Archive for February, 2006
Liberte a Dadivosa que existe em você!
Tuesday, February 21st, 2006
Clique na imagem para ler as instruções ;)
TIPOS DE ACEITE EN EL MERCADO
Tuesday, February 21st, 2006En las últimas semanas impartí dos catas-conferencias sobre el Aceite de Oliva en La Viña del Señor. Nuestras previsiones se desbordaron ya que asistieron unas 90 personas que colapsaron la limitada capacidad del local. El interés por el mundo del aceite de oliva va en aumento y muchas personas se han comunicado conmigo para saber cuando voy a repetir estas sesiones. Para vuestra información, va a ser en el mes de abril ya que en marzo voy a estar en Catalunya.
Si quereis recibir información del próximo evento podeis facilitarme vuestro mail y os escribiré para daros las coordenadas precisas.
En relación a la anterior entrada sobre el "olio di sansa", quisiera aclarar lo que se consigue en los anaqueles venezolanos y como distinguirlo
1- "ACEITE DE OLIVA VIRGEN EXTRA" (o extra virgen, que es lo mismo)
2- "ACEITE DE OLIVA"
3- "OLIO DI SANSA DI OLIVA"
1- El primero es aceite de oliva obtenido directamente de las aceitunas por procesos mecánicos o fisicos, es decir, es solamente zumo natural de aceitunas, por eso se denomina "VIRGEN". Los de calidad superior (menos de un grado de acidez en su composicion de acidos grasos libres) pueden figurar como "EXTRA". El resto de aceites con calidad inferior se conoce como "virgen corriente" y por ultimo aquellos cuya calidad es tan inferior que no son aptos para el consumo humano se les conoce como "VIRGEN LAMPANTE" (servian para encender lamparas)
2- Todas aquellas botellas que simplemente indique "ACEITE DE OLIVA" es realmente "ACEITE REFINADO DE OLIVA" es decir, un aceite obtenido por procesos quimicos de refinado a partir de una materia prima de baja calidad no apta o poco apta para el consumo humano. El refinado se encarga de eliminar todos los defectos, color, sabor, asi como vitaminas y antioxidantes naturales para obtener un aceite inócuo y totalmente transparente sin ninguna cualidad. Para dotarlo de sabor y color se añade un 10% de aceite virgen extra. En el sector aceitero, se intenta confundir al consumidor con denominaciones tan perversas como "ACEITE DE OLIVA PURO"... no es el único sector alimentario que juega con el diccionario, algún dia hablaremos del Jamón
3- Olio di sansa, como ya indiqué anteriormente, sería el de peor calidad. Obtenido por refinado a partir de aceites no aptos para el consumo humano extraidos quimicamente de los despojos organicos de la aceituna.
En conclusión, si el consumidor venezolano busca "aceite de oliva" por todos los beneficios y cualidades que atesora, el único que realmente cumple con estos propósitos es el VIRGEN EXTRA. Todo lo que no incluya esta denominación de forma clara y directa es un subproducto de la industria que intenta aprovecharse del único y verdadero aceite de oliva si lo entendemos como Al-Zayt o "zumo natural de aceitunas"
Si quereis recibir información del próximo evento podeis facilitarme vuestro mail y os escribiré para daros las coordenadas precisas.
En relación a la anterior entrada sobre el "olio di sansa", quisiera aclarar lo que se consigue en los anaqueles venezolanos y como distinguirlo
1- "ACEITE DE OLIVA VIRGEN EXTRA" (o extra virgen, que es lo mismo)
2- "ACEITE DE OLIVA"
3- "OLIO DI SANSA DI OLIVA"
1- El primero es aceite de oliva obtenido directamente de las aceitunas por procesos mecánicos o fisicos, es decir, es solamente zumo natural de aceitunas, por eso se denomina "VIRGEN". Los de calidad superior (menos de un grado de acidez en su composicion de acidos grasos libres) pueden figurar como "EXTRA". El resto de aceites con calidad inferior se conoce como "virgen corriente" y por ultimo aquellos cuya calidad es tan inferior que no son aptos para el consumo humano se les conoce como "VIRGEN LAMPANTE" (servian para encender lamparas)
2- Todas aquellas botellas que simplemente indique "ACEITE DE OLIVA" es realmente "ACEITE REFINADO DE OLIVA" es decir, un aceite obtenido por procesos quimicos de refinado a partir de una materia prima de baja calidad no apta o poco apta para el consumo humano. El refinado se encarga de eliminar todos los defectos, color, sabor, asi como vitaminas y antioxidantes naturales para obtener un aceite inócuo y totalmente transparente sin ninguna cualidad. Para dotarlo de sabor y color se añade un 10% de aceite virgen extra. En el sector aceitero, se intenta confundir al consumidor con denominaciones tan perversas como "ACEITE DE OLIVA PURO"... no es el único sector alimentario que juega con el diccionario, algún dia hablaremos del Jamón
3- Olio di sansa, como ya indiqué anteriormente, sería el de peor calidad. Obtenido por refinado a partir de aceites no aptos para el consumo humano extraidos quimicamente de los despojos organicos de la aceituna.
