Drink

Well, we did it again. The 5th Saturday Supper Club met last Saturday, the theme this time was SPAIN and we had a fabulous meal! We all choose a course and everything really complimented well.
 
Starters were by Jane-Elizabeth and Judd: spinach empanadas and cheese straws. The dough for the empanadas was very thin and light, not at all overpowering the fillings.  Margaret had manchego cheese topped with quince that she'd cut in little shapes. There were lots of other cheeses and olives and some caramellized walnuts which were amazing with a slice of a bleu cheese! The flavors just perfectly matched. Mike served a delicious sausage with a dipping sauce made of simple syrup and saffron. At first you would think it a mustard and the sweetness was a nice surprise. I am happy to hear about a new cheese market in Austin, Antonelli's. I'm heading that way.
 

Dinner was at the restaurant at Miraflores Locks. This is the first of three locks from Pacific to Atlantic. They are Miraflores, Pedro Miguel and Gatun Locks. Miraflores, being the closest to Panama City, has a lovely visitors center, well worth a visit. The center houses a museum, snack bar, gift shop and a dining room with a view like no other in the world. We reserved a table on the outdoor veranda and when we arrived, there was a northbound and a southbound ship in the locks. Water filled the next lock as the ships approached and we watched as they slowly rose or lowered. Our group was hanging over the edge, as excited as kids on their first trip to Disneyworld. Tonight we toasted the 8th Wonder of the World.
 

The Three Sisters Cooking school with Chef Glenn Gamboa

In the village of El Valle, we visited the market, an organic farm, and then learned how to cook Panamanian sytle. Our guide through this taste day was Reinhild Gamboa, a German-American who moved with her husband, Chef Glenn Gamboa, to El Valle along with the Three Sisters, their Vietnamese pot bellied pigs. We started at the market where we saw a lot of interesting veggies that we didn't recognize. The soil in Panama, and especially around El Valle is very rich. As a matter of fact, the village is located in the center of a collasped volcano so you can imagine just how good the growing conditions might be. The most interesting to all of us was culantro, not cilantro. It is a long leafy thing that is used in everything, especially chimichuri, which is a staple here and everyone has his/her own recipe. It's very simple and I would equate with a pesto but even more versatile.

Last night we inaugurated the 5th Saturday Supper Club. We are 4 couples and there are always 4 5th Saturdays per year. The host gets to invite another couple so we have 10 people and the only rule is in the title, it falls on the 5th Saturday. OK - last night was not the 5th Saturday but everyone was busy that weekend, so we broke the only rule! However it was worth the wait!

Chef Diana Temple, owner & founder of Diana's Creative Catering of Malibu, visited Charlie Collins Cooking School December 2009. Her photographer husband Brian, took all these great photos. Here's her report:

Back to the cookbooks - I just picked a few off my shelf to talk about -

1. The 100 Best Tapas - these are very simple recipes and all are listed in English and Spanish and there is a picture for each one! Did you know that Tortillas in Spain are an omlette/potato item? Here in Texas a tortilla is a bread substitute and we joke that we can go for days eating everything in a tortilla and not have to use silverware! Anyway a Spanish tortilla (pronounced Tor-tee-ja) has sliced potatoes, onions, cooked omlette style in olive oil.

2. Rezepte - German-Texan Culinary Art by Nevilee Maass Weaver - back when everything was Hausgemacht. This simple cookbook tells as much a story of the Germans who settled in Central Texas as it does recipes. Also included are German expressions like 'Man soll dem Tag nicht vor dem Abent loben' - One shouldnot praise the day before the evening, or 'Don't count your chickens before they hatch'. The recipes are simply written, ex.

Kohlsuppe (Cabbage Soup) - put some chopped bacon, potato slices, chopped cabbage, salt and other seasoning in a pot. Cover with water and cook till vegetables are done. (me? I need more direction than that!)

Somehow I started collecting aprons. I was traveling in Spain a few years back and saw flamenco style aprons and bought all that I could find and gave them as Christmas presents along with a cookbook "The 100 Best Tapas". Of course I had to keep one for myself and that started what turned into a collection.

My most recent addition is from the Chef Charlie Collins Cooking School. Charlie just took me and Barbara through the wonderful experience of cooking and selecting for a delicious meal. More to come on the cooking school ...

Angostino Cervice with Aji Amarillo and cilantro

Sweet Corn Seren with organic chicken Ropa Vieja

Grilled diver Scallops, Onion Carbonara with Berare's Guava Smoked Bacon

Pam turned us on to Key West. This is our 3rd trip there to coincide with the Key West Holiday parade. We assume our position on the sidewalk in front of our favorite B&B, The Mermaid & The Alligator, and watch the holiday revelers pass by. Candy and beads are thrown from the floats bedecked with colored lights, church groups parade side by side with drag queens, cool cars, pirates and santas.