Tuesday, September 23, 2014
VENEZUELA-Land of Grace
Land of Grace. Venezuela’s nickname, given by Christopher Columbus after he sailed into the Paria Gulf in 1498 and described the region as a “Terrestrial Paradise” in a letter to The Catholic Monarchs ( Isabella I of Castile and her husband Ferdinand II of Aragon.) The stilted houses on Lake Maracaibo prompted navigator, Amerigo Vecpucci, from Alonso de Ojeda’s 1499 expedition, to call the region Little Venice or Venezuela.
Just this week I learned that my dear mother, Maria Siracusa got her nick name "Mara" not from her real name Maria, rather from the town in Venezuela where she spent her early childhood years, Maracaibo. The people of Maracaibo are often called Maracenos and Maracenas.
While other nicknames and theories for the origin of Venezuela’s name exist, Land of Grace seems to describe the country most accurately. Its territories are all environmentally different with many protected areas, all helping to make Venezuela the worlds 17th most biodiversecountry. Venezuela is known widely for its petroleum industry, the environmental diversity of its territory, and its natural features.
Venezuela, a third larger than Texas, occupies most of the northern coast of South America on the Caribbean Sea. It is bordered by Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south. Mountain systems break Venezuela into four distinct areas: (1) the Maracaibo lowlands; (2) the mountainous region in the north and northwest; (3) the Orinoco basin, with the llanos (vast grass-covered plains) on its northern border and great forest areas in the south and southeast; and (4) the Guiana Highlands, south of the Orinoco, accounting for nearly half the national territory.
Venezuela’s 26 states host significant biodiversity across habitats ranging from xeric scrublands, coastal mangrove forests, cloud forests, and the particularly rich low land rainforests which host over 25,000 different orchids. It has 1,740 miles of Caribbean coast, plus 16,000 ft peaks within the Andes most northern reaches.
This week we cooked a Venezuelan feast fit for a king. We started with Arepas. Arepas are a staple food in Venezuela . Arepas are corn cakes that are made from a special precooked corn flour. You can find this cornmeal/flour in Latin food stores, labeled masarepa, or masa al instante. Arepas are delicious with butter or cream cheese for breakfast, or as an accompaniment to any meal. Colombian arepas tend to be thinner than the Venezuelan variety. We used Goya's Masarepa flour. decided to serve this with the very traditional Pabellon Criollo.
Arepas sizzling on the grille.
Pabellon Criollo is Venezuela's National Dish. It consists of 4 items, a special mix of Carne mechada(shredded beef), Arroz blanco(white rice), Frijoles Negras(Black beans), and Tajadas(Fried Plantains). These four dishes mirror the national flag and highlight the special mix of races that make Venezuela so beautiful.
The carne mechada was very flavorful and tender. The rice and beans were absolutely simple comfort food at its purest. Creamy and hearty topped off with authentic Queso Fresco, it was my favorite part of the meal. The plantains were crispy and sweet on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. Really yummy. I must say, I am not a huge fan of Arepas. They were soft and mushy without any real flavor. The only ingredients are cornmeal, water, salt, and a bit of butter. I understand why Pabellon Criollo is the national dish admired by all.
http://southamericanfood.about.com/od/breads/r/Venezuelan-Style-Arepas.htm
http://venezuelancooking.wordpress.com/2011/12/14/recipe-pabellon-criollo/
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
URUGUAY-Gem of South America
This week we are studying the lovely country Uruguay. When I think of Uruguay images of beautiful beaches, South American dishes, Soccer, and Luis Suarez' teeth sinking into my Italian player Gorgio Chiellini during the World Cup are honestly my first thoughts. It is also the birthplace of famous soccer player Diego Forlan(One of my favorite Players), authors Juan Carlos Onetti, and Horacio Quiroga, and Actor/Singer Carlos Gardel.
Bordering Argentina to the west and Brazil to the North, Uruguay shares a lot of cultural similarities to these countries. It is very unique however in many ways. It is the only country in Latin America completely outside the Tropics. The name ‘Uruguay’ comes from the Uruguay River which is thought to mean ‘river of the painted birds’ in the Guarani language.
It is the only country that keeps track of 100 per cent of its cattle. And in December 2013, Uruguay became the world’s first country to legalize the marijuana trade.
Uruguay is heavily influenced by significant numbers of European Immigrants in the last 50 years, particularly Italians and Spanish and to a lesser extent German and French. There are many pasta dishes eaten throughout Uruguay. Also quite bountiful is the empanada. This is a staple dish eaten all throughout this South American country. It can be made in many different ways with numerous fillings.
We cooked Empanadas two ways this week. One with a savory Beef Filling with Braised Leeks, Bell Peppers, Onions, Olives, Hard Boiled Eggs, Raisins, and Tomatoes. The other half, Serrano Ham and Monchego Cheese. We made the dough from scratch, cut out circles and folded them into half moon shapes. You can fry or bake them. We decided to bake them.