En conclusión, si el consumidor venezolano busca "aceite de oliva" por todos los beneficios y cualidades que atesora, el único que realmente cumple con estos propósitos es el VIRGEN EXTRA. Todo lo que no incluya esta denominación de forma clara y directa es un subproducto de la industria que intenta aprovecharse del único y verdadero aceite de oliva si lo entendemos como Al-Zayt o "zumo natural de aceitunas"
The Cure for a Stiff Neck
Monday, February 20th, 2006
Ouch. I don't know what I did but yesterday I woke up with pain. Perhaps all the stress of cooking (ha ha) or the heat has finally taken its toll but I spent the day in bed watching made-for-TV movies with an icepack attached to the side of my neck. This also mean one of my favorite things, being taken care of.
Since my poor boyfriend spend all day yesterday bringing me things in bed and watching hopelessly bad TV, I thought it was time for a reward. No not that. Crumble.
I grew up in an farm house on a small island in the Puget Sound, the house was on 6 acres of land and dotted with blackberries, rhubarb, pear trees (where the pear picture above was taken), apple trees, even a peach tree. The first fruit off of the land was always transformed into a crumble in my mums creamy white casserole dishes. My Mum is not exactly the family chef, but this was her signature dish & the herald of the coming spring. This recipe, however, was inspired more by the fruit in season here in Argentina than by anything spawned from the Pacific Northwest, but it is a treat all the same.
And great for breakfast with a little Greek yogurt.
Pear and Nectarine Crumble:
1 1/2 pounds of sliced nectarines
3 ripe pears, sliced
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
The juice of one little lemon
Preheat oven to 350. Put all of your sliced fruit in a large bowl, add the sugar, flour, cornstarch and lemon juice and mix well until all your slices are nicely coated. The flour and cornstarch help to thicken the juice, so you don't end up with crumble-soup. Pour the fruit into a casserole dish while you make the crumble topping.
Crumble Topping:
1 cube of butter
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cups oats
Mix together the flour, sugar and butter until it is the consistency of breadcrumbs. Add the oats, and pour onto the fruit forming a thin layer all the way across your dish. Put your crumble in the oven for about 40-50 minutes until the fruit juice bubbles and the top of your crumble has turned a golden brown. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Gaston Acurio interviewed by Elena Hernández in Panama’s Diario La Prensa
Monday, February 20th, 2006
Original: Elena Hernández, La Prensa, Panamá, 02/19/06.
OK, I admit I'm a Gaston Acurio fan. And the more I learn about him, the more I like him. Unfortunately, there isn't much written about him in English (yet!) so as I find interviews and articles about this one-man Peruvian food empire, I'll translate them for your reading pleasure. As I mentioned to a friend recently, I find translating curiously relaxing.
Our favorite Panamanian chef Elena Hernández hinted that she was going to post her interview with Gaston Acurio on her blog, El Amor Por La Cocina.
From a previous post, we know she met Gaston at the recent Madrid Fusion international gastronomic festival.
What she didn't tell us is that her interview was going to be the cover story of the Sunday Mosaico magazine from the Panama City daily, Diario La Prensa. Kudos to her for a great interview that permit us learn more about this man who is bringing Peruvian cuisine to the world's attention.
Below is my translation of Elena's interview. I hope you come to admire Gaston as do so many others.
Gastronomic Emperor
By Elena Hernández
Since first hearing about Gaston Acurio, I really wanted to meet this young chef who in the past few years has become the leading proponent of Peruvian cuisine. At last, I had my opportunity in Madrid, during the fourth annual gathering of Gastronomía Madrid Fusión, held in mid-January of this year.
