One mouthful and I fell in love with a country I’ve never visited. A coconut explosion of lime, mint, cilantro and lemongrass marinated tilapia that has woken up my taste buds to the wonders of Panamanian food. The baked banana leaf wrapped fish, paired with rice and black beans and accompanied by a baby greens salad with coffee vinaigrette was the main attraction of an evening this week with Chef Melissa De Leon.
Chef Melissa is visiting Austin from her home in Panama City. Wednesday night she held court at the Travis Heights home of a co-owner of Panama Boutique, the local company that organizes tours of the Central American country. Gathering the group close, she demonstrated how to form croquettes of yuca dough. Showing us the raw root vegetable, Melissa admonished the assorted food enthusiasts to not let the fear of the unknown prevent you from cooking with unusual ingredients.
Yuca, also known as manioc, cassava or mandioca, has a delicate flavor somewhat like extremely plain potatoes, without the earthy starchiness. Mixed with ricotta cheese or another queso fresco, they’re the perfect foil for any number of fillings. We were using a mixture of chorizo and steamed broccoli in our croquettes. Volunteers rolled the filled puffs in seasoned breadcrumbs and sprayed them with a bit of oil before hustling them in the oven. The night was young, more cooking was in store but we were all hungry for a taste of exotic goodness. The finished appetizers were browned and crunchy bites served up with an orange-tamarind dipping sauce. The serving tray circled the room only once before returning empty to the kitchen.
We were spellbound by the idea of the main dish, let alone the production. Wrapping anything in banana leaves and baking it is the stuff of Caribbean vacation meals, not dinner in Austin. Chef Melissa showed us just how easy it is to impress your friends with a meal most often found on outside the states. The marinade was incredible on its own, a mixture of finely diced ingredients that had a powerful citrus punch but once cooked mellowed to a pleasantly zippy crunch of fruits and herbs. The leaf wrapped fish made for a pretty plate and the marinade juice soaked into the rice and beans, adding a sassy sharpness.
“Love is the secret ingredient” said Chef Melissa with a smile. Her passion for cooking is obvious, as she gave tips for working with the staples of Panama. Even beverages were brought in as ingredients. The coffee vinaigrette is an easy and unusual dressing but the deep, earthy flavor was complimentary instead of overpowering the greens.
As the fish was pulled from the ovens, the class broke down into small groups to eat. The simple combinations of ingredients easily found in Austin but so exotic to most of us were quite delicious. With the exception of fish purchased at Quality Seafood, all the necessary foods were found at Fiesta. Banana leaves, it seems, are not completely uncommon in our city’s kitchens.
Chef Melissa’s Coffee Vinaigrette
Yield: 2-3 servings
Ingredients:
1 tsp very finely ground coffee
½ tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
¼ cup sherry wine vinegar
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Combine all ingredients and store in refrigerator until ready to use. Drizzle vinaigrette over salad greens, bread or meats and serve immediately. Can be stored in refrigerator for up to 1 week
Visit Chef Melissa's blog, The Cooking Diva, for more recipes and insights into the land of Panama. And for information on cooking tours of Panama check out Austin's own Panama Boutique.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Cocktails, Killer Dessert and Hangin' With a Chef
It's not every Tuesday that I get a five o'clock whistle text from Chel with one single word "bevies?". Okay...that statement isn't exactly true. "It's almost every Tuesday" would be more accurate. It's a great way to wind down after the work day and most Tuesdays our SO's are off doing their own thing, too. Yesterday we met up at South Congress Cafe, a hipster hangout with delectable food and a small selection of great beer on tap. I always give kudos when the draft is a higher quality than Miller Lite or Budweiser.
We hung out, chatting it up and drinking a rita on the rocks and a bellini. Neither of those cocktails were doing it for us so we switched to beer. I had a Stella Artois and Chel chose a Firemans #4 and we happily caught up on life while waiting for our appetizer, the chipotle shrimp quesadilla. The quesadilla was simple yet fabulous, with three types of gooey melted Mexican cheese, pico de gallo and marinated shrimp. It was served with guacamole, sour cream and more pico....mmmmm!
