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dining
An isthmian holiday feast Yes, I know --- some of you sticklers for authenticity may object that a bunch of these things are not Panamanian in origin at all. But we are the Crossroads of the World, and this feast represents the many cultures that influence us.
Pink Scallop Ceviche Ingredients: · 1 pound fresh bay scallops (or ocean scallops cut into smaller pieces) · 4 bird peppers (also known as African devil peppers), minced · 1 medium red onion, peeled, quartered and sliced · 3/4 cup lime juice · salt to taste Directions: · Mix scallops and onions in a glass or porcelain bowl · Heat lime juice, salt and peppers in a saucepan until they start to simmer · Pour liquid from pan over scallops and onions · Cover bowl, put in refrigerator overnight · Drain liquid from bowl, reheat, pour over back into bowl · Put bowl back in refrigerator · When its completely chilled again, the color will have come out of the onions --- turning the ceviche pink --- and it will be ready to serve
Sancocho de Mariscos Ingredients: 1 gallon of water 1 large Spanish onion, peeled and diced 1 small package of vegetable broth powder 1 small package of dried shrimp 2 sun-dried tomatoes, diced 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil 1 large red sweet pepper, stem, seeds and pulp removed, diced 2 lb. of corvina filets, cut crosswise into 1 wide strips 1 medium-small octopus, cleaned, steamed and cooled, skin slime removed and cut into pieces 1 lb. of clams 3 lb. of ρame, peeled and cut into chunks 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into chunks 6 leaves of culantro, cut crosswise into quarter-inch strips 3 ears of fresh corn on the cob, cut into 2 pieces salt and white pepper to taste Directions: Combine the water, onions, powdered broth, shrimp, tomatoes and olive oil in a large pot, bring to a rapid boil Turn heat down to low Add all of the other ingredients except for the salt and pepper, cover and simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour, until the carrot and ρame chunks are tender but still retain their shapes Season with salt and pepper, stir, turn off the heat, cover and let the soup slowly cool down for 10 or 15 minutes When you serve it, make sure that everyone gets a bit of everything and at least one chunk of corn on the cob in his or her bowl
Holiday Tamales Ingredients: 2 lbs. dried corn kernels 1 cup boiling water 2 Tablespoons bacon grease 2 lbs. pork, cubed 1 whole chicken, cut in 8 pieces 2/3 cup vegetable oil 3 Tablespoons achiote 2 large red bell peppers, cut into 1/4-inch squares 2 cups chopped onions 5 garlic cloves, chopped 2 lbs. firm tomatoes, chopped 4 leaves fresh culantro, chopped 1 aji chombo pepper, finely minced 1 cup green Spanish olives (pitted and stuffed with pimientos) Salt to taste 1 cup white wine Plantain leaves 1 lb. pitted prunes 2 cups stuffed Spanish green olives 2 Tablespoons capers Directions: Soak the corn overnight in water Discard soaking water, replace with enough water to cover Cook over medium heat until the corn is tender Drain and grind the corn, in a food processor, blender or meat grinder Add the cup of boiling water and the bacon grease Knead the mixture until you get a smooth smooth consistency Cover while you are preparing the filling Heat the vegetable oil in large pan Add the achiote Simmer until all the red color is all extracted from the achiote Strain achiote out of oil, retaining the oil Deep fry the chicken in the oil until lightly browned Remove the chicken, drain on paper Deep fry the onions, garlic and bell peppers in the oil in which you cooked the chicken until soft Add the tomatoes, culantro, aji chombo, salt and wine Add the chicken and pork Simmer until the meats are tender Separate the meats from the mixture Knead the remaining sauce with the corn dough Pass the plantain leaves over a slow fire, cut out the middle veins, wipe each leaf with a clean damp cloth Wrapping in 2 or 3 overlapping leaves, place some dough in the middle and spread it evenly Put two tablespoons of meat, a strip of pimento, a prune, and 1 or 2 olives on the dough, and cover these with more dough Fold the plantain leaves over the mixture and tie with a string Boil the tamales in a large pot of water for one hour