If it wasn't for the television camera crew that follows him everywhere he goes, Gaston Acurio would go unnoticed in Madrid.
The simply-dressed 37-year old chef married Astrid, a German classmate from the Cordon Bleu, who is now not only his business partner but also the head pastry chef in the Acurio empire.
Gaston, who is at Madrid Fusión for the first time, has been invited as a guest speaker. He was the only Latin American presenter this year, and became a source of pride for the Latinos who were participating at the gathering.
I wait for the right moment to approach him, introduce myself, tell him we studied at the same school, and that I have all his books.
When he hears I am from Panama, he tells me that next July he plans on opening a branch of his acclaimed Astrid & Gaston Restaurant in Panama City. There are already branches in Santiago, Quito, and Bogota, and by the time the one in Panama City opens, there will be branches in Caracas and Mexico City as well. He has plans to expand to Canada and London.
He asks me about products available locally in Panama like sushi-grade yellow fin tuna, and other fish and shellfish.
He is also the owner of La Mar, a cebichería [in Miraflores, Lima] where they serve tiraditos, causa, chicharrones, and anticuchos, in addition to serving pisco, cocktails, and Peruvian beer.
Gaston the businessman serves three-thousand meals a day between his restaurants and catering services. His enterprises earn 12 million dollars a year. He also has a TV program, two cookbooks, and a new culinary encyclopedia he brought with him to Madrid. Most recently, Gaston has opened up a gastronomic research laboratory south of Lima, where he conducts experiments and consults with his experts.
All of us who live to cook or cook to live already know this much about Gaston Acurio. But my curiosity goes further. And Gaston, like any good chef, is willing to satisfy it.
He takes a few moments out of his hectic schedule to answer some questions:
EH: Tell me, what happened after the Cordon Bleu?
GA: I wanted to experience the world of the Parisian bistros, so I began to work in them. I wanted to see what life was like working in that type of a restaurant, and how that would affect my family. I knew this was the life I was going to be living later on, and I wanted to be ready for it.
EH: If you could do it over, would you still go study in France?
GA: At the time, it was my best option.
EH: Did you experience the same thing that most of us who were trained in a French kitchen did?
GA: If you mean the shouting and discipline, I ended up having to see a psychologist because of how badly I felt each time I had to discipline one of the people who worked for me. Now, the philosophy is completely different.
EH: How do you describe your cuisine?
GA: My cuisine is Peruvian, personal, modern, and free.
EH: Is the term 'fusion' out of style?
GA: Peruvian cuisine is in fact a fusion cuisine that begins with the encounter in the Americas, when the Spanish take our potatoes to Europe and they bring us their cows and pigs. Later, when African slaves are brought to Peru, the women end up doing the cooking. The Chinese also arrive in Peru to work in the sugar cane fields, and that's the origin of chifa cooking. In fact, Peru has the highest per capita number of Chinese restaurants in the world. And finally, the Japanese arrive to work in Peru, and from them we get the Nikkei kitchen.
EH: And ceviche, is it from Peru?
GA: There are many theories.
EH: A few months ago while I was preparing a conference on the gastronomy of Panama, I found a number of advertisements in American cooking magazines that promoted Peru as a gastronomic destination in Latin America. Does the restaurant industry in Peru receive government support?
GA: The Peruvian government is aware that our cuisine represents a powerful and highly valued element of seduction for visitors. Peru is a country rich in art and history, but many tourists now come not only to visit Cuzco and Machu Picchu but also to eat well.
Nowadays, our cuisine is a key export product of our nation's brand. If you noticed, the only country that has an information stand here at Madrid Fusión is Peru, and that's thanks to our government.
EH: You travel with a crew of four people. Are they paid by the government?
GA: Not at all. The television crew is paid for by the station, and I am a guest of the congress. I don't usually accept help from the Peruvian government so that we don't have any misunderstandings. I have restaurants in many countries and have to travel constantly. I only ask for government support when I have to bring ingredients to an event like this one. (He says this with a big smile.)
EH: In Chile, a law was modified to allow the use of kid goats with a weight less than three kilograms in your signature dish at Astrid & Gaston Restaurant in Santiago. How did you accomplish that?