Hanging out in a SoCo hot spot is always entertaining. There was a small group in the bar who had accents I just couldn't place. European, judging by the skinny jeans one of the guys was wearing. Or should I say they were wearing him? Skinny jeans with their tight, smooth fit just don't appeal to me, especially on men. It makes their legs look like toothpicks, their backsides flat and accentuates their tiny waist and hips which in turn just pisses me off. Really? Your waist is the same size as mine was in 9th grade? How nice for you.
I did get to see Austin high society ladies, all decked out in Nordstrom attire, fully accessorized, meet up and air kiss. Their cheeks never so much as brushed each other's as they muah muah'd ever so politely. Freakin' hilarious. I tried to sneak a peek at what they were drinking as we left to indulge in some retail therapy.
Parts & Labour has to be one of my favorite stores on the strip for two reasons: the tee shirts and the jewelry. I don't know who designs the majority of their tee's but it's someone who shares my sense of humor. I laughed at the shirts that said "Sorry, I'm straight" and "Sorry, I'm gay". So Austin appropriate. After trying on oodles of rings and finally deciding that no, I did not need anything although I did want lots of things, we tripped on down Congress to Vespaio.
Vespaio's bar is absolutely one of the nicest to sit and sip a chilly flute of prosecco, which is exactly what we did. Tom, the master mixologist of a bartender, pointed us toward a heavenly dessert as well. It was a hazelnut doughnut with a mild spice cake flavor that had decadent port poached figs layered on it and topped with a honey gelato. Sprinkled around the plate were crumbly bits of hazelnut brittle or toffee, I'm unsure which. The next time I'm in Vespaio I'm going to ask if I can order just a tiny bowl of the deeply flavorful figs and a scoop of the gelato. Okay, maybe with a bit of the buttery candy, too. This is one of those desserts that you remember long after you forget who you were with when you first tasted it (although I promise not to forget you, Chel). The honey gelato was such a creamy, icy delight with a delicate sweetness that lent just the right amount of balance to the figs. Never again will I look at their chocolate offerings, never. And coming from me, that's saying a lot.
While we were lingering over our bubbly, a man dressed in chef's pants came to sit next to us. After almost every staff member had stopped to say hello to him, we couldn't bear it any longer. We had to introduce ourselves. Turns out he was Brenton Childs, executive chef at Bess Bistro. Ever so shy, Chel and I chatted away with Brenton, talking about everything from his upcoming long awaited and much needed vacation to the fact that neither of us had yet eaten at Bess. I cut to the chase immediately and asked what should I order at Bess if I was in Austin only long enough for one meal. Brenton's answer is to order the Porcini Crusted Halibut, which sounded mouthwatering as he described the pan seared fish plated on top of braised cabbage and onion and served with a big ole lump of crabmeat and some vermouth cream. I know what I'm having, when I visit Bess soon. Very soon.
The conversation turned to cocktails, as Tom had mixed up the city's finest Manhattan for Brenton. Chel and I had already discussed the best dirty martini in town (Sullivan's) and so I quizzed the Chef again, asking what to drink at Bess. He immediately recommended the Bess Cocktail, a refreshing glass of demi-sec with a squeeze of fresh lime juice to contrast the sweetness of the sparkling wine. Sounds like a perfect drink for our warm climate, the kind of cocktail you can sip as you relax into your evening.
I always enjoy talking with people who are passionate about their lives. Brenton is the type of person who has a zeal for his work and for his ambitions. While speaking of his cookbook, titled The Convert, the Chef explained he likes to create dishes using foods that many people avoid. The ones where they'll say "I hate _____, ever since I was 9 years old and I had to eat it". One such creation is the caramelized cauliflower Brenton has on the menu at Bess. His father avoided cauliflower at all costs, explaining he hated it and his mother used to make him eat it. Brenton thinly slices the cauliflower and cooks it down to a buttery caramelized softness so rich in flavor that has his father ordering it each time he visits.