They were delicious! Pillowy and delightful. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, so good! The ham and cheese were gooey and creamy. We will definitely cook these again.
Here are the recipes we cooked this week:
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Monday, September 8, 2014
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA-Land of the Free
This week we learned about our own country, The good old United States of America. I cannot believe we are already on country #44! My mother and father's family both came to America for a better life. They wanted the opportunity to work hard and become successful regardless of their background. That is what the United States means to me. A place where you can find success as long as you are willing to put in the hard work. A country where you have the freedom to practice whatever religion or none at all, speak your mind, and live freely. I will always be grateful to the United States for giving my parents a new home to make a better life for their children. And that is exactly what we did.
This was by far the heaviest challenge food wise for me to date. Not because the food is complicated. Rather the pressure to best represent my country is what made this week difficult. With the help of some great friends I comprised a 3 part menu for the United States based on 9 dishes that truly represent every corner of our great country. We started day 1 with the West Coast. Nothing says California more than a great California wine from Napa Valley.
We paired this wine with Northern California Herb Goat Cheese Toasts. We made these by toasting Garlic Ciabatta Bread then spreading the goat cheese on top. We placed fresh California figs on top and drizzled with honey. So delicious!!
We served this delicious appetizer with a wonderful Apple Rutabaga Sweet Potato Soup using delicious Granny Smith Apples from the Pacific Northwestern State of Washington. Not only was this soup incredibly healthy and hearty, but boy was it delicious! Especially after dunking our Goat Cheese toasts in and devouring. We boiled all the veggies in Chicken Stock, blended in a blender then returned to stove. Instead of heavy cream, which is what the recipe called for, I substituted Fat Free Greek Yogurt and a little Skim Milk. The last touch was a drizzle of Vermont Maple Syrup. Yummers!
Golden Gate Bridge San Francisco, California
Next stop on our culinary tour of the US- New England. Known for its rustic beauty, incredible seafood, and gorgeous shores, this was my favorite day of cooking the US. We made a New England favorite, Maine Lobster Rolls with Kettle Chips. We took 4 Lobster Tails, steamed them and pulled out all meat. Mixed with fresh Tarragon Leaves, Mayo, Mustard, Hot Sauce, and Lemon juice and voila! Served on top of an open face bun and Kettle Potato Chips, this meal was divine!
Autumn In New England
We could not cook the US without including the state that I grew up in, Maryland! Nothing says Maryland more than some delicious Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes. The smell of these cooking took me right back to my office at Merrill Lynch overlooking the Baltimore Harbor on Pratt Street. We took fresh Lump Crab, Mayo, Mustard, Saltine Crackers, and a ton of Old Bay to make these beauties. Served with fresh Lemon and a bit of parsley and these bad boys were gone in seconds.
Steamed Maryland Blue Crabs with Tons of Old Bay Seasoning!
We finished our meal off with a sweet ending of Key Lime Pie! This dessert gets its name from the Limes that are so plentiful and tart from the Florida Keys, a group of Islands of the Coast of Florida. This is one of the few desserts I love. It is tart, not sweet. Creamy and Crunchy at the same time, and the fresh limes are citrus heaven. This was my first attempt at baking Key Lime Pie, but I felt it should not be that difficult given it is just 5 ingredients: Key Limes, Condensed Milk, Egg Yolks, Graham Cracker Crust and Whipped Cream. I knew it was too good to be true, when I pulled it out of the oven and thought to myself "Victory!" As usual I did not wait for the pie to properly cool down before adding the whipped cream. So it melted promptly just as I snapped this photo. It did taste darn good though! After cooling down in the fridge overnight it should be even more delicious by tomorrow!
One of my favorite memories of the Florida Keys is vacationing with my girlfriend Christine in Key West after graduation from College in 1997. We snorkeled in the beautiful Coral Reefs. It was the most colorful underwater experience imaginable.
Our Final Stop on our US Tour is the Midwest, South, and Southwest. What one dish truly covers all three of these regions? Well Barbecue Baby Back Pork Ribs of course! Americans do love their barbecue, and what is so interesting is the diversity of how we prepare our barbecue depending on the region. The difference lies in the sauce.
We cooked 4 different sauces for our Ribs today. North Carolina Sauce which is Vinegar and Mustard Based. Kentucky Bourbon Sauce which has Bourbon, Molasses, and Brown Sugar. Memphis Sauce which is Hickory Smoke based and finally Texas BBQ Sauce which is spicy and hearty. They were all lip smacking good! I must say my favorites were the North Carolina and Memphis.
As side dishes we cooked fresh sweet Corn on the Cob and Idaho Mashed Potatoes. With a touch of sour cream added and a generous dollop of butter, they were creamy and delicious!
Views from the Pacific Northwest
California Dreamin'
United States Capitol
Here are the recipes we used for this week's Feast!
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