GA: In Chile, there was a very old law on the books with regards to the age at which a kid goat or a suckling pig could be slaughtered. When I arrived to open up the restaurant, I had to go to the goat and pig breeders so that as a group we came together to state that in order to attain our culinary goal we needed to work with animals no older than three weeks. And we were able to accomplish it. This is an example of how chefs can collaborate with government in order to raise the quality of the gastronomic offer, which in the long run benefits a wide sector of a country's economy.
EH: Astrid & Gaston is a Peruvian restaurant, how do you obtain the ingredients in each country?
GA: I adapt the menu to work with the products in each country. We do have to bring some ingredients from other places. For example, for the Astrid & Gaston in Bogota, we fly in tuna and swordfish from Panama.
EH: From Panama?
GA: Yes. (He smiles.)
EH: Panama has excellent fish and shellfish...
GA: Is there something called conchas negras there?
EH: Of course. We also have lobster, prawns, corvina, grouper, razor clams, mussels, octopus, spider crabs, any seafood you desire.
One final question Gaston. What is the secret to being a great chef and attaining success?
GA: There are certain elements I consider important: being ethical and loyal, having integrity, being honest, demonstrating leadership and dedication, showing respect for the product, for our employees, and ultimately for the customer.
You also have to know how to delegate. I have my right-hand man, his name is Victoriano and he's here with me in Madrid. He started off as a dishwasher for a year and a half. He only recently learned to speak Spanish, before he only spoke Quechua, an indigenous language in Peru. Now he's learning to use the computer and studying Windows. He's great. I'm certain he's a much better cook than I am, the only difference is that I had the opportunity to be trained formally in Europe and he didn't.
Money is not something that should worry us nor should it be our motivating factor. It's simply the result of following the elements I mentioned earlier. Success is something that smiles on you, or doesn't, as long as we bear in mind that before being good chefs, we have to be good people.
The day before I leave Madrid, I run into Gaston Acurio very early in the morning sitting in the hotel lobby reading the papers. He is getting ready to leave in a few hours for Barcelona to film a series of television programs. He gets up to greet me and asks me when I'm planning on going to Lima. I tell him soon. I mention that the previous night I had been looking at some blogs that talked about his presentation at Madrid Fusión. There are many people who said he was their hero. He blushes, looks at me, and says: you're kidding, right? I give him the blog addresses so he can see for himself.
Modesty.
As the renowned American chef, Thomas Keller, stated during his presentation at Madrid Fusión, modesty is an ingredient that every celebrity-chef must include in his recipe book.
Gaston Acurio has more than enough.
Madrid Fusión: For three days, Madrid was the destination for the most important chefs in the world. This gastronomic event included conferences, practical demonstrations, contests, and tastings.
Gaston Acurio: Gaston Acurio was trained in Europe but returned to Peru to modernize its culinary culture. And he's accomplishing that quite well. His television program, The Culinary Adventure, is seen by a high number of viewers in Latin America, giving him an opportunity beyond Astrid & Gaston to share with others his knowledge and his cuisine.
Click here to read the interview via Elena's blog El Amor Por La Cocina.
Click here to read the original article in La Prensa
Read more about Gastón Acurio here at Peru Food by clicking on any of the links below:
Gaston Acurio: Inexhaustible Creativity
Another Interview with Gaston Acurio
Gaston Acurio Interviewed by Elena Hernández in Panama's Diario La Prensa
At Madrid Fusion Elena Hernández Chats with Gaston Acurio
Gaston Acurio
Astrid & Gaston Restaurant
Peru.Food@gmail.com
.
.
.
OK, I admit I'm a Gaston Acurio fan. And the more I learn about him, the more I like him. Unfortunately, there isn't much written about him in English (yet!) so as I find interviews and articles about this one-man Peruvian food empire, I'll translate them for your reading pleasure. As I mentioned to a friend recently, I find translating curiously relaxing.
Our favorite Panamanian chef Elena Hernández hinted that she was going to post her interview with Gaston Acurio on her blog, El Amor Por La Cocina.
From a previous post, we know she met Gaston at the recent Madrid Fusion international gastronomic festival.
What she didn't tell us is that her interview was going to be the cover story of the Sunday Mosaico magazine from the Panama City daily, Diario La Prensa. Kudos to her for a great interview that permit us learn more about this man who is bringing Peruvian cuisine to the world's attention.