The evening came to a close, with Chel and I promising to stop in at Bess once the Chef is back from his vacation and telling Tom we'd see him again, on a Manhattan kind of night. Air kisses exchanged, I headed home, happy to be living in Austin.
We hung out, chatting it up and drinking a rita on the rocks and a bellini. Neither of those cocktails were doing it for us so we switched to beer. I had a Stella Artois and Chel chose a Firemans #4 and we happily caught up on life while waiting for our appetizer, the chipotle shrimp quesadilla. The quesadilla was simple yet fabulous, with three types of gooey melted Mexican cheese, pico de gallo and marinated shrimp. It was served with guacamole, sour cream and more pico....mmmmm!
Hanging out in a SoCo hot spot is always entertaining. There was a small group in the bar who had accents I just couldn't place. European, judging by the skinny jeans one of the guys was wearing. Or should I say they were wearing him? Skinny jeans with their tight, smooth fit just don't appeal to me, especially on men. It makes their legs look like toothpicks, their backsides flat and accentuates their tiny waist and hips which in turn just pisses me off. Really? Your waist is the same size as mine was in 9th grade? How nice for you.
I did get to see Austin high society ladies, all decked out in Nordstrom attire, fully accessorized, meet up and air kiss. Their cheeks never so much as brushed each other's as they muah muah'd ever so politely. Freakin' hilarious. I tried to sneak a peek at what they were drinking as we left to indulge in some retail therapy.
Parts & Labour has to be one of my favorite stores on the strip for two reasons: the tee shirts and the jewelry. I don't know who designs the majority of their tee's but it's someone who shares my sense of humor. I laughed at the shirts that said "Sorry, I'm straight" and "Sorry, I'm gay". So Austin appropriate. After trying on oodles of rings and finally deciding that no, I did not need anything although I did want lots of things, we tripped on down Congress to Vespaio.
Vespaio's bar is absolutely one of the nicest to sit and sip a chilly flute of prosecco, which is exactly what we did. Tom, the master mixologist of a bartender, pointed us toward a heavenly dessert as well. It was a hazelnut doughnut with a mild spice cake flavor that had decadent port poached figs layered on it and topped with a honey gelato. Sprinkled around the plate were crumbly bits of hazelnut brittle or toffee, I'm unsure which. The next time I'm in Vespaio I'm going to ask if I can order just a tiny bowl of the deeply flavorful figs and a scoop of the gelato. Okay, maybe with a bit of the buttery candy, too. This is one of those desserts that you remember long after you forget who you were with when you first tasted it (although I promise not to forget you, Chel). The honey gelato was such a creamy, icy delight with a delicate sweetness that lent just the right amount of balance to the figs. Never again will I look at their chocolate offerings, never. And coming from me, that's saying a lot.
While we were lingering over our bubbly, a man dressed in chef's pants came to sit next to us. After almost every staff member had stopped to say hello to him, we couldn't bear it any longer. We had to introduce ourselves. Turns out he was Brenton Childs, executive chef at Bess Bistro. Ever so shy, Chel and I chatted away with Brenton, talking about everything from his upcoming long awaited and much needed vacation to the fact that neither of us had yet eaten at Bess. I cut to the chase immediately and asked what should I order at Bess if I was in Austin only long enough for one meal. Brenton's answer is to order the Porcini Crusted Halibut, which sounded mouthwatering as he described the pan seared fish plated on top of braised cabbage and onion and served with a big ole lump of crabmeat and some vermouth cream. I know what I'm having, when I visit Bess soon. Very soon.
The conversation turned to cocktails, as Tom had mixed up the city's finest Manhattan for Brenton. Chel and I had already discussed the best dirty martini in town (Sullivan's) and so I quizzed the Chef again, asking what to drink at Bess. He immediately recommended the Bess Cocktail, a refreshing glass of demi-sec with a squeeze of fresh lime juice to contrast the sweetness of the sparkling wine. Sounds like a perfect drink for our warm climate, the kind of cocktail you can sip as you relax into your evening.
