La Fiesta Cafecito is owned by Jose and Sonia Valdez who are from El Salvador.  Since Daughter #2 travelled to El Salvador to do humanitarian work a couple of years ago, we were happy to learn more about their regional cooking.  Pupusas are at the top of the list of their signature platters so we knew that would be one of our selections.  But because we love to try little tastes of lots of things we decided to order a combination platter that included two Pupusas, one chicken burrito and one beef enchilada.  The meal started with a chicken tortilla soup which satisfied my craving for a comfort food because I was nursing a cold. 

We are accustomed to this recipe with lime, chiles and cilantro but this was a savoury alternative.  We detected a sprinkling of Tajin Classico in the bottom of our bowl which is one of our regular purchases on trips to Mexico. 

We were quite sure that Jose indicated that we were getting one Queso Pupusa and One Chicarrones y Queso (pork and cheese) Pupusa but when we forked into the non-Queso one, it was definitely filled with Frijoles (beans).  I preferred the Queso one and my bean-loving (and deprived) husband preferred the Frijoles.  The chicken burrito was stuffed with a savoury mixture of onion, rice and chicken.  The beef enchilada though was unusual with a ladle of a “beef bolognaise style” sauce on top of a flaky pastry shell style base.  On top of this sat a wedge of hard boiled egg!  When in Rome….  Daughter #2 returns from South Africa in the next couple of weeks and we plan to return to La Fiesta to recreate her El Salvadorian adventure.

Kath’s Quote: “This recipe is certainly silly. It says to separate the eggs, but it doesn’t say how far to separate them.”-Gracie Allen

About a year ago, my husband brought home a case of won ton wrappers that he had purchased from work.  I have used them to make perogies and ravioli.  But our favourite is this version of a pork dumpling which resembles a pot-sticker.

Combine 1 lb. of ground pork with 1 T grated ginger, 4 cloves of minced garlic, 2 T of finely chopped green onion, 1 T of sesame oil  and 1 beaten egg.  Here’s where I start to improvise.  The recipe calls for 5 c of cabbage and if I have it I use a cole slaw mix.  Today I replaced the cabbage with 2 shredded carrots and 2 stalks of finely chopped celery.  I also added 1 T each of hoisin, fish sauce, oyster and soya sauce. 

Place 1 t of filling in the centre of each wrapper.  Wet edges with your finger and fold and seal.  Hold in a single layer on tray that has been covered with wax paper.

Drop by small numbers in boiling, salted and oiled water.  Boil for approximately 3 minutes or until they start to float to the surface.  Remove 1 and break open to check doneness before removing the rest.  They can be eaten at this stage with hoisin, peanut and sweet chili sauces as an appetizer or added to an oriental soup.  You can also add one more step and saute them in oil if you are a pot-sticker lover.

P.S. I still have half a case of wrappers in my freezer, if you’re interested in some. 

Kath’s quote: “Am I alone in thinking it odd that a people ingenious enough to invent paper, gunpowder, kites and any number of other useful objects, and who have a noble history extending back 3,000 years haven’t yet worked out that a pair of knitting needles is no way to capture food?”-Bill Bryson

The first dumpling that I ever tasted was made by my Grandma Felicia.  She was a little Polish lady and my Dad says I am most like her.  When I reach for another helping of potatoes or noodles, my husband remarks “That’s my little Polak”.  Her dumplings had a prune inside and she served them with hot butter and cinnamon and sugar. 

Dumplings Previous to Boiling

My second dumpling exposure was when my husband owned a family restaurant.  One of their weekly specials was chicken stew with dumplings which he thinks had an Austrian origin. The technique was really unusual because the raw dumpling dough was dropped right on top of the stew and then covered.  The steam from the stew would cook the dumpling.

The first time I had Chinese dumplings was when my husband and I had just begun our family life.  We took our new born daughter with us for dim sum and I had taken her to the Ladies Room to change her diaper.  When I returned, the table was covered with food, we ate and were back in the car in 10 minutes!  Needless to say, we had to learn the fine art of dim sum dining.   When the kids were still little I would buy dim sum in Chinatown (The Oriental Market on King St.) and take it to the lake for a special dinner.  My son would ask for more of the pork dumplings by saying “Can I have more of those little brains?”

 My Chinese Dumpling recipe in Part 2.

Kath’s quote: “The fricassee with dumplings is made by a Mrs. Miller whose husband has left her four times on account of her disposition and returned four times on account of her cooking and is still there.”- Rex Stout

I have just started cooking with Butternut Squash and I will admit that I intended to make a ravioli but I got lazy and made this soup instead.  I was glad that I did-it was a lovely supper soup and the left overs were good both cold and hot.  It will become one of my soup staples. 

Cook 2 chopped onions in 2 T of butter until soft (about 5 mins.)  Add 3 c peeled, seeded and cubed butternut squash and 1 1/2 c cubed potatoes.  Pour in chicken stock until veggies are completely submerged (about 3 c).  Add 1 t paprika and set to a boil.  Lower and simmer about 35 mins. until veggies are soft to the fork.  Pour the soup into a blender and process until smooth.  Return the soup to the pan and stir in 1/2 c milk.  Adjust s&p and reheat on low. 

I’m the kind of person who is too transparent.  When someone says “Oh, I love that purse”  I have to tell them that it is a Kate Spade but I picked it up at my favourite second hand store for $3.99….why do I do that?!  So just in case you think that foodies don’t have food accidents-this is a pic of my soup that I left on low and went back to my computer to get some more work done.  I had an explosion of butternut squash!

Kath’s quote: “The secret of success is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake those, you’ve got it made.”-Groucho Marx

Sister # 3: “While the traditional regional cuisine on Isla Mujeres is amazing, there is also a huge variety of fare available because people from around the world have discovered this little Island and now call it home.

March 2010

Olivia’s Israeli owner/operators offer a nice variety of good Mediterranean food including moussaka and kebab.” 

Added by Kathryne: We were so excited to try Olivia’s in March 2008, that we accepted a table right in front of the restaurant’s open kitchen.  The result was that we were engulfed by the smoke from the open fire.  This did not dampen our appreciation of their well made mojitos or carefully prepared food.  We tried their spanakopita, moussaka and Moroccan fish on couscous.

Moroccan Fish

In February 2009 we were fortunate to make a reservation for the best table in the house.  There is a beautiful, large square table at the rear of the restaurant which is under a thatched canopy where enjoyed another  lovely dinner .

Sisters 1-3 Under the Palapa

On my next visit, I intend to try their Shawarma.  This was one of my favourite meals when I travelled to Israel a decade ago.  I still recall the glistening juices as the meat portion was shaved off of the rotating spit.  We had stopped at a roadside diner outside of Jerusalem.  Their version was served with crunchy veggies and a variety of sauces-the memory of the taste is still very vivid.

Kath’s Quote: “Don’t take a butcher’s advice on how to cook meat.   If he knew, he’d be a chef.” -Andy Rooney