Escoviched Snapper Filets Ingredients: 3 pounds red snapper filets, sliced into half-inch-wide strips 2 quarts water 4 limes 2 Tablespoons salt 1 Tablespoon white pepper 1/2 cup vegetable oil 2 cloves of garlic, peeled 2 aji chombo (scotch bonnet) peppers with seeds, pulp and stems removed and cut into thin strips --- more or likelier less, depending on your taste for the picante, knowing that with two peppers it is much spicier than most Panamanians like their food 2 cups white vinegar 2 large Spanish onions, sliced thin 1 Tablespoon whole allspice berries Directions: Mix the juice of the limes in the water, and then thoroughly rinse the fish in the mixture Dry the fish with cloth or paper towels Mix the salt and white pepper together in small bowl Spread the mix on a small plate, a little at a time for each piece of fish Lightly coat the fish with the salt and pepper mixture one piece at a time, put on paper towels Heat a skillet until very hot, and add the oil and bring it to the boiling point (if you first heat the skillet with the oil in it, you are likely to burn the oil) Add the garlic cloves to the oil When the garlic cloves are dark brown, remove them from the oil Fry the fish, turning it once so that it is brown and crispy on each side Drain the oil by using proper utensils to take the fish out of the skillet, and by putting the fish on a plate covered with paper towels and letting it sit for a few minutes Transfer the fish in an ovenproof glass bowl with a cover Combine the vinegar, onions, aji chombo and allspice berries in a saucepan, bring to a boil, then turn down the heat, cover and simmer until the onions are clear Pour the mixture from the saucepan over the fish, cover the bowl and marinate in the refrigerator overnight, gently turning the fish over once so as to fully marinate it without breaking the fish strips This is good picnic food, because its good when served at room temperature --- but for sanitary reasons dont let it sit out for more than a couple of hours This is spicy if you put in most or all of the aji chombo peppers suggested, so you want to serve it with something starchy on the side to take out the fire --- maybe michi bread, but the possibilities are almost endless
Honey Goose Ingredients: 1 whole goose, thawed if it was frozen 1 lemon 4 cups water 1 tablespoon honey 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce 2/3 cup dry sherry Directions: Rinse the goose, dry it with paper towels Insert a meat hook near the neck Cut the lemon into 1/4-inch slices, leaving the peel on Combine the lemon slices, water, honey, soy sauce and sherry in a pan and bring to a boil Turn down heat and simmer for 20 minutes Ladle sauce over the goose several times, until the skin is completely coated with it Hang the goose in front of a fan, blow-dry it for 3 to 4 hours (if the fan has accumulated dust on its blades, clean it well before this step) Preheat oven to 475° Put the goose on a roasting pan, breast side up Put 2/3 cup of water into the roasting pan Roast goose at 475° for 15 minutes Reduce heat to 350°, continue to roast for 1 hour and 10 minutes Remove goose from oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes Cut the skin and meat into pieces, serve them on a warm platter
Lynn's "give the bird a break" stuffed pumpkin Stuffed pumpkin Ingredients: 1 large pumpkin Stuffing of your choice, mixed and moist, enough to fill your pumpkin Butter Water Directions: Preheat oven to 400° Cut a five-inch circle around the pumpkin's stem, remove and reserve Remove seeds, clean inside of pumpkin well Rub pumpkin's interior with butter Cut several 1-inch notches in pumpkin, fill with butter Fill pumpkin with stuffing, replace "cap," wrap pumpkin tightly in foil Place in shallow baking dish, with 1/2 inch of water on bottom Bake in oven, replacing water as necessary Check to see if it's done after 1 hour Pumpkin is done when a fork inserts easily into side Remove from oven, cool for at least 15 minutes Slice stuffed pumpkin into wedges Serve with vegetarian brown gravy Vegetarian brown gravy Ingredients: 4 cups milk 2 vegetable consommι cubes 1/2 cup flour Water Soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce to taste Directions: Put milk, butter and consommι cubes into a non-stick saucepan Heat, stirring, until hot but not boiling Dissolve flour in enough water to make a thin paste Slowly add paste to mixture in saucepan, stirring constantly Bring to a gentle boil, simmer until thickened to gravy consistency Stir in enough soy or Worcestershire sauce to obtain the flavor and color you want Remove from heat and serve immediately
Cranberry Lamb Ingredients: 1 rack of lamb 2 tablespoons sweetened dried cranberries 3/4 teaspoon dried rosemary 2 cloves garlic 1 shallot, peeled and quartered 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 2 tablespoons honey mustard 1 teaspoon olive oil Directions: Preheat oven to 425° Trim fat from lamb Place lamb, meat side up, on a broiler pan Combine cranberries, rosemary, garlic, and shallot in a food processor and chop Add bread crumbs, salt and pepper Spread mustard over lamb Pat bread crumb mixture into mustard on lamb Drizzle with olive oil Bake lamb for 40 minutes, or until it registers 145° (medium-rare) to 160° (medium) when inside temperature is checked on a meat thermometer Cover the lamb and let stand 10 minutes Slice the rack into chops, serve