I always enjoy talking with people who are passionate about their lives. Brenton is the type of person who has a zeal for his work and for his ambitions. While speaking of his cookbook, titled The Convert, the Chef explained he likes to create dishes using foods that many people avoid. The ones where they'll say "I hate _____, ever since I was 9 years old and I had to eat it". One such creation is the caramelized cauliflower Brenton has on the menu at Bess. His father avoided cauliflower at all costs, explaining he hated it and his mother used to make him eat it. Brenton thinly slices the cauliflower and cooks it down to a buttery caramelized softness so rich in flavor that has his father ordering it each time he visits.
The evening came to a close, with Chel and I promising to stop in at Bess once the Chef is back from his vacation and telling Tom we'd see him again, on a Manhattan kind of night. Air kisses exchanged, I headed home, happy to be living in Austin.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Life Keeps Me Busy
About a month or so ago I vowed to cut down on all my activities and have more free time to relax and enjoy life. I managed to do that, somewhat. At least I'm feeling less pulled in twenty directions than I had been. Of course, I'm the one doing the pulling, since I'm the one setting up my social events calendar. I have only myself to blame.
Last week I went out to see Supercrash play at the Red Eyed Fly. I like REF as a live music venue except during late summer. The mosquitos swarming off Waller Creek and the oppressive humidity are at their worst at this time. REF tries to keep it comfortable by running large fans but hey, when you're outdoors in August in Texas there's just not much you can do, y'know? Supercrash rocked out, as usual, and for a while I forgot how miserable the weather was and found myself caught up in the music.
Friday was Family Night with my Miller-Reinhardt clan. Our Fam Nites are always about three things: food, fun and flinging the one liners. No one is safe and no topic is taboo. Laughing your way through an evening is the absolute best. I did find out that my 3 year old nephew thinks I'm a boy. He giggled at me everytime I told him "no, I'm a girl. You're a boy." I don't think he was convinced of my gender.
I woke up superfreaking early on Saturday for the first registration day of Austin Fit. I'm coaching the slowest running group this season. For those of you out there who are already raising their eyebrows, please remember that it is a combo of running and walking. And the slowest of the slow runners. I'm intimidated, but feel pretty good about this coaching gig. I'm going to be completely upbeat, positive and cheerful when I meet my runners. I have to...they can smell fear and I don't want them to find out I don't know what the hell I'm doing.
After handing out shoe tags for the Orange color group of runners, answering a gazillion questions and breaking down tables and tents at Aus Fit, I headed home to get ready for The Event of the Weekend: tubing! I'd never been tubing before, despite having lived in Austin half my life. I had no idea what I'd been missing.
Jaime and I met up with friends at City Park in San Marcos, right on the river. We found a shady spot for our stuff, rented our tubes and got into the water as soon as we could. The spring-fed river was cold but not too cold. Think refreshing instead of take your breath away chilly. We lazed our way downriver, then hopped the tram back to the start. After a bathroom-bevie-bite to eat break, we were back in for a second float trip. It was a beautiful day, sunny and bright. I was content with being able to float 3 times, considering we didn't make it out to the park until a bit after noon. I want to go again, as soon as possible. This time I won't make Jaime eat a bite of papaya, which the group dubbed "assfruit" for its peculiar flavor.
Sunday was a different kind of family day. We went over to my parents' house where I was making enchiladas for lunch. When I pulled up, my father was outside admiring his brand spankin' new truck. He hadn't told me he'd bought a beautiful Ford F150 double cab truck with a sweet V8 under the hood. At least he had the decency to simply hand me the keys as I walked up the drive toward it. We took it around the block and I ooh'd and aah'd over how comfortable it is and how well it drives. Makes my Kia Sportage look like a Tonka toy.