Below is my translation of Elena's interview. I hope you come to admire Gaston as do so many others.
Gastronomic Emperor
By Elena Hernández
Since first hearing about Gaston Acurio, I really wanted to meet this young chef who in the past few years has become the leading proponent of Peruvian cuisine. At last, I had my opportunity in Madrid, during the fourth annual gathering of Gastronomía Madrid Fusión, held in mid-January of this year.
If it wasn't for the television camera crew that follows him everywhere he goes, Gaston Acurio would go unnoticed in Madrid.
The simply-dressed 37-year old chef married Astrid, a German classmate from the Cordon Bleu, who is now not only his business partner but also the head pastry chef in the Acurio empire.
Gaston, who is at Madrid Fusión for the first time, has been invited as a guest speaker. He was the only Latin American presenter this year, and became a source of pride for the Latinos who were participating at the gathering.
I wait for the right moment to approach him, introduce myself, tell him we studied at the same school, and that I have all his books.
When he hears I am from Panama, he tells me that next July he plans on opening a branch of his acclaimed Astrid & Gaston Restaurant in Panama City. There are already branches in Santiago, Quito, and Bogota, and by the time the one in Panama City opens, there will be branches in Caracas and Mexico City as well. He has plans to expand to Canada and London.
He asks me about products available locally in Panama like sushi-grade yellow fin tuna, and other fish and shellfish.
He is also the owner of La Mar, a cebichería [in Miraflores, Lima] where they serve tiraditos, causa, chicharrones, and anticuchos, in addition to serving pisco, cocktails, and Peruvian beer.
Gaston the businessman serves three-thousand meals a day between his restaurants and catering services. His enterprises earn 12 million dollars a year. He also has a TV program, two cookbooks, and a new culinary encyclopedia he brought with him to Madrid. Most recently, Gaston has opened up a gastronomic research laboratory south of Lima, where he conducts experiments and consults with his experts.
All of us who live to cook or cook to live already know this much about Gaston Acurio. But my curiosity goes further. And Gaston, like any good chef, is willing to satisfy it.
He takes a few moments out of his hectic schedule to answer some questions:
EH: Tell me, what happened after the Cordon Bleu?
GA: I wanted to experience the world of the Parisian bistros, so I began to work in them. I wanted to see what life was like working in that type of a restaurant, and how that would affect my family. I knew this was the life I was going to be living later on, and I wanted to be ready for it.
EH: If you could do it over, would you still go study in France?
GA: At the time, it was my best option.
EH: Did you experience the same thing that most of us who were trained in a French kitchen did?
GA: If you mean the shouting and discipline, I ended up having to see a psychologist because of how badly I felt each time I had to discipline one of the people who worked for me. Now, the philosophy is completely different.
EH: How do you describe your cuisine?
GA: My cuisine is Peruvian, personal, modern, and free.
EH: Is the term 'fusion' out of style?
GA: Peruvian cuisine is in fact a fusion cuisine that begins with the encounter in the Americas, when the Spanish take our potatoes to Europe and they bring us their cows and pigs. Later, when African slaves are brought to Peru, the women end up doing the cooking. The Chinese also arrive in Peru to work in the sugar cane fields, and that's the origin of chifa cooking. In fact, Peru has the highest per capita number of Chinese restaurants in the world. And finally, the Japanese arrive to work in Peru, and from them we get the Nikkei kitchen.
EH: And ceviche, is it from Peru?
GA: There are many theories.
EH: A few months ago while I was preparing a conference on the gastronomy of Panama, I found a number of advertisements in American cooking magazines that promoted Peru as a gastronomic destination in Latin America. Does the restaurant industry in Peru receive government support?
GA: The Peruvian government is aware that our cuisine represents a powerful and highly valued element of seduction for visitors. Peru is a country rich in art and history, but many tourists now come not only to visit Cuzco and Machu Picchu but also to eat well.
Nowadays, our cuisine is a key export product of our nation's brand. If you noticed, the only country that has an information stand here at Madrid Fusión is Peru, and that's thanks to our government.
EH: You travel with a crew of four people. Are they paid by the government?
