora (era quase meio-dia). Entrei no café / restaurante mais próximo e pedi Carne de Porco à Alentejana. Como o dia a dia no Alentejo é mais saboroso e vivido com mais calma, o nosso pedido não foi atendido com a frieza e a rapidez de uma metrópole, mas com o calor humano típico da vida no campo.

Tenho de admitir que desta forma a comida é mais saborosa, tudo estava simplesmente delicioso. Um gosto a pimentão vermelho, alho e salsa são a base para o tempero que combina com uma suculenta carne de porco e amêijoas! Tudo isto servido com crocantes batatas fritas em cubos, e um bom copo de vinho tinto da região. Foi mais do que um Bom Proveito!

After going to an amazing Chinese lunch at A & J in Annandale, we decided to stop at the Guatemalan Restaurant & Bakery “Tikal”

While we were in the car we were almost praying “please don’t be like Castro’s Bakery or any of these other bakeries where the dry almost sandy texture and no flavor are king & queen on these pastries” and of course our prayers were in vain, such a shame.

Look at these pictures, you would swear that this is delicious, and trust it does have potential when they are done with love and technique, you know a Tres Leches come on! Or a Vanilla Muffin, or the classic Strawberry Turnover, they also had some sort of Pineapple thick and flaky Palmier that I open at once when I got home, I wonder where did the Pineapple go, but what is worse is that the pastry itself was like a piece of cardboard but light in color and texture, you have a bite and it makes your tongue dry and then greasy, where is the sweetness? flavour?

I am about to give up on Hispanic Bakeries but I will keep looking, and keep trying and spending my little money and hopefully I will find a good one even if i have to dry 50 miles.

On the good side they had a decent Tamarind Juice (better than El Charrito Caminante at least), I wish it had more tamarind and less sugar, but that is a matter of taste and Mom always made it quite strong for us.  Mami makes the best Chicha de Tamarindo in the world, I promise sharing it soon.

Pictures:

I know it looks delish, but it was not, the cream on top tasted rancid and the cake was a some moist but it would seem that they soaked this cake instead of condensed milk in a fat free milk & water solution =(

What seemed like a good a idea, Strawberry turnover, the texture of the pastry itself was ok, not heavy or too greasy, but the strawberry inside tasted worse than the strawberry syrup IHOP serves for their pancakes (yes I have tried IHOP many times), and what is even sadder is that it was really, really dry…

And the Muffin, my favorite Muffin was as dry as a piece of paper =(, it was very heavy, it did have better flavor than Castro’s Bakery one, but was not worthy the drive or calories.

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At least they were pretty cheap, those 4 desserts plus a juice was $14 (I bought a chicken empanada to fry at home, when I opened it I was too disappointed with the cakes already so I just gave up).

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Come on Hispanic Bakeries in Northern Virginia, we want these pastries, but we want them tasty, flaky, sweet and with lots and lots of flavors, for now I won’t give up … for now…

¡a comer!