The enchiladas turned out yummy. I posted pics of the process on my Statesman blog. And for you myspacers, there's pics plus a link for a video of me rolling out the enchi's. I think I could eat enchiladas almost every day. Oh, sure, eventually I'd get tired of them, but it would take a while.
How was your weekend?
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Attack of the Angry Vegetarian Duathlete!
I dragged my carcass outta bed Sunday morning after a 4 hour nap between days to go volunteer at a duathlon in San Marcos. Yeah, it was my own fault I didn't get to bed until 1am and I only have myself to blame for volunteering but I'm still going to complain about the Angry Vegetarian Duathlete. Besides, I love being an athletic supporter. ;-)
My friend Chel makes sure that I am a part of the athletic community even when I'm at my couch potato worst. She believes in tough love and in your face lessons and in the past has kicked my butt into a healthier place. So, at 5:40am I rolled up to her place and we headed off, slightly bleary-eyed, to the Darnd'st Du.
Chel's a member of Austin Duathletes, the crazy group who goes out first thing in the morning and runs a 5K before biking a few 20 miles or so. They also have spectacularly fun pub runs, which involves running to a bar, drinking, then running to the next one. Check out Chel's blog for pics of her bashed up knee, courtesy of running into a bike rack outside Rainbow Cattle Company last week.
But I digress. The story here is that after spending the early morning hours slicing two cases of tomatoes for the chow line and cheering on duathletes I ended up serving freshly grilled burgers and hot dogs. I knew there was going to be a problem when the veggie burgers started going fast. The sun was scorching, sweat was trickling down in the most annoying places and trust me when I say "moist" was the word of the day. But I was happy, doing what I do best, smiling and chatting away with the athletes I was serving. Until the Boca burgers ran low.
The first several vegetarians who came through my line and found that we were out of veggie burgers were disappointed but polite. One of them made a "salad burger" with his hamburger bun, lettuce, tomato and onion plus condiments. When you're that hungry, after running a combined total of 6.2 miles and biking 12 miles in the 100 degree weather, you do what you gotta do for nutrition. Luckily there was a table with bananas nearby as well.
The lowlight of the duathlon was the Angry Vegetarian Duathlete. When I told her we were out of veggie burgers, she slammed her paper plate down on the table in front of me, bouncing the bun off it and yelled "damnit!!" into my face. She stood, hands on hips, scowling at me as I quietly apologized, explaining that we were given only a limited number of veggie patties and had simply run out. She said nothing else but gave me one last glare and turned, stalking off. I recovered enough to greet the next person and serve up a 100% beef burger but my mind was racing.
Why was I so polite to someone who verbally attacked me? Probably because I realize that when you've pushed your body to the limit and you're drained of energy you can become quite testy in the search of food. But seriously? Why curse at the person serving you, who had no part in ordering the food she was helping to prepare and pass out? And I was in "upbeat and chipper support staff" mode and just couldn't pass from cheerleader to street floozy in the 5 seconds the Angry Vegetarian was in front of me so I missed my moment where I could've released my inner bitch.
But after she took off, leaving me shocked at her outburst (really, most athletes are very appreciative to have volunteers out at events no matter if the vegetarian option has run out) I thought of all the come backs I didn't utter. Such as "Well, if you'd just trained harder you would've made better time and been back sooner and scored a veggie burger!".
Or, "I was soooo hungry after showing up to cheer your ungrateful self on to victory that I just had to eat both cases of Boca burgers". Or even "I know the saying is 'fat & happy' but I didn't realize the flip side was 'lean & crabby'.
The Austin Duathletes commiserated with me, as we drank beers & mimosas before cleaning up the dregs of the food table. They were as shocked as I was that an athlete was so crappy to a volunteer/supporter. We had a great round of laughs at the Angry Vegetarian Duathlete's expense. She has no idea that her rudeness spawned creative stories that all started with "I would've said..." and much laughing at her militant rancor. Wherever she is, I hope she's eaten a sandwich. All natural peanut butter, of course.