GA: Not at all. The television crew is paid for by the station, and I am a guest of the congress. I don't usually accept help from the Peruvian government so that we don't have any misunderstandings. I have restaurants in many countries and have to travel constantly. I only ask for government support when I have to bring ingredients to an event like this one. (He says this with a big smile.)
EH: In Chile, a law was modified to allow the use of kid goats with a weight less than three kilograms in your signature dish at Astrid & Gaston Restaurant in Santiago. How did you accomplish that?
GA: In Chile, there was a very old law on the books with regards to the age at which a kid goat or a suckling pig could be slaughtered. When I arrived to open up the restaurant, I had to go to the goat and pig breeders so that as a group we came together to state that in order to attain our culinary goal we needed to work with animals no older than three weeks. And we were able to accomplish it. This is an example of how chefs can collaborate with government in order to raise the quality of the gastronomic offer, which in the long run benefits a wide sector of a country's economy.
EH: Astrid & Gaston is a Peruvian restaurant, how do you obtain the ingredients in each country?
GA: I adapt the menu to work with the products in each country. We do have to bring some ingredients from other places. For example, for the Astrid & Gaston in Bogota, we fly in tuna and swordfish from Panama.
EH: From Panama?
GA: Yes. (He smiles.)
EH: Panama has excellent fish and shellfish...
GA: Is there something called conchas negras there?
EH: Of course. We also have lobster, prawns, corvina, grouper, razor clams, mussels, octopus, spider crabs, any seafood you desire.
One final question Gaston. What is the secret to being a great chef and attaining success?
GA: There are certain elements I consider important: being ethical and loyal, having integrity, being honest, demonstrating leadership and dedication, showing respect for the product, for our employees, and ultimately for the customer.
You also have to know how to delegate. I have my right-hand man, his name is Victoriano and he's here with me in Madrid. He started off as a dishwasher for a year and a half. He only recently learned to speak Spanish, before he only spoke Quechua, an indigenous language in Peru. Now he's learning to use the computer and studying Windows. He's great. I'm certain he's a much better cook than I am, the only difference is that I had the opportunity to be trained formally in Europe and he didn't.
Money is not something that should worry us nor should it be our motivating factor. It's simply the result of following the elements I mentioned earlier. Success is something that smiles on you, or doesn't, as long as we bear in mind that before being good chefs, we have to be good people.
The day before I leave Madrid, I run into Gaston Acurio very early in the morning sitting in the hotel lobby reading the papers. He is getting ready to leave in a few hours for Barcelona to film a series of television programs. He gets up to greet me and asks me when I'm planning on going to Lima. I tell him soon. I mention that the previous night I had been looking at some blogs that talked about his presentation at Madrid Fusión. There are many people who said he was their hero. He blushes, looks at me, and says: you're kidding, right? I give him the blog addresses so he can see for himself.
Modesty.
As the renowned American chef, Thomas Keller, stated during his presentation at Madrid Fusión, modesty is an ingredient that every celebrity-chef must include in his recipe book.
Gaston Acurio has more than enough.
Madrid Fusión: For three days, Madrid was the destination for the most important chefs in the world. This gastronomic event included conferences, practical demonstrations, contests, and tastings.
Gaston Acurio: Gaston Acurio was trained in Europe but returned to Peru to modernize its culinary culture. And he's accomplishing that quite well. His television program, The Culinary Adventure, is seen by a high number of viewers in Latin America, giving him an opportunity beyond Astrid & Gaston to share with others his knowledge and his cuisine.
Click here to read the interview via Elena's blog El Amor Por La Cocina.
Click here to read the original article in La Prensa
Read more about Gastón Acurio here at Peru Food by clicking on any of the links below:
Gaston Acurio: Inexhaustible Creativity
Another Interview with Gaston Acurio
Gaston Acurio Interviewed by Elena Hernández in Panama's Diario La Prensa
At Madrid Fusion Elena Hernández Chats with Gaston Acurio
Gaston Acurio
Astrid & Gaston Restaurant
Peru.Food@gmail.com
.
.
.