Green Papaya, served as a vegetable Ingredients: · 1 large but unripe papaya, peeled, seeds and pulp removed and diced Directions: · Steam the papaya chunks until tender, then use butter or margarine and salt and pepper to taste --- its very much like chayote
Candied Plantain Ingredients: · 3 large ripe plantains · 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil · 1 Tablespoon butter · 1 cup sugar · 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract · 1 1/2 cups water · dash of cinnamon Directions: · Soften the plantains by lightly bruising them, unpeeled, with meat hammer or other blunt instrument · Peel plantains and cut them lengthwise and then each half plaintain into two or three pieces · Melt the butter in a frying pan at low temperature · Add oil, turn heat to high, sloshing butter and oil around to mix them · Add the plantains and fry until brown · Mix all the remaining ingredients in a large cup or bowl · Pour mix into the pan, over the plaintains · Turn heat down to low · Simmer until liquid thickens, about 12 or 15 minutes
Star apple cooler Ingredients: 4 cups diced star apple (also known as carambola or star fruit) 1/3 cup sugar 3/4 c cold club soda 2 star apple slices Directions: Combine star apple and sugar in food processor Process until smooth Strain mixture through a sieve into a bowl, reserving 1-1/4 cups juice Cover and chill Discard solids Add club soda to star apple juice Stir gently Pour over ice Garnish with star apple slices and serve
Home Made Ginger BeerIngredients:
2 lb. brown sugar Directions: Combine the grated ginger and water in a large glass jar or pitcher and cover loosely (if you make the seal airtight, you're asking for a little explosion and a big mess) Let stand at room temperature for two days Strain the solids out of the liquid, add the sugar Bottle and refrigerate
Christmas PuddingThis dessert should be prepared at least a day in advance, and may be made a week or two before it is served. PuddingIngredients: 1 2/3 cups golden raisins 3/4 cup dried mangos, diced 3/4 cup dried prunes, pitted and diced 1/4 cup minced candied orange peel 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dark rum 1/2 cup dark brown sugar 6 tablespoons sifted white flour 1/4 cup coarsely ground almonds 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 stick butter, melted without browning, kept warm 3 eggs 1/4 cup milk 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon almond extract Directions: Mix raisins, mangos, prunes, orange peel, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt in a bowl Pour rum over fruit and spices, stirring well Let stand 30 minutes Mix bread crumbs, sugar and flour in another bowl Add to dried fruit mixture, stir well Cover, leave at room temperature overnight Mix almonds and baking powder in a bowl Whisk melted butter, eggs, milk, vanilla extract and almond extract in another bowl Stir in almond mixture Stir butter mixture into dried fruit mixture Slather a 2-quart pudding mold (if you don't have one of these, an oven-proof glass casserole dish with a lid will work) Spoon batter into mold Smooth top, cover Place pudding mold on rack in large pot Add enough boiling water to pot to come halfway up sides of mold Cover pot and steam pudding over medium-low heat for about 2 hours, until a toothpick stuck into the middle comes out clean (add more water as necessary) Transfer mold to rack and cool 5 minutes Remove pudding by placing a plate upside-down atop the mold, gently turning both mold and plate upside down Cool Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate To reheat pudding, unwrap and return to buttered mold, cover Place mold on rack in large pot Add enough hot water to pot to come halfway up sides of mold Cover pot and steam pudding over medium-low heat until heated through, about 45 minutes Transfer mold to rack Let stand 5 minutes Carefully remove pudding to a serving platter Serve warm, with soft brandy butter Brandy ButterIngredients: 1 1/2 sticks butter, room temperature 1 cup powdered sugar 5 tablespoons apricot brandy Directions: Using an electric mixer or a whisk, beat butter until smooth Beat in sugar Gradually beat in brandy Cover and refrigerate Warm to room temperature before serving
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