This blog is in no way meant to diminish the accomplishments of the many fine athletes out that morning. These phenomenal athletes showed up with one sole purpose: to meet, greet and destroy their personal challenge while most of Central Texas was still asleep in bed. Special congratulations go out to the team members of Camp Punishment, who kicked some serious asphalt at the Du. You guys ROCK!
My friend Chel makes sure that I am a part of the athletic community even when I'm at my couch potato worst. She believes in tough love and in your face lessons and in the past has kicked my butt into a healthier place. So, at 5:40am I rolled up to her place and we headed off, slightly bleary-eyed, to the Darnd'st Du.
Chel's a member of Austin Duathletes, the crazy group who goes out first thing in the morning and runs a 5K before biking a few 20 miles or so. They also have spectacularly fun pub runs, which involves running to a bar, drinking, then running to the next one. Check out Chel's blog for pics of her bashed up knee, courtesy of running into a bike rack outside Rainbow Cattle Company last week.
But I digress. The story here is that after spending the early morning hours slicing two cases of tomatoes for the chow line and cheering on duathletes I ended up serving freshly grilled burgers and hot dogs. I knew there was going to be a problem when the veggie burgers started going fast. The sun was scorching, sweat was trickling down in the most annoying places and trust me when I say "moist" was the word of the day. But I was happy, doing what I do best, smiling and chatting away with the athletes I was serving. Until the Boca burgers ran low.
The first several vegetarians who came through my line and found that we were out of veggie burgers were disappointed but polite. One of them made a "salad burger" with his hamburger bun, lettuce, tomato and onion plus condiments. When you're that hungry, after running a combined total of 6.2 miles and biking 12 miles in the 100 degree weather, you do what you gotta do for nutrition. Luckily there was a table with bananas nearby as well.
The lowlight of the duathlon was the Angry Vegetarian Duathlete. When I told her we were out of veggie burgers, she slammed her paper plate down on the table in front of me, bouncing the bun off it and yelled "damnit!!" into my face. She stood, hands on hips, scowling at me as I quietly apologized, explaining that we were given only a limited number of veggie patties and had simply run out. She said nothing else but gave me one last glare and turned, stalking off. I recovered enough to greet the next person and serve up a 100% beef burger but my mind was racing.
Why was I so polite to someone who verbally attacked me? Probably because I realize that when you've pushed your body to the limit and you're drained of energy you can become quite testy in the search of food. But seriously? Why curse at the person serving you, who had no part in ordering the food she was helping to prepare and pass out? And I was in "upbeat and chipper support staff" mode and just couldn't pass from cheerleader to street floozy in the 5 seconds the Angry Vegetarian was in front of me so I missed my moment where I could've released my inner bitch.
But after she took off, leaving me shocked at her outburst (really, most athletes are very appreciative to have volunteers out at events no matter if the vegetarian option has run out) I thought of all the come backs I didn't utter. Such as "Well, if you'd just trained harder you would've made better time and been back sooner and scored a veggie burger!".
Or, "I was soooo hungry after showing up to cheer your ungrateful self on to victory that I just had to eat both cases of Boca burgers". Or even "I know the saying is 'fat & happy' but I didn't realize the flip side was 'lean & crabby'.
The Austin Duathletes commiserated with me, as we drank beers & mimosas before cleaning up the dregs of the food table. They were as shocked as I was that an athlete was so crappy to a volunteer/supporter. We had a great round of laughs at the Angry Vegetarian Duathlete's expense. She has no idea that her rudeness spawned creative stories that all started with "I would've said..." and much laughing at her militant rancor. Wherever she is, I hope she's eaten a sandwich. All natural peanut butter, of course.
This blog is in no way meant to diminish the accomplishments of the many fine athletes out that morning. These phenomenal athletes showed up with one sole purpose: to meet, greet and destroy their personal challenge while most of Central Texas was still asleep in bed. Special congratulations go out to the team members of Camp Punishment, who kicked some serious asphalt at the Du. You guys ROCK!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)