La mar violeta añora la mesa de Lezama
Monday, February 20th, 2006Este año se cumplen cuarenta años de la publicación de Paradiso. Para empezar a celebrarlos hemos recordado el copioso banquete ofrecido por doña Augusta en su casa del Paseo del Prado una noche de noviembre. Intentar esa comida lezamiana podría resultar una buena manera de conmemorar la fecha y homenajear al autor de Paradiso, quien además del don divino de la poesía poseyó enormemente el de la gula. Este año, por cierto, también se cumplen treinta años de su muerte. Un amigo hace poco, recorriendo el malecón de La Habana, retocaba unos famosos versos y decía: “La mar violeta añora el nacimiento de Lezama”. Yo digo ahora que añoro la noble mesa paradisíaca del espléndido Paseo del Prado, leída innumerables veces y siempre postergada en su disfrute verdadero. Este artículo es un ruego cariñoso que le hago a mi gente de Salsipuedes a ver si me hacen realidad el lezámico sueño gastronómico.
El banquete lezamiano, además de una fiesta innombrable, es una comida barroca, no sé si ideada por doña Augusta con alguna influencia nunca confesada del cocinero Juan Izquierdo. En cualquier caso sería interesante que algún curioso procurara armonizar los dos estilos. Uno tradicional y otro inventivo. Eso sí, sin la refistolería de los deconstructores de hogaño.
He aquí la selección de los platos predilectos del etrusco de La Habana vieja y que conformaron el memorable menú de Paradiso:
Sopa de plátanos.
El ritual de la comida barroca se abre con una espesísima sopa de plátanos. La misma se prepara con plátanos verdes y se le añade jugo de limón para evitar la oxidación del plátano. Doña Augusta le agregó tapioca para hacer más grato su sabor. Se sirve con rosas de maíz (¿influencia de Juan Izquierdo?). Al probar la sopa los comensales se van en alegre busca del tiempo perdido.
Souflé de mariscos.
Después viene un “pulverizado” souflé de mariscos. Los langostinos dispuestos en coro, adornan la superficie de este segundo plato. También forman parte del mismo un pargo y una langosta. El souflé, hecho con una base de bechamel con huevo a la que se le adicionan los ingredientes principales (camarones grandes, pescado y langosta) recibe al final unas claras del huevo batidas a punto de nieve. Sólo así puede entrar al horno y ser servido de inmediato. Va a destacar en el plato un langostino remolón, según sentenció Doña Augusta.
Ensalada de remolacha.
Para suavizar la ingesta llega a la mesa una ensalada de remolacha y espárragos. Una mayonesa recién hecha es derramada sobre la ensalada. Y uno de los invitados derramará -como suele ocurrir- remolacha sobre el blanco mantel.
Pavo relleno.
Un pavo sobredorado hace después su aparición. El pavo está relleno de unas almendras que se deshacen y de unas ciruelas que parecen haber crecido en el horno. El pavo fue adobado varias horas después de untarlo con un mojo hecho a base de ajo, sal, pimienta y jugo de naranja agria.
Crema helada.
El postre es una deliciosa crema helada. Se hizo una conserva con coco y piña rallados. Se le agregó leche condensada y se roció con anisete Marie Brizard. Fue sacada de la nevera lista para servir. Para el autor de “Paradiso” la viejita Marie Brizard es el hada de la olorosa crema.
He allí el menú lezamiano. Sé que Cuchi, Ricardo y Osmany tienen tapioca en Salsipuedes. Sólo les recuerdo las fechas: Paradiso, cualquier día del año. Muerte de Lezama: 9 de agosto.
El banquete lezamiano, además de una fiesta innombrable, es una comida barroca, no sé si ideada por doña Augusta con alguna influencia nunca confesada del cocinero Juan Izquierdo. En cualquier caso sería interesante que algún curioso procurara armonizar los dos estilos. Uno tradicional y otro inventivo. Eso sí, sin la refistolería de los deconstructores de hogaño.
He aquí la selección de los platos predilectos del etrusco de La Habana vieja y que conformaron el memorable menú de Paradiso:
Sopa de plátanos.
El ritual de la comida barroca se abre con una espesísima sopa de plátanos. La misma se prepara con plátanos verdes y se le añade jugo de limón para evitar la oxidación del plátano. Doña Augusta le agregó tapioca para hacer más grato su sabor. Se sirve con rosas de maíz (¿influencia de Juan Izquierdo?). Al probar la sopa los comensales se van en alegre busca del tiempo perdido.
Souflé de mariscos.
