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KZ KitchenIf more of us valued good food & cheer & song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. ~ J.R.R. Tolkien |
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Books I'm either reading or recommending
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Pizza A La PlanchaWednesday morning, I'msupposed to teach a mom and her two kids how to make pizza from scratch. They are my ESL students. Since they are on Christmas break, we decided to spend some time in the kitchen away from the textbooks and tutoring.
Of course, you should always go through your lesson plan ahead of time, so that you are familiar with what you want to present. My leftover rice that I had fried for supper hadn't tasted so great, so I cleared off the counter and got to work.
While I was thinking about making the pizza, I remembered hearing that some people make theirs on a grill. I don't have a backyard-charcoal grill, but I do have a plancha. A plancha is a cast iron thing that you put on top of the stove. One side has ridges for grilling meat; the other side is smooth for frying arepas.
 It isn't unusual for an apartment to come without an oven here in Bogota. We have a small electric convection oven, but electricity is much more expensive than gas so we try not to use it frequently.
To make a long story a little bit shorter, I decided to sort of follow this recipe from Allrecipes.com, but to use the stovetop instead of the grill.
 Dear Daddy, this is the tablecloth that I finished hemming this morning.
An Egg A Day Is Okay
When we were in Limmerick in April of 2007, billboards assured the Irish citizens that "an egg a day is okay". Maybe they are right, but I don't think these hashbrowns, strips of bacon and pieces of toast with melted butter help the cholesterol. But...you've got to savor life whether it be long or short, no? Sweetie..."It wasn't bad, but it didn't make my heart glad." ~Joel
Peanut-crusted Chicken Breast
& Curry Rice With Pineapple
The Peanut Chicken: 1 slice of stale bread 1/3 c peanuts salt & white pepper 1 egg 2 boneless, skinless, split chicken breasts Preheat the oven to 475* F. Line a baking sheet with oiled aluminum foil or use a non-stick baking sheet. Pulse the bread, peanuts, salt and pepper in a blender or food processs, until just crumbled; trasfer the mixture to a shallow bowl or pan big enough to lay a chicken breast in. In another wide, shallow bowl, whisk the egg. Dip the chicken breasts in the egg, then dredge them in the peanut mixture. Place the chicken on the prepared pan. Bake them for about 20 minutes, turning them about half way through. The chicken is done when any liquid that runs out when pierced with a knife is clear. The Pineapple Rice: 1/2 medium white onion, chopped finely 1 Tablespoon butter 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 1/2 cups uncooked, long grain rice 2-3 T curry powder 3 T soy sauce 1 chicken boullion cube 3 1/2 c water 1/2 c green onion, chopped finely 3/4 c pineapple chunks In a medium-sized sauce pan that has a lid, saute the onion and garlic in the butter. Add the rice, curry powder, soy sauce, boullion and water. Bringing the mixture to a boil; reduce the flame to low. Allow the rice to cook for 15-20 minutes, until almost all of the water is absorbed. Stir in the green onion and pineapple chunks, and replace the lid until all of the liquid is absorbed. You can sprinkle the rice with shredded coconut and chopped peanuts if you like. I also made a simple sauce with flour, butter, cream, and curry powder to drizzle on the chicken.
DemandingOur favorite pizza place didn't have the Mexicana variety on Friday, so we didn't stay.
 Instead we walked around the corner and accross the street and found a restaurant that sold arepas rellenas (filled). After trying to decipher the names of the different fillings, Joel chose chili con carne, and I picked carne desmechada.
 Joel's was what is sounds like: chili with meat. The waitress said it was picante. Joel testified that it was not.
Mine looked like shredded meat with pineapple, but the yellow part didn't taste like pineapple. Dunno. One internet site suggests the following ingredients: Ajo, sal y pimienta, laurel y tomillo; Aceite, cebolla y tomate
In case you're interested in trying them out, get off at Calle 146 and head west about 2-3 blocks. The restaurant is on the south side of the street. The arepas cost 2.000 each. If you want two fillings, it will cost you 2.500 pesos.
We walked back to our neighborhood, but before climbing the five flights of stairs to our apartment, we decided to buy a "mil ojas" pastry at the local panedaria. The ownder warned us that they weren't "hoy" (today) so they wouldn't be fresh. Instead we picked the pastry on the shelf below. It wasn't bad: less flaky, but still filled with cream and sweet fruit something.
Fruit From Friends
One of the ladies from church gives us a ride to and from Iglesia Cristiana Gracia y Amor every Sunday. Gloria went to a finca por Villa de Leiva and brought back some fruit, recently. This is what she shared with us: tomato de arbol, uchuva, curuba, and a purple fruit (she couldn't recall the name) with flavor similar to that of maracuya.
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