Después viene un “pulverizado” souflé de mariscos. Los langostinos dispuestos en coro, adornan la superficie de este segundo plato. También forman parte del mismo un pargo y una langosta. El souflé, hecho con una base de bechamel con huevo a la que se le adicionan los ingredientes principales (camarones grandes, pescado y langosta) recibe al final unas claras del huevo batidas a punto de nieve. Sólo así puede entrar al horno y ser servido de inmediato. Va a destacar en el plato un langostino remolón, según sentenció Doña Augusta.
Ensalada de remolacha.
Para suavizar la ingesta llega a la mesa una ensalada de remolacha y espárragos. Una mayonesa recién hecha es derramada sobre la ensalada. Y uno de los invitados derramará -como suele ocurrir- remolacha sobre el blanco mantel.
Pavo relleno.
Un pavo sobredorado hace después su aparición. El pavo está relleno de unas almendras que se deshacen y de unas ciruelas que parecen haber crecido en el horno. El pavo fue adobado varias horas después de untarlo con un mojo hecho a base de ajo, sal, pimienta y jugo de naranja agria.
Crema helada.
El postre es una deliciosa crema helada. Se hizo una conserva con coco y piña rallados. Se le agregó leche condensada y se roció con anisete Marie Brizard. Fue sacada de la nevera lista para servir. Para el autor de “Paradiso” la viejita Marie Brizard es el hada de la olorosa crema.
He allí el menú lezamiano. Sé que Cuchi, Ricardo y Osmany tienen tapioca en Salsipuedes. Sólo les recuerdo las fechas: Paradiso, cualquier día del año. Muerte de Lezama: 9 de agosto.
Choclos y verduras en la ruta…
Sunday, February 19th, 2006Después de la humita del otro día, que se acabó en un abrir y cerrar de ojos, me quedé con ganas de preparar más.
Hoy al regreso del campo nos detuvimos a comprar una bolsa en el puesto de la ruta E53, y terminamos comprando un centenar por veinte pesos y nos dieron un zapallo de regalo. Una buena humita espero preparar! :)
Tienen una linda variedad de zapallos, sea bien comestibles como decorativos. Y también pueden ver aquí las mazorcas de maíz de colores. Para observar un rato...
Hoy al regreso del campo nos detuvimos a comprar una bolsa en el puesto de la ruta E53, y terminamos comprando un centenar por veinte pesos y nos dieron un zapallo de regalo. Una buena humita espero preparar! :)
Tienen una linda variedad de zapallos, sea bien comestibles como decorativos. Y también pueden ver aquí las mazorcas de maíz de colores. Para observar un rato...
A tour of el Barrio Chino, Lima’s Chinatown
Sunday, February 19th, 2006
A traditional arch welcomes you to Lima's Barrio Chino at the corner of Jirón Ucayali and Jirón Andahuaylas.
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The 700 block of Jirón Ucayali, right next to Lima's Mercado Central, or Central Market, is known as Calle Capón. Click on the map below to get a closer view. (Although the arch is incorrectly placed at the corner of Jirón Huallaga and Jirón Andahuaylas.)
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Calle Capón is the heart of Lima's traditional Chinatown.
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Chinese food is readily available for purchase in el Barrio Chino. People come from all parts of the city to shop there. This is a very busy and crowded part of the city, please exercise caution.
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There are two venerable dining institutions in el Barrio Chino .
One of them is the Salón Capón at Jirón Paruro 819.
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The other famous Barrio Chino restaurant is Wa Lok at Jirón Paruro 864.
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Click here to read more about Salón Capón and other Chinese restaurants in Lima.
Peru.Food@gmail.com
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.
.
The 700 block of Jirón Ucayali, right next to Lima's Mercado Central, or Central Market, is known as Calle Capón. Click on the map below to get a closer view. (Although the arch is incorrectly placed at the corner of Jirón Huallaga and Jirón Andahuaylas.)
Calle Capón is the heart of Lima's traditional Chinatown.
Chinese food is readily available for purchase in el Barrio Chino. People come from all parts of the city to shop there. This is a very busy and crowded part of the city, please exercise caution.
There are two venerable dining institutions in el Barrio Chino .
One of them is the Salón Capón at Jirón Paruro 819.
The other famous Barrio Chino restaurant is Wa Lok at Jirón Paruro 864.
Click here to read more about Salón Capón and other Chinese restaurants in Lima.
Peru.Food@gmail.com
